Well, as there is not much to report, because the wind at the beach held nothing for me but a face full of sand, I spent most of my time pool-side (and this at a hostel)! Travellers in Australia are mostly American I've come to find, with the odd Swiss and Canadian thrown into the mix. Mind you, this was only my first attempt at being backpacker in Australia, and I've been here for over a month! I couldn't help but laugh at being surrounded by instant noodles or pasta with tinned tomato sauce again, as the staple backpacker meal. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Well, settling into the Australian way of life hasn't been without adventure... My weekend day trips have been somewhat limited because John had an incident with his car that left us without wheels for a couple of weeks, but its somewhat back in business now, and we were able to get out to explore the Sunshine Coast hinterlands yesterday. This is basically the green part of Australia, rolling hills with sporadic mountains and forests of Eucalyptus, Radiata Pine and Palm trees. I have yet to see a Kangaroo or Koala bear, but I know they're out there, and I'll see them [View Full Entry]

---

---

Aaahh the return to civilization! Cushioned by a nice stop-over in the Singapore airport (that's a holiday destination in itself). Free foot massages, movie lounges, it was great. The flight to Brisbane, however, proved not so relaxing. We were late to depart because they were searching for an engineer to fix the in-flight entertainment (whom they didn't find), so we had no movies to watch (boo hoo), and I had a screaming baby behind me - nice. Luckily I met some nice Limeys who were sitting next to me, on their way to Auckland. So we made our own entertainment by [View Full Entry]

---

---

After a surprisingly fast train ride, and windy/crowded mini-bus ride, deep into the mountains of northern Vietnam, I arrived in Sapa. I found Brian and Greg (the 2 Canadians I went to Halong Bay with) in a restaurant having breakfast on my first day, and they invited me to share their room (2$ is much better than $6), and join them for a hike. Note to self - don't partake in a 28km hike after an hour long run, especially when both of which are extremely hilly! We treked down into a Red Xao and Black Hmong hill tribe village and [View Full Entry]

---

---

After returning to Hanoi from the Halong Bay tour, I couldn't stomach the thought of spending any more time in the city. So the very next day, I caught the local bus (complete with Vietnamese barfarama), to Ninh Binh. This was a cute little Vietnamese town that was very authentic and has yet to be over-run with tourists. While here I went to "Halong Bay on Land". I rode a bike through the dikes separating the rice paddies that were dotted with karst formations. It was quite lovely, and the celebrity status you get just from having white skin is hilarious. [View Full Entry]

---

---

My first authentic Chinese New Year - Vietnam style, known here as Tet, and a big pain in the ass to anyone who doesn't live here. New Years Eve was full of festivities, complete with a dragon parade, concerts, trapeze artists and fire works, lots of cheap beer was consumed (8 beer for $1)!, but it was about as weak as it comes! I even managed to get interviewed by the News in Hanoi, who knows how that turned out, I wonder if I got dubbed?... After that, Hanoi turned into a ghost town, it was a challenge just trying to [View Full Entry]

---

---

DANGER! DANGER! Those on a tight budget should not go to Hoi An! Especially those that might be tempted with tailor made clothing... I took the forbidden fruit in a big way, spending about $200 USD on new custom made clothes. Who says you don't need a wool coat and party dress when backpacking in Vietnam? Among many other things... I had to break the code of conduct with backpackers, and actually bought a suitcase to fit my new goods. With the expectation that I won't be moving around quite so much in the near future, I thought it was okay. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Of the Southeast Asian countries I've visited thus far, Vietnam I'd say has the most Chinese influence. Maybe its the partial exchange of chopsticks for the old spoon and fork, or the fact that this place is going crazy in anticipation of the upcoming Chinese New Year, or "Tet", as its called here. Lucky me in my itinerary planning, prices all seem to go up by 40% this time of year. Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon was a MADHOUSE!! Okay, I know what you're going to say "enough with the fu#%ing scooters shauna!", but I can't resist. If the issue [View Full Entry]

---

---

Cambodia was like a giant time warp. Its like I crossed over the border from Thailand, and stepped 50 years into the past (apart from the swanky casinos, more than likely built with corrupt dollars). It was off to a rough start right from the get-go with the government officials scamming $5 USD from everyone obtaining their Visa. There was a big bold sign right above his head that said $20 USD for a tourist visa, but he persisted to tell me it was $25. I argued with him for a while over the well-known price of the visa, and he [View Full Entry]

---

---

Aaahh Thailand. A place where I learned to test my limits in many regards to their fullest extent. My experiences in this country have left me stronger, way more open minded, more adventurous and above all else, very happy. As with Europe, I will leave you with a few things that when I think of these, I will always think of Thailand... In no particular order, here they are: 1. Whether you are female or male, you are referred to as "sir". 2. It is not uncommon to see a family of 4 riding on a scooter. 3. More 7-11s than [View Full Entry]

---

---