I went to Singapore twice for a couple of days each. Most of that time was spent walking around, soaking up the atmosphere and looking for the Chinese New Year celebrations… I had timed my second visit so that I’d get there for the Chinese New Year. Unfortunately I was so tired after a sleepless last night in Melaka, that when I got to Singapore, I really wasn't up for much. This was the 25th... Everyone had been telling me that it was Chinese New Year on the 26th, so I took it easy, figuring I'd check out the action the next day. What I didn't realise was that I missed the actual count down! Together with another girl from my hostel, Katie, I went on a search for the lost Chinese New Year… It was ... read more

I’m not going to go into details about my time in Thailand over Christmas and New Year except to say where I went, and I have posted some photos which will give you an idea of what I was up to. Suffice it to say that I had such a good time that I decided to stay for longer and extend my trip in general. I was getting a bit stressed about not having enough time to visit the places I had wanted to and tired of moving from one place to another every two nights on average. So I stayed on Koh Phangan for a while with a quick visa run too Malaysia just before Christmas which I spent with friends and friends of friends back on Koh Phangan. New Years was spent on Ton ... read more

Unbelievable Cambodia Cambodia is an unbelievable country to visit - in every sense of the word. My first impression of it was from the water festival and national day celebrations in Phnom Penh, where unlike Laos, people were really friendly and smiling and more than willing to tell me about what was going on. The Cambodians speak really good English! Although not as touristed as Thailand, their English is much better. I suppose with 70% of the population being under 15, many of them are learning English at school... Considering the joviality of these festivities, it’s hard to imagine the hardship this country has been through, only recently! From the secret bombings during the Vietnam War to the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge regime which only ended in 1979 - the Cambodians have been through ... read more

Hoi An, 4th November 2008 I've just spent the last two days doing absolutely nothing, and it's been great! I've wandered the streets of Hoi An, sat in the temple courtyards reading my book, and had a few Larue beers with my dinner looking out on the lights reflecting in the river. I've kind of taken a weekend from my travelling, watching films till the wee hours and sleeping in. Only crack in the gloss is all my mosquito bites. People seem to find that after a couple of months away, they somehow become immune, no longer need their mosquito repellent and just don't get stung. I, however, get stung more and more! You say: Impossible!! And I say: I got stung bloody 7 times last night alone! And that was WITH mosquito repellent on, and ... read more

Hanoi Getting to Hanoi after 25 hours on a bus was a bit daunting. Again, I'd only done my research on the bus getting there, and wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go. But I teamed up with a pair of Canadian girls, and after looking around a bit we found a room for $3.5 each including breakfast. This turned out to be a really nice place - Family Hotel it was called - and they invited you to join them at dinner and helped us book all the tours we wanted. They weren't the cheapest operators around, but unlike the others, they seemed like they delivered what they promised. Especially Huong (Perfume) was very lovely. Always smiling and hugging you and asking how you were. This was my base in Northern Vietnam. Hanoi itself ... read more