Backpacking

After two days boating we were ready to leave our river legs behind and explore the beautiful town of Luang Prabang with it's French provincial architecture and multi-ethnic inhabitants. I was struck by the relative prosperity of this place due to the modern shops tailored for Western tastes, but the lovely Laos culture is still found in the smiley, friendly folk serving 'Italian' Ice-Cream, or 'Swedish' bread! We sort out more locals at the colourful fresh produce market, stocking up on leafy greens or dried shrimp. Once again we were amazed at the wonderful specimens on offer, both dead an alive; a giant, butchered catfish lay slumped on the stall while his smaller mates were squirming in a shallow bowl on the floor. One woman had a handful of plump, speckled frogs ready for the pot, looks like I was a bit late to kiss one and get my handsome prince... will just have to make due with Andrew the toad.

Climbing the 100m high slope of 'Phu Si' we got an excellent view of the town with the Mekong on one side and Nam Kan on the other. Standing at the summit is the majestic 'That Chomsi' stupa where a lady sells the little caged birds, but before I got a chance to set them all free Andy spotted a Russian anti-aircraft cannon on a nearby crest - which kids (and myself) used as a merry-go-round. Whoo Hoo! To end the day we got engrossed in the Handicraft Market selling dozens of similiar snazzy souvenirs - beautiful applique blankets, silk scarves, bamboo lamps. Shopping is not Andy's favourite pastime and unfortunately for him all the umbrellas and canopes sheltering the sellers were set at the average Laos height, so his enjoyment was somewhat severed by backache. A Beer-Loo by the river soon consoled him and we watched the fisherman coming home with their catch as the sun set.

I was really keen to get up at athe crack of dawn the next day to observe the sunrise procession of monks receiving alms. There seem to be so many monks here in Luang Prabang and their bright orange attire can be spotted everywhere, but I particularly wanted to see the large group together. However, I couldn't quite muster the energy after having a restless night from nearby noises - sometimes its feels like all sorts of animals gravitate towards our bedroom for a party, those gheckos certainly like us and make a loud "Whah-Urgh" noise over and over, a bit like a huge hiccup. If I didn't like them so much there would be a lot more squished gheckos in the world.

Andy was feeling a bit green from all the Beer-Loo, or maybe it was the frogs, and he became even greener on the zig-zagging roads to Vang Vieng. The usual top-class VIP buses slightly slumped in standard and we were back to the rickety dust buckets bumping along windy pot-holed tracks. Despite the nausea its hard not to be impressed by the dramatic landscape in Laos, huge undulating limestone hills, the kind you'd draw as a child.... mounds up to the top of the sky and valleys down to the earth... the stuff of fairytales.

Vang Vieng is essentially a backpackers party town where bikini-clad revellers drink their way down the river on tyre inner tubes, or spend their days chilling in a bar watching Friends. We're way too old for that.... well, not really, but due to Andy's aversion to alcohol (I know! Shocking!), we took a more sedate trip on a bike round the local villages. The roads are quite basic and our little 4-gear moped could just about manage 15mph on the stoney surface, zoooooommmm! Even at that speed Andy nearly crashed, but in his defence that was because a 6ft red and green reptile came slithering into our path. Snakes are a delicacy here but I didn't even have a chance to take a picture of him let alone bash him over the head. We kinda missed having the quadbike but we still reached some fantastic spots in the peaceful hills, although the locals are certainly cashing in with every point of interest there with lots of kids ready and waiting to show you around in return for a few dollars. Two little eager boys were keen to guide us to a secluded lagoon, and showed us the delights of swinging on a rope before plunging into the murky depths. When we were sure crocodiles didn't lurk nearby we too launched in with arms flailing, screaming with joy. Another small chap with a head torch showed us to a nearby cave and pursuaded us to follow him into the dark hole, which was amazing. There is supposed to be some fabulous caves to explore here so if we were more prepared we may have gone further, but as soon as Andy felt something on his neck we were outta there!.

So much to explore and such little time, we're off to the capital tomorrow.

Having had such a great time in Ko Tao we found it hard to leave and hoped that Ko Phang Nang (KPN) our next island stop would be just as good. Arriving into the Thong Sala pier of KPN we shared a taxi with a young German couple. Nothing unusual in that except that this German couple were happy and smiled! They had just come from 11 months in Australia and had plenty of advice and positive things to say about it. We headed for a developed area called Hat Rin from where we could go off and explore. Struggling to find our bearings and a cheap hotel we stumbled (literally with all the bags) upon a great hotel with AC rooms and a swimming pool. It is so easy to slip out of the traveling mode and into 7 day beach holiday mode, but dangerous though really as start to drink and eat a lot more!

To counter this found a thai boxing gym to go to which was interesting, there were plenty of fight nights but we decided to wait until Chaing Mai hoping it would be more authentic and not just for tourists.
To explore the island we hunted down another quad bike and as is now usual with these things the brakes didn’t work but undeterred we zoomed off around the island. Being much bigger than Ko Tao we had plenty to explore and with Gem’s map reading it was going to take a long time, we never did find the right turn the other half of the island!

In total we visited 6 different beaches throughout the day, stocking up on fruit shakes and green thai curries along the way. These beaches are relatively untouched and only access is by 4x4’s or bikes. Had a few hairy moments, Gem had to jump off the back as the slope we tried to go up was so steep it looked as though we were going to flip it over. We saw a thai girl fall off her bike going down a hill and helped her back to her feet and to the bottom of the slope.

KPN according to a thai lady only gets busy for a few days each month when people flock to the island for the full moon party and as we missed this the place was quiet. We did enjoy the island and would definitely return.

Moving on to Ko Samui, only for one night as our original travel program has now gone out of the window and so much still to see we chose a quiet strip of beach to explore. Ko Samui is much more expensive and developed, mainly due the airport on the island. We even got to see our first live sport event in 10 weeks, the Melbourne GP in an English bar surrounded by old drunk men – just like England!
Eat some chicken for lunch from a street vendor for the first time and after half an hour void that it would be the last time – didn’t agree to well. In the evening we decided to hit the big town for a night out which was an eye opener! Full of Go Go bars, lady boys and old men with young thai girls. We found a nice restaurant and watched the world go by and what a weird world we were watching!

Today we left Kuala Lumpur for the coastal town of Kuala Terengganu (KT) and as it was to take over 7 hours we were hoping for something better than the Indian buses! Thankfully the bus was great, arriving in KT we were at a bit of loss as had no guide book for this area so had to rely on a taxi tout, not something we like doing but had no choice. Walking round KT we were struck not by its natural beauty or golden beaches (couldn't find them) but by the lack of people both local and tourist. We found an outdoor cafe and as the evening wore on more and more locals arrived, probably spending most of the day sheltering from the heat and / or praying as it is a massively devout Muslim area. As ever we over ordered at dinner mainly due to language problems and Gem ended up with a huge fish.

Next day we got oursleves to the Perhentian Kecil Island by bus and more excitingly speed boat. It really did look like paradise as we arrived into the bay which has been saved so far from mass tourism and development. The water was so clear and warm, about 28 degrees!

Island life is very quiet and relaxed, most restaurants show a film in the evening, we watched Gangs of New York so after seeing 100's of people chopped up we retired to our room which we seem to be sharing with a small Geckho. On the way to the beach in the morning we passed a lizard that was 1m in length which was cool but couldn't get the camera out in time before he scurried off!

We decided to revive our scuba diving skills and booked a refresher and a wreck dive. The wreck dive was quite a strange experience to actually see something so big having been defeated by the sea and now be using as a marine home! This was out first dive without an instructor, we just had a guide with us and although I guzzled my way through the air in the tank at my normal alarming rate we did find it enjoyable until the weather turned! Whilst diving we saw several flashes of light, at first thought it was a photographer but then realised a tropical storm had gathered above us. Rising to the surface we could have been in the North Sea, the sea was rough, cold, pouring down with rain, pour visibility and constant thunder and lightening. The journey back to the island was freezing and took some time as the driver navigates by sight and when he couldn't see anything was quickly lost!
It was good to be back diving but the coral and fish life as nothing in comparison to what we had experienced in Eygpt and as the level of organisation was dangerously lacking we decided to call it quits after 2 dives and hit the beach again!

Decided to have a nice meal at the only resort on the island, got to have a few beers and watch the Japanese tourists take photos of everything all evening, such interesting people to watch!

Our relatively stress-free stop over in Delhi consisted of avoiding the smelly, mental, choas outside and doing dodgy transactions with the hotel staff - like changing over our Nepalese rupees or ordering a beer. Both of these services are seemingly normal yes, but we were told by the cheeky waiter with bad teeth that we should "no tell reception!". We haven't quite worked out if alcohol is illegal in some places but we normally have to be discreet when downing a Kingfisher.. service in a sports bottle or coffee cup for example, adds to the excitement I guess. It is definitely hotting up here because the sewer smells are becoming a lot more potent, and the crowds are swelling, so we were glad to make a swift departure after our last lovely chicken curry and rice.

Next stop Singapore, and oh what a refreshing contrast! If Delhi is hell on earth then Singapore is surely paradise? Jumping from pollution, poverty and chaos into graffiti-free, organised, clean-cut utopia. It was like time-travelling from the past staright bam! into 2050! It is so advanced by comparison that I half expected robots to serve me my noodles. It's an amazing place, a city, an island and a country, smartly compact all-in-one, and so perfectly efficient. On arrival at the serence, orderly airport, complete with tropical plants and waterfall, our bags were already floating around the conveyor belt! Now that is a first! I told Andy to take notes so if he ever goes back to work at Heathrow he knows the standard we are aiming for.

My only preconception of this opulent land is from my grandad who informed me it is home to the architectural landmark that is 'Raffles Hotel' - an adored Singaporean institution which happens to be one of the most expensive hotels in the world. A little out of our price range, and as we don't have anything in the way of smart attire we couldn't even treat ourselves to a Singapore Sling. (It has been noted that Andy only wears one T-shirt, but I can assure you he has at least two!). Anyway, even without cocktail guzzelling I knew my credit card would need dusting, no more dining out on a $1.

With only a day to see the sights we firstly took a trip on the big wheel, a bit like the London Eye but its bigger, less crowed, cheaper, generally better, and comes complete with a fab circular map so you can identify what you're looking at . Ingenious! Spectaular buildings such as the Esplanade Theatre and the classical Art Museum shape our view, so much construction Andy didn't know where to look, "yes, those big cranes are interesting darling!". The friendly Yorkshire couple in our pod told us about the riveting specialities in Singapores cultural heart - Chinatown, where amongst the many weird and wonderful sights you can witness live Bullfrogs trying to hop away from the butchers knife - certainly sounded ribbeting! So after a quick Hamilton impression on the F1 track we headed downtown for some sweet and sour.

Walking for more than 10 minutes in the hot, humidity was about as much as we would could bare, but luckily there is always an elaborate, air-conditioned mall on every street corner to shelter from the rays. They certainly like shopping here and you can easily spend your whole day mooching around these multiplexes. If I had any room in my rucksack I'd have been temped by a nice, new Gucci dress, needless to say Andy tried to keep my mall-time minimal. But unlike many of the cities we've visited Singapore streets are well laid out, with signposts, and logically numbered buidings, and shock horror, no roaming cattle! Even without our trusty Lonely Planet Guide we could easily find our way by looking up to the high rises, so no tantrums about map reading. We'll certainly come here again!

Newly appointed Logistics Manager, Andy, booked a night train to Kula Lumpur, but made a grave error in his class judgement. Not a wink of sleep was had on seats 4 and 5 in 3rd Class, so upon arrival at 6am we grumpily search for a comfy, full-reclining mattress to recover. Again with only a day to explore we set off, rather late, in the midday sun to see what this edgy city had in store. Elements of Singapore were visible with its magnificent malls, efficient transport and modern trappings, but it seemed altogether more gritty and ecletic, where people are not prisoned for chewing gum, and pavements are strewn with potholes. We first headed to the iconic 88-store Petronas Towers where we missed getting one of the 1,000 free tickets for the Skybridge on the 41st floor. But marvelling at the building itself was enough, and the three floors of shopping and dining, plus the spacious park with sycronised fountains kept us busy. The materialistic malls must have got to us because we succumbed to a frappuccino at Starbucks! Boo! Can't beat Java Chip!

Next we took a leisurely, if rather sweaty, stroll around the Lake Gardens, 92-hectares of lush greenery at the edge of the city. Containing a host of attractions we glanced though the edible garden, where I couldn't see anything to eat, and then decided upon a spot of peddaloeing on the water. I peddaled to a little island in the middle of the lake where I intended to deposit Andy and leave him, but a huge, scaly lizard greeted us at the edge and Andy's screams scuppered my escape plan. Maginfient mosques and temples are everywhere in KL, and every time we tried to take an inside tour the tourist-time had past. We even got whistled at by a scary security guard for walking on sacred marble... but the path led us there! We did have a quick look in the beautiful Islamic Arts Museum, which I could have spent longer in if it wasn't closing.

Our hotel was right in the middle of bustling Chinatown and by the time we came back in the evening a huge market was in full swing, stalls so close that it was difficult to weave through, let alone get to the side of our hotel. From what we have been told KL is known for it's great nightlife, and many people travel from Singapore for the relaxed, late-night pubs and discos, but with weary feet we bypassed the Bob Marley Bar and got some pillow time.

For those of you following our itinery, we had planned to take a train straight up to Thailand, but after a recommendation of the pristine beaches and cheap diving on the east coast we decided to take a detour. After further investigation of the map I noticed a remote spot called Gemia island... my very own Island? How could we resist? And if you are wondering what role I have been appointed... its Entertainment Manager! Whoo! Parties on Gem Island here we come!

Today we woke up not knowing whether the roadblocks where still in place. Our every cheerful, strange and annoying guide soon told us we wouldn’t be able to leave today and there was no chance in the near future of us getting to India overland. However later in the day he did explain that there was an option for us to trek through the jungle for 2 days to reach India. I briefly thought this would be good fun but then the thought of running from rhinos with 25kg strapped to our backs soon ruled out this option.
We spent the day relaxing in the gardens outside our room and down at the river watching the few tourists left in the region bathing elephants. It was great fun watching different peoples’ reactions to the soakings by the elephants. It as apparent that no one pulled such horrified faces as me!
It was good to have a day of doing nothing especially as we knew tomorrow would be challenging.

In the morning as we expected the strike was still on, I don’t have any sympathy for them as I’m sure most only strike so they can sit about all day. Found it increasingly hard to reply to the locals cheerful ‘hellos’ as they sat on strike thus causing us so much trouble.
The lodge said they would arrange a horse and cart for us at a good price so we paid up front and waited for its arrival. The problem came when only two carts turned up and 3 sets of guests had paid to depart. The situation got quite tense as the management said we could all fit onto the carts which was totally ridiculous especially as the horses were only the size of a great dane! After telling them what we thought of their plan we got our money back and stormed off to get our own horse. Unfortunately this proved impossible, they had all been taken!! It was a 25km walk to where we could get a bus from to Kathmandu so with no alternative we started walking. As you can imagine moral wasn’t particularly high! But after an hours walk we found a man with a cycle rickshaw who took us to the makeshift bus station.
Making it to Kathmandu was a big relief and booked flights to Delhi without any hassle so celebrated with cocktails at ‘happy hour.’
After dinner Gem went to the toilet, nothing unusual until I caught a glimpse of someone locking her in and then he went into another toilet. Quickly let her out and locked him in. The toilets were in a remote area and absolutely stank so hopefully he stayed there awhile!