Nha Trang, Vietnam

Today I did something I never thought I would do. I joined the beach whales and bought swimwear. While it’s not exactly a bikini, a sarong and a bandeau style top seemed like a step in the right direction. I was beyond hot wearing trousers and a strappy top, so now I feel a lot more comfortable.

The waves here are quite something. I’ve never seen so much spray crashing upon a shore line. At first I wondered if we were expecting a typhoon but I’m told this is normal. I felt slightly smug about not booking a boat trip. The water around Thailand was so tranquil, that I hadn’t expected it to be so different here. Instead I booked a tour of the local countryside, where I shall see fishing villages and salt fields. For the moment, I’m enjoying the sun, sand and seafood.

Hue to Nha Trang by train, Vietnam

I’ve just watched the mountains fade into darkness and farmers abandon their fields for the night after a glorious day in the central plains. I’ve been on the train since this morning, originally feeling somewhat cautious about having an entire carriage to myself, let alone the cabin. A few hours later we passed the station of Danang where the train became alive with voices and I shared my cabin with the most unfriendly European couple.

The views have been incredible. As the train climbed uphill we passed through jungle, and wound alongside shanty towns and eventually proceeded to follow the coastline where I watched the waves crashing against the rocks and golden sands that continued for miles. During the second part of the journey the scenery became much flatter, as we cut our way across paddy fields that stretched to the horizon, glistening in the sun.

The journey itself consisted of a few meals, in the form of plastic containers filled with rice, leaves and possibly pork. I decided against eating the meat, as everything was barely warm and far from appetising. I was thankful for the supply of pasteries I had bought before leaving Hue.

A particular side pocket in my backpack seems doomed, after the previous nights ant infestation, as today it was the sunscream that decided to leak. The ants proved not to be too much of a problem as the hotel provided a huge can of insect spray (which I had hoped not to use) and took my pack in the hallway, where there was a lurking cockroach, and gave the ants a blast. I noticed the bathroom had a colony of tiny ants but other than that I’m not sure how they got there.

A few hours after dark we pulled into Nha Trang station where the hotel owner picked me up, balancing my pack on the front of his scooter and me behind. It can also be said by this point that my pack is quite heavy. The room is ok, plain but cheap. I also have an ensuite and a tv with a rock music channel so all is well. Not that I’ve come to Vietnam to watch satelite tv, but its still amusing where you can watch a copy of a mid nineties movie.

Hue, Vietnam

Today I visited the Forbidden City, which provided a peaceful escape from the constant horns and traffic fumes of Hue. The architecture was beautiful. I arrived yesterday morning, where initially there was some confusion over the $12 room and asking for a room with internet access. In the end they let me stay in a luxurious $30 room for the lower price, so I’ve been spending quite a bit of time online. Last night was the first time I’ve had my own room since I’ve been traveling and I had the most wonderful twelve hour sleep. Even though flights, dorms and night trains are fine, it does feel like I’ve been trying to fit sleep in around everyone else.

Other than the Forbidden City, there isn’t much else to see in Hue. It’s a very average city, with many restaurants and cafes providing menus for tours as well as food. Many tourists seem to come here as a stepping off point.

I have found it a lot friendlier than Hanoi. Maybe it’s because I walk everywhere that the locals stop and say hello, but even in street side cafes the owners are a lot more talkative. The downside to being in a smaller city is the hassle from the moto drivers, which fall into the ‘unskilled labour’ bracket. I get tired of the constant calls as I walk past and sometimes follow you, asking where you’re going and why you don’t take a moto. Even when eating at cafes men come to the tables, trying to sell drawings. I think out of principle, every Westerner says no. The other thing to get use to is when asking a question that they don’t understand, the answer is always ‘yes’.

Tomorrow morning I take the train to Nga Trang.

Vietnam photos

Vietnam Photos

I’m staying in Hue, and have a computer in my room so here are a few photos…
Click here for more photos of Hanoi and Sapa

Trekking in Sapa, Vietnam

I’ve returned from Sapa with so many incredible memories, that I have no idea where to begin. So instead, I sit in my favourite cafe and order a mushroom omlette and freshly squeezed mango juice. It makes me think of my first breakfast in Sapa, after a long, grueling overnight train journey. I order ‘bread with eggs’ and ‘pancake with banana’ not quite expecting the menu to be so literal. My first plate arrives with a crusty roll on one side and some scrambled egg on the other. The pancake was a similar story, no sauce, no extras. I quickly began to realise that the food here is very basic in a way that mirrors local life.

I took a minibus past the other tourists to the base of a mountain, where I was greeted by two young Hmong girls wearing dyed indigo clothes adorned with jewellery. Already their English was good as I told them about England and they told me how many brothers and sisters they had, while I following the guide to the meeting point. I was introduced to an American guy who I would do the tour with. For the next two hours we trekked up and down steep mountain paths alongside beautiful rice terraces. Unfortunately, like other treks I’ve done in dramatic mountain scenery, the guide walked too fast and if you raised your eyes for more than a moment you risked a twisted ankle or worse.

Along the way I met several local tribes women who were keen to sell hand woven goods, but also liked to talk and laugh. One particular lady, Su walked with me for a good half an hour, gripping my hand on near verticle slopes. I started wondering why I was doing this tour as it was exhausting, and I had to spend the whole time concerntrating rather than taking photos.

We stopped for lunch at a local cafe where I was ready for the egg and noodle soup that was served. The American guy barely touched his. I thought he must be starving after the mornings trek, but instead he paced up and down along the road side. A few minutes later our guide flagged down a motorbike to take him back to Sapa town. Apparently he had started to question whether he should be doing the trek as an American, and felt that people would resent him for events in the past. The guide told me that this wasn’t the case and that everyone was welcome. I could have understood it had he been a soldier in the war, but he wasn’t. He was just a young guy in his twenties.

The guide and I continued our trek, this time along a gravel road where I was finally able to walk at my own pace and take photos of the terraces. I have never seen such stunning landscapes anywhere, from the snowscapes in Iceland to the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, there was something more magical about the glistening water which hung in the gently curved terraces, sparkling against the green. The whole mountainside and valley was covered by this huge man made sculpture. It’s something I’ve wanted to see for so long, so it was a pretty special experience and the only thing I can compare it to at home is the pattern of a ploughed field, when viewed on a hill side. In between the terraces would be houses and small villages.

The guide took me back to his home, which was a wooden framed house, finished beautifully in bamboo, from the walls to the upstairs floor. The view from the patio was amazing. The house looked out across a valley and mountains that stretched for miles. After the long trek I was hungry and waited until after dark when the family invited me to join them for dinner. I was a little apprehensive as I had read about various customs of ways not to offend your host, but the rice wine caught me out. I tried to start eating my soup before I had finished the vile tasting and incredibly strong local drink. Somehow I managed to keep swallowing it, and everyone smiled.

Dinner always begins with a soup, this one was a mixture of vegetables and tasted good. A communal bowl of rice followed, which we all took from as well as a plate of heavily charcoaled fish, omelette and green veg. I couln’t quite say that it was nice, but the experience of eating dinner and staying with local tribes people was the highlight.

I slept on a mattress, above the other living quarters, and covered myself with a mosquito net and thick blanket. The night was very cold. The following morning I enjoyed a plate of pancakes which I smothered in honey and lime juice, until I felt prepared the the trek. We visited a traditional poor family house, which two sisters and husband lived together in two small rooms. One had a baby, but the other’s had died and so the family was cooking buffalow meat on the fire to protect the baby’s spirit. It was very sad, and I couldn’t fully understand what was going on, but the two sisters were lovely and had a great sense of humour.

Afterwards we took a long walk over large bolders next to a river, until we came to a huge waterfall. There was a lot of very tall mountains and jungle nearby. We headed back to the guide’s house for a noodle soup and pork lunch before saying thank you to the family and waving goodbye. The trek back to a nearby village took about an hour in the midday sun and involved some steep uphill paths, which was exhausting with my pack. Relieved to make it to a small village we stopped for bottled water, before squeezing onto a motorbike, between the driver and guide for a few miles. To see three people on a bike here is really common, and the driving is slow and careful. Another hour later we completed the rest of the journey in a Russian jeep.

Having bought several bracelets and hand woven products during the trek, I avoided the shops which were full of the same thing, only more expensive, and made my way to the local market. I was looking for pieces of hand made fabric for Ferret, as she seems quite creative with unusual patterns. Women of all ages swarmed me, quickly latching onto what I was looking for. There was no agression, just desperation to make money. I barely spent a few dollars on scraps of fabric but the women were greatful. Again, there were lots of smiles during the process, and the interaction was fun. I think for the Lisa women, having a foreigner come to the market and buy from them, rather than the tourist shops, was a new experience too.

My train from Lao Cai back to Hanoi was much more comfortable than the previous journey. I shared with a couple from Hong Kong, and a local business man. We all exchanged travel stories before putting off the lights and getting rocked to sleep.

Hanoi, Vietnam

There’s something quite liberating about drawing three million out of the bank, shame its only dong. The currency here can be hard to get your head around, but the street sellers make sure you spend it.

It’s been an interesting few days. I got picked up from the airport and saw a cow walking across a fast dual carriageway. I hate to think what happened after we drove by. The suburbs seemed vast and I hoped the driver would take me somewhere nice. Eventually we drew to a halt and he said, you have to walk up there, pointing to a narrow street with great mounds of soil piled up. Apprehensively, I balanced my pack and crossed a wooden plank over a ditch to the hostel entrance and was greated by lots of smiles and relaxed people.

After putting my things in the dorm I realised I was hungry, when another girl arrived, along with Janette, an Australian lady with the most amazing sense of humour asking if I wanted to head out for some food. Before long she was leading us down the busy streets of Hanoi, telling us many useful tips that she had picked up over the last two months.

On my first night in Vietnam I ate seafood at a street stall, along with the other two and many locals. We sat on red plastic stools and ordered freshly prepared crab, prawns and various shell fish. It was priced by weight and came with various tools to eat with. I have never seen prawns as big before, or tasted such a sweet flavour. It was a delicious meal despite the surrounding, where discarded shells and unwanted fish debris was discarded on the pavement around us. Everything was dirty but the food was good.

Despite eating three large prawns I still felt hungry so we stopped off at another stall where I had a bowl of chicken and noodle soup with some green veg floating on the top. Next to us was a lady with baskets of fruit laid out around her, and she split open a clementine for us to try. It was wonderfully sweet. Janette bought some mangos and a dragon fruit, which I’d only ever seen sold in waitrose for at least 5 pounds each and had never tried one. The lady asked if we wanted her to cut it for us, so she did. Promptly she pulled out more plastic stools and we laughed and joked with her, as she showed us how to peel the pink rubbery skin, to reveal a soft white flesh. The taste is somewhere between a watermelon and a strawberry, sweet and subtle. I enjoyed is so much that I bought one (for about 40p) and shared it at the hostel this afternoon.

Today has been full of all sorts, waking up to the noise of workmen digging in the road below. I was thankful for my ear plugs. Later I headed out to the ‘Russian shop’ which was located in the Hanoi Towers. Luckily the shops are located on the ground floor. After sampling the street stalls, going into a proper shop felt quite odd. The owners of the hostel sent me there to buy a cheap windproof coat as I became quite worried when other travellers said they weren’t going to Sapa because it was too cold, and coming from Bangkok, Hanoi felt cold. I shall be taking an overnight train there tomorrow night and doing a two day tour. It’s really close to the boarder of China and has dramatic mountain scenery.

After returning with my new clothes I felt really hungry and decided it was time to find food. In the light of day the streets were chaotic, the sound of beeping horns constant and the dust was everywhere. I found a street kitchen with rice and various meats and veg, so I joined the locals who were all very friendly. They put me at ease and offered me the right soup spoon and implements for the meal for the meal, and asked me where I was from and a few other standard questions that followed but it was nice.

I walked down some more roads and it wasn’t long before the chaos of the city made me question why I had come to this over whelming place, at which point I just happened to be passing a cafe with a menu of cake while having this thought so I wandered in. After a creme caramel everything felt much better and I followed the road around to the main lake, which the guestbook described as the soul of Hanoi. Compared to the other streets it certainly felt really mellow. I visited a temple in the middle of a lake and spent some time sitting in the sun and enjoying the warmth.

Later I returned to the cafe for a plate of indulgent chocolate cake. I wasn’t sure what to expect as many non-European countries fail miserably when trying to imitate Western style desserts, but the cake was no dissapointment. It must be the Frech influence. After a trip to the Bank I came back to the cafe for a plate of spring rolls, my first Vietnamese spring rolls. I had expected something a bit like the ones you find in Chinese restaurants, with the flaky pastery but these were clear and full of beautifully fresh shredded veg and cellophane noodles accompanied by a sweet spicy sauce.

I made me way back to the hostel that happens to be celebrating it’s second birthday so there’s been a bit of a party with lots of free food and drink, and a geography related quiz. It was all quite fun, except I’m still feeling hungry and shall probably head out soon for some more food. I’m looking forward to spending most of tomorrow exploring Hanoi some more.

Arriving in Bangkok

I’m sitting by a pond of huge carp in the gentle afternoon sun, partially hidden by luscious palm trees. Today has been so much easier than anticipated. I arrived at the shiny new airport (they both use the same BKK code). So that turned out to be a useful surprise since I’d been preparing myself to go from the old airport, to the new one in order to pick up my tickets for I need tomorrow (before the ticket office opens) but all was well. I even left my larger bag in left luggage.

Getting the bus into Bangkok was easy and enjoyable, watching the colourful city pass me by. The ticket lady onboard has a clever bamboo cane like gadget which she would flick open in different ways according to the notes she wanted. So many quirky things here. I got to use the sky train also, which is lots of fun on a bright sunny day.

My guesthouse took a bit more finding, but its lovely with a nice garden and lots of ornate wooden furniture. I’m sleeping in a dorm with five others, so hopefully I get to sleep, but it’s only for one night. I have all the ear plugs I could wish for and it seems a pretty good place.

Tomorrow I shall get the bus back to the airport and board my flight to Hanoi. For now though, I’m off to find some dinner…

Marrakesh, Morocco

My last afternoon in Morocco and I sit by the pool side, after a busy morning of shopping. I decided that the leather here is gorgeous and managed to come back with five belts, including one snake skin, a red leather belt, a wide black platted one and two that have camel bones set into them and are incredibly beautiful.

Having been here just over a week, I feel as comfortable going into the souks as I would going to a market at home. In my mind, it has transformed from being this dark and chaotic maze to a place of many individual stalls run by generally nice people with a great sense of humour. I no longer feel apprehensive or wary, as I did to start with, continually paranoid for my bag and its contents. Its much easier to over charge, than directly steal. Also religion is strong and people are honest.

Yesterday afternoon I wandered through the Djemaa el Fna where women were calling out to do henna. I kept going but a slow in pace made it obvious that I was interested, and the lady in her early thirties followed me into the souk with a picture book. Despite our lack of common language I could see the desperation in her eyes, as she pleaded with me. It was something I wanted to experience anyway so a price was agreed and a design chosen in traditional one day red dye. I sat transfixed as the lady doodled a dark brown pattern of swirls and dots across my hand. After an hour the dark brown layer peels off, leaving a dark red cast.

In the evening we went for a meal, this time to somewhere pretty special. I shall add the name in later, but it was a mix of Moroccan and Thai, located in a beautifully restored riad. Other than the mosque, it is the only building in Marrakesh to have a sliding roof. We sat in the open, as candles flickered lighting up the surrounding walls, with amazing wood carvings and fine silk curtains. The owner was a well known DJ in seventies who came over to welcome us. The ambient music was perfect, as was the service, the food and everything about the evening. In one corner stood huge bamboo shoots, as wide as young trees, while the entrance contained an illuminated, bubbling water feature which we all rushed over to admire. Part way through our meal some sort of decorative burner was lit, as jets of fire whooshed out, causing more gasps of surprise. It was as if Ali had thought about what would make the most amazing dining experience, combining both taste and aesthetics, and then went about making his fantasy come to life, over the next ten years. It was truly lovely, the interior more amazing than words or even dreams could describe.

This evening I enjoyed a much more simple meal in the main square with the one remaining member of the tour, which has been fun. We even had ice cream. For now though, I shall head back to the hotel and look forward to my four thirty am wake up call.

Nightlife in Marrakesh

Morocco is great for doing quirky things, like hiring a cart to carry out luggage back to the bus station, or taking a mule plus guide for a couple of pounds to carry to carry ten people’s bags up a mountain side. Much more fun than a Heathrow baggage trolley. Anyway yesterday afternoon we took a public coach back to Marrakesh, which was quite a leisurely affair, with a twenty minute break at a cafe, followed by a frantic hammering on the horn to which we all piled in. I watched the desert pass us by and various settlements with shepherds herding small flocks of sheep, in a fruitless search for grass.

We had come back to the hectic pace of the city, with hordes of taxi drivers swarming around us, saying things like, ‘You want taxi? how many? I take you there.’ Our tour leader negotiated a price and we set off back to the hotel.

A quick change of clothing and everyone emerged for our final group dinner, in their recently purchased glass bead necklaces and silk scarves as we made our way to modern Marrakesh, with its boutiques and stylish eateries. Our restaurant was no exception, with a cascading wall of water behind us and sparkly red fairy lights in-twined in the green foliage above. The meal was wonderful, olives and fresh bread plentiful as we enjoyed various tagines, and a selection of decadent puddings.

Deciding to continue in the same vein we visited Monty Crystal, a stylish bar where the walls are draped in dark red silk, the seats made of soft leather and the lighting atmospheric, with traditional lanterns adorning every table. A mint sheesha pipe was ordered, and expensive cocktails with badly mixed ingredients. Satisfactory drinks here tend to be a novelty!

A man in the corner played tribal beat music, as his group sat around, entranced. As the evening drew on a disco started, where Moroccan women danced to the latest Euro pop hits. Everyone seemed to be having fun so we joined in as well. Music videos were played on big screens, people smiled and joked, it was like one big party. By half past one the music got worse and the dance floor became flooded with uncoordinated men, so we thought it was time to leave. Ten minutes later a little fiat taxi had dropped us back at the hotel, after what had been a lovely night with great memories of a beautiful venue and friendly people.

Essouira, Morocco

The sweet sounds of ‘Castle made of sand’ ran through my head, as I walked along golden sands, with creamy stone buildings and white washed walls. This is the paradise that inspired Hendrix back in the sixties. Essouira is a beautiful seaside town, with a relaxed pace and cult hippy following.

Huge waves crash into the rocks, as sea spray dances high into the air. There is a constant breeze and a perfectly clear aquamarine sky. Fishermen bring back a fresh catch twice a day, in tiny wooden boats, much to the delight of hundreds of seagulls that swarm over head. A few are lucky and sit along the concrete walls, squabbling over a freshly bleeding Herring.

The heart of the town is the market squares and mini souks. A vibrant and chaotic mix of crafts, spices and fish stalls. Everyone seems to be buying or selling something, from the flea market auctions to the patisery, with various cinnamon and almond cakes sold by the weight.

The architecture is beautiful, with many adorned doorways and decorated tiles. Moroccan interiors are another interesting concept, with many clashing patterns and colours, which all work together in creating a design that challenged our senses. The last two nights have been spent in a riad, with a small garden and water feature in the middle and a terrace at the top. Our riad is next to a temple, but I no longer hear the prayer calls that happen throughout the day.

The bars and restaurants here are quite stylish, with coloured lighting, live bands and strong cocktails on the roof terrace, surrounded by lucious plants and comfy garden chairs. I have sampled a variety of cuisine from traditional tagines to omlettes and Italian pasta dishes, while catching up with the rest of the group, followed by the occasional chocolate cake or apple tart.

I have really enjoyed my time here and hope to return to this laid back fishing town, full of interesting things to see, and places to be enjoyed. It’s a lot more friendly than Marrakesh, with clean costal air and empty beaches. I have done much shopping and shall return home in a few days with lovely hand made wooden boxes, silver bracelets and rows of glass beads. This afternoon we leave, and head back to the medival city of Marrakesh by public bus, where I shall enjoy the delights of Djemaa el Fna.

The Atlas Mountains, Morocco

The Atlas mountains were incredible. I went on a four hour trek, high into the clouds and up to a remote shrine. Just staying in the village of Armed was an experience in itself. We lived with the locals, and saw how they survive in a fairly unforgiving environment. Every day the women use a communal oven to bake the bread, and prepare a tagine of couscous and various meats. I’m in Morocco during the religious festival of Ramadam, where fasting takes place during the day and then food is eaten after darkness. For this reason people seem quite wiped out during the day, but I have a feeling that the pace is petty relaxed here anyway.

The mountain people of Armed were truely warm and friendly, and made us feel very welcome in their village. We stayed on the top floor of an old house, with sofa style seating around the edge that we slept upon at night, and a balcony that looked out upon jagged mountain scenery. The family cooked us three meals a day, of the freshest most beautiful produce. Lunch consisted of a wide variety of veg, with cheese, eggs and fish. Evening dinner arrived in the form of a spicy soup followed by a communal tagine, brimming with rich flavours, carrots, sweet potatoes and chicken or mutton, as well as a large selection of bread. Fresh oranges or melon was provided for dessert. Every meal was followed by the most aromatic sweet mint tea. Even the smell was moorish.

An hours drive followed two nights in Armed, where we hired a mule to take our bags back down the hillside. We took a mini bus to Ouirigane, where we stayed in a really lovely Moroccan countryside hotel with beautiful pink walls covered in lucious green vines, a spacious garden and pool.

That afternoon we had lunch in a traditional Berber house, where we were invited to see how the bread was made, and were shown around the house until we settled in the living room and were served a delicious three course meal. The tables here are very low down, with soft padded cushions to sit on and lots of colourful fabric to adorn the room. Our hosts were wonderful, and we sat around chatting for a couple of hours.

Later that afternoon most of us went on a walk into the hills, across to neighbouring villages, with a local guide who pointed to new electricity pilons, and proceeded to tell us that electricity had arrived for these people just two weeks ago. There were many very old mud brick houses, set against furtile red soil. The villages resembled an ancient civilisation, unchanged for centuries, and was like nothing I had ever seen before.

That evening we had a meal at the hotel, which was lovely but we were surrounded by many tiny cats who fought each other over scraps of food. We later found out that cats are sacred here, as there does seem to be more of these wild ‘cat like’ creatures than people, many of them in a bad state. Anyway the meal was particularly satisfying and after a few rounds of cards I went off to bed, ready for Essouira the following morning.

Marrakesh and the Souks

Yesterday I encountered the delight of the souks, magical and maze like. I walked around slowly watching people, seeing other photographers and how the locals reacted to them. After a while I got use to the new environment and managed to take many photos without offending anyone. I would upload them here, but despite finding an computer new enough to have a USB port in the back, it still refuses to let me access my camera, so it’s looking like photos will have to wait until my return, and then they shall be uploaded.

By midday the dappled light was incredibly dramatic, as it made its way to the mud floor. The air was thick with the pungent smell of spice, and something else that I was unable to identify that wafted through the souk.

The touristy part is full of all the usual crafts and clothing, but the further you go the more authentic is becomes, with less white people and more reasonable prices. There was also stalls of delicious Moroccan pastries and freshly squeezed orange juice, which was so refreshing.

In the evening I met the Intrepid tour group that I shall be joining for the next few days. It seems like everyone is greener than me, in terms of travelling so in the evening I led them through the Medina. There are only three out of ten of us that can speak any French. The people seem mostly nice though, and come from all corners in the globe.

The Moroccans here are truly friendly. Even in the souks I was able to have a laugh with the store holders, and deflect any hassle. People respond well to a smile. Unfortunately my travel partners weren’t so lucky or diplomatic, and seemed to have a rough time with it. Thankfully I’m not having that problem.

Marrakesh, Morocco

I’m looking out upon dusty pink buildings, seperated by concrete walkways and chunky palm trees. In the distance the glow of floodlights attracts groups of teenage boys as they sing merrily in loud voices. I later find out Marrakesh are playing Casablanca at the city stadium.

So far Morocco has been a lot easier than I expected. The airport resembled the chaos sampled at The Queen Alia, in Jordan, with disorderly queues and hours of not much happening with little explanation, but this should be considered normal when visiting such places. A while later I found myself outside the airport trying to suss out the best option of getting to the hotel. I was a little wary of the taxi hustlers, mostly due to my experiences of trying to get a taxi just about anywhere in Bangkok, to which the drivers had their own agendas.

Here the price agreed at the start of the journey was not only fair but stuck to. The driver also knew where the hotel was and took me straight there, which is always a bonus! He also made jokes about ‘un cadeau pour moi’ which he recieved due to my relief at not having to suffer any scams. And with the most dreaded part of my journey over I arrived at Hotel de la Minara, with its beautiful Moorish decor and tranquil courtyard.

Still feeling a little apprehensive, I wandered down the main street looking for somewhere to have dinner. I stopped to ask a white couple who turned out to be French and they pointed me in the direction of a Pizza hut. Ironically it isn’t somewhere I would normally go at home and as much as I laugh at English people who go abroad and eat at McDonalds, the prices were cheap and it was starting to get dark.

The familiarity of the French language is comforting, as I am able to communicate on a basic level. It is a lot less scary than being in remote parts of Asia where no common language is shared. I like the Moroccan people. So far they have been warm friendly, and show definate humour.

I have barely encountered any of the hastle I read about, as a single female. It is difficult not to respond to a friendly bonjour in the street, but with the knowledge that once conversation is started it is very difficult to escape, I just keep walking. I have been careful to adopt the mannerisms of Moroccan women and in many ways I look quite similar with my dark hair and long floating kaftan. Here the men would never approach a woman on the streets if they respected her, yet tourists in their inappropriate tank tops seem fair game. I try to walk purposely, which is always difficult when you are lost, as not to attract hastle, but so far it’s working and I feel that I am starting to gain an insight into Moroccan culture.

***

This morning I had breakfast at the hotel and started talking to a group of travellers who are at the end of their Intrepid tour, and gave me lots of tips on bargaining, the various places they visited and seemed to have thouroughly enjoy it. I headed out and in the general direction of the main square, walking alongside noisy roads and sandy pavements, spotting my first internet cafe. I am told there are many. Anyway I shall continue exploring, and post again soon, with hopefully many exciting tales…

Rennes, France

The moment I stepped outside the airport the difference was noticeable. Just an hours flight from Southampton and I was in the provincial city of Rennes, struggling to remember my French as I ordered drinks and bought various items of clothing. After a freshly squeezed apricot juice and a brief catch up with my parents, sitting in a colourful outdoor cafe, I wandered off to the alternative part of town. The streets are lined with old timber buildings, as music plays from the floors above and stylishly dressed people pass below, the place is alive with energy. The atmosphere is relaxed as locals shop and chat, and the cafes are filled with smiling faces and joyous conversation.

I continued to the interesting ethnic shops that I visited the year before, as I absorbed the sense of decoration displayed in the jewellery stands, and cave like layout of never ending shops, filled with tables of loose beads in every size, shape and colour, bowls of swirled glass rings and rails of earth coloured sarongs. The shop assistants were genuinely friendly and helpful as tribal beat music played in the background and the subtle smell of incense wafted through the air.

As the afternoon drew to a close we gathered in the old square and ordered delicious crepes filled with spinach, cheese and salmon, as waiters bustled between the tables and an accordionist serenaded the diners with lulling French folk music. As the evening went on, families, friends and couples gathered together chatting merrily, displaying a contentedness that becomes apparent when observed by an outsider, from a world of deadlines and demands. Here the emphasis is on family and friends, where people take time to enjoy life and appreciate its pleasures. Rennes is an inspiring city of both beauty and culture, mixed with its easy going street vibe and affectionate heart. Its a place that I like a lot and shall probably return to many times for its uniqueness and just for being Rennes.

Final thoughts and recommendations...

The morning after we got back it was snowing, and having been back in the UK four days now I’ve nearly got used to the temperature and waking up at the right time. I’ve been looking at all the photos I took in Thailand and Cambodia, 2500 of them, and feel quite amazed at some of the things I saw and did.

The photos will be bigger than on here and there are more of them. At the moment I’m trying to fight a bad cold. Looking back at the trip, it does feel like an amazing journey where every day I experienced something new. I’m really glad I saw Cambodia and such a different way of life. I want to travel again, and will probably go along to Destinations 2006 for inspiration (2-5 Feb). It has been such an amazing experience and I want to see more of the world.

Recommendations and Advice

During our visit to Thailand and Cambodia we stayed at some great places, as well as some that weren’t so nice. I think that choosing a good guesthouse or hotel can play a large part in the enjoyment of a place, as we found out in Bangkok.

Bangkok:

I don’t recommend staying in the area Downtown of Thanon Rama IV, it’s fairly grim. Sukhumvit is a much smarter and more expensive area. We stayed at the SV Guesthouse (Tel. (0066) 22 531747) (just around the corner from the metro) which was 600 baht a night for a double room with ensuite. All the hotels in that area seem more expensive than other parts of Bangkok, but its definately worth it for the great public transport links and for a street free of rats and rubbish. Khoa San Road looks a fun place if you’re young, into hostels and willing to stay in the same place as all the other tourists. Chinatown looked another fun option, definately worth investigating.

Sukhothai:

We stayed at the Ban Thai guesthouse in New Sukhothai (Tel. (0066) 55 610163) which was the most enchanting guesthouse we came across in Thailand, and I completely recommend it to anybody. They have beautiful wooden bungalows with ensuites based in a pretty garden for 250 baht a night, and dorms in a separate building for less. There is also a lovely restaurant area which has a brilliant menu of thai food at good prices. We really enjoyed staying here.

Chiang Mai:

I don’t have anywhere to recommend for Chiang Mai, as the place we stayed was fairly basic and provided small, grotty blankets for the bed and wanted to charge extra for sheets. Despite being Western run they kept a poor dog in a cage and the staff weren’t overly friendly. However there are lots of nice looking guesthouses in Chiang Mai, so I think it would be easy to find somewhere that looked good when you get there rather than booking in advance.

Krabi:

The KR Mansion Hotel (Tel. (0066) 75 612761) was ok, but not brilliant. I booked it over the phone and they had said 300 baht a night for a double room with ensuite, but when we got there they were saying 350. They did accept 300, but I’m sure for their new price you could find a nicer place to stay. The food wasn’t great either.

Siem Reap, Cambodia:

I completely recommend The Two Dragons Guesthouse to anybody going to Siem Reap and visiting Angkor. Our room was lovely and clean with nice bedding and a hot shower. The guesthouse is Western run, with a helpful owner and friendly staff. They have a clean restaurant with lovely Thai and Khmer food at good prices. Our room was $12 a night for a double bed, air con and a hot shower ensuite. This guesthouse is popular and gets full quickly so I recommend booking in advance. Also we met our tuk tuk driver Sot’lar at the entrance when we arrived, offering to be our driver, and he was very likeable so I would highly recommend him also.

Queen Alia Int. Airport, Jordan

We arrived in Jordan in the evening and found out that we had a free transit hotel already arranged, which I was surprised about. It seemed like half the people from the flight knew about it and the rest didn’t, and like myself had already booked accomodation in Amman. We were lucky, as a lady at the hotel phoned up the hotel where I had a reservation and cancelled for me and thankfully they won’t charge my card. The hotel itself was ok, really large and included a free evening meal and breakfast. Neither were much good though!

The organisation at the airport the following morning was terrible. We arrived at 9.00am for our 11.00am flight and were pointed in the direction of a transit desk where no one was there to serve us. After a while we were moved on to a different desk where there was one woman between two lines of about fifty people, and it was so slow. As people from our flight neared the front she started calling for passengers for flights to Tunis and then New York. Eventually every time she called out New York we all screamed back London. After standing in a queue for over an hour she told us to gather round and started reading out our names. Of course with the number of people for our flight and how quiet her voice was, nobody could hear a thing. Thankfully a loud man from our flight took the cards from her and read out our names. It astounded me that after getting to the airport so early we then had to stand in a queue for an hour and a half, only for another passenger to read out our names and give us our boarding cards. With half an hour to spare we proceeded to the boarding gate.

Bangkok, Thailand

Last night we were collected from the hotel and taken to Krabi bus station, where we waited an hour before boarding a coach. We were fairly tightly packed but for our 550 baht each to go from Krabi to Bangkok I hadn’t expected much else. The toilet on board was tiny and had no light, which seems a common feature of Asian busses, so for future reference always travel with a pocket torch!

Three hours later the bus pulled in at a little place with palm trees and a ‘cafe’. We thought it was just a toilet stop, but our luggage was being taken off the coach and everyone got out. Nobody knew what was going on or why we had been dropped here, but we had to go over to a desk and write down our names for Bangkok. Eventually we managed to get out of one of the drivers that we were going on a ‘big coach’. All of a sudden there was shouting of ‘quick’, ‘Bangkok’ and ‘coach one’ but for some reason that coach wasn’t for us and we were allocated on the next one.

We found a Canadian couple to talk to and waited for about an hour, in this swamp like, coconut plantation, surrounded by bull frogs and moths the size of birds. Eventually our coach did turn up, and it was more spacious with aircon, comfy seats and blankets. I was slightly concerned and puzzeled that for such a nice coach there were no toilets on board and we had ten hours ahead of us! However as it happened the coach made three stops at various service stations for us to get out, buy food or use the toilets, so that was a relief! I just found it difficult with the lack of communication from the drivers, that we didn’t know what was going on or whether we would have to sit on the coach for the entire journey and if so I shouldn’t drink any water, and after we did stop I wondered if we would stop again. However I managed to get some sleep and it was fairly comfortable - just a bit cold!

We arrived in Bangkok at six am, despite all the delays. The difficult bit was finding a taxi driver that would use the meter to take us for a short journey to the train station. The taxi drivers in Bangkok can be such idiots, as we said Hua Lamphong station, and the driver asked where we were going after, and we said the airport this afternoon and he seemed genuinely puzzeled as to why we wanted the train station if we were going to the airport, so we walked off and had similar experiences with a few more drivers, until finding one who would use the meter and take us where we wanted to go. We did have to tell him we were going to take the train to Chiang Mai, which he seemed happy with, as if our journey had to make sense, rather than us deciding where we wanted to go. The train was slightly delayed but we’re here now, having checked in with an hour or so before our flight.

Krabi, Thailand

Our last day in Krabi and we awoke to more monsoon rain. We walked down to a restaurant for breakfast which looked fine, except for the fact that when getting to the bottom of my fruit juice I noticed a worm! I was fairly horrified and we promptly left and went somewhere else. I suppose in all likeliness I probably didn’t drink any more worms as they are heavier than water and float to the bottom and it could have just been a worm from the fruit, but either way it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

At a restaurant we knew to be fine I drank a cup of boiling water in the hope of killing anything bad followed by breakfast. After that Al suggested vodka, which wasn’t particularly nice either, but hopefully it sterilised my stomach, and I’m currently drinking lots of bottled water. So its just a case of waiting to go to the doctors when I get back and maybe taking some antibiotics. As its so hot here I just though that a glass of tropical fruit juice would be nice, but in future its just a can of coke or bottled water!

We have a coach booked overnight back to Bangkok, which arrives early tomorrow morning and then our flight back to Jordan. I’ve enjoyed Krabi, it’s a relaxing seaside town.

Krabi, West Railey, Thailand

So much for our plans this morning to get up early and take a boat to the nearby beaches. We awoke to the sound of the South’s monsoon rain. A few hours later it had passed so we walked down to the pier and waited, for ages. The guys that ran the boats said we’d have to wait for 8 to 10 people but after sitting by the river for a long time we decided to walk upstream to the famous Krabi crags. We took a pathway through the mangroves and eventually ended up at a pier opposite one of the huge limestone crags. A local guy was offering boat trips to the crag and back for 100B for the two of us, and to start with I was a bit scared of the thought of going on this tiny wooden boat, but it was only 50 meters or so in calm water, and I even enjoyed the boat ride! We were really low down in the water, and it was amazing to see these big limestone crags towering above us. We arrived on the island, which had a small sandy area and explored a cave with interesting stalagmites and stalactites.

We walked back down the Krabi river passing the pier where the longtail boats go from, and this time we were in luck as there were enough people to leave for East Railay beach. Again the sea was fairly calm, as we followed the coastline around, passing interesting looking islands on the way. It probably took about half an hour. When we arrived at East Railay the boat came as close as it could to the sand and then we had to jump!

The beaches were beautiful. I felt really excited to see turquoise blue sea. However the weather still wasn’t that great and it spend most of the afternoon being cloudy. We had food at a restaurant looking out onto the beach when we arrived and then walked across to West Railey. The beach was very crowded and more popular than the guidebook suggested but it was still good to walk on lovely white sand and look out at limestone crags in the sea.

There were lots of stalls selling various beach clothing and jewellery and I bought an interesting bracelet with shells threaded on and some rings. We walked back to the bay where longtail boats were leaving to head back to Krabi and had to wade out quite a way into the sea before climbing onto the boat! At that point it was looking fairly stormy and soon after it started to rain. The journey back was fine and we had the boat to ourselves as the owner wanted to get back. When we returned I felt really pleased that I’d managed to do the boat trips today, as normally I’d do anything to avoid going by sea. I took a travel tablet and wore seabands which worked well. I quite enjoyed the experience of being on a longtail boat in South Thailand.

Leaving Cambodia, to Bangkok, then Krabi...

I’m currently hiding in an internet cafe from what feels like a semi-monsoon. The clouds started to go dramatically dark and all of a sudden it started. Our first afternoon in Krabi.

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It’s been a long journey to get here. We left Siem Reap (Cambodia) at 6.50am in a taxi, and passed beautiful rice fields and palm trees glowing in the early morning sun. We were well on our way to the border, when in front of us was a long queue of cars. Our driver overtook them and got near the front. It was at this point we found out that the bridge was broken and there was a huge hole, where one of the metal plates had fallen in. Soon after the vehicles had caused gridlock in about three rows of cars on either side of the bridge for as far as you could see, so even if they did mend the bridge we were all blocked in!

It was really hot by this point and lots of people were trying to find shade behind cars. The dirt road covered us all in browny orange dust. Several hours passed and eventually people managed to botch up the bridge and eventually people moved their vehicles to let the other direction through. Some cars from our side tried to go across and it took a further half an hour of arguing before they decided who should go first and we were finally on our way again! I think I should be thankful that it was only five and a half hours to the border and not longer, considering what chaos the bridge was.

We passed through the border after a lot of queuing, and only just made the 1.30pm bus to Bangkok. We arrived at six and were in quite a hurry to get to the train station for 7.15pm. We must have looked confused but were very thankful when a German guy offered to translate for us and got us on the right bus to the nearest metro. From there it was another twenty minutes to Hualamphong station and we just made in time to buy food before the journey and get on the train!

I put my earplugs in and slept really well in the train. I woke about six am, and the bunks were made into seats. Soon after it got light and we started passing dramatic scenery with forests and limestone crags. From Surat Thani we got a coach to Krabi bus station, which was a further three hours, and finally a songthaw to our hotel.

It was really hot when we arrived here. After a lunch of fried noodles, veg and chicken we walked down to the river, from where the boats go to the Railey beaches. It doesn’t look to bad, and tomorrow we’re hoping to make a trip out to the beaches. Unfortunately there’s thundery showers forecast for the next day or so, and then its sunny when we go back home! I like the feel of Krabi, the atmosphere here is relaxed and quite different from other parts of Thailand.