29.06.2013 : Shioukville - Siem Reap

well that was an interesting  bus ride! the bunks were double but luckily i shared with a loveky girl from Byron Bay...it was very bumpy and i realised how bad the roads must be here. at 6am unfortunately we got a flat tyre so hing around a little village for abiut 3hours until they got us mini buses to continue the last 183km to siem reap.  i eventually arrived at 12pm, checked into our very basic but private room which was nice and headed into thw rown. i found a loveky cafe called Blue Pumpkin and chilled out there for the afternoon before Rat arrived ay 7pm...eeekkkk was soooooo lovely to see her!! Siem Reap is a cyte little town by the river - it is really made up of restaurants, bars and marlets but is done in a nice way - i am a fan! it is way less busy and hustly and bustly that Hanoi or even Hoi An actually! 

28.06.2013 : Koh Rong - Siem Reap

i left paradise to an equally good beacja dn chilled out in Shionkville. while i was having lunxh i got chatting to a guy who worked at yhe bar and he rold me about his campaign he has set up - he volunteers and goes to help and bring supplies amd medicine to help the children that live there. just an amazimg thing to do. he was learning words out of am pxford english book - i would have loved  to have visited the dump but unfortinatley didnt time as i was gettig the night bus to siem reap this evening so i just donated some money toit...www.helpsunset.com

27.06.2013 : Koh Rong

i woke up in paradise today - the island was just stunning and so quiet. crystal clear sea, beach side hostels and white sand. myslrf, nick, maddy and ben trekked it to the other side of the island to Long Beach...oh em geeeeee - it was amazing!!! the sea wqs SO clear, turquoise and SO hot!! it was like a bath! there was basicqlly noone on the bwach apart frpm a deserted old resort and a few bavkpackers thay had hiked acorss. we all squished into thw teeniest boat wjen it was time to head back to the main beach! was a litrle scaey at times to say the least! we spent the evening jist chillimg out on the bwach and went swimmimg in the evening with the glowing plankton - it was just magical!! 

25/26.06.2013 : Vietnam - Cambodia

i got the 12hr day bus across the border from HCMC to Shioukville! the journey actually wqsmt too bad and only had a minor hiccup in Phnom Penh where the bus we got on was full so theu gave us a mini bus...not too shabby! we had a fair few well desrrved drinks at a bar on the beach when we arrived in Shioukville - delightful! i woke up slightly hungover in the morning to get the boat across to Koh Rong...and boy did i arrive onto a paradise island?! it was absolutely stunning. i checked into a hostel right on the beach called Bunna's. he was a really interesting guy...had got up to all sorts in his life - was only 29 and decided to buy the land on the island. he has built the hostel by himself with the help of friends and it was definietly a working progress. it was quite sad to hear that the people on the island basically are so poor all the development  work on the osland is very slow. anyway i had a lveky eve - met some ppl fronthe uk...surprise surprise haha and we went for dinner at cocos - $2.50 chicken bbq...sooooo cheap!! 

24.06.2013 : HCMC

another day for a history lesson - off to thw Chi Chu tunnels. again, so interesting to learn how the vietamese, dispite a lack of weapons, outsmarted the americans. the tunnels were just incredicle but sooo narrow - cant believe people down there for so long! their booby traps were rather horrid but clever and they were so resourceful - even reused the old american bombs yo kill the US army!! we also stopped at a craft workshop where sufferes fromthe Agent Orange chemical  inlay mother of pearl and egg shells into artwork - it is just stunning but a little pricey unfortunately! back in HCMC i did a bit of sourvenier shopping and met Ian for dimner...had the yummiest lasagne ever!!!

23.06.2013 : HCMC

arrived in around 6am so after breakie headed out into Vietnams capital - Saigon (HCMC). i walked through the Ben Tham Markets, past the Reunification Palace to the War Museum. i met Ash and Jen and we walked round the museum. it was so intereting - so much footage/stories and facts abiut the war. it really was just so awful. thee worst thinh was the chemical Agent Orange that the americans sprayed iver all the land. not only dod it gas everything if people inhaled it, when they had babies they were disfigured and deformed from it :( so awful - there were so many people begging in the sreets that are stil affected by it - thats 3generations from the war. we also saw rhe 'Tiger Cages' - barbed wire cages they kept the vietnamese prisioners in. we then grabbed some lumch by Nitre Dame and the Post office before parting ways. i took the scenic route back to the hostel alomg Le Loi stret - a very rich road with all the designer shops - it is drfinietly a wealthy city and SO different from Hanoi! 

22.96.2013 : Nah Trang -HCMC

another lazy day, skyoed mum and dad, treated myself to a massage before getting the 10hr night bus to HCMC! 

21.06.2013 : Nha Trang

we areived in at 6am and the journwy wasnt too bad! i checked into Backpacker hostel...very friendly staff and nice bug airconned rooms and headed out to explore. a busy city i guess by the beach with mountains in the backdrop. there isnt muchhere in terms of culture...a hot spot for russian tourists and partiers! i had a swim and tried to find a camera to buy before an immense Pomello Salad at a veitnamese restaurant: Kirin recommended by thw Lonely Bible ;) haha

20.06.2013 : Hoi An to Nha Trang

after cancelling all my cards i remebered my twl old aussie ones...luckily they both worked - yay! i got cash out and rebooked myself onto the night bus (a lovely canadian girl gave me hers as she wasnt using it...there really are some lively people in the world) and headed tot he police station. after 2hrs i got a police report of the incodent  but was told to come back to colect the copy at 3pm..not sure why.?! anyway i wemt to collect my blazer and dress, had a final lunch wirh Alixe as she was heading back to Hanoi to meet her sister and went back to wait at the police station. after an hiur and a half of ppl laughing at me and not speaking english, me in tears as i jad to catch thw bus and wanted to have a shower as it was a million degress outside the guy turned up with the copy of the report! i rushed back to the hostel, quickly showered and hoped on the night bus to Nha Trang! a rather emotionally exhausting day - just couldnt believe i was in paradise kne minute and then that happened...but i know it really could have been so much worse!

19.06.2013 : Cham Islands - Hoi Am

unfortunately the time had come to leave paradise and head back to the main land!  we got back about 1pm and after luch myself and Alice wandered throygh the town and got sucked in to one pf the tailors haha i left having chosen tk have a summer dress amd casual blazer made and Alice got 2dresses made! we had a refreshinh dip in thw pool at the hostel before dinner and a few bevvies at the hotel. we fancied a few more sp made our way down the road to Why Not bar when theost randlm thinh jappened...a guy drove past om his scootee and bumped into me before i realised he had stolen my bag right off my shoulder!!!! we were in shock and then another guy rode past...so we think if the first one wasnt lucly the other one would have tried. very scary and it just shows you nevee to let your guard down. unfortunately the nag had my new camera in it, my bus pass, a load of cash and my bank card because i just never expected anything like that to happen - lesson learnt!! 

18.06.2013 : Cham Islands

up at the ceack of dawn to watch Heip and Tung fish! they cast amassssssive net eveeyday and leave it there overnighy. every morning the oull it in to see what they have caught. today they caught abiut 8 crabs, 1 massive one they could sell and about 3 fiah and some sea snails so it really qasnt alot. apparently they wouls only sell the big crB and would get abiur 200,00 dong($10) for it which would last tjem abit 2days! amazing! we had a go at bamboo fishing but with no luck we headed nack to the house ro wat the fresh crab ansd noodles. they only hve elextricity on the island from 11-1 and 6.30pm-10.30pm!  after breakie we walked down to thw local village/beach where it was all go go go! a tiurist boat of chinese people had arrived so the villagers were deserperatly trying to sell all rheir seafood for the Chinese ppls lunch! itis amazimg and yiu suddenly understand why they hassel you so much - just selling one animal would cover the livinv costs for about 2-5days!  after another massive spread for lunch we headed to our secret beach! it really was just hwaven..we coulsnt believe ww were there! after initially only gojng over for a nught we decided to stay anithee so joined Heip and Tung in thevillage for their weekly outdoor cinema viewing!! amazing!! it was a film.kn the vietnamese war...you jyst would neve expect that kind of event from such a remote tiny village!! 

17.06.2013 : Cham Islands

oh em gee did we stumble across paradise!! myself and alice had a wee adventure and got rhe local boat across to the Cham Islands rather than doing an organised snorklimg tour...after a few mis-directions  we got onto right boat and motored out of rhw inlet to the sea. here we met an american guy Ian who was doing a homestay kn the island - he didnt know many details but invited us to join him so we did! after arrivig at  the town of Bai Lang on Hon Lao island we took a smaller local boat to the other side. we were met by Heip, an absolutely lovely vietnamese women who was our host. she spoke almost no engkosh but was so attentive amd carig. she lived with her husband Tung who was an equally beautiful, kimd hwarted man and their two children (who we didnt meet). we were welcomed by a massive spread of fresh fish, stirfried veg, noodles and a broth soup - it was all delicious!  after lunch Tung took us on a wee hike through thw jungle and when we arrived at the beach we couldnt believe our eyes....it was liteeally paradise - our very own deserted beach lined with palm trees, whitw sand and turquoiae calm qaem water!! there was noone on the beach apart from the odd cow and goat and crabs climbimb the rocks. i went for a walk and ran into a guy who sold us coconuts he literally cut from the tree infront of us! amazing!!! we watched the sun start to set before heaidmg back to the house for another amazing spread of food. we were also joined by an american girl and a vieynamese girl that had studyed in sydney and america which was great as we had a translater! we walked down to the local bwach to watch rhw stars before and early night in our basix byt lovely rooms!

16.06.2013 : Hoi An

we hired biles to exlpore the little streets of Hoi An...we were sligtlt tempted by the tailors but refraned from getting anything made! we rode across the old japanese bridge and saw the oldest pagoda in Hoi An. after lunch we rode out to the beach - it was a nice big bay with very fine sand  but Alice jad read about thw Cham Islands so we planned to go there tomorrow! 

15.06.2013: Hue - Hoi An via motorbike!

i was recommended to take Le Fakily Rodrrsotorbike ride from Hue to Hoi An by Sylvi...so i did amd told alice about it so she came to! we had a very ful day traveling down the coast - first stop were the lush, bright green paddy fields  and a small little village we walked around. it was beautful, had a stream running through it qith a gorgeous old vietnamese bridge to cross it. the village was all busy with the morning market so we wemt to thwir local museum where a funny little old vietnamese lady showed us how she picks, dries, siefts and grinds the rixe to make flour! we hopped back on the bikes and stopped at a familys temple - in vietnam the temples belong to families whereas rhw pagodas are where the monks live. the family xomes here once a year to give blessings/pray and it was SO elaborate!  we then rode for a while to a secluded littlw waterfall and we werr the only ones there! we cooled off in the cool water, jumped in frpm the rocks and shared a beer while drying off..idyllic! next stop was a seafood hot pot lunh on a floatong restaurant. and wow did we have a spread- prawns, squid, clams, crab, porl noodles, rice and mongostene for dester! we were stuffed! we then rode up the mountain where we had stunning views of the coastline and towards Da Nang (the city before Hoi An). we stopped off at the top of the mountain to see bunkers that were built by the frnch and used by the americams...you could still see the bullet holes in the concrete! then down we went into Da Nang and past a white female buddha statue (this is the first place i have seen female buddahs...a symbol of equality between men and women..wjich definitely makes sense as the women do so much work here - not just at the homes but hard graft worl in the streets etc)  we had a swim stop on the long white sandy beach before hesding to marble mountain. here we climbed the 144 stairs to see pagodas and very imprssove women buddhas status that had been built in caves! rather amazing! there were 5 mountains which stood for the 5 elememts; water, fire, gold, silver and...i cant remember the last one!! we arrived into Hoi An about 5pm wjich is when Vicly dod too so after freshening up we took a wander around the cute little lantern lit streets pf Hoi An. we had dinner overlooking the river..it was so pretty and so dofferent to hanoi. all the streets were lined with tailors ans shoe manufacturers! after dinner we carried on the nighy at backpacker bar and then volcano bar..quite the experience : $4 All you can drink and there were about 10 of ua in there!! 

14.06.2013 : Hue

i met 2girls on the night bus - Vicky (from the netherlands) and Alice, from the UK! e arrived in about 9.00am and were dropped right outside the hostel..what luxury! after breakie  we walked across the river that runs through the center of Hue  to the Citadel. this is where rhe Emperor lived before the Americans bombed it. it was a lovely big area of various  out houses and gardens surrounded by a moat - ot would have been a beautiful place to live in its hey day - they were doing quite a lot of restoration to the buildings. we then had lunch amd chilled out in the hostel for a bit before hittong thw eveninh night markers and dinner at one of the market food stalls on the river. it was lovely and we joined another girl from the hostel and were joined by a few others so veey social!

13.06.2013 : Hanoi - Hue

i started off the day with the cooking class at Blue Butterfly. i did it with a frnch candian girl that i was randomly sittig next to on the bus yesterday!! we wemt to the food markrt to choose some of the ingredients for the food and tried some coconut milk! we made a feast of Papaya salad with seafood, stirfried chicken with chilli and lemongrass, fresh spring rolls with beef, and friend spring rolls with seafood...yum! after enhoyinb the feast i went back to the hsotel and bumped into Dee! so lovely to see her so wandered to thw lake with her and some guys she had met - we went across the bridge to thw temple...not entirely sure what it was there for but it has something to do with a lucky turtle..?!  i headed back to the hostel, stocked up on snacks and got ready for the 15hour overnight bus ride to Hue...ekkk!! 

12.06.2013 : Halong Bay - Hanoi

the day stared with my first vietnamese breakfast ; Pho noodle soup, fried rice, nopdles and veg and a coconut ake and fruit!! and yay the sun finally came out!! we sunbathes on the rooftop of the boat before another yummy lunch and back on the  minibus to Hanoi. we arrived back around 5pm so i took a walk to a restaurant mum recommended : Quan An Ngon...(only slightly delayed by a eager vietnamese guy wanting to practise his englosh!!) half an hour later i arrived to a cute little restaurant amde up pf lots of dofferent stalls and you sit in the middle to order. slightly more organised than i thought but i enjoyed some fresh spring rolls and a juice made of a fruit i cant remember the name of...kinda like a lime/lemon...very refreshing! 

11.06.2013 : Halong Bay

we motored along the peaceful waters around the islands before the group split up. myself, the two girls from Denmark and the 3Canadian girls were all staying the extra night so we headed for Cat Ba Island to the national park where we literally climbed up a mountain!!! i was of course very well prepared in flipflops and a dress haha but it was wpth it when ee gpt to the top! a stunning view over the jungled mountain tops of Cat Ba Idland. from there we checked into Sunflpwer One hotel where i had another gorgeous room - double bed and an ensuite again!! after lunch and a wee nap we headed to Monkey Osland where the main residents were of course cheeky little moneksy!!  we watched them for a while before chilling out and reading my book...ita getting so exciting!! and i was nice and chilled until a naughty moneky decided to steal my drink from the table!! haha  we had a relaxomg evening just went for dinner and had a walk along the sea front and had a look at the floating restaurants in the bay!

10.06.13 : Hanoi - Halong Bay

we travelled the 4.5hrs to Halomg City by mini bus. we arrived onto our boat in time for a gprgeous spread a vietnamese dishes. we hada full steamed fish,  chicken stirfy, prawna, stirfried veg and rise with fruit for dessert. we then went to check out our rooms and it was luxury!! i jad my own room and ensuite - so spolit! we motored througj the stinnimg scenery of halong bay!  our first stop were the Surpsie Caves - a MASSIVE Series pf caves hidden in one of the islands - incredible! we then motored to a floatong village where we went kayaking for 40mins before heading to ANPTHeR island for a hike to the top for a stunning view before a well deserved swim in the warm sea! we had a lovely evening after another massive feast, sang kareoke and played ring of fire! 15 of us on thw boat : 2girls from Denmark, 3 girls from canada, 2 english couples, a canadian couple, a few americans and 2 guys from the 7k and our lovely guide Hue! 

09.06.2013 : Hanoi

i started the day with a walking tour through the old City. we started at a temple that was mafe for a white horse that helped the king build the wall around the old city. next stop was the  old city gate and then the Dong Xuan Market - the local food and clothes market. lots of produce here including pigs brain, half dead but still alive seafood, dried fish, fruit and veg and weasel coffee! we navigated the windy, busy streets of Hanoi full pf scooters beeping and people! shops were filled from floor to ceiling selling everything uou could ever want!  we ended the tour at Hoan Kiem Lake in the middle of the old coty. a gorgeous spacious area with a wee red bridge and temple in the middle of it. afyer a lunch of spring rolls i had a walk by myself around the lake and took a pit stop at a cafe to cool down, refresh and watch Brave! delightful! i then made my way back to the hostel via  St Joseph Cathedral and for a quick drink with Silyio and Renne...they were just passing througj on their way from Halomg Bay to Hue! I went via The Blue Butterfly restaurant to book a cooking vourse and ended up having dinner with two Finnish girls Lisa and Sandra. They were lovely and after dinner we had a walk around the night markets. it was SO hot and humid...11pm it was 40degrees and sp hazy - you could see all the mpistire in the aor! 

08.06.2013 : Vientiane - Hanoi! Day 41

i spent my last morning in relaxing heaven!! after a pain au chocolat for breakie myseld and Jess headed to a guy/pool spa and chilled out before having an hour long Laos massage! this was a mix between a thai and oil massage..lots of pressure used but not as much stretching with tiger balm massages in between...all rather delightful! i headed to the international airport about 12.30 and arrived on Hanoi at 4.30! it wasnt quite as crazy as i thought it would be..millions of scooters but it was a lot cleaner than india! there were gorgeous colourful little town houses along the road and the streetsof  the old city were windy and busy! i checked into a slightly overwhelmig Hanoi Backpackers...very busy and the biggest hostel i have been in sofae but rooms were nice and airconned...its the little things! after a meal of street food i chatted to some people beofre having an earlish night! 

07.06.2013 : Vientiane : Day 40

what a cultural day this was...although i felt like i was in Paris for most of it! myself and jess hired bikes and and did a cycle tour of the city! first stop The British Embassy so Jess coild collect her bank cards from the UK! then That Luang Neua, a very old gold monument/museum surrounded by gorgeous gardens.  we then stumbled across the Asian Arc De Triumph - am absolutely syunning replica of the one in Paris...with an asian twist of course!  we then cycled past Hor Phakeo (a temple which used to house the Emeral Buddha before it was taken back to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Wat Sisaket, a lovely tenple...very french out buildings with little shutters, a photo outside the Presidential Palace and then a long lunch break at the Scandinavian cafe that sat near the Namphu Fountain. we took the scenic route back to the hsotel via the river and met up with Dee, Buck and TIm in the evening for a Traditional eveninh of Laos entertainemnt and a 7course meal! it was lovely, lots of dancing, elaborate costumes and music. for dimner we hada clear veg soup, chocken Laab, friend chicken, limey steamed fish in a banan leaf, fried bamboo, spring rolls, a fish salad and of course sticky rice!!

6.06.2013 : Vang Veing - Vientiane

only a 4hr minibus journey to the capital of Laos, Vientiane. we arrived abiut 2pm so myself and Jess explored the very European/French city. it was lovely, small and lits of little bars/cafes full of tasty pastries and cakes...yum! we met Ash and Jen for a quick drink before they headed off to 400 islands and watched the sunset over the Mekong, witnessed an outdoor excersise clads and wandered around the night market along the river front - deloghtful!

4.06.2013 & 5.06.2013 : Vang Veing

the day had finally come to sit in rubber tubes, get drunk and float down the scenic Mekong river! we got dropped off at the beginning of the route about 12.30 and floated 10minutes to the first bar! we were greeted by staff members throwing waterbottles attached to rope at us to drag us in! the bar was awesome...it was a loveky beer garden with loads of games ; beer pong, table tennis, volleyball, basketball with a fountain from the hoop and boules! loads of sun loungers so after a welcpme shot and vodka shake we played games and chilled out in the sun! about 3 we decided to mosey on down the river so hopped back in the tubes and floated about an hour downstream (unfortunately we wrre a bit early so missed the 2nd bar) but never mind...it was the most relaxing, fun experience...just needed a cocktail in hand! we had a drink at the last bar...and a tasty snavk of fried bugs with chilli before dinner, a few episodes of Friends and a chill before gettinb om the beer Lao again at JD's bar!  this was really fun...bumped into a lot of ppl we met in Luang Prabang so partied on until 12.30 when we moved onto the local Laos nughtclub..Mppn Bar! loads of fun, good music and lots of lady boys haha didnt make it to bed until 3am so the next day was a chill and food/uploading photos day...luckily we didnt feel too bad as the monsoon had set in for the most of the day! 

04.06.2013: Luang Prabang - Vang Veing

up at 5.30 to watch the monk alms...very fascinating - the monks gp around the village collectinh food offerings from some of the locals ...mainly consisting or sticky roce - and i think this os all the food they eat all day!  after a skightly slow start...rhe driver trying to sqeeze 12 of us into a 10 seater car we were on our way to Vang Veing. absoluteky stunninh scenery for the qhole joruney, felt like we were in the Alps...very surreal! we sropped for lunch very high in the mountains so had an amazing panaramic view over the vallwy...even the toilet had a view!  haha we arrived into Vang Veing abiut 4pm, just in time for the heavens to open! we checked into a rather luxouroous room iat Central Backpackers - myself, Jess and Tim shared a very spacious, clean room!  A quick walk around the town, dinner and bed early so we were ready for tubinh the next day! 

02.06.2013 : Day 34 : Luang Prubang

we tried to be cultural today and took a boat across the Mekong to a village called Ban Cha - a pottery village that specialises in pots and roof tiles! a few of us had a go at making a pot which was a lot harder than it looked! we also saw the underground kiln they cook the pottery in - very interesting.  we then walked across a very weak looking bambo bridge to see some of the other villages but as it was the midday sun qe didnt make it very far and decoded to take a break for lunch at a scandinavian bakery!  the villages here werrnt quite as authentic or interesting as the indian/thai ones... We had a trafitional Laos bbq for dinner...wss rather interesting ...we were presented wit a basket of raw veg /noodles , an egg, a plate of raw eat and a bbq/grill thing in temiddle of the table!so it was a do it yourself ob but wad surprisingly tasty :) 

1.06.2013 : Day 33 : Luang Prubang

we all piled into a tuk tuk after brrakie and wemt an hour out of town to the Kuang Si waterfall! it was gorgeous - a massove waterfall made up of various turquoise pools two of whoch you could swim in! there was a rope to swing into thw qater and you could jump off the small waterfalls...slightly dangerous but fun! although we envisaged a nice qrea tp sunbathe in and chill for the daybut this wasmt quite the case...obviosly!! i am learnig nevrr to assume anything in Asia haha we walked to the top to see a vry impressive, massive waterfall - it was so high! after a few tourost pics we headed back to the hostel for a nap before dinner - headed to thw river for a scenic Laos meal of veg and sticky rice..wasnt the most tasty but a bit different!!  qe ditched the boys and headed to thw night market for a spot of shopping!

31.05.2013 : Day 32 : Luang Prubang

aftwr a nice lie in and comfy bedmyself, jess, Dee and Tim walked around the amall town. it really reminded me of a slughtly older Thailand...small town but not too quiet - not too touristy but with restaurants lining the banks of the Mekong. you cpuld see the French influence around thw town in the architecture and little details outside th cafe . by lunch time we were ready for a little break and as in true eurpoean style we had a cake and fruit shake! yum! we then walked around the TAEC - Arts and Curltural Museum and learnt about all thw differemt Laos tribes, dress and marriage rules...very interesting and not as strict as thw Indians but still lots of traditions!after a beautiful sunset  and view at the top of a hill in the center of town...(352 steps!!)  we all met up for dinner in the evenimg and went to the local street food market...a whole array of differemt dishses, meata and even a pigs head and trotters on offer! due to my various tummy bugs i opted for a freshly made papaya salad made infront of me ( i could taste thw dressing so it was to my taste!) and fresh spring rolls. we then went for a few bevvies  at Utopia - a cute bar slightly off the main strip - quite hippy qith low tables and cushions rp sit on, chilled with good music and a gopd atmosphere. a little tourist trap and in the tpilwts met a girl called Gen who was travelling with her bf, Ash - both from the UK and it was her birthday eve so i invited thwm to join us!  when the bar closed at 11.30 we all headed to thw bowling alley...and it was an actual bowling alley slightly put of town whoch manages to dodge the 11.30 curfew so we played until 2am! so fun but random haha

30.05.2013 : Laos : Pak Bang - Luang Prubang

back on the boat again today!  although we had a slight upgrade of a bigger boat with tables! i sat opposite Rennie and Sylvio next to an Aussie guy called Peter. he qas kn his late 50s and was spendinf 6months cycling through SE ASIA and Indonesia!! its his second time and has cycled through Europe twice! made me feel like a lazy bum...maybe a plan for the bucket list...?!? we arrived into the Luang Prubang port at 5pm which was kimda random as in typical SE Asia stlye none of the 'crew' announced we had arrived - word just spread through tthe backpackers so we all got off slight confused and walked up a hill to the ruk tuk statipn where they charge a crazy amount to get into town ha...always one step ahead!! we all shared a taxi to the hostel i had booked. Khammany Inn and weryone checkd in to the 14bed dorm. we went for a wander around the night markets before heading for a Laos dinner at Lao Lao gardens and a drink and a game of cards at Hive Bar! but it was bed earlybird as all thebars shut at 11.30 and you arent supposed to be on thw streets after then either...rule is applyed mpre to the Laos ppl than tourists!! 

29.05.2013 : Chiang Kong - Laos

slept surprisingly well and was up at 6.30 for a breakfat of rice soup...hmm dodnt quite hit the spot! we got a debrief on th visa situ, exchanged spme money into kip black market stule and headed to the river. it only took about 5mins to get across to Laos so once we got our visas we headed for the slow boat to Pak Bang (half way to Luang Prubang) 6houra kater we arrived...it was actually a lovely boat ride - stunning scenery and very relaxing - i read my book and caughy up on my diary writing :) we just meandered down thw river surrounded by little beaches, mountains and jungle. we watched the Laos people go about their day to day life of the river and in the villages - fishing seemed a popular activity :) we had liveky accommodation at Donevillasack - i shared a twin bed room with Jacob and all went for dinner with an irish girl, Dee, and an engkish guy/girl,Tim and Jess

28.05 2013 : Day 29 : Chiang Mai to Chiang Kong

after some breakie  from Chiang Mai gate i got on the mini bus to Chiang Kong - this is hust a stop ober on the way to Laos :) we stopped at the WHITE temple - Wat Rong Khun. absokuteky breaktaking and SO different to other temples!  it felt kinda eveil...like the white queen from Nania shild live there - there were goblins that looked  theu were the oeolpe she turnes to stone! the inside was just as impressive - a monk sitting with 2 statue buddahs above him  - the murals  were kinda evil too - lots of space and wierd goblin head and faces but at the same tome fasinating. defonietlu the most inpressive temple i have been to!  we then headed to Chiang Kong and only myself, Rennie and Sylvio (2 italian guys) and Jacob (a guy from Poland) got off the bus...the others were heading striaghy to Laos...and lucky them! the place reminded me of a scene from Texas Chaindaw Massacure...very sketchy and in the middle of nowhere! we wandered around the town and headed back for a dinner of rice and omlette  and a game of cards! we headed to the 'disco  bar' by the river for  Drink to knock us out before bed haha! 

27.05.2012 : Day 28 : Chiang Mai

Massive chillax day again! I walked to the other side of the old city to Buak Head Park, via a temple and sat in the little cafe for about 4 hours reading! I then wandered back to the hostel to skype Rat and met up with Marissa at 6pm to go to dinner. We went to Nimmanhamin - a student area near the university just outside the old city. It was lovely and we had Northern Thai food which I had never had before! I couldn't believe how different all the flavours were - much stronger than normal Thai food! After trying some of the local fruit for dessert - Magostene and Jack fruit I went back to pack as it was my last night in Chiang Mai... kinda feel a bit sad about leaving Thailand actually - even though I haven't done much here i love it so much! Just the culture, people and area is gorgeous!

26.05.2013 : Day 27 : Chiang Mai

woah...a full month since leaving Sydney!! it feels like a lifetome ago already!! another lazy day! o got up, skyped Ains and then tried to start sorting my photos from India...! there are SO manay but it was so nice to look back througj them and remember how crazy that country is!  i tjen skyped mum & dad who were in Switzerland with Susie and Fieter...had lunch and then Ksyped Bammers beofre meeting Kaitlin and Kasey at 7 for dimmer :)  I know i am in SE Asia and should be busy doing thinhs but I am absolutely loving having a few chilled days doing nothing as it has been a while since I have jist had 'me' time!! 

25.05.2013 : Day 26 : Chiang Mai

i went for a walk in the morning to check out a few other hostels but decoded to stay put at Giants. I got a taxi up to Doi Suthep - the temple on the hill - everyone had recommded going up there - the story was that a monk was going up the mountain on a white elephant when it collapsed and died. they saw this as a sign and built a temple there! it is about 40mons out of Chiang Mai and has an amazing view over the city! I got blessed by a monk who tied a pieve of cotton string around my wrist and i have just found out from Ains i have to keep it on until it falls uloff otherwise it os reallg bad luck...massive fail! haha I spent the afternoon chilling beofre skyping Claire and Charlotte and then met up with Kaitlin and her friend Kasey to have a walk around thw Saturday Night markets and try the delicious street food! had a very interesting meal - a mushroom salad thing with noodles and a spicy dressong - but the mushrolms were like nothing i have every seen before...they looked lile flowers! amazing amd surprisingly very yummy! 

24.05.2013 : Day 25 : Pai - Chiang Mai

i checked out, had a last wander around to gorgeous small hippy town pf Pai and chilled in a cafe until 2.30 when i got on the mini bus to Chiang Mai. sat next tp a veru chatty german guy frlm just putside frankfurt, Chris so we chatted thw whole way while the pior Chinese girls suffered with the windy roads! i decided to stay at Giants other hostel in Chiang Mai as Jukie's was full. it is very basic amd hippyish but free water, internet and tea and coffee whoch suita me fine for the next few days!  i went to Chiang Mai gate to grab some street food for dinner amd bumped into Kaitlin! we caught up and i wrmt back to the hostel where i got chatting to a hirl from Melbourne who os gping to qork in Tawian for a year and an english guyvfrom Bristol.  at about 10pm myself, Phil and Ant walked along to Sitau's bar jn the middle of the old city (he was Tigers friemd from Pai, an absoluteky loveky hippy thai guy with drrads and a moustache imhe twizzles at the emd  ...he is really 'artsy, hes a musican and artist and for the ladt 6yrs has set up big concerts in Chiang Mi to raise money for the childrens hospital) - on the way we stopped off at 'Wat Chedi Luang' - a big temple in the old city with the old one dorectly behind it. the atmosphere was buzzing as it was 'Buddha day' where everyone brings offerings to the Buddhas to celebrate birth, enlightenment and death of the buddha. we walked around and it was the first time i have ever been in a temple and felt the spirituality of it. it also looked stunninv as evrrywhere was lit up and there was an amazing full moon. we continued the journey and arrived at Sitachu's bar - so cool, loads of character and trendy nic nacs. we also saw his art gallaery upstairs and his paintings of the sculptures on the oytside o thw city wall that he made with hos friend! my night wad cut a bit short as Ant had a bit too much pf the bong and needed to be taken home haha!! 

23.05.2013 : Day 24 : Pai

a very special day as it is Eleanor, Emma Pitt and Mez's bdays! and i celebrated it in style for them! Tiger took me out on his moped as i didnt want to drive myself...we went to Pembok Waterfall...slightly off the beaten track and had a swim, then from there went to the Canyons and the WW2 Japanese bridge..i learnt some more history here too!! the waterfall was amazing - so high and refreshing! the canyon was stunning...full of trees looking out over the nearby villages and mountaims! absolutely stunning scenery! from there we drove up to the Chinese Village and carried on to some hot springs. again these were off the beaten track, on a dirt road and when the raon started i wasnt sure it was such a good idea! ha but we carried and and i am so glad we did...the hot spring was amazimg! about 30degrees so we could swim in them! just like a bath in the jungle - amazimg! from there we headed back to Pai and i had some lunch and watched the wprld go by qhile it monsooned outside! its amazing how quockly the air changes from hot to cooler, wetter air before it downpours...the droplets actually hutt they are so big and heavy! and there is always such a distinct smell in the aor...of the dusty roads being saturated with water! later the plan is to chill and meet Jacki for dinner somewhere in the town :) we had an immense dinner - pizza fpllowed by the most ginprpus ice cream /- coconut & chocolate and cookies n cream! 

22.05.2013 : Day 23 : Pai

had a 'relaxing' day of yoga...probably am not guna be able to move tomorrow! 2hrs in the morning and 1.5hrs in the afternoon! it was in a lovely location though - a verander overlooking the mountains...very zen! ha met a lovely German girl, Jacki there so arranged to meet her for a drink in the evening...she is also travelling alone but has been travellimg for 3years!!!! crazy! after i finished my yoga mino marathon i grabbed some food and met Jacki for a drink. we ended up in a pub quiz in 'Almost Famous' which was such fun! palled up with 2american girls and we came 6th out of 8 groups! not too bad considering i knew about 4answers...really need to scrub up pn my general knowldeg! 

21.05.2013 : Day 22 : Chang Mai - Pai

The minibus picked me up from the hostel at 10.30am and we made our way up the 762 bends to Pai.  it took about 4hours and when i arrived i checked ibto the gyesthouse 'Giant' recommended by Betty. it was lovely, very peaceful, right next to the river and i had my very own little bungalow! Pai is a gorgeous sleepy little town surrounded by mountains that house waterfalls, hotsprings and tribes. the river Pai flows through it...very serene and chilled...ssoooo different from Chang Mai!! The guy at reception used to work as a chef for Wagamamas in london so wad chatting to him and he said he would teach me to cook anything i wanted!so any Thai gitl, Bier took me on her moped to the markets to buy the ingredoents!when we got back i walked into town and booked a days yoga course for tonorrow!  we then got stick into cpoking Tom Yum soup with rice...it was delish!  i then just chilled out with the satff and locals and an american guy who has been here about a konth! ubfprtunately he didnt plan it and got stitched up after buying weed, spent 2nights in a thai jail and is waiting onbfingerprints from BKK To return...he hopes it will all be sprted in the next 3weeks!! 

20.05.2013 : Day 21 : Chang Mai

a very productive day...!!! unfortunately i dropped my camera yesterday and this time it didnt survive the fall...'zoom error'! so i wemt to the Airport Plaza about15 mins drive from the hostel. i bought a new camera..with a worldwide guarentee ha and headrd back to the old city! after my strenuous day yesterday i was aching SO much haha so went for a thai massage! then came back to the hostel, had food, booked my flight to vietnam for 8th June (a week earlier than planned)  and had a chilled evening...went to dinner with a Canadian girl called Caitlin...nice and healthy - papaya salad and fresh spring rolls :) 

19.05.2013 Day 20 : Chang Mai

needless to say after getting to bed at 3am a wake up call to go trekkinv at 7am wasnt too well received haha managed to guzzle down some scrambled eggs before getting picked up from my first hostel! it was an hour drive to start the trek and i was in a car with 2french couples and a french lady..they chatted so didnt notice my wee nap ha our guide was Bon...James Bon haha he was such a joker and made te trek so fun!  he was such a jungle man..pointing out what cool functions various plants had, making hats from banana leaves and getting us to try all the local produce!we tried...lychees, pineapple, te middle of a banana tree, chilli,Thai ginger (which was quite spicy), chillis, we smelt Thai mint, lemongrass, saw oranges, papaya, mangoes, cabbages and bananas growing...dad would have loved it!! after about 3/4hours  walking in the heat we mafe it to a tribal villaged for lunch! this was very wrll recieved by us all! the 'village' was made up of 3banboo houses..it seemed all rather new and there was quitr a lot of 'construction' work going on! this was the long neck tribe i was expecting but the had the big rings in their ears! but it was lovely for them to have us and we had a yum fried rice and poato curry with watermelon for pudding!  but no rest for the wocled and we carried on hiking through the jungle to another village. again tjis wasnt 'tribal' but interrsting to see! from here we walked down to the waterfall..ahh it was SO refreshing!! after wallowing for a while we carried on to the elephant park. here one of the french couples were staying the night to ride the elephants the nexy day but we hopped in a car back to our hostels! i got back, had a shower and headrd to the sunday night markets...after doing a express food tour of the market i wandered round properly before meeting Ash for a drink at Rooftop bar as she is heading to Laos tomorrow :) 

17.05.2013 days 18/19 : BKK - Chang Mai

After a nice lay in I had breakie across the road from the hotel and caught up on my blog!!! Ha
Next stop is to collect my visa and head to the train station for the overnight journey to Chang Mai..eeek!                                                                                                                                        made it to the train station in time after rather a rush to get the visa...who knew bangkok would be so busy around 3pm on a friday...?! ha boarded the train and was soo surprised with it! after our india train experiences i expected a cramped, dirty, hot sleeper train! but no...it was spacious and the beds were amazing! the porter came round about 9 to make the beds...he pulled the lower two seats together to make a platform for the bed and grabbed a matress from the top bunk to make it comfy! he then made the bed with sheets, pillows and blankets...amd it was all so clean! then the top bunk (where i slept) folded from the ceiling with the same set up - mattress, sheets, pillow and blankets! amazing! i sat opposite a lovely old thai man who spoke very gopd english and was hikarious so that made the journey more enjoyable! i also got chatting to a brother and sister from canada who were doing the g tours through asoa! all in all a very pleasent experience! arrived into chang mai abiut 9.45 and got a tuk tuk straight to Deeja hostel! checked jn but the room wasnt ready until 2pm so have a quick freshen up, booked myself on a day trek tomorrow amd took a wonder through the town :)                                      So after a slightly unwarm welcome to the hostel i decided to check out a few other hostels in the area and checked and into Julie's guesthouse! it just had a nicer feel to it and the people seemed a lot friendlier! so i awkwardly interrupted 2girls to ask if i could sit with them and ended going for dinner with them! they wrre both from holland and  haf an english guy sitting with them too :) after dinner we went to Rooftop Bar - a cholled hippie bar on the outside of Teppe Gate and then went tp Zoes - a few bars in one area with a communial outdoor area! very nice...had a few bevvies and a dance which was fun! also met Ash there - a Canadian girl traveling on her own :) fun times byt didnt end up home until 3am...after a drunken feast of...wait for it...curry!!!! indian not Thai! haha 

15.05.2013 : day 17 Goa - Bangkok

So the day came when I had to go off solo and leave India!
We said bye to Bonnie and Eimear in the morning and then myself, Sylvie and Mathilda went for a final lunch at Britto.
I got a taxi to the airport about 3pm to Mumbai where I had a 6 hour wait until the final leg to Bangkok.
I met Laura and Charlotte - 2 English girls in Mumbai - they had been on the G Adventure Tour around India 2 days ahead of us so was really nice to chat to them - it definitely made the time go quicker!
We arrived in BKK about 6.30am so it had been rather a sleepless night! We shared a taxi to our seperate hotels and then I head into Bangkok to get my Vietnamese visa and book my train to Chang Mai.
It is SO freshing to be here!! Even though it is still hot and busy, it just seems more chilled (and maybe familiar). Everyone is so much more smiley and friendly and it is nice being around Khao San road as there are more tourists around! :) never thought I would say that! Haha

I met up with Laura and Charlotte in the evening and we grabbed some dinner on Rambuttri Street (where I am staying) before heading to Khao San Road for a few drinks.

14.05.2013 : Day 16 : Goa

Sylvie, Mathilda, Bonnie and Eimear went off for a cultural day to the spice plantations and to see Old Goa. I was freaking slightly about my next adventure so stayed at the hotel to plan Asia!
So...my rough plan is:
- Thailand : 16th-31st May.
One night in BKK to get Vietnamese visa and then head to Chang Mai on the overnight train
- Laos : 1st-15th June
Travel by boat from Chang Rai to Laos and make my way down to Vientiane
- Vietnam : 15th-3rd July
Fly to Hanoi and travel down the coast
- Cambodia : 3rd-11/18th July
Make my way round Cambodia and hopefully head to the islands for a bit of beach time!

I know this will probably change but feel a lot happier!!

After that I met Mark and Jackie across the road at a nice pool and then met everyone for a last dinner at a restaurant opposite Electric Cats in Baga. This was yummy - veg stirfry with chips in it!! They LOVE their carbs here! Ha And then we had a drink at a beautiful bar on the beach under canopy's and fairy lights...delightful!! 

13/05/2013 : Day 15 : Goa

We checked into the new hotel and had a lovely beach front lunch at Britto. Best food I have had the whole holiday - grilled fish with chips and salad and a mango smoothie - YUM!!!!
We sat on the beach for a bit until the audience got a little much and the sea was really rough so didnt take a dip although it was really warm.
We met Alex and Colette and Alex and Izzy (their last night) for dinner at a restaurant on the beach which was lovely.

12.05.2013 :Day 14 - Goa

Dad's birthday!
After breakfast we all walked to the local beach (we were staying in Calanguta) and it was NOT how I imagine Goan beaches to look!!!!! Unfortunately very disappointing!! I was picturing clear blue crystal waters, white sandy beaches and we were faced with a rough dirty sea and average beaches...and of course an Indian male audience! As myself, Jackie, Mark, Sylvie, Mathilda, Eimear, Bonnie, Courtney and Becks had a few extra days here we decided to get taxis up to the more northern beaches to see if we could find somewhere nicer to stay.
I know it is the end of the season and the monsoons are coming but it was just not what we expected as we were about to find out..!
First stop - Anjuna...meant to be the place to be, a hippy town and nice beach. We arrived - only a few market stalls open and no beach...apparently it had been washed away in the last monsoon...!! Ha
Feeling slightly deflated and confused we went further north to Morjim Beach which is apparently stunning... we arrived - the beach was dirty, sea was dirty and there was one restaurant open which didnt sell food as it was off season..oh right! Ha
So back off to Baga where we had lunch opposite Cavala Hotel which was recommended by the Lonely Planet. Sylvie and Mark did some awesome negotiating and we booked in for the next few nights! It was lovely, friendly staff, wee paths to the rooms filled with flowers, clean rooms (myself, Sylvie and Mathilda were sharing) and 3 minutes walk from the beach and town. Perfect for the time we were there!
We headed back to the other hotel for a dip in the sea and our last night with everyone!
Dinner was at Zanzibar - a restaurant on the beach in Baga...this is more what we expected - it had a very 'Thailand' feel and you can imagine in high season it would be buzzing! Anyway it was a lovely last evening as a group :)

11.05.2013 : Day 13 Mumbai to Goa

The day finally came to leave the busy cities and head to the beach!
Nice to experience another of India's public transport...I think we have tested most of the options now... car, boat, bus, train, autorickshaw, cycle rickshaw and of course camel!! It was fine though - Jet Airways and we even got a meal on board - always a bonus!!
After an hours drive from the airport the to hotel we all went for a dip in the pool. We were staying about 10 minutes drive outside of Baga (the main town) and it wasn't quite the relaxed, beachfront accommodation we were expecting...! Anyway we had a lovely meal at Electric Cats in Baga and then headed to one of Romi's friends bars for a few bevvies! Awesome music, Alex danced on the table and I think the locals enjoyed the show! Haha

10.05.2013 : Day 12 : Amedabad to Mumbai

Well this was a busssssy day!!
Up at 4.30am to get our last train to Mumbai. 8 hours, but it was quite a comfortable journey as we have air con but Jackie had a resident mouse chilling in the airconditioning unit above her head! Haha
The platform at Amedabad was more how imagined Indian stations to be like...busy with lots of people and a nice fragrant smell of sewage! Ha
When we arrived into Mumbai it felt very chaotic and busy! We checked into the hotel and we out again having lunch within 20 minutes! Then we split into 4 taxis and had a quick tour around Mumbai. It was a bit of a shame we didnt get more time to explore this city and it had an interesting different vibe and there was so much to see! It felt so much more westernised than any of the other cities - especially Delhi...the driving was still crazy but not quite as crazy and the people, even though they stared, they seemed friendlier - we even got a few smiles when we caught people checking us out! Haha

I will do a quick run through of what we saw:
- Hanging Gardens : Felt like Hyde Park or Central Park, a more serene place to go and it takes you away from the crazyness of the rest of the city. There was a gorgeous view over Mumbai from here - quite an unexpected, impressive skyline!

- Power of Silence : This is used by the religion, Parsi. It is a tomb where they put respected dead people. It is on the top of a hill and they leave the bodies there to be eaten by vultures...nice! They believe if you get cremated, as your body is reduced to ashes so you can't get reincarnated...this way you can!!

- Public Laundry : This was the most amazing/organised place I have ever seen!! We looked down onto rows and rows of hanging laundry, all colour coded drying in the hot air! They had rows of concrete 'baths' to wash the clothes it - it was just incredible! And so amazing they get the whites so white!! Even the launderette in Bondi didn't manage this! It is apparently Asia's largest manual laundry and they wash all the hospital uniforms and bed sheets here too.

- Victoria Terminus : This is Mumbai's main train station and it is such a beautiful building! You can probably guess after the name it has major British influence and it did look like they had transported it from London. This was the same with the main University and High Courts - very old British buildings!
- We drove the Racecourse and Hazi Ali - the muslim area with mosques

-Marine Drive, Chowpatty Beach : Interesting to see everyone fully clothed on the beach but I don't think many people would have chosen to take a dip as it wasn't the cleanest ocean I have ever seen!!

- Shanty Town : This wasn't the biggest shanty in Mumbai but one on the outskirts of the city. We didn't go in or take photos as we felt a bit weird but it was just how you would imagine, teeny doorway next to teeny doorway leading into single rooms which were peoples houses. There was the same set up on top of the lower levels!! Incredible how they build it all! It was interesting to hear that apparently a lot of the people that live in the slums actually have white collar jobs but they choose to live here as it is with their families and communities. We saw a lot of kids playing in a open area and they all looked so happy... despite playing around the rubbish!

- Final stop was the Gate of India : A very random but impressive piece of architecture built during the British Raj.It was a crude jetty used by the fishing community which was later renovated and used as a landing place for British governors and other prominent people. In earlier times, it would have been the first structure that visitors arriving by boat in Mumbai would have seen.

We then met everyone for a drink at Leopold's - the bar from Shantaram. As I am currently reading this (thanks to Tom!) it was very nice to go an visit as this is where Gregory Roberts spent most of his time in Mumbai! The downstairs is a restaurant but the upstairs is quite how I imagined it to be...Kinda dark, edgey with little booths, smaller tables where you can imagine all the dodgey deals he describes going on! It had a lovely feel to it but unfortunately a cockroach fell of Izzy's arm so a few of us opted out of eating there and went to Cafe Mondar down the road for dinner. An awesome bar - lots of atmosphere and it felt very westernised! I had my first vegetable stirfry in India...absolutely delish and it stayed down! Yay!! :)

9.5.13: Day 11 : Udiapur - Ahmedabad

After a very sloooow breakfast at a very nice neighboring hotel (with a old car museum...random!!) we had a 6 hour bus journey to Ahmedabad (the home of Ghandi's Ashram where he spent 14 years of his life). Again the bus was nice, air conditioned and Alex lucked out and got a bed bunk for the journey!!
It was such a shock going to a more busy city again after a few days in smaller villages!! The second we got off the bus the air was hotter, it was noisier and dirtier!!! It is funny how quickly you adapt to your surroundings even somewhere like India - we were all suddenly missing the slightly quieter life of Udiapur!

Unfortunately after nearly a week of not feeling 100% and living off bread and biscuits i decided to see a doctor and get anitbiotics so I didn't make it to the Ashram...but apparently was very interesting and there was a museum etc! That evening a few of us went to a shopping mall for dinner as no one was feeling a curry! It was like being in Singapore or something - all the English shops etc! It felt very out of place in India!!

8.5.13 : Day 10 : Udiapur

8.5.13 : Day 10 : udiapur

First stop today was an art Lesson at Janak Arts. They taught us how to draw and paint various minature animals from elephants and peacocks to camels and tigers - i chose a camel who turned out like a  'lady' with her nose held high...named her Beatrice It was so fun and a lovely way to spend the morning! 

We met Romie for lunch at The Whistling Teal (where we went for dinner the other evening) and i managed to hold down some plain pasta...tummy is actually rejecting any type of indian food now so sticking to a Healthy diet of plain carbs and biscuits...yum!! After lunch it was back to the Hotel for a wee nap and some of the group did an indian cooking course which i decided to skip due to the stomach situation and had a chill, picked and watched a few movies.

Days 6-10!!! Jaipur, Todi Sagar, Pushkar and Udipur

3.5.13 : day 6 - Jaipur - Todi Sagar

Best part of the tirp so far! Todi Sagar is a small indian village about 3 hours from Jaipur...´´real india´The place we stayed was a converted palace - absolutely stunning and so peaceful and serene after the hustle and bustle of all the busy cities. We all got henna done on our hands before heading off on open jeeps to see the local farm where they grow barley, spinach and maize. Then to the next village which is even smaller than Todi where we had a walk around and a wee peak in their houses! It is such simple living, they are all so resourceful. The majority of houses in these small villages are made from cow pats and hay which they lay over brick structures. To decorate they literally paint straight over the structures with Indian doodles - gorgeous and surpisingly not smelly as when the cow pat dries it looses its smell, luckily!! We then headed to the sand dunes to watch the sunset and have masarla tea and cookies - absolutely delightful!! 

4.5.13 : Day 7 Todi Sagar to Pushkar

In the mornign we walked around the village of Todi Sagar - a little bit more ´developed´than yesterdays villages but still basic living. tThey had a temple dedicated to Krishnar - the creator of...(I will have to confirm this later!!)  Then to a pottery house where the guy made it look a lot easier than it was and off to Pushkar! A quick dip in the not so luxurious pool and to meet for a walk of the city and dinner. Unfortunately sickness had got the better of me so I skipped the walk and went to bed. 

5.5.13 : Day 8 Pushkar

Still feeling rather delicate in the morning we missed the sunrise walk to the local temple and lazed around the hotel until about 5 where we had a fun evening activity planned...camel riding!! We did make it into Pushkar for lunch so I saw the holy lake where most Indians visit once in their life for a blessing. Ghandi´s ashes are scattered here. All togged up in the most unflattering (but apparently traditional camel riding clothes) we headed to the desert to sunrise and an evening of entertainment and dinner. The entertainment was provided by the local Snake Charmers - we had a magician who was amazing, dancers (who didnt make it look like there wsa much skill involved haha) and a fire thrower. All in all a lovely evening until I again wasn,t very well so it was back to the hotel on another empty stomach!

6.5.13 Day 9 Pushkar -  Udipur

An 6 hour unairconditioned train didn,t really help the tummy situation so was feeling a bit worse for wear and sweaty when we arrived into Udipur...but it is such a lovely city. I also sat next to an Indian albino girl which was very interesting! It is meant to be the most romantic city in India and it definitely seemed that way. Lovely little streets with good shopping, murals on the walls of buildings and little cafes and resturants dotted aroound. After a relaxing afternoon at the hotel we headed out for a wander and to the lovliest resturant for dinner. It had beautiful gardens with flowers, draped material and fairy lights and was owned by a member of the royal family.

7.5.13 Day 10 Udipur

The day started off going to a local art factory which is famous for its minature drawings. They were incredible - so detailed and intricate...thought of Claire with her nail art as he painted a wee design onto all of our nails. It started off tame with camels and elephants, got a bit more exciting when Silvie had the Taj Mahal painted and finally ended with Alex and the Karma Sutra...!!  We skipped the museum and headed to the shops where I bought a gorgeous silk/wool pashmina, a journal and some alibaba trousers for Rachel. Mark and Jackie joined us for lunch as they stayed in Pushkar an extra night due to illnesses and then back tot he hotel for a chill before a sunset boat ride Lake Picola.

Day 5 : Jaipur

not up too early but a few  of us went to checl out the cities local sights...forst stop was the Amber Palace - Jai Singh lived here with his 30wives!!! it was a stunning palace on the hill and surrounded by water! lots of turrets, corridors and entertaining quarters, it would havr been an amazing place to live!  we then went for a yummy lunvh where were we all sgared tasters so got to try a few new dishes!  then we stopped at a textile printing factory abd watched the block printing - very interesting until they took us upstairs  and did 'The srll' haha anyway a few got some printed silk scarves! we then went to the Jantra Mantra - an astrological observatory that Jai Singh set up! it just had lots of interesting sculptures...wasnt maddively my cup of tea! anyway, had a quick photo outside the City Palace and then back to the hotel for a chilled afternoon! i am trying to figure out a plan for my next stop and to do a potential volunteer program...not sure what to do but maybe will do something in Thailand...will keep you updated! then tonight off to an indian families house for a traditional indian meal...i will update later on how that goes :) 

Day 4 : Agra - Jaipur

up nice and early for the 6hour public bus ride to Jaipur. again India has surprised me...i imagined a dirty, overcrowded bus but we all hsd sests and there was even power points (they didnt work, but still!!) anyway the journey wasnt too bad, i started reading Shanteram and caught up on my diary and it was interesting warching the day to day life of the locals as we past by! we arrived ib Jaipur (the Pink City) at about 1pm whrre we checked jnto the most gorgeous, quaint hotel! it is drcorated with antiquey details and the rooms are just as gorgeous...it has a very cottagey feel and a beautiful roof top with a view over Jaipur. Ramie gave us an orientation walk around the city where we saw flower markets and how they cut, clean and set precious stones!  Jaipur is a compact city but very busy...roaf traffic invcludes - tuk tuks, bikes, mopeds, cars, camels, elephants and buses...so anything goes!! oh and not to forget the VIPs of the roads..the cows! we had dinnet at a liveky indian restaurant where i had mybest curry so far - a chicken, chefs special curry and my first beer of the trip! we haf a lovely evening and carried onto an indian bar...not the most happening of places ; more like a gentlemans club with lots of staring eyes!! ha was fun tho and an experience!! 

Day 3 - Agra

it was a nice early start today, 5am leaving the hotel to the train station! i had a very different image of this in my head too...crowded platforms, ppl pushing and shouting and ppl hanging off over crowded trains...yhere was none of this! the station was very modern (reminded of wimbledon st)  and we had a comfy 2hr journey to Agra (we even gpt a hot omlette for breakfast!!)  First impression of Agra was that it was smelly and seemed poorer than Delhi - lots of ppl begging! we headed starigjt to the hotel to freshen up and then to the Taj Mahal! it is the most beautiful building i think i have ever seen - not only does it look impressive from a far the attention to detail in the stone work is incredible. allthe flowrr patterns, calligraphy has been hand cut out and then laid into the marble...beautiful! we got lots of piccys and then headed to lunch...probably about 40degrees and very sweaty!  back to the hotel to freshen up  (and a hunt for chocolate and tea was suddenly very important!!!!) and then to Agra Fort - very much like the Red Fort but nicer grounds and mpre beautiful buildings - it is where Shan Jahan (the emperor who built the Taj) was held in prision by his son so he could see his masterpiece of the Taj frpm his prison cell :(                then off to see the sunset behind the Taj...breathtakingly beautiful x                                                                   So...i wrote the blog before we actually went to see the Taj at sunset...on our way from the fort to the sunset we had our most exciting tuk tuk ride! after wizzing through th e narrow streets, almost going down a ditch at the side of the road we hit a massive traffic jam!  people kept edging closrr and closer  together until after about 45mins there was a break and er squishrd pas a very important looking car! in that time there was LOADS of honking, ppl staring at us, heat rising, monkeys watching the caos from the wall and the sun srting quickly! we made it just in time only to realise the sun wasnt seting directly behind the Taj as we fist thought! haha typically India..anyway it was beautiful to watch as the sky and building changed colour. then it was back on the tuk tuks, past loads of local villages... i just want to explain how the people are...they have so little provided to them but are always workong so hard, getting on with daily life and generally look happy in their little volages...they are free to do whatever they want to do. the children run around the streets happily and thr women always look so stunning...it is just inspirational! if i lived in a shiity, dirty, dusty village with little water etc i can imagine i would look exactly like i lived in a dirty dusty village - but the women are always dressed in their beautiful, colourful, embellished saris looking absolutely stunning. they have so much repect for themselves and i admire that about them...especially against all the odds.

The Group (G Family India 2013!!!)

Issy & Alex (18 from Uk), Mark & Jackie (English & American couple, been livinh kn aus for a year to try to sort visas for him moving to the states),  Barney & Eema (sisters from Ireland), Georgia & Dave (teachers from uk...very intrresting, he has worked and lived in Malawi for 2yrs...africa is a next trip destination!!) ,Becks & Courtney (friends from Norfolk...first time out of Europe and straight tk Delhi!), Alex & collette (cpiple from UK , havent  spoken to them much yet) and finally a lady from Austria whos name i cant remember! so on the outside everyone seems to come from the same places but everyone has different stories, different adventures and lots of travel knowledge! they are all so lovely amd similar ages so its going to be fun getting to know everyone! 

Day 2 in Delhi

it was a day of mixed emotions....met two other girls from the trip at breakfast - Barney & Eema, sisters from ireland! we and izzy and alex went to Jama Majisd - the largest mosque in Delhi. it is is old Delhi amd is so peaceful with a tower that has views all over the city - incredible! they went off sightseeing and i went to wander around Chawri Bazaar (paper market). here i met Paupa who took me through the windy streets of the bazaars on a bicycle tuk tuk!  it was absolutely amazing and felt like real india! i saw everything being sold from books to jewellery, to shoes and saris and then he walked me through the spice market...literally cannot describe - all your senses are tickled, the smells make you sneeze, all the different colours of the different spices - it is amazomg! i was loving lofe! we saw the local 'post office' - literally a post box on the side of the street that gets collected every 3days, men setting up barbar shops on the side of the road - a guy with his tobacco 'stall' (literally a shop in a box!!) and the list goes on...cows wondering down the street - its just amazing, everyone is so busy and there is something going on everywjerr! tjey are so resourceful, a real inspiratiom, they have so little yet make a living by working very hard. then we went to a wee local restaurant for lunch - chicken and muttan curry with roti & naan. i learnt a little about Paupa - he spoke incredivle english although said he had never been to school, he had 4 brothers and 5 sisters and he was working in Delhi to make money for his arranged marriage!!  so at this point i was so happy...and then the con! ha Issy had asked me to buy a saroung if i saw one so i asked him to take me somewhere...we went to his 'friends' fabric shop - i should have trusted my gut and not gone in but felt obliged...(as most ppl do) and after they made me tea etc i ended up coming out with a scarf, 2pillow cases and a sarong feelimg very ripped off, pressurised and annoyed! in a split second i went frpm loving life to leavinv Paupa with a very sour taste on my mouth! i then headrd back to the hotel where i met my roommate fpr the trip - a lovely Norweigen girl called Matilda - shes 20 and has been travelling all over for 4months! we had a good old chinwag before meeting the rest of the group in the evening!       

Day 1 in Delhi

woke up earlybird at 5am which was lucky as it took me 1 1/2 hours to get ready...what to wear (i was quite aware i would be on my own all day so wanted to feel comfortable) and how do you distribute money/passports/cards etc...?! anyway when i was set to go i hired a driver from the hotel to show me round and geeze did we do a lot!!...                                   started with a photo at the Indian Gate and the Indian Leaders house then went to look round Humayans Tomb - gorgeous temple with red sandstone and linestone structure...loads of details in the architecture and beautiful grounds! next stop was a walk around the Lodi Gardens - again very pretty and peaceful with various crumbling temples - it is still easy to imagine hpw luxurious they would have been bck in the day!                               Then onto the Ghandi Smrit - this is where Ghandi was shot...I learnt rather a lot here about his work and about Britain ruling India...(rather embarrassed to admit that i didnt have much previous knowledge of this...definitely some research that needs doing!)                quickly stopped at the Lotus Temple for a photo (similar architecture to the Sydney Opera House!!)and then to Chandni Chowk for lunch! A busy bazaar in Old Delhi...absolutely loved it here...felt like a taste of real india - street markets, food stalls, smells, and the hustle and bustle of people EVERYWHERE!! i convinced the driver to join me for local lunch consisting of 3different samosas from a food stall and we both headed to The Red Fort!     The was very impressive...really doesnt look like much frlm the outside (just a big Red Fort - 2km long walls which vary from a height of 18m to 33m) but inside there were various buildings/temples and gardens that would have been beautiful!  Shah Jahan constructed the fort in 1638-1648 until he was sent to imprisonment by his son Aurangzeb- he was the first and last Mughal emperor to rule from here!  after that it was back to the hotel where i met 2 ppl from the trip: Issy & Alex, 18 from Guildford!!  we went to dinner in Connaught Place - nice gardens with shopping malls (very commercialised) but it was SO nice to actually have a conversation with someone...think it had been at least 3days!! x                     So after my first day i was not as cultured shocked as i first thought i would be...reminded me of a mix of Egypt and Bangkok! 

About to board the plane to India..!!

oh em geeeee...about to board the plane from KL to India!! have already noticed the amount of men in the room and i am the only blonde!!! eeekkk!!! bought myslef and india travel guide though so am starting to get very excited to explore new and old delhi tomorrow and monday - may see if i can get a guide though!!! ;)

Saying 'Ciao for Now' to one chapter and hello to another :)

So my new years resolution when I arrived into Sydney didn't really materialise as my last post was 2 years ago!! But anyway I will pick up from where I left off...
The last 2 years in Sydney have been amazing...total rollercoaster but awesome fun...

I said hi and bye to lots of faces, had the pleasure of sharing the adventure with Rat, Taz, Palmby, Claire & Banners, lived in Edgecliff (with Mim)/Zetland (with Giggs & Greg) and Bondi (with Cait & Claire)
Did the Kiwi experience around the south island of NZ with Beej for two weeks last January...

Stayed working at MaCher where I moved from Marketing Assistant to Production Manager, did various wee trips away; Byron with Mum, Jackie & Luce, Christmas in July in the Blue Mountains, Bundeena, Palm beach, Terregal & Melbourne...flew home to surprise mum for her 50th (which started as a 41hr journey around the world with James & Frank!!!)

General day to day life consisted of beach days, boat trips round the harbour, driving the ferry to Taronga Zoo (thanks Bill), brunches at any of Sydney's amazing cafes, tonnes of nights out in the Cross, Darling Harbour, The Rock, and of course Surry Hills & Bondi, movie nights at the boys, City2Surf (81mins!!) and generally 'living the dream' with the best friends I could have ever wished for.

I also spent loads of time playing with the gorgeous Bells, Ian and Lou - seeing her grow up into a little person was one of the best things about having time in Sydney :)

Anyway on January 6th I finally made the decision to spread my wings, go travelling and move back to the UK...EEEKKKK!!!
So here I am...Singapore airport waiting to board the plane to KL and then Delhi where my adventure will begin! I am doing a tour from Delhi and travelling through India to Mumbai and then flying to Goa. From Goa I will fly to BKK where I am not sure what my plan will be...!

It all feels so surreal - was very sad to say bye to everyone in Sydney but I know I will be back at some point :) Ciao for now and I will update you all on how I get on!! Loveage xx