http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/chloe-don/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from chloe don en-us Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:29:38 +0000 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:29:38 +0000 Hanoi and Halong BayhellipWe arrived into Hanoi at 6 orsquoclock in the morning and it was bloody freezing We were acclimatising to this cold weather as we ventured further up the coast but we were not ready to be wearing our scarves and jumpers as we stepped off the bus. We found accommodation easily as we were whisked off by a prepaid taxi to a hotel in the Old Quarter of the city. After http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Halong-Bay/blog-355381.html Coastal VietnamhellipNha Trang Hoi An HueSo were off to the coast to get away from the miserable weather of HCMC. Well that was how we planned it but unfortunately as usual things just didnrsquot quite work out that way. Now I must say the open tour bus ticket that we bought did not disappoint. We had opted for the cheaper seated bus tickets instead of the sleeper bus but for our journey t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/blog-355379.html Ho Chi Minh City Saigon Vietnamhellip.We were sad to leave Cambodia. After all it was the first country that we managed to get through without being ripped off or robbed by the locals. Malaysia had its more than corrupt taxi drivers and Thailand relieved Chloe and I of a considerable sum of money as we dozed on a bus. However onwards and upwards. So goodbye Cambodia and Good morning Vietnam. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-349044.html Phnom Penh...The bus journey from Siem Reap was fairly easy. I as usual slept all the way. We arrived at the bus station outside of the city where we were pounced on by a million tuk tuk drivers. AAAARRRGGGHHH We fought our way to a quiet spot beating off the drivers while we looked at the Lonely Planet to find accommodation. We gave in to a driver waving a poster in our faces with the details http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-346848.html I was so lucky to be able to fly out to Thailand for half term to spend just over a week with Chloe and Don and Ecto Wilson and Davey who but it was a big responsibility choosing where to go from Bangkok. Feeling a bit of a craving for some sun and sea I decided we should head down south and after talking to my Thai friend at home plumped for Krabi. I began to have serious doubts when we we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ao-Nang/blog-346225.html There is a magical aura about Cambodia that casts a spell on many who visit this charming yet confounding kingdom. Here you can ascend to the kingdom of the gods at Angkor Wat a spectacular fusion of symbolism symmetry and spirituality or you can descend into the hell of the Tuol Sleng and come face to face with the Khmer Rouge and their killing machine. Welcome to the conundrum that is Camb http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/blog-346222.html Bangkok In the words of Mama JeanClimbing into the AE2 bus from the airport to Khao San Road then a Tuk Tuk to My House in Rambutri and seeing Chloe running towards me and giving her a big hug was all bound to end in a spurt of tears. It was hard to leave this lovely little oasis of cafes bars and stalls. sheltered by trees with squirrelly type things running about in them for the steamy hot http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-345272.html Thailand...Goodbye English speaking Malaysians hello to confusion and hand gestures of Thailand. We have been looking forward to reaching the border as Malaysia is more expensive than its neighbour. In Thailand the minimum daily wage is about 3 quid so we knew we could live a little more comfortably here. Having taken a couple of cheap local buses to the border we made our step onto Thai soi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/blog-340284.html Perhentian Islands.....So we left Penang with fond memories of the Island and headed to another island on the East Coast of Malaysia. We set off on a long overnight coach journey with the idea that we would be arriving in the morning and we would be well rested and will have saved money on accommodation for that night. Well the coach dropped us off in the middle of nowhere at 3am after very lit http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/blog-340253.html PenanghellipHello itrsquos Chloe again taking over from Don on the Blog front. So we had left the wonderful Cameron Highlands and had committed ourselves to the scariest 4 hour mini bus journey ever. The driver flinging us round the corners with nothing but a cliffs edge at the side of the road. Overtaking other vehicles without a care as to what round the bend in the on coming traffic. We h http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Penang/George-Town/blog-336902.html Cameron HighlandshelliphelliplsquoAltitude loving tea fields dress the undulating hills in an emerald coloured corduroy scattered with strawberry and honey bee farms. All this in the middle of a biodiverse jungle where traileating tree roots get you clambering on all fours and carnivorous flowers swig insectsrsquo. Our Lonely Planet bible really promoted this place to us so next stop http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/blog-336891.html MalaysiahellipGood morning Good afternoon Good eveninghellip.this is Don taking over for a blog entry to give Chloe a wee rest. Irsquove been quite lazy up to now so here comes a different perspective on things. Thanks to all who have been following us on our journey from Sydney to home. I am pleased to report we have arrived safely in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. For the purposes of future http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Wilayah-Persekutuan/Kuala-Lumpur/blog-333581.html WhitsundayrsquoshellipSo wersquove been off sailing around the Whitsunday Islands for a couple of days The Whitsundayrsquos are a group of 74 islands just off the East Coast of Aus most famous amongst backpackers for diving snorkelling and of course Whitehaven Beach. Our boat was called Atlantic Clipper. It is bigger than the majority of vessels sailing the area. A lot of the boats take http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-332224.html Saying goodbye to SydneyhellipIt was very sad to be leaving Sydneyhellip it was a beautiful city to call my home for so many months but it was time to be moving on and seeing more of the world. Sydney is a wonderful vibrant city. Itrsquos always buzzing with people and entertainment. There is never a dull moment. As we arrived in to the city on the Manly ferry we took our final photograp http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Cairns/blog-329618.html Cape TribulationhellipDon and I decided to take a day trip up to Cape Tribulation north of Cairns. Our first stop was a cruise on the Daintree River looking for crocodiles in the wild. Truly amazing. We saw two big adult crocs and a wee one. The adults were massive about ten feet in length the first one sat in the water with his nose poking out we could see some of his body but he was mostly http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Cape-Tribulation/blog-329624.html Magnetic IslandhellipThe journey from Cairns to Townsville was quite a long one. Luckily for me I slept for most of it. Unlucky for Ecto he had to drive. It took about four and a half hours in total with a few stops on the way photo opportunities and food stops. One of these stops was at a small red neck town called Cardwell. The big Fish and Chip sign beckoned us in and I have to say it was http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Magnetic-Island/blog-329627.html