http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Vest/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Vest en-us Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:50:09 +0000 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:50:09 +0000 FOOD Fresh fruit galore and my old pal sugared nuts spicy papaya salad Joy Cafe's excellent curry free muffins chicken with cashew nut noodles muesli for breakfast banana and coffee shakes AREA Excellent government bus to Koh Chang green lush island with luxury hotels in the process of being built but not quite ruining it yet Siam Beach perfect and ours alone big waves palm tre http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Ko-Chang/blog-25208.html FOOD Cheap good and filling meal at bus stop crocodile tastes like pork Lao lao shot tasted like tequila popular Indian I can see why our local Sabaidee restaurant with fab tuna sandwiches and pad thai. AREA Much nicer bus back for just an extra dollar quiet riverfront now the boat festival is over cafes crammed with tourists backpack pain how I've grown to hate it ripped t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vientiane/blog-27518.html FOOD Pumpkin soup steamed fish in Gaza leaf and fish curry sadly far too many bones and overrun with aniseed tasting herb river weeds a must they are so nice pink drink AREA Tiny village the most basic and stunning I've stayed in with steep mountains and vegetation forming the backdrop the perfect chill out spot breaking down bus wake up chorus of screeching cockerals babies an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Nong-Khiaw/blog-27514.html FOOD Hotel restaurant breakfasts and squid with ginger dinner gooood expensive but oh so nice salad posher restaurant food cocktails Mekong fish. AREA Best preserved town in S E Asia Winding mountain roads rivers with terraced banks palms peaceful roads Buddhist and French architecture Wat Xieng Thong temple mosaic everywhere chained up monkeys long stretch of fantastic night http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Luang-Prabang/blog-27120.html FOOD Croissants and cake on the plane hot spicy papaya salad banana and condensed milk pancakes fresh spring rolls with mint noodles and egg inside and sticky rice and coconut balls fish on a stick Scandanavian bakery JoMa bakery sweet Spy wine the best beer in Asia Lao beer. PEOPLE No taxi men hassling at the airport just one polite man Lao people soooo laid back many people http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vientiane/blog-26927.html FOOD Edam and Laughing Cow cheese rice overload with our great grub at Capitol restaurant fish overload and good French wine in 'Dead Fish' restaurant. PEOPLE Charnt and Paulie our lovely moto men and tour guides thousands of people swarming Angkor Wat with their umbrellas fewer people at the outer temples imaginative boy selling plates with your photo on tuk tuk tour amusement littl http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Angkor/blog-26236.html FOOD Sticky rice with hot banana inside wrapped in a banana leaf good veg omelettes at the Capitol cafe Angkor Beer dragonfruit top street food eggs with duck foetus' inside I didn't try one tiny birds deep fried I didn't try one fish paste the most amazing and filling breakfast I've ever had free drink in luxury lounge of hotel very good French wine. AREA Cramped bus on very bu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-25761.html FOOD Noodle and fish soup for breakfast very alcoholic Mekong and coconut shake good shakes barbequeud squid rice in a pancake with sugar small donoughts great Indian meal Tim Tams AREA Ochhentual Beach the best and quietest although with a fair amount of rubbish and building work Victory Beach busier but a nice narrow road with lots of food on offer beautiful scenery on the bu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Sihanoukville/blog-26232.html FOOD Pizza so unThai but so good. AREA Ok for a border town with all the amenities I needed. ACCOMMODATION Pop Guest House sweet bamboo walled rooms and a HOT shower at last PEOPLE Sad goodbyes to the animals and Tania 12 people squashed into taxi truck chatty girl interrupting 'Girl Interrupted'Wed 28th Tigs looked very confused as we were packing our bags and we had to say s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Trat/blog-25213.html FOOD Breakfast on a 45 minute flight Red curry in gorgeous restaurant next to our hotel unidentified but very good street snacks more good street food for dinner. AREA Cute airport with trees and flowers park in the middle of hectic Bangkok efficient Skytrain river boat to Khao San road past all the sites. PEOPLE Very sweet and smiley old lady running very sweet cafe.Thur 22nd Sep I http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-28669.html FOOD Dribbly pancakes buckets of Sangsum and Red Bull noodles for breakfast after no sleep all night hangover food Birthday meal of Greek salad pasta and banana in coconut milk lemongrass prawn salad expertly chopped pineapple. AREA Ok Lamai beach and very ok 'New Hut' beach huts Full Moon Party at Ko PhaNgan beach for my Birthday Ibiza Club 1830 eat your heart out misted over F http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Samui/blog-25205.html FOOD Street stall food all so good and lots of it all so hot good proper hotel breakfast bitter apple type fruit with hot chili sugar dip fried locusts and fried maggots yum nice but HOT Thai green curry my fave. AREA Mix of modern mad poor rich with nice aromas of spices mixed with nasty ones of pollution very wide lanes with MUCH traffic but calm alleys off them Buddha sta http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-25069.html FOOD EXCELLENT plane food cheap noodles at one of the MANY roadside cafes huge grapefruit type fruit a tea brewing ceremony egg brewed in tea for 8 hours mooncakes hot chicken curry sweet bright pink cakes made from almond cashew and coconut Gulam Jamun a ball of cream cheese in a pot of syrup. PEOPLE Polite and friendly. The whole population eating on the roadside. Nepalese man http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/blog-25066.html Australasia has been such a nice break away from South America and before heading to Asia. It felt a bit like going home maybe the amount of Brits there and the expense contributed to that feeling. I really felt relaxed there and saw some of the most stunning scenery.Everyone was just so friendly and welcoming the kiwis more so but they are superhuman anywayThe people are very proud and loyal http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-24997.html FOOD Free cereal for breakfast but no milk no kangaroo for dinner for me cheap Dominoes pizza instead Black Cherry Tim Tams THE BEST. AREA King's Park from a distance in the rain free art gallery with a mixture of good art. PEOPLE Helpful ferry people bitter Aussies at losing the cricket to the Brits WEATHER RainMon 12th Sep This hostel gets better free breakfast. Cereal too http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-24996.html FOOD Emu bitter good cheap Asian grub free popcorn at the hostel. PEOPLE Know it all family very few inhabitants. AREA Quokka inhabited tiny paradise island with hundreds of beautiful white sand clear turquoise coral filled sea bays plenty of varied greenery and very few buildings. Bike without gears to cycle in heaven. Big king lizards.Ferries nice hostel 'Million Dollar Baby' D http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Rottnest-Island/blog-24993.html FOOD Coffee and cake whilst chilling in the sun squid and chips and wine. PEOPLE Old hippy dormmate with lots of incense families filling all the many fish and chip restaurants lary towny teens. AREA Bohemian small town Cappucino Alley nice market quiet harbour deserted South Beach with white sand and distant dolphin 'Little Fish' at the cinema WEATHER Occasional sunSat 10th Se http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Fremantle/blog-24987.html FOOD 2 minute noodles PEOPLE Loud snorer as a dormmate sprawled out dormmate weird Japanese dormmate loud hostel mates patronising woman telling me how to use the obvious to work cooker drunk man pouring his heart out get me outta this hostel. AREA Manky hostel with an impossible to reach top bunk laid back city that I love Bell Tower palm tree lined financial district peaceful http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-24986.html FOOD Excellent ice cream. PEOPLE Chattier tour group now they'd relaxed Backpackers and interested locals in the club Aboriginal people who can't drink in the bars wandering the streets VERY drunk. AREA Long walk through the beautiful layered rock of King's Canyon pygmy koala... pretty Garden of Eden pool brand new and perfectly formed Yulara town not so nice sports bar cheesy club http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/King-s-Canyon/blog-22101.html FOOD Free breakfast although Vegemite very good spread for lunch of meats salad and cheese champagne with Doritos and dip to watch Uluru at sunset garlic bread and pasta with loads of fresh veg that WE made ourselves over a campfire cereal breakfast and fire toasted toast camp made damper peach bread AREA Sunrise at Anzac Hill first stop at place with unhappy cramped animals The http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Uluru/blog-22089.html