A Thai Christmas Tale

It seems that no matter where I am in the world Christmas morning will always start in the same way; waking up ridiculously early and jumping on everyone else in the house to get them up too.

The boys had brought us out presents from home so we got started on our stockings right away. With Christmas songs playing and Santa hats on our heads it was almost beginning to feel a little like a traditional Christmas. Then we stepped outside into the blazing sunshine and went and had a thai green curry...

If it wasn't for the red sea of Santa hats along the beach, Christmas Day would have been very much like any other day on Phi Phi island. To make it special and as a Christmas present to us the boys hired a longtail boat for the day so we could explore the surrounding area. Firstly we stopped off at Maya Bay, the National Park where 'The Beach' was filmed. It's a little different to how it looks in the movie but is just as beautiful and it's pretty cool to think we were stood where Leonard Di Caprio once was. If I still wrote Christmas lists he'd definitely be at the top. 

We were hoping to sail through the famous Pi Leh lagoon but the sea was too choppy so instead our driver took us to another more enclosed area where we could snorkel. We jumped, dived and back flipped off the boat into the bright blue water. It was so warm we could've swam in it for hours but we were soon joined by swarms of fish that chased us back onto the boat. 

Finally we ended up on Monkey Island which is supposedly home to hundreds of primates but we didn't see a single one (I guess everyone deserves a day off at Christmas?) What we did find there though was a paradise beach with the whitest sand we've seen in Asia. Sadly we picked the only westerner in the world who can't use an iPhone to take our picture so we ended up with a video of his face rather than a photo of us on this beach. You'll just have to take our word for it though and believe that this sand looked genuinely good enough to eat (like Hagen Daas ice cream, according to Ross.)

After a mid afternoon pad thai we arrived back at the hotel in time to skype our friends and family as they opened their own stockings back home. I thought it would make me feel homesick but I found myself wishing they were out here instead. It's hard to want to be huddled around a fire when you're dangling your toes in a swimming pool - I do love my onesie but I love a bikini more! 

As the family sat down to their Christmas lunch we were starting on our pre-drinks. We've had the best nights out at the beach bars here but they all seem to have blurred into one hazy memory, mostly starting with Fareed's alter ego Godfrey getting everyone on the drinking games and ending with Ross being an absolute mess. Somewhere in the middle there's vague recollections of brightly coloured buckets (some as drinks, some as hats), game-changer songs, Hana stealing strangers' clothing and me demanding pizza time. It's certainly been a Christmas to remember, if only I could remember more! 

Merry Christmas everyone, we missed you this year <3

Christmas Shopping in Koh Lanta

After a few nights in Railay we took a whistlestop tour of Koh Lanta which is just a couple of hours from the mainland and much cheaper than the honeymoon haven we'd previously been staying in. Despite actually being an island it feels less so than Railay because it's so much bigger. Nevertheless it's equally as pretty and there are some great little markets which we've made the most of to do our last bits of Christmas shopping. 

I'd already sent a package home to the family weeks ago (although it still hasn't arrived!) but hadn't yet bought any presents for Hana or the friends we have coming to visit in a couple of days. Setting ourselves a budget we marched off in separate directions around the market stalls, haggling our way to the best deals. I genuinely felt like I was on bargain hunter and it was by far the quickest and cheapest Christmas shop I've ever done! 

Aside from that I spent my time in Koh Lanta either eating my own body weight in 7-Eleven toasties (I have three years of deprivation to make up for) or sunbathing at one of the many beautiful beaches along the coast. The sun has been blazing since arriving in Thailand and despite rarely burning I've somehow managed to win myself a Rudolph-esque red nose. Most festive! 

We're now really excited for the next few days ahead; returning to our favourite island, Phi Phi, and the arrival of our visitors who have promised to come bearing presents and pick'n'mix. Just as good as any Santa Claus I know! 

A Long Way to Railay

One plane, three trains, four buses and a back-of-a-truck later we finally arrived in Krabi. All that then stood between us and Railay beach was a short crossing by longtail but it was the worst leg of the journey yet. The boat refused to come ashore to collect us so instead we had to wade into the water up to our thighs with the bottoms of our backpacks skimming the surface whilst the swarms of crabs (essentially spiders with claws, I've come to realise) nipped at our ankles under the waves. There was no mistaking it, we'd arrived in Thailand! 

The last thirty-six hours had been nothing short of traumatic but as we gazed out across the bright blue ocean it all dissolved into a distant memory. All that mattered was that we'd made it - we were back in this beautiful paradise which even after covering so many countries in Asia has maintained its position as our number one favourite. Both Hana and I spent three weeks in Thailand a few years back and I'm struggling now to remember why we ever left. It certainly isn't going to be any easier a second time around.

Railay is heavenly and has that lovely island feel despite technically being a part of the mainland. It's enclosed by a fortress of huge rocks and so is very secluded and only accessible by boat. Unfortunately though, since becoming a popular honeymoon destination Railay is now considerably more expensive than the rest of Asia. Cheap accommodation is scarce and the first place we looked at could only offer us a small wooden hut completely empty but for the mattress on the floor and the wildlife crawling through the walls. Luckily we checked the resort next door which mainly accommodated for holidaying couples but also had a few more basic rooms that were within our budget. For just one pound extra each we stayed in an actual room with an actual bed and had our own bathroom. And we could use the resort's pool too which the expensive rooms were presumably paying for!

Aside from its beautiful beaches Railay offers some great jungle treks. We spent the only full day we had there walking up one of its gigantic rocks to find the viewpoint where you can see the entire area. Initially we walked straight past the trek's starting point because despite seeing the arrow we assumed it must be wrong - it was pointing towards a cliff face! After walking a little further though and finding nothing we decided to turn around for a closer look. This time we noticed the withered ropes hanging down and realised that this was indeed the 'pathway' up. Nervously (and in our summer dresses and flip flops!) we began the long climb using the ropes, rocks and tree roots to haul ourselves up. 

Along the way we saw signs for a lagoon and decided to check that out too. For this we had to abseil down vertical drops which was a lot of fun although slightly terrifying due to the lack of harnesses. As we approached the lagoon it became even harder because the water had made the surrounding surfaces incredibly slippery. In fact, it was so difficult to get to that the majority of travellers chose to stop as soon as they caught a glimpse of the pool, taking their photographs from above. We, on the other hand, didn't give up until our toes were touching the water's edge and we could submerge ourselves into its warmth. We felt as though we were living out a scene from 'The Beach', stumbling across this secret lagoon that so few had managed to find. This magical experience was shared with just three other backpackers who had made it all the way down and the lagoon was so quiet and so peaceful that we could quite easily have been the only living souls in Railay. The lagoon, much like Railay itself, is cut off from the rest of the world by a circle of tall rocks which created faint echoes of the sounds of us splashing around in the water below. 

As the sun started to fade we had to make a move, not fancying our chances at facing those slippery slopes in darkness. We made it back to civilisation just in time to catch the sunset from Railay West beach. It seems that no matter how many we watch, an Asian sunset never gets old and this was one of the most breathtaking we've seen yet.  

Big City, Big Freeze!

With just two weeks to go until Christmas Hana and I have been trying everything we can to feel festive. We downloaded a Christmas album, watched Love Actually and planned to coat our nails in glitter at the first opportunity. However, despite our best efforts we both agreed that it's impossible to believe it's December when it's thirty degrees outside - we just needed to be cold. 

Well, consider our Christmas wish granted. We arrived in Ha Noi to weather so wet and so cold that not only can I believe it's December, I'd almost believe we're at home! The days have reached highs of just sixteen degrees which for this part of the world is pretty unheard of. Whilst everyone in London is enduring conditions a few degrees colder they're not likely to be doing it in flip flops, a makeshift sarong scarf and a flimsy h&m cardigan. Had the kind Christmas fairy delivered us woolly hats and mulled wine along with our cold weather I'd be feeling a little more grateful (and a lot more warm!)

Nevertheless being the hardy Brits that we are we weren't going to let a bit of rain and cool air stop us from enjoying Ha Noi. We layered up as much as possible (even breaking the socks and sandals rule) and explored the city. A large lake sits at the centre which is beautiful to walk around but aside from that Ha Noi is much like any other Asian city - lots of high rise buildings, busy streets and terrible traffic. 

What's great about it though is the tours which run from there to Ha Long Bay, a cluster of more than one thousand limestone karsts and rocks in various shapes and sizes. It's one of Vietnam's National Heritage sites and is absolutely beautiful. We boarded a small cruising boat and spent the day sailing through the bay, feeling tiny as we stared up at the cliff faces of each impressive rock. 

The boat made two stops along the way. The first was at a small floating village where a handful of people live in wooden huts floating on polystyrene blocks. Most of the people in this tiny community have never been to the mainland and have spent their lives rowing no further than a few metres from their homes. There's a small school and a communal raft but certainly no shops, bars or restaurants. Sadly it will soon cease to exist at all though as the Vietnamese government plan to re-home the villagers on the mainland as part of their scheme to clean up Ha Long Bay.

The second stop on our schedule was at a natural cave on one of the larger rocks. It's known as the Rainbow Cave because of the spectrums of colour that reflect from the water when the sun shines through the cracks. There was no sun to be seen on our visit but the cave was lit with artificial coloured lights which made it look almost as beautiful as if it had been natural. As we wandered through the cave's chambers our tour guide pointed out particular rocks which have become famous for looking like various figurines. Some were rather far-fetched (we got the impression some were made up on the spot) but with a little imagination we could certainty see the fairy breast, the man's shadow, a hippo, a lion and a whole load of jellyfish. We got quite into it by the end, even making up our own - it was like cloud spotting but in stones and we had so many to choose from! 

Our time is now up in Vietnam and we're flying to Thailand tomorrow. We've learned a lot in this country of history and of culture but the resounding lesson for now is simply a reinforcement of what we already knew: be bloody careful what you wish for, it might just come true. Bring on the blue skies of Bangkok!

Holidaying in Hoi An

Two months of travelling has started to take its toll and the night before we left for Hoi An Hana and I both found ourselves ill. Therefore, on the grounds that we might recover faster we gave ourselves a holiday from crappy hostels and made a reservation at a nicer hotel - by far the best decision we've made yet!

Our sleeper bus arrived at seven in the morning so we were expecting to have to wait for hours before we could check in. However, when the lady at reception saw how tired we were she told us that although our room wasn't ready yet they could put us in a superior suite instead for the same price (just seven pounds!) One of the few times I've been happy to hear the old Asian cliche 'same, same but different'. 

The upgraded room had a balcony overlooking the swimming pool, enormous comfy beds and a bathroom which looked as though you could actually shower in it and come out cleaner than you started - not something we've come across very often in Asia. Better still was the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet which we woke up to each morning. The spread was so amazing it could rival those at the Hilton back home and despite being ill we found we could eat a lot! 

The hotel was so great that we could have spent our whole three days there but when we finally felt better we dragged ourselves away and into Hoi An. And we were glad we did! It's a gorgeous little town, most famous for its world-renowned tailors which it's absolutely full of. The design of each shop matches the next, all named with a dark wooden plaque and elaborate golden writing scrawled across the front.

Just outside the town the scenery is stunning. Green rice fields line the route along to the beach which stretches for miles along the coast. One day we took the bikes to find the herb village where the locals all own small allotments. Hours later we were still cycling in circles trying to find it (maps in Vietnam are more a hindrance than help) but we didn't mind because the journey was so scenic. The village itself was very impressive, organised perfectly into row upon row of green and yellow shrubbery. 

At night time Hoi An comes alive in the most beautiful way, lit up with hundreds of silken lanterns. The prettiest part of town is along the river front where you can cross the Japanese bridge over to a small island. From the mainland it looks like an Aladdin's cave with the lanterns glistening like gems in the night skyline. 

Hoi An has given us a taste of the real Vietnam and has been by far my favourite place along the East coast. Thanks to the wonderful hotel and beautiful place we feel relaxed and ready to face the hectic capital of Ha Noi which will be our final stop in Vietnam. 

The Russian Invasion, Nha Trang

Nha Trang was once a traditional Vietnamese town with wonderful beaches and funny shaped trees but since a low cost air route opened direct from here to Moscow it's transformed into a tourist hotspot for Russians. And they're everywhere! All of the shops and restaurants are designed to accommodate them with the names and menus translated into Russian first. It's odd that somewhere in the centre of Vietnam can feel so Eastern European.

Needless to say Nha Trang lacks the cultural activities that we've found elsewhere but there was still plenty to fill our time with. The first was a visit to the Thap Ba Spa to soak in the mud baths. Ironically it's the cleanest I've felt since we left London and once the mud had washed away our skin was left feeling silky smooth. 

Another day we spent at Vin Pearl, an island a few hundred metres from the coast which has been turned into an all-in-one water park, theme park and arcade. It's only accessible via cable car which we found to be one of the best attractions! 

Finally we ventured out one evening to test out the nightlife here and we weren't disappointed. After a few drinks at our hostel bar we headed down to the Sailing Club where there was a massive beach party being held. It was expensive to get in but like all the backpackers there we snuck in around the back from the beach and quickly lost ourselves on the dance floor. The evening ended with Hana being serenaded to Britney Spears, me falling asleep in the toilet and the Kiwis getting naked again. Successful on all accounts, I think. 

We've enjoyed Nha Trang but we're looking forward to heading further up North now where we'll find the 'real' Vietnam again. 

Cruising Through the Sand Dunes

Mui Ne is famous for two things; sand dunes and ostriches. To capture the essence of both we took a jeep tour to the dunes and had intended to have a go at ostrich riding there. Upon arrival, however, their pungent stench filled our nostrils and we soon decided that these weren't animals we wanted to get up close and personal with.

Fortunately there was the option to explore the white dunes by riding the less smelly (and rather less grumpy) quad bikes instead. Having not driven for over two years, getting back behind the wheel felt as amazing as it did unsafe. We whizzed up and down the sandy hills with the wind in our hair, taking in the incredible view. A couple of times we were a little too ambitious with our climbs and needed rescuing but on the whole we were pretty good! 

Before we knew it it was time to make our way to the red sand dunes where we'd watch the sun go down. At least that was the plan. In true Asia style, our jeep (which had no dial on the petrol gauge) ran out of fuel and stopped dead in the middle of the road half way up. We waited for almost half an hour whilst our knight in shining armour rode off into the sunset and came back with a plastic bag full of petrol to save the day. Sadly the sun didn't wait for us and by the time we arrived it had already left the scene but it did at least leave behind a canvas of beautiful colours; the perfect backdrop for the fiery red sand dunes. 

Mui Ne is a fairly quiet town but there are a couple of bars, one of which we promoted for one day in return for a free dinner, free drinks and a hundred Vietnamese dong (about three pounds!) The beaches are pretty average but they're always busy with kite surfers, decorating the skies with their colourful sails. All in all the place itself is nothing to shout about but I think it's definitely worth a visit just to go to and see the wonders of the dunes. 

Good Morning Vietnam!

Our first stop in Vietnam was Ho Ci Minh, previously known as Saigon. As far as cities go it's rather pretty with a number of green parks at the heart of it. However, it still suffers from the same old city smog and so despite it being boiling hot for most of the day, the sun was hidden behind a thick sheet of grey. 

If crossing the roads in Phnom Penh was a death trap, trying it here is outright suicide. Whereas in Cambodia the waves of oncoming traffic drive fairly slowly whilst they weave in and out, in Vietnam they zoom past and it's the pedestrians who are expected to do the weaving. We adopted the tactic of crossing alongside locals in the hope that they knew what they were doing. At the very least we figured they'd act as human shields should a rogue moped come out and hit us.

We only stayed in Ho Ci Minh for one day but used that time to visit the War Remnants Museum. The Vietnam War was particularly brutal and the country is still suffering the consequences of it today. There's a whole exhibition dedicated to showing the after effects of Agent Orange, a chemical used by the U.S. military to destroy vietnamese crops. But it destroyed a lot more than just plants. Agent Orange has been the cause of over 500,000 birth defects in babies born in Vietnam and that number will continue to increase. Even as recently as the last ten years kids have been born with extra limbs, missing limbs, external tumours, skin diseases, mental disabilities...the list of conditions is endless and they've all been linked directly back to exposure to this chemical. It's terrifying that we have access to something which has the potential to change the human race as we know it. The photos on display are really shocking but serve as a good reminder of why it should never be touched again. 

On a slightly happier note, we've seen our first signs of Christmas! It's not at all celebrated in Asia but in the larger cities it is at least acknowledged with the odd few decorations scattered around. We found a massive Christmas tree in a hotel lobby and just had to have our photo taken in front of it. All we need now is to photoshop a woolly hat and scarf onto it and it will look truly authentic!

No Sleep in Siem Reap

If there's one thing we've learnt about sleeper buses in South East Asia it's that they involve very little actual sleeping. For our journey from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap we forked out a few extra dollars for a 'hotel bus' which was supposed to come with all sorts of luxuries such as wifi, a power socket and a fully sized bed. Of course when it arrived it had none of these. The two of us were squished together on a top bunk which was narrower than a normal sized single. Cosy doesn't even cut it but we were just so thankful that we were next to one another and didn't have to half-spoon a random Cambodian man for fourteen hours. 

The journey was so bumpy that it felt like we'd travelled from town to city via a dirt track and each time we swerved or hit a pot hole we had to cling to the sides to avoid being thrown across the aisle - not the most relaxing of night tasks. However, just incase anyone on board could sleep through all of that the driver decided to beep his horn loudly each time we stopped for a toilet break (which seemed like every hour!)

All in all it was a nightmare but it made arriving in Siem Reap seem even more exciting. Our hostel was buzzing with backpackers, had a swimming pool at the centre and served $2 Pimms at the bar. We felt like we'd died (overnight, presumably) and gone to heaven. 

The biggest attraction in Siem Reap is the Angkor Wat Temple which is widely considered as one of the Wonders of the World. It's best viewed at sunrise so we planned to wake up at 4am the next morning to go and see it in all its glory. However, a few Pimms and vodkas later, we'd been persuaded to go out and as it approached midnight the idea of getting up in a few hours seemed less and less attractive. Ironically the bar we ended up in at 4am was called Angkor Wat? but it isn't quite so spectacular as the original so the second evening we vowed to stay in and do the temple tour properly the next morning. 

It was still pitch black when we climbed into a tuk tuk and even after an early night we were shattered. We arrived feeling pretty sorry for ourselves but as soon as we set eyes on Angkor Wat it was all forgotten. Even in the dim light the view was breathtaking and as the sun crept up behind the towers it became more and more beautiful. In the space of an hour the sky transformed from dark purples to lilacs tinted with pinks, before finally being taken over by a blinding golden ray which contrasts against the dark silhouette of the temple. A small pool of water situated on the green in front creates a reflection of this colourful scene, making it doubly as exquisite.

After taking a million and one photographs we entered the temple to take a look from the inside. Much of it is now ruins having been built in the early twelfth century but is nevertheless very impressive. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a number of smaller temples so we jumped back into our tuk tuk for a tour around those. We managed around six hours of staring at stone before tiredness won us over and we went back to our hostel to sleep.

Cambodia has been our favourite country so far so we're really sad to be leaving already and this is only made worse by the fact that our journey out is via another 'sleeper' bus. It's making me tired just thinking about it!

Koh Rong? Koh Right!

It's official, we've found paradise. 

Before coming to Cambodia I had no idea that the South coast is lined with clusters of tiny tropical islands. Fortunately, nobody else seems to know either and so the likes of Koh Rong are still very much deserted. 

Koh Rong is home to a small community of locals who have built guesthouses and beach bars to accommodate the handful of travellers who've discovered the island. They're as kind and welcoming as the Cambodians we've met on the mainland and seem pleased to share their secret paradise with us. 

The tiny village (if you can call it that) is still very under-developed. There's no roads or even pathways and the only electricity is powered from a generator which runs at limited times throughout the day. Needless to say the bungalows and guest rooms are very basic but what more do you need when they back onto the most heavenly beaches in South East Asia? The crystal clear water on your doorstep more than makes up for the lack of running water inside. 

The atmosphere on the island is one of pure relaxation. There's little to do but enjoy your surroundings and whilst we soaked up the sun in our bikinis, locals prefer to wander around in matching set pyjamas - something which we found hilarious but heart warming. I suppose they find it funny that we ever bother to get all dressed up. 

Another thing that surprised me was their incredibly trusting nature. There's very little money circulating on the island and so on numerous occasions we went to pay for something but couldn't because they didn't have the correct change to give us in return. Instead they'd scribble down a makeshift IOU and trust that we'd come back to settle it at a later date. It was comforting to realise that these people don't even know the meaning of dishonesty, let alone have it in them to exercise it. 

Koh Rong is so perfect that we could easily have spent weeks here just lapping up the beautiful view. In fact part of me was actually glad that we'd already booked and paid for our bus to Siem Reap or we may just never have left! 

The Killing Fields

Think for a moment of all the people in your life. Your family and friends, colleagues and team mates, distant acquaintances that you met once upon a time. Now imagine that in the course of the next three years, over a quarter of them will be die, dragged away and murdered in cold blood. That's one in four of everyone you know. Perhaps one of them is you...

It's difficult to picture but for every Cambodian over the age of thirty, this is their reality. When the Khmer Rouge took power over the country in the seventies, every family in Cambodia was separated and sent to either work camps or prisons where three million people were then killed, most for no reason whatsoever. Everyone has their own story but they're all echoes of one another, filled with death, suffering and utter heartache.

As we approached The Killing Fields we prepared ourselves for the most depressing day of our trip. Dark clouds had begun to gather overhead and the first spots of rain fell the minute we stepped down from our tuk tuk. It quickly turned into a plummeting monsoon. Pathetic fallacy at its best.

We wandered around the Killing Field with an audio guide which explained the horror of what went on there just thirty years ago. This particular site near Phnom Penh is just one of hundreds of its kind across the country and is where prisoners were brought to be killed during the civil war. Their bodies were thrown into deep pits in the ground which formed mass graves throughout the fields. Many have now been excavated but even today, fragments of bone, teeth and rags continue to be found, uncovering more and more victims. 

The audio guide does not hold back. It tells the devastating story in brutal detail in the hope that the horror will prevent such events from ever happening again. Walking around in the pouring rain we saw the clothes of young babies who had been torn from their mothers and the cracked skulls of prisoners who were beaten before having their throats slit. It was completely heartbreaking. What should otherwise have been a peaceful and beautiful woodland is poisoned with the overwhelming presence of death lingering throughout. 

The second war memorial site is the S21 prison where victims were held before being taken to the fields. It was once a high school but Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, transformed the classrooms into torture chambers and cell blocks. These rooms became home to hundreds of victims who lay shackled to the floor day in and day out, waiting to die. 

Some of the rooms at S21 have been left untouched but others have been turned into small museums, filled with photographs and testimonies from during the war. One cell block contains the photographs of every prisoner who ever stayed there and our guide told us that when the prison first reopened many Cambodians came to visit to see if they could find their lost relatives on the walls there. Even today many families don't know what became of their loved ones during those years, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Another room contains photographs of all the 'comrades' who worked at the prison, those who answered to Pol Pot. It's easy to condemn them for what they did but our guide, who had three family members die at the hands of these people, explained they had very little choice in the matter. The majority were young, uneducated teenagers who were tricked into joining the force with promises of a better life for them and their families. The reality was very different but once in, there was no way out. They either killed or were killed and if a former comrade was sentenced to death or imprisonment their whole families would join them. The Khmer Rouge believed that to kill a tree you must tear out the roots. 

Faced with the choice of the death of your family or the murder of strangers can you honestly say with any confidence that you'd act differently? Perhaps you would but it's impossible to know without being put in that position and I hope to the ends of the earth that none of us will ever live to find out. 

During the rule of the Khmer Rouge Cambodia was completely stripped of its identity. Music, religion and books were all banned, currency was abolished and even relationships were prohibited. It's incredible how much they've achieved in just thirty years, building Cambodia back up to the wonderful country that it once was. The people here will never forget the pain they suffered during the Civil War but they certainly won't let that hold them back either. It's truly inspiring.