Old Cat Woman

Our flight from Da Nang to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) was quick and uneventful, and we soon arrived at our hotel for the next two nights, the Avanti, set on one of the main streets of Saigon, with the busy Ben Thanh market just across the road. On the front door of the hotel was a notice banning Durian in the building. Durian is the world’s smelliest fruit, and is very popular in South East Asia. I can concur that it is indeed a very unpleasantly smelling fruit, and having sampled a Durian sweet (candy) will not be doing so again! It’s also very obvious when one is nearby, and I seriously can’t understand the appeal. I read that it tastes like ice cream and is sweet, while others say it’s more like eating cheese. I ... read more

Well, now the rain has stopped and the water levels have dropped we are able to get to the family we are supporting with our trip. The volunteering part of the trip is important for Way To Travel, and of course for those on the trip! A percentage of our trip costs are put into the pot to pay for the supplies and local labourers. We provide the unskilled labour for as long as we are in the area. Unfortunately, because of the problems getting to Hue with the floods we’ll only have two days working rather than three, but as me ol’ ma would have said, it’s better than a slap in the belly with a wet kipper. The family we’re supporting have been chosen through what sounds like quite a complex procedure, involving village ... read more

Today was all about the weather. We woke to another hot and humid Hanoi morning. The plan was to drive to Ha Long Bay, about 3 hours away, spend the afternoon and night cruising around the bay and doing some kayaking, swimming and cocktail drinking – my idea of heaven! The only thing that would have improved it would be to throw in a geocache or two. Sadly as we got close to Ha Long the heavens had other ideas and opened up, throwing very heavy, yet surprisingly warm, rain down on the coach. We stopped for a quick leg-stretch and comfort break at a pearl outlet, and after a quick pee Susan and I went into the retail part of building. Susan had given me strict instructions before we travelled not to let her buy ... read more

And so it starts! The real adventure part of the holiday. It was another scorcher of a day with bright blue sky and sea. We arrived at the meeting point first, having checked out of Pirofani, and say hello to Alexis, the chief man at Trekking Hellas who are running the trip, Sakis, our main guide, and Spyros, his trusty sidekick. The kayaks were lined up on the water’s edge being loaded with our camping gear and other essentials like water. Boy, were we going to need the water! Gradually the other happy campers arrived, and once we were all present we sat down for a yummy lunch and started getting to know each other over some yummy Mediterranean style nibbles. We were quite a diverse group. Sian and I were the oldest, followed closely by ... read more

Lefkada Town. It was an early start. The taxi arrived spot on time at 03:45 and I was through security at Bristol Airport and seeking a coffee by just after 04:30. Thank goodness for the Fast Track option is all I can say. The airport was absolutely heaving, and the £7 cost of skipping the massive queues was well worth it! Sian was on an earlier flight than me and by the time I’d got my coffee, found a table to sit at and messaged her she was about to go to the gate to board. I was a little peeved that I hadn’t measured my rucksack very accurately; it didn’t quite fit in the luggage measuring thing, so had to go in the hold. To be honest though, we landed at Aktion about 15 minutes ... read more