EDAF 2005

The river journey and border crossing was surprisingly painless and in five hours we had arrived in Phnom Penh. We were not even allowed to disembark the boat before being hassled and yelled at to stay in this or that guest house or to take this tuk tuk or that taxi! Finally we made a decision and asked to be taken to a hotel of our choice only to be told that it had closed! Thinking that this was another scam our driver took us to the (closed) hotel and then drove us to one that he recommended - it was ok so we stayed after negotiating a price. After looking at the LP for a recommended restaurant we set off to look for it. Eventually we walked into the place that we thought it was ... read more

We had a shorter bus journey through some of Vietnam's wonderful coastline and through a long tunnel whose name escapes us at the moment!! Settled into a nice hotel, this time with a pool and rooftop restaurant for only $5 more a night - we know how to treat ourselves!! Went out to explore the town of Hoi An (famous for tailors). We were immediately "befriended" by a local boy who wanted to take us to his mother's shop "just for a look!!". All the way into town we passed an amazing array of dress shops, each promising to be better than the next. We were persuaded to enter a huge warehouse full of material and seamstresses and given the latest Next Directory to make a selection from. They weren't very happy when we left without ... read more

We opted to take a three day and two night trip into the World Heritage Site of Halong Bay. Boarded our junk in Halong City in the chaotic port and eventually negotiated our way out of the harbour. We stopped at the largest cave in the bay and some time wandering around the caverns listening to the echoes and being told some of the legends of this area. That afternoon, Juliet and I opted for a refreshing swim in the open water of the South China Sea -Sara chose to be the photographer. A jump from the top deck of the boat (after some persuasion from Juliet) resulted in a fantastic bruise on my arm from the impact with the water - I need to perfect my water entries!! We changed boats in order to sail ... read more

After the comforts of an air conditioned apartment and the hustle of city life, Sara and I opted to go back to our roots..... We flew from KL to Sandakan (Malaysian Borneo) and checked into a bamboo hut in a jungle resort metres away from the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Very similar to our Mexican jungle experiences - only marginally cooler. That afternoon we ventured along the jungle floor on the elevated board walk to the feeding station for the orangs. Here wardens provide a basic fruit diet for many of the recently released orphans. And we waited..... Ropes began to sway in the distance and we caught our first glimpse of these amazing creatures swinging their way towards us hand over hand and foot over foot. Silence reigned over the small group of onlookers who ... read more

We arrived in Perth after an overnight stop in Adelaide, in a great YHA Hostel, imagine our disappointment when the Brittania YHA was a very poor relation in comparison. Still we were only sleeping there. We took a walking tour of Perth city centre and ended up down at the river front, where there was a large circus tent - curious as ever - we investigated to discover that it was the Cirque de Soleil. We couldn't get tickets for any of their shows way back in Las Vegas and we were sold the last two for the second last performance that afternoon. Oh my god!!! What a show - it was fantastic, each act was spectacular, better than the previous, if that could be possible, if you ever get the chance to see any of ... read more