The good, the bad, and the ugly

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin my last blog entry which I warn you now is a bit of a biggy! Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride of good times, bad times, romance, guns and partying...no wonder I am sleeping so much after such a crazy final 2 weeks!

Tango dancers in a pedestrianised street. I think I'll stick to Salsa!

Nicky and I had a nice time wandering around the shops and streets of Buenos Aires, choosing to pay little attention to the map and not worrying about whether we made it to all of the museums and sights. It's a beautiful city that we decided felt half European (like Paris with its old buildings and countless cafes) and half American (with its sky rise buildings). The docklands are gorgeous with their funky replica of the Sydney Opera House and you could spend days ooing and ahhing at the leafy plazas, man-on-a-horse statues and grand palacial mansions. It's a shame therefore that we found ourselves being held at gunpoint for Nicky's camera and wallet in the horrible area of La Boca. Recommended in the Lonely Planet and famous for the Boca Juniors Football Stadium and a colourful pedestrianised street, we didn't consider ourselves to be walking into such seriously grave danger, but even the 'safe' roads recommended by our hostel couldn't protect us from the watchful eyes of the desperate locals. It all happened so quickly yet so much was going through my mind. Shit he has a gun. Should I run away? No I should protect Nicky. But I have everything in my bag. They're going to start on me next. I'm going to lose everything. Should I shout for help? They're running away. We ran into the middle of the road to get a taxi and Nicky broke down into tears having lost all of her photos, her camera and her wallet. I wanted to cry but I also wanted to stay strong for her. We spent the next couple of hours being ferried between police stations in police cars (there was no way we were going anywhere unprotected, especially as they forced us to go back to a La Boca police station!) and sitting in those places was almost as bad as what had just happened. People were coming in to report robberies and one woman ran in huffing and puffing with cuts and blood all over her face. We were so glad to get back to our hostel that it didn't take long before we were dancing to drum and bass there and at a nightclub like a couple of mad girls on pills, celebrating the fact that we were alive. From that day, every time I left a hostel in Buenos Aires I was expecting to be robbed, which is such a shame because it is such a beautiful city with so many great things on offer.

Phil (my boyfriend) and Gareth (his friend from uni) arrived the next day and we took no time in introducing them to an Argentinian steak and the Buenos Aires nightlife. I hadn't seen Phil for 6 months so you can imagine how happy I was! They are on a year long trip, half of which will be spent travelling and half as volunteers developing a water system for an orphanage in the North of Bolivia. We spent a few days in Buenos Aires seeing some sights, playing/watching football and finishing many bottles of alcoholic beverages before catching a bus to Puerto Iguazu - our base for visiting the mind-blowing Iguazu Falls. Before this happy episode I did however suffer another spell of bad luck. Back in the sess pit that is Retiro bus station (remember the attempted stealing of the pink bag?) and fully aware by now of the dangers around us, our group of 6 (2 guys had joined Nicky, Phil, Gareth and I for our trip to the falls) thought we had the whole thing covered. We found an elevated spot in the station from which we could see the coaches arrive and thought we were doing a good job of looking prepared and vigilent. You have to remember however that the people out to get you in these places are professionals - this is what they do. When 3 of us were left watching the bags some men pulled a 'you've dropped your money' scam on us, distracting our attention for long enough to whip my small rucksack from behind me and make off with the goods. There is a silver lining to even the darkest of clouds - my passport, money, camera and MP3 player were in a different bag that I never lost. But the things that were stollen meant the world to me, especially my Moleskine diary which was a present from Phil and contained all of my thoughts and memories from Day 1 in Thailand, some of which I will never remember. Other diaries to which I had dedicated considerable time and effort, practical things that are annoying to lose and presents that I had bought for people were also lost, and the worst thing is that it was worth nothing to my thief, who probably dumped the bag only a few blocks away.

Our happy group of 6

By the following day I had accepted what had happened and was ready to enjoy our time in Puerto Iguazu. The hostel was more like a hotel with a huge communal area upstairs and a pool and social area at the front. We had booked a package deal from Buenos Aires which included one day seeing the falls from the Brazilian side (another stamp in the passport!), one exploring the park on the Argentinian side and a free bbq including free caipirinhas all night long (a sugarcane-based alcoholic cocktail). We partied through the first night with the Brazilian dancers and musicians, later making a very quick splash in the freezing cold pool (hats off to the skinny dippers!), then dragged ourselves out of bed for a day at the falls early the next morning. Unfortunately it was stormy the whole time we were there so my pictures aren't that great and we didn't see any rainbows, but the electrical thunder storms were incredible with lightning actually hitting the hostel several times!

It would be pointless for me to try to explain the enormity and grandeur of the falls in words, but suffice to say I have never been struck by a sight that made me stop in my tracks and stare quite so suddenly or with such impact. I was lost for words, and could have stood for hours listening to the thundering roar of the water and watching its continual pounding flow into the river miles below. The park is brilliantly arranged and we spent 2 amazing days seeing the hundreds of falls from all angles and various proximities, getting right into the thick (and wet!) of it in a speedboat on the second day. Three rivers converge at the meeting point of 3 countries to create this natural masterpiece, which is undeniably another of my favourite places in the world. Some crazy little animals and jungle walks topped off the experience - one that I will never forget.

It was sad to leave Nicky, Chris and Pete when Iguazu came to an end, and I wasn't looking forward to being back in Retiro bus station. Buenos Aires also spelled the end of my travelling and my time with Phil so there were lots of reasons not to want to go back. But we survived my last 24 hours there without any problems and at night Phil and I struck gold on the culinary front. I had read about a Japanese restaurant that we thought we couldn't find, when suddenly I noticed a discreet plaque engraved with Japanese writing on a building. We snuck around the corner to some sliding wooden doors which opened to reveal the cutest and smartest little restaurant I have ever seen, and the fact that it was so secret and hidden away made it all the more haven-like and special. We could even watch the football on the TVs opposite our chairs! We felt like such amateurs as they brought us what I now know is Japanese ommelette and hot flannels (we ate it with our fingers!) and some mismo soup (as we hadn't any spoons I asked the waiter how to eat it, to which he responded with a sipping motion...duh!). The sushi was first class and washed down with a pot of green tea I felt totally Japanese.

On leaving day I treated myself to a taxi to the airport and suffered a very uncomfortable 34 hours of being awake, before snuggling down into my own bed again for a nice long snooze. I was really looking forward to coming home but when I got here I started to miss my backpacker life, and I still really do. The rainy weather, slow (is it even moving?) pace of life and pile of things I had to deal with straight away (finances, insurance claim, car...) probably didn't help and now that I have got back in touch with some friends (including Ben and Jerry) and seen my Dad my spirits have lifted immensely. I'm even making some progresses on the career front (argh what a scarey word!) and hope to soon be moving into a place of my own to have a go at living in the Adult World.

I have no further plans to travel at the moment, but give me a few weeks sat behind an office desk and I might be singing a different song.

One word...STEAK

I had a great time in my first Argentinian city, Salta, in the North West of the country. I spent my time climbing the 1,070 steps (probably about 3,000 of my "shorty" paces) and 250 metres to the top of Cerro San Bernardo where some artisans, great views and religious statues and shrines awaited me, and wandering the pretty colonial streets. I was instantly struck by how rich Argentna is compared to the rest of my South American countries. Everyone dresses like theyre rolling in it, half of the cafes and restaurants are posh and there are even shops selling Gucci bags! Its still very affordable though, and Ive been picking up some delightful sweet treats and some out-of-this-world steaks to make the men among you buckle to your knees.

On my last day in Salta my reading was interrupted by a "Hello Miss Granville" from my English friend Nicky, and we spent the rest of the day together chilling in the Plaza and eating the best steak in the world, ever. It was huge, perfectly cooked, juicy, tasty, had not a milimitre of fat on it and the whole meal cost a tiny 3 pounds. Unfortunately we had booked buses for that night in opposite directions but we have hooked up again in Buenos Aires 5 days later. My bus took me to Resistencia, aka The City of Sculptures after the 300 or so works of art scattered around the pretty streets. Besides this there wasnt a lot else to see or do, the museums having all closed for renovations, and by now I was the only backpacker in sight, so I started a continuing habit of finding the perfect cup of coffee or tea and made a day trip to nearby Corrientes. Its much the same as Resistencia so I didnt hang around for long, but I met a sweet old man called Cesar who gave me a tour of his Museum of Artisans. He hardly speaks English and I hardly speak Spanish but we got along just fine, and he surprised me by asking if I was from Somerset! It turns out 2 other girls from the homeland had recently visited who he was keeping in touch with, and I have vowed to do the same.

The hole that is Santa Fe was my next stop but I quickly got the next bus to gorgeous Rosario, birth place of Che Guevara. I splashed out on a decent hotel (I was very much in need of cable at this point!) and spent a couple of days walking around the citys sights, drinking pots of tea and munching on medialunas (croissants to the less poetic amongst us). You may have heard a saying "Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Knight and dinner like a pauper"? The Argentinians choose to do it in reverse and I soon felt like I was causing offence by not complying and not having the staple medialuna for my breakfast!

Desperate for Nickys company again and some capital nightlife, I hot-wheeled it to Buenos Aires last night. The 80 platformed terminal welcomed me with open arms...that were reaching for and carried away your pink rucksack Mum! Luckily my shrill screaming and pounding feet were enough to make the guy drop it and run, and I am still in possession of all of my goods. He was working with a girl who was pretending to ask me a question while I put on my big bag, distracting my attention from my handbags on the floor. The irony is the rucksack contained a load of worthless crap and I ran away from my money, passport, plane tickets, camera and MP3 player which were in my other bag, but the girl had scarpered before she realised this and somebody honest was watching it for me. How is it that people who try to mug me always fail?!

Nicky and I went wandering around our boho district of San Telmo last night and her obsession with food is already having a bad influence on me. She talked me into having a steak sandwich despite my having already eaten (and were not talking a few slithers of meat between 2 slices of bread here, I mean a really massive whole marinaded steak bursting out of a fresh panini!) and is suggesting a tried and tested tiramisu for breakfast. I may have to forgoe the fried breakfast I have been craving and was going to ask for when I get home! Failing to find any Tango we sat with some artesans and their musical instruments in a Plaza drinking some fine Argentinian wine, and I may have promised to play Alis violin tonight at gathering number 2. Today we will probably go sight seeing and I am in desperate need of some nice new clothes. All of these self-confessed snobby Argentinians are making me feel scruffy!

Could somebody pass the salt?

On Thursday I returned from one of the most incredible places on earth - the Salar de Uyuni and its equally fascinating surrounding landscapes. It´s the world´s largest salt plain at a mahoosive 12,000 km2, formed when the prehistoric salt lake Lago Minchin dried up. We had lots of fun messing about on the salar, climbing salt mountains and trying to create optical illusions with our cameras. I visitied a tiny salt museum and we stopped to see some bubbling thermal waters. There were even hotels made entirely of salt, from the walls to the tables and beds, one of which we were lucky enough to stay in. The salt plain consists of 5 cm of salt, underneath which is a shallow lake followed by a huge mass of even more salt allowing us to walk and drive all over it.

The jeep was really good and I made friends with an English girl Nicky and an Irish couple called Brian and Lorraine. Mario and Felicia were our guides (a cute married Bolivian couple dressed in the traditional clothes, and Felicia spent all of her time knitting a jumper!) and they cooked us some brilliant food including llama steaks and the best pancakes I have ever had.

Before the salt lake we went to a train cemetery where Nicky and I clambered over the rusting locamotives like a couple of kids. After the salt plain we drove to one of several islands covered with really huge cacti, sporting some incredible views over the salar. We visited a cave formed by fossilised algae and another containing the old tombs of pre-Incan bodies, and a pre-Incan house containing whole skeletons of the residents and a big collection of pottery and weapons. I have never been so cold as during the nights on the trip, but thanks to plenty of warm clothes and a ton of blankets we just about managed to keep our toes warm.

On the second day, away from the salar, the scenery began to change and resemble something more like Mars or the moon. One of the most impressive features was the famous Tree of Stone which defies logic as the base is so narrow and the top so wide. The road got progressively worse and we had to jump ship on the edge of the cliff when Mario got the jeep stuck! Boy was it a bumpy ride. We visited several lakes, all of which are inhabited by flamingoes, but the most spectacular had to be the Laguna Colorado - a mystifying blend of red, blue and white waters that I still can´t quite get my head around.

On the last day we visited a geyser basin and I´ve never heard anything quite like the hissing of the holes in the earth. We reached a thermal bathing pool in time for sunrise but all chose the warmth of the breakfast house over the biting cold and hypothermia. Our last stops were a couple more lakes before I endured an 8 hour drive all the way back to Uyuni - mentally draining and sore from the bumps!

A near death experiece come dodgy bus ride brought me to Tupiza where I shared a dorm with a German girl (Celia) and 2 French women (Stephanie and Gail). Celia and I went out at night then in the morning we filled up at an awesome market. The area was the final stomping ground of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and is blessed with landscapes of rolling red hills and cactus forests. We took a walk for a few hours around the town then chilled out with some more people and their guitars in the hostel. Dinner was enjoyed to the sound of fireworks as the locals celebrated the last day of Autumn and congregated around fires in the streets.

This morning I had a 3am start which brought me to the Argentinian border, where I met a nice Irish guy thank the lord! I was the only gringo on my bus and had heard horror stories about the immigration police. We breezed through and took a 7 hour bus to Salta where I am staying for a few days now, and hope to meet back up with Nicky, Brian and Lorraine. I am already falling for Argentina where the buses are warm and comfortable and have toilets and tvs! (non-existent in dear old Bolivia) The people seem really friendly and I have spotted a fair few steakhouses that are sure to help me build my strength up after my recent stint in hospital. Thank you all for your hopes that I am better - I am happy to say that I have fully recovered :)

Mmm, intravenous fluids

Most of you won´t have heard from me in a while and may be wondering what I´m up to, but I bet you didn´t guess I was in a Bolivian hospital fighting off salmonella, a parasite and bronchitis?! I started feeling ill in Copacabana, our first stop in Bolivia which is on the lovely Lake Titicaca (the highest lake in the world and the largest lake in South America). Karen and I missed out on visiting the islands in the lake for a day in bed and there we stayed until it was time to move to La Paz. I was feeling even worse in the capital and when the altitude sickness tablets didn´t help I called in the doc. He quickly diagnosed me with the above and I was ferried off to his clinic where they hooked me up to a drip for 4 days and pumped me full of fluids and antibiotics. It was a nice place where I had a private en suite room and 3 meals a day (force fed mind you!), but by no means was the place sterile like our hospitals. Still, I feel almost as good as new now and ready to carry on with my adventures. It´s put me behind schedule which is a major spanner in the works, so I´m missing out Brazil and taking my time here and in Argentina instead. Karen has flown home and Sian and Phil have gone to Peru, so it´s just little old me again for a wee while until I meet the group I shall be discovering the Salt Plains with. Now I´m off to finally discover the city I have already spent a week in, including the scarey sounding Witches Market where they sell dried llama foetuses! They´re supposed to bring good luck to a new home and do various other hokery pokery special things, but I´m still not convinced, and I don´t want to give customs any more reasons to have a good frisk!

Cusco

My last days in Lima were spent chilling out in Starbucks and the parks on the coast, and volunteering at a couple of refuges in the suburbs of the city. One was run by a Swiss lady called Doris who lives with 12 children who have come to her through social services, including 4 cute quadruplets and twin boys - bless their little alpaca woollen socks! I helped feed the littluns and played with the bigger children, then after lunch we visited another refuge. This is a day centre for the poorest children in the nearest shanty towns, which feeds them and teaches them various skills. Soon it will also be home to 2 young mothers and their babies. It hopes to give them the courage and skills they need to get back on their feet and support themselves and their children. The houses were brilliantly run and I was very impressed by the dedication of the people working there. These sorts of places are vital for Peru and its people and I´m glad I could see them and give a little support.

A 20 hour coach journey brought Sian, Phil, their friend Karen and I to Cusco where we have been for 6 days. I persuaded my Inca Trail company to refund most of my deposit and cancelled the trek, opting instead for the train, which by the looks of some of the trekkers at the site was the best move I have ever made! The air here is lacking in oxygen and so thin that I wake up most nights gasping and dehydrated. The city of Machu Picchu was an incredible sight to behold and our tour guide, though extremely annoying, helped us understand quite a lot about it. We had time to wander by ourselves and in doing so encountered lots of cute and fluffy llamas. I´m glad we went to MP but it was ridiculously expensive and a big hassle to get to it. The state of tourism in Cusco needs some serious rethinking too. It boasts about 500 tour companies, half of which are not genuine, making it extremely hard to find a good and trustworthy tour, and backpackers have been forced to get to Machu Picchu by a certain route leaving the government free to name a dishonest price. Even the official tourist information office with its uniformed staff and modern decor told us lies to get to our dollars.

We didn´t intend on staying in Cusco this long but it´s a beautiful place, surrounded by mountains and ruins and with a very Peruvian feel to it. Sian and I followed a huge and colourful procession around the city on Sunday and I managed a reunion with my Irish girlfriends last Friday. Tonight we head to Bolivia where Lake Titicaca and the salt plains await me, hopefully without any of the horror stories that some people have been telling. My friend Ellen witnessed a bus crash the other day in which a canadian girl died, so I´m staying well away from the night buses at all costs!

The city of the Incas - simple farming folk are believed to have lived here, but it is celebrated for surviving the invasion by the Spaniards who failed to discover the site

One of several llamas who inhabit Machu Picchu

Lima

It would seem I was never meant to learn Spanish here. I´m not sure what I did to put her off but my teacher stopped showing up! So I decided to use the book she had given me to teach myself and I already feel like I know a lot more.


I´m in Lima now to volunteer at a refuge run by a friend of a friend, but they can´t see me until Tuesday so I have some time to discover the capital. It´s a shame therefore that there isn´t a lot to do! Luckily I have randomly ended up in a hostel in the beachside area of Miraflores with an English couple I met on Fraser Island in Australia! The world gets smaller and smaller the more you travel. Yesterday we walked around sampling the cafes, parks and street entertainment, breaking up the day with a viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and now we feel ready to jump on a tin can (a rickety old public bus) and brave the big bad centre.


I was lucky to get a chance to volunteer in Arequipa as well, at a primary school in one of the new towns with some friends from my hostel who had been given the opportunity by their tour guide. I was really impressed by the school and most of the children seemed to be very keen learners. They were so cute but a lot of them were ill so I tried not to get too close. Luckily there have been no signs of the sniffles or nits! We were introduced to all of the classes then put to work. Dara and I helped Class 2 with their Spanish lesson (as well as we could!), I taught Class 4 fruits in English with Esther and Matt, then Dara and I made paper chains with Classes 2 and 3 and tried to teach them Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Sadly most of the children will not progress to secondary school, but it´s great that they can get a basic education here and learn how to behave with their peers and elders.

The other big event last week was my 3 day trek to the Colca Cañon. This is the world´s deepest canyon and for some reason I thought I and my gripless Diadora trainers would be able to walk all the way down into and back out of it! As soon as we started the big descent I knew I was in trouble, as I started to slip and altitude sickness set in. Amy was struggling too as her shoes were too small making her toenails lift and bruise - ewww!!! To cut a long story short, I passed out and chewed Coca leaves to settle my stomach before forceing myself to carry on. Thank god for the Irish girls Cathy and Coch who kept our spirits up! Amy and her man John stayed behind to catch a mule the rest of the way. Our guide could only show we 3 Cs some of the way to the village as he had to go back for the others, and by this time it was getting dark. I was sure we were going to be lost and stranded in the depths of the deepest canyon, but we eventually found civilisation, hot showers, beds and food (alpaca is yum!). The next day was easier, and at midday we relaxed for a few hours at a private oasis in the middle of an avocado grove. After lunch Amy and I faced the fact that we weren´t going to make it up on foot (by this time I was walking with a painful limp) and jumped on a couple of mules. It was the scariest but best horse trek I have ever done, as we were constantly in fear of the mules slipping but it was way more interesting than walking in a straight line down a country road. We whooped as we saw we had made it to the top and treated ourselves to some nice cold beer. The last day was trekking free and we went to see the famous Condor colony - loads of really huge birds soaring through the canyon and over our heads. My ancient Olympus brick wasn´t up to the challenge but some friends are going to email me some photos for you, Mum and Dad. The whole gang reunited again for a big night out in Arequipa, and as we´re all heading to Cusco I hope to see them all again for Part II very soon.

Arequipa, Peru

San Pedro de Atacama was far from what I imagined, but that´s definitely a good thing. It´s a dusty old city slap bang in the middle of the Atacama desert, with no tarmac, no pavements, and sometimes no electricity! It´s surrounded by volcanoes, some of which are active, sand dunes, and basically a whole bunch of nothingness. We hired bikes on our first day and messed around in the desert for 6 hours, finding an archaeological Inca site, an almighty canyon, and sunset at the Valley of the Dead (no corpses though, phew!). The next morning we rose at 4 o´clock for an excursion to the Tatio geisers and the surrounding area. The temperature was sub zero but we still managed to enjoy the geiser field (lots of gushing holes in the earth), the thermal pool (getting in and out wasn´t so much fun!), the native plants and animals (including giant long-tailed green and orange rabbits and lots of vicuñas and llamas) and a small village of about 20 people. Here we shared a nutricious and delicious llama kebab!

I almost cried when I had to leave Ellen because we became really good friends and I was petrified about being on my own again. With good reason too! The bus driver was very unhelpful, I temporarily thought my bags were being messed with or stolen when we changed bus, I wasn´t sure if my collectivo across the border to Peru was genuine (it was) and I was apprehensive about my destination, Arequipa. As soon as I arrived however all of my worries vanished and I have loved living in this city. It´s a beautiful place with a big square and lots of craft shops, I´m in a dorm with a nice Canadian guy who I´ve been spending some time with, our hostel has a rooftop (for sunbathing!), fluffy towels and a free breakfast and bottomless te de coca, and my spanish lessons are under way. They´re giving me a headache and I´m not that impressed with my teacher (who hardly speaks any English!) but I can always ask to change her and hopefully the lessons will become less painful. Time to catch some more rays!

La Serena

Today I leave La Serena where I have been for 2 nights. The hostel is a house with an outhouse that the guests stay in, and everybody shares the garden, courtyard and kitchen areas. We live with a lovely lady called Maria who has been fussing over us like an aunt, washing our dishes before we can protest and making us coffee and fruit salads. I´ve made 2 good friends here (a German girl and a Belgian girl) who I have seen the city with and travelled to nearby Vicuña with, and Ellen and I are on the same bus tonight which is good as it takes 18 hours to get to San Pedro de Atacama! The buses are super comfy and we are even served breakfast in the morning.

La Serena is a sweet old city with loads of churches, a nice main square, tons of market stalls and cobbled streets that it´s fun to get lost in. Vicuña was similar but we found a hill that we climbed to the top of for some great views of the Elqui Valley and the town. We could hear music coming from the main square (a mother´s day celebration I think) which made it a great place to stay and chat, then we ate empañadas (yummy pasties - I´m addicted!) before catching the bus home.

I realised how dirty Santiago is when I rode the funicular to Cerro San Cristobal on my last day. It´s a park overlooking the city with a massive statue of the Virgin Mary and a botanical garden, supposedly with great views of the city and the Andes in the near distance. I could hardly see the buildings for the thick brown smog lying heavily on the ground - yuk! As for the mountains they were only visible through a murky haze, but it was good to see them and the route home took me past some awesome markets. Chile is one of the more expensive countries on my route though so I´m saving my pesos and waiting for Peru. Paul, there are so many llama themed things here I just don´t know where to start with your presents!

Santigo, Chile

I've just come back from a great night out in Santiago (excuse any obvious errors!) and have made lots of friends and am positive I will make lots more, for all of those (Mum!) concerned about my going solo. The city gave a great first impression as we meandered through some quiet cobbled streets to our hotel, and it is yet to disappoint me (apart from the lady who insisted on charging me 10 pounds for the only Latin American Spanish phrasebook I could find, worth 6 pounds in the UK!). The hotel is an early 20th century palacial mansion which has retained all of its glamour in the form of high ceilings, original chandeliers, gardens and courtyards and a Harry Potter esque kitchen and dining area. The internet room looks a little out of place but it's free so what the hey!

Today I walked for miles doing the usual sightseeing things, discovering some great parks and musical streets but realising that the language barrier is quite an almighty one (hence the phrasebook and lessons in Peru. Though the barrier shrunk the more Cristal I drank - a beer would you believe!). Tomorrow I am going to round this off with some museums and a tour around the cathedral, perhaps. It is my last day before La Serena, unless my amigos persuade me to stay a little longer. Tonight we stumbled across a salsa lesson and swayed the night away, feeling very Chilean indeed. Some moves may have accidentally been repeated in public :S

The accomodation, transport and company here seems top notch so at the risk of repeating myself too many times, nobody needs to worry, I'm going to be just fine. Nighty night to you all!

Last days in NZ

Thank you for all of my birthday messages. They helped make it a really good day. Despite being put on a difficult horse (she was the only female, in season, disliked both of the other horses and ate absolutely everything!) I had a great time trotting through lakes and forests and cantering up the last stretch of the volcano where some great views were waiting for us (and some green grass for Mai Tai). Tom made some fancy foods for me at the bbq and we made a fire to drink around, then the group tried to ruin me in a game of Square of Death (I refused to allow them on the verge of being sick from gulping red wine punch!). We ended the night in a karaoke bar but to the relief of everyone's ears the karaoke had ended and they didn't have 'California' to make a birthday exception with.

The following day we hired a boat and motored around the bay, feeling the adrenaline rush from the speed and a little bit posh, and anchored her up at a deserted beach cove before we had to take her back. In Auckland I did some last minute things including getting a well overdue haircut. This was its usual major disaster and has left me with wonky fronts that I can luckily hide while it's still curly! A poker addiction has been spreading through us (I won $25 the other day!) and Tom and Pete stepped it up a notch by playing at the Sky City Casino on our last night. Tom did quite well, which we celebrated with a drinks interval, but perhaps we tempted fate because they both left with glum faces. I had fun learning some tips from the filthy rich experts.

Happy birthday to me

Another year, another age, and today I am celebrating by sunbathing in the hottest part of New Zealand (The Bay of Islands) and going on a 2 1/2 hour horse trek to and up a volcano. It's been a while since I mounted a horse so I'm bracing myself for some very sore thighs and a ridiculous John Wayne style walk!

We all went black water rafting in Rotorua down a wicked river with crazy rapids and 3 waterfalls, the biggest of which was a beastly 7m drop! We took it at a dodgy angle, twisted and sure enough flipped it, all ending up in the water. I'm glad it happened though because we got the full experience and the water was so cool and refreshing. They were taking a sequence of photos as it happened so you'll all get to see the disaster as soon as I've *lowers voice* copied the communal CD. Rotorua was a cool little place with thermal parks displaying bubbling mud pools, steaming hot baths, sulphur crystals and steaming holes in the ground.

Hungry for some more water activities we went to Waitomo Caves where 'Rap, Raft n Rock' took us abseiling, caving, tubing through the caves and rock climbing. The caves were awesome as they were covered with glowworms and our guide knew of some tiny nooks and crannies that we could look ridiculous trying to squeeze through. We made a quick stopover in Auckland which seems like a really "happening" city and are in Paihia now, where we shall be celebrating the day with a BBQ tonight and no doubt a couple of Snakey Bs. Then it's off to South America where I start travelling solo for what I'm sure will be an incredible 10 weeks.

A big kiwi hello to you all! I'm sorry I haven't written anything from NZ yet. It's hard to think of technology when you're surrounded by mountains, glaciers, lakes, rolling hills... My biggest challenge yet will be keeping this short and mildly interesting without missing anything out! You may want to grab yourself a cup of tea...

Candi and I spent the first couple of nights with some of my Mum's friends who emigrated to Christchurch 3 years ago - the wonderful Ali and Clive. After spending our last night in Oz sleeping in Brisbane Airport (pyjamas and sleeping bags out on the sofas!) we were in serious need of some home comforts, and we couldn't have asked for better hosts. We spent our last night with them at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve where we got up close and personal with some native birds (I have the scars to prove it thank you Mr Kea Parrot) and saw some Kiwi birds in a blacked out hut. Very well fed and rested, we were collected by the boys in our hired station wagon and my first ever road trip began.

First was Lake Tekapo (aka Lake Piccachu) where Candi, Pete and I climbed Mt John for our first elevated views of snow capped mounatins and shimmering lakes. Ryan and Tom drove! The next day we drove to Mt Cook Village where we took a walk to a glacier lookout and relaxed with a drink in the world famous Hermitage Hotel, with Mt Cook disappearing into the night in the background. That night we made the huge mistake of playing the board game Risk. After 4 of the 6 hours I felt like we'd been playing for a year and wanted to die! If you've played it you'll probably understand. Dunedin was our next destination which we reached via a yellow-eyed penguin colony. They were really cute and for some reason climb the cliffs to within touching distance of the crowds that gather to see them and their fur seal friends. Everywhere was fully booked in the city so we kipped on the floor of the games room of a hostel for 2 nights! We took a wildlife drive along Otago Peninsula and went to a rugby game featuring several All Blacks players, one of whom I've seen again out in public.

We used Te Anau as a base before taking an overnight cruise on Milford Sound in the Fiordland, via Nugget Point on the South Coast - nothing more than some big rocks and very distant seals but pretty nonetheless. The cruise was ok but lacking in people our age. We sailed up to some waterfalls, warmed up with some hot soup, went on a kayaking tour, had a massive dinner, swapped expensive drinks for free tea, coffe and cocoa and card gamed the night away. We woke up to a proper tour of the sound then drove up to Queenstown - extreme sports capital of the world. My limit was the gondola and luge with some crazy golf and a mountain hike on the side, but between the others there was a bungee jump and 3 canyon swings. They all came off smiling but you should have seen some of them before! Wanaka was so beautiful that we made an unexpected overnight stop, visiting Puzzling World (games full of puzzles and illusions and a massive maze) and having a BBQ on the first day. We hired bikes in the morning and I took mine around the lake having shied away from the ridiculously tough mountainbike track (Pete took a voyage over his handle bars!). I have even greater respect for you now Hayden!

Next came my favourite experience on the South Island - a 3/4 day hike over the enourmous Franz Joseph Glacier. Dressed in boots and crampons we were led over ice plains, up ice staircases and through ice caverns until we were half way up the tongue of the glacier and high up in the valley. It was incredible to be standing on such a gargantuan lump of solid ice and seeing how the glacier moves and evolves, though I did feel a bit bad hacking away at the poor thing. As if global warming isn't enough of a problem!

For some reason we thought it would be a good idea to drive through the night to Kaikoura and spend the night in the car. It got so uncomfortable that I unzipped my sleeping bag, threw it down on the tarmac and slept in the carpark alongside the car. The boys went fishing in the avo and caught loads of cod and perch, an octopus and a lively crayfish (especially when he was heading for the boiling water!). It all tasted really good but smelled pretty bad and lingered for a good few days. Kaikoura was a lovely town with lots of art shops and a nice beach, and a massive fur seal colony that we walked around the coastline at low tide to see. There was literally about 100 giant males basking in the sun within metres of our feet and they hardly seemed to mind.

We caught an overnight ferry from Picton to Wellington, wasting ten bucks on a film called '300' and being forced again to sleep in the car. It didn't seem safe enough to hit the tarmac this time so I made a bed of our bags in the boot and slept like a baby! Wellington is a fantastic city with lots going on - museums, modern art galleries, shops, lots of coffee, theatres, botanical gardens, a busy harbour and a buzzing nightlife. When it was time to leave we headed on up to Taupo, but cursed by his desire to get there asap Tom was pulled over by a cop (my first and hopefully last time being pursued by blues and twos!) for speeding. He handed over a ticket and more or less told us not to bother paying it. The jury is still out. Pete continued the drive and was stopped again by the cops! But this time it was only a random breath test which luckily he passed. A third night sleeping in the car ensued, and I have promised my back that I will never do that to it ever again. The weather was gorgeous the next day so we lazed in the park for a while and threw around a frisbee, but it was terrible yesterday so we went to some natural hot springs for a therapeutic and remedial soaking. It was so unimaginably nice and warm! But maybe a little too hot for poor Pete who turned a brilliant purple! We were joined by a very interesting bunch of people - one guy got in naked, another wore bright red nail polish, 2 girls (one topless) made it quite clear they were a threesome and that guy is the founder of CouchSurfers.com. Despite nearly fainting from the heat when I stood up I still took on the free sauna in the hostel last night, and today we have swam in the hot outdoor pool of our new hostel in Rotorua.

This morning I watched nervously from the ground as the other 4 signed their lives away and took off in an aeroplane to do a skydive. They were stupidly scared beforehand but enjoyed it massively and we got to see a dvd of them all jumping and landing which was really cool. I sound like such a wimp missing out the extremist of the sports but I was too indifferent about the skydive to think it worth my while and bucks. I plan to do it properly when I'm a tad older, maybe with the red devils or something like that, and now that I've said it you can all feel free to hold me to my words.

Photos

Temples of Angkor, Cambodia

Kangaroos of course!

The Blue Mountains, so called because of the haze created when the sun catches the eucalyptus oil in the air. Sadly the koalas are picky and do not like this type of eucalyptus :(

This "road" doubled as the view from our tent on Fraser Island.

Messing around in Lake Wabby and the sand dunes we had to clamber up to get there.

Tsunami, tsunami, came washing over me

First things first...there was a tsunami scare down the East Coast of Australia while we were sailing in the Whitsundays! Apparently we were in a safe place because the Great Barrier Reef would have swallowed the impact of a wave, but it was still pretty scarey to imagine the size of the thing that could have been heading our way. After a few hours of fearing for the Reef and the rest of the East Coast (including our flights out!) the warning was called off, to a chorus of relieved and jokingly disappointed sighs. The trip was really good despite some torrential rain on the first day, strong winds and it being too dangerous for us to sail to Whitehaven Beach (one of the top 5 beaches in the world thanks to its bright white 100% silica sand, palm trees and irresistably aquamarine water). Greg (skipper) too kus instead to a bushwalk trail, where we licked the bum of an ant that tasted like lime (it's an aboriginal thing!), and to 3 different snorkelling spots over the 3 days. The first thing we saw was a reef shark! Followed by lots of big and beautiful fish and coral. We had to wear some very unflattering full body stinger suits and it's a good job because Candi saw some jellies floating by! Life on the boat was good fun too. We made lots of friends, Greg and Shane (the crew) were kind and funny, Shane was a fantastic cook going so far as to make a spontaneous pudding for Geerta's birthday, an iPod played some wicked tunes all day long and we had all 3 sails up on the way back to Airlie Beach (meaning tiltage, speed and getting very wet!). We all met again in the evening for some drinks and dancing. It's a shame the Airlie accommodation wasn't quite up to scratch. Our dorm was ridden with mice and smelled like it too, and the mouse free rooms were all full!

We're in Cairns now, gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, which brings me to the second most important thing...we swam with a Sea Turtle yesterday and I found Nemos! The turtle was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and to swim around with it within touching distance for about 10 minutes was so peaceful and incredible. It didn't seem to mind the peopke at all, in fact I think it was quite enjoying the attention! Naturally I lingered over the Nemos for a while too, but we had 5 hours snorkelling time between two spots so there was plenty of time for more - a white tipped reef shark, puffer fish, sea cucumbers, angel fish, wrasse, parrot fish, rainbow fish. You name it it was there! The water was crystla clear even to a depth of 10 metres so the coral looked great too. There was fun to be had on the boat again - we made friends with an English couple, had a BBQ lunch and afternoon wine, cheese and biscuits, played Uno with the crew and were entertained to hysterics by Elvis, a crew member who joked around all day and played his guitar and sang with us on the the way back.

Well that's all from Oz as we're flying to New Zealand in a couple of days to start 4 weeks of scaring the crap out of ourselves and discovering the landscapes hobbit stylee. Happy Easter to you all!

Island life

Brisbane was our next stop and I liked what we saw of the city, but on the advice of an ex-Brissy we only stayed one night. We walked through the uni on the South Bank of the river, messed around on a manmade beach and lagoon, I scared myself half to death by walking through a Whale Mall (huge model whales hanging over a walkway), and we ended the day with a trip to the Brisbane Museum where there were dinosaurs, turtle displays and similar childish exhibitions!

Then came the best part of Australia so far - the beautiful Fraser Island. It's the largest sand island in the world and we went on a 3 day self-drive 4WD camping trip with 9 other people who we got on really well with. The roads (bumpy sand tracks!) were impossible, the spiders were massive, the catering was interesting and we all got bitten by flies and mossies, but the lakes and beaches were gorgeous to look at, the water was beautiful and cool to swim in, the drinking games were hilarious and we all had so much fun. We saw a lot of cool wildlife including dingos and eagles, but unfortunately no sharks, whales or turtles as hoped. It made a nice change to go camping as well, right by the sea on the sandy beaches, although Candi and I had to share with an Irish guy who tried to go sleep walking (in a tent!) and kept draping himself over us in his sleep!

Now we're in Airlie Beach preparing for a 3 day sailing trip (that's right Dad!) around the Whitsunday Islands and word on the street is the sun's just gonna keep on shining, woohoo!

Surfin AUS

If these posts have been making you jealous, you'll be happy to hear that it's raining today :( We're at Glastonbury-On-Sea, officially named Byron Bay, which is full of hippies, dred locks, tie died t-shirts and the smell of incense. It's a really cool place with a very chilled astmosphere and the waves are spigging awesome. We hired body boards from the hostel yesterday and caught some really big waves and a lot of sand in places we never knew we had! The weather has put a hold on our beach activities but we still have a pool to swim in, and plan to hit the bars tonight before a short bus trip to Brisbane tomorrow. Cocomangas serves its cocktails in jam jars so we're definitely going back there! They have a free breath testing machine which we thought was a really good idea, until it told me I was over the limit after one small drink while Candi was safe to drive after five!

Sydney

After a hideously long but surprisingly bearable 18 hour coach journey from Melbourne (we slept for about 14 of them!) we are now in Sydney. Melbourne was really nice though I feel a bit bad because all we seemed to do was go souvenir shopping! We went to the Exhibition for the Moving Image and an Art Gallery (admission free!), and sat by the river for a while watching the boats and jellyfish go by. We had some good nights out as well with Dave, our kiwi travelling friend, and some Aussie Air Force pilots who started work at 4am but stayed out until 3am anyway! Paul you were right, they do like their drink here. I got some cider in me two nights ago which I was uber happy about :)

We've done the typical touristy things in Sydney, going to the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, The Rocks and Summer Bay (for those not as enthused as Candi, this is where they film the Aussie soap Home and Away). I keep looking up for an IHT building Kristen but so far I've been unlucky. We met my uni friend Marcus and his girlfiriends for drinkies two nights ago and quickly realised we are staying in a very dodgy red light district - prostitutes everywhere! Last night we found some awesome channels on our tv so we stayed in with some drinks and snacks to watch Prison Break, our viewing later interrupted by the fire alarm and an engine of fire fighters. No fire though!

We're going to the infamous Bondi beach today to throw a frisbee and boomerang about and inline skate, and the Sydney Aquarium too, then tomorrow we're spending the day bushwalking through the Blue Mountians where I'm hoping kangaroos will be roaming free. We thought we found a koala the other day but it turned out to be a bird, doh! We did find some parrots though - thought of all you bird lovers!

G'day mate

Candi and I are in Australia! We landed this morning and found a groovy little backpacker's hostel which is right opposite an Aldi - kaching! - where we're staying for three nights as we discover the many goings on in Melbourne. I'm still a bit miffed that customs gave me a grilling about my biscuits while Candi was standing next to me with enough drugs to set up a pharmacy to rival Boots! We're meeting up with a travelling friend tonight for drinkies and again tomorrow for some Baileys/Guiness guzzling. Happy St Patrick's Day to you all! Hopefully we will still be able to enjoy the museums, parks and markets etc through our hangovers.

Anything you can do I can do better

So said the Kings of Cambodia past as they designed and built temples to better those of their predecessors through the Angkor period. Thanks to this healthy competition we now have the Temples of Angkor which I spent 2 days looking around this week and blew me away. I still can't believe it's allowed but we touched and climed all over the historic buildings, cheating death as we scaled stupidly steep flights of steps and meandering in and out of the mazes of corridors. The old stone buildings were so much more attractive than the perfectly polished Grand Palaces, with their lichen, cracks and even tree roots threading between them. It was kind of satisfying to see the forests reclaiming what the Cambodians once took away from them. I also can't believe how some of the buildings are standing up as there is nothing cementing the bricks together, just air and a lot of balancing acts. Or not in some cases where it has all come tumbling down!

A long day's bus journey on the shoddiest road I have ever travelled (if you can call it a road) in the tiniest bus ever took us to the Thai border, where we caught some nicer coaches to good old Bangkok. We met up with Ryan's friend Tom who is travelling with him now and went out for some much missed Chang beer. Koh San Road is an interesting place to be after closing time, with its cuddly toys, lady boys, passed out drunks and underground club touts. I'm going to miss the quirks and disorganisation in Asia.

Don't let the bed bugs bite

Unfortunately we don't have much choice in these pound a night rooms - you should see Candi's and my legs. We're hoping they will let us into Oz without subjecting us to some serious cleansing and debugging procedures! We've upgraded to one pound fifty in the hope of avoiding the wee mites. The standard of accommodation isn't the only thing different about Cambodia. The recent struggles were instantly obvious this side of the border and development can be seen everywhere, but unfortunately so can poverty. All towns and cities are rife with beggars and children pester you all night to buy books and bracelets and gamble with them in a game of noughts and crosses. Still, it's a great and interesting place and the people are very welcoming.

Phnom Penh has a lot of touristy things on offer. I went to the Royal Palace which was nice but not as grand as its counterpart in Bangkok. The Tuol Sleng museum was probably the best thing, even though it left me filling sick to the stomach and totally speechless. It was originally a school, which the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison called S-21 where they committed torture and genocide on a terrific scale. The site has hardly been changed since those days which added to the experience in a huge way. The buildings have been set up with a lot of information and photographs of the people who were brought and killed here, and items such as insturments of torture and original cell foundations. On a happier note, I saw some monkeys and an elephant at Wat Phnom where there was an exhibition about Australia and the support it gives to Cambodia. I managed to gash my hand on some steps and was worried I may have caught mad monkey disease , but I seem to be ok. I was also blessed by a monk at Wat Ounalom in a tiny little shrine thing (could have done with that before the hand incident!) which was quite cool. We've had some good night out in PP too, meeting lots of people from England (even some guys from Seaton and Beer Dad!), eating Banoffee Pie (a few lucky people will understand) and trying to cope with the owner of our Hotel who was very touchy feely with me and Ryan. Candi was trying to work out who he wanted more!

We've spent the last few days in Sihanoukville on the South Coast. The water wasn't great and it was cloudy a lot of the time (still managed to get burnt!) but we had fun. The beach was full of handicapped men begging for money, ladies offering hair removal, manicures and pedicures - or in my case obsessing over my legs and begging me to let them work their magic! - and children selling all sorts of goodies. I made friends with a few of them and bought a picture from Wathy - supposedly a portrait but the girl has black skin and hair bless him! Again we had some good nights out, meeting up with some guys we know, eating a Khmer Fondue (shark, baracuda fish, prawns, veggies and noodles in a clay pot sitting on a gas stove in the middle of the table - a sort of DIY job and all you can eat for only one pound fifty!), drinking 25p beers and Ryan staying out until 7am this morning!

We're going to Siem Reep tomorrow which is our doorway to the Temples of Angkor. See you on the other side!

Happy ending

I have spent the most wonderful day in Saigon. This morning I went to the Cu Chi Tunnels where I learned all about the Guerilla force, how they lived and why they were so successful at attacking the Americans who dared to come their way. Then this afternoon I spoke to some really nice Vietnamese ladies who wanted to practice their English with me. I also asked a policeman what a bunch of stages and things were all about and he said their was a chinese party thing going on tonight, so I took myself along and ended up being something of a feature! I ate some local delicacies with chopsticks which everyone had a good laugh about, everyone who passed me said hello and smiled, and loads of people came to sit with and talk to me, again wanting to practice their English. A bunch of kids took loads of photos of me with them too giving the peace sign to the camera. The Vietnamese are so nice! A perfect end to a lovely country.

Put your hands up for Saigon, I love this city!

Another pleasureable journey later, I arrived in Saigon (official name Ho Chi Minh City) tonight and what a place! It's like a perfect blend of London and Paris, with some neon lights added, where the Vietnamese have been invited to live. The boulevards are lined with hundreds of art galleries, shops and cafes and there are various small parks where the locals go running, speed walking, play badminton and even do aerobics to a stereo at night! I'm off to see the Cu Chi Tunnels tomorrow and the Reunification Hall and Gardens before I see Candi and Ryan again on Saturday, hopefully armed with some good hangouts for us to...hang out in.

Due South

Our journey out of Sapa was one of the worst so far. We had hard seats instead of soft beds (which we had paid for and only got a measley little refund back) which meant Ryan kipped on the floor, Candi slept on me and I lay head to head with a Vietnamese man on my bag! We laugh about it now , and the way the men opposite Candi and I watched our games of backgammon as if their lives depended on it, and unstealthily took photos of me on their camera phone (Paul W - it was just like the bag photo, flash and everything!). Wearing my pink frilled stripey eye mask probably didn't help!

After seeing the dead man, the Fine Arts Museum and some stomach churning market food (pigs trotters anyone? How about some snouts??) we headed South and stopped first of all in Hue. Here we walked around the Imperial City (chinese style buildings, gardens and courtyards where the emperor and co. used to live), Candi and Ryan went on the DMZ tour and I went on a boat cruise with some Aussie girls. And I may have hijacked a cyclo one night and pedalled Candi and the cyclo boy around the city! Hoi An was our next stop where Candi had some clothes tailor made and we found another hotel with a pool - bliss. Nha Trang followed this - Vietnam's only proper seaside resort which has a lovely beach and lots to see in the city. I climbed a mountain to see a 10m tall Buddha on't top, and visited a man called Long Thanh who showed me around his studio of black and white photgraphy. The pictures were amazing, showing lots of wrinkly old ladies and many different ways of vietnamese life.

I headed to Dalat next leaving Candi and Ryan behind. It was a bit disappointing but the drive there alone made it worth going, it looked just like home! People were farming in their wellies, sheep were taking up the road moving from one place to the next and there were cows absolutely everywhere. They were even playing "She really loves my tractor" in the first cafe I went in! Not a song I know mind you, I'm not that dedicated to the homeland, but appropriate nonetheless!

Piccies

Half Moon Party at Hippies Bar on Koh Phi Phi, Thailand - a beach side fire dancing extravaganza! Who needs a whole moon to have a good party??

James Bond Island in Phang Nga National Marine Park, and kayaking around the rock features - an excursion from Phuket, Thailand

The Amazing Cave, which really was amazing, on our Junk trip around Halong Bay, Vietnam

The Temple of Literature and Lenin Park, Hanoi, capital of Vietnam. A welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the city and the murderous roads! Candi and Ryan rode a swan around the lake...ahhh

Trekking around beautiful Sapa, Vietnam, meeting the Hmong tribe and looking very fetching in one of their hats. "Thanks bus it's not quite my colour"

Thank Buddha for Sapa

Here we are in the misty mountains of North-West Vietnam, staying in a gorgeous little town called Sapa. The journey here wasn't fun (to cut a long story short, Ryan's camera was stolen by a scamster at Hanoi train station...will our bad luck never end???), but at least the bunks were comfy enough for us to get some sleep (apart from Ryan who was going over the great train robbery in his head). An hours drive along wiggly mountain roads brought us to what feels like a 5* Hotel, the Sapa Summit, where we have duvets! and mountain views! and really good food! Oh the things you come to appreciate when you're backpacking. It's great to be in the countryside where the air is fresh and clean and all you can see for miles is uninterrupted green stuff and hills (I'll post some pictures asap). Yesterday we went for Trek numero 1 to some local hill tribe villages where the Hmong live, accompanied by four young Hmong girls. They are so cute, I want one! They all wear the same traditional handmade outfit and speak scarily good English so we learnt a lot about them. Moon gave me a bracelet that her mother had made but wouldn't accept any money for it, which I later discovered was because she wanted me to buy something else but how can you say no to them? They all made pinky swears with us before lunch that we would see them again later, and after lunch we were mobbed by the whole village selling jewellery, blankets, keyrings and musical instruments. Another hour's trek through even more gorgeous scenery brought us to the end of that day's activities, and now we are preparing for Trek numero 2 to a waterfall. We have the afternoon free to ourselves and then we have to face the overnight train again :S

I'm looking forward to another day's sightseeing in Hanoi because we went to the Temple of Literature and Lenin Park the other day, and once you get off the crazy roads you realise that the city has loads of nice things to offer. We're going to see a dead man (ok, not so nice!) - Ho Chi Min - and the things in his complex, Lenin Park again so we can go on the water ball things that you roll around in on the lake and the Women's Museum.

Baileys saves the day

Once you understand and accept the fact that litter gets thrown on the streets to be brushed up in the evening, pedestrians are invisible when crossing the road, people speak using their horn more often than their mouth and most hotels and travel agents are out to scam you, it's possible to grow quite fond of this city. That's the way it is for me anyway. I think I was still suffering from culture shock during Tet eve but the 30 minutes fireworks display was really cool and we went back to our hotel to find free food and BAILEYS waiting for us at a mini new years party, coutesy of the owner. Someone must have been watching over us! Though they could have removed the plate of chicken on top of which was perched the animal's head!!!

We went to Halong City the next morning to catch a Junk (Pirates of the Carribean-esque boat) around Halong Bay. The drive there took us past some really nice places (paddy fields, narrow houses, mountains and a chinese dragon!) and when the mist cleared the boat showed us some really nice scenery. The Bay has hundreds of small islands dotted everywhere which made for a peaceful afternoon, and we met some really nice people including a really old lady travelling alone who was more than happy to share her life stories with us. We stopped at the gorgeous Amazing Cave which had a ceiling that reminded me of the moon and loads of incredible rock formations to oo and ahh at. We had opted to stay in a hotel on Cat Ba island instead of the boat - big mistake! It was gross, non-english speaking and the food wasn't up to much, and the nightlife was non-existent unless you're into your vietnamese karaoke! We were hoping to go kayaking and swimming the next day as the weather was better but apparently we couldn't because it was Tet (a suspiciously common excuse!), so we made do with some more island spotting before lunch and the journey back to Hanoi.

Our tours package included accommodation for last night but when we saw how skanky it was and the big fat cockroach lying on the floor we quickly found the nicest place we've stayed in yet, which I'm guessing is 4* and has a real shower with a door and hot water and everything! All for only 2 pounds each. Found some nice bars last night and today we hope to see the mueums and mausoleum etc before our night train to Sapa in the highlands of North-West Vietnam. I'm not counting on getting any sleep but hopefully we'll be surprised!

Aaarrgghh!!!!

So we arrived in Vietnam today, and I was so excited about our two weeks here...and then we arrived in Hanoi. Turns out our taxi took us to the wrong hotel, where he had a partner in crime waiting for us, who said the hotel (with which they have no connection) was full and he would take us to another one. At that hotel they fed us a load of crap about when we can do what (I should probably mention it's Vietnamese New Year tomorrow, so it's even busier and weirder than usual), and tried to sell us a bunch of tours for more than we had hoped. We followed our instincts and tried somewhere else and they told us all about the infamous taxi scam and made us a much better offer, which we took. Add to all of this we are dealing with a bizarre currency which we have to get to via the American Dollar and you end up with a very dizzy head!

So the plan is to celebrate Tet tonight (there will be fireworks at Hoam Kiem Lake which is the only thing keeping me from breaking down in a flood of tears right now!), go to Cat Ba for a night tomorrow, go to Sapa for another night on our return, and then head South and away from this crazy city! There's a hop on and off bus that we're using which will allow us to see all of the hot spots on the coast, and hopefully relax on a quiet beach...ahhh

That is if we don't all get run over by a motorbike tonight. You literally have to just take a chance and run for it because the pedestrian crossings mean nothing and they stop for no man! Needless to say I hold Candi's hand when we have finally built up the courage to cross because otherwise she would be stuck in the Hotel. I was enjoying the craziness at first, but now I'm not so sure I can handle it for much longer. Maybe some food will help...Happy New Year!

The Thai Finale

Ao Nang (Krabi beach) was our next stop, though the gods were doing everything in their almighty power to stop us from getting a room. Finally found some nice enough accommodation and rewarded ourselves with many hours on the beach. The best thing about the beach wasn't the sand or palm trees this time, but the monkeys roaming free in the trees at the end! Had one big night out there which was good fun and nice and cheap as the bar kept giving us free tequilas (not my first choice!), and Candi and I got some exercise as we ran the length of the beach, as drunken people do, until we were scared half to death by an unidentified animal in our way and bolted in the other direction!

Koh Phi Phi was next, and again we had a hard time finding a room, so much so that we had to check in two people and sneak candi in for two nights! This island is really small and was practically destroyed by the tsunami, but it seems to be business as usual and it still remains a beautiful place. We may have missed the Full Moon Party the other week but lucky for us Hippies Bar on Phi Phi threw a Half Moon Party while we were there - free bbq, live music, musical chairs and a massive fire show - it more than made up for it! The night before we bumped into some Kiwi guys we had met in Ao Nang so we partied with them all night, in a bar where Che Gevara works!!! No kidding, this guy could have been the man himself! Candi and I now have a few contacts that should save us some money on accommodation here and there, from people we met that night.

We were really sad to leave, but we didn't realise how much until we landed in Phuket. Talk about a hell hole! It's full of 40+ year old package holiday tourists, ageing men with their thai girlfriends, people trying to corrupt us with cigarettes and ping pong shows (no bats involved, just girls - ew!) and the streets smelled even worse than anywhere before. We got away from it all by spending one day in a National Marine Park which was really cool. We took a long tail boat through stunning scenery to James Bond Island, then we were paddled around some other parts in canoes (saw some mud fish amphibian things that look just like the ones in the Guiness advert that spit out the water!), before having lunch at a Muslim Fishing Village that sits on stilts in the middle of the park. After another nice boat trip back to the pier we made one final stop at Monkey Cave where there were more free roaming monkeys, a huge reciling Buddha inside a cave, a Monk concentrating deeply on a game of Sudoku (seriously!) and some bats flying around an impressive network of caves.

Now we're in good old Bangkok again where we have collected our passports (so glad they didn't make off with them!) and Vietnam tickets and visas, and spent pretty much every last baht we own on dinner. We fly tomorrow morning to Hanoi in Vietnam. Apparently it's Vietnamese New Year in a few days so we're bracing ourselves for a very hectic couple of weeks in a very busy but hopefully beautiful country. See you all there!

Nelly the elephant

Koh Samui wasn't as nice an island as Koh Tao, due to the repetitive main strip (fake goods store, fake goods stall, bar, fake goods store, fake...), constant harrassment by thais trying to sell us things on the beach and the smell of sewers wafting through every now and then in the evenings. You can't help but be happy on a beach though! Our best day was our last, when we went on a half day adventure tour around the island. First we learned how to cook a traditional thai red curry (and had a taste!), then we were shown how to harvest and use the green (for drinking) and brown (for cooking) coconuts (more tasting of various things). Next we met a cute little monkey called Troy who we saw getting coconuts from the trees and playing various games on the ground (plenty of photograph opportunities), before going on an elephant trek through the jungle. It was so cool! As you can see in the photo, you couldn't get much closer to an elephant if you tried. You can also see Ryan's elephant's tendency to leave the beaten track in the belief that the grass was greener on the other side. He still had room for bananas at the end, which made him slober all over us! The last stop of the day was a beautiful waterfall where we would have swum if we had had the energy and more time, and if the water wasn't so brown.

Today we have done nothing but travel for 10 hours. We were lied to (again!) by a thai guy which means we are now in Krabi town instead of at the beach where we would rather be. Still the shower in our lovely hotel is being very much appreciated! And the beach can wait until tomorrow. Stay tuned for some more island gossip and keep smiling :)

Finding Nemo...almost

On our last day in Koh Tao we went on a snorkelling trip around the island - it was amazing. We didn't see the little orange guy but we must have seen a hundred or more other types of fish, none of them being sharks thank god, and a lot of coral. The last stop was a group of islands called Koh Nuanguan and it wasn't until Candi and I were in the lagoon that we realised the fish aren't scared to come right up to you, we were surrounded! The photo is the view that made climbing a million dodgy steps well worth the effort. We went on our first big night out that day which, thanks to some suspicious looking alcoholic buckets, guaranteed that we all felt like crap for the journey to Koh Samui the next day. It was fun while the good feeling lasted though! So much for the Full Moon Party whichwe couldn't face the next evening (sorry to disappoint you Phil!). At least we had the excuse that it was raining too (hope one night of rain makes you all feel slightly less jealous!).

Welcome to paradise

We arrived in Koh Tao yesterday morning after another long and sleepless journey. Paradise is the only way to describe it, if you ignore all of the dogs and the odd motorcycle that gets in your way. The beaches are made of fine white sand, the sea is so clear and blue and palm trees jut out every few metres along the coast. We're living in a cute little house on stilts which is really nice, especially as we're not paying for it, although the flush consists of us throwing water down the toilet which took some getting used to. Candi and Ryan have started their scuba diving course so I'm amusing myself by the pool, on the beach and in the little bars of which there are plenty. You sit on the floor on a thai cushion with your legs swinging under the deck through the hole under your low table and listen to the waves as they crash beneath you - it doesn't get much better than this!

We're going on a snorkel trip around the island on Thursday which I'm quite looking forward to...when I forget that there might be sharks. It involves 5 stops so we should get to see quite a lot. I might even find Nemo!

Tuk-Tuk...No no!!!

Today has been disastrous but fun! First we thought candi was stuck in thailand with no yellow fever certificate, and then we got scammed by a tuk-tuk man. It turns out they don't go to the Grand Palace direct, you have to go via a suit shop and a dodgy side street first! The first one (that's right, we didn't learn our lesson!) even dumped us in the middle of nowhere. But a few strong words with the second got us to the King's house in the end. It was really stunning, the buildings are made of millions of tiny mirrors and tiles and there are funny looking buddhas and chicken men everywhere. Candi struck a very canny pose! Now we are going to take a coach down to the south where the beaches are waiting for us. And the sharks!

The city where we never sleep

Hello from Bangkok! While the first impressions of the city were not great (there are so many cars and the sky is full of smog) it is certainy growing on us. We're staying just around the corner from a really busy street where we hang out in the evenings, playing thumb wars with the children selling flowers and sampling the thai beers, and the hotel is really nice - it even has a roof top pool! You are constantly harrassed to buy all kinds of junk but we're getting comfortable with ignoring people now. We just bought trousers from a stall so we're ready to discover the Grand Palace etc tomorrow. We were supposed to go today but I am already ill with food poisoning! Off to play some pool now. Know that I miss you all loads!!!

Welcome

Apologies to those who have been logging in to find an empty blog. I have had serious issues trying to remember my sign in details and while I haven't done anything different today it seems to be working...so far.

It's the day before I leave Somerset to stay with Candi and Ryan, and the excitement is starting to creep in as I write this - my first ever post on my first ever blog! Since leaving Clarks I have been restless and bored but I think excitement and fear will take over when I catch the 375 to my train tomorrow. Let's hope I can manoeuvre with my 65 litre on my back without falling over or bashing into any passers by!