We’re leaving on a jet plane…….

Our final trip in Vietnam was on board an old Junk boat in Halong Bay. As with everything in South East Asia, you can never be 100% what you are going to get for your money and this trip was certainly no different. Still feeling physical, after our cycle trip to the Vietnam/China border, we were anticipating a three day/two night kayaking trip around the stunning Karst scenery of Halong Bay…..in actual fact we got a two hour kayak! But we weren’t complaining as it turned out to be a blessing in disguise!

We boarded our Junk along with four Swedish, two Brits, two Aussies and a very sweet Korean man. We aquainted ourselves with our fellow trippers over a few beers whilst we cruised out of the port and into the spectacular bay. Halong Bay is a world UNESCO site which holds mystical importance to the Vietnamese as they believe a golden dragon entered down into the bay, and can still be seen today by the very fortunate. The mist in the sky certainly added to the mystical aura of Halong Bay as we looked out at numerous junks dotted around the giant rock faces jutting steeply from the deep green water.

We pulled into a sheltered area where we were given the opportunity to swim and jump from the boat. Not ones to miss such an opportunity we stripped down to our bathers and followed Jason (the Aussie) in by jumping from the top deck….well it is sensible to let someone else test how deep it is! I am not sure who enjoyed the swimming and the jumping from the boat more – us or the sweet Korean guy who kept giggling/taking photos/taking video footage of us jumping into the water. After we dragged ourselves from the water the Korean man presented us with a packet of Oreo cookies as a reward for our escapades or maybe just a thank you for contributing to his holiday snaps!

That night we had a delicious meal before retiring to our rather plush double cabins with ensuite bathroom. Feeling rather smug at our wonderful surrounding we hopped into bed and turned of the light only for us both to fall silent when we heard a scuffling sound. Chris, being far more intuitive than I, immediately identified the sound as a rodent to which I responded by leaping for the light to search for the culprit. Having no success I shut the window and wrapped myself tightly in sheets so no skin was exposed. After plucking up the courage to turn off the light and having come to terms with the fact there would not be much sleep that night we lay still listening for the little critter. After a restless but rat free night we met up with the other passengers for breakfast to learn that the rat had entered the Aussies room only to cop it over the head from Jason’s flip flop (technically Jason being an Aussie I should have said ‘he copped it over the head from Jason’s thong’ but that would have been so wrong to all the British people reading this!). The more discerning of you will be pleased to learn the dazed rat made a sucessful get away.

Day 2 saw a visit to ‘amazing caves’ – yes that is really what they are called – the guy who named them was clearly a straight talker! These caves are three rooms which increase in size with the last one looking like a set out of a science fiction movie. The caves are ‘amazing’ which spectacular rock formations which the Vietnamese think look like various animals. The caves are also lit by coloured lights which left Chris remarking at what a good night club the caves would make (you know- if they weren’t a UNESCO site!). The peoples favourite rock formation had to be the ‘pink penis’ judging by the scramble for the perfect position for the photo op!

We also vistited a cave with its very own singing guide – a surreal but extremely memorable experience! The guide is a Vietnam veteran who spoke no English so sang to us all as he showed us around a cave which was lived in during the war with America.

We later disembarked the newly christened ‘Rat Boat’ on Cat Ba Island where we headed of on a 5-6km hike up to a view point. The hike was under normal conditions would have been ‘a walk in the park’ except the ground was slippery from rain, the going was rocky and steep in places and Chris and I had packed for a ‘two day kayaking trip’ so the only shoes we had brought from our hotel in Hanoi were flip flops! Oh and I didn’t mention that one of my flip flops had broke the day earlier forcing Chris to pull an 11th hour repair job using someones lighter and some leaves – a survival technique that would clearly leave Ray Mears envious!

Following the hike we checked into our hotel, cleaned up and headed straight back out again to go kayaking. Naturally Chris and I were excited at this prospect and were naturally paired up. We soon learned that kayaking is an activity that always seems appealing and in fact is…..for the first ten minutes ….and then the arms go numb and the novelty wears off! Once again to make matters worse we had a wonky kayak that would only veer to the right! Soldiering on and frequently ramming other kayakers we paddled around enjoying secret lagoons which compounded the mystical nature of the bay by giving rise to echoes.

Back on dry land we met for dinner and all headed out for some last night drinks and Karaoke. It was over dinner that whilst chatting to our guide I took the opportunity to ask if he too had heard the rat(s). A very sheepish guide admitted to hearing the blighters and then regaled how he woke to find one sat on his stomach!!! Having chased the rat off he returned to sleep only to wake again to find his companion back again in the same position! He then told us he owns a cat which sometimes sleeps with him and he had been dreaming the cat was lying on his stomach. Yuk!!!

After a great night out with cheap beer, Karaoke and dancing we woke a little worse for wear the next day. The group, somewhat subdued, boarded the junk to make our way back to the mainand where lunch was waiting for us. Although the trip was not exactly what Chris and I signed up for, we had a great time and met some more people happy to share some wonderful memories of what will forever be known as ‘The Rat Boat’!

23rd February 2007

The name ‘Angkor Wat’ did ring some distant bells in my alcohol impaired, culturally starved memory, but until we arrived here in Siem Reap, North Eastern Cambodia, I had no idea of the wondrous nature of this historical site, that rightly represents a source of national pride for all Khmers (and the centre piece of the national flag!).

The temples of Angkor were the capital of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer people. There are over 100 temples in the area, built between AD 800 and 1400. Each ruling King strove to improve on his predecessors efforts by building larger, more elaborate, perfectly symmetrical temples that culminate in the world’s largest religious building, Angkor Wat. The temples were abandoned to nature during the 1600s and were effectively swallowed by the surrounding jungle. As the area has slowly opened up again in recent years (following the return of peace to Cambodia), the temples have been cleared to different extents, making for a real ‘tomb raider’ style exploring experience (although sadly lacking Angelina Jolie!).

We had grand plans of heading to the temples for sunset on our first evening in Siem Reap, but unfortunately, an over running afternoon knap put paid to that idea! Eager to make up for lost time, we headed out early the next morning with our new found friend / guide Cobb, and his trusty Tuk Tuk. Our first stop was Angkor Wat itself, the big daddy!

As we approached Angkor Wat, we were both awestruck by the size of the surrounding moat! At 190m wide, the moat forms a perfect rectangle measuring a mere 1.5km by 1.3kms! After negotiating our way through the dozens of Khmers selling refreshments outside the temple (a welcome opportunity to re-hydrate, this place is so hot it hurts!) and the seemingly billions of Korean tour groups, we made our way onto the causeway and across the moat. Crossing the moat felt to me much like walking down the mall on the approach to Buckingham palace, although in a more spectacular setting! When we entered the temple itself, we were simply blown away (thankfully not by a land mine – see next blog!). The temple is constructed of HUGE sandstone blocks, and is in surprisingly good condition. We spent the next 3/4 hours wandering around the place, trying to take it in (and navigate the dangerously steep steps!). I can’t possibly begin to describe how special this place is, Angkor Wat is simply awesome!

After a spot of lunch, our next stop was the temple Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm is very different to Angkor Wat, much smaller, but having been left to its own devices alongside the advancing jungle, equally impressive. Ta Prohm was used as the set for some of the scenes in the film tomb raider, and after our obligatory shots by the ‘tomb raider’ tree, we spent a couple more hours wandering around the ruins, almost in isolation (thankfully the Korean tour groups had gone back to town for lunch!). The trees really are swallowing this temple up, and the huge roots intertwined with the stones of the temple make for some awesome sights!

Next up was Angkor Thom, a huge walled city in the heart of the site. Here we leisurely wandered around the ‘terrace of the elephants’ and the ‘terrace of the leppar king’, before heading down to Bayon temple. Bayon is unique among the temples of Angkor, made up of 54 huge towers, over 3 levels, each topped with 4 enormous smiling faces carved into the stone. That’s 216 smiling faces, enough for everyone to grab a quiet moment, and a photo with a smiling face, despite the return of the 12 billion Koreans!

To end the day, we headed up the hilltop temple of Phnom Bakheng to take in the sunset with Angkor Wat in the background. As the sun set in the hazy sky, we reflected on what had been a great day. In my view, the temples of Angkor are on a par with Machu Picchu in Peru, but there are so many more, totally different sites to explore, and they are all in really close proximity. It would be possible to walk around the sights in a couple of days, but thankfully we had Cobb and his Tuk Tuk to ferry us around and save our legs for the exploring inside the sites themselves.

Next morning we were up at 4.30am, to grab our spot at Angkor Wat for sunrise. Despite the early start it was definitely worth it, the sunrise over the ancient temple outshone (sorry!) the sunset of the previous evening.

From here we headed out to 2 of the more remote sites. As you move away from the main temples, the crowds quickly diminish, but unfortunately so does the paved road! Still, Charlotte and I still managed to grab some sleep, despite being thrown around in the back of our Tuk Tuk!

Our first stop was Banteay Srei, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. The temple is cut from a pinkish stone, with some of the most unbelievably detailed carvings you could imagine! From here we headed out to the even more remote Kbal Spean site, which involved a 2 mile trek through the jungle to reach an intricately carved river bed, also known as the ‘river of a thousand lingas’.

We had a 2 hour return journey to Siem Reap through some beautiful country side, where unfortunately, the local Khmer people are struggling to exist in extremely poor conditions, and work the land which is still plagued by mines. To their unparalleled credit, the Khmer people always have huge smiles on their faces and love to interact with tourists, not surprisingly enjoying the peace after so many horrors in the last 30 years or so. Cambodia is an amazing place!

Warning! - This is a log blog so either skim it or go and make a nice cuppa and ... [Continue reading this entry]

15th August 2006 It is hard to believe that our time in New Zealand has come to an end. The seven weeks we have been lucky enough to spend here have flown by, I would highly recommend a holiday here ... [Continue reading this entry]

After leaving the Catlins we headed inland to Mount Cook National Park. The National Park houses 19 peaks over 3,000m and 40% is covered by glaciers. Mount Cook (the English name given in honour of Captain James ... [Continue reading this entry]

7th August 2006 Having dragged oursleves away from the excitement of Queenstown and our snow boarding adventures, we set out to complete our southern loop ... [Continue reading this entry]

4th August 2006 From the moment we arrived in Queenstown our budget took a bit of a battering! We had overheard ... [Continue reading this entry]

31st July 2006 We are now in Queenstown, after driving the short distance from Wanaka (makes me laugh every time, immature ... [Continue reading this entry]

27th July 2006 Maori legend states that a maori girl named Hinehukatere loved climbing in the mountains and persuaded her lover, Tawe, to climb with ... [Continue reading this entry]

24th July 2006 We have now moved onto the South Island for the final 3 1/2 weeks of our adventure in New Zealand. I ... [Continue reading this entry]