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Southeast Asia
  • Kerry and David

Southeast Asia

Un’avventura di 35 giorni di Kerry and David Leggi altro
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  • Inizio del viaggio
    29 settembre 2017
    Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    And we are off...

    29 settembre 2017, Inghilterra ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    After some teary goodbyes to friends and family we are finally at the airport to begin the start of a very long journey! What this really means is a long food and drink tour of the world, therefore we thought the only way to start was breakfast.Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Kuala Lumpur International Airport

    30 settembre 2017, Malaysia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    13 hours later (and 2 meals) we have arrived in KL. The flight was surprisingly comfortable as there was 126 empty seats which meant (unfortunately no upgrade) we had a spare seat on our row to lounge across.
    In KL we discovered we needed to be in the opposite terminal to the one we landed in. We got a quick train for the total of 71p (Hello SE Asia!) to the right terminal giving us four hours to search for some good grub. After fleeting past 4 McDonalds, 3 Burger Kings, 2 Starbucks and a Nandos, we finally found meal number 4 - a shared chicken and rice dish.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Siem Reap

    30 settembre 2017, Cambogia ⋅ 🌙 30 °C

    Another 2 hour flight (and another meal) later we arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We hopped in a taxi to get to our first home of the trip "The Happy Guesthouse". It is a cute little place with a relaxed restaurant/reception which we had dinner in. We had a little wander around to get our bearings, found a bar and some refreshing drinks. The bar owner gave us some hints and tips about the area. We are now heading to bed, at 8pm, ready for our first exploring day tomorrow.Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Angkor Wat

    1 ottobre 2017, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Up at 4:15am to get a tuk tuk to Angkor Wat for the sunrise. We would love to say at this point we got the perfect picture of the sun rising above the huge temple, but it actually just looked like this (see below). We gave up trying to get the perfect picture and found Chow, our tour guide for Angkor Wat. It was well worth it as he gave us the background history of the temple as well as the religions and Khmer empire. We finished the tour at around 8am just as the sun was burning the clouds away, walked up the top level and heading down for a quick breakfast.Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    The Other Temples

    1 ottobre 2017, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After our first temple experience at Angkor Wat we thought by 9am it was time for a well earned breakfast at the "James Bond Cafe". Then, after a game of hide and seek with our tuk tuk driver we moved on to see 5 more temples, including the ones used in Indiana Jones and Lara Croft! The first was within Angkor Thom (not Uncle Tom as Kerry always thought) which was jam-packed of tourists and the odd kitten. On the way to the next one there was a police "check point" which consisted of each tuk tuk driver paying some notes into a secret book on the back of the police motorbike.
    The third temple was mostly under restorations but having accidentally acquired a tour guide we found out that it was the oldest of all, around 1000 years old!
    We finished the tour just as the rain started to pelt and took the sound of thunder as a sign for us to head back with our trusty tuk tuk driver.
    We then spent the afternoon catching up on lost sleep, eating and generally hiding indoors from the thunderstorm. Guess we chose to come in the monsoon season!    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Exploring Siem Reap

    2 ottobre 2017, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Today we decided to see a bit of the city we are staying in. We started after a hearty breakfast (pancakes and a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich) with "Pub street". This is the main tourist street of the town having everything from foot massages to 50 cent beers on tap (David might have suffered a beer).
    We had a wander down by the river and through the old market. Kerry got a cheap top and we shared some spring rolls; the first of many. We found a social enterprise offering free tours around their workshop where they work with villages to offer jobs to the locals in a sustainable manner. There were over 100 people working to create everything from natural soaps to candles and oils. We enjoyed some free samples of Cambodian iced ginger tea, hot kaffir lime leaf tea and a sugar cane drink before buying ourselves some souvenirs made in front of us. Then after a quick tuk tuk back to town we walked over to take a photo at the Hard Rock Cafe before heading back to a restaurant opposite our guesthouse. Here Kerry destroyed David at chess over some noodle soup and pork and bean rice.
    After lunch, and feeling a little guilty about our food obsession, we did a quick and sweaty workout to burn some of it off. After cooling down and watched a film before dinner. We dressed up for a nice last dinner in Siem Reap and walked up the road to find out our hopeful dinner place was fully booked so headed back to Pub Street to see what it could offer us by night. By this time, Cambodia was trying to prove again it was monsoon season so we ate Mexican and drank margaritas watching the sky light up with lightning and the rain pour down on the streets around us.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Butterflies, landmines & overnight buses

    3 ottobre 2017, Cambogia ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Our last day in Siem Reap we got a tuk tuk ride up to a butterfly farm. The rain continued until we arrived, allowing us to see the locals catching fish and the children playing in the floods. The butterfly centre is a conservation site with profits going to support sustainable farming and ecotourism as well as the butterflies. We got a tour which included seeing all the stages of the lifecycle as well as an enthusiastic tour guide pointing out all the butterflies.
    After spotting all the large and beautiful butterflies we continued onto the landline museum. This was set up by a ex-child soldier who was conscripted by the Khmer Rouge at aged 10 after they killed his parents. He later fought against the Khmer with the Vietnamese army. Since then he has dedicated his life to de-mining unexploded ordinances around Cambodia and set up an NGO to achieve this as well as the museum to raise awareness. We learnt a lot about the Cambodian war, political history and the impact the landmines are still having on the local people.
    We reflected on the ride back to the city after the emotional, hard-hitting tour. We did a mandatory "Yodaiken food hunt" and walked past a perfectly good local restaurant in search of something cheaper or better. We actually ended up walking miles to have a mediocre pizza and coffee. The hotel had kindly looked after our bags since we checked out in the morning, so we spent the late afternoon catching up with family in the bar and having dinner.
    We then caught our final tuk tuk in Siem Reap to the bus station, dropping our bags to have a quick peruse around the night market. We were back in time to board the overnight bus, which although looked like a regular bus from the outside, once on you saw bunk beds instead of seats. We made ourselves at home on the hard floor of a double bunk for the long trip ahead.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Crab town

    4 ottobre 2017, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The bus journey was surprisingly uneventful until David panicked, having realised we had underestimated how far we had to travel once getting off the bus by a margin of around 100km. We buried our heads in the sand and went back to sleep to then be woken in Sihanoukville by 4 locals crammed in the single bed opposite. We departed the bus in the pouring rain with the plan to find another bus to get to Kampot, part of the way we needed to go. Due to being tired and wet we instead bartered with the local taxi mafia and secured what we thought was an aircon car. As we were led to our next mode of transport we realised the last 5 dollars we bartered got us the downgrade to a new form of tuk tuk - the modified car tuk tuk - for the three hour drive, which included a stop to pick up a mysterious white bag from a lady and a second to drop it off next to a temple, at this point realising it was a large dead bird in the bag. No words were exchanged to explain this.
    We finally arrived to our next home, a wooden shack on stilts with open windows and cracks, only cold water and a non-flushing toilet. The bed had holey mosquito net around it which we hid our bags under. We headed for the shower to find a family of frogs occupying it...we were unsure if we were laughing or crying.
    After cooling and cleaning off we headed out to explore the new town. Kep is a cute sleepy seaside town famous for its crab market. We wandered through the main stretch of the town to find breakfast/lunch - stopping at the first decent place this time, filled with locals watching a Chinese movie and one other tourist group.
    By the time we got to the end of town we had acquired a young follower - a local girl obsessed with saying hello and goodbye to us - who we said our final bye to as we hopped into a tuk tuk back to our bungalow. Despite our bodies begging for rest, we then headed back out on a hike through the national park to a temple on a hill which gave us a perfect view over the town and sea. We got back before dark to cool off again before having a drink before dinner. The owner of the place arranged for us to get a free pick up to one if the famous crab restaurants that had a seaview. David got 3 crabs with local black pepper and sweet chilli sauces, which he smoothly ate with a little help from wikipedia. Kerry was more cautious and got the chicken with the local green pepper sauce. We headed back to our wooden shack to get some shut eye ready for next day of surprises.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Countryside Touring

    5 ottobre 2017, Cambogia

    We had a lazy morning consisting of an English and a French breakfast (the owner of the place we are staying is French, as are most of the other guests we have met). She kindly helped us to organise renting a scooter for the day ($6 including two helmets) which arrived just after 10am ready for our day to start, and also a handwritten map of the best route to follow.
    We headed straight to the gas station to fill up $3 of fuel (we asked for 5 but no more would fit) and then onto the quiet backstreets of Kep, through fishing villages and into the countryside. The scenery was beautiful with salt fields and distant mountains to our left and mangroves and the sea to our right. We followed the road past rice paddies until we got to the main road where after some confusion we headed in the wrong direction for 10km before realising and heading straight back the way we came, then back on the small roads to find our first stop.
    Here, a deaf local assumed the tour guide position and led us up what felt like thousands of stairs, stopping only at two "offering stations" (aka tip-for-later stations) before leading us down into a cave with hundred of bats on the roof and "elephant" stalagmites. He explained with actions something about fighting in the cave. Next he took us up more steps to another, smaller cave to show us more bats. Here David faced his nemesis, the huge millipede. Finally he took us to a small temple where we got a perfect view across the landscape and hid in the shade for a few moments before handing the guy his dues and heading back down to the bike.
    We continued via the rice paddies, crossing a railway line and headed towards the "secret" lake. We stopped for some local grub and a pineapple shake overlooking the lake before arriving at "La Plantation", a pepper farm. The Kampot area of Cambodia is famous for its pepper production and even has a protected designation of origin (PDO) by EU. We had a explanation of the different types of pepper (green, red, white and black as well as the long pepper, flower of the salt (Fleur de sel) and turmeric that they also produce). We were able to taste the different types before having a tour around the plantation.
    By this time it was late afternoon and we were slightly concerned about getting back before dark so headed straight back, no detours this time. The countryside seemed to get even more beautiful under the colour of the setting sun. We got back a little quicker than expected so Kerry had a go at riding the scooter outside of our place under close instruction of David.
    We have spent the evening chilling out in the restaurant, having dinner and unfortunately filling in forms - though it does mean that Kerry has another job offer to consider in NZ!    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Phnom Penh

    6 ottobre 2017, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We said goodbye to the friendly frog family and our shack this morning as we were picked up for our 'big' bus transfer to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The minibus, as it actually was, headed an hour detour via Kampot to pick up another two tourists and some locals before heading in the right direction. The traffic coming into the city was much worse than we have previously experienced here with truck-loads of lorries being replaced by multiplying motorbikes as we got closer to the centre. We were dropped off somewhere in the middle of the chaos and bartered to get a tuk tuk to our next hotel, this time an actual hotel with hot water and air con again! Once settled, we set out to find some lunch, a surprisingly pricey but filling Vietnamese meal.
    In the evening we decided to use some of our birthday money to treat ourselves to a sunset boat trip on the Mekong River. We got picked up from our hotel by a tuk tuk chauffeur and taken to the riverbank to board the cruise boat. There were only around 15 of us onboard a boat made for 160. We set off with our welcome sunset cocktails in hand. It was a beautiful evening, despite being a little too cloudy for the perfect sunset. The boat meandered down the river, past some local fishing villages and back up towards the lit up city. We had a local buffet meal onboard to satisfy are appetite. Once back on land we marched back to our hotel via military patrolled streets (army soldiers lying in temporary hammocks along the roadsides).

    (Please note lack of photos of city itself due to constant warnings of petty crimes and therefore we carried very little on us and did not want to get our phones out too much)    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    The Darker Side of Cambodia

    7 ottobre 2017, Cambogia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Today we learnt more about Cambodia's recent history and the Khmer Rouge. After a quick bakery stop for breakfast we walked to the Tuol Sleng museum. This was a former high school which was turned into the infamous S-21 prison during Pol Pot's regime to hold, interrogate and force false confessions from its detainees. It was one of over 150 detention centres set up between 1975-79. We had an audio guide which explained how the old classrooms had been changed; buildings were enclosed in electrified barbed wire, the classrooms converted into tiny prison cells and torture chambers, and all windows were covered with iron bars and barbed wire to prevent escapees. A suspected 20,000 people had been held here, the majority of whom were taken by the truckload to the nearby killing site of Choeung Ek, aka "The Killing Fields".
    We continued our education of the awful atrocities by getting a tuk tuk to Choeung Ek where there is a memorial centre dedicated to those that were killed and evidence of the multiple mass graves that thousands of bodies had been dumped into after brutal executions (they found other ways to kill to save on bullets). There are still more clothing rags and bones surfacing after each rainy season which are kept as a testament to the victims. We took some time to process what we had learnt and seen at both sites before heading back into the city, and had a quiet afternoon/evening.

    We did not want to head back over to the tourist area of Phnom Penh for dinner so walked around the area outside our hotel. We weren't too sure of some of the very street food places so stopped at a proper restaurant that looked busy. We were shown upstairs and to a menu with no English and no pictures in it. We tried to order some chicken with rice and beef noodles to stay safe, with the help of the manager (the only one who could speak any English). We ended up with chicken "bits" with a lot of bone and very little meat surrounded what we concluded with shredded lemongrass in the shape of a bird's nest, and some beef noodles. As David was still hungry after the scraps of chicken we went on a food hunt and ended up avoiding a Chinese place which had eel, frog and pig intestines on the menu and settling at the first street restaurant we had walked past earlier. Here we ordered fried rice, which actually turned out to be a nice beef rice with a side of weak tea and soup. We were unsure if the water they were collecting from the nearby hose was used in the meal. I guess we will find out...    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Quick Stop in Kratie

    8 ottobre 2017, Cambogia

    We were up at just gone 5am this morning to finish packing up in time for a tuk tuk ride to our "VIP" bus. We waited 45 minutes for an array of packages and people to board and re-board the minibus. This included the attempted tetris game with a full sized cooked pig which they luckily gave up on as the bus was already full. Just after 7am we left for Kratie (Krong Kracheh).
    The bus driver seemed to be paid by the maximum speed he could reach on each road which led to some near misses with oncoming scooters and trucks. Our first stop was to allow the older men of the bus to relieve themselves on the roadside, the second was to drop off some seafood to a shop-owner and then the third was at a "service station"; a busy restaurant with drop toilets and home-cooked food of some sort. We somehow ordered some rice and chicken "bits" and some vegetable crisps for the journey. Soon we were back on the bus, picking and dropping off locals until we finally got to Kratie about 12:30. We refused the moto (motorbike taxi) offers and stretched our legs by walking to our next guesthouse.
    We are staying at Le Tonlé, a NGO tourism training centre, as well as guesthouse and restaurant, which provides vocational training to disadvantaged young people in the north-east of Cambodia. Our room is a cute wooden-cladded sauna, with a mosquito net and fan. There are two shared bathrooms just opposite, which are surprisingly clean (minus the mosquitos).
    We had a wander around this small, riverfront town and through the local market where we came across some of the local delicacies such as Balut (a fertilised duck egg with a partially grown fetus). We decided against trying these and instead we had lunch at a corner-side restaurant finally trying the Cambodian 'Amok' (curry) which was delicious. We met a man who was originally from England but now lives here, working with local NGOs (and we think also with the place we are staying) for the past 30 years.
    This evening we are sat during happy hour tasting what the students can make with alcohol... and about to order dinner before an another early night as we move again tomorrow.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Markets in Krong Stung Treng

    9 ottobre 2017, Cambogia

    After a restless night due to a very firm mattress and David waking every 10 minutes to check there were no cockroaches crawling over us, we were then woken by the local cockerel at 5am which we tried to snooze through until 5:45. Then up and a quick breakfast before our next bus ride. We were picked up by the minibus from our hotel and after detouring around to fill the bus we headed north to Stung Treng. It took about 3.5 hours and a lot of bumpy road to arrive at this market town. Again, we decided to walk to our next guesthouse but after realising we weren't quite sure where it was we popped into the "Four Rivers Hotel" for directions. Here we were directed back to Kratie as the Le Tonlé had moved (as we had stayed there last night). We therefore took the opportunity to stay in an actual hotel for the next two nights. This hotel looks over the Mekong and Sekong rivers (not sure about the other 2) and even has a sky bar.
    We dropped our bags and headed into town in the rain (with an umbrella, thanks to our hotel!) to find lunch. There were not many restaurants around so we choose a busy local place which only gave us the English options of fried noodles or rice; we ordered one of each. The food was okay, but it just seemed a shame that the locals had a wider choice, that we were only able to peek at as it went past. We finished up lunch and had a walk through the large market before heading back for a rest at the hotel. On our way we realised we left our water bottle in the restaurant so had to make a detour to go and get it, which led us through the back street of town (past a whole load of rubbish) and through another market. We were very warm by the time we got back, but luckily the rain had stopped.
    In the evening, after David had a quick nap, we went up to the sky bar. We were the only ones to there and after they told us they didn't have mint for a mojito nor ice for any other cocktail we walked back into town for dinner. We had been recommended a place called Ponika's palace by the guy in Kratie. They do a mix of local, Indian and western food. Kerry went for the Indian set meal while David went for sweet and sour. The food was great, the service lacking and the power almost non-existent - the constant power-cuts left us feeling like we were eating in one of the 'dinner in the dark' restaurants.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Last day in Cambodia

    10 ottobre 2017, Cambogia

    We spent today trying to figure out the best way to get across the border and into Laos tomorrow. We first tried our hotel - but there was no one around who spoke English, just a mother with a young child sat on a rug on the floor. The girl had a drip up, as though it was a makeshift hospital in the lobby. We then tried the street vendors who offered either a bus leaving at 13:30 the next day or a taxi for $40. We continued back to Ponika's for breakfast and to ask here, again a bus leaving at maybe 12 or 1pm tomorrow or a taxi for $35. We ate our omelette with cheese (a cheese square on top) and poached eggs with a baguette, while we decided to think about our options. We then hired some bicycles from Ponika's to enjoy our last day in Cambodia.
    The bikes were just about road worthy, except David's puncture which we got refilled before riding on. We cycled parallel to the Sekong River out of town and to a women's development centre which was unfortunately closed until 13:30. We took the opportunity to cycle further and see some of the rural area around the town. We found a tourism sign which we followed but only found some abandoned huts and lots of army ants. At this point we turned around and cycled through some small village areas where the local people, especially the children, were very friendly and waving hello at us.
    We stopped for lunch at a cute restaurant with huts looking over the river. We were shown the first hut which Kerry quickly exited as she was faced with a green snake (no screaming involved!). The second was occupied by ants, but luckily the third we deemed safe and sat down in. Again the staff spoke very little English so we ordered chicken rice and some drinks. We were surprised to actually get a large plate of fried rice and chicken (no bones) with a side of chilli sauce. After a relaxing lunch and chill out in the hammocks we set back on our bikes.
    We cycled back to the women's development centre which was now open. One of the ladies showed us around and explained the main industry was silk but they also had programmes for cleaning, cooking, English and computer science. We were able to walk around the centre, seeing the workers spin, dye and weave the silk into beautiful fabrics and scarves. At the end of the tour we were shown the gift shop but the silk was very expensive so we opted for a donation in the box and a drink instead.
    We cycled back into town and dropped the bikes back (having to remind them we needed to pay and how much) before heading back to the hotel to organise the taxi for tomorrow. We decided a taxi would be the safest option given we had to catch transport the other side of the border.
    We had dinner in the hotel restaurant which we thought would be a good option, opting for fried chicken and chips and lok lak with chips. (We were really craving chips). But with the small portions and dubious pieces of beef, we ordered round two consisting of a noodle dish and some more french fries. Feeling utterly full after this we decided to call it a night.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Finding Laos and Pomelo

    11 ottobre 2017, Laos

    We started our day off by crossing over the Cambodia/Laos border through immigration and handing over multiple ‘service fees’ in addition to our visa charges as we walked across the border lines. Then we were pleasantly surprised to be met at the border before realising we had to get on a moto each with all of our bags! Luckily, it was only a 15 minute ride to an unknown ‘port’ (back garden of a local’s house) to get in our next transport which was a small wooden boat. This took us across the Mekong between Cambodia and Laos to the very southern tip of one of the Four Thousand islands, ‘Don Khon’ (sometimes with an e).
    We got off to be greeted by Oliva, our host at Pomelo Guesthouse. It was a small place consisting of two bungalows on stilts and a restaurant area. The room is very spacious with a separate living area overlooking the Mekong.
    We did notice however, a lack of glass in the windows and unfortunately we are back to a fan only room. The only way to hide from the bugs is under the mosquito net around the bed. We got ourselves some lunch and tried the local dish ‘Laab’ which is Thai/Lao dish made with many herbs and spices. Then we thought it was the right time for a nap during the hottest part of the day. Once refreshed and it had cooled down a bit we headed out to explore the area around where we were staying. It’s a very rural area where most houses are fairly basic on stilts with nearly every family having a few dogs, chickens and satellite dishes. We found a small school which had been funded by World Challenge and also a French port which they had built during French occupation in the 1800’s and then marched our way up a stairway to a viewpoint which was mostly overgrown by trees (and ants) but still gave us a good view.
    After some games of UNO and Rummy we had dinner in a restaurant next door. We were the only people there apart from their family who congregated on the floor in front of a small TV. Regardless, they made us feel welcome and cooked us a cracking local dinner.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Walking the length of Don Det & Don Khon

    12 ottobre 2017, Laos

    We started our day with the intention of a bike ride around our little connecting islands, but by the time we had breakfast and headed over to the small restaurant where we could rent bikes from a local family it had gone 10am. After asking for two bikes alongside a German couple also staying in our guesthouse, we waiting for about an hour for them to turn around and tell us they only had two. So as we were late to the party, we let the other couple use the two bikes and we decided to stretch our legs and go for a hike up to Don Det village. Setting off we started to enjoy the sights and sounds of the rainforest hoping for a peak of one of the sets of waterfalls or rapids nearby. As the road went through the middle of the island we ended up seeing a few local families in their houses and a few herds of cattle. Before crossing over to Don Det, we got to the 'Historic Bridge' which is a stone bridge built by the French in the 1800's to connect both the islands. As it was the hottest part of the day, the time seemed right to try a papaya shake and passion fruit juice, these were both delicious and we thought we would further experiment with some garlic bread. Now the drinks were brilliant, and we had high hopes for the garlic bread, unfortunately whatcame out was a baguette with a lot of raw garlic and butter in the centre (which we ate anyway).
    Crossing the bridge we got some beautiful views of the Mekong and continued to find rice paddy's and other farmland before reaching the main village of the Islands. Here there were many more restaurants, guesthouses and rental shops and we wandered through until we got to the other end at which point we turned back to get some lunch at the 'Smiling Laos'. We soon realised we had reached the weed-centre of the island and what all the 'happy' items on the menu meant. We declined the extras and went for a simple pumpkin burger and red curry which were delicious. We wondered if the local cats were lazying around because of the heat or if they had consumed some extra special treats.
    Afterwards, we set to our next task - the return journey. We retraced our steps all 7km back to our guesthouse, totally 16.2km so far today, which we were quite impressed with given the 35 degree heat and near 100% humidity. We rewarded ourselves with a shower and some cold drinks as the sun set. We are about to now head over to the other side of the old port to find some dinner.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Onwards to Pakse

    13 ottobre 2017, Laos ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We left our home at Pomelo to begin our long journey to Vietnam. We were picked up by an unusual tuk tuk (like a motorbike and sidecar) and taken to the top of Don Khon then a boat took us across to Nakasang on the mainland. From here (with no directions) we had to walk to the other side of the town to find the backpacker central of a bus station! We had our tickets checked and waited to be herded like cows onto multiple minibuses heading across Laos. We got packed onto an already almost full minibus where Kerry got into the front middle seat with lack of head and leg room and David near the back. 3 hours later we arrived in Pakse, a tourist stopover town. Here we were able to book our next leg of the journey, another early morning bus, and find a cheap hotel room (but with air con!). We had a relaxed evening with a wander through the market, sunset cocktails on a rooftop terrace and a pizza at a little Italian.Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    To Vietnam we go!

    14 ottobre 2017, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Up just after 4am for our next bus, but having to wait for an hour for our pickup to arrive (with a phone call to ensure we hadn't been forgotten) we finally clambered into the back of a Songthaew (a minivan made into a pick up truck) with a rice covered floor. We were taken to the northern bus station to get on our sleeper bus (see picture). At this point we were quite concerned about which route the bus would take - we had visas that meant we could only cross the Vietnamese border at 'Lao Bao' and had not been reassured by the staff that this would be the case.
    Over 6 hours later we arrived at the Lao Bao border (luckily!) and without having to pay any "service charges" got through immigration. We had a chance to grab some food and have a quick wee stop before boarding back onto the bus. The restaurant we were pointed to gave us the option of one or two plates of mixed food - we decided to go for one. It consisted of rice, some sort of fish, maybe some goat, a square of omelette, tofu and some spicy greens, maybe seaweed.
    We got dropped off 15km outside of Hué on the side of the road with a 'helpful' point in the direction of the town. From here we had to get a taxi to our hotel, the Jade hotel. It is a cheap hotel but they took our bags up to the 5th floor, gave us a free room upgrade, greeted uo with cold towels, lemonade and fruit before giving us a local map with welcomed recommendations for our evening. We were pretty hungry by now and so soon headed out to explore what Hué had to offer. Nearby was a tourist street full of restaurants and entertainment where we had a delicious meal with great service. We then wandered over to the night market, around and back to the hotel for dessert - a pancake with bananas and chocolate sauce.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Finding Family

    15 ottobre 2017, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    With 'drowned' (poached) eggs in our bellies we waited for the transfer to our next bus. A minibus took us and some other tourists to the bus station where we waited and changed to another type of sleeper bus. This one was a bit posher; it had padded recliner seat/beds and we got a space each on the front top bunks. There was a little confusion about where we were being dropped off (as the next hotel was not quite en route) so we had to shown them where our big bags were, ready for a quick drop off. Two hours and two very full bladders later we were dropped off on the side of the main road with little civilisation in view.
    We grabbed our bags, and crossed the road in search of a taxi (and a toilet). We thought we were in luck as we found what looked like a café, but unfortunately it closed, maybe even abandoned. David took the opportunity to relieve himself in the outside "toilet". We then came across a car garage and someone there kindly called a taxi for us. We were soon arrived at the Banyan Hotel and were greeted by David's parents (and a lot of staff). After some hellos to all, tea and cold towels we were shown to our room
    The resort is beautiful, we have our own villa room with private pool looking over the lagoon. The villa host showed us around our room in great detail before allowing us to settle in. We showered and changed before catching back up with Leila and Daniel for lunch. We had a very local-inspired meal of pizza on the beach.
    In the afternoon, we hid from the rain and clouds in the villas and even had some complementary afternoon tea (local style) with Vietnamese tea, fish dumplings and fried bananas. We met again in the evening for cocktails and wine during happy hour in the bar before dinner in the "Waterfront" restaurant.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Relaxing at the Banyan

    16 ottobre 2017, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We, and Daniel, started the day with yoga looking over the lagoon. After a good stretch we met back up with Leila and headed for breakfast. Again, in great detail, we were introduced to each station at the buffet - breads, fresh eggs to order, Vietnamese food, fruits and yoghurts, pancakes, cheeses and much much more. We overfilled our tummies with the wide selection, whereas Daniel and Leila seemed to somehow have more self control.
    At midday they went off for a massage each and we went for a wander round the resort in search of the best place for dinner, we then went to a Vietnamese cooking class, booked kindly as a birthday treat for Kerry. Here, we learnt to make fresh spring rolls with chilli sauce and traditional beef noodle Pho (soup). Just as we were finishing up the parents popped in and saw our final creations. We then had the chance to taste them for our lunch, yum!
    Later, in a break between the rain showers, David and Daniel headed to the golf course for a quick 9 holes while Kerry and Leila relaxed at the villa. We met up again at the happy hour before getting a buggy over to the sister resort next door to 'The Rice Bowl' where we had a delicious dinner sitting in a private 'pod'.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Last day of Tranquility

    17 ottobre 2017, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We overfilled on breakfast again, but unfortunately had to cancel our kayaking trip due to more rain. Instead we had a chilled morning at Daniel and Leila's villa. We then went off for our couples 30 minute back massages and facials. The spa was lovely and relaxing, we started off getting into the gowns and slippers before having a foot wash and massage. Next was our back massages which were perfect, before moving on to our facials. By the end of it we were truly relaxed. We then had some fruit, yoghurt and local teas.
    We met up for lunch in the sister resort at Momba restaurant before David and Daniel set off for an ATV safari. Kerry and Leila had a wander round before getting another drink and waited for the boys. The ATV was great but very bumpy! We then relaxed again in the hot tub at the parents' villa before getting ready for dinner.
    It was a manager's reception in the bar so met for some pre-dinner drinks before heading up to Saffron, the resorts Thai restaurant in the hills, looking over the rest of the beach. We were warmly welcomed in by the managers and they had a live musician playing a local instrument. The food, wine and service were impeccable, and we had an absolutely lovely last evening.
    When we got back to our room, there was a birthday cake, sparkler candles and card waiting for us (we had told them we were celebrating Kerry's birthday at the start).    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Watery Goodbyes

    18 ottobre 2017, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    After another filling breakfast we finished packing up our villa and headed to reception to wave Daniel and Leila off; they were getting a flight to Singapore. It was sad to say goodbye, especially not knowing when we will next get to see them. We, after more tea (this time cinnamon flavour), also left for our next adventure. We had a taxi to Hoí An, an old French colonial town a couple hours south.
    We arrived, somehow tired from all of our recent relaxing, hoping for a quick nap. After feeling the bed felt like another wooden plank we decided to head straight out to explore. Hoí An is now a World Heritage Site, but used to be a large trade centre with people coming from China, Japan and Europe often for months at a time. This has led to a mixture of architecture, foods and cultures coming together. We had to pay a small fee to enter the town. We had lunch looking over the river and watching some local lizards chasing one another. A good few hours and thousands of steps later we headed back to our new hotel to change for dinner. We borrowed some of their bicycles and headed out for an Indian. It was brilliant, filling and just want we needed after a long day.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David
    1

    Cycling the sights of Hoí An

    19 ottobre 2017, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we borrowed the free bikes from the homestay we are staying at and went for a long ride, past the old town and over to the coastline. We were collared by a lady going past on a motorbike and guided to her shack. From here she sold us a trip on a Vietnamese round basket boat, after a bit of bartering we agreed. She paddled us, all in Vietnamese hats, through the waterways and between the mangrove palms. We bumped (literally) into a South Korean group ahead of us, consisting of three boats and a karaoke machine. One of their guides obviously like to show off and demonstrated how to spin the boats round and round in circles. Our guide stopped to make us some accessories from the nearby palms - we got a ring each and David got a peter pan hat. It was, apart from the music, very peaceful and beautiful. Just as we were getting back to dry land the rain started, really started.
    Once the rain settled we got back on our bikes and headed to the beaches north of Hoí An. On our way, we had to stop twice as escorted vehicles flew past us, heading to the APEC conference - if interested, David will tell you more. The beaches were very windy with rough seas so we continued across the coast until we found a nice bar on the beach. David tried another local beer while Kerry had a coconut.
    Next, we rode to a burger place we had heard good reviews about; Chef Burger 2 (the 1st one is in Hoí An old town). We enjoyed a really good burger each and shared some fries, before cycling back to our homestay.
    In the early evening we cycled back into the old town, just in time to catch a small boat down the river for sunset. The place felt much calmer and romantic at night, especially on water. We were able to light a candle each and make a wish as we set them to float on the river. We then found a quiet bar where we headed upstairs for a drink and spring rolls over looking the lantern-lit riverside town.
    For dinner we cycled a little out of the town to a cute little restaurant we had read about. Unfortunately, this one did not quite live up to reviews, although the food was authentic and tasty, the mood was broken by the local pests (cockroaches). On our way home, we bought ourselves a little keepsake, a silk painting.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David

    Same Hué, Different Day

    20 ottobre 2017, Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Another early start in the rain, we were served banana 'pancakes' (actually banana omelettes covered in chocolate sauce) and fruit before catching a lift to the bus to Hué, via another sleeper bus. By the time we arrived the rain had stopped and we had a quick walk to the next hotel, Hong Thien Ruby Hotel, which is located on the edge of the tourist square. Here we were greeted by a smoothie and plate of fruit - a welcome surprise - before being shown our room.
    Our next priority was lunch, we had a great chicken curry and special Malaysian rice (with chicken and prawn). We sorted out a tour for tomorrow, then headed to the citadel.
    Hué was the previous capital and there is still the remnants of the old walled city where the last emperor had his palace. It is a huge area, over 2km x 2km, which felt even bigger when walking around. We wandered through the imperial city, the centre of the citadel before our feet started to give up and we headed back for a much needed rest.
    Recharged, we had a drink, or two, at the 'Why not?' bar pre-dinner. Some guys from Belgium invited us to play a game - basically a round robin using a pool table and balls. Three rounds later, we left in search of food. We found a cute little restaurant called the Rustic Kitchen, which we realised is not actually a building but was instead located between two other buildings with some lights attached between making it feel like a ceiling. The food and service was great here.    Leggi altro

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  • Kerry and DavidSoutheast AsiaKerry and David
    2

    The DMZ

    21 ottobre 2017, Vietnam

    Another early start for us this morning! Our hotel kindly allowed us to order some breakfast before we left at 7am for our bus ride and tour up to the old de-militarised zone between then North and South Vietnam. The morning was spent heading up to Dong Ha where we picked up our tour guide, a lady called Thu, before continuing up to part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and seeing the river which was used to transport weaponry from the North to the South. Then we went to the remains of the Khe Sanh American Military base which has been converted into a museum. It contains some helicopters, tanks and planes used in the war as well as rebuilt old bunkers. As we were wandering around we saw a bride and groom having wedding photos taken which seemed slightly strange...
    Our next stop was an ethnic minority village, the bus pulled over at the side of the road next to a few wooden-stilted houses with children and animals outside. We were expected to go and take photos of this, but most on the tour felt this was an invasion of privacy and unnecessary.
    After a particularly unspectacular lunch but a good chance to catch up with some of the others on the tour, we were back on the bus and heading to the Vịnh Mốc tunnels. These are a network of hand dug tunnels just under 2km long which go down in three levels to a maximum of 30 metres with multiple entrances and exits. Inside the tunnels there were small holes 2m x 2m for each family to live, a maternity room, a meeting room, wells and one toilet. The tunnels were used for around 6 years to hide from the American bombing and families could hide out for up to 5 days at a time. Ducking through these tight spaces made us realise how difficult and cramped it must have been.
    Our last stop was a war cemetery built on the remains of an American firebase with 3000 graves, most of which were unnamed, being told this is one of the smaller cemetery's of its time just brought home how many lives were lost.
    Back in Hué we booked our bus for tomorrow, not an early start for once! Then settled on another great Indian for dinner. We met a couple who have been traveling for 11 months so far, they had some great stories and they gave us some good advice (especially regarding India).    Leggi altro

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