• Anna Newey
Sept. – Okt. 2023

Asia

Taiwan
Vietnam
Cambodia
Weiterlesen
  • Beginn der Reise
    27. September 2023

    Taipei - city centre exploring

    27. September 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    So up at 4, I blame jetlag!
    Managed to make 0 friends as not many people in the hostel speak English and I'm a standard brit who can't speak any other language!
    Buuuut made a plan with a lil help from Hsieh and the maps in the hostel... so went to:
    - Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall where I was also on time to see part of the changing of the guards
    - Rongjin Gorgeous Time - a heritage site, prison / guards Station which has been renovated (to preserve) into some shops and restaurants... very pretty, can definitely see the Japanese influence here!
    - Taipei 101 / World Trade Centre (went up to the observatory 89 floors up in the scarily fast elevator!)
    - Dihua Street and a couple of temples around the Dadaocheng area... wish I could capture the smells of this street 🤤
    - Walked the park area along Tamsui River where there was a super cool looking street food area... May go tomorrow evening when I'll be more awake!

    And all this navigating the underground successfully 😁 (also good idea for UK... umbrella shares in the tube stations!)

    Have a vague plan for tomorrow, found some strangers online who may become friends! - we'll see!
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  • Too hot to hike

    28. September 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Ha! Successfully met up with 3 others staying in different hostels in Taipei to go on a mini adventure outside of city centre.
    We decided to take the train to the end of the line catch the bus to Thousand Island Lake and hike to some viewing spots...
    All went well except we failed yo look at bus timetables so we're going to have to wait 1.5 hours... instead we took a chance and hitch-hiked, such a success! First car passed pulled in and was happy to take us 😃
    Hike was fab, very dirt track, not very signed but vaguely clear as to where we should go... it was very hot and sticky but 100% worth it... what a place - magical!

    Fuelled by our first success, we stuck our thumbs out and tried again to get to Yinhe Cave... we were trying to go the wrong way 🤦‍♀️
    But this just shows how wonderful the people are here, the guy dropped his wife at home and came back to give us a lift 😲 can't imagine that in the UK at all!!!!!

    The caves were up a steep climb again in sticky heat, but at the top was a waterfall with a temple built behind... pretty cool and good opportunity to cool off!

    Headed back to the station with the girls and yup, another lift from a kind stranger, to get back to the city where I met up with another bunch of friendlies to go to the night market for dinner. Was totally overwhelmed by the choices but had some fried chicken and some deep fried sweet potatoes which had a texture of jelly... kinda odd but tasty none the less! Yum!
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  • To Kaohsiung

    29. September 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Morning in Taipei, decided to head to cable cars with Ava from the hostel as missed out yesterday... pretty cool, nice views, shame I didn't have time to stop off to explore a bit...

    Got my transport geek on getting on the HSR to Kaohsiung - 96 minutes pretty much covering the whole island! Where i was met by my buddy - so good to see him, it has been a few years now... and even longer for the family

    To stay awake (only had 2ish hours sleep last night) Hsieh showed me around some of the markets close by - very colourful and really good vibes... Will come back here!
    Tried 'smelly tofu' - possibly one of the most rancid things I have ever eaten... closest thing I can describe it to was deep fried inca trek socks - blister gunk and all 🤢 but Hsieh was a fan - strange one him!
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  • I'm on a boat!

    1. Oktober 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Headed out to the warehouse markets to try and find some new shorts (I'm down to my last pair) which was a massive fail as it was closed!
    Swift change of plan and caught the ferry over to Qijin District... completely unprepared and no idea what to expect!
    Turned out to be pretty cool, walked through the street market - so much food! Went to the beach (black sands) for a paddle but ended up stripping off to undies and submerging (I thought it would cool me down... I was wrong, water was so warm!) (... also wondering if this was predetermined as had subconsciously put on matching undies so could have passed as a bikini right?!)
    Went on a hot, sticky and now sandy walk upto the lighthouse which had some nice views and I met Benji...
    We went for lunch down at the fish market then strolled along the sea front, checking out temples and landmarks...
    All in all good and unexpected day 😁
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  • Fo Guang Shan Monastery

    2. Oktober 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Fo Guang Shan Monastery and Museum has to be one of the biggest and impressive worship areas I think I've ever been to! Considering the coach load of people's arriving, the place is so big it felt like it was empty!
    Met Benji at the bus station (was unsure if he was gunna come so also befriended 2 Dutch women in the queue!) for the half hour journey to the temple.
    First stop was the museum and big Buddha. There was three other shrines we went to see but we weren't allowed to take photos as it was a place of worship, but it was just beautiful, the architecture, colours and smells were great... I also tried my hand at calligraphy... check out that concentration!

    Went for a bite to eat (thanks Benji for capturing me with a gob full) - tasty! And after lunch went to the Dhama Hall to see, as Benji put it, "that religious dude who did lots of good stuff" 🤣

    Was a full day activity, loads to see and do...
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  • Liuqiu Island

    3. Oktober 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ 🌬 31 °C

    Got up early and went with Hsieh to Lotus Lake... was pretty nice, lots of temples... and terrapins!
    Planned to spend the night in Liuqiu Island but apparently there's a typhoon brewing or something so no ferries tomorrow (boooooooo!) So a day trip it was...
    Usually being unplanned works quite well for me, had an idea that I wanted to go to Secret Beach and then do a bit of a hike on the other side of the island... I only had 5 hours so thought this was a good plan!
    The walk to Secret Beach took over an hour, it was hot, unscenic and quite frankly miserable... I started to think this was going to be the first disappointing day of solo travelling... but then Secret Beach was ace... small, completely empty and saw about 8 or 9 sea turtles... 🥰 (sea was a bit rough so didn't go in! Despite having a cossie and snorkel stuff this time!) Spent about 45 mins trying to capture the turtles on camera (photography really isn't a skill of mine)... they're an absolute tease! If you can spot them in the pic / vid that would make me happy!!
    Anyways, couldn't stand to walk much further so popped into a nearby hostel (it was empty!) to ask if they knew the bus routes... they didn't but one lady, Linees (I think), was very quick to offer me a ride on a moped to the other side of the island... who am i to say no?! That was fun 😄 bloody love strangers!
    Spent a bit of time on Beauty Beach... lives up to its name... before wondering around to Vase Rock (I think it looks more like Broccoli Brain personally, but judge for yourself!) all the while spotting more turtles offshore popping up for air!

    Took a couple of selfies... I think I pull off the sweaty mess look better than clean and tidy! 🤣
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  • Typhoon and hotsprings

    5. Oktober 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ 🌬 29 °C

    Had to leave Hsieh and the family early as the typhoon meant basically lockdown in South Taiwan 😓, so he stuck me back on the train to Taipei so I could enjoy sightseeing and actually catch my flight!
    So unplanned day trip to an area called Beitou where there are natural hot springs and several museums...
    Just had a ganda around for a bit, including the thermal valley where I bumped into Silvia (Taiwanese but lives in Aus) and Orna (from Isreal) while burning the back of my legs on some hot seats (I didn't realise they were hot in my defence)...
    We went to a local foot spa to chill with feet in hot water, and quiz Silvia on how to get to various locations (honestly, she was so patient with us!) before going for dumplings.
    Went to the hot springs museum before saying goodbye to Silvia (honestly, she could have a career change and become a tour guide!), and Orna and I jumped into the public hot springs for a soak in the rain... very hot, but relaxing!
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  • Spirited Away (well Jioufen)

    6. Oktober 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Took the bus from Taipei to Jioufen...
    It is bloody beautiful (if completely packed and full of tourists)! Despite the weather being grey, foggy and just a bit miserable, can see why people claim it's the street that Studio Ghibli's "Spirited Away" was based on (love that film 🥰)
    The old street is so windy, narrow and full of really cool shops and food places... too many to count...
    Amongst other food, finally had a peanut ice cream wrap (I lie, I had 2 as I'm a pig!), so good! Made a friend during lunch, unfortunately she had to leave after about an hour and half, but then made another friend while sitting in a tea shop... we're gunna go to Shifen tomorrow, and she is Taiwanese, which is so handy for the language barrier!
    Staying the night here as according to friends it's even more beautiful at night... it is true! In the evening bumped into Orna, from yesterday! Such a small touristy place! 😅 feel like I'm becoming a local randomly bumping into people I know!
    Weiterlesen

  • Waterfalls and 'Old Streets'

    7. Oktober 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Met my new friend, Chloe from the tea shop, at 9am to head to Shifen via bus and train... once at the station, she convinced me that I should go to the end of the line - Jingtong - and work my way back... so of course, the peer pressure worked and that's what I did!
    Jingtong was lovely, very small old coal mining village, not a lit to see tbf, but very pretty... we were done in about half an hour but the train was hourly so had to wait!
    I said goodbye to Chloe and her mum as I stopped in Wanggu to go on a walk to see a waterfall... as I knew the trains were hourly I gave myself the hour to do it... It wasn't very challenging! I also didn't see anyone else on the path until I got to the waterfall where there was a photography group who saw me attempting a selfie and insisted they take my picture... with posing instructions and all... I think you can see my awkwardness and panic in my eyes 😬 so frikken cringe! 😅
    But the waterfall was good!
    Went to Shifen next, the original plan... omg it was so busy!!!! There were lots of lanterns being set off, which were beautiful to watch but so sooooo bad for the environment so I didn't participate... too much guilt already!
    On a sad note, you could see remnants of the lanterns scattered over the hills 😪 and I watched some go down to the unknown as well as up...
    Anyways, super busy, stopped for lunch and then headed back to Taipei... it was raining A LOT! But in one of the stations a local school orchestra was doing a performance... very nice!
    I completely forgot to do the Shifen waterfall trail which was the reason I wanted to go to Shifen in the first place - d'oh!!!! Never mind, next time! 😅
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  • Last day in Taiwan

    8. Oktober 2023 in Taiwan ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    For the last day in Taiwan I wanted a chill day so decided to go to Elephant Mountain as it had been recommended. It wasn't too hot and a bit overcast but thought it would clear up a bit to get some nice views... I was wrong! 🤣
    But the walk itself was nice, it was a lot of steps but manageable (especially after inca and with zero altitude!), the path was pretty cool and there were a lot of huge spiders which were really colourful 😁
    In the afternoon i went to the national palace museum. It was good, but turned out to be mostly an art museum, I wanted to hear more about the history of the country and the people, so actually blasted through it really quickly... my favourite was a jade bokchoy 😅 so random!!!
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  • Day 1 - Vietnam

    9. Oktober 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Arrived around 6pm in Hanoi and met Harry. Luckily plane journey was only 3 hours and there's only a 1 hour time difference so no jet lag 😁
    Checked into the hotel... bathroom situation is... interesting... I think this trip is going to be largely dependent on trust 😶

    Harry had already been in Hanoi for most the day but we went to find somewhere for a drink and catch up... and stumbled upon the street with the train that runs through it... thought that this is the ideal place for a bevvy and wait for the train. First experience of Vietnam hospitality, beer is either warm or cold and half empty 🤣
    We also went to a rooftop bar for a cocktail but had an early night as planned to go to Ha Long Bay tomorrow 👍
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  • Ha Long Bay

    11. Oktober 2023, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    2 day trip to Ha Long Bay... the only plan we actually have for Vietnam and Cambodia!
    The boat was awesome... definately the best one out there... room was fab, even had a lil balcony, bathroom privacy was again somewhat questionable 🤣
    We set sail to a quieter part of the bay and enjoyed the amazing scenery, and great food...
    We went on a bamboo raft to some caves, went for a swim in the sea, drank some cocktails on the top deck of the boat, did a cooking class... and failed at squid fishing... 🐙 lucky squid!
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  • Ha Long Bay and back to Hanoi

    11. Oktober 2023, Gulf of Tonkin ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Got up early and went for a kayak around the bay... tad language communication issue meant that Harry and I ran over time and had to get picked up by our shuttle boat as the main boat left without us... whoops 🙈🤣
    Back on the boat we just enjoyed the trip back to the mainland and hopped on the bus back to Hanoi...
    Ha Long Bay was beautiful but there were a lot of tourists and boats... some strategic placements of our heads... and Harry's nose... meant we managed to get some snaps without them in...!
    went for dinner and drinks on a few rooftop terraces and enjoyed the city views by night 👍(also one had a fun moon we used as a prop to be Atlas! 😅) shout out to Emma and Beth in the video... I clearly talk too much about my friends when I'm missing them 🤣
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  • Hanoi and night train

    12. Oktober 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Spent most the day wondering around Hanoi enjoying the chaos, sights, noises and smells (some more potent than others! 😅)
    Wandered up to Tran Quoc Pagoda before heading down towards Den Quan Thanh, a park and Ho Chi Minh museum and general around that area...
    Needed to buy some impromptu souvineers as didn't realise the extent I needed to cover up so two silky scarfs had to suffice as a long skirt and shoulder throw!
    Anyways learnt a lot about Ho Chi Minh which was great - I just thought it was a city in Vietnam rather than a revolutionary political leader!
    We decided on getting the night train down to Da Nang ready for Hoi An tomorrow... let's see how this goes 😬
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  • Hoi An day 1

    13. Oktober 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Slept pretty well on the night train, was quite comfy really but woke up to pretty much a monsoon... and a questionable roof (there was no point in it, our room was basically flooded 🤣)
    Arrived in Da Nang around midday and took a cab to Hoi An... we didn't want to muck about waiting for transport in that weather!
    Arrived in Hoi An to a lovely homestay and chilled for a bit hoping the rain would stop... it didn't! So we braved it and actually had a lovely time wandering around the old town taking in all the sights and smells and a ridiculous amount of food!
    Hoi An has a lot of influence from China, Japan and Europe, so noticing all the different architecture was cool... and the lanterns at night were just gorgeous 😍
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  • Hoi An day 2

    14. Oktober 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    After realising how fun the monsoony water actually was, we got up early to do more sightseeing in Hoi An... using (bravely) the free bikes the homestay had...
    We attempted to get up to the beaches in the north but a flat tyre foiled those plans... but it was hilarious, we may as well have cycled through the river! Got absolutely drenched but it's warm so okay.
    Headed back to Old Town and just enjoyed the atmosphere etc went for coffee...
    In the afternoon we decided to go to the coconut forest and go on a 'eco tour' in one of the round boats... was pretty chaotic and had no idea what was going on but pretty fun! And yer, I embraced the plastic poncho look!
    Took a ride to the beaches in the end, just to check them out... was a cute dog and trees to attempt to climb! 😅
    Did some souvineer shopping, made a pretty lantern and found a pub to watch the rugby (at least the first 3/4)
    Weiterlesen

  • Hoi An - Hue

    15. Oktober 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Had an interesting bus experience traveling from Hoi An to Hue today... the initial bus was actually a car with some other people in it... none of us knew if this was the 'bus' taking us all the way to Hue or if we were getting shuttled somewhere... turned out to be the later. Got on the bus which turned out to be a sleeper bus even though the trip we were taking was only a couple of hours... so obvs had to get a top bunk... but then needed a wee... no loo on the bus so had to pee full view on side of the road 🫣 not pleasant for anyone involved!
    Anyways, arrived in Hue... again absolutely hooning it down (rain) and went to the citadel/ancient city which was huge and really cool... although it is still undergoing restoration after the war it was pretty spectacular and was quite nice to see how nature was reclaiming some of the space and how the structures had been changed as result of the war and human abandonment...
    This took the majority of the afternoon so in the evening we just went for a walk and chilled (I wanted to watch the rugby but couldn't find anywhere showing the game 😪)
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  • Another rainy day

    16. Oktober 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    Another sunny day in paradise 🤣
    Flying to Ho Chi Minh in the afternoon so spent the morning visiting a temple and Pagoda just outside of Hue.
    Pretty cool tbf, but the slate-ish tiles with moss are not made for wet weather so there was a lot of slipping, sliding and a fall down some steps (oucha! Coulda been worse 😅)

    Arrived in Ho Chi Minh... it was dry 🥹 just went for a walk around the city to orientate ourselves... seems not as chaotic as Hanoi and there was lots of good looking bars 😏
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  • Cu Chi tunnels

    17. Oktober 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 31 °C

    In the morning we got up early and walked around the city before going on a tour of the Cu Chi war tunnels to understand more about the conditions that the poor people were subjected to during the Vietnam War...
    We had heard a few stories that this tour wasn't very sensitive to the situation, however we had a great tour guide who we thought did a great job... maybe it's luck of the draw when it comes to tour guides...
    Anyway, got to experience the secret entrances, run through 100m of the tunnels (Harry and I were the only 2 who made the 100m, everyone else only got to 20, 40 or 60m...) the guide was super quick but glad that my height (or lack of) meant I could almost keep up!
    Learnt a lot on this tour and an appreciation for how resourceful and smart the Vietnamese people were during this awful time, and how terrifying it would have been for all the people involved...
    I also shot an AK47 which, admittedly I was very apprehensive about... but only fired 1 shot...
    Was Harry's birthday so in the evening we went to a skydeck (floor 49) for a view of the city and went for a few drinks back in the evening at a rooftop bar...
    Weiterlesen

  • Mekong Delta

    18. Oktober 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Got up early and did a day tour of Mekong Delta... was a very long day but very good. Not as commercial as the Coconut forest in Hoi An.
    Saw a couple of the islands, how they made honey, coconut candy, pop rice (bit like honey nut cereal but without the honey and nuts... but they do flavour with stuff), boat tour, dancing, tuktuks, bike ride... and another temple...Weiterlesen

  • Angkor Wat

    20. Oktober 2023 in Kambodscha ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    So yesterday was pretty much a full day of traveling to Seam Reap so nothing to update.
    Woke up early (4:00am) to gk to Angkor Wat for the sunrise... was massively worth it 🥰 and gues what... finally some sunshine!
    Angkor Wat in general was better than expected, all the pics online look great, and sometimes a bit disallusional, but definately not here... we went to the main temple, Bayon Temple, Ta Prohm Temple and Banteay Kdei... so good!!!
    Our guide was hilariously slow... reminded me a lot of the sloth on zootropolis 🤣
    In the afternoon we just relaxed by the hotel pool which was fun 😁
    Weiterlesen

  • Life on the Lake

    21. Oktober 2023 in Kambodscha ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Went on a trip to a floating village, Kampong Phluk... which is a village of approx 1000 families living in stilted houses on Tonle Sap... the village is only reachable by boat so we hopped on a tuk tuk to find a boat!
    The village was amazing to see, kids playing in the water (some with life jackets on 😁), floating school (we met some of the kids and gave them notebooks), medical centre etc and saw people generally go by their day to day lives hopping on and off boats to get around.
    We stopped at the edge of the forest where there were lots of women hanging out laundry using the trees, and collecting firewood. We got onto another little boat /raft with one of these women who took us deeper into the forest and showed us around a bit... including the huge snails she said that they ate 🤢
    In the evening we went to see Phare - The Cambodian Circus (no animals involved!)... this was awsome... really enjoyed... Phare shows are known for telling uniquely Cambodian stories from folklore and recent history through dance, theatre, live original music and circus acts... they were very talented... and a lot of fun!
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  • On the Island

    22.–25. Okt. 2023 in Kambodscha ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Took the ferry to Koh Rong which is a gorgeous little island, full of jungle and beaches. Did some snorkeling, walked to a waterfall and visited a mango grove with some spontanious kayaking... also visited the other beaches on the island... our beach is by far the best!
    Our accommodation was right on the beachfront, a 5mile long beach and for the first day we didn't see any other people... there was a great sunset on day 2- it was raining so decided to go for a swim while the sun set, behind us was a rainbow and infront gorgeous colours, stormy skies and silhouetted fishing boats... was pretty magical! Big bats also came out as the sun went under the horizon!
    There were some pretty dramatic thunder storms too but was really cool to be able to sit under cover in the cafe/bar/restaurant... this place is basically a one man band super simple accommodation but with everything that is needed!
    The snorkeling was also really nice, lots of colourful fish chasing each other amongst the rocks etc shame I couldn't get any good pictures!
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  • Phnom Penh - last stop in Cambodia

    25.–28. Okt. 2023 in Kambodscha

    Final stop of Cambodia is the capital, Phnom Penh.
    Very modern city with historical and traditional buildings too.
    Our accommodation was super swanky with a huge rooftop pool, restaurant (we tried ducks tongue... not very meaty, more like a bar snack!) and great views.
    Went for a wander on the first evening and saw the independence monuments and statue of Sihanouk Norodom who was King and also Prime Minister who led the country through several colonisation and finally gaining independence...
    On second day it was VERY hot so we just went to the Royal Palace where our guide explained more about the Kingdom and the various politics which led to the Royal family having to flee and their return - very interesting.
    Harry left early following day so i moved back to the budget hostel (which also feels pretty swanky tbf!)
    I also went to learn more about the genocide and Khmer Rouge regime (something which can't be ignored when visiting Cambodia) at the S21 museum (a secondary school which, under the Khmer Rouge (1975-79) became a prison / detention center responsible for over 12000 murders including childen, there were only 12 survivors). This was the saddest most harrowing thing I have done on my travels, I left almost in tears, it is disgusting what humans can do to each other 😪 I was going to visit the killing fields as well however I felt quite emotionally drained after this.
    Final day was pretty chill, just went for a walk along the river, visited the Giant Clock of Phnom Phen and just organised some bits and bobs for the next 5 weeks...
    Back to Ho Chi Minh now before heading to Aus and New Zealand for the final stage of my adventure!
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  • Ho Chi Minh - take 2

    28.–30. Okt. 2023 in Vietnam

    Headed back to Ho Chi Minh as my flight to Aus leaves from there.
    Met a good group of people and went to do some bits and bobs we didn't get around to doing the last time in HCMC... went to the War Remnants museum, street food market, shrine to the monk who burnt himself, the old post office, book street and walking street (sensory overload)... and generally wandered around.
    We were going to go on a walking tour to get more information about various areas, however it was cancelled so I did my usual trick and made stuff up... learnt a lot based purely on fiction (again!)
    Last day in Asia, hung out with 2 of the new friends, Elana and Khuram, was very chill... we have all exhausted the city so just went for breakfast and lots of coffee to pass the time!
    Onwards and upwards for the last leg of the adventure to Australia and New Zealand!
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    Ende der Reise
    30. Oktober 2023