Forgotten gems.....

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Another update already eh?! Well the truth is that in my advanced age state I forgot some other details which may be of interest.....or not!

There was another activity in NZ, more tame than the flying but great fun. Jet-boating down a river which was 4cm deep around the old gold-rush area. The journey in was as interesting as the boating, following the original road that was constructed by the miners in the late 1800's. One very unexpected event was playing ice-hockey! There was a winter rink set up outside the hot springs on the south island. It was great to get back into the hockey, even if my skating was a little rusty. It was a simple pick-up game, and I had to keep myself in check to prevent becoming too 'involved'!

The hire car......a little Diatshu Sirion fulfilled it's role nicely, after a shaky start. We had been in possession of the car for approximately 6 hours when we had a puncture and only a few hours later, there was a crack in the windscreen! The extra insurance came in handy! The puncture was not all bad news though, as it caused an in-promptu stop for the best fish n chips in the whole of NZ! It survived the 5 weeks hire unscathed and I somehow stopped it short of the forest and farmers field that appeared before my eyes on a gravel road....the less said the better..!

The unfortunate thing about NZ was the return to dormatories. The bane of any travellers life, but often necessary to save some dollars! I like to think that I am a fairly decent dorm-mate, no snoring or sleep walking and no alarm clock. This cannot be said for all people. 2 occasions stand out; the first was a guy who set his alarm to go off at 130am, just so he could watch some footie. However this was no ordinary alarm. At the aforementioned time his clock shouted in an American twang accent 'the time is 130!!!!!!!!'. Awful. The second was worse - we shared a room with 3 others all of whom made snoring noises like elephant seals during difficult child-birth! I was really at the end of my tether, hitting the mattress above my head as well as stating that people who snore should not stay in dorms, and shouting 'for the love of God will you shut up!'... It was a very long night, made worse by the fact they woke up at 7am, no doubt refreshed by their deep sleep....dirty binners!

But it wasn't just NZ that I have extra details for, I have more...

I remember sitting down for a meal in vietnam. It was nice, mixed tempura, but then i found a Tempura coated fly!.... When I called the waitress over, she said 'Oh yeah...' in a very nonchalent mannor and flicked it on the floor!

During the christmas carol service in Hanoi, the rush to get to the front and a good seat was such, that I felt peoples elbows being thrust into my side. This was no gentle persuasion, this was get out of my way now!... I turned around to see those responsible...was it a huge bloke, the vietnam mafia, the police....no, nuns! priceless!

Now to laos, I needed to post yet another letter to my dad. I went to the post-office, only to find it a staff training and audit day. I was happy to return the following day, but then I was ushered around the back through the staff entrance and into the area behind the counter. They were all too happy to open the post office just to weigh and send my letter. Can't imagine that happening in Leeds!

Still in Laos and an episode that I think Steve would be happy to forget. He announced that he would like to buy a Teapot set....... and found one in a market in Luang Prabang and negotiated a price he was happy with, especially after he went to a shop and saw them for 4 times the price. However, after looking at the Lonely Planet, it said that you should not take antiques out of the country...he was told this tea-set was 100 years old! So cue deliberation for days. What to do with it, sell it back to the market, leave it somewhere, or take it to a museum and donate it. So off we went to a local museum, me lurking in the background sniggering..... the lady took a good look and said it was OK to take out of the country. Steve protested, but it's illegal. No trust me you can take it out of the country, it's fine'. 'But, no', 'It's fine', 'but it's illegal', 'no it's fine'..... 'But it's 10 years old', 'No it's not that old...', 'but'. With a sad face she said, 'look, its about 10 years old, you can take it home...!!'. Steve scuppered out of the shop and put it in the bin! What a mess! Hilarious!

Bario, and the food we had in the bush - ever tried deer bowel soup, I wouldn't recommend it, although the fried liver was tasty!

So there it is, more extra may appear before I return in July, if my memory holds out!!... Watch this space...

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