31/3/02

Up at 5:30am to be at the station for 6am to make sure we got a ticket for the train, we were first so it was OK, went back to bed for an hour. Arrived in Butterworth about 12:30 and got a cab to a likely hotel, unfortunately it was full. We ended up walking half way round the town trying to find a decent place. All the cheap ones are horrible, some are old colonial buildings that have been partitioned into rooms, one was a converted office block complete with coffee stained floor tiles! Finally settled on the Honpin hotel. Ate in an Indian hawker type café for tea, very nice tandoori chicken. Had back ache so went to bed after that, did stay up and watch the grand prix though.

29/3/02

Bangkok, did nothing, got bus to Penang at 6pm.

27/3/02

Lazy day. We went to the ruined chedi, Wat Chedi Luang, in the morning, it's very big. There were lots of Buddhas in the temple in poses that I've not seen before. We met Merv again, he's the old Canadian guy we met on the boat to Phnom Penh. Were going to go to the museum's in the afternoon but they turned out to be too far away so we read our e-mail and packed. Got the train a 6pm.

25/3/02

Did nothing all day as S was not too well still. Went to the night market after dinner and brought stuff. Couldn't find any jeans though.

23/3/02

Speed boat ride, WOW!!!! Tuk-tuk picked us up at 7:30. We left at 8:10. The boat was a narrow river boat with a 1600cc Toyota twin cam engine strapped to the back. The boat is divided up into 3ft sections, the driver/pilot sits at the back, the luggage goes in the front two, then the passengers sit 2 to a row in the remaining 4 sections. There is no leg room for a Laos person let alone westerners. Luckily, as they are only allowed to carry 6 tourists, Shirley and I were in the front we had an empty section in front of us so we could stretch our legs over. When you board the boat you are given a life jacket and a crash helmet to wear, you need it just to keep the wind off. The boat flies along, very fast, well it feels it! I don't think it was as fast as the jet boat in Cambodia but it certainly feels it as it's so small. It was quite cold as well, good job we put long sleeve tops on. The sun didn't show itself all day and with the wind it was uncomfortable until after lunch. It did rain quite heavily in the afternoon but we put a travel towel round our legs and didn't really notice it that much. We got to Huay Xia about 3:30, that included over an hour stop over at lunch time when we changed boats. We crossed the river into Thailand OK and got a bus to Chang Rai as the were no more to Chang Mai. It looks like a nice place although there's not much to do here apparently. We met a Canadian couple (Kyle & his bird, don't know her name) lent them some money for the bus as they had no bhat and there was no where to change any at the border. They had been to Chang Rai before and said they new where to go for some guest houses near the station, wrong! We ended up walking round in a big circle with me finding the places from LP. They stopped in one place, it was OK but didn't have attached bathrooms so we moved on. Found the Boonbundan Guesthouse which was OK, 350bhat for very big room with aircon and TV (although not sat TV which is why I chose the room). Had a nice meal in Aye's restaurant, shame about all the germans who kept singing!

21/3/02

Woke up around 3am ish, guess I fell asleep too early. It was all extremely quiet & I was enjoying the silence until 4am when the monks in the Wat next door woke up and started banging their drum and cymbals for 20 mins or so, that happens every day apparently so I shall have to see if I can sleep through it tonight. Managed to sleep a bit after that then got up early for breakfast. We walked around the the town after that, the idea was to find another guest house, cheaper if poss, but there aren't any. They're all horrible or the same price as this one. We did find one that, if we had seen it first we would have used, but as it was the US$10 still we couldn't be bothered to move. After lunch we went to the old Royal Palace, which is now a museum, then we climbed the hill the see the Wat (Than Phu Si) & the view. Too knackered to do anything after that so we had an ice cream and went home.

19/3/02

Lazy day in Vang Vieng. Wrote postcards by the river, read e-mail's and fixed website a bit, have to get up early in the morning to get the 9am bus to Luang Prabang.

17/3/02

Got up late despite being woken up just before dawn by all the cockerels going off at once. We hired mountain bikes for the day, brought a local tourist map, which was a handdrawn and photocopied thing, and set off to find some caves. The plan was to start at one end of the village then work our way along, it worked to start, we found the Chang cave no problem. We had a bit of trouble with the second one though, the sign posts round here aren't great so we got a bit lost. We were heading for the Lusy cave but ended up in Pha Pouak instead, it's very big! The doorman/guide came with us, we must have walked into it for 20-30 mins and it still went on. At the point where we stopped he said you could go on for another 2 hours. The peddle on my bike broke on the way to the cave, it kept coming undone, that made it a pain coming home, I had to keep stopping to do the nut up. Booked a kayak tour for tomorrow, should be fun.

15/2/02

Carried on our tour of the city but on push bikes. We got up late so we didn't start out until 12. Rode to the two Wats we missed yesterday but they were closed for lunch so we set out for the Great Sacred Stupa, Pha That Luang. It was about 4km from where we were & was quite a hard ride, only because it was very hot & the bike was so low geared as to make things difficult. I think the back brake was jammed on as well, not too much but S was able to roll past me, I had to peddle all the time or I stopped. Stupa itself was huge, biggest we've seen, it looked like it was made of concrete though. Rode back to town and went to Wat Si Saket which has thousands of little Buddha's in niches in the walls, they are all the same! They could at least vary the pose he's in. Went home after that as it was too hot. Has Laos family BBQ for tea in a beer garden/restaurant, it's the same as the Thai version we tried although not as nice.

13/2/02

Bus to Vientiane was OK, comfy seats, lots of leg room, a bit hot as no aircon and too many mozi's but for an 8.5 hour trip it was fine. The road was good all the way. We stayed in the Samsenthai Hotel, it is a dump, it's disgusting, I don't know why we said yes, still it was only $US7/night. We are moving out first thing in the morning.

12/3/02

Transfer to Laos and another nightmare bus journey.

We got picked up at 5:45am from the Sinh Cafe by people carrier. The driver then drove around Hong Da picking up locals or waiting to see if there were any until about 6:30 we we set off for the border. That took 2 hours with stops, it was a windy road but good until after Khe Sanh when it got a bit rough. The driver stopped in the middle of Lao Bao, 3km from the border, we had to strop quite a lot until he agreed to take us all the way. We got through the border OK, Sinh Cafe rep met us and walked through with us. We had a scary motorbike taxi ride from the border to Dan Savanh, the small town on the Laos side. The rep then told us we had to get on a local bus, no windows, bench seats (7 to a bench), usual crates of fish and a pig in the back! We got there at 8:30am but the bus wasn't due to leave until 11, I'm not sure why we had to get up so early. The bus trip to Savanakhet wasn't actually that bad, very dusty and bumpy but no where near as bad as Cambodia, the roads were actually really good in places. Forgot to mention the bugs, locusts I think. At one point a woman got on the bus and sat next to me. She pulled out what I thought was a bagful of nuts, then she opened it. It was full of bugs. I sort of assumed they were dead but no, they started crawling around, I think they were all new and still drying out, she was airing them. At one stop she even brought some cooked ones from a street vendor. You peel them like prawns and eat the soft bit but did she have to keep dropping the shells on my feet, arghhhh!

Stayed in the Leena guest house, the first two places we tried were full and this was recommended by the tuk-tuk driver, quite nice and cheap. There's nothing in Savanakhet so we are moving straight on to Vientiane tomorrow. We have no cash, other than the US$4 Shirley changed at the border and we've spent some of that, so we had to eat for less than US$3, we managed it surprisingly.

11/3/02

Went to see the Citadel in Hue. It's big! I thought it looked like something the French had built but it's all local. Did nothing for the rest of the day, we were waiting for the bus to Hong Da (part of the transfer to Laos). When we got there we were put in the DMZ Cafe guest rooms, not the hotel we had imagined. I'm sure the Sinh Cafe bloke is ripping us off by putting us somewhere cheap and keeping the extra money.

9/3/02

Now in Hue, had trouble finding a room for the first time, everywhere was full or had only the worst rooms left. We found somewhere in the end though, the Binh Minh Hotel, it's a big room but it smells really musty & it's quite noisy outside. They say they will have a better room for us tomorrow. Booked a boat trip up the Perfume river (US$2) & our transfer to Laos (US$18) for Monday night.

8/3/02

I don't know if someone prayed for it, or maybe I stumbled in front of a temple and some god mistook it for a dance, but today it rained, glorious rain, the drizzly type that soaks you right through. Most people would think us mad, and we were certainly getting some funny looks from the locals (but they do that anyway), as we walked through the middle of town enjoying it and not hiding under umbrella's and the full body condoms that the street kids sell. I guess after six weeks of being roasted in various countries we were glad of something different, it might even have been a reminder of home.

7/3/02

Crap overnight bus trip from Nha Trang. Roads aren't good, although still 100 times better than Cambodia, and the bus was very uncomfortable even though we had two seats each. Hoi An is very nice though. Very picturesque town with a mix of old Chinese and colonial French buildings. Brought a ticket and went to see the sights. Saw the market, history and culture museum, Quan Cong's temple, Phuc Kien assembly halls, old house of Quan Thang and the Japanese covered bridge. Had dinner by the river. Going to see ruins tomorrow morning then shopping in the afro. Nearly forgot, we are having to change all our plans to get to Singapore. We were going to go on the Orient Express, which is supposed to be an amazing trip, but we looked up the prices on the Internet, it's £880 each from Bangkok, sod that! We are now going to Malaysia instead, we'll change our flight from Singapore to a later date in April and have less time in Perth.

5/3/02

Went on a boat trip round the islands in the bay. Quite relaxing, food was good as it was included in the $6 charge. Did some snorkelling on some reefs, very nice although a long way down, 5meters. Went in a little boat, like a coracle but made of reeds, round a pretty little fishing harbour at the last stop. They had floating fish farms as well, one with just cuttle fish, another with enormous goldfish.

3/3/02

Really nice bus trip from to Nha Trang. It was broken up nicely every 2.5 hrs, the coach was big and quite comfy, lots of leg room. We are staying in the hotel they dropped us outside of, Dong Phuong, ok, big room with aircon. Went to Nha Trang sailing club for dinner, nothing special and over priced.

1/3/02

Sorted out day trip round Saigon for tomorrow then went to the water park. It's very good, empty, clean and the slides are good as well, all the staff speak English. Met an Aussie guy called Shane, he was doing the SE Asia tour in the opposite direction to us so we exchanged some tips.

30/3/02

Arrived in Surat Thani about 7am. The bus stopped many times although we were told it wouldn't. Has to get a mini bus to Hat Yai where we were told we would get a big bus the rest of the way. When we arrived we were told to get another mini bus. Aub moaned about this and we got some of our money back, we went to get the train. It was fully booked so we stayed the night in Hat Yai.

28/3/02

Arrived early and found somewhere to stay. Booked bus ticket to Penang. Had a lazy day, wandered along the Khao San road and looked at all the market stalls. Brought some things, including a hammock.

26/3/02

Went on a one day Thai cooking class. First visited the local market and were shown lots of local herbs, vegetables, curry paste, oils and live fish. Cooked hot and sour prawn soup, green curry, panang curry, fried mixed veg and Phad Thai. After we had cooked these dishes we sat down for lunch. It was so filling. We tasted some local fruit and our teacher did some vegetable carving, very clever. He then showed us how to make spicy glass noodle salad and master spring rolls. It was good fun.

24/3/02

Caught the 9:20am bus to Chang Mai, arrived by lunchtime. Wandered around as the main road was closed to traffic and there were craft stalls, performers and a procession. Very busy, but really good. The monks had even opened their doors, so we had a chat with one.

22/3/02

Visited Kwang Xi waterfalls, very impressive. Climbed nearly to the top. Was able to swim in a pool, very cooling. Bought our boat tickets to the border for tomorrow. Did think about flying but too expensive. Visited Wat Xieng Thong. Beautiful wooden temple, the back wall was decorated with the tree of life.

20/3/02

Got up early to get the bus to Luang Prabang. Brought tickets at 7:30 although the bus didn't leave until 9am to make sure we got a seat. Took 7 hours including a stop for lunch. Walked for ages till we found a guest house, it's more expensive here. Aub felt really ill by the time we arrived. Went out for dinner and we were back by 9pm. Had an early night. Woken up at 4am by monks banging their drum!

18/3/02

Kayaking trip. Met our guide to find out that we were the only two. Set off just before 10am and joined another group at the first stop which was a local village. Began paddling and capsized at the first set of rapids, Aub's thought he was steering. Walked over a bamboo suspension bridge then through a cave, the we trekked back and had lunch. Paddled down stream to taste mulberry wine then onto another cave. Exited the cave through a very small hole. We then paddled our way home, good fun.

16/3/02

Decided to leave Vientiane today. Was going to get a bus but someone suggested we get a songthaew (pickup truck with two rows of seats in the back) because it would be a lot quicker. So we did, probably paid more than we should of but never mind. Arrived in Vang Vieng about 3pm. Found a room easily and went for a walk. Walked round the small town then to the river, wow! The view was stunning. We sat by the river whilst the sun began to set behind the mountains.

14/3/02

Woke up just after 7am, we packed, checked out and found a room in a guest house all by 8am. Our room is very nice although a little more expensive than we were going to pay. Went for a walk around Vientiane which was OK but very tiring. Got very ratty with Aub because it was hot and my legs ached, I think I had bus lag! Had a nice Indian meal, then checked e-mail, only one from Sue. Stog* had to be put down, as she said it is the end of an era. Very upset.

(*Stog was Shirley's mum's 15.5 year old cat.)

10/3/02

Went on the boat trip along the Perfume river. Visited Thien Mu pagoda, the royal temples, Hon Chen and Tomb of Minh Mang. We could of visited two more tombs but would have to pay for motor bike taxi and then entry fees. We were not being tight but we haven't much cash as the banks aren't open today.

8/3/02

Visited My Son. A Cham temple. Not much to see though as the Americans bombed it during the war. It was a pleasant journey there. Returned about 2 o'clock and had a late lunch. Visited a clothes factory because this lady followed us around until we visited her shop, we didn't buy anything. Aub brought a shirt from another shop, the lady from the first shop was outside asking why we didn't buy from her shop, Aub's reply was "You don't make them".

4/3/02

Had a lie in. Spent the day on the beach, a little pink by the time we got back to the hotel. Had a really nice meal at the Candlelight restaurant. Ate my meal with chop sticks, it was my first time.

2/3/02

Did the city tour of Saigon. Vietnam war remnants museum, Reunification Hall, Emperor Jade pagoda, Notre Dame and General Post office in the morning. In the afternoon visited Giac Lam pagoda, Binh Tay market and Nha Rong Wharf.