Ok, so I’ve been back for about 3 weeks now and it’s been longer than that since my last post. Since being back it’s been a tad mental. Applying for jobs, starting a temporary job, trying to organise a wedding, catching up with the family and friends… Do I need to go on?
What has been funny is people’s reactions, they almost always comment on the tan, or the lack of one now. I’m sure someone has told me that I’ve grown… you know the story, the alcoholic aunty who hasn’t been sober since 1990 and isn’t quite sure who I am but knows I’m related somehow. But, it has been great to catch up with people and the UK doesn’t seem quite so bad once you’ve been round the world (or am I still looking through rose tinted glasses?).
The F1 season is getting better with each race. When we was at the Malaysian GP we thought Redbull would runaway with the title but McLaren and Ferrari have kicked the door wide open. Oh and the fancy World Cup… not really into football, but it’s still a great reason to light up the barbie and have a few jars!
Since I last decided to update this blog, Jackie and I have covered a serious amount of distance. We left Goa on a train to Hampi. Hampi is only a small town but is home to some of the country’s most amazing temples and scenery. Whilst there we visited the old Royal Centre ruins, Virupasksha and Vittala Temples. We also took time to watch Lakshmi, the local sacred elephant, bless local people and have a bath with the locals for two hours. We were told that there was a waterfall there, so naturally we went on the hunt for it. We didn’t find it however we did find a lovely spot in the river to bathe.
After Hampi we took another train to Bangalore for some much needed shopping - being as Bangalore is probably the most cosmopolitan area it would be rude not to. We also toured round Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha and Attara Kacheri (the High Court).
A rest was well needed after all that shopping so an overnight bus trip in a monsoon later we arrived in Kovalam, Kerala (south India). The beaches were not as nice as Goa but it was still really pleasant. The backwaters go all through Kerala; we went down the waters in Poovar where the waters meet the beach.
After a week or so in Kovalam we headed north to Fort Cochin for our train to Delhi. Whilst there we had a chance to see and help the workers use the Chinese Fishing Nets which are over 500 years old. Even so the locals still use them, albeit for a tourist attraction me thinks.
A 48 hour train ride later we arrive in Delhi. A manic city full of people who know where they’re going and are not afraid to move you out the way if you are in it. However we did manage to visit the Red Fort, Jama Masjid (the world’s biggest Mosque), the stunning Gate of India along with the President’s Estate. OUr hotel here was dire! The bathroom was sloping as if the front of it was about to fall away, there was dog mess on the landing and it looked like it hadn’t been clean for about a year.
Early in the morning we took a bus to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal. 6 hours later we arrived and took an early night ready for a sunrise visit to the Taj. The next day we arrived at the Taj Mahal at 6am to watch the sunrise. There was hardly anyone there which was great as we managed to take some amazing pictures. AND… I proposed to Jackie and she said …. YES!
We arrived into Mumbai on 10th April, a little later than expeted, but still we made it. The first hurdle was getting a taxi to the centre of Mumbai (Colaba & Fort). We spotted the prepaid taxi stand pretty early on so that was a huge bonus. What we didn’t see was the hundreds of yellow and black, 70’s throw back, taxi’s sitting outside. Seriously, these taxis looked as stable as a 3 wheel Robin Reliant, however these did have 4 wheels so I guess they could charge a couple of extra Rupees. We’d paid for a non-AC car, which looking back may not have been the brightest idea. With our bags strapped to the roof of Mr Bean’s car, we were off.
We had 2 nights, 3 days in Mumbai. If you’re thinking of going that really is enough to soak in the huge culture shock; thousands of people on the streets, men holding hands, the smell of street food - very exciting but also very overpowering. During our time there we managed to visit Chowpatty beach, The Gateway to India, The Taj Palace & Hotel, The Victoria Terminus (now CST - the famous train station you see in Slumdog Millionaire) and the University of Mumbai.
Although Mumbai clearly has it’s own culture and rhythm, there are huge portions of British heritage here. For starters the architecture is definately British, they have a McDonalds (oh that’s American, damn), they play cricket everywhere from the greens to the roads (I don’t think Cricket is British either, I’ll Wiki it!).
Whilst at the Victoria Train Station we tried to book an overnight train to Goa, however the trains were fully booked. So full infact, they actually had a waiting list for spaces… that’s mad. Instead, in a moment of stupidity that we’d soon come to regret, we took an overnight bus. If you’re ever given the opportunity to go on an overnight bus in India, DONT! Firstly the drivers are maniacs, you’re forever speeding up just to slam on the brakes; secondly, you are sleeping length ways so your body slides with every acceleration, corner and stop and last of all, you don’t sleep a bit.
We arrived in Goa in one piece (surprisingly). We opted to stay in Canbolim, the beaches here are beautiful, the people are friendly and the food is great. Jackie has been really ill though, with a touch of flu and a bit of Delhi belly. I’m sure I’m next. Despite this we have managed to visit Fort Aguada, Anjuna, Baga and many beaches.
We left Koh Samui for Phuket airport at around 6am last Friday morning and arrived in Kuala Lumpur at around 4am the next day. Rather than sightseeing Jackie and I slept for a couple of hours then made our way to the Sepang circuit to watch the F1 Malaysian GP Qualifying. Once that was finished we went back to Chinatown and done some much needed shopping (shoes, perfume, new wallet etc).
Early the next morning we returned to the Sepang Circuit for the F1 race. After the race we stayed in Sepang for the concert in the evening. The first to perform was Wycliff Jean, who was given a 90 minute set. Really! The man who has only 3 recongnisable songs would only need 9 minutes. Even he knows that, he spent the majority of the time playing other peoples songs and banging on about Michael Jackson, Haiti and other world issues that people didn’t really come to hear!
After Wycliff Jean was Fatboy Slim and he totally rocked the place. During his set we noticed Dan (one of the lads we met in Melbourne) in the front of the crowd. We made our way through and spent the rest of the night with them.
The next day was my Birthday, so Jackie and I went shopping to try and find a new Diesel watch, as mine is nearly crook. Turns out, nowhere in Malaysia sells Diesel watches. So that buggered that plan then!
On the Tuesday we took a tour round the city visiting the Lake Gardens, KLCC (big shopping centre), the Twin Towers, KL Tower and the National Palace. Kuala Lumpur is a really clean city with excellent transport system and it’s kind of similar to London in that it is a melting pot of cultures.
We spent our last day around Time Square where Jackie took herself to the hairdressers. We loitered around the place until the evening where we took an overnight train to Singapore.
With only two nights in Singapore we thought we’d be pushed to see it all. Truth is it’s only 22 miles wide and, like KL, had brilliant transport links so we managed to see everything we wanted such as the Night Safari, Raffles, The Esplanade, The Merlion, India Town, China Town and some of the many shopping centres. Infact, I’m certain that’s all people do here, shop, because theres so many of them. Singapore isn’t as nice or clean as KL but it’s still been a worthy visit.
Here’s some pictures from the last couple of months…
Thailand Islands CLICK HERE
Thailand Mainland CLICK HERE
Vietnam & Cambodia CLICK HERE
China (Kaili and Kunming) CLICK HERE
Since my last post Jackie and I have been very busy indeed. A lot of our time has been spent on our backs… sunbathing! The beaches at Koh Samui were much nicer than Koh Phi Phi because the sand was soft and white and the sea wasn’t full of empty beer bottles. In all we spent about four days on KS which was enough really. Although the beaches are nice the place is really for holidaymakers rather than backpackers so we were spending a fortune.
We made our way over to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party but decided to stay a little outside where the main shenanigans took place in fear of having our clobber knicked by unsavoury types. We decided to stay at Coco Gardens in Ban Tai. The upside was that we could stay next to the beach relatively cheaply and we wouldn’t be worried about being burgled. The downside was that it was quiet. Even so Jackie and I got ourselves taxis to plenty of parties whilst we were there.
The Full Moon Party was fantastic!! It seemed sureal to actually be there, after years of planning and making sure we got here, the night came and went quickly. Overall the drinks were very inexpensive. About 200baht for a whole bucket of vodka and coke, which is about 4 of the Queen’s finest English Pounds. The people there were very friendly. Jackie and I made quite a few friends, although I doubt I would ever recognise them again… my memory for some reason was temporarily impaired (nothing to do with being a bit drunk). However I did spot a fun loving Irish Guy who was donning a Panda hat like the ones we saw in China but didn’t dare buy because they looked ridiculous. After speaking to the chap, we realised he too had been to Beijing and wasn’t put off by the stupidity of the hat… good on him!
The next day Jackie and I were very ill indeed, it was difficult getting dressed let alone walking, speaking or doing anything a grown adult should be able to.
We are now back in Koh Samui until tomorrow where we transfer then fly to Malaysia, for the F1 Grand Prix and to see Fatboy Slim for my birthday… CANT WAIT!!!!!!
Jackie and I are currently in Koh Phi Phi relaxing by the beach. It’s absolutley stunning here. So glad we decided to stay here for a week.
Before we left Bangkok we took a day trip to the Floating Markets, which were ok, a bit of a tourist trap to be honest. Instead of the locals being on market stands ripping you off, this time they were on boats… Nice touch!
After that we visited the River Kwai, which we were not too interested in.
The finale was a visit to the Tiger Temples where we got to stroke and kiss (the monk forced me to) Tigers of all shapes and sizes. They were really tame and laid back, for such big fierce animals it’s kind of out of character. Anyway that was a blast, Jackie particularly enjoyed herself.
After some more shopping in Bangkok we took an overnight…. BUS to Phuket, which is kind of like an Asian Benidorm… It’s too built up, but the beaches are nice.
We only spent two nights in Phuket before we came to Phi Phi, which if anyone is thinking about visiting the area, is a must!
Since arriving in good ol’ Thailand on 3rd March we’ve been pretty darn busy, but to be honest we’re getting a little larthargic so we’re looking forward to some major beach time.
Our first stay in Bangkok was for three nights and to be honest we made a poor effort at sight seeing. We began with a ‘Farewell’ dinner with our intrepid group which deflated quite early on. The next day Jackie and I had to make our way to the Indian Embassy to arrange our visas. Sounds straight forward, but you’d be wrong to think that. The bloody embassy no longer processes Visas for India so we had to trek to find a small office on the 15th floor of some random building. Needless to say we were both frilled with this! On the way back we stopped off at the Victory Monument and walked past the Royal Palace.
The evening quickly came round and the four of us that were left (Jackie, Aimee, Hillary and myself) decided to go out drinkning down Koah San Road; this is where all the backpackers and bars are. Before we went out we jointly pollished off a bottle of vodka and then were off on our merry (quite literally) way.
The first place we stopped had some techno pumping and random middle ages to over aged men trancing it up on the street. So that seemed like a good place to stop... It actually was though, the lady who served us was so wasted on some sort of illegal substance (I’m purely speculating here, she may just be like this all the time… god help her) that she took our money and gave us the exact same cash back as our change. RESULT. Two Vodka and coke buckets for free. After this the night got a bit hazy so it’s best to leave it there.
On 6th Jackie and I got up early to catch a train to Ayutthaya (the old capital) which is full of old temples and ruins. It was a nice day but once we did the major attractions there was no real need to stay there. In the evening we caught, what was possibly the coldest night train in the world to Chang Mai where we would do two days trekking.
Early on 7th we arrived in Chang Mai and was taken straight to the hotel. After a quick orientation walk of Chang Mai, where we found a Boots, Tesco, Mc Donalds, Sub Way and Burger King (nice), we retired by the pool.
The next day we made an early start on our trekking tour with about 7 other Europeans. Of the 7, 5 were French and after spending a couple of days with these people it has come to my attention that the entire nation should not be allowed passports. They just cannot cope!
The trek started with a 2 hour drive to the outskirts of the national park, where we took a 1 hour elephant ride. Naturally Jackie was over the moon with this and to be honest it was fantastic. Our elephant was a bit temperamental and likes to throw mud at us and spray us with snot and water, but I think that was his way of showing us affection.
After the ride we then had a 2 hour trek to our overnight stay. The heat quickly got to me and I was soon sweating like a pig. On the way there was waterfalls to cool off in so that did help.
The overnight stay was awkward to say the least but we all managed to overcome our language barries to make the most of things. And I began to warm to the French. They’re actually nice people!
After 0 hours sleep on a rock hard sleep sheet we got up the next morning to complete our trek. Another 2 hours in the hot sun. Again there were waterfalls to cool us down and at the end we took a bamboo raft down the river which was scary and awesome!
On 10th We took another overnight train to return to Bangkok to pick up our Indian Visa and to arrange the next exciting installment of our trip. Tigers and beaches. Can’t wait!
Ok, so it’s been difficult getting the pictures uploaded, but I’ve finally started.
Pictures (click on the link to open them):
Sydney New Years Eve
Beijing & The Great Wall
Xian
Shanghai
On 3rd March we departed from Cambodia and headed for the Thailand border, making our way to Bangkok.
