Summer in New Zealand!

Hi everyone, hope you had a good Christmas - was the weather kind? - I hear some of you managed walks between meals, so that sounds good.
I had a very 'different' Christmas Day. Most things were closed, of course - people go away for 2-3 weeks apparently, as of course it's their summer holiday time. But I met an English lady in the hostel on Christmas Eve, and we agreed to walk together the next day. But from 10am until we got back at 6.30pm, she never drew breath. I thought I could talk, but she didn't give me a chance! She was a strident lesbian socialist feminist veggie. All those things pose no problems for me - but nothing was up for discussion. I now know about the Red Walkers' Group, the Socialist Choir, the Women's groups for this and that - you name it! Very educational, I'm sure, but I had a headache at the end, and was far more exhausted than the walk warranted - which in fact was a lovely walk through a redwood tree plantation. "Serves her right for going away at Christmas" I hear you say. But hey, it could have been worse... I finished off with a curry in Rotorua - the only restaurant open - couldn't face a shared meal at the hostel!!!
Rotorua itself is like the curate's egg - good in places. The lakeside is lovely, mostly, but if you wander around the bay you come across the thermal pools, and they STINK! You are supposed to get used to the smell, but it made me feel really queasy. They are fascinating, though - pools of bubbling mud with steam emanating - in the middle of a field sometimes. Some people have built their house by one, and use them to cook their meals...
I was happy to move on to Taupo, where I had the best walk so far - supposedly the best one day hike in NZ - the 18.5 Km Tongariro Crossing (labelled 'challenging'). It hadn't been open for a few days because of poor weather, and when I got there (4.30am get up!) the bus driver said "oh, looks like there's quite a bit of snow up there". I was in a panic, as I'm scared stiff on snowy slopes now after a bad experience in Austria, but I hired a walking pole and set off in great trepidation. The first half, the 'up', was exhilarating, but scary in places, scrambling on hands and knees over rocky bits, and quite steep in places. I think on the whole, though, I was more scared of what was to come - the downward slopes on the ice. Which just goes to show you shouldn't be afraid - it may never happen, and it didn't! The walk turned out to be fabulous - I reached snowy heights, and walked on the saddle between two volcanic mountain peaks - access not allowed because of the weather. I saw the beautiful Emerald Lakes - see 2nd picture. Then, coming down on the other side, all the snow had gone, and the terrain changed from volcanic rocks to grassy slopes, then woodland, waterfalls and streams. Absolutely beautiful... I was so glad I'd done it.
Interestingly, although most of my fellow travellers in the hostels are Asian - Japanese, Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean etc, few of these go walking. I met one group of Chinese guys on the path, (they walked a bit behind me luckily, as I kept forgetting my pole and they would pick it up and meet me as I retraced my steps looking for it, oh dear) but otherwise it was Germans, Dutch, Canadians and a few English people.
The difference is also noticeable in the hostel kitchens, of course - the Asian people are busy cooking themselves rice and noodles for breakfast, while the Europeans are munching on their muesli. I'm still hunting a decent 'all you can eat' breakfast place at a reasonable price!! I WANT A PANCAKE!!! I'm actually amazed at the meals people produce in these kitchens. They are eating gourmet meals while I'm on my beans-on-toast or pot noodle (I've found quite a good variety!). Seriously, I'd rather alternate a very cheap and easy snack one night with a reasonably cheap fish n chips/shepherds pie type meal out the next, rather than faff about cooking... see, I haven't changed at all yet!
So I'm getting to know a lot about different cultures, but not too much about New Zealanders themselves yet. I'm thinking I'll treat myself to a couple of nights B&B soon, so that I can chat to some locals as well as have a peaceful night in a single room. When I get to the South Island on Monday I'll start thinking about some casual work too - that may be the very best way to meet people. I've been put off WOOFing a bit by my Christmas Day companion, who is a WOOFer. (Working On Orgainic Farms)!
Taupo, by the way, is a lovely place, by Lake Taupo, which is the size of Singapore, or the Isle of Wight. NZ medium-sized towns just feel so spacious - the roads are wide, there are lots of flowers, it seems so laid-back. I could happily have stayed there a while, but my schedule for New Year's Eve, which was tricky to book, meant I had to move on.
So here I am in Wellington, poised to cross over on Monday to the South Island. I had a good trip down on the Magic Bus - a good driver, who gave us a lot of info about the countryside. We passed the army practice ranges; he said that they cull wild horses because they damage the terrain, but what damage do the army do? He also told us NZ has effectively no air force now - just a few patrols protecting the 200-mile sea radius. I guess a coachful of mainly young, impressionable people is a good platform to get across your political ideas, but I found it interesting, anyway!
The weather is improving now, you'll be glad to hear! The sun is out today, so I'm about to explore Wellington. The cable car and botanical gardens, I think. This wretched email system has lost the photos I carefully uploaded last night, and I'm out of time now, so I'll come back when the sun's not shining temptingly through the window and send this off.
I wish a very Happy New Year to all my faithful readers - here's to a great 2008 for us all...

PS Just added 3rd picture for you cricket fans out there - I was watching a game in the park in Wellington, and was amused to see that when a batsman is 'out', he has to walk through this gate to get off the field. Reminiscent of 'Blazing Saddles'?!

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Happy Christmas to you all! Happy 21st birthday tomorrow Alex!

Kia Ora! (That's a catch-all phrase for Welcome, Hello etc.) And I always thought it meant 'horrid bright orange squash with bits in'...
I am getting the lingo here - instead of 'OK' or 'cool', the kiwis say 'sweet' or 'sweet as'.. as in "I'm on your bus tomorrow" -response- 'ah, sweet!' or "I had a really good day" -response- 'sweet as!'. Also the letters Wh are pronounced like Ph i.e. the place I stayed on Wednesday night was spelt Whitianga, but pronounced Fitianga (soft g). I'm getting so fluent I'll be indistinguishable (?) from a real kiwi soon..
But back to Christmas, the first picture (if it gets sent, I'm having problems with them) is the flower on the kiwi Christmas tree - the Pohutakawa. I don't seem to have a picture of a whole tree, sorry, but they look gorgeous with the red flower and the white blossom. Perhaps you can google a better picture?
I'm back in Auckland today and Christmas is a bit more in evidence - a few inflatable santas scattered here and there in shops, and fliers about school and church carol services; The Messiah at the local concert hall; and I saw some Christmassy wrapping paper in a shop yesterday. Not much more than that, though, and there are no crowds in the shops at all. I haven't seen any houses decorated, but haven't seen many normal residential areas. Our hostel has a decorated tree. The locals are saying that it is getting more commercialised, but it has a long way to go to catch up with the UK - hope it doesn't, it's lovely, just festive enough so you know it's happening, but not OTT!
Anyway, hope you all have a really good Christmas with your nearest and dearest - I shall be a long way from mine, but they (you!) know I love and miss them, and we can have a get together on a different day when I'm home again...
I've been away on my travels since I last 'spoke' - to the appropriately named 'Northland'. I am travelling with the Magic Bus company. This is a backpackers' travel company, but hopefully with fewer of the 'Club 18-30 - lets get as drunk as we can and shout very loudly' brigade. Oh dear, what a party-pooper I sound. But so far I've met up with some nice people - mainly in their late twenties and thirties, and mostly women. Why don't men travel on their own I wonder? There are groups of women, women on their own and couples, but few male groups if any in the hostels, and few loners. I spent a couple of days with Thelma and Louise(!), nice girls, one from Rotterdam, other from Brighton. Louise and I went sea kayaking together - great fun, but scary at first. There was quite a strong breeze, we were soaked through and had to bale out our canoe; we struggled to make any headway at all, at one point blagging a tow from the group leader! Pretty fast coming back with the wind behind us, though. It was a bit cold and I suggested lighting a fire at the back of the boat, but the leader said it would burn and sink - after all, you can't have your kayak and heat it!!! Ouch, sorry, couldn't resist, but the old ones...! We went out and around an island, and back through a tunnel in the middle of it, and felt quite proud of ourselves. I have the bleeding knuckles and blisters to show for it now, though! I've also been sand dune boarding - the second picture - couldn't get snap of me actually doing it - too much sand for cameras! I was scared at the top - you lie face down on the board and hurl yourself down a steep dune towards a stream... but once I was a third of the way down I'd stopped screaming and was actually enjoying it!
The other exciting thing I did was in the Bay of Islands, where I went on a day's sailing on a catamaran. It was choppy, and I got pretty wet, but we saw lots of dolphins leaping really close to the boat. I have several photos... of the sea, curse the delay on digital cameras!
We went to the top of New Zealand, Cape Reinga, where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet - which was, I must say, truly awesome. Then we drove back down 90-mile beach. This is actually 90km - long story - but you really drive on the beach all the way, tide willing. The coaches are specially adapted buses made from trucks, and the drivers sit on a huge spring, and bounce up and down... sweet!
As an aside, why do I keep seeing signs that say 'Last cheese for x Km'? What's that all about?
I also did the famous 'footprints' dusk trail - you go into the forest with Maori guides, who sing traditional songs, tell you about the history of the area and the forest flora and fauna (well, trees, mainly!) and show you the biggest tree (biggest trunk area) in the world, a kauri (pronounced cody) tree called Tane Mahuta, about 2,000 years old (the oldest in the forest was about 4,000 years old, imagine that?). It is a very mystical, moving experience at twilight; the guides make it very special.
Changing topics, I have eaten the best fish ever here. Fish n chips will never be the same again... and the scallops are to die for. I have to stop eating out so much, though, it's getting too expensive - not like Asia! I am now carrying around an extra bag (thanks, Intrepid, for the freebie!) containing cereal, bread and tins of beans. I know how to live...
One of the things that I love here, among many, is that I feel so safe walking in the forests and mangroves - there are no nasty creatues lurking there. One guide scared me by saying there are 200 snakes in NZ - then added that they are all in parliament...
So, I've just about covered what I can of the territory north of Auckland, so I'm setting off south tomorrow to Rotorua, where I'm booked for Christmas. Then on to Taupo and Wellington, crossing over to the South Island to Picton for New Year's Eve. I had wanted to see the new year in at Gisborne on the East coast of the North Island, supposedly the place which sees the new year first (what about Fiji? They seem to have forgotten that!); but can't get a bed on the East coast for love nor money. But anyway, there's been a 6.8 earthquake over there overnight, so maybe I'm better off where I'm going. I've had to move south a bit faster than I wanted, because of booking hostels over the holiday period, but once in the south I can relax a bit. Maybe look for some work to allow more eating out!
Enough for now. Be sure that I'm thinking about you ALL - I have time to think on my travels, but an hour on the pc seems to go by very quickly, so I don't correspond individually as much as I would care to.
Have a great Christmas, and hopefully I'll be in touch before the New Year.
ALEX, best of sons, - have a great 21st birthday, will try and speak to you tomorrow, but will have to time it when we're both awake!!! Sorry I'm not there with you, but hey, I was there in 1986 on your real 'birth' day, wasn't I? I remember it well, even if you don't...!!! xxxxx

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The Antipodes

Yes, here I am, hanging on upside down by my fingernails on the underside of the world...
Do you like my new travelling companion? He's promised to protect me against all evils - especially England rugby players... (shame).
Culture shock has been lessened by the fact that Auckland is a very multi-cultural society, and there are Thai restaurants everywhere! (And Chinese and Indian). So I can indulge in some sentimental eating if I wish. But actually, on my first night here I'm ashamed to admit I allowed myself to be tempted by fish and chips in the London Pub. Shocking. But delicious - the fish was out of this world. Auckland is all about water - called 'City of Sails'. In my ignorance I hadn't realised that you are never further than 20 mins from the shore. What a fabulous city for one who loves the sea! The terrain is very strange - bumps on the landscape like molehills with upside-down conical holes in the centre, formed by volcanoes. I've been busy since I arrived 3 days ago - went to the top of the Sky Tower (I didn't do the 'Sky Jump' from the top - it was very pricey. That's my excuse...); had a boat trip across the bay to Devenport and walked up the volcanic hills there. Walked along the shore - good paddling, loads of interesting shells, people surfing with kites. I've found the local naval base (had to be done!). I've celebrated Christmas in the Park - 200,000 locals picnicking, wearing shorts and t-shirts and santa hats, singing carols - bizarre. I've done the 'coast to coast' walk (17 km) in pouring rain - got drenched, but stubbornly wouldn't give in, although I must have walked much further as I got completely lost several times. But that meant I spoke to loads of locals and I saw lots of suburban Auckland. Had yummy pie n hot choc on the way, though; met up with Jean's brother Tom in quaintly named 'The Bog' Irish bar; had best scallops I've ever eaten before; and today I've been to Rangitoto Island - which didn't exist until it rose out of the sea in a volcanic eruption 600 years ago.
Now I'm drawing breath before I head north on Wednesday on a 'magic bus'. The weather isn't brilliant, so don't be too envious - it's raining at the mo' (but not cold, hoorah!).
Just off to hang around the naval base... on that note, Helen and Dave, please note that the bananas here are twice the size of those in Vietnam... memories of Eckernforde Naval Base...!!

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Extra

Just a quick blog, as the last 48 hours have been noteworthy for some highs and one low - let's get that over with...
If you can imagine me cowering in the back corner of a boat, screaming (to my shame, sorry, folks) "sh*t, sh*t, don't let them bring it on the boat" repeatedly in a high, shrill voice, you'll know that while I seem to have conquered my chicken phobia on this trip, the same hasn't happened about the snakes... The theory of deep breathing and thinking how fascinating they are went straight out of the window, as a little boat approached with one draped around a little girl's shoulders. Hysteria set in, and although the offending reptile was hurriedly shooed away, it took a while for the knots in my stomach to untie themselves. Back to the drawing board, or therapist, I'm afraid, if I'm ever to venture to India or Africa. New Zealand gets ever more attractive, and Australia less so...
The highs were compensatory, though - the best being a meal in a little village cooked by a family for us, ending in a dancing session with the 16 children (3 sets of parents!). A mixture of western disco, hokey cokey and asian dance - all waving fingers and bobbing up and down in a sexy (well, we tried!) way. Loads of fun and a definite highlight.
The Dancing Road from Siem Reap (sic - I've misspelled it before, sorry) to the border with Thailand lived up to its name - about 100 miles took over 4 hours. It has been known to take 9, so it's improving!
It's the king of Thailand's 80th birthday today, and he is well-loved. All his subjects (and I mean EVERYONE), is wearing a yellow shirt in his honour - he was born on a Monday, which is a yellow day here, apparently. So the streets are a sea of yellow. Luckily it suits the Thai complexion.
That's all for now, folks, just need to say 'ouch' to Pete's punny comment on previous blog - 'Angkor management' - oh, you do take after your father!
See y'all in Auckland...

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The Kingdom of Cambodia - Angkor Wat

I'm playing catch-up now - we have been in Cambodia for a few days now. We travelled from Saigon to Phnom Penh on a public bus. This was quite disappointing, as I had pictured us crowded in, hanging out of the windows, sharing our seats with varied farm animals and grubby children. In fact it was an air-conditioned en-suite coach, shared with elegant Cambodians (Khmer people). Doh! Despite the fact that Cambodia is a VERY poor country, our facilities here are good - they are developing the tourist industry with foreign, e.g. Korean money, and we are staying in a fairly swish hotel (I have a window and a hot shower!). It's my turn to have the single room - we three single girls have been alternating, which has worked out well as you are not as isolated as you could be alone, but every few days you get some privacy...
Back to Cambodia (was Kampuchea) - very poor, with a corrupt government. Our guide warned us to ask political questions one-to-one rather than in the group, as he had to watch what he said... Scary. The people here look very different from the Vietnamese - much darker skinned, with longer features. We are now dealing in US dollars, with change under a dollar given in local currency (can't tell you what it's called as it's written in sanscrit...). I was a millionaire in Vietnam, one million dong being the equivalent of about 30 pounds sterling. The local teachers here earn $60 a month; most people live on 50 cents a day.
The countryside is lovely - like a bowl, hills around the South and North West, flat in the centre. The roads are very rough and dusty.
Phnom Penh was a difficult place to visit in some ways. We visited an orphanage one day, and the next we went to Tuol Sleng - the genocide museum, and saw where prisoners were held during the rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Only 7 people survived imprisonment. The rest were tortured until they died or confessed and gave information on others, at which point they were killed. Then we went out to see the Killing Fields; the mass graves and hundreds of skulls and bones piled high. As you walk the dusty paths, you can see bones emerging beneath your feet.
On Saturday we flew on to Siem Riep - home of Angkor Wat and many more temples. This is definitely on the list of places one should visit. But not in the hot season! It is roasting here now, so must be unbearable in the summer. We rose at 4am yesterday to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat (that's me there in the first picture). Unfortunately, just as the sun was about to appear, a cloud covered it completely! Hmmm. A thousand cameras put back in their cases! But we carried on and visited several temples - Angkor Wat lived up to its reputation and was truly awesome. The second temple was interesting as it has been left in mainly original condition, overgrown by jungle. The group photo shows one of the trees growing into the buildings. This is where 'Tomb Raider' was filmed, for all you movie buffs. We saw five temples in all - a small fraction of the ones there, but these each had unique features. One of them was only open to males if they had permission from a female to enter - women are top dogs in Cambodia - only recently have they had male generals in the army, according to our guide. Think I'll stay here... The third picture was taken at Angkor Thom - a 3km sq walled and moated city (never seen such wide moats, by the way). I chatted to this local, but he was very stony-faced and didn't reply...
We then visited a land mines museum. Not much to say about that as you can imagine it for yourselves...
We lightened our mood by watching sunset (no clouds this time) over another temple. This was enlivened by my purchase of a whistle (recorder-type, not referee!) from a small boy who then delighted me by singing 'doh a deer' from start to finish. I managed to record most of it on my phone (hoorah, at last, justification for having a multi-functional phone!)
We had dinner in a restaurant with a display of Apsara dancing - this was a highlight of the trip for me, the girls were so beautiful and moved so gracefully; the boys were agile and cheeky. The dancing was in turn dignified and then flirtatious.
Some of the group then embarked on a mission to complete the 24 hour marathon - intending to party until the next dawn came up. I was dead on my feet - the heat and lack of sleep finished me off. I haven't heard whether they made it, no one has emerged for breakfast yet!
Sorry this has been so long. It's probably my last from S.E.Asia, as we go back to Bangkok tomorrow via the Dancing Road (named thus because of the bumpiness of the ride, I'm told), and then on Thursday I leave for Auckland. Really looking forward to that.
I'll reflect on the whole of my trip in a separate blog - impressions overall of Indochina, feelings about group travel vs lone travelling...
My travels in New Zealand will not be so frantic, so my blogging will be more leisurely. I've missed so much out of the past 4 weeks, but I've still written more than enough for anyone's attention-span. Thanks for reading thus far, and for your many interesting and amusing comments. Hang in there - see you again when I'm in NZ!

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Hoi An and on to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

A few days have passed I see since I last 'blogged'. Quite busy, so I'll try and precis it for you...
Great drive from Hue to Hoi An, which is on the coast. We went over the Hai Van Pass - hairpin bends through mountains on the coastline - quite beautiful, with waterfalls and trees. We stopped at a beach, where I paddled (of course!), but nearly came to grief as a sudden huge wave nearly knocked me over. All I suffered was a damp skirt and injured pride, however. We stayed in Hoi An for a couple of full days. They are recovering from much worse than usual flooding. We had a cycle ride through the countryside (I managed not to get arrested this time!) and were on paths which had been 4ft under water 7 days ago (see picture of me crossing a makeshift bridge over the floods). It has been just as bad in the town - in order to get to our restaurant that evening, we had to climb over a pathway made of dining chairs, as the water was up to our knees!
Hoi An is 'bite city' - maybe because of the flood waters. We have all had nibbles taken out of us, and I have some lovely red patches all over my legs and feet. Nothing that alternate applications of antihisan and tiger balm (maybe from one of the tigers beaten by the elephants previously?!) can't sort out. This is also the place to get clothes hand made. There are probably a hundred shops, maybe even more, which offer to make up anything from a pattern within 24 hours. The shopkeepers are very persistent and I find it tiresome - you can't look at any wares without someone saying 'you buy from my shop, please'? with the result that I pass by quickly and don't see anything. So I wasn't too impressed with Hoi An, although it was a favourite with some of my companions - the shoppers! The coastline between Da Nang, where the Americans landed, and Hoi An is being massively developed - you won't recognise the place in ten years' time, which is a shame, but will bring them some properity, I guess.
We are now in Ho Chi Minh City (was Saigon, and all the locals still call it that). The traffic here is 'mental' (expression used often by my young fellow travellers). Four million motorbikes in the city - new career choice - motorcycle mechanic iin Saigon? - see picture. This is the biggest city in Vietnam, but not the capital (Ha Noi, you recall!). We have been to visit the Cu Chi tunnels today - must admit that I chickened out of going down. This is a network of tunnels with living quarters too, on 3 levels underground, where the Viet Cong (South Vietnamese who were aligned with the North) hung out with some villagers too. The VC were very small, so the tunnels are extremely narrow - the lowest level are for crawling... shudder. I've since been to the War Remnants museum, which shows, amongst lots of war memorabilia, the ongoing deformities caused by agent orange. What justification can there possibly be for chemical warfare, I wonder...
To end on a lighter note, I'm impressed by the two-person bikes here - only two wheels, but two saddles (one over the rear wheel) and elongated pedals so that you can both pedal together. Looks fun!
Going to try and attach the photos now - a slow business. Off to Cambodia in the morning - Pnomh Penh (not sure if that's the correct spelling, I'll let you know).
Thanks for all the news from home, enjoying it, keep it coming!
PS The third picture is especially for you, Bill, the musical dustcart - video is on my phone, will play it on request on my return... it sounds like an ice cream van and lets people know to bring out their rubbish - ingenious. Hope there's enough detail for identification!!
PPS I'm getting really good with chickens - you have to be in Vietnam - there's one heck of a lot of 'em!!

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Confused?

Sorry, my last blog must have puzzled you all. The missing pictures were of a row of western-style toilets and a row of squat toilets, with no walls or doors between. Like something out of a recurring nightmare. What wimps we are in the west...
I had a fabulous day yesterday. We had spent the night on the Reunification Express train from Ha Noi to Hue, the old capital. Not much sleep, much frivolity and alcohol - not on my part as I didn't trust alcohol at about one pound a bottle... We were a couple of hours late in the morning (trains run on morris time here!), but set out anyway on a tour of the sights of Hue on mootorbikes. It was such fun - exciting, but relatively safe. My driver was very reassuring, weaving his way through the traffic with great skill. I enjoyed melding (is that a word or have I made it up?) with the bike, so that when we went round a bend I went with it instead of trying to right it as we leaned...
Lots of interesting things here - but lots of bomb damage - see picture. This is just about where the divide was between North and South Vietnam. 85% of the Citadel complex was destroyed - it's being rebuilt. We were banned from one garden area, as it has not been cleared of landmines yet. Very sobering.
We visited a village to see a special little bridge, but I was more interested in the loudspeaker announcements. I assumed it was propaganda. Wrong. It was a reading of the day's newspapers, so that people working in the fields who can't read or write can keep up to date with the news.
We also went to a nunnery where we had a huge vegetarian spread. Possibly the best soup I've ever had, but accompanied by a bright green 'dumpling' bread-like. Tasty, if you could get past the colour... I now also know how to make incense sticks. New career option?!
We visited some wartime fortifications, surrounded by flowers.Instead of 'Guns n Roses' think 'Bunkers n Daisies'!
Then on to the only coliseum in Asia. Tigers and elephants used to fight there - but it was fixed so that the elephant always won, as he represented the king.
Rounded it off with a boat trip on the Perfumed River.
A perfect day, even though it rained all the time. A gentle, warm rain though. We were very lucky, as this time last week a lot of the town and surroundings were under water. The rainy season started late and ended late..
Off to the seaside today hoorah! - next stop Hoi An via Da Nang.

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Togetherness

I thought the first lot were bad enough, but the second ... are they strange, or are we? It's natural,after all, we all have to do it. But standards vary; I've seen people sitting in the street here picking nits out of each others' hair in public... But if I seem negative, let me redress the balance by telling you that the peoplehere in Ha Noi are SO friendly and helpful. I was interviewed today by three students (sorry guys, forgot to take their photo, and they were stunningly beautiful), trying to improve their already very good English. We chatted for about an hour, it was such fun. We agreed that they should delay getting married and having lots of babies (one of them wants eleven!!) until they have graduated and then travelled... They couldn't understand why I was sitting in the sun - they stay out of it in an effort to keep their skin a lighter colour!
I have had a really great day today. It was 'free time', so I broke away on my own. I'm attaching some street pictures from here. They show the difficulties when trying to cross the road here - note the local girl inbetween the bikes! You have to remember that when they hoot you they mean 'watch out, I'm here' and not 'get out of my way' - if you jump or deviate from your chosen path, you are doomed.
It is fun finding my way around. I see much more detail than when we're in a group, when I tend to be 'sheepish'. I bought a proper map of the town, and wandered around, visiting Confucious at the Temple of Literature. I then sat in a park and watched the locals exercising. It was an oasis of calm in a mad, teeming city. Everyone seemed calm and happy, except a young man with his head in his hands.I hope he was just meditating.
Off to get overnight train in a minute, so am now going to try and attach pictures - takes ages! Bye or should I say "Dam bee-uht" fonetically, of course...

Oops I don't think any of my pictures will upload - darn it! Sorry,will try again in a coupla days...
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Ha Noi, Viet Nam + culture shock

Hi everyone, just back from an evening at 'Funky Monkey' bar in Ha Noi. They start early and close early here - 11.30 finish. Bit disappointing - no-one over the age of 30 there to talk to, let alone dance with. Does no-one approaching my age like club music? (Excluding Jivin Jon n Dancing Dave of course).
So much to tell you since my last missive. Our night in the homestay in a Laos village was 'interesting'. We stayed in two rooms in a family home - they set out thin mattresses with mosquito nets in rows - we looked like larvae in cocoons! No mod cons except one toilet and a cold tap with river water. But they cooked us a fabulous meal, and we had a good time with them. The locals are friendly without exception. (See picture of village children.) The grandmother of the house came and put her arm around me and made me very welcome. They live in a hut raised above the ground, next to the river. Their boats are engine casings from B52 bombers, with outboard engines attached. View of river by village attached.
We then moved on to Viet Nam, which was a complete shock to our systems - firstly, IT RAINED. The border was in the mountains, and it was wet and misty and chilly. Then the terrain changed from lovely green mountains to flat brown plains, with continuous houses and traffic. The population is huge here, in contrast to Laos. There are practically no private cars - just buses, trucks, motor bikes and bicycles. Sometimes there are up to 6 people on a motor bike. If it's raining, they cover up the whole family with a cape, so the poor children in the middle see nothing. I was in the front seat of the bus for a while - terrifying, as there are no rules. The driver sees a gap (on either side of the road), toots his horn, and goes for it, weaving in between bikes and trucks coming from any direction. The same is true for crossing a road on foot - you have to move continuously, trusting that traffic will find a way around you. If you hesitate, you are lost...
So we had a grey, scary first day, and were all pretty depressed.
But the next day it all changed when we got to Halong Bay on the East coast. The sun came out and we sailed forth into a sparkling sea, between rocky, green hilly islands, stopping at one for a swim. I climbed to the pagoda at the top of the island (400+ steps), and earned my swim. We stayed on board for the night, eating a nine course meal for lunch, and a ten-course one for dinner. Have no fears for me, dear friends, I am eating very well and am in no danger of wasting away... Third picture is of sunset over Halong Bay.
Today we have come to Ha Noi - the capital of Viet Nam.It is a very busy city, but still not too Western. I find each new city very daunting at first, and cannot imagine finding my way around alone. But within a few hours I feel more confident and am ready to explore. We went to see a performance of the water puppets this evening. Very entertaining, I thought (the younger members of our party were bored to death). I found the music interesting - the stringed instrument was like a banjo in places, and the singing quite beautiful. One scene of the puppets had 8 of them dancing in formation - just like the Jemmers, really!
This city is so noisy - the horns are blaring continuously, and the pavements are full of either parked motorbikes, or people eating. There seems to be food everywhere - seemingly you can just set up a little barbecue anywhere you like and cook on it. Maybe this is my new career... ok, ok, first I have to learn to cook.
It is now twenty past midnight and my two 'roomies' went to bed an hour ago, so I'd better creep in and join them. Wehave a couple of days in Ha Noi before setting forth on our second train overnighter ('something you only want to do once', according to our guide. Might 'speak' toyou again before that... Good night all!

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Vientiane - capital city of Laos

Thought I'd show you the tree house I stayed in in Luaing Prabang. I spent a while yesterday morning sitting overlooking the river, supping a cold, freshly squeezed banana shake... bliss!
The plane going from Luaing Prabang to Vientiane wasn't too small after all - 54 seats, and we had a smooth flight with the scenery changing from lush forested hillsides to brown and green plains. We are on the border with Thailand again - divided only by the Mekong river. Our hotel is fairly standard for a city - hot and cold water - literally, hot last night, cold this morning! Having settled in, we all set off for a temple visit. However, we had trouble finding a tuc-tuc, and ended up cramming 11 of us into a space designed for 6. Cosy! I ended up on someone's knee at the open back of the bench, hanging on desperately to the roll-bar as we hurtled round corners. Picture shows normal loading of 6.
The temple (pictured) is the most important monument in Laos, so that was interesting, particularly a beautifully decorated room like a ballroom, where the children are educated at times. It reminded me of the dancehall in Luckenback, Texas!! (totally different decoration, of course, but there was something about it...)
We then walked back to the Patuxan - this looks like the Arc de Triomphe; it was half built; they ran out of money. Then the Americans came to build an airfield during the Vietnam conflict, and hey presto, some of the concrete mysteriously disappeared and the Arc was completed. The locals call it the 'vertical runway'! I had to climb the stairs inside to the top, of course, but had been delayed by the essential purchase of an ice-cream - got left behind the others, and ended up descending in darkness as they closed up for the night - close shave! Good view from the top, though!
We decided on a Western meal last night for a change. I ordered steak and mashed potatoes. They brought chips by mistake, and when I pointed this out they took my plate away, returning 20 minutes later having mashed up the chips. Hmmm, tasty enough, - bit like fried potato - but I could have done that myself and more quickly...
Tonight we watch the sun set over the Mekong, and sip a cocktail or two - I had another Singapore Sling last night - not as good as at Raffles. My 'Blue Lagoon' was better... looked like a rather posh WKD Blue; very refreshing.
Tomorrow night is our 'homestay' night - sleeping in a village hut, apparently. Dormitory accommodation, no showers and squat toilets. Bit like a morris weekend really...
Have a good weekend, everyone...

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Arrested...

Well, I've had my first REAL adventure! I've been taken to the police station and questioned!! We are staying in Luang Prabang, the old capital of Laos. A small town where two rivers meet - the Mekong and the Nam Khan. Our bungalows (very comfortable, by the way, raised off the ground, with huge bathrooms and almost hot water!) are a little way out of town. This being a free day I decided to strike out on my own on a bike (yes, I know, I never ride one, but you have to try these things...). Picture hopefully attached - note the bike matches my T-shirt. Anyway, I'm merrily cycling along when two men in uniform on a motorbike gesture to me to stop. They then instruct me to follow them to the 'tourist police' station, (picture me, a non-cyclist, wobbling along behind them, trying to keep up with a motorbike, weaving through local traffic) where they tell me it's now, since 3 weeks ago, illegal for foreigners to ride bikes in Luang Prabang. This is all in very pidgin English, with me wondering what the 'heck' I've done wrong. They then confiscate my bike and tell me to get a tuc-tuc back to the hotel and give the owner a docket and tell him to visit the police station. I protest (I'm so assertive these days!) and ask them to take me back, and after a discussion amongst themselves, one of them volunteers to take me. So I arrive back on the back of a police bike. Hoo-ey, this is living!
The rest of my blog pales into insignificance! First let me thank you all for your comments- sorry I'm not replying individually, the time on the internet seems to fly by, but I'm really enjoying them, and don't forget to tell me what YOU'RE doing too!
We had a lovely couple of days cruising down the Mekong, calling in at a couple of villages on the way where the hill tribes have come down to live by the river. The adults go off to work in the fields, and the children look after each other. There is no tv or birth-control, so there are loads of children, all very happy to see us, calling out 'sabaahdi' - 'hello'. I'm going to try and add pictures of the river boat, and me grinding grain. As you can see, it is hot, but not unbearable, and we have had some rain. It feels strange, though, trooping through someone's village, taking photos - I wonder how I'd feel if someone took pictures of me going about my everyday life?
Yesterday we went on a 2.5 hour trek through a forest to some waterfalls. The journey to the start of the trek was interesting, to say the least, in a tuc-tuc (like a jeep, but less posh, with 6 of us on sideways benches). We went down dirt tracks with what seemed like massive craters we sometimes avoided, sometimes not - kept bumping my head on the metal roll-bar! It reminded me of the Rhodes off-track adventure with Steve... The trek was great, very tropical but no scary wildlife. We stopped at a school where the girls were playing a game which we used to play too - I'm attaching a photo - so I asked to have a go, and they were amused at my efforts not to get entangled in their elastic skipping rope. At the end of the trek, which was enlivened by a stop where our guide, Mr Jan, sang us a local song - the Lao people all sing apparently, karaoke is BIG here!, we swam at the bottom of the waterfall - so refreshing. Then to a bear preservation area... Last night we had a typical Lao meal - riverweed with sticky rice and dips (you roll the rice into a ball in your hand and dip it) then a huge fish (absolutely delicious) steamed in banana leaves with various veggies. Then for dessert we had raw rice (it's all round grain in this area) which is dark purple and looks like Christmas pudding, with a tamarind dip and local fruits - can't remember their names except papaya and the tamarind, which looks like a broad bean, but is like a row of figs inside... This meal I have to say was not exactly to my taste, but hey, I tried it. I did have wonderful pineapple crush drink, though, with a foamy head, and ice cold - mmmmmmm! This morning, following my adventure with the men in uniform, I hopped a lift on the back of the hotel-owner's motorbike and came into the town, climbing up to the temple on top of a hill - I always have to get to the highest point! Many steps in great heat, but wow, definitely worth it for the view over both rivers and the nearby hills. It is quite beautiful in Laos - so green. The scenery on the river trip was similar all the way - vast forests with small beach areas where peanuts grow in the sand. Everyone waves as you go by...
That's it for now, off to Ventiane, the current capital, tomorrow. On a 'smallish' plane, we're told.. more adventure, hoorah! Your intrepid reporter signing off for now...

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Adventures!

Never volunteer, they say. So how did I end up balanced precariously on the neck of an elephant with no handholds in sight? It started off ok-ish, with me cuddled up behind elephant boy, arms around his waist. But after not very far, he suddenly slides off, leaving me perched there in panic. It is actually ok on the straight, or going uphill, when you can lean forward and rest your hands on the top of his head. Going downhill is another matter - there's nothing between you and the ground about 40ft (seemingly) below. So I've added another skill to my cv... circus, here I come...!
It is so busy at the moment, our feet hardly touch the ground. We had a good overnighter on the train to Chiang Mai, where I mastered the squat toilet (thanks for all the tips, Marie); no mishaps thus far, by dint of balancing against the wall where possible. The group bonded a bit as we were close-quartered. An interesting group, mainly young, 3 couples, 6 lone travellers; some starting travels, some on last lap. Much exchange of info and experiences.
After the elephant ride yesterday we then had rides on boats made of 4 long bamboo shoots tied together, 2 to a boat, going over very gentle rapids - more like 'slows', really. But we did get wet - shorts and undies soaked through; no fun sitting on bus afterwards... then on to a temple in the evening where we saw and heard monks chanting, and also a ceremony with everyone wearing white robes. This was at the end of a road up the mountain, with 99 hairpins bends allegedly. We were in an open-sided truck, and I felt pretty queasy by the time we got up there...
Today we've driven up country to Chiang Khong, via a cashew factory (that's the second picture - I never knew they grew on the end of a fruit like that), then the White Temple - built by a young man who has travelled and incorporated modern ideas and pictures - not to everyone's taste, but certainly different. My pictures of the temples so far have been disappointing, really - nothing looks as good as the original. You'll have to look at guide books to see them - all you'll get here is MY view of everything.
I feel a bit rushed at the moment - but I am getting better at packing my backpack. Thanks go to Sylvia and Sandra for the vacuum bags - my clothes pack up fairly small. Pity the bags don't reduce the weight as well as the size! Our next couple of days will be more relaxed - two days on the Mekong River, into Laos. By the way, thanks for not correcting me earlier - Laos is the country, Lao the people and language.
Loads more to say, but less is more, they say, so suffice it to say I'm having a wonderful time, wondering what I did right to be so lucky, I'm out of touch for a couple of days at least, but keep the comments and emails coming, really appreciate them...

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Bangkok

No picture today; no camera to pc lead on me, must remember to carry it! Bangkok is totally different from Singapore. Practically nothing in English. Roads packed with traffic and people. Mostly no official crossings - you have to just step into the road and hope they stop. I try and position myself between two locals, and go with them... I wandered around yesterday and found a park with an outdoor gym; there were also posts with pictures of exercises, so people jog around and stop to do these. I refrained from these as I seem to be walking miles on my travels (didn't get lost this time, though, despite road names being indecipherable). Did I say things were cheap in Singapore ... well, last night in Bangkok I bought two bottles of drink for 25 baht (about 37p), and my evening meal cost me less than a pound. We've had a klong ride today (fast-moving, low-slung boat on canals); interesting mix of shacks (but many, strangely, with ironing boards) alongside more affluent properties and magnificent temples. The sun constantly shines - it's about 85C. We went to Wat Po - the biggest buddha - truly awesome! Then my 'roomy' Rachael and I went for a Thai massage. Quite painful, she stretched me into positions I wouldn't have thought possible. But I survived and feel very relaxed. All for about 4 pounds, sorry Emily! Hey guys, this certainly beats working!! We're off on an overnight train to Chiang Mai tonight. Scott, our guide, says this one's ok - there's one later in the trip which you'd only want to do once - can't wait for that! Bye for now!

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So long Singapore

So Pete gets the prize for spotting my 'Cecil St' sign in the previous blog - yes, it doesn't leave room for much more in my backpack... This is me, (well, you know that,) on Sentosa Beach, having the obligatory, warmer than usual, paddle. Sentosa Island is a bit like Disneyworld - there is piped music everywhere you go. But it does have a tall tower (love 'em), and you do get to walk inside a (stone) lion's mouth... I was very pleased to have another travelling companion, a Dutch girl called Nicolien, who reassured me when we had to go in an enclosed lift, and went first through the jungle exhibit in case of legless reptiles.
Curious aside here, I'm surprised to find that there are squat toilets even in the airport and smart malls - some women choose to use these... maybe they are more hygienic? Or just a habit. Can't wait to try them out on my tour...
You may not hear from me for a while now - I'm going off to Bangkok in the morning to start my Indochina tour and the internet opportunities may be few and far between. So you can take a break from these - a bientot, or is it sayanara - probably neither... bye!

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The Real Singapore

I'm lucky enough to have no spatial awareness - i.e. I get lost easily. This is a great advantage when you're travelling, as you get to see so much more... I must have walked ten miles today, through dockyards (I was sure the Harbourfront attraction was down there), uncharted parks, downmarket markets and so on. I can't get over how clean EVERYWHERE seems to be - no-one eats or drinks in public, so there's no litter. Having said that, we did see a rat running around on the first evening in a fish and meat market, but hey, it's all protein... I indulged myself this evening with a 30 min reflexology session - this cost approx five pounds. Quite ferocious at times, but feet feel fantastic now. Having spent such a fortune, I cut back on my evening meal, spending S$5 (approx 1.7 pounds) on a three course meal (soup, lemon chicken and rice, and an unidentifiable dessert which looked like lentil soup, but was slightly sweeter). Last day here tomorrow - feels like home already. Keep feeding the cat, Alex; she won't thank you for it, she'll take it for granted, but it may stop her bringing in the odd mouse or bird...

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Raffles

So here's me sipping my Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel. Cheers! After a 12 hour snooze I took the MRT train from my rather down-market area (food is cheap near the hostel - S$5 for a plateful of tasty noodles) to the river, where there were dragonboat races going on. They have a great method of 'cox'ing - a huge drum which is banged to give the oarspeople their timing. The British team had already been eliminated...! Then onto a boat for a river tour - realised that Singapore is all about high rise business, restaurants and night life. They are very proud of their success. You have to search a bit for native culture - it is very multicultural. My dorm-buddies at the hostel are from Vietnam. They stay up late and watch movies like 'Kill Bill' at top volume, so I'm glad of my earplugs and mask! My buddy is leaving for Phuket this morning, so I'm going to try going over to the island... Thanks for your comments, keep 'em coming!

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I've really gone!

Well folks, here I am in Singapore - quite a miracle as I managed to go to the wrong terminal at Manchester, then set off the x-ray machine by forgetting about my mobile phone... oops! Isn't it amazing how a huge lump of metal full of people can get off the ground - it's magic, isn't it!!! I have a new friend Marsha, from Canada, with whom I explored Chinatown through a haze of jetlag this morning. Off out now for water and noodles...

Final preparations

Less than 24 hours to go - can I possibly get all this stuff into my
backpack? Yes, just about - but can I lift it? Yes, just about!!! Can't
think of anything I can take out. The trouble with 'adult' gapping is that
you seem to need so much more medication - but hey, I can jettison most of
it when I reach New Zealand, hopefully. How big are the mozzies there?! The
biggest weight at the moment is (are?) the butterflies in my tum - I'm
getting very excited, and can't believe the moment has almost arrived...
just hope the alarm goes off tomorrow morning. Thanks to all who've
encouraged me and got me to this point - hope I live up to your
expectations. So bye for now to all my family and friends, and hello to all
the ones out there, happily unaware that they will be crossing my path...!!!

Countdown

7 working days to go - I fly to Singapore 3 weeks today!!! I am now at the start of the 'last time for a while', and saying 'bye for now' to people. How lucky I am to have so many lovely friends - how I shall miss you all…

But I am really excited too, and can't wait to set off into the unknown with my pack on my back. Thinking of what to take (and the much longer list of what NOT to take) does focus the mind on what's important. It's a bit like 'what would you save in a fire?'. We seem to spend our lives working excessive hours to earn the money to buy things we need to make life easier because we're working excessive hours… (draw breath now).

At home I have a wardrobe full of clothes but don't seem to have the right thing when an occasion comes up... It will be interesting to see how I cope with only 2 of each item of clothing, if that! I hope I shall be judged for who I am, rather than what I wear!

Sorry, hope you don't get too fed up with my ramblings, they should get more interesting when I'm on my way, so hang in there, dear reader!

Flowers in my garden!

Alex has kindly set up my phone so I can email directly to this blog, attaching a photo from the phone. Amazing! No need to search for internet cafes... So here goes... my nasturtiums!

Serendipity and plans

I was out in Hayfield last night with the noisy pub crowd (Charles, Dancing Dave, Julie, John, Lisa) and met a new friend, Kath, who is moving to New Zealand soon, and also has a sister who is in WOOF (working on organic farms). Serendipity!

Perhaps I ought to mention my outline plans at this stage - set off November 2nd; 5 weeks touring Thailand, Laos (did you know it's pronounced Lao without the 's'? I didn't...), Vietnam and Cambodia.
Then on to New Zealand at the beginning of December, hostelling, hoping to do walking and pick up some work along the way (hence my interest in WOOF, above); then Oz, then USA. Plans very fluid... watch this space.

Taylor's blog etc

I'm so excited because Taylor has put me on her blog and linked to me.
Thanks, Taylor! I shall bask in your reflected glory... I'm just trying to
work out how to return the favour and put a link in mine to yours
(www.taylorgiacoma.blogspot.com for my readers)- far too techie for me!

I'm making progress, folks - have had some jabs; not too nasty so far -
luckily I don't seem to react or be allergic to things (fingers crossed) -
hope the malaria tablets will be equally painless in effect.
I've got my visa for Vietnam and my international driving licence (it's
clean thus far!!!), and the building society are in the process of throwing
money at me.
Big problem now - how to personalise my very boringly black backpack. It's
just not me! I need flowers, smiley faces, pinks, yellows ... any
suggestions, please?

I'm testing adding a photo - this is my father and my granddaughter - simply
because I like the photo and want to share it with you all...

First blog

OK, with just over 3 months to go, I'm ticking 'set up blog' off the list. Hoping to have time to play with this and learn how to use it easily before I take off on my adventure.



The idea is to set up an online diary, and give the address out to anyone who asks for it. I don't want to bore you all with my travels, but since you have been kind enough to show an interest I'll put the info out there - you can choose to read it or not!



Hope you find it interesting. I'll try to keep it positive whatever the conditions. Please feel free to post any messages - they will be most welcome.