Where to from here?
ZoeandSusan
We start the trip!
With Zoe having spent months reading various adventures here on TravelBlog for months before the actual trip, it only seems fitting that we share our mini-adventure here too. For friends and family who want to keep up to date with us, for similar travellers looking for hints and tips, or for people bored at work and need a glimpse into what lies beyond the four walls (like Zoe used to be!).
Hope we are entertaining and witty (ie Susan) and give you a good read - if not message us and let us know!
Zoe and Susan
xxx
Itinerary so far:
Sydney, Cyprus, Greece, Netherlands and various mini trips, Ireland, UK (Zoes pilgrimage to Anfield and general flying visits), France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar (Zoes hopes), Phillipines...and who knows where else.
Travel Blog Posts
October 20th 2080
For those of you who have been reading our blogs and knew our itinerary, you will all know that we have been to Malaysia BUT I'm going to return to this fabulous country as we are actually going back for a another couple of weeks. In the meantime our jet-setting (well mainly a combo of driving and flying) took us to Singapore and Bali, Indonesia. Singapore was the official end of our overlanding trip, most of our group were either off in different directions so our time in the city was limited. I have been to Singapore many times and it doesn't seem to change. It is so well organised, clean and everything you would want from a modern city. What it makes up in cleanliness and order, to me it always seems it lacks just ... read more
October 1st 2080
For once on this trip, I can talk about a country that I had actually been to before. Unfortunately I have to admit that the first visit in question was a ten day package holiday to Thailand (Phuket to be exact) and included as much cultural appreciation as a visit to your local pub, although I'm sure I had better cocktails than the pub. So I can't really say that all we did in Thailand wasn't new to me as we got the chance to visit most of the 'must see' places the country had to offer. Where does one begin with Thailand? Do you start with its history - the country that was once Siam but changed its name to Thailand meaning 'Land of free people' thanks to its claim to being the only South-East ... read more
September 13th 2080
If ever you were to say a country moved you, I would be prepared to put good money on big odds that you were talking about Cambodia. As the title of this blog suggests this is a country that has had a past that has taken it to hell and back, but they still smile. They still welcome you to their country. They still fight the demons of their past, and they still work hard everyday to remember that past so that it doesn't happen again. We drove an easy, luxurious six hours from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh over what could easily be described as the nicest border crossing since driving through them in Europe. A smile and a stamp and we were in! Immediately we knew we had just changed country. Instead ... read more
November 12th 2011
There was once a conversation between two, one was an inquisitive would-be traveller, the other Sri Lanka. Traveller: So Sri, do you mind if I call you Sri? How are you? Sri Lanka: Sure, I don't mind, I'm a really chilled out kind of country, Sri it is. I'm doing good. Weather is good, bit wet in the afternoons though, and the tourists are starting to arrive from Europe. All in all pretty good. Traveller: Cool, good to know, so I'm planning on coming to see you in the not too distant future and wanted to ask you a few questions if that's ok? Sri Lanka: Of course, go ahead. Shoot. Traveller: Well I heard recently you were visited by three intrepid girls? Why did they ever come to see you? Sri Lanka: Ah yes, those ... read more
November 2nd 2011
Malaysia has been unique for us, in that it's the only country we visited twice so far! We spent 10 days the first time around and then a further 5 days the second time. It has been a country which is so different to most of those we have visited here in South East Asia. It's almost like the chilled out, organised neighbour of the other manic ones. It's multi-cultural, organised and easy to get around. The old city of Penang was our first stop, home of white colonial buildings and dubbed to be the 'culinary capital' of Malaysia. The old town is small, manageable and very interesting. With refurbished old mansions, boutique hotels and hundreds of tiny eateries - it's definately the place to wander and get lost...then eat. Each of the laneways has a ... read more
What's the story Morning Glory?
Published: September 12th 2011Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City » District 1
September 10th 2011
It was a fantastic journey across the border from Laos to Vietnam. Leisurely, calm and composed, we ambled our way through the lush green hills towards our new country enjoying... oh wait, actually, no it wasn't. That was just a dream, so I will rewind. We were to board a sleeper bus set for Vietnam in the late afternoon. We were first picked up by a tuk tuk made for 12 people and proceeded to add a further 12 people plus all their baggage, yep like a bad joke, how many tourists can you pick up in a tuk tuk? Well it ended up being 25 including the drivers and all their baggage. We were stopped twice by the police on the 15 minute journey to the bus station who couldn't believe how many of us ... read more
August 14th 2011
So if China was big brother, Laos was the quiet cousin. The cousin who leaves the family under a cloud of controversy after he refused to take over the family business in order to go and chill out in the jungle and drink Beer Lao and smoke joints. The cousin who shuns the fast tourist lane and is happy to just let the people come to him. Maybe a strange analogy but I think it fits. China felt big, brash and modern compared to the sleepy Laos, even the border showed the difference. On one side a massive gold gateway adjacent to a building holding computers and xray machines and on the other a jungle shack, a bit of bribery and a mangy dog. Our first drive in Laos was so different to China, lazy wooden ... read more
Warriors, Pandas and Celebrities - China Part Two
Published: August 14th 2011Asia » China » Sichuan » Chengdu
August 10th 2011
So...picking up where we left off in the land of the Great Wall... We left you in the funny city of Wuwei which had nothing much to offer apart from the 'bronze flying horse' and more delicious hot pots! Wuwei was part of the long trek through the western/central part of China where it takes you days of driving to actually get anywhere. After leaving Wuwei we stopped in Lanzhou for a total of about 12 hours, a highly eventful 12 hours where we found our first 'real' supermarket. Yep, about four of us running around a 'real' supermarket, squealing at the sight of milk, bread and face products (no we are not victims to consumerism). After the highlight of the supermarket we were positively blown away when we drove into the huge city of Xian ... read more
July 30th 2011
Leaving Kyrgyzstan we realised that China would mean a few things. For a start, it's huge, it's modern, it's not modern, it's full of people and it's really really foreign! Out of all the places we had managed to visit on this trip, we also realised that China would be the first real attack on all of our senses. Driving along the Touragurt Pass we were warned to expect the worst from the Chinese border control. Thanks to that entry point being a rare place for foreign tourists to visit we were expecting full bag checks, hours of questioning and who knows, maybe the odd body search but alas it couldn't have been smoother. We were issued with immigration cards, our bags were x-rayed and we were welcomed in as if disembarking from a plane. That ... read more
July 9th 2011
The adventures of Zoe and Susan are still well on track. Leaving you last time in Uzbekistan we have since managed to tick off the remaining two Stans on our journey, and boy what a way to say goodbye to them. Kazakhstan was more of a stop off than a proper visit as technically we didn't visit any cities or landmarks. Instead we travelled along a soviet built road which acts as the go between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Along the way we had two bushcamps which gave us a little taster of things to come in, i.e green, mountains and snow. For the past month we have been boiling up along the deserts of central Asia, so a little bit of rain was a welcome relief. We had heard bad things about Kazakhstan but to be ... read more
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