shaiyla

Soooo it's been a few days and the truth is I just couldn't be bothered blogging. So I'm going to keep it short. Things changed a little from my original intention to go off track - basically it was just easier to stay on course~! Probably a good thing, I don't think my liver would have survived! So it was three nights in Siem Reap. A place which reminds me a bit of Kathmandu for it's 'pub culture' with the tourist region. We did the whole 'Angkor' tour through some temples on ... I actually can't remember which day it was. And I was completely out of it for the most part. So on that note, whilst most people ooh and aah about the sights I must admit myself somewhat 'templed out' after India and Nepal. ... read more

First off, apologies if this entry makes NO sense. ONce again I'm running off only a couple of hours sleep (although I think I've managed to avoid the hangover... by a hair). SOO MUCH going on. It looks like I'll be going off on a tangent tomorrow, leaving my group and tagging along with the guys I met the other day in Saigon/HCMC. But more on that later. Or not. Right... so backtracking a couple of days. We caught a bus to Phnom Pehn on... Sunday? I think? Nothing really spectacular to share on that. I had a pounding head so everything passed in a blur thanks to the night before. Which brings me to Monday. Tuon Sleng and the Killing Fields. Talk about a kick in the guts. I made it halfway through Tuon Sleng ... read more

Yesterday was almost a full day on the Mekong River and visiting Phoenix Island. Pretty good, brief period of rain and all. We got a good insight into just how much the Vietnamese structure their lifestyle around the land and it's produce. For example, on Phoenix island the coconut trees provide villagers with everything from food and milk, to building materials for houses and boats, medicinal uses, and fertilizer. The same can be said about rice, local fruits (some of which I have never heard of but are delicious!), and the river itself. Lunch was at a village on the island and it was spectacular - starting with a grumpy looking fried fish presented to us on a stand. Seriously this critter was stuck with a sour look on his face - he was delicious too. ... read more

WOW so it turns out a LOT can happen in two days. Once again.. Hoi An is AWESOME. Firstly, Monday was an afternoon at the tailors... now in general I'm not particularly commended for my sense in fashion (my sister tells me I have granny taste). Fortunately I had Intan there to help me out. The only rules she had to comply with were - no black/white/grey boring-ness! And we did beautifully. I now have clothes in colours that I don't think I have ever worn before. And an EPIC coat (bright red and let's not forget the silver lining - because there is ALWAYS a silver lining)... I ended up ordering 3 dresses to start with... and got two of them replicated in alternate colours because they were so good. All in all the girls ... read more

Reeaally quickly... my Itinerary from here on out... 20th June - 22nd June Hoi An, Vietnam 22nd June - 24th June Flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 25th June - 26th June Travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia by bus (the tragic history starts here) 27th June - 29th June Bus to Siem Reap and spend a couple of days through Angkor Wat and on the Tonle Sap Lake 30th June Bus to Battambang 1st July - 2nd July Border crossing to Bangkok 2nd July - 8th July I'm on my own here - flight to Koh Samui to meet some friends and just chill out 8th July - 9th July Overnight flight from Bangkok to Sydney 15th July HOME to NZ and the glorious cold and even better rain!! (for a while ;) ) ... read more

I've already found a place that is competing against Kathmandu for my affections. Hoi An is the most quaint, picturesque, romantic (yes I know *cough vomit cough*), town I've ever seen. And even if that really isn't saying much considering my oh-so-vast repertoire of experience, it's cute ok? But let me back-track a couple of days. The overnight train from Hanoi to Hue was... unmentionable - as in I slept through almost the whole 12 hours. Yes. It was that good. As for Hue, I think Vietnam just gets better and better as you move south. Hue is home to the Citadel, the - mostly ruined - establishment originated by the Nguyen dynasty in the early 19th century to house the emporer, his family and the surrounding village. As with much of Vietnam's landmarks it has ... read more

What a hectic couple of days. We have been to Halong Bay and back over the last couple of days and tonight are onto an overnight train to Hue. Mostly right now I'm staring bleary-eyed at the screen trying to recall how to be even the vaguest bit interesting as I write this update... SO! Wednesday I met up with my new group at the Hong Ngoc Hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. It's a full group of 12 and 9 of us are Australian. Then there is me, the solo Kiwi, and Martina and Leo the Austrian lovebirds (honest, they're very sweet). The age range is quite a contrast, aside from me there is Laura who is the youngest, and 3 other girls in their late 20s. Everyone else is over 50 I think. ... read more

Hanoi at last! I got at about 4pm (after it took about an hour to sort out my Visa on Arrival), I was so exhausted I kept falling asleep every time I sat down (on the plane, in the Visa queue, in the van to the hotel...). Of course once I actually checked in sleep promptly evaded me. Eventually I went outside, approached the first relatively O.K. restaurant I could find in the dark and stuffed my face with something that was beef... some kind of soup... green stuff... and orange juice. When I got back to my room I slept for 12 hours. TODAY was exploration day. And it didn't disappoint. The best thing about Hanoi (and possibly Vietnam although I'm not yet qualified to say that) is the people. They are SO friendly. Even ... read more

Ok so I'm at Bangkok International Airport waiting to board my flight to Hanoi. I am phoneless, recovering from a night by the toilet (for both reasons), and still wondering how it was we ended up at a Ping Pong show AND a local club called Hollywood Bangkok. To say the least I trully cannot keep up with a couple of Aussie girls from Newcastle. Jess and Sara if you are reading this, you certainly left an impression and it will be inextricably remembered whenever I am in Bangkok again! We started with the intention of going to the night markets... Pat Pong or something. The Tuk Tuk driver said the markets are not really open until after 8.30pm but there was something else to do. For those of you that know what a Ping Pong ... read more

Ok so it's been almost 4 days and SO MUCH has happened. Totally missed blogging from Kathmandu simply because there are better things to do. Kathmandu officially has a part of my heart - one day I'm going back. It's pretty much back-packers paradise. The hotel we stayed at was awesome - Intrepid obviously know how to ensure that the trip is ended on a high. The Kathmandu Guest House is gorgeous with gardens to relax in and stroll about, plus the markets just out the door. We had two days in Kathmandu, the shopping was just FUN, I bought a painting which was perfect, and we generally strolled around, ate great food, and tried really hard not to think about the upcoming goodbyes. Nightlife is also epic - we are talking bars every few meters ... read more