What we've been up to since November ...

Louise writes ...

OK everyone, here’s what we’ve been up to since November.   It’s a really long one so you might want to get a cup of tea before you start ...

Guilin and Yangshuo, China  (22^nd – 26^th November)

Such fantastic places to visit.  Having reflected on all of our wonderful travels China does still stand out as one of the absolute highlights.  We spent only one night in Guilin (in a hotel which had some unusual products for sale in the bathroom!!  James booked the hotel and swears no prior knowledge!) before getting a river cruise down the Li river which is surrounded by incredible limestone peaks.  Despite it unfortunately being about 10 degrees cooler than usual for the time of year (meaning the thermals had to come out again) the trip was fantastic.  Arriving in Yangshuo at the end of the boat trip was great – a beautiful town, landscaped with the limestone peaks all around it and managing to feel both hectic and chilled at the same time.  We stayed in a very basic hostel but meals were included and were superb.  On our first night we were told it was the annual Fisherman’s Festival in town so we set out with some fellow travellers from the hostel and enjoyed an incredible fireworks display set over the river.

The rest of our time in Yangshuo was spent taking part in an Enid Blyton adventure (or at least that’s how it felt), hiring bikes from the hostel and exploring the local villages and watching the paddy fields and water buffalo go by.  Bikes with no gears and upright handle bars meant we meandered along at a pace which was fitting (although James still acts dismayed that he had to ride a pink girl’s bike I’m sure he actually loved it).  We climbed Moon Hill and had shaky legs by the time we got back down the 900 steps but the 360 degree views from the top were incredible.   And the sun shined!  No more thermals but a very enjoyable 18 degrees.  All the good outdoor life and exercise got slightly spoiled by my new found addiction to banana fritters but isn’t that what life’s about?!

Hong Kong  (27^th – 29^th November) 

Having travelled so far through minus twenty degree cold, spent days living off pot noodles and  having stayed in some very basic hostels, arriving in Hong Kong to power showers and bars that serve New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was AMAZING!   Hong Kong is a great city to visit with loads of surrounding areas that are great to explore too.  On our first evening we took the Star ferry to Kowloon and watched the nightly light display from across the harbour.  It was decidedly naff!  James neatened himself up in accordance with the style of the city evolving from his Yeti look of Russia into a much slicker version of his original self with a hair cut at Toni & Guy (Toni & Guy will become a regular feature on our travels!)   We took the Peak Tram up the island for some fantastic views, visited the Big Buddha on Lantau Island with a superb cable car ride back down, and visited Stanley beach front for fish and chips.   A wonderful few days.

Macau  (30^th November) 

We spent a day in Macau (getting the ferry over from Hong Kong) really because it was cheaper to fly on to Singapore from Macau rather than Hong Kong airport.  It was worth a quick visit though.  Despite being a somewhat dilapidated city and its most renowned tourist attraction being the wealth of gaudy casinos which we had no interest in, it had some real character too and with its Portuguese history had a very different feel to Hong Kong.  And it had Portuguese egg custard tarts too, which were delicious!

Singapore  (1^st – 5^th December) 

I had very mixed feelings as we fly into Singapore.  I was excited at visiting a new city but also feeling reflective as 1^st December was my Grandad’s birthday and he spent four years of the second world war as a Japanese POW, being held primarily in the notorious Changi jail in Singapore.  It’s a feeling I couldn’t really shake until a few days later when we visit Changi Museum on the site of the jail.  The stories of what the POWs and the locals suffered don’t really make for happy blog reading but the museum was actually very cathartic and being able to light a candle and write a message for my Grandad was moving. 

Singapore’s a slightly odd city, not nearly as vibrant as Hong Kong.  It feels in places Disneyfied and unreal and a little soulless.  That said the hawker centres were brilliant places to spend an evening, eating delicious and cheap food.  We also explored Little India, and whilst I explored the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in China Town, James went to see his fellow critters at the zoo.  The best part of our time in Singapore though ... it’s touristy but it’s true ... Raffles hotel.  Well, it was made special because we went on our anniversary and James treated me to Afternoon Tea,   I’ve also now developed a love of Singapore Slings so need to get the cocktail mixer out when we get home. 

Cambodia  (6^th – 8^th December)

We flew to Phnom Penh and then got on a bus to Siem Reap, a 6 hour ride on Cambodia’s very best highway – a one track dirt road.  Cambodia is a developing nation and the poverty was clear to see.  Despite this the people were very friendly and gracious and Siem Reap was a very comfortable town to stay in with bustling restaurant lined streets.  We had some time relaxing by the 4* hotel pool – not that we were staying there – far more economic to stay at one of the great hostels in town and pay £2 to use the pool at the 4* hotel.  I also did a morning’s cooking course which was great fun and I am now fully trained in the national dish of Cambodia (Fish Amok) and so will have to get trying it out on everyone when I get back.  The highlight, of course, was visiting the fabulous temples  - Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm (which is the tree twisted temple which was a feature location in the Tomb Raider movie ... meaning there was a necessary b ad side effect of having American tourists swarming around it declaring “That’s the tomb raider tree” ... erm, yeah, and a bit more before that).  The temples were awe inspiring though.  We planned to get to Angkor Wat for sunrise but couldn’t force ourselves out of bed for anything earlier than a 5.30am pick up so arrived just as the sun had risen, still a glorious time of day to explore the temples.  Along with a fantastic massage snatched one afternoon whilst James explored more temples and the fantastic restaurants (never spending more than a few £) I really would have enjoyed staying longer but by this point we’d done eleven countries in five weeks and some rest and relaxation in Thailand was beckoning.  

Thailand  (9^th – 29^th December) 

Ah, beautiful beaches, friendly smiley people and time to relax.  In the three weeks we had in Thailand we did some island hopping and activity as well ... here’s how it lined up (in the order we visited): 

Ko Samui  -  Our first stop, staying in Bo Phut on the north of the island.  We had some lovely accommodation and spent a few days by the pool and beach, enjoyed breakfast each morning overlooking the sea and generally adapted to the Thai pace of life ... relaxed! 

Ko Tao – Then we set off for Ko Tao to do our PADI scuba diving course.  We’d arranged to go to a resort where my friend Claire’s brother (Dave) is an instructor and were lucky enough, as it was quiet, to have Dave teaching just the two of us together.  This was good for me as a lot of patience from both Dave and James was needed to help me overcome some of my fear of water.  Having passed all our theory and pool tests we headed to the sea.  Ooo err ... wasn’t so keen on this after all.  Couldn’t quite muster the courage to go under the choppy waves and so climbed back on the boat and James and Dave went to discover the fishies.  I was a bit disappointed not to do it but given I’d only tried snorkelling three days earlier I’m quite pleased I even did the pool bit.  James completed all four dives for his PADI qualification and had a great time exploring the sea.  Back in the resort (Sairee) I was quite happy passing a day or two having long breakfasts and reading a book on the beach.  Sairee had a beautiful beach with lovely sunsets and Ko Tao was the most relaxed of the all the relaxed Thai islands we went to.  Flips flops were taken off before going in any shop or bar and the whole place was so laid back.   

Ko Phangan –Just in case scuba diving had been in any way energetic we headed to Haad Yao on Ko Phangan for more rest and relaxation.  We spent four days at a hotel on the beach which had only just opened – literally – we were the first customers to stay there and for the first 24 hours hotel staff were wandering in and out fixing the TV aerial, hanging a hammock and bringing things to the room which had been forgotten about.  All done at a typically Thai pace of course and we couldn’t care less if things weren’t perfect.  We had a lovely big room with a great sea view and the four days were passed lazing on the beach, drinking cocktails, eating BBQ’d fish on the beach in the evening and playing pool with the guys who worked at the hotel (who, as they only had one set of customers, had a bit of time on their hands).    

Krabi – We then thought we had better explore the other side of the Thai peninsula and so headed over to the Krabi region famed for its stunning beaches.  It didn’t disappoint.  We stayed in Ao Nang and visited the beautiful beach at Railay by long tail boat.  All the laziness and eating was starting to add up so we thought we’d better do some exercise and did some sea kayaking off Railay and an afternoon’s kayaking in the mangrove swamps and canyons of Ao Thalong.  James also threw in some climbing for good measure but I thought better of pushing myself that far!  Our final night in Ao Nang was spent having a meal in a restaurant that had really gone to town on the Christmas decorations, sparing no expense on the multitude of lights and a walk through snowman.  Top that with a club singer who progressed from some classic tracks to ‘The Venga Bus’ and it was definitely one of the least authentic and bizarre Thai experiences we had. 

Ko Phi Phi – So, on to Ko Phi Phi for Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day.  I’ve already sent one long soppy e-mail on this one so I won’t drone on about an amazing proposal in an amazing setting.  We enjoyed fantastic food for the rest of the stay and also attended a Tsunami memorial service on Boxing Day which was very moving. 

Phuket – Our last stop in Thailand was Phuket, staying at Kata and Nai Yang.  After all the marvellous places we’d stayed before it was a bit disappointing – much more built up and noisy with roudy tourists but it gave us a few more days to relax before we headed on to party in the New Year in KL.

Kuala Lumpur  (30^th December – 2^nd January 2009)

Great to be back in a thriving city again and we were really excited to be meeting up with friends, Cat and John, who were doing a city stop off during their honeymoon in Malaysia.  Having loved the hawker markets of Singapore our enthusiasm made us take Cat and John to a KL hawker market which had none of the food quality or atmosphere of Singapore + it was tipping it down with rain (sorry guys – not a good start!)  John seemed quite pleased to be eating bullfrog porridge though so maybe it was a good thing after all.  Hopefully we made up for it the next day by heading off to the Ritz Carlton hotel for Afternoon Tea where we gorged on loads and loads of cakey goodness!  We all also explored the Sky Tower for some fab views of the city and walked through the weird and wacky Winter Wonderland on the way out ... a snow scene with Christmas music at about 100 decibels, blasting out frost from fans in a very poor attempt to disguise the tropical heat which was all around.   

We had a fab New Year’s Eve with Cat and John, meeting up for drinks first of all in a big ex-pat bar (lots of dodgy ‘ladies’ hanging around single men though!!), grabbed some snacks from a street vendor and then headed to the Luna Bar which was the bar on the roof our hotel – 32^nd floor and fabulous for seeing the fireworks all across the city as 12 o’clock struck.  No unmelodic droning of Auld Lang Syne, we saw in the new year with some dancing to Rock the Kasbah.  

We spent the next few days exploring what else the city had to offer ... Merdaka Square, Central Market (where we had a fish foot spa where the little fish nibble away at your dead skin – lovely!) and unfortunately succumbed to the need for western food comforts and had to pack in a McDonalds and a visit to Hard Rock Cafe. 

Cameron Highlands  (3^rd – 5^th January)

We arrived in the Cameron Highlands to torrential rain.  It remained pretty damp for the next few days but the beauty of the region was apparent in the moments when the rain lifted and we packed in some trips to a Buddhist temple, a rose garden, a honey bee farm, a butterfly house, a strawberry farm and a tea plantation (where James managed to mortally offend the guide by asking how many tea leaves would be needed to go into a tea bag ... it would seem that tea bags are only for the lowest of the low as he sneered that he wouldn’t grace us an answer to the question ... all this from a tea company that produce something called a ‘Teacino’!!!) 

Borneo  (6^th – 9^th January) 

We had two reasons for visiting Borneo – Kinabalu National Park and the Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary.  Erm, it sounds bad but I wouldn’t rush from the UK to see either.  The National Park was great but the accommodation was massively overpriced and damp (again!)  On the positive side we had some lovely walks in the park and there was something magical in watching the mist and rain roll in and out over the hills.  The Orang-utan Sanctuary was a good experience (very cool monkeys) but a short one and you don’t manage to get very close to them.  I know Cat and John had a much better experience at one of the smaller sanctuaries based at their hotel though so maybe we just didn’t plan that one very well.  We stayed in a town called Sandakan which was clearly underdeveloped and probably one of the only places on our travels I felt uncomfortable walking out on my own.  So, here’s the travel trip for Borneo – if you do it as a 4* resort experience I’m sure it’s fab but don’t put it high on your list otherwise. 

Melbourne/Victoria (11^th – 17^th January) 

Back to the Western World!  We arrived in Melbourne at around 2am and promptly grabbed goodies from the nearest 24 hour convenience store – Asia had been wonderful but I never knew how much I’d missed cheese until I chomped through a pack at 3am in the morning.  We spent the next few days exploring Melbourne which is a great city.  We generally scootled around town on the trams and explored all the different areas and also headed to St Kilda to get our first glance at some of Australia’s coast line.  A meal in Little Italy was our favourite dining experience, given an authentic air as we listened in whilst a middle aged  Italian bloke on the next table threatened another guy over something their sons had got involved in (made sure we were v v polite to the waiters after that).

We then headed to the Yarra Valley wine region for a few days, staying at Marysville along the way.  It’s a beautiful region and James and I enjoyed walking through Marysville taken in by what an idyllic village it was.  We visited a flood-lit waterfall at night and the next morning explored an amazing sculpture garden, one of those little treats you don’t expect much from and are then wowed by.  It’s very hard to believe that only three weeks later the whole place was devastated by the bush fires and 34 people from the town were killed.  Watching the tragic news in Sydney really hit home.  Whilst in the region we explored some of the beautiful wineries and our reflections then of how lucky we are were made even more poignant a few weeks later.    

We then spent a few days exploring the Great Ocean Road – two days of stunning ocean views, lovely towns and breath-taking rock formations (like The 12 Apostles, The Arch and London Bridge), with a stop off at  Cape Otway (Australia’s oldest lighthouse) along the way. 

New Zealand’s North Island  (18^th – 26^th March)

OK, this trip wasn’t planned but weeks of looking for work in Sydney meant we needed a break ... I know, it’s a bit slack taking a holiday from unemployment but well, we couldn’t come to the southern hemisphere without a trip to the beautiful New Zealand.  Plus, I’ve not seen my super friend Caz, who lives in NZ, for four years and I was dying to.  So, we started (and ended) the trip with a few days in the City of Sails, Auckland.  Great city with a lovely harbour.  We did a walking tour and a harbour cruise to explore but without a doubt the highlight was a fab Belgian beer cafe with delicious mussels and chips (hmmm ... I’m not sure why food keeps reappearing as the highlight of places visited).  

Next we went on to New Plymouth in Taranaki (west coast) to stay with Caz and her fiancée Mike.  Had a brilliant time with them chilling, cooking, quaffing the occasional glass of wine, walking their dogs (who I wanted to dognap) on the black sand beaches and, well, more chilling.  Loved every minute of it – thanks guys!

Then  we headed inland to Rotorua a thermal spa town known for its sulphuric smell which permeates the whole town ... mmm, lovely.  Had a relax in a spa before heading to the Coromandel Peninsula for a drive some stunning coastland.  Everywhere we went in NZ was just beautiful and we just drove around going “ooh, look at that, that’s beautiful ... wow, look how beautiful that is ...”   On and on, never tiring of it.  The most breathtaking moment though was stopping the car to just look at the stars one night.  I have never seen so many stars so bright in the sky – the whole Milky Way twinkling like a cascade falling right down to earth, amazing. 

Sydney  (17^th January – 26^th April)

We arrived in Sydney by train from Melbourne, a 12 hour journey with about 10 hours of one type of landscape (dry, brown) mixed up with a bit of green and coast at the end.  We stayed our first night in a city centre hostel, providing a stark reminder that we really were too old to be proper backpackers as I felt about 50 next to the 18-21 year olds getting ready for a night on the town.  Not particularly impressed with Sydney from our first night’s experience at the backpacker end of town we headed out the next morning to discover what Sydney is really about ... the stunning harbour with its iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House.  Then we jumped on a train to the suburbs to head out to our friends’ (Amy & Justin’s) house where we were stopping.  It really is here that we should say a HUGE thanks to Amy and Justin for putting us up for so long, for giving us the chance we’ve had in Sydney and for making our time here so enjoyable!   

So, having arrived, what on earth have we been up to for so long?  Well, clearly, finding sponsored employment wasn’t so easy which we put a fair bit of energy into, but we’ve found time to enjoy ourselves plenty as well.  Here are the highlights:

·         We got fitter ... well, a little bit.  No work = lots of time for the gym.   We even ventured, guided by Justin, into the National Park for a bike ride.  Way too many hills around here though to make that a regular routine.   Shame I’ve gone and spoilt all the good gym work with an increased intake of wine and cake rewards.

·         Australia Day ... pleasing on so many levels, most notably because it was a bit rubbish!  Australia Day was on our second weekend here so we headed into the city to see the celebrations.  A scheduled fly-over didn’t happen, it rained and there were fights with the police at our local train station.  Ah, just like being at home.  Have to say that the Aussies took it in better spirits than the Brits do though, embracing the rain and singing and dancing in the parks.

·         Sydney’s a great city ... we’ve explored so many parts of it now (Darling Harbour, The Rocks, North Sydney, Manly, Mosman, the Eastern Suburbs of Bondi, Bronte, Coogee and Watson Bay, Newtown and the University, Kings Cross etc. etc.) and it’s got so much to offer.  Best of all of course are the harbours and ocean views.  Got to admit, it beats Brighton!

·         Tourist Trips ... Had a great few days out to places like the South Coast of Sydney (fab beaches and lovely coastal areas) and the Blue Mountains (vast great expanses of forest and mountain).

·         Culture Vultures ... we’ve tried to soak up some culture by going to see the Complete Works of William Shakespeare at the Opera House Playhouse, seeing some comedy in the form of the Irish comedian Jason Byrne, spending an afternoon listening to jazz at ‘Wine in the Park’ and doing any art/culture attraction in the city which is free (Art Gallery of NSW, Rocks Discovery Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, Customs House etc.)

·         More BBQs and films than you can shake a stick at ... well, the Aussies are just good at BBQs aren’t they?!  Do think I need to cut down my meat intake when we get back though.  And films, well, that’s thanks to Cheap Tuesdays at the local cinema – have seen more films since we’ve been here than I have in the last few years.   

·         How can it be called football when they pick it up, have a ref that chucks it backwards over his head and when they spend more time fighting each other than playing the game ... yep, Aussie Rules Football is officially the most mental game.  We enjoyed a night at a live rugby union match but it’s not the same as sport in England.  Thank god we’ll be back to see Man Utd lift the Premiership Trophy and European Cup!!

·         Winning Chicken at Bingo ... oh yes, I know you probably thought travel and living on the other side of the world was glamorous but I really got quite excited last week when I won a tray of chicken at the local pub quiz/bingo. 

Well, perhaps winning chicken at bingo is the best place to leave this tale of our six month adventure so that no one’s too jealous.  It’s been a truly amazing experience ...  on the other hand though we’re just as excited about the adventure at home that lies ahead for us ... 

See you all soon x x x x x x

James writes ... 

Well what an update, I can’t really add too much to that so instead I’m going to give you my thoughts on each country as if they were a family member, why? I’m not sure really but I’m hoping it will be interesting.

China – Grandad, in the Clive Dunn mould – still going, some say he’ll last forever, he takes a strong interest in what the kids are up to and has some great stories and pearls of wisdom when you need it

Hong Kong – Successful brother – the one you wanted to be like as a kid, dazzling, confident and still managing to maintain his independence from his rather controlling parents

Macau – Bingo Gran – still loves a flutter and pulling the one armed bandits, tries to look good with blue rinse and makeup but really everything is going south

Singapore – A rich recently divorced aunt – plenty of work to make her look good but the skeletons and wealth have slowly eroded her soul

Cambodia – Poor Dad with large family – lots of needy children to feed and it looks like life has taken its toll on him but when you get up close you can still see the glint in the eye

Thailand – Yummy Mummy – has the looks and experience that still attracts a younger crowd but is fiercely loyal to her family and will go nuts if you say anything bad about them

KL – An aunt going through ‘the change’ – prone to hot sticky flushes, still trying to keep up with the latest fashion but finding it hard to hide her age

Borneo – Uncle Hermit – overgrown, reclusive with an array of mental pets that do what they want, he prefers living wild than mixing with humanity

Australia – A young teenage brother – loud, self confident and unfalteringly enthusiastic but slightly irritating when you want to have a serious conversation

New Zealand – An attractive younger sister – has lots of admirers and lots going for her but doesn’t yet have the confidence to believe it herself (a perfect catch!)

Disclaimer: in no way are any of the descriptions above referring to any of my own very normal family.

Louise – let’s wait and see how Man U get on. I’d love it if Arsenal beat them, just love it.