tommystenger

We arrived in Cairns from Singapore via Darwin Airport, it was not the worst flight in the world as for the second leg we had double seats to ourselves which meant I could get some sleep. The plan was to spend a few days in this “cheap” hostel which was $10 a night, more than I paid anywhere else since I’ve been away. But for that $10 you did get a free meal, a pool and the best showering facilities I’ve used since leaving the UK. First night I was there I went down to the bar for my meal and a beer, only to feel like the bar tender slapped me across the face when he asked for $6 from me for my pint. I had just finished my dinner when I was roped into ... read more

We decided to extend our stay in Kuala Lumpur as we managed to find (on the second attempt) a decent, cheap guesthouse that had everything we needed. We also decided to stock up on some cheap apparel at the bustling Chinatown market, just a short walk from our accommodation. Another big plus for Kuala Lumpur is the excellent public transport system which we have used many times to get places our own steam could not take us. One of the first visits was to the main landmark of the city, and possibly the country, the twin Petronas towers, you can see them from just about any elevated vantage point in the city but the sight from afar does not really do them justice. To get there we took the subway and when we climbed up the ... read more

As it was our third visit to Bangkok in three months, we decided not to delay our trip down south and headed out after only one night in the capital. Our first stop was Reily, a strange place that even though is part of the mainland can only be reached by boat as it is completely cut off by limestone mountains. It basically has two beaches, one is mainly a mud beach lined with mangroves and hotel resorts, the other is a white sandy beach enclosed by more limestone cliffs. We only had 2 days there, the first we went to the beach in the day and watched Sunderland beat Man City in the evening, we did manage to see a pack of monkeys running wild, which we would see again later. It rained all day ... read more

We turned up in the city of Siem Reap where we had arranged for a relative of the owner of the last guest house to collect us from the bus station, when he did collect us he asked if we wanted to have a party at his home. (To be fair it sounds a trifle weird but I think it’s just the language barrier and translation issues). We arrived at his house which was just a one or two room bamboo hut, in a terrace with about 7 others. There was a large circular table laid out and his wife was cooking on the bbq grill outside. Let’s just say the food was a mixed bag, some was good like the pepper noodles and the home made beef and lime omelet, but some was horrid, it ... read more

Right, our time in Vietnam was done for and it was time to take in some culture in Cambodia. Before we left we had heard mixed reports on the place, some said that it could be easily skipped and reconmended a flight back to Thailand. While others said it was their highlight of the SE Asia trip. With plenty of time on our hands and some not wanting to miss out on places like The Killing Fields and the temples of Angkor we headed into Cambodia not really sure what to expect. We arrived in the capitol city Phnom Penh early in the morning and were plesently surprised to find a big city with clean wide streets and lots of very friendly locals. For some reason they use 2 kinds of currency, US dollars and Cambodian ... read more

Before we decided to leave the beach resort of Nha Trang for the smaller beach resort of Mui Ne a boat trip was on the cards with the usual snorlking. And swimming etc. When we woke in the morning the fan in our room had smashed all over the place and there was bits and peices everywhere, I slepted through whatever happend and Sam does not know either. A quick trip to the shop to buy some superglue was needed to avoid being fined for breaking the fan. I feel sorry for the next person who turns that fan on. It's gonna fly everywhere. This boat trip was not as good as the one we did in Thailand, the coral reefs were not as impressive, but the food was good, the weather was good and there ... read more