We’re leaving on a jet plane…….

7 April 2007

Feeling a little heavy headed from the night before we set about the task of packing our backpacks, which have served us incredibly well over the past 11 months, for the the very last time (this trip 😉 ).

Our flight back to the UK was not leaving until midnight so we had one final day in Bangkok which had planned to spend by the pool desperately working on the tan before returning to the much cooler climate of the UK and all our pastey white family and friends 😉 .
Unfortunately the sky in Bangkok was grey which pulled the plug on our plans so we did the next best thing and headed off for a curry and then for a relaxing massage. We then headed back to Patpong market to get a couple of last minute souvenirs before we said our farewells to Bangkok and made our way to the airport.

The midnight flight home was perfect timing for us as we were ready to sleep and sleep we did – almost the full twelve hours of the flight before we arrived an hour late at London Heathrow where we were to be met by my parents. Knowing they were in the same building as us left me kiddy as a five year old at Christmas however my excitement was prolonged as our bags were one of the last to come off the plane.

As we walked through customs I could see my Dad (who I hadn’t seen in 11 months) behind a cam-corder recording our entry and only after hugging him I realised there was no sign of mum. Looking around for her I clocked her stood further along next to two other surprise familiar faces – Nic and Steve (Chris’s sister and her husband who had visited us in Oz)- and the all important (and now obligatory – well for us!) sign with our names on. As it turned out they were spending their first wedding anniversary in London and thought they would drop by (at 6am in the morning!).

After exchanging hugs with my mum who apparently had been swinging from the railings for the past two hours giddy with excitement (yep Nic – that clearly is where I get it from), and after various photos and a little of the camcorder commentary for which my Dad is becoming infamous (in his own special way!!!!) we decided it would be rude not to have a pint together….well the Geordies had a pint whilst us ‘civilised southerners’ had orange juice 😉

Sadly then it was time to say goodbye to Nic and Steve, if only for a few days, as we set of for Kent and more family reunions with my Grandma brother, Julie, Maxwell and the new addition to the family which we were desperate to meet – Amelie.

After three days in Kent we headed up the M1 via our home in Leeds to Newcastle to see the other side of the family and to plenty more hugs, present giving, food and wine.

So here we are – back to our reality. The past eleven months has been the best eleven months of our lives (so far!) and the trip was definately the best decision (obviously after getting engaged Chris!) we have made. We have been truly lucky to see and experience some of the things we have and to meet the people we have, some of which we will hopefully stay in touch with ….and most importantly we made it through spending pretty much all day…every day together. Hopefully we will never forget this time – we shouldn’t as we have 7,500 photos to remind us!

One last note – some of you who have been reading this blog will remember that we said we were going to raise some money for the Cambodia Light Childrens Association (see link on right hand side) when we returned to the UK and that we were going to set ourselves a ‘challenge’ in order that we could raise lots of money – well a challenge we have set! We have both entered the Dublin Marathon on 29 October 2007 and will be running it for the CLCA. Chris has always ‘talked’ of doing a marathon so we thought this would give us both the incentive to put the hours of training in that is necessary to complete the distance.

Now just for the record – I am not making ‘excuses’ already (as Chris has kindly pointed out) but it is touch and go whether I will be able to run the Marathon in October as I have just been referred by my doctor to a foot specialist after experience pain in my left heel since we were in oz. So if the race against time with the treatment doesn’t pay off I will be finding something else or maybe a different marathon to enter to fulfill my part of the promise we made to each other.

Once we have a justgiving website up and running we will send out an email with the details and post an entry on this site – so watch your ‘in-box’ or this space!

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’!

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