Relaxing in Koh Tao

ALEX: Having been away from Thailand for so long, it soon became apparent how much more developed and geared up for westerners the place is. After a rather spine crushing journey on what essentially was an under construction dirt track from Siem Reap to the Thai border on a hot, sweaty, five hour bus trip, we were greeted by a Rolling Stones tour bus (minus the obvious extra curricular activities that no doubt take place on this type of vehicle) which whisked us in luxurious comfort to Bangkok.

GEORGE: So.....for our final week in SE Asia (Boooooooooooooooo!), we decided we deserved a relaxing week on a beautiful Thai island (yeeeeeeeeeeahy!).












ALEX: Being the seasoned travellers that we now are, we decided to 'leave the city as soon as we can man' and jumped on an equally, if not more luxurious coach for the overnight trip to Chumpon, where we caught the high speed (complete with blacked out windows and go very, very faster stripes) catamaran to Koh Tao. It was the perfect way to arrive and despite a sprinkling of rain when we got off the boat, it was all we could have asked for - the sea was crystal clear, the sun was shining (five minute shower a thing of the past!), the sand was white, the palm trees were 'just like in the movies!'........ Will give you a minute to wipe your eyes/run to the loo to be sick.























Right, now you're back, I'll continue.

We stayed in a fantastic beach hut which although it had sand at the front of it, 'technically' wasn't on the beach but in my mind 15m away is as near as damn it. After spending a few days relaxing and getting used to doing even less than we have been doing for the last two and a bit months (took five, maybe six minutes and we were away) we took the plunge (see what I did there?!) and did our first two scuba dives of the week. The visibility wasn't as good as in Vietnam, although there was definitely more marine life to see which was great.























So after another day sitting on our backsides with me trying to stay evenly tanned and George trying to stay evenly not that red, I did my first wreck dive which was at the site of a merchant ship which sank about 20 years ago. In all honesty once we got down there, it wasn't actually all that great! It was so dark, I could just about see a bit of rope and what looked like er, something, but the exciting bit was that fact that we went down to 45m which is very humbling to say the least - especially when you realise that there is 44m of water above you and it's just you with a few pipes and a bit of air strapped to your back!

GEORGE: I added a few more 'fun dives' to my log book and went down to 23m this time. They were pretty cool. The best bit was chilling with a large sea turtle. I followed him (or her) for a little while which was magic!

ALEX: Being the adventurous types we also hired a couple of quad bikes (in truth, I was too much of a wimp to hire a scooter having never riden one before) to explore the island in style, and dedicated one afternoon to trying our best to look like the lead roles in a Club Med promotional DVD as we raced around the island laughing and joking like the ridiculously content young lovers we are - had it not been so bloody hot, I would have completed my outfit with a nice light knit merino number knotted over my chest. Still, it wasn't to be so a small damp patch on my back was far more fitting.











GEORGE: I know in the picture the road looks pretty flat, but at times, to get to the other side of the island, the roads were very bumpy and at 45 degree angles.

ALEX: So all in all, Koh Tao was AMAZING and definitely a great destination for a relaxing beach break with a few fun activities thrown in for good measure.













Well it's goodbye from SE Asia......

GEORGE: Nooooooooooooo!

ALEX:... and (as I write) hello India in less than 24 hours time!

GEORGE: OK then....

ALEX: With phase one as near as finished, we are both looking forward to the next chapter in our little jaunt around the globe and hope to send you all many more envy inducing emails and pictures which I'm sure you can't wait to receive!

GEORGE: XX

'ello' Cambodia

GEORGE: So we've made it to Cambodia....our forth country. We is flyin'!

Straight to Phnom Penh which is wicked!

A truely chilled sophisticated city which was a perfect surprise. This is infact somewhere I wouldn't mind living (btw Alex)

As all male travellers do, Alex is checking out the beard look - what do you reckon readers?

ALEX: it's gone now - far too itchy. That said it would appear it's the only place on my head where hair grows in any sort of reliable fashion! Did enjoy rubbing it with a pensive look on my face whilst trying to haggle with street vendors.

So we spent our days exploring, drinking in the Foreign Correspondents Club, celebrating 'International Womens Day' and visting the palace and museums - all despite the surpressing heat.

ALEX - great city to potter around - really enjoyed it.

We visited the 'killing fields' and the S21 prison which obviously left us feeling quite subdued - very thought provoking places.

ELEPHANTS!


We then headed north to Siem Ream - another fab city with plenty of cafes to chill in. Below is The Blue Pumkin if anyone is heading that way.

The highlight without question (for me anyway)here. We got up at 5AM so we could watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat = a goose bumping moment.

ALEX: Me too!

It is massive. Everyone who hasn't already needs to go and see for themselves.

The number of temples in the area and the detailed stonework is so impressive. I went back for a second day on my own........Alex can only take so many temples.

Alex: That is the biggest understatement!

ALEX - Loved Cambodia and everything about the place. The people are so friendly and the kids never stop smiling. Phnom Penh is without question a surprise new entry on my favourite cities list. It's like a toned down city with wide roads that aren't full of traffic and great open spaces to relax in. As for moving there one day, let's wait and see shall we......

Vietnam we love you....

GEORGE: Gimmie a 'V'.....gimmie an 'I'....gimmie an 'E'.....and so on and so forth!!!!!
Yes, we made it to Vietnam - and I love everything about it! So, starting from the top...

Hanoi is full to the brim if not spilling over with character; people, scooters, colour and noise everywhere. We have been lucky enough to celebrate NY twice this year as we were there for their Tet celebrations.













We watched fire works by the big lake before being invited to join a family celebration at the bar we had entered looking for a beer. We ate their traditional food, which I have to say was thoroughly disgusting (even Alex wretched but had to hold it together - think Pedigree Chum!), before drinking and singing until the early hours. This was then followed shortly by the realisation we had been locked out of our hotel and a quick contemplation of being homeless in Hanoi - surprisingly I was actually quite curious about the prospect! (we did get in eventually though.)

Five people on a scooter is the most I've seen so far.

Being travellers on a tight budget! as well as timescale, we then flew down to Danang, to reach Hoi An. A gorgeous small french influenced town full of silk, tailors, restaurants and all the good photo dream stuff. We explored on bikes, got a few bits and pieces made and ate their very tasty local food.

We were in a gallery we heard some almighty singing/shouting....so loud! I finally tracked down where it was coming from and found these two children sitting in their wee plastic chairs shouting their hearts out. Karaoke seems to be very popular in the home.

If you lookclosely the beach is actually really busy......all the Vietnamise are all crammed under the palm trees.

A painful overnight bus journey took us down to Nha Trang which I wasn't too taken by until I discovered I did actually like scuba diving. We found a brilliant school (called CoCo for anyone planning a visit) and I was lucky enough to have one on one tuition for three days swimming in amongst coral to gain my Open Water qualification. Alex did his Advanced. It's amazing....as was the visibility. I saw octopus, eel (1.5m long), flat fish, clown fish...oooo...all sorts! I can now scuba up to 18m and already planning to do more when we head back to Thailand.

The photo of me in the scuba outfit.... does Charlie's Angels immediately pop into your head?

Me with my scuba instructer.....as you can see, she thought the temp was pretty cold!!!!!!!!

From here we took a bus up into the mountains to Dalat - again, nice french influence. Took a look around on the back of a motorbike before deciding to do a two day bike trip to HCMC. This was a great move. We saw so much of rural Vietnam which finally quenched my thirst.

I had to put this picture in of Alex with this woman (owner of the guest house we stayed in), because not only did she really fancy him and spend all night staring at him, but she also thought he was Indian! This made me laugh so much. I said I didn't mind if he wanted to change direction in life and run this B&B with her instead! He declined.

So if you want a test of bravery, enter HCMC on the back of a motorbike. Heavens! It is nuts! My first impression of HCMC is a mahoosive helping of mayhem, with a generous drizzle of pollution and a steaming hot cherry on top! Crossing 4 lanes of on-coming scooters is just like a computer game and actually very enjoyable.... I guess it is like playing chicken but with a cheeky confidence that they will actually miss you. So, we did all the tourist stuff; the war museum, Cu Chi tunnels and the Mekong Delta.

Vietnam really has been FAB from top to bottom. The people have been so friendly, the teeny weeny children yet again are gorgeous and constantly wave whilst shouting 'helloooooooooooo' and all in all it is beautiful.

Oh, what a competitive materialistic life we lead in London - don't worry though, I haven't changed. It will only take me a few days to get back into the swing of it!

I hope this wasn't too long and boring - I've tried to keep it brief. Feeling very sad about leaving here, but excited about the next venture. We are now in Chau Doc on the border to Cambodia. Tomorrow we are up at 6AM to catch a boat along the Mekong to take us to Phnom Penh.

Only me this time, as Alex has just discovered messenger.

Sorry if the photos all seem a bit random......this seems so take so much time!

LOL XXXXXX

Lovely Laos

GEORGE: Ello everyone.... next installment if you fancy a wee read...
Soooo....we left gorgeous Chaing Mai and did the slooooooow 2 day boat trip into Laos with a couple we met on the trek (Chris and Jaki). The deeper into Laos you go the better the scenery gets, although your numb bum does stop you from losing yourself in some heroic(A)/romantic(G) daydream.

ALEX: Not forgetting the somewhat comical border crossing from Thailand to Laos (pic left). The Mekong river forms the border between Chiang Kong on the Thai side and Huay Xai on the Laos side in the north of both countries. After filing in a short form to get our visas sorted out, we boarded a tiny boat for all of about 15 seconds (it's about as wide as the Thames) before getting off on the other side and being greeted by a very smiley chap saying "Welcome to Laos!" bish, bash, bosh - simple as that!

Here's the crossing, the far bit of land is Laos

GEORGE: We had a one night stop in Pak Beng - what can I say? A small remote place that rips of tourists (built up my assertiveness here), has no electricity (fair enough.....but they lie and I hadn't showered for 2 days!) and the sights whilst eating dinner are dogs having a threesome everywhere. The bit I did actually enjoy was in the restaurant. The waitress took our order before she and the chef ran across the road to their house to watch TV for 20 minutes! Nuts! Anyway...

The boat trip ended up in Luang Prabang. I loved it here. It is a bustling friendly place where everyone ones smiles, says 'sabaai-dii' (hello) obviously closely followed by 'you buy, you buy'. We spent our days; cycling, walking, visiting temples, waterfalls and going to the night market. (NB. Jim White, I think I found your younger brother here!)

ALEX: Loved Luang Prabang too. With reference to 'The Market', please read 'collection of stalls mainly selling cr*p to gooey eyed tourists'!

GEORGE: Urgent - I need a decent shopping buddy....any volunteers?

ALEX: I did a far more sensible (and productive) thing with Chris (of Jaki and Chris who we met in Chiang Mai) which involved playing pool and drinking Beer Lao for 3 hours!

GEORGE: After 6 days we travelled south by bus to Vang Veine. Saw more of stunning mountainous Laos and gorgeous children who all run after you with big grins shouting 'Sabaai-diiiiiiiiiiiiiiii' - I wish I could bring them all home for 'show and tell'.

Vang Viene = student heaven! (Deansy why have you popped into my head?) The tubing was amazing, the 'happy' shakes went down well as did a few episodes of the Simpsons (we haven't watched TV for ages.)

I know the photo far right below is dark, but if you look closely you'll see little Alex. It was a massive cave, quite intimidating - the guys said you couldn't get lost!!! We did....only for about 2 minutes, but even that with a wee torch was enough to make me nervous.

From here nipped down to Vientiene where I proceeded to become extremely ill and didn't leave my room for three days, so I didn't see much there apart from my ribs!!!!!!

ALEX: Have reassured George that she timed being ill very well and didn't miss much. Considering Luang Prabang was once the capital, I have no idea why they decided to hand the task over to Vientiane. Needless to say it was a very romantic Valentines, with George spending the day in bed/the bathroom, with me running out every now and then for more loo roll - ah, romance!

GEORGE: Thanks for that - I guess we'll end on that note! X

PS. As you all know, I'm a pretty good actress - can you guess the film and scene I am re-enacting below?