The Northermost Parts of Laos; Villages, Rice Whiskey and Boats Not Buses!

After almost two weeks in Luang Prabang I had to move. With my bank card back the world was my oyster, so I checked out a few places and decided on Muang Ngoi, a tiny town in the north. I boarded a boat in Luang Prabang and did the whole journey in one. It was beautiful, however 9 hours on a tiny folding wooden chair was not the most comfortable experience. I found a room for the night before having dinner and getting some sleep. The next morning I had plans to set out for a local village but these were dashed by grey skies and persistent rain, instead I spent my day in the local bookshop, a beautiful little place named after the resting lady mountain (see if you can spot her in the picture!)


The owner went by the name of Sai, a young Laotian guy who'd returned home from the big city to look after his mum. It seemed his good heart didn't stop with his mum, for the rest of my time there he made sure I was ok, gave me free tea and coffee and even made me scrambled egg sandwiches when I was hungry! In the evening I met three European guys and grabbed a few beers with them, it turned into quite the adventurous night. The village, like many others I'd been in, shut down by around half ten but powered on by Sai's extra strength Lao Lao whiskey we decided to go on a little adventure to some nearby caves. Nearby they were but easy they weren't, we ended up practically rock climbing in torchlight! It didn't take too long to reach the caves and it seemed the cuts and scrapes encountered along the way were worth it, the caves were hideouts from the Vietnam War with all the finds on display in the cave entrance. Beyond the war relics the caves were also home to a fair few creepy crawlies and we saw a moth as big as a bat!

On my second full day in Muang Ngoi I made it to the smaller villages, along with two other travellers. In the main village they advertise it as trekking but it's a gentle walk through beautiful rice paddies and countryside. We visited two villages, about 3 hours from the main town, and had lunch at a local restaurant where we ordered Tom Yum (spicy tomato soup) but were served an intriguing green stalk broth! Whilst the food wasn't the best the people more than made up for it force feeding us yet more Lao Lao and shouting the little English they knew at us.

I stayed in the village another two nights but did little else but wander and spend my days hammock swinging or hanging out with Sai and any other travellers who turned up. On my final night I found out that it was one of the women's birthday the next day and was invited to have breakfast with her and her family before I left. The next morning she greeted me with a huge platter of Buffalo Laap, minced buffalo meat combined with garlic and chili eaten with sticky rice. Not a light breakfast to say the least! But the meat tasted good and the spices warded off any signs of a Lao Lao head.

The next journey was another boat (the only way to get to or from Muang Ngoi) headed to a town on the border of Vietnam. Thank God this was only a one night stopover...it was bound to happen at some point - my first rodent inhabited room. I arrived late in the afternoon and would be leaving in the very early hours of the morning so my brief experience of Muang Khua was bad noodle soup and trying to drown out the scratching and squeaking of rats with a fan. To anyone headed here I'd say splash out and get a good night's sleep! I started to doubt the route I'd picked but only morning and the journey to Vietnam could truly tell...

Laos' Most Beautiful City - Luang Prabang

As a backpacker you get used to boarding the scabbiest of buses but occasionally it's the journey not the bus that puts you on edge. I'd heard so much about the ride between Vang-Vieng and Luang Prabang that I was on the edge of my seat for the first hour or so of the ride, until I realised - this is it, it isn't scary, it's completely breathtaking. A full sized coach lurches through pot holes, teetering on the edges of mountain faces, hundreds of feet high but the views are some of the most incredible I've seen in the past four months. That said we did have 2 near misses - one involving and old lady and one involving the battered underside of the coach. Delays are nothing out of the ordinary though so 9 hours later, not the 7 promised, we made it to Luang Prabang.

Determined as I was to stay on budget I trudged around for about an hour before giving in and checking in to Spicy Laos backpackers - a two pound fifty a night affair which I quickly found to be heaving with laddish Brits and cockroaches. Thankfully on my wanders I bumped into friends from Don Det and managed to get a single room at their place for the same price, minus the lager louts and insects.

In the light the town looked completely different. Gone were the obscuring market stalls and the beauty of the place was obvious. Temples stood at every corner and the old architecture of the town made it really special. For these reasons Luang Prabang is a world heritage site, consequentially it draws in quite a different crowd to the other places I've visited. Families and older travellers way outnumber the fresh out of uni backpackers. Food, shopping and tours all cater to this with upscale cafes, luxury souvenirs and expensive kayaking/trekking and cooking courses.

I was there for quite some time, waiting for the arrival of my new debit card, so there was time to see pretty much everything in the area. I bumped into a lot of old friends and made many new ones. On my third day we went to the Kuang Si waterfalls, the most famous falls in Laos. We trekked to the top and were able to lean out above the whole waterfalls, seeing a tiny rainbow that had formed where the mist from the falls caught the sunlight. It was hard work but definitely worth it and made the swim when we got back to the bottom much more pleasurable!

Days were easily spent wandering around the beautiful town, the old temples and beautiful architecture could not been taken in with only a few hours, some of the temples alone required an hour or two just to get to them! Everyday Laotian life proved captivating too, an early morning visit to the food market was incredible, the meat was in a much more "organic" state than in most of the other markets I've visited. Skin was being boiled off limbs and blood jelly was setting on the sides. One of my favourite sites from the market was a man dragging a cart of ready bowled goldfish!

When I'd worn out the town I took to lazing around the local pool, swimming and sunbathing in the day. By night I would watch old films and drink speciality tea in a beautiful bookshop there.

Before too long I was told my parcel was waiting for me at the post office, it took another 2 days and countless visits to the post office before I could get it out but eventually I had it and was free to move on. After visiting the main cities of Laos I was ready to see a few of the villages and decided to go further north to the riverside town of Muang Ngoi.

De Ja Vu, Laos take two...

In July I'd been gifted a glance of Vientiane during the whistle stop venture to Vang Vieng with the long gone Laura. It seemed a peaceful town with good food and friendly locals. The second time around gave me a completely different perspective on the place. It was the middle of Awk Phansa, a celebration of two things - the end of buddhist lent and the end of the rainy season. Candle lit processions lit up every street and banana leaf boats glowing with incense floated down the river. It was beautiful. But the city was busy, dirty and not so nice because of it. Unfortunately for me the crowds bought pickpockets and my purse was stolen as I attempted to set my own banana leaf boat on it's voyage (not the first time a buddhist ritual has left me worse off - remember the health steps and the stitches?!) This put a slight dampener on the trip and I became well acquainteed with the lax police as I tried several times to report the theft, finally being directed (by street police!!) to a tourist information booth! Thankfully my ever loving pops came to the rescue via Western Union, giving me a little freedom to enjoy the place before I moved on.

I had to ensure I'd seen the best of Vientiane to erase the memory of my one fairly jaded evening! I visited a famous forest temple, known for traditional Laotian massages performed on a balcony overlooking the temple shrouded by trees suitable for fairy tale creatures' homes. This was one of the better massages I've had but I woke up surrounded by the whole family - at least 7 people!

A shopping trip was also on the cards with Tat Salao, a combination of a huge western style shopping market and a sprawling outdoor asian market. The things sold ranged from topshop knock offs to traditional silk clothes made in under 24 hours.

On my last day in Vientiane I bumped into the Canadians I'd met in Don Det, it seems we spurred each other on to move more quickly. We left for Vang Vieng the very next day.

Returning to Vang Vieng filled me with equal amounts of excitement and fear. I'd already experienced the fun on offer AND nursed the resulting injuries. Unusually I wasn't just thinking about actually being in Vang Vieng but I couldn't wait for the journey there! I fondly remembered the roads twisting through the mountains and clunking through tiny villages where children stood by the roads, waving and shouting Sabaidee! The drive took about 7 hours and we arrived in the dark so it took a little while to get my bearings, soon things became more familiar, i recognized bars and restaurants I'd been to before and quickly found a recommended guesthouse. The rooms were big and clean, they had a t.v for hangover days (I knew they were coming), and best of all were dirt cheap. This would be home for the next 8 days and crazy nights. Vang Vieng is not so much a town of culture so days were mostly spent watching films, playing pool or floating along the river. As the sun fell we'd get dressed up and see what the night had to offer. We broke this up with a trip to the blue lagoon which, on arrival, was a little disappointing...after we'd handed over our 10,000 kip (alright so it's only 80p!) I had the strange sensation of deja vu, except I had actually been here, three months earlier and worst of all I hadn't had to pay a penny the first time round. It seemed many places were cashing in on the hard to find location of the real blue lagoon. Regardless we swam and were treated to a water acrobatics show from a young boy, no older than 9, half human, half fish! I also spent a few hours at an organic farm - definitely worth the tuk-tuk fare. I was given a tour around the farm, time to play with baby goats, an introduction to self-cooling mud buildings (more luxury than they sound!) and finally I was wined and dined with the farms finest produce! This, for me, was the best part - goats cheese is a definite rarity in Asia and I savoured every last morsel. By the last couple of days there I was itching to move on, Vang Vieng is amazing for meeting people, partying and sleeping but beyond that you are a little limited. One more Western Union transfer (still no debit card) and I was booked on the next bus out of there.

Don Det, Paradise on a Mucky River...

As borders go the Cambodia/Laos crossing was a strange one. I'd been forewarned that the border consisted of a few kilometres of jungle, a hut and two grumpy officers, however things had improved slightly since their visit! A couple of small buildings and a restaurant (where the border control staff seemed to spend all their time) were all that made up the crossing, it's still devoid of a real road so whilst the passport control went quickly, the drive went incredibly slowly.

Less than half an hour after leaving the border a small dock came into sight, after spending so long in the south of Thailand island hopping my expectations of a dock were grander than what appeared - the "ferry" I was booked onto was in fact a longtail boat...There were 3 of us on my boat - not including the driver or cute sand lizard - but it still felt cramped and with three heavy rucksacks piled up the boat struggled to stay afloat! It only took fifteen minutes to reach the island and once there I had to scout out a bungalow. You always get an initial feeling to a place and I just knew I was going to love it on Don Det. After about half an hour walking the island, avoiding the muddy patches and viewing rooms, I settled on a place with just three bungalows in use. The owner "Mama" and her daughter Hoi were incredibly friendly, the food looked good and the view was to die for, making up for the squat and pour toilets and cold river showers! It didn't take long to settle in, I met the one other traveller staying there - Michael, a Baker from France, and was welcomed into the family.

Whilst on Don Det I fell into an easy pattern of day time hammock swinging, strolling through the undeveloped rural areas of the island, sunset and tea on the deck before a drink with the family and then into town before everything shut down at 10:30!


I was rarely awake after 11pm and it did wonders for my tired body. On my third afternoon there I decided to shake things up and went on a sunset cruise. Mario, a guy who runs the local reggae bar, organises the boat trips so they are a little less idyllic than they sound. He filled any gaps on the boat with Beer Lao, grabbed his boom-box and away we went. The trip didn't just stay to the water, first we landed on Don Dou Ti, an Island that was still untouched by tourism and was home to just 20 Laotian families. We walked around feeling like celebrities, children either ran to us shouting hello or ran away confused and scared by the group of white people wandering around their island. We stopped to drink Lao-Lao with the locals but had to make sure we didn't miss our sunset destination. Back to the boat and further downstream we found our sunset island - it was tiny! We lit a bonfire (with popping bamboo!) cracked open a beer and watched the most beautiful sunset disappear behind the distant hills.

Most travellers seemed content to stick to the sunset and sunrise strips on the island but wandering a little further afield showed a completely different side to Don Det. It was possible to see the untamed island through the abundance of wildlife, not just the average water buffalo either - snakes, frogs and crabs camouflaged in the lush greenery, sprawling rice paddies and local fishermen dredging the shores.




It was also interesting to see the island's only school - a 3 classroomed building that even had children in it on a Sunday! It was a mystery where the high school was, possibly the teenagers went straight into the tourist industry.

By my last day I was reluctant to leave, not only had I made good friends with Hoi and Mama but I'd also met an old friend from Cambodia and a couple from Canada that I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to, but as always time was ticking and I had plans to reach Vientiane for the upcoming boat festival.

First I chose to stop by Pakse, a somewhat misinformed decision as the place had little to offer except for the beautiful temple, chatty monks and delicious noodle soup. From there I took my first Laotian sleeper bus to Vientiane! In Thailand I have had many a bad experience with sleeper buses - broken chairs, leaking air conditioning...so i was especially surprised to board the bus and see real beds! This facade of luxury didn't last long, it turned out sleeping arrangements were two to a smaller than single bed! To make matters more confusing my ticket didn't have a bed number! Eventually I was placed next to another traveller and we were a lucky pair both bringing leftover Indian food to snack on! We picnicked and soundly slept for the majority of the ride - a pleasant surprise! Early the next morning we arrived in the capital.

Mythical River Dolphins and Tourist Extortion...

Kratie was a place I'd heard very little about so my expectations were low, it was going to be a quick stop to see the river dolphins and then on to Laos, but as per usual the lazy charm of Cambodia turned an overnight trip into a long weekend.

The first day there I met three guys travelling South East Asia by motorbike, they proved to be valuable new friends offering me a ride to the river dolphin reserve. After a few drinks and an agreement to meet early the next morning to explore the town before heading off to the river I got an early night, the whole town was in bed by 10:30, as i was absolutely exhausted this suited me just fine!

The next morning I set off on a super important mission - buy a digital camera. Only now can I fully appreciate the ease of getting these things in big cities. I walked around the whole town twice and only managed to find one, a previously broken and repaired baby blue canon that eats batteries and has a delayed flash...I reluctantly handed over $90 and prated the dolphin photos would be worth it.

It was a fairly short ride through the beautiful villages, avoiding live stock and waving as we went. We arrived to the scene of 7 men sipping what looked to be water but definitely wasn't and one of these was to be our trusty driver. Pheroom offered "No dolphins, no money", pulled up a boat and away we went. It took a fair while to reach the dolphin's main habitat but within minutes of Pheroom cutting the engine we glimpsed fins and noses breaking the surface of the water.

Here I found out just how far my $90 dollars got me, I was better of with the $7 dollar disposable I'd bought as a last resort! Each time a dolphin jumped - click - and well take a look, see if you can see any dolphins...


Back on land we were invited to take part in the short circle. I had my first taste of real home grown Lao-Lao (rice whiskey) or maybe it should be Khmer-Khmer as i still had to cross the border! They bought it in plastic bags, decanted the liquid into water bottles and, just in case it wasn't strong enough, added a splash of Angkor beer for an extra kick! We drank for about an hour before riding became too hard, waved our goodbyes and headed back towards the town.

About half way back was a sign for Sombok Mountain, with time to kill we decided to check it out. It wasn't so much a mountain as it was a high standing temple. As usual the temple came with many steps and halfway up was my first snake sighting of 2011!At the summit the views were beautiful. Inside the temple was a different story, it was a temple unlike any other I'd seen before - grotesque and obscene torture pictures covered every wall. On close inspection it seems they depicted the tensions between Buddhism and Hinduism but I can't say for sure.


We made it home just in time for sunset, which we watched from the edge of the Mekong with a beer and a bag of fruit. The perfect end to a lovely day.

My next day was spent sleeping, shopping and sorting, in preparation for my departure to Laos. I was impatient and excited to get back to explore what I felt could be one of my favourite countries from the short time I'd spent there in July. Goodbye Kratie, hello 4,000 islands!

Old Faces, New Places...

After hearing from so many people that Phnom Penh was only good for a days lesson in the history of Cambodia I left the unspoilt beauty of Monkey Beach behind with mixed feelings. It wasn't such a long journey, I spent most of it exchanging bananas for tastier snacks with the lady next to me whilst her poor son was throwing up whatever he'd eaten that day, showing the Khmer distaste for bumpy bus rides. It was just after dinner time when I arrived and whilst hurtling around in a tuk-tuk i caught sight of a familiar face - Aussie Geri! It turned out she was staying just round the corner from my chosen guest house so we arranged to meet when I'd had chance to unload the rucksack and wash away the bus grease. It seems it's hard to not bump into people when everyone's doing such a similar route!

Wandering round the city the streets were eerily quiet. P'chum Benh, a Buddhist festival that involved the blurring of worlds and feeding spirits sticky rice, had brought the whole city to a stand still.

A couple of guys from the hostel joined us for the obligatory Phnom Penh sightseeing, first the killing fields and then Tuol Sleng (s21). The Killing Fields proved to be utterly horrific. It was unbelievable that such mass brutal acts of violence were able to continue for years without interruption or critique. Most shocking was the visible remnants of bodies that surface to the ground after every rain, even thirty years on - teeth, clothes and ones were uncovered demonstrating the sheer amount of people killed.

Tuol Sleng, for me, was even harder to bear. We had a guided tour around the former school to better understand how and why it became a prison. Classrooms were converted into cells and torture/interrogation rooms, furniture from the school was implemented as weapons, even the playground equipment had a macabre history. The stark contrast between the image of happy children and ignorant brutality was overwhelming. This feeling hit a peak on the way out as we met one of only two survivors from the prison, wordlessly he mimed the horrors he had been through. Apparently everyday he sits there, across from the place he was tortured, smile on his face ready to tell his story.

After such an intense and emotional experience I was craving something a little more fun. For the guys the answer was a shooting range, whilst the experience of witnessing gun-shot was exciting it wasn't quite what I had in mind! Instead I sought out my favourite tuk-tuk driver and bounced my way over dusty dirt tracks to Phnom Tamao, a 10km wildlife reserve. Phnom Tamao is an incredibly beautiful and well kept zoo that defies all Asian stereotypes of animal cruelty. Three dollars got me a guided tour from the lovely Anay who must have spent half of the money buying me snacks! A guided tour meant I got up close and personal with the animals, stroking monkeys, springbok like creatures and even elephants!

Phnom Penh was a surprisingly beautiful city and I could have happily stuck around longer, but time, as always, was ticking and I had plans to visit one last Cambodian destination before getting back to Laos.

Sihanoukhville/Monkey Island

After the pretty busy few days in Siem Reap it seemed a good time to head to the coast before immersing myself in the busy capital of Phnom Penh. Sihanoukville is Cambodia's main coastal party town and I went with the hopes of having a 'holiday', sleeping on the beach in the day and indulging in cheap cocktails, however the rain put a quick stop to that! A murky drizzle settled itself over the town for the entire duration of my stay but that's not to say it put a dampener on it. I checked in to my first real dorm and stayed there 3 nights - mainly enjoying the delicious food they cooked up! There was a real friendly vibe to the town and most of my time was spent playing pool or lounging around chatting. At night things got a little crazy, even for low season and everyone seemed to follow similar patterns through the 3 or 4 main bars and finally down to the beach. One of my room-mates demonstrated the effects of over-drinking one night when he came in and relieved himself on his own rucksack! Along with the partying there also seemed to be a pretty sleazy undercurrent. The town had a ridiculous amount of deaf prostitutes which boggled me, why were they all deaf and why were they all together in Sihanoukville! On top of that drugs were freely available and a high percentage of the people were out of it most of the time which became fairly exhausting...

After the three days there I'd about worn myself out and was craving a real beach and somewhere a little less full on. The coast, like Thailand, has many Islands scattered just off shore, unlike Thailand most of these remain fairly undeveloped and were all the more appealing for it. I booked a ticket to Koh Rung, also known as monkey island but from conversations with the locals the only real chance you'll get to see monkeys are when they come back from successful hunting trips! I'd timed it just right and spent my birthday here enjoying good company and beautiful surrounding. The first part of celebrations was a midnight swim with glowing plankton, it was like a firework show in the water, beautiful and ethereal. In the day I explored the island a little, finding a hidden waterfall, a strange shrine and the unfortunate discovery of quicksand. Before birthday drinks in the evening I helped out at an evening English class for some of the island's older children and was amazed at how easy they found the language! And then the day was finished with a few rums and an honest promise that I'll be back on the beach at some point in the near future!

Arriving back at Sihanoukville I decided it was time for a treat, a room with a TV and, best of all, a hot shower! An early night with Twilight (don't judge!) meant I was prepared for the 6:30am bus to Phnom Penh the next morning.

Apologies for the lack of photos (due to the monkey beach quicksand incident!) but here are some stunning ones from the bungalows I stayed at there... www.monkeyisland-kohrong.com/gallery/

Enjoy : ) xx

Goodbye Laura, Hello Cambodia!

My first stop as a solo traveller was the beautiful city of Siem Reap. This meant an early morning start to catch the bargain train to the border (less than a quid for a 6 hour train!) I was surprised that the train station wasn't heaving with backpackers and even more shocked to find that there was only two of us on the train, me and a charming Gentleman from Holland who caused great amusement bringing his bike on the train and then preceding to break not just one but two of the carriage's benches! The views from the train were stunning and it was the first I caught sight of the well talked about flood damage. Telephone poles and electrical wires hovered inches above the water level and people were boating/tubing and swimming to their houses, a sight that would become fairly common in Cambodia!

The border crossing was surprisingly quick and easy but incredibly busy, probably due to the 2 huge casinos stood just on Cambodian land, a massive middle finger to Thai gambling laws! We were taken to a tourist only bus headed for Siem Reap and my introduction to the somewhat unreliable Cambodian roads was fairly easy going, apart from the driver's apparent love of playing chicken with whoever and whatever was in the oncoming traffic! Once in Siem Reap we were dropped at a "bus station" which was actually a group of tuk-tuk drivers ready to overcharge and claiming that every guesthouse and hostel apart from their friends was flooded! I'd already booked ahead and the amazing owner, Hak, sent out a driver to pick me up. It seemed the tuk-tuk drivers were partly telling the truth, the floods had reached the city and at some parts the water was knee deep! It didn't seem to put anyone off though and streams of tuk-tuks, motorcycles and bicycles battled not just the water but the unknown roads beneath - a gravelly pot-holed affair. Several ladies tipped their bikes and lost the days shopping but still it was smiles all round!

Hak's was a really homely type place with big sofas and a dvd player, a perfect place to sit out the nightly storms. Most of my time in Siem Reap was spent, not watching TV, honest! But exploring the world famous temples built there hundred of years ago. I saw sunrise at the Angkor Wat, climbed literally hundreds of eroded stone steps, fought of tiny entrepreneurs at every corner, one of which suggested buying a bracelet for my brother with his name sewn on, explaining that he was 26 and Northern didn't make the little guy hold back! On the third day I was joined by two of the girls who'd just moved in to Hak's. We spent the day exploring the less visited temples - one of which was a series of strange carvings glimpsed through a waterfall! In the afternoon our lovely driver, Vanner, treated us to some local fun. He took us to a Khmer hang out spot - a local lake, we split a crate of beers and had an easy afternoon.

After the temple tour I stayed on another couple of days to enjoy the shopping, the Khmer people make you feel like an expert haggle and it all got a bit addictive, needless to say my rucksack is now bulging! The extra couple of days also gave me chance to try out the nightlife. A group of us headed to the aptly named 'Pub Street', beers were 50 cents, music was loud and for such a sacred city it seemed everyone was up for a party! It also gave me a little more time to appreciate the food in Cambodia! The french influence was obvious in the delicious baguettes and tasty pastries - something the Thai just can't quite get right. The actual Khmer food was amazing too, lovely lok lak and morish amok all washed down with the local Angkor beer. Yum!

On my last day I was given a (free!!) packed breakfast and sent on my way to Sihanoukville, Cambodia's most talked about beach and the place I would spend my birthday!

Prepare for lots of updates this week as I'm spending my time on the sleepy 4000 Islands of Laos working on recovering some of that lost tan! : )

Welcome To The Jungle...

Almost forever ago I was still in Thailand with little Laura and just before she left we spent a few days exploring the real Thailand - the jungle! Early morning we left sleazy Phuket for the wilderness of Khao Sok armed with copious amounts of deet, snacks galore and prayers that the rain would hold off for a couple of days. On the way to Khao Sok our little minibus made several very snappy un-thai like stops, first for breakfast and before our stomach's had chance to settle we were whisked away to the Tsunami Memorial. The memorial consisted of a police boat that had been washed 2km inland, I was expecting a tiny row boat or similar but instead it was a gigantic metal ship. Next to this was a booth plastered with the most graphic images, the type that would be censored everywhere in England.

From here we were taken to a breathtaking viewpoint and on to a monkey temple. Whilst I've been to a monkey temple before the monkeys were not as funny or as feisty as the ones here. Laura, the risk-taker she is, bought a bag of peanuts. Chaos ensued! One of the monkeys pounced and Laura was jumping around as if she was on a pogo stick, the poor monkey clinging to her neck. This was all captured on film by a lovely old English guy, unfortunately he doesn't have facebook so you can't enjoy the moment.

That was the last of the mini stops and it was time for dinner, a feast of most of our favourite things! Massaman curry, friend chilli chicken, spring rolls and soup! After this we got chance to view some on site animals, a croc, a monkey, a tortoise and best of all Buddy, the cheeky gibbon! We first spotted him being sick on his swing, an interesting sight and an obvious indicator that he wouldn't be eating the pineapple we had to offer him. He did however want anything that was not tied down - sunglasses, camera cases and a poor lady's head scarf!

In the afternoon we were taken on a lazy canoe tour and had snakes, lizards and creepy crawlies pointed out as well as a personal encounter with a fat frog! Our guide also gave us a bit of a Tarzan show, swinging from ropes and jumping into the river, he was, i think, a little disappointed that we had both forgotten our bikinis! As the river tour ended it was almost time for the day trippers to leave, but not before taking a few trips down the zip-wire (playing flying foxes apparently!)

It turned out that we were the only people staying overnight which at first sounded a little scary but turned out to be a blessing! We were treated like kings, given time to have a necessary nap and then being treated to a herbal sauna - a homemade affair which we thought was broken for quite some time! After around 10 minutes of sitting, not wanting to offend our hosts, it kicked in! The air was thick with a medicinal steam that felt like it was doing wonders for the skin.

Tea time was another feast with enough food to feed 10 people! But good sustenance for our night time trek, a walk for the jungle on the search for jungle cats, monkeys and other such things. Unfortunately this is when the rain kicked in, the animals went running and we were left with mutant sized insects - spiders, grasshoppers, fire flies. The guides showed us an ingenious use for banana leaves, they made the most effective umbrellas! Finally when it was time to return only one of the group fell on the floor - the guide! We consoled him by letting him win at thai poker (10 blooming rounds!)

The second and final day involved a 4km trek through the jungle, hindered slightly by the rain and the scary sight of an incredibly large tree that had fallen down the mud banks between the start and return of our walk. We were then taken on a return trip to the monkey temple which was holding a special weekend market, we were to help with the daily shop! This was Laura's first experience with a thai food market and she was enthralled. Live snails, a whole pig chopped into tiny parts, chicken feet and all the unimaginable parts of animals, it was particularly funny when a butcher offered her the pig's tongue! ThankGod none of these bits appeared in our dinner. After food we boarded the mini bus (ignoring a bit of kerfuffle from some rather rude Russians) and set off for our final few days in Bangkok and our final few days together.

Only two(ish) weeks behind now : P
xxx

A Tribute

Mere minutes ago Laura left for the airport, no doubt she will check the internet at some point in her time there and I wanted to give her this little surprise...

Thankyou Laura for -

1) Almost always carrying loo roll, it's one of the most important things here!

2) Rubbing sun cream on my back, even though it made her hands sticky.

3) Forcing me to take more pictures

4) Taking pictures for both of us when I forgot my camera

5) Coming to the jungle with me in her last few days knowing that topping up the tan was unlikely.

6) Having the best/worst hair I've seen in ages, hello Italian footballer : P

7) Letting me shower first.

8) Letting me use her shower gel whilst I shower first.

9) Protecting me from the (one or two) possibly rabid dogs we've met.

10) Only ever complaining about the little insignificant details...."If I could change one thing about this room it would be making the TV a little higher".

But if I could change one thing it'd be her sleeping patterns : P

Wishing Laura a safe journey home, now back to bed for me. Night all : )

Catching Up (Part 2)

Thailand's islands are possibly the most popular touristy destination, not just for backpackers but families and couples too. They bring to life what people imagine when they hear the word 'Thailand' - crystal clear waters, white sandy beaches, good food and cheap cocktails. When we said our goodbyes to Sangkhlaburi this is what we were heading for, starting with Koh Phagnan. Another sleepless overnight bus led to a lot of people trying to clutch back their lost sleep on the deck of the ferry, however the excitement of going back to the south was enough to keep me awake and i was happy enough to spend the hours watching the sea.

We stayed at a little beach resort called Mac Bay, it felt like utter luxury in comparison to the last room and our bungalow was literally right on the beach front. As an added bonus we found our own guard dog (Frank) who slept beneath our balcony and kept us safe at night : )

The main town in Koh Phagnan offers little more than overpriced clothes, schnitzel, shakes and clinics, but this is all you really need. The doctor's clinics are vital as the amount of injuries rivals Vang Vieng however fire, not water, is the cause in Koh Phagnan. Almost every night the beaches (and sometimes the jungle too) are lit up with fire shows, fire limbo, fire skipping ropes and fire slides. They all look deceptively simple, especially when the Thai men are showing how it's done. On certain nights throughout the month the fire shows get even more spectacular, the biggest night being the full moon. We were lucky enough to get there the day before the august full moon, the same month of the full moon I'd seen the year before! We went in to town to buy fluorescent/tie-dye/full moon appropriate clothes and ended up being drawn to the fire shows and throbbing bass at the beach even though we had all said an early night would be better! The night before turned out to be more fun than the actual full moon, better music and a slightly less chaotic atmosphere made everyone feel more at ease.

The rest of the week was spent sun bathing, swimming and partying, so with not too much to see or do I put my DIY skills to the test! By the end of the week I had crafted a pretty little photo frame with wood and shells from the beach and a whole lot of 7/11 superglue! Our second to last night was a big goodbye party for the group we'd been travelling with. It was almost like a tropical Christmas, we had a bonfire on the beach and a huge feast with everything you could imagine (even pigs in blankets were on the menu!). Early the next morning people started to get their ferries back to the mainland or onwards elsewhere. Laura and I found a new travel buddy for the next few weeks (the lovely Kate : ) ) and we were heading for Koh Tao but that will have to wait until the next update - within the month I hope!

Catching Up (Part 1)

Way, way back at the start of August we spent just under two weeks in a tiny town called Sangkhlaburi. It's pretty much on the Burmese border and home to an interesting mix of ethnicities - Mon and Karen hill tribes, Burmese and Thai. As a fairly long part of our trip was based here we were hoping to see and do a fair bit but this was somewhat hindered by the mystery illness! 5 days of bed rest later and the fun began : ) We spent a lot of time in slightly icky river water rafting, kayaking and generally splashing around. It was much cleaner and safer than the Mekong the fact that it was home to hand sized water spiders made it a very scary place to be! The rafting was especially exciting as the river was flowing fast after a few days of heavy rain. It wasn't only the weather conditions that caused an adrenaline rush, the Thai disregard for health and safety definitely played a part! Our raft captain (who we only knew as blood mouth) assured us that it was fine to have 10 people in a raft/elaborate rubber dinghy even though it had a whole in the bottom and was slowly sinking! We also had the chance to cross the second longest wooden bridge in the world, it was a constant flip flop worry and I've been barefoot ever since!

We split the rest of our time between two orphanages set up for Burmese refugees. One was run by a nun and three monks who had to rely entirely on donations to look after the children whilst the other was a one woman operation, Vic, a completely amazing woman, set up Dream-house by herself and looks after around 40 children from 18 month to 16 years old! It was heartbreaking to hear some of the things the children had been through and shocking to find out that the children were still in danger from sex trafficking and kidnapping but overall it was a completely uplifting experience. The children were so grateful for everything and almost always smiling and happy. Towards the end of our time we were asked to take part in a Mother's Day ceremony, the children picked their mum for the day, took us to school and covered us in flowers and wreaths.

It was a fairly exhausting and emotional couple of weeks that really gave a glimpse of the Thailand that not too many people get to see but it would be a lie to say I wasn't eager to get to the beaches and islands in the south.

I'm definitely on Thai time : )

Apologies for the delayed update but life has started to turn a bit Thai in regards to time keeping! It feels like months ago now but it's been just two weeks since we stayed in Kanchanaburi. It's been one of my favourite places so far, just a few hours from Bangkok with a fraction of the tourists but still loads to see and do. One of the best things (for backpackers at least) is the accommodation is guest house prices with spa style hotel style! We landed a beautiful room with views over the river Kwai!

We spent just under a week there and didn't spend a single day just relaxing round the pool, which for me is definitely a positive. Our first evening involved dinner on a boat floating along the Kwai, it was incredibly beautiful, especially being able to see the colours of the sunset glinting on the river. The evening was topped off with a 'You've Been Framed' moment when one of the guys stepped off the boat, missed the pier, and went straight into the water!

The next day was pretty intense, we climbed to the top of the Erawan waterfalls, in all it was about a 4 mile round trek through streams and up and over slippy rocks. We went straight to the 7th level and couldn't wait to jump into the water until we found out about the nibbling fish! Unless you kept your legs moving the little fish would attach themselves to your feet, the shock of it caused a mexican wave effect in the water with lots of jumping and shrieking! The national park wasn't just home to hungry fish, they had hungry monkeys too. The very clever little primates were able to tell a 7/11 bag from any other and were quick to make a swipe for them!

Early the next morning I (Laura was still fast asleep) headed off to the market with our chef teacher for the day to get ingredients for three yummy thai dishes. Thai markets are one of my favourite things, real fun if you aren't too squeamish! There were stalls of colourful and strange looking fruit and veg, tables scattered with spices, and then the meat and fish...practically whole pigs were being sectioned up whilst live fish, frogs and snakes wriggled about on trays or in buckets. The markets always make me thankful for my love of spice, I'm told the heat of the spices helps kill bacteria and refrigeration isn't a massive craze in Asia, unless it's for beer! When we got back to the hotel Laura was up and ready to cook. We battled with a temperamental hob to make delicious pad thai, chicken and cashew (with a surprise dollop of ketchup in there) and a hot and sour prawn soup. All three were yummy and surprisingly easy to make!

The next couple of days were spent exploring more temples and playing around in another waterfall (thankfully this one didn't require such a treacherous trek to reach it!) The temples were, as always, beautifully built. At the first temple we were given a lesson in meditation and clearing the mind, something that sounds simple but was hard given my wandering mind. The second temple offered three different blessings depending on your choice of staircase to and from the buildings. The choices were love, health or wealth. I picked green for health and found my first Buddhist failure - most of you reading this will already know I recently spent the best part of a week overcoming a dizzying fever and nursing my stitched up head! Finally we visited a cave temple, having seen plenty of these I decided to have a coke and play with the dogs whilst Laura explored.

The most controversial attraction in Kanchanaburi is the Tiger Temple. There are conflicting reports that either praise the temples rehabilitation of mistreated tiger, or accuse the temple of mistreating the tigers themselves with suggestions of drugs and cruelty. After a fair bit of deliberating I decided to go and see for myself. For twenty quid you got transport there and back, entrance to the zoo (it's not just tigers), the chance to stroke as many tigers as you could, and a photo op walking alongside a tiger and a monk. I had the most amazing day and didn't see any signs of neglect or abuse. In fact I saw quite the opposite, tigers getting massages! They were fed regularly throughout the day -all cooked meat, this seemed to be the reason why they were so placid, live animals just weren't recognisable as food to the tigers.

Whilst in Kanchanaburi the other must see sights were all related to the second world war. We rode the death railway which takes you on a breathtaking ride through stunning landscapes and finally over the infamous bridge. The views belie the incredible cruelty which took place during the construction of the railway. We were told that each sleeper represents a life lost in the POW camps. There are 120,000 sleepers. Thailand isn't somewhere usually associated with WW2 and it was both interesting and shocking to learn about the consequences the war had here.

Our 5 day stay in Kanchanaburi went quickly and before we knew it we were on the coach to Sangkhlaburi, a much more remote area of Thailand, close to the Burmese border. Two weeks in Sangkhlaburi has definitely opened my eyes to a different side to Thailand and soon (definitely within the next week!) I'll put my experiences in to words. Apologies for the lack of pictures, I'll try and sort that soon!

Hope you are all staying safe back in England, especially those of you in London/Nottingham/Manchester, love you all : ) x