SE Asia 2006

We're back!

2006-04-03T03:13:00.000+07:00

We've actually been back three weeks now but it's taken this long to catch up with everything.

Send us an email or give us a call and let us know how you all are. We're looking forward to catching up with everyone we've not seen already.

A Flickr site will follow shortly with all our pics.

To the border

2006-02-23T14:11:00.000+07:00

After a break-neck tour of Cambodia with so many early starts the trip to the border was the earliest start of them all: 4.15am, in order to beat the heat.

We travelled in the back of pick-up trucks along rutted dirt roads to the border, watching the sun rise as we travelled east and saw rustic Cambodia slowly spring to life.

Kate and Kath on the truck

The border crossing was painless and suddenly we were in Thailand, mucky brown from all the dust mingled with sweat! The air-con vans to Bangkok were a blessing.

Time to get some serious shopping in, catch a film with waitress service in VIP seats and then we fly to Phuket tomorrow to soak up the sun and catch up on some much needed sleep.

See you all in a week!

Majestic Angkor

2006-02-23T13:41:00.000+07:00

Getting up at 5am was worth it. We'll let the photos do the talking...

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Our group at the Tomb Raider temple

Titanic

2006-02-20T16:35:00.000+07:00

What a journey! It began with a super early at 5.45 to get to the speed boat launch for the trip to Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat. The restaurant near the launch was somewhat inappropriately named "Titanic".

The journey was beautiful: through Cambodian countryside, past floating villages; shacks lined the river banks, raised several metres on stilts to escape the wet season waters when the flow of the river reverses and goes from the Mekong delta to fill up lake Tonlé Sap.

The boat was like an enhanced narrow boat and we spent the early morning sunbathing on the roof. About midday, Kate and I went downstairs to escape the burning sun, only to be greeted by a 'pop' as the rear of the boat filled rapidly with acrid, black smoke. The pilot and crew, who didn't, or wouldn't, speak a word of English, went to the back and tinkered with their spanners as we floated aimlessly. We went outside to the fresher, but baking air. There was no land in sight and the boat started listing significantly to one side. After thirty minutes, the sun drove us inside, only to discover water seeping up through the bolts on the steel floor. No lifejackets. No lifeboats. No working radio. No phone signal. The crew were nowhere to be seen, still fiddling with the engine. People were becoming noticably agitated.

An hour later, there was a click. Then, a thud. The engines chugged into gear and the boat sped forward, to everyone's applause and the bilge pumps started working overtime.

We were transferred to several smaller boats when we hit the northern side of the lake to take us up-river, past the amazing floating villages, and incredible poverty, towards the pick-up point where hoardes of tuk-tuks, beggars, pick-pockets and bag porters all clammered for our dollars.

We made it safely to Siem Reap but in my worst nightmares, we're still trying to swim for shore.

The Killing Fields

2006-02-18T16:49:00.000+07:00

There are several sites around Phnom Penh which tell two stories: one of a majestic, powerful empire which ruled one thousand years ago, covering much of south-east Asia and build the temples such as Angkor Wat; and another of a period from 1965 to 1998 where first the Americans and then people of their own flesh and blood, the Khmer Rouge, systematically murdered the Cambodians.

It's hard to put any of this into words, apart from to say that today was a day where we really discovered the inexplicable evil that humans can do. Even more so than visiting the various war sites around Vietnam.

Everyone was silent as we walked around the prison S-21, now a museum, which housed Pol Pot's interoggaters and torturers. The pictures on the walls showed the place, and the bodies, as they were found when the Vietnamese finally kicked out the Khmer Rouge from Phnom Penh in 1979.

We followed the route along which the prisoners were taken to one of the nearby killing fields. A commemoration tower stands straight, filled with 8,000 battered skulls, all dug from the surrounding fields. The holes of the mass graves are still visible with the occasional bone and cloth still embedded in the hardened mud.

Surprisingly, many of the high ranking leaders of the Khmer Rouge hold government positions after defecting and have never been brought to account for their crimes.

Cambodia is still suffering, although since the death of Pol Pot in 1998 things are slowly improving. The wars destroyed much of the farmland and irrigation systems: so crucial in such a sweltering hot country. The land mines are still killing and maiming although through international efforts most seem to have been recovered.

There are beggars everywhere. Many are children and many others horribly deformed or mutilated from the war. Despite that, the Cambodians are mostly incredibly friendly and the kids, once you get past the "One dollar. You buy my postcards? One dollar." line, have a great sense of fun and humour.

Goodnight, Vietnam!

2006-02-16T21:21:00.000+07:00

It's time to pack our bags and head west into deepest, darkest Cambodia.

We've successfully met up with our tour which leaves tomorrow at 5.45am. No time to write about Saigon now but it's been wonderful and a fascinating, and at times horrible, insight into Vietnam's history.

We may not have time to do any updates over the next week so you'll have to wait for the plethora when we arrive in Bangkok in seven days.

Cu Chi

2006-02-14T20:43:00.000+07:00

The big daddy of the Vinh Moc tunnels: Cu Chi's tunnels are a huge network spanning hundreds of kilometres underground.

They were built by the Viet Minh (the same as the Viet Cong, but an earlier name for them) during the French War. Subsequently, they were used to fight against the Americans, to devastating effect. The tunnels were so well hidden that one of them famously had an entrance/exit in the middle of an American base. It stayed undiscovered for years.

The day was moving and one that really hit home the horror of war; more so than anywhere else we visited.

We were shown a vast array of booby traps, designed to horrificly injure, debilitate, disfigure and sometimes, if the victim was lucky, to kill. From simple spikes stuck in a rice paddy and hidden by the water, to welcome US parachutists as they land; to traps which encased someone's leg, ramming spikes down the entire length; to beds of eight inch iron nails which would swing down and impale a US soldier kicking open a door.

Dotted around were rifleman points: holes in the ground, camouflaged by a wooden lid covered in leaves. A Viet Cong would wait to hear the Americans pass over before popping his or her head out and shooting them in the back. A tunnel led them to safety. The Vietnamese are significantly smaller than Westerners: Mark could only get in this far!

Tanks were left abandoned, their tracks blown off by a mine. We could still see the bullet marks around the sides and turret, tracing the path of the American occupants trying to flee.

Only 100m of the tunnels are open: the rest are home to snakes and other wild animals. 100m was enough.

Entrances every 30m were used by most of the tour group to escape the cloying humidity and the immense claustrophobia as the clay walls clamped down on our limbs. We crawled through virtual darkness on our hands and knees. The only awareness of others in the tunnel came from headbutting the bum of the person in front as they navigated through the blackness.

It was eerie and disturbing to emerge out of the tunnels into a small hut to the sounds of nearby gunfire. It was only the nearby rifle range but the noise was phenomenal and we felt like we'd gone back in time thirty years. It was only a glimpse of what it was like during the war, but enough to know that we never want to be involved.

Given this, Mark was reluctant to have a go on the rifle range but it was too good an opportunity to miss. Paying an exhorbitant five dollars got five bullets for an AK47 which Mark fired into a cow at 20 metres. A picture of a cow that is...the rumours of firing bazookas at grazing cows appeared unfounded.

Mui Ne

2006-02-13T19:00:00.000+07:00

At first appearances, Mui Ne is pretty dull. It's a 15km strip of beach resorts and not much else.

Mark wanted to do some windsurfing but the only place nearby was extortionate. But, with a bit of exploring we had an amazing time.

The geography of the place is fantastic. Our first morning we walked up the 'Fairy Spring': a small river that flows from a waterfall to the beach, just past our resort. The ankle-deep water is rust red, the colour coming from the sand it flows over. Small sand-dunes line the sides, interspersed with eerie limestone rock formations.

By 10am it was getting too hot to do much apart from hit the beach and soak up some rays. The clouds covered the sky after lunchtime and we walked the "2km" down the road, according to our greasy-haired hotel receptionist, to the nearest ATM. 1.5 hours and maybe 5 miles later we finally came across the fishing village. We have never seen so many boats in one place.

We found the ATM, had a refreshing Bia Hoi (cheapest beer so far: 30p for 2 litres but that doesn't take into account paying for the plastic chair which Mark broke as he leant backwards to everyone elses hilarity) and began the trek back to give our receptionist a lesson in distance estimation.

The next day we went sand-sledging. A short moto-taxi ride away from Mui Ne are the imaginatively named "Red Sand Dunes". Hoardes of kids surround you as you approach with hard plastic sheets shouting "Sir!", "Miss!", "Come sleding with me!". They are, of course, all adorably cute and pout terribly when you choose someone else to take you up onto the slopes.

Kim and Linh were our guides. They throw sand down the slope to make it faster and then load the sledge with sand to increase the weight and prevent you from slipping off. Then, it's a big push and you're flying down to the bottom before traipsing to the next, even bigger slope. The photos are great but it's hard to find a memory card reader round here to upload the photos.

One and a half hours of walking up and down the dunes and we were sweaty and shattered but the kids were still running rings around us. Better than any theme park and at 1.5USD for both of us, so much cheaper!

We're the Easy Riders!

2006-02-12T18:51:00.000+07:00

Should we? Shouldn't we?

Within minutes of stepping out of our hotel in Dalat we were accosted by two 'Easy Riders'. They are a self-regulated group of private tour guides, based in Dalat, who ride large, old motorbikes and show tourists the 'real' Vietnam.

We were far from convinced about spending a few days on the back of a bike (knowing that our parents would kill us, if the motorbikes didn't), especially at 50USD a day, per person. We also didn't have much time. The best route is into the central highlands and down to Saigon over four days but we wanted to go to Mui Ne and only had a maximum of two days so we could fit everything in Saigon.

After some soul searching over some Dalat coffee (delicious stuff) we decided against it...went outside and five minutes later had studied the testimonial books of a couple of riders and signed up on the dotted line. Doh!

The trip didn't start well when the guides we had signed up with didn't show. In their place were two other bikers who swore that the other guides had gone on a different tour but had asked them to take us instead. They knew all our details so seemed legit and we decided to go ahead.

It was totally worth it.

Our guides were wonderful: Mui, whose family fought for the southern Vietnamese army in the war and so can't get any other job and Sinh, an ex-professional footballer who had to stop playing after a nightmare tackle destroyed his knee and dreams of meeting Beckham. Mui had a dodgy joke for every occasion and Sinh was full of stories and sayings from Vietnam's history. They taught us so much about Vietnam and their people as well as making us laugh, lots. If anyone wants some good motorbike guides, let us know and we'll put you in touch.

They took us to so many amazing places off the tourist trail. We sat with tobacco farmers drinking (or in Mark's case, pretending to drink) Vietnamese tea; joked with the family of a minority village who gave us a present as we left of a pumpkin gourd they use to store a variety of liquids; saw silk worms munching on mulberry leaves; visited coffee and tea plantations; drank more tea at a tea factory; chatted to granite miners; saw a local brick factory; watched rice paper being made; harvested rice with some local women. Plus, all the natural beauty of the route from waterfalls to mountains to man-made lakes and islands, without another tourist in site.

Farmer Mark

For breakfast and lunch we went to small cafes and our guides ordered us some amazing feasts, usually for about 20,000 dong each: just over 1USD. We had prawns, squid, beef, pork, all deliciously marinated with a few chillies thrown in for good measure!

Mui Ne now beckons for a bit of R&R.

Indiana Goddard Part II: The Canyon of Doom

2006-02-08T15:38:00.000+07:00

It's the dry season. In the three weeks that we've been in Vietnam, it's only rained twice.

But, in the words of our own guide, Kanh, the river was the highest and fastest that he's ever seen, even in the wet season. And we were about to abseil off cliffs into the rapids. Great idea, Mark. The water authorities had decided to open a dam somewhere up river for repairs and the river had been raging for the last couple of weeks.

The start was easy enough with a practice abseil down a slope. 20m down the path and it was the real thing, although pretty easy and we zoomed down.

It should have been a 20 minute walk to the next cliff with a simple wade across the river. After nearly getting swept to Saigon our guide decided to try and find a different route further along. We ended up tying a rope across the river and attaching ourselves to it by carabiner so we could haul ourselves across.

From there, it just got crazier. Normal paths were flooded so we threw ourselves into the rapids, got carried along by the current for 30 seconds and then frantically paddled to the shore; fought through overgrown jungle until the normal paths could be used; walked across fallen tree trunks; all with a bit of rock climbing thrown in for good measure.

The next abseil was simple but ended in the river. Stray too far from the cliff edge and the current would take you, so we gingerly edged along until we could wade out.

A 7m jump into the rapids was followed by abseiling down a waterfall. Kate did the jump, but opted out of the waterfall abseil after Mark tried it first and made a bit of a hash of it. The water pounds your legs and your waist, the rock is deadly slippery and it gets more and more intense until suddenly the water is flowing over your head and you can finish the abseil with relative ease.

The waterslide involved a treacherous walk into the open river where our guide held us by the scruff of our lifejackets and then let go! We were sucked along by the rapids, down a little waterfall and then thrown underwater to safely emerge in a slightly calmer pool. Calmer meaning we could just about swim to a rock for safety before throwing ourselves parallel to the current to grab onto the safety rope and be hauled to dry land!

The final adventure is known as the washing machine. Absolute madness. You abseil down 10m or so and then let go into a raging waterfall, only to get spat out after a few submerged seconds. Mark's sandal came off in the torrent but he reached down to grab it, banging his head in the process [don't worry Mum & Dad, I'm okay!]. The safety rope came in handy as there was no way we could swim out of the current before it took us down another waterfall. With the rope stretched taut, we swam to a rock in the middle of the pool and from there gingerly made it to the river bank. Kate decided to become the official photographer and stay on dry land!

Our guides were superb...part of Phat Tire Ventures if anyone is in this part of the world...highly recommended! Even though it was crazy everything was done really professionally and they really looked after us.

North and Central Vietnam Photos

2006-02-08T15:20:00.000+07:00

Sailing on a junk in Halong Bay:

Seeing Hué via motorbike:

Market mayhem in Hué, all for a banana!:

Travelling to the demilitarised zone...the Vinh Moc tunnels...:

...and a guard tower on the Ben Hai river, separating North and South:

Stunning Hoi An:

Down to the beach for a bit of R&R and diving:

Canyoning!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taking the plunge

2006-02-05T18:41:00.000+07:00

Woohoo! We've just become qualified open water divers.

We took a four day PADI course which involved classroom lessons (turning our brains back on was hard), swimming pool sessions and four dives as well as a written test. Smarty-pants Mark got 100% although Kate was close behind on 96%.

The diving was amazing; Nha Trang is meant to be Vietnam's premier dive site. Swimming amongst the corals, fish and other sea creatures was stunning.

No room at the inn

2006-02-02T18:28:00.000+07:00

Arriving at Nha Trang was stressful. The overnight bus journey didn't have air con so we arrived at 6am, sweaty, icky and desperately in need of a shower.

Unfortunately, we couldn't find a room anywhere. Because of 'Tet' (Chinese New Year) all the Vietnamese have come on holiday here. Plus, it's good luck to get as much money in the month of Tet as possible so prices have doubled.

We tried over twenty guest-houses and hotels until Kate managed to kick a lovely family out of their own room so we could sleep there for 5 dollars a night! It's only a mattress on the floor of a basic room but the 7 people that did cram in there are now spread out along the balcony, 'buddha room, corridors and kitchen. We feel quite guilty everytime we walk through.

Saying that, the family are fantastic. We have eaten with them a couple of times now and they've plied us with beer and chilli-laden food. They don't speak a word of english so communication is limited to us rubbing our stomachs and going 'yum'.

My Son

2006-01-30T20:06:00.000+07:00

We got up on time at 5am.
We were dressed and ready 10 whole minutes early.
We broke out of the hotel by 5.25am (it was all locked up and no-one to let us out)
We sat on the steps for 1.5 hours for the taxi to arrive.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

An hour later we got to My Son although the world contained one less chicken.

Fortunately (although not for the chicken) it was entirely worth it.

My Son is a site of Champa ruins. The site dated from about the 6/7th century but was developed during the Champa empire until 13th century. The Champas reigned in what is now South Vietnam and had strong links with India. Hence, the Sanskrit inscriptions on the fallen tomb stones and Hindu style statues.

It reminded us of Macchu Pichu in many ways: decaying ruins in the middle of a jungle with cloud creeping around the base of the nearby mountains. The architecture was significantly different however and much more elaborate in places. And of course you didn't get bomb craters in Peru. Having our own taxi meant that we beat the throngs of tourists who were arriving just as we left at 10am. Being on your own in such a historical site made it much more atmospheric.

We now have to go through the process of deleting tens of pictures of stones and grass.

Censorship

2006-01-29T17:08:00.000+07:00

Internet censorship comes to markandkate.blogspot.com.

After a bit of research, we've finally come to the conclusion that certain websites are censored here. Apparantly, it's been like this in China for quite some time but on the web there is very little about Vietnam restricting access. It's quite surprising as up until now there's been remarkably little evidence of Vietnam's communist roots.

It's only some websites and the reason we've noticed it is that we can't access our blog anymore. We can still post messages to it, but we have no way of reading them afterwards.

Of course, we could be completely wrong but in every internet cafe throughout Vietnam, it's failed. It's not just our site but all the other .blogspots are blocked too.

Tailor Made

2006-01-29T17:00:00.000+07:00

We've just come back from our second fitting session for our tailor-made suits! We have to go back in a few hours for the last one.

160USD for two suits, made of Italian wool with an extra pair of trousers each...what a bargain!

Hoi An is famous for its tailors. Every other shop is a 'Cloth Shop' with rolls of fabrics lining the walls. You go in, point at the fabrics you like, browse the latest Next catalogue or fashion magazine for the design you want and in two days time and three fittings later you have a beautifully fitted suit.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi! (Happy New Year!)

2006-01-29T16:39:00.000+07:00

"Welcome to the year of the lovely dog."

Celebrating two New Years in the space of one month is a little strange but fun nonetheless.

We've been in Hoi An for a couple of days. It's a lovely, world-heritage protected town and spending New Year's Eve here was certainly an experience. Floating candles drifted along the river and Chinese lanterns lit up the ancient house fascias. The tranquility was then shattered by some of the worst singing I have ever heard. It even beat the Thais doing karaoke or watching A1 in Battersea Park on Bonfire Night.

They played bingo. Every number that was picked up had to be sung about for five minutes. Same song, same duff notes, every time.

Midnight arrived with a speech from Hoi An's Communist Party's general secretary. Not what one could call rousing stuff but he welcomed us to the year of the lovely dog. We couldn't find out what made the dog so lovely.

And finally, it all finished with a traditional parade of dancing dragons around the streets of the old-town.

Today, the town is dead. Most places are shut up. In theory, things return to life tomorrow although that might not include us: we're leaving at 5.30am to get to My Son (that's a place name, not something that we've not told anyone about). A few old ruins but they say it's worth seeing...we'll let you know.

Cafe on Thu Wheels

2006-01-27T18:57:00.000+07:00

This place has become our second home: it's just opposite our hotel and Thu, the owner, is completely mad but extremely friendly and funny (she keeps talking about bananas and coconuts!). Plus, beer is only 7000 dong (about 30p).

They run a motorbike tour which took us around Hue and its various historic sites which was fantastic. The guide knew all the best times to be at the different places so we avoided all the tour groups going around the pagodas and saw the monks come out to sing in their temple, as well as stand on a french bunker, looking across the Perfume River at Hamburger Hill which is still inaccessible due to the unexploded ordnance there.

One pagoda was the home of a monk who, in 1963, drove in an Austin to Saigon to protest against the Buddhist persecution of General Diem, the leader of southern Vietnam at the time. He poured petrol over himself and then set fire to his body. The photos on the walls at Hue are gruesome but the tales say that although his flesh was burnt, his heart was untouched.

The weather is finally meant to start improving tomorrow...it's been cold and drizzly for days.

DMZ

2006-01-26T18:57:00.000+07:00

Sooooooooooooo much driving (400km in a day) and a ridiculously early start (5.30am) but the trip around the demilitarised zone was well worth it.

The history is incredible and although many of the sites aren't much to look at now (The Rock Pile really is what it says on the tin) it was sobering to learn more about the war and look at the areas which even today are still recovering from Agent Orange and the napalm which obliterated huge areas.

The Vinh Moc tunnels are outstanding and were certainly the highlight: kilometres of tunnels dug through the clay to hide the villagers and help the Viet Cong travel undetected. Living there for days on end to escape the American bombing must have been horrendous. There was even a maternity ward, a film room and one toilet to serve the 400 people living there at any one time...

Halong Bay

2006-01-24T18:57:00.000+07:00

We're just back from a stunning, three day boat trip around Halong Bay: about 3 hours drive east of Hanoi.

It's amazingly beautiful with limestone rocks jutting out of the water for 500 square kilometres. We explored "The Surprising Cave" which wasn't very surprising but pretty nonetheless. It's 3 huge connected caverns with one rock formation lit up to resemble a certain male fertility symbol which the guide thought was hilarious and another which really did look like a huge turtle. Kate patted its head which apparently means we are now blessed with good luck and will have a baby boy...hmmmmmm...

The weather wasn't great and when the sun wasn't shining it was really cold and we huddled together in the boat for warmth. When the sun came out Kate braved the waters for a swim and we went kayaking around a few lagoons.

Dotted around are amazing sea villages where people live on floating platforms and farm fish and try and sell tourists chocolate biscuits at massively inflated prices. When you've been out on the water for two days, an Oreo is worth a fortune!

Motorbike Mayhem

2006-01-22T18:00:00.000+07:00

We safely arrived in Hanoi to the HONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNK of a thousand motorbikes which zoom past you mercilessly.

After the tranquility of Laos it seemed absolutely crazy, much worse than London. Chaos everywhere.

We were greeted off our flight by a bloke in a suit and two others in casual clothes holding up a board with our names on, along with the name of our pre-booked hotel. They hussled us through the crowds, into an unmarked car and sped off. We weren't sure if were being abducted or being taken to the hotel!

We blitzed Hanoi in a day, doing most of the main tourist sites and narrowly escaping death by marauding scooters on numerous occasions.

Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and museum were fascinating. We got chased by several harpoon weilding, whistle blowing guards as we ran across the grass. Sorry Ho Chi Minh...we didn't realise it was sacred.

After taking the proper 1km walk around the side to the entrance, we traipsed through the mausoleum with many sombre Vietnamese to gaze upon the emblamed body of Ho Chi Minh. Embalmed, or made by Madame Tussauds: it's hard to tell which. At the museum we found out what a lovely, wonderful person Ho Chi Minh is (the North Vietnamese revere him, the Southern Vietnamese who fought against him still can't get good jobs, pensions, education...).

The Temple of Literature was a beautiful haven from the noise with stunning architecture.

Lunch consisted of pointing at unknown food and saying "we'll try that". It turned out to be delicious although we're still not sure what we ate.

In the evening, we visited the water puppets for an unusual tale of Vietnamese legends and history. It was all in Vietnamese so we didn't have a clue what was going on but it looked impressive.

Laos

2006-01-20T14:16:00.000+07:00

Sunset over the Mekong

Monks in Luang Prabang... trying on Mark's glasses!

Chaing Mai

2006-01-20T14:11:00.000+07:00

Trekking - call this a bridge?

Dinner?!

Typical Kate performance in the kitchen (don't try this at home!!)

Photo Highlights (Bangkok)

2006-01-20T13:57:00.000+07:00

Tuk tuks at Khao San Road:

Grand Palace:

Laos: heaven for Gordon T?

2006-01-20T13:53:00.000+07:00

Laos is lovely for so many reasons... amongst our favourites are gorgeous fruit shakes, big bottles of Lao beer for less than 50p, and sunsets over the Mekong river.

One thing that gets annoying at times is the fascination with taking your shoes off before you go in anywhere - not just temples, but shops, restaurants, guest houses etc. Gordon - it's perfect for you!

Captain Disaster

2006-01-17T20:30:00.000+07:00

Apparently, that's my new name according to Kate. Five minutes in a two-person kayak with myself as the skipper at the helm and I capsize us both into the rapids!!

It was getting too hot anyway.

Indiana Goddard

2006-01-16T19:05:00.000+07:00

It was like something in the movies: hunched over, walking through a pitch black cave with just the flickering light from your head torch. Awesome stalactites and stalagmites lining the walls and not a soul in sight. And then, as you navigate the treacherous drops, you see an eye glinting in the darkness. Jumping, you bang your head as you realise it's just a gold Buddha perching on a rock. You don't get anything like that in safety-conscious England! Apart from the buddhas, it was as if we were the first people in the cave. You could travel for 2 days into the mountain apparently, but we didn't fancy putting that to the test.

The other cave had to be entered through a 1 foot high gap. The only catch being it had a river flowing out of it. For the princely sum of 10,000 kip (one dollar) we hired a big inner tube and floated into the cave, hauling ourselves along a rope that had been kindly placed along the way.

Not having lights, safety ropes and easy walking routes made it so much more impressive.

Vang Vieng

2006-01-15T21:52:00.000+07:00

From quaint, friendly Luang Prabang we travelled yesterday down route 13, successfully avoiding the local bandits (the last recorded hijacking was over 2 years ago so we felt fairly safe!). You can see why it takes twice as long in the wet season: much of the road was full of enormous ruts and holes. It would have also been quicker were it not for our bus driver stopping at every cafe/drinking establishment on the way to collect his commission...

We arrived at Vang Vieng with the temperature hitting 35 degrees. The scenery takes your breath away. It's so beautiful with a river winding through huge karst mountains. We sat on the grassy slopes, sipping a Beer Lao watching the sunset.

There are numerous limestone caves here to explore or you can go kayaking down the river. The big 'rite of passage' though that everyone does in Vang Vieng is to hire a tractor's inner tube for $3 and float down the river, taking in the scenery, occasionally stopping at the shore to climb up a set of wooden/bamboo scaffolding and jump off a ludicrously high platform into the water or zoom down a deathslide. Great fun!!!

Sadly, night-time transforms Vang Vieng into a trashy street with 'TV-bars' which show episode after episode of Friends. But, we've found a few hang outs which are less touristy and let you soak up the atmosphere without too many noisy tourists from certain countries which we won't mention...

We're going to stay here for a bit longer than planned before heading off to Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

Lazing around

2006-01-14T22:06:00.000+07:00

We haven't done much in Luang Prabang, but it's been great. Just wondered around the town, chatting to locals and other travellers we've met on the way.

A bike ride in the sweltering heat took us out of the town along dirt roads to see where they took us.

It would have been easier if it weren't for the $1-a-day lady-style bikes without any gears.

Cruising the Mekong

2006-01-12T14:02:00.000+07:00

The 6 hour bus ride to Chiang Kong on the eastern border of Thailand was uneventful. I finished reading my first book: The Kite Runner which was absolutely superb. The best I've read in a long time.

The border crossing was easy too but we had to slip the immigration officers 20 baht to work overtime as it was past 5pm! A quick ferry ride across the Mekong River and we were in Huay Xia, Laos.

We were up early to make sure we got our boat tickets. Despite being told to meet at 8.30am at a certain guesthouse we didn't leave until 11. The Laos people are very laid back!

The slow boat trip was similar to travelling on the London Underground in some ways: we were stuffed in the boat like cattle and the heat was sweltering. But, once we started moving the breeze lowered the temperature significantly. Our numb bums from the hard wooden benches and virtually no leg room soon faded into the background: the scenery was stunning. We meandered through jungles, small villages, were surrounded by mountains and weaved in and out of huge rocks that stabbed out of the water. Sailing into the sunset was beautiful.

The stop-over on the first night was forgettable: a town called Pak Beng which only exists to serve as a one-night stay for the tourists.

The second day was much the same as the first although the autumnal colours of the trees made the views more impressive.

We finally hit Luang Prabang: a laid-back, old French colonial town, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The people are wonderfully friendly; this morning we spent 30 minutes chatting to some trainee monks in a nearby Wat (temple). They study for 6 years, learning about Buddhism as well as more academic subjects. Their training includes 3 ten day trips to the jungle where they learn to meditate and eat only once a day. Every morning they wake at 5 and go and collect alms in the town. We're thinking about trying to get up to see it tomorrow although I'm not sure if we'll get up in time!

Lost in the jungle

2006-01-09T10:00:00.000+07:00

We're waiting for our bus to the Thailand/Laos border, so there's just about time to give you a quick taster of the last three days we spent trekking through the Doi Inthanon national park:

Having a shower under a waterfall

Crossing rapids by walking over a fallen tree

Barbecuing and eating wild frog

Eating flying squirrel soup, with the head sticking out over the edge of the bowl (photo to follow!)

The guide getting lost in the middle of the jungle and marking trees in case we needed to backtrack on ourselves

Climbing to the highest peak in Thailand and looking out over the clouds

Being lulled to sleep in a bamboo hut by the sounds of a waterfall

Riding on an elephant's neck.

Snowing?

2006-01-06T09:16:00.000+07:00

What's the weather like in Chaing Mai? Click here

Congratulations!

2006-01-05T21:32:00.000+07:00

Big congratulations to Debs & Steve who got engaged on New Year's Day!!!

Champagne's in the fridge at home, waiting to share when we get back.

Gordon Ramsey, here we come!

2006-01-05T21:25:00.000+07:00

We've just had our first Thai cooking lesson. Absolutely amazing, although it was a very long day.

It started with a tour round the local food markets and then a "10 minute" (1 hour) bus ride to a house on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. The lessons lasted a whole day and we cooked and ate about 8 courses. Kate nearly burnt down the kitchen with her version of a chicken and basil dish but did win the prize for the best spring rolls.

We're off on a 3 day trek tomorrow to Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain (2500m) and then it's a 6 hour bus drive to the Thai/Laos border followed by a 2 day slow boat ride to Luang Prabang in the heart of Laos. We'll be out of touch for a while!!

Lady Boys

2006-01-05T21:22:00.000+07:00

We've only seen one lady boy so far, plodding along in a dodgy dress.

But, following Mark's first attempt at saying thank you in Thai he was told by the taxi driver that he said it like a lady boy would.

Must remember to pronounce the male pronouns properly!!!

Prodded and pummelled

2006-01-04T14:49:00.000+07:00

The night bus from Bangkok got in early: 5.30am on a cold, dark, Northern Thailand morning.

We wandered into Chiang Mai as the sun rose. It's very touristy - with travel agents, internet cafes and guest houses lining the streets. Still, it's kept some of its original character with a moat and city wall ruins surrounding the centre. A bustling night market...Kate was in heaven.

We're staying in a small guest house, with a swimming pool for 350 baht a night - about 5 pounds. It used to be a safe house for one of the city mafia bosses.

Yesterday we were pummelled and stretched by two Thai ladies, allegedly in the name of relaxation. It didn't bode well when at the beginning of the massage each of Mark's toes let out resoundingly large pops as they were pulled.

Saying that, it was amazing. They weren't too rough on us as we were first timers and afterwards (but not at the time) we felt very relaxed. It certainly got rid of those knots in our shoulders.

There are 300 Wats (temples) to see here. 298 to go.

Pushing back the culinary boundaries

2006-01-04T14:37:00.000+07:00

Some of the delicacies we have tried so far...

Very dodgy loofah-type seaweed stuff in soup (at Bangkok market stall - not sure how long it had been stewing for!)

Mini dried fishes, complete with heads and beady eyes, with lemongrass and lots of chilli (we were expecting a salad!) Fairly chewy, and a bit hot, but not too unpleasant!

The quintessential Thai pudding (not that they have many sweet things) - mango and sticky rice

Various unknown fried meats, bought fromm stall holders...

PLUS, even more groundbreaking, Mark has delved into pineapple and oranges! Wonders never cease!

Happy New Year

2006-01-01T15:53:00.000+07:00

HAPPY NEW 2549!

Our New Year's Eve was fairly low key but good fun...we had an amazing meal in a restaurant by the Chao Praya river and then investigated several of the bars between Pr Arthit (the arty area of Bangkok) and Khao San Road (trashy backpackers' ghetto). After midnight we headed back to the hotel only to find there was a full-on Thai party in the side street next to us...Thankfully we had ear plugs with us to block out their terrible attempts at karaoke! They certainly know how to party as it went on until after 7am. It's now 3.50pm and it's just kicking off again for another night of frivolities. We might try and gatecrash...after all, if you can't beat them, join them!

We get the night bus tomorrow to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. Bangkok's been great but I wouldn't want to stay here much longer than our 5 planned days. There's lots to see and do and the people are remarkably friendly but it's still a loud, polluted city where for every beautiful temple there are streets of poor run-down shacks.

Day 1

2005-12-30T19:53:00.000+07:00

Our first proper day in Bangkok. Considering our body clocks are still a bit messed up we slept really well, ready for the Thai interpretation of a full English breakfast. Not particularly full, or English, but it filled a hole.

Today we took a water taxi to three of the main temples in Bangkok. The Grand Palace was absolutely stunning with gold leaf rooftops and statues everywhere. Wat Pho had an amazing 'reclining Buddha' which filled a room about the size of a um, very big room.

Lunch time saw us venture into the unknown. Our best description of the food is a brothy soup, with bits of meat sunk to the bottom and filled with loofah shaped things of which some had unravelled to form very fine webs throughout the soup.

We didn't like to ask what it was but we're still alive and kicking. And for 50p you can't really complain.

Taken over 50 photos already which we promise to cut down before we bore anyone with a 10 hour slideshow. Grandad and Grandma, thanks for all the memory cards!

We've just been involved in our first sting operation: a tuk tuk (crazy 3-wheel motorbike turned into a taxi with little handholds to stop you falling out when they take a corner at 40mph) agreed to take us to the market but first stopped at a travel agent despite our protestations who then tried to get us to change hotel! By the time we got out the driver had driven off so we jumped into another tuk tuk for another hair-raising jaunt back to Khao San road.

We're off to find some Thai-curry now...hopefully we'll avoid Bangkok-belly!

M&K

Jet Lag

2005-12-29T16:51:00.000+07:00

We've finally hit Bangkok, bleary eyed but as it's only 4pm we thought we'd start exploring.

The journey was uneventful apart from mainly full of Pilgrims for the Haaj, so at one point half the departure lounge decided it was time to pray towards Mecca, delaying the flight for 30 minutes. Considering we only had 40 minutes to change at Jordan we started to think we might miss the connection. Still, we got to Amman, legged it across the tiny airport and then queued for 30 minutes!

The only disappointment was no films, no games, no TV on the plane!!!

Hotel's great, although so far away from the centre the taxi driver got lost. ("So far away" is still only 15 minutes walk to the main shopping district though through various winding alley ways with locals selling their dodgy wares.)

More soon when we've eaten and slept!

Heathrow

2005-12-28T17:01:00.000+07:00

Us at the airport:

Where's Bangkok?

2005-12-26T05:01:00.000+07:00

Happy Christmas!

By popular request, here's a map of our travels:

The Plan...

2005-12-22T17:38:00.000+07:00

Our approximate route is:

New Year's Eve - Bangkok
4 Jan: Chiang Mai/Northern Thailand
12 Jan: Laos
20 Jan: Hanoi, Vietnam
20 Feb: Cambodia
27 Feb: Phuket

All dates and locations are subject to last minute alterations!

Preparations

2005-12-15T18:56:00.000+07:00

Flights booked...hotel nearly booked...less than 2 weeks to go now!!!