Sally’s adventure’s around the world

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hey eveyrone,

well we left Phuket yesterday after a really lovely few days. Had a great night out, a few cocktails etc! Yesterday we got up late and packed, and then went out for a nice lunch and i got another handluggage back because there was NO chance of fitting it all in otherwise!

Arrived in bangkok last night and found accomadation pretty easily thanks to the lonely planet! lots of last minute shopping and chilling today and then tomo i’ll be packing for the very last time and heading for LHR!

sorry that there isn’t much more interesting stuff to tell you, i’m sure i’ll speak to you all very soon!!

much love sal x

Once again i apologies for my lack of contact with you all, it has been ridiculously hard to get online!!!!

anyway, i will start where i left of last post- if you remember i was despetrate for the toliet so had to cut short. I dumped my money with Josie and then dashed outside and power walked towards the bungalow. now what are the chances of this happening? a car pulls up next to me and asks me for frigging directions!!!! as if i looked like i new where i was going or had time to stop!! I hopped from one foot to another whilst trying to explain how to get to the beach and then explaining that i was fine just very much in a hurry!!!! managed to get there in time and afterwards we both laughed at the irony!

anway, the next day we left very early, an hour neither of us have seen for weeks. 7am. i won’t bore u with the details of the long and painfully boring journey to Koh Lanta. lets just say, we arrived at 10pm very much ready for a strong drink!!!

our first day there was idilic, the sun was shining at we sat in hammocks all day enjoying some of the most gorgeous views. we stayed in Top view, which as the name suggests is very high up in the south of the island looking over some stunning bays. all was well, especially as our bungalow was perfect with a HUGE bed so josie, for once, couldn’t kick me!!!!

The next day, and in fact the following 6 days the rain came down, at first it was refreshing, by the third day it was just darn right frustrating!!! espcially as the rain seemed to be doing a superb job of also washing are tans away. but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. the family that owned the place were lovely, and kept us intertained. they showed us how to make thai curries and took us on a tour of the island and even to a spa!!!!! but the best thing was, the had a dvd player and loved the fact we had so many movies with us!!! So we watched prison break season 1 and 2. staying up 5am one day because everyone was so hooked!!!!

On saturday we left, to go to Phuket, i can’t say we were sad to leave, more relief!!! but we did get close to the family. Took us pretty much the day to get to phuket but scatogories kept us entertained!

We now staying near Kata which is south (i think!lol) and thank goodness, it’s not raining!!!! first day Jo went Horse Riding at i sat on the beach in a bar reading! we went to an english pub on the way home which was pretty good!!! Jo had cider and was extatic! Today we spent the morning in a spa which was, heaven- even not a little painful at times!! just been walking around the town, trying not to spend money we don’t have!! Josie having to pull me away from handbag shops and her away from jewelery shops!!!

Tonight we’re going out on the razzle dazzle with Vicky to Patang which should be a laugh, then tomo we’re heading up to bangkok. Cannot believe by the end of the week i’ll be back in Sunny england, how quickly has time flown?!!!!!

going to have to go now, will hopefully get online in Bangkok to keep you filled in on the ladyboys and shopping!!!!

much love as always

Sal xxxx 

hey hey hey,

so here i am in a wee little internet cafe actually cold. yes i know, that is ridiulous but oh so true. The aircon is right above me and i’m huddled up looking forward getting back outside into the evening heat!!!! so don’t expect a huge blog, cos i am also desperate for a wee. sorry if thats too much info.

right, not much has really happened since i last blogged , apart from taking half the sand from the beach and depositing it in every item of clothing we own and all over our room!!

so we’ve been on the beach the last few days! spent a lot of time chilling out playing cards, reading u know the usual doing nothing cos we’re on holiday kinda antics. Had a worrying realisation today though that i infact only have exactly 2 weeks left until i board my flight back to LHR. shortly after thinking this, i had another stark realisation that i have found everything apart from what i came away looking for. Shoes, bags, clothes, clinique but no self. I have spent 4 months looking for myself in 7 countries and still nothing, how ironic would it be if i get home and there I am in my room. I almost hope i do not find myself because then I will definately be in need of a third gap year to look in another 7 different countries to continue my search!!!!

so tomo we move on again. had a rather stressful afternoon of packing which once again Josie had to endure my fing and blinding as i attempted to squeeze too much stuff in a bag that is way too small. Heading tomo to Thailand, first stop trang and then onto Ko Lanta. We’re quite excited about the next two weeks, have plenty planned, like beaches, sleeping, cards and maybe some more shopping. oh the life of a doser.

right i must go because josie and i are both dancing around frantically needing the toliet.

would be lvoely to hear all ur news, and maybe some celeb gossip from u avid hello and ok readers.

much love as always xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

hey all you lovely Sally followers,

hope you haven’t been too bored not have my posts to read while i’ve been unable to get online!!! i will write an extra long one to make up for it!!!

So we left Kuala Lumpur last Sunday and heading to Medan in Sumatra. We were meet at the airport by our tour guide  from expedition jungle ( www.expeditionjungle.com )and was taken to the mall to kill some time. Never a good idea with two girls armed with a debit card with far too bigger over draft that sense!! Had a great time, got some nice shoes, ate some  so not so nice chicken and bought more DVDS!

Started the 4 hour journey to Bukit Lawang after picking up our trip buddy Chris ( who was a fire fighter!!!!! ) Journey was somewhat painful with a lot of bouncing around because of really bad roads. we made it there eventually. Unfortunately the bus couldn’t take us upstream though so packs on back the trekking began…..in flip flops…..!!!!

Our bungalow was right on the edge of the river and overlooked the the edge of the jungle. the first night we chilled out, played some scrabble had a curry and went to bed.

the next morning we got up early to go trekking to see the orangutangs. Josie would disagree that it was a trek but i think she has forgotten because of her excitment of seeing them. they were very cute, but they didn’t change my life like Jo made out they would. i was just relieved to get back to the bottom where i was going to trip on a tree route and fall down a very big drop!!!!! ever the optismised!!!

after seeing the orangutangs we walked to the edge of Bukit Lawang and waited for our transport to go to Tangkahan. A jeep rolled up, there were 10 of us and so i was waiting for the other jeep to come but it never did. LOL we all climbed in the back, 3 on the roof, including josie, 2 up front and the rest of the unlucky buggers in the back where suspension was non exsitent. 3 hours later we arrived as far as the jeep would take us. we walked down a lot of steps to the river which we crossed on numerous times for a reason Josie and I are still puzzled by!!! We had a good time there played lots of games and hung out. in the afternoon we went elephant trekking which was a once in a life time experience, mainly because I will NEVER do it again!!! my fear of heights reached a new high ( excuse the pun) but luckily Josie saved my life by helping me take my mind of the fact i was approaching death. we sung at the tops of our voices, apt songs like, i will survive, aint no mountain high enough, 10 green bottles and 500 miles. Once back on solid ground we bathed the elephants and had a big water fight which we didn’t stand a chance winning with those killer trunks/ water pistols. Back to base for the evening, drinking, singing and playing scrabble.

We headed back to Bukit Lawang the following day and then spent the next few days getting to know the locals and hanging out. managed to hunt down a dvd player so Jo and I spent a day watching Bridget Jones, How to Lose a guy and the holiday. Was awesome!!!!

On saturday we got the bus back to the airport ( via the mall!) and got a flight to Penang. Met a very funny french man at the airport and in fact shared a taxi as we we’re heading to the same place in Penang. We spent 2 nights in China Town, George town before leaving to come to Langkawi where we are now.

We’re staying in a nice cosy little room which is next to the beach so the next 3 days will be spent topping up the tan and chilling out after our fun and games in the jungle. thats all for now, hope you are all enjoying the rain, we shall pass your regards onto the sun!!!

lots of love Sal and Jo xxx

just a very quick message to say that we’ve arrived safely in KL. we decided to stay in a swish hotel  near the airport as neither of us fancied the airport floor for 12 hours. will write more when the internet issn’t so frigging expensive. much love Sal x

About time I filled you in on the adventures of me!

Having a good time in Hanoi, got back from Halong Bay yesterday where we had a lovely time! We booked the cheapest tour and had 2 days 1 night around the bay and Cat Ba islands. The phrase,get what you pay for, was almost comically in this instance as our “tour guide” spoke nothing familar to us, and in fact we could almost understand the vietnamese he spoke better than his attempt at english. Food was pretty bad, Josie’s face as she tried a full spoonful of vomit looking soup was one of my highlights. The boat was good though, we were very lucky with our room which had ensuite and very roomy!! and of course, the one thing the tour couldn’t possible mess up was the gorgeous views. Was truely amazing to see the islands and how deep they go. we stopped of at somecaves which were also amazing, something i’ve very seen before.

after lunch we headed back to Hanoi which was a long journey filled with traffic jams! Josie made the stupid decision to drink water before climbing aboard so had an interesting incidient with a public toliet!!! I on the otherhand, managed to “hold it in” til we were back at the hotel!!

went out for a nice western dinner last night. which was a nice change to fish! I felt no guilt wat so ever at ordering spag carbanara and apple crumble for pudding!!!! ow i was in heaven!! we then wondered around the old quarter trying to resist the temptation of spending  any money!!!

I forgot to tell you before, but I enjoyed a lovely Frog back in Hoi An. As i described it to Josie, the only way was to say. like chicken but more slimey!!

manage to find someone with some GHDs so all round was an awesome day!!!

We’ve changed our flights to leave on Saturday to KL. we’ve also booked a a 3 day trek through the jungle in Sumatra which we’re very excited about. Will be shaking hands with Orangatangs (or Josie will be) and washing and trekking with elephants!

the rest of our trip is pretty sketchy, but we will definately be going from Sumatra all the way up to bangkok- stopping of on some islands as we go.

Once again i’m suffering from the beginnings of an ear infection, but armed with drops and painkillers and other assortments of tablets hopefully it will be cleared up before heading to the depths of the jungle!!!

Yesterday marked the day of the start of my final month- which is crazy!!! Can’t believe how quickly it has gone, and more importantly how quickly the rest is going to go! Just trying to enjoy every second and maximise the tannage before the inevitable journey back to Heathrow!

If you were wondering how Josie and I plan to maximise the tannage, we have come up with a cunning plan that i thinkyou will all agree is safe. we will go armed to the beach everyday with several sheets of aliminum foil to lie on and a bottle of olive oil. 

on that note, i will leave you, enjoy the rest of you week!

much love Sal xxx

So we arrived! wat a mamath journey!!!

Yesterday morning was pretty crazy, had to send our stuff home through the post office and it worked out way too expensive to send it all through airmail now our budgets have tightened so we went back to the hotel, re packed and managed to squeeze most of it apart from a few books, coats and shoes!! so they’ve gone sea mail and will arrive in 3 months most. but, the woman flipently said as we were all taped up and ready to send “if they don’t arrive in 5 months, you can call this number!!” haha, but we’re just not thinking about that!!!

So! bags packed FULL! we got onto a coach to Hue. Was fine, we both had two seats each the time passed relatively quickly! We then changed onto a sleeper bus which was where the fun began. Strangest feeling ever. The sleeper was the same size as a standard coach but insead was squashed with 38 beds!!!! as u can imagine, squash being the opperative word! Lets just say, the beds were made for Vietnamese figures, and so getting comfortable was near impossible, but i did manage it!!!! sleep however was an intirely different matter! It was a bumpy ride, and they turned the lights on every 10mins so you just get comfy and start falling off to sleep and bam ur knees smack the side!!

The journey from door to door took around 18hours. We’re now in our hotel, recovering and planning where we go from here. We’re ready to leave Vietnam after visiting Halong Bay so tomo we’re guna track down the “air Asia” office and try to bring our flight forward and head to Kuala Lumpar sooner.

We plan to see a water puppet show tomo and then go away for a night to Halong Bay which is said to be gorgeous! The weather is a lot cooler here, we arrived to rain!!! the hotel is nice, cosy!!!! not really much more to say to be honest, going to try and find out about calling cards so I can call you and catch up!

much love to you all xxxxxxx

our time in hoi an is coming to an end now as we catch a coach up north in several hours. I’ve really enjoyed Hoi An, it’s a lovely change to HCMC, and reminds me of the Laines in Brighton but filled with Tailors rather than cafes and bars. It’s a calm town full of charm and culture. Needless to say Josie and I hit the tailors with glee. we both had a winter coat made and several other summer bits. We also got some shoes made, where we were handed the next cat’ and could choose anything!!! I was in heaven. Josie has managed to steer me well clear bags so far though. Yesterday we went to the beach for the day. I made a an exicting discovery: no matter how good clinique face sun cream is, 15 spf is not strong enough for the midday sun in Asia!!! we both are somewhat red, but doesn’t really matter because we now have a 15 hour coach journey to Hanoi so we’ll certainly be out of the sun till it turns golden brown!!!!

Starting to feel a little homesick, missing you all tons and little home comforts like fluffy towels and washing machine, also money is starting to run out so it’s budget accomadation and 1meal a day till the end now!!!

If you get a spare 5 mins, please just pray that God will continue his protection over us both, that we’d continue to enjoy ourselves and he’d help me to really enjoy my last month away and not dwell too much on home!!!

much love to you all, be lovely to recieve a few emails!!!!!

Sal xxx

Hello!

I have been told a number of times now that i need to blog more so here I am!!!

Spent 4 nights in HCMC which was good. Crazy roads, even crazier than Kampala! motobikes EVERYWHERE and it is EXTREMELY fun crossing a road!!!

First day we just chilled and took it easy, walked to the Benh Market which was nice and near our hotel. So big, very easy to get lost in! we walked down one “row” and i nearly passed out by the smell of disgusting fish!!!!

In the evening we decided after a meal we would have a nice relaxing massage. We looked up in Lonely Planet and found there was somewhere a 2 min walk away and 1hour for  just over a pound. Knew we should have smelt a rat. It was a blind association, but what could go wrong? if anything i was quite pleased they wouldn’t see my wobbly bites!!!! but oh, I was so wrong. It was a total indurance test and I spent the whole time wishing the minutes would pass quicker!!! She clearly enjoyed slapping, kneeding and generally causing as much pain as possible. The following morning Josie was actually severly bruised and still, 5 days later I can still see them!!!!

Saturday we were forced out of bed at an unearthly hour to go and see the Cuchi tunnels. Was very interesting, but also very hot. Luckily at the end they sold drinks, so a beer was GREATLY  recieved!!!

Sunday,  you would not believe the hour Josie made me get up. It felt like i’d only just shut my eyes, and there she was pouring water over my face!!! (just kidding) but it was early.  Went to the Mekong Delta, which took a good few hours but armed with Jane Green ( i mean, the bible!!) the time passed quickly and was well worth it. Interesting to see how they make rice cakes and candy. and it have a nice boat ride. We even got to wear Vietnamese hats!!! they looked HOT! (yes mum, i’ll bring you one home!)

Monday, we spent the whole day in bed. well, apart from leaving for meals, internet and replenishing our stock of beer and coke, tuesday was much the same, apart from in the afternoon we started our journey to Danang which is half way up Vietnam. We spent a night there which was ok, but there isn’t much there. We then came to HoiAn where we are spending 4 nights. We have the luxury of a pool and room service, so i’m not sure apart from leaving to have clothes made and seeing the odd sights, we’ll be doing much more than soaking some rays!! oh the life of 2 travellers!!!!!

right  i must be off because, as you can see from above we have an important appointment with a sun lounger! hope you are all enjoying the cold, snowy weather, remember us in 39 degrees heat!!!

keep in touch, lots of love Sal xxx & Josie xxx