Bronson and Sharon
Originally from South Africa and Australia we have both been living in London for many, many moons. An amazing city, it has kept our attention for longer than most before and it is with a bittersweet feeling that we have finally decided to leave for the sunny shores of Australia.Ergasiophobia
We have always loved to travel and have toured extensively throughout the UK and Europe, but these have always been comfortable holidays staying in nice hotels, so it is with great excitement that we have decided to see the world from a different angle, and for a much longer period of time. The plan is to backpack through Africa, New Zealand and South-East Asia for a start, but we have a feeling that once the bug bites it is going to be a slippery slope!
We hope to share the beauty of the world and our most special experiences with as many people as possible. So welcome to our online journal! This is our way of keeping in contact with all our friends and family whom we are going to miss so very much over the months to come.
Travel Blog Posts
February 6th 2007
Louang Prabang is an annoying place to visit for a spelling nazi like Sharon, as it seems everyone spells it differently! Luang Prabang, Louang Phabang, Louangphrabang... aargh! Our bus journey from Vang Vieng to Louang Prabang began in the usual fashion as all the others (we were last to be picked up and hence got crappy seats) and ended in the usual fashion (we arrived two hours later than we were meant to). Timetables and schedules don’t really exist in Laos, and by now when someone says it is a 6-hour journey we automatically assume it will take 7 to 8 hours. We don’t know why people persist in lying, it makes no difference to us how long it takes. We have to get from A to B on the bus regardless of the journey ... read more
Chilling out and floating away in Vang Vieng
Published: February 3rd 2007Asia » Laos » West » Vang Vieng
February 3rd 2007
url='/Videos/2595.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/2595.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' Spinning around on the Nam Song River Vang Vieng was one of the most pleasant surprises on our journey so far and we ended up staying twice as long as we’d originally planned. We'd read reports of it being very touristy and that the restaurants were soulless and just showed episodes of Friends, but away from the main strip it was really lovely. We found a cheap and rustic little hut perched overlooking the river, reached by some very precarious steps you wouldn’t want to navigate while drunk. It is called Nam Song Bungalows, run by the friendliest guy you could ask for. Arnie would do anything for you, and gave excellent advice about the local area. He was always around with a smile and really made our time there extra special. When ... read more
January 28th 2007
Angkor TemplesA short, bumpy bus ride northwards and you hit Cambodia’s main tourist town: Siem Reap - gateway to the Angkor temples. We hired a Tuk Tuk for the entire day, rising at 5am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat (in the company of thousands of other tourists) and then spent the rest of the day walking through the incredible 12th century ruins. (Actually, it’s probably more than that, 11th to 14th Century or something). All the temples were awe-inspiring feats of workmanship, but we’ll let our pictures do the talking this time. The Road Onwards Now the road from Siem Reap to Thailand is a road only in the loosest sense of the word. In fact, we’d go so far as to say it is simply a path devoid of grass due to ... read more
January 25th 2007
After a few short (6 hour) bus rides and a short stopover in Ho Chi Minh City, we had crossed the border and entered Cambodia. The landscape did not change dramatically, but the roads certainly did. The only good road is the one to Phnom Penh and Siam Reap, and even that leaves a lot to be desired. We found PP to be a nice, but unremarkable place to visit. The Royal Palace was beautiful, with well kept garden and perfectly maintained buildings, although your considerable entry fee ensures it is kept that way. The Wat Phnom Pagoda was not at all inspiring and to get to it you have to run the gauntlet of beggars who line the walkways. Cambodia’s lack of support for the poor, elderly, disabled and deformed is apparent as begging ... read more
January 22nd 2007
We arrived in the mountain city of Dalat after spending a cramped day on a bus (well, I was cramped, Sharon could fit into a Mini behind the Hulk and still have space). We were now heading back up into the clouds and the curving uphill roads proved difficult on both the bus and our nerves. It was with great relief that we got off the bus, amazed to still be alive. We immediately went in search of the famous Easy Riders, our only reason for making the journey. We were told they hang out at the Peace Cafe, and this proved both true and easy to locate. Sitting down to a banana pancake with chocolate sauce we met Khoa (Dave) & Lucky who spent the better part of an hour poring over maps and putting ... read more
January 12th 2007
A new term - to us as least - that we were introduced to on this trip is that of the “Flashpacker”. We have to confess that despite good intentions to save money wherever possible, we’ve gone for a pretty comfortable standard of travel, especially compared to other (more hardcore) backpackers we’ve met. For example, we’ve been paying $10 - $15 US for our hotel rooms; usually this has given us air-conditioning, TV, sometimes breakfast, and always hot water. But since encountering lots of people on our travels who’ve been paying $2 - $4 US per room (and yes, that’s for a couple!) we’ve had to accept that we definitely fall into the flashpacker category. This is also evidenced in our choice of transport from Hanoi to Hue, and from Hoi An to Nha Trang. We ... read more
January 7th 2007
In the far north of Vietnam, ten hours on a rickety overnight train from Hanoi, lies the sleepy mountain town of Sapa. It is the main gateway for travellers wishing to experience remote Vietnam, although the hilltribes that provide this experience do not call themsleves Vietnamese. They do not have passports, often do not even speak the language and have minimal involvement in anything outside of their northern homes. Our bus ride from the train station in the foothills to Sapa at the peak was nothing short of terrifying! The horn on the bus was broken, and we learnt on our 45 minute journey just how crucial it is to have a horn when driving in Vietnam. On any sharp curves (ie blind corners), it is customary to honk to indicate your approach. In the absence ... read more
January 4th 2007
Hanoi is the gateway to the northern part of Vietnam, and most travellers use it as a base to visit Sapa and Halong Bay. We were signed up for both, as Meg - a seasoned traveller - had recommended both locations. We had booked our tours through our hotel in Hanoi, and the hotel owner indicated that it would be pleasant in Halong Bay, and that swimming was definitely on the agenda. So it was with great enthusiasm that we packed our daypacks with swimsuits, suntan lotion, hats and some t-shirts and other light clothing. A short 3 hour bus journey later and we were at the pier ready to board the boat. We were with a great group of travellers and we were all coming to the same conclusion that perhaps it wouldn't be as ... read more
January 2nd 2007
Hanoi is a city of horns, hawkers and hectic streets. There is still a lot of poverty in this up and coming Vietnamese city, and a large portion of the population sleep in small rooms down dark alleyways, while others simply sleep on the floor of whatever establishment they work for. It is a strange experience stepping over all your hotel staff sleeping in the lobby when returning from a late(ish) night out. It was cold, it was dark, it was winter. What had happened in only a short flight from Malaysia? On our 45 minute taxi ride from the airport to the city we looked at one another wondering if maybe we should have checked the weather forecast for our destination!! Stupidly, we had assumed that most of Asia would be moderate, and the warmest ... read more
December 23rd 2006
Before we begin this blog, we apologise for any errors we may have made either in reporting the events, or in our interpretation of events. We start the proceedings the night before the wedding at the groom's house (Ames the groom is Sharon's cousin). Here we witness a short ceremony where the groom has his hair combed (to symbolise a long and happy life), and eats two round dumplings from a dessert dish (to symbolise the full circle of family life). We then watch a slideshow and page through a photo album of the array of wedding photos that have been taken and assembled for our pleasure. In Malaysia the custom is for the bride and groom to have the photos taken weeks or months before the wedding, so the photos are ready on the wedding ... read more
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