Cairns 24.08.09

A bizarre place, possibly the free dinners we got with our accommodation (in a smelly loud club) put us off at first and the fact that I had kind of forgotten that Cairns is backpacker party town central. However such good timing you’d think we’d planned it, we arrived in Cairns in time for the yearly city festival which meant we got free stuff including jazz, massage and manicure, art gallery entry amongst other things. DIVING DIVING DIVING had become the main focus for Cairns as we had decided to opt for the highly recommended and more expensive Pro Dive 5 day Padi Open Water course, 2 days in the pool and then 3 days and 2 nights aboard a boat. Definitely the right choice, I think one of the best things we have ever done.
We had two days doing theory and pool diving to learn some of the basic skills necessary before embarking on our 3 day trip on the barrier reef, it took the first couple of dives for us both to feel comfortable 18meters under the sea and get used to ‘equalizing’ (which wasn’t helped by recent colds) as you went deeper. Such an amazing sport; we saw sharks, turtles, sting rays, Nemo, trumpet fish, sea cucumbers and enormous bumphead parrotfish… oh and some coral. The night dive was spectacular if slightly eerie especially when your torch lights up the evil looking eyes of a 2 meter grey shark! The weirdest thing is being back on land and still swaying slightly after two days… land sickness!

20.08.09 Alice Springs and Puli Rock

Due to our wonderful planning we allowed ourselves just enough time to do Darwin and central Australia at a sensible pace, unfortunately we hadn’t realized it works out a lot cheaper doing an organized tour to Puli rock than a one way rental car or bus. This meant that the only tour in Alice Springs that was affordable and went in the right direction for our schedule was fully booked… thanks to Imre our friendly local (Norwegian we think) tour agent we managed to reschedule our flights and get on the ‘Rock Tour’ the next day. Three days walking around rocks and two nights sleeping in ‘swag bags’ under the stars at £150pp is believe it or not a bargain in comparison to the other tours on offer.. and although not sure about the bag thing we both really enjoyed it and sleeping under the stars was one of the highlights.
Kings Canyon was awesome, truly amazing geology and a very hot three hour walk, this was our first true taste of an organized tour and reminded us sometimes it is good not to do everything on your own – the guide was really informative and friendly, we crammed in loads of activities without feeling rushed, Gioia was convinced to sleep under the stars where sleeping in a car had previously been rejected, the food was awesome (my first real chilli con-carni in four months) and we met some cool people. Next on the tour was Kata Tjuta (Olgas Rocks) where we managed to see some rock wallabies before heading to the big daddy itself Puli rock (Ayers rock). Both were amazing and I even got tubed in a rock formation. We decided not to climb Puli rock to respect the local Aboriginals wishes and considering how many people fall off and die doing it each year. It seems things are getting better but it is amazing how royally screwed over the aboriginals have been since the arrival of white man in Australia, they are slowly having land returned to them but for example Puli rock (very sacred to them) it would seem has been returned but only on the agreement that they rent it back to the government… mmm sounds like they didn’t really get it back at all. I could ramble on for ever here but I’ll resist and merely suggest a visit is worth the cost – I was dubious until I got there but it ended up being one of the highlights of the trip so far.

17.08.09 Darwin

More Kakadu national park than Darwin, we arrived at 5am, got a taxi to the rental office and picked up our ‘Mitzibishi Colt’ 2 person berth campervan and what a beaut she was. The park was beautiful and we saw birds, crocodiles, aboriginal art work and attended a few very well organized and interesting ranger talks, walks and events – we even had a go at painting a Barramundi and a long necked turtle in the traditional Aboriginal style. It really was a treat being able to cook for ourselves and NOT having to eat in boring restaurants anymore, bizarrely it is cheaper to eat out in Asia than cook for yourself! The huge long straight roads, the clear blue sky, red brown of the earth and fairly sparsely populated area was also quite a contrast to Asia’s denser population, hazey skies and bumpy roads. Easy access to clean toilets, food and accommodation was also a welcome relief.

16.08.09 Singapore

Not much to say…. We relaxed and picked up my surfboard that the hostel had very kindly looked after for two months.

13.08.09 Phnom Penh

During our brief stay here we visited the extremely moving Killing Fields and Genocide museum from the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot regime. Both acting as a memory to the death of 21% of the Cambodian population who died during this period (largely due to Pol Pots efforts to create year zero and create a new race). It was scary to think that this happened so recently and affected so many people.

10.08.09 Angkor

We had three days in siem reap to explore as much of angkor (meaning city) as possible. We decided to save the big one for later and not do it immediately. We hired a tuk tuk to drive us around for the day and allow us to go further afield. We went to the Kbal Spean - a river in which some of the rocks are carved with images of vishnu (much of the carving is buddist hindu) and 1000 lingas. We then visited Banteay srei - the woman's temple which is the most intricately carved of the temples. We then went to banteay samre and ta som. We were amazed at how many and the scale of all these buildings. Siem Reap is very touristy and all of the prices are in dollars so you definately get ripped off, you just have to go with it here!

The next two days we hired bicycles and pedalled about 20 - 30 km each day. Day two we thought best to cycle to the furthest and then work our way back so we went to neak pean, preah khan, prasat prei, banteay prei and then into angkor thom which contains a number of temples. Bayon was particularly interesting because it has huge Buddha faces everywhere! For sunset we went to the hill bakheng with everybody else who was in siem reap area that day!!! The next morning we decided to get to angkor wat for sunrise so we arranged to collect bikes at 5am and set off in the dark with a torch on the back. As it got lighter we weren't sure if we would make it in time but we did and it was great (if not a little cloudy). By 10am we had seen the whole of angkor wat and moved on to Ta Prohm the temple which has been left/ maintained in a similar state to that which the temples were found in - overgrown by huge trees and their roots (of tomb raider fame). It was great especially once you wandered off the boardwalk to the quieter areas! No long lie-ins for us here, it was up early the next morning to catch the bus back to Phnom Pehn.

04.08.09 Hoi An

Hoi An, a city which used to be a major trading port and so has made its name in silk and tailoring suits and dresses in an instant for the tourists. So we spent a morning checking out a number of the tailors and their selections of materials (acting like we knew what we were looking for!) After all that hard work we found it neccessary to blow our daily budget and treat ourselves to delicious chocolate cake at cargo. It was here that money spending went down hill! So we proceeded and decided on the most expensive tailors (with the reason that these suits and dresses are to assure us jobs in New Zealand and satisfy our paranoia about dodgy workmanship).

We knew hoi an was also well known for its lantern festival (because we saw it on top gear!) and decided to find out when the full moon was - just incase we needed to stay a couple of days longer for it. We were so lucky because it happened to be that evening and it was really special. They turn out all of the street lights and have lanterns everywhere - particularly floating along the river. We had dinner on the roof of a restaurant (first yellow building in the picture) overlooking the river which was very romantic.

The next day we went nervously for our 2nd fitting but all fears were eased and so I ordered a second dress ( a silk party dress rather than a work one). We seemed to be enjoying just chilling out in Hoi An and so stayed a few more days than we initially planned- sight seeing around the old traders houses, clothes fittings, eating, buying gifts and generally spending our money!! Quick we needed to move on...... having overstayed we now didnt have time for the mekong delta but we had taken the decision that we didnt mind. So two days of travel were ahead of us- one bus with beds on it - luxury, a night in saigon and then a day bus to take us all the way to siem reap in cambodia..... 48 hours of fun.

01.08.09 Hue

We got ourselves set up in the Bao Minh Hotel and spent much of our first day doing internet and organising stuff. We ventured into the city and explored the citadel and its city walls which provided interest for a whole day, although the hot weather made us weary at some points! The next day we got energetic and went by bicycle, out of town to tu ducs tomb (called a tomb even though he was buried somewhere else secret!?). After arriving back in town sooner than we thought, we decided to take a leisurely cycle inside the city walls. It was just a shame that they all drive like maniacs and traffic lights dont seem to mean much so some of the cycle was less leisurely and more hair raising!!

30.07.09 Ninh Binh

Moving on from Halong Bay we were still excited by the limestone karsts so we stopped off at Ninh Binh, a similar kind of landscape to Halong but on land. We were only there for a day but managed to pack it all in to one brilliant bike ride. Charlie looked particularly suited to the bike with basket! The day started early with a 9km cycle to the Tam Coc river and then a row down river for a couple of hours with local rowers who row with their feet when the arms get tired (or when they want to sell you something!).

We then pedalled our way around the limestone karsts along tracks among rice paddies. Every now and then we stopped off at a pagoda for a hot climb and a stunning hill top view. So excited by the cycling and views we forgot to have lunch so compensated with a bia hoi once we had worked out how far we were from home. I wouldn't say we got lost, more took a slight detour... in the pouring rain - at least it kept us cool. A full days cycling which tired us out suitably for a sleep on an overnight bus to Hue.

27.07.09 Ha Long Bay

After a HARD nights sleep on the train back to Hanoi we hopped on the bus and boat to Cat Ba, an island which borders Halong Bay. We had an easy afternoon before getting up early the next day to board our junk boat and cruise the waters of Halong.

There were a few mixed emotions as we and the Italian girls we had booked with weren't quite sure if we were getting what we had paid Mr Phong for. But by the end of the trip we were over awed by the views, the experiences and the $5 refund helped.

We cruised around the limestone karsts which jut out of the water, with kayaks in tow. Every now and then we stopped and kayaked to have a closer look at the emerald waters - We jumped straight in but after observing the numerous jellyfish from the kayak we were more careful about getting out!

After a tiring day lying aboard the ship, having lunch and dinner cooked for us, we anchored surrounded by the karsts to watch the sunset. We were lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the boat and awoken early by........ to my surprise - Charlie, eager to make a move and get out in the kayaks! It was raining in the morning but that only added to the atmosphere.

Mr Phong had saved the best till last. The boat took us to a spot where they put us in kayaks and pointed us towards a dark cave. As we went deeper into the cave I got a little scared and thought about suggesting we turn around, but before I could I saw light at the other end. It was not a cave but a long tunnel to a secret lagoon. There were more to come, with three consecutive lagoons, some of the entrances less obvious than the others. It was awesome - we felt like adventurers.

21.07.09 Bac Ha and Sapa

We decided a breath of fresh air was needed and so following some brief research in our travel books we jumped aboard the night train to Bac Ha for some rice terraces, minority folk and trekking. Unfortunately we soon realised that Bac Ha 'the non touristy' alternative to Sapa was not touristy for a reason being less picturesque and more expensive. Following some advice from a friendly French couple we decided to change our plans and head across the mountains to Sapa. A word of wanring; for some reason Vietmanese ladies, hills and minibuses = bags full of sick been thrown out of the window.

We arrived ready for the assualt of beautifully dressed tribeswomen and girls (5 years old +) trying to sell you some of their 'traditional' clothing or accessories and quickly found accomodation. Early the next day we set off with water and food for two days to go and visit the villages of the black h'mong and dazo tribe villages, we soon had company and had acquired two hmong ladies (Kha and Cjki see above) who would guide us for the rest of the day, take us to their villages and feed us lunch (in an unofficial but morally obliging purchase of cool craft goods including bags, shawls, blankets, pillow cases and braclets). About three hours into the trek and much to the amusement of Kha and Cjki we realised there were cafes and small shops selling food and water and so the 20 kg pack was highly unnecessary!

We eventually ditched the ladies in the afternoon (they kept on following us even after we had purchased the goods and insisted we would prefer to travel on our own that afternoon) and set off on our own, of course we quickly got 'lost' and kinda free styled it until we came to a up or down the mountain split in the path...seeing as it was getting dark and the uphill was really uphill we headed down and back to the safety of the river and road on the opposite side of the valley.

Just to keep things logical we then headed back to Bac Ha to see the Sunday market which was truly spectacular being filled with the tribesfolk, cattle, flowers and anything the locals could possibly need for the forthcoming week (a new pair of plastic flipflops for the tribeswomen and a haircut for the men).

Wicked place and the cooler weather was a welcome break from relentless sweating.