http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Fawkes/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Fawkes en-us Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:37:42 UTC Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:37:42 UTC Bangkok must've known we were arriving because they put on the most beautiful display of lights the streets were strewn with twinkling white lights just for us. or maybe it had something to do with the Queen's birthday I don't know for sure This was to be my last time in Bangkok and we got up to about as much as I have on my other times here i.e. nothing We had enough time to book our bus a http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/South/blog-317953.html Phnom PenhWe decided only to spend the minimal amount of time in Phnom Penh due to the amount of bloody rain and the fact that we were told that the Full Moon Party was actually two days earlier than we had thought or planned for Opps We went to see the main 'attractions' of the area which are S21 museum and the Killing Fields. Now my history is appauling and although I had obviously heard abou http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-317944.html Oh My God I can't do thisDa lat is pretty easy to talk about the main thing about it was a finding some great food b CANYONING Andrew and i arrived half a day before sam and Matt and were able to seek out some accommodation before they arrived. We sampled the Vietnamese speciality the Clay Pot that evening and obviously anything with ginger lemongrass and chilli is always a winner Then th http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/blog-317870.html Lets play Charades children ...... PurrrrleeeaseNot the most imaginative title I could've come up with but it does what it says on the tin. We really had to race through Vietnam even with the extra couple of days we had accumulated by not being able to stay longer in Laos. The four of us Sam and I and a pair of cool Canadians we met in Chiang Mai and Laos went to a great little hotel in hanoi' http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/blog-317859.html I heard the putting of cars padding of feet and pitterpattering of the rain before I felt the cold hard concrete beneath my face. I slowly but surely lifted my body off the floor and everything came into view the weak morning sun straining to get through the rain clouds and the streets of Luang Prabang that were coming to life. We weren't home and free yet yes we might be in the right town a http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Laos/West/Luang-Prabang/blog-317846.html The Travellers CurseTom and I arrived in Bangkok back in good ole Rambuttri and were greeted with the ever happy Ellen and the fact that my sister was still in bed at 3pm Realising I was going to be arriving in Bangkok the day after Sam was due in I got a bit worried thinking she'd be angry but I knew a Dutch bombshell who'd be in Bangkok at the same time and make sure her trip got off to a g http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Mai/blog-317837.html Matt and I were moan moan moaning about the stupid bus ride from hell as we drove through the streets of Kuta in Bali streets lined with bars and life and the beach just metres away when Tom turned round and said Will you guys shut up we're in BALI To bloody right to be fair we were on our way to the tropical delights of the Indonesian Islands and all we could do was moan about the journ http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Indonesia/Lombok/Gilli-Trawangan/blog-311121.html So running out of the hell hole that is Medan we arrive in Jakarta and what the lonely planet says is the Khao San Rd of Indo. Que more Mockney accents It's a cronic shame but the backpacker population of Indo seems to have declined in a couple of years. There are warnings on the FO website and most of the travellers that come here seems to head straight for Bali and it's famous Kuta Beach part http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Indonesia/Java/blog-309672.html O.k. so the country that this blog is under might be a bit confusing Indonesia was never part of the plan but sometimes the best things aren't planned. The bit inbetween leaving China and entering Sumatra has very little photos and lots of drama that isn't really necessary to retell in a blog So I'll try to be short and sweet in a quick sum upYet Another Epic Journey JeezI was basically in http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/blog-308187.html Marathon turned EpicI woke up hot and as I had been wearing the same clothes for 2 days I was humming. It was early and my train got in at 10 so I thought I would just make myself ready and then chill for a bit. At 10. 30 I wasn't worried because all my other trains had been a little late no biggy. I was listening to my Ipod and fell asleep when I woke up it was 12.30 and I freaked. Where am I W http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Yunnan/Lijiang/blog-283275.html 6am is riddiculously early to arrive in any city especially a new one and when you had no idea where you are going. So when I came out of the train station and saw a guy waving a placard with the logo of the hostel I booked on it I was surprizingly relieved. I know it's more adventurous to find your way with the buses and you get a sense of achievement when you make it Blah blah blah but I wa http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Shaanxi/Xi--an/blog-283246.html still more photo issues give me a breakTaking a bus from Guilin to Longshen and then from Longshen to Ping'an seemed like a big pain in the arse but meeting a Spanish couple who spoke Mandarin on the bus definitely made things easier The road to Ping'An is interesting to say the least a zigzag on a mountain edge and nothing but the odd bamboo to keep us on the driver was however not as muc http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangxi/Ping-An/blog-282793.html I seem to very luckily meet people just as i'm losing others Judit and Daniel were going back to their flat on the other side of Beijing and just as we were getting a taxi Dan I guy that incidently I had seen in Yangshuo Very random sighting I remembered commenting to the others on this guy that had really good chopstick skills when we were in a cafe I was really jealous Dan said he actual http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Beijing/blog-282418.html more photo issues give me a time and the will 'im up thereArriving in China mainland was like a breath of fresh air I had finally made it No probs with the expensive express train into Guangzhou apart from the first brush with the infamous squat toilets while going through immigration Luckily I wasn't searched as I had the contraband Lonely Plant China on me Finding my way in a new co http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Yangshuo/blog-282415.html problems with memory cards and crappy internet places so photos will be uploaded in ThailandArriving in hot and humid Hong Kong with no sleep for however many goddamn hours not knowing what day of the week was let alone the time was a real shock to the system. I was already drenched in sweat and the size and closeness of the skyscrapers seemed to bear down on me from above but hey I had a http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-274074.html O.K. so I have one confession to make even though I was in Durban for almost a week I didn't have a Bunny Chow in fact I didn't have a curry at all Awful I know. For those that don't know Durban has the largest Indian population outside of India and the Bunny Chow is an AfricanIndian delicacy 14 12 or a whole loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with delicious curry I actually had one http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/South-Africa/KwaZulu-Natal/Durban/blog-271532.html Making the decision to leave Cape Town was hard because there was still so much to do but it was in the end an excellent decision. I got on the Baz Bus which I wasn't too sure about because backpacker buses are known for the amount of 18 yrold piss heads who are just trying to get laid not really my thing but actually it was low season and there weren't that many peopel on the bus so it was a http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/South-Africa/Eastern-Cape/blog-271523.html Cape town is an incredibly infectious city. Basically I love it here and am v. glad about the news that it looks like I'll have a pretty good reason to come backCarlyn took me over to Knysna and I started the real 'traveling' part of my trip a hostel bed with 9 other people in the room Gahhhhhh I have been too spoilt Highfields hostel is actually quite nice but I was pretty freaked out at http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Cape-Town/blog-269230.html So waking up at 4am is never fun but when you have a 14 hour drive in front of you just have to stuck it up and hope noone talks to you Lots of stunning scenery and finally getting out of the fog of joburg later we find ourselves at the start of a road that says road closed flood damage of course we still go down it following a slightly insane afrikaans guy who said it should be fine and http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Plettenberg-Bay/blog-264731.html OK so Joburg is known as the crime capital but to me it's just a really normal place to go. Feels a bit weird to be honest I'm meant to be off travelling and here I am being greeted by Carlyn at the airport and staying in my Omi's old house in a double room with ensuite and balcony I'm not exactly roughing it From to moment I arrived I have been faced head on with all the crap that is going on http://www.travelblog.org//Africa/South-Africa/Gauteng/Johannesburg/blog-260262.html