The Asian Adventure

When we first arrived in Singapore last October it felt like we had a lifetime ahead of us in Asia. Now, three months, six countries and twenty-four places later it's all over. For now...

The saddest part of leaving Asia is not knowing when we'll come back but I'm comforted slightly by the fact that I will definitely return at some point. Initially I'd hoped that by travelling for an entire year I'd flush this travel bug right out of my system but it's clear now that won't be the case. In fact I've discovered that the very term 'travel bug' is highly misleading, for a bug is a condition suffered only temporarily. The travel bug, if you truly have it, lasts a lifetime. 

A friend of mine recently shared a quote with me describing travelling as 'a virus, one which worms its way into your bloodstream, attacks your bank balance, holiday allowance and social life but never blesses you with the zen-life satisfaction of thinking you've seen it all.' And it's true! The more I see the more I want to see and even after three months in Asia there is still so much left to explore; Burma, China, Java and the Philippines to name but a few.

I won't ever make my way across the entire globe but I've learnt since being away how important it is that we try. We're so fortunate in the UK that we have these opportunities which so many others around the world do not and we owe it to them to take advantage. A particular occasion springs to mind here: I was speaking to a Malaysian man in Langkawi who was surprised to learn that after Asia we were moving onto Australasia and then South America too. He commented that I must have worked for a long time to save up for such an epic trip and I replied that yes, I'd worked in London for two years. He immediately burst into laughter, not able to comprehend my response. 'I worked for fifteen years just to go to Singapore!' A terrible misjudgement on my part but it really put things into perspective. We are the lucky ones.

I've been trying to think of the best way to reflect on our time in Asia but we've seen so much and made so many countless memories that nothing short of a novel would suffice (one which I'm sure I'll write one day.) The best I can do at this point is to list the top ten things I will and won't miss in the hope that the latter might ease the pain of leaving at least a little. So here goes.

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Top 10 Things I'll Miss:

#1 FOOD

From back street markets to up market restaurants, the food in Asia has been outstanding. Newfound favourites include Cambodian amok, Malaysian roti and Thai massaman curry. I'd happily fork out the price of a plane ticket to taste any of these cuisines again. 

#2 BEACH BARS

Nothing feels better than dancing the night away with the sea breeze in your hair and sand between your toes. And it's a fact that cocktails taste better from buckets. Cramped, sweaty London clubs are just no comparison.

#3 LANDSCAPE

From paradise beaches to baron deserts, high rise cities to jungle forests; Asia has every landscape you could possibly dream of but they're far more beautiful in reality than any images found in the depths of my imagination.

#4 CULTURE

Asia oozes culture. A lot of it is centred around religion, the fusion between Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam found in most places. Wherever we went golden statues and the smell of incense were never too far away.

#5 CHEAP LIVING

The money I've spent in three months in Asia would have disappeared within three weeks back home. Splashing out more than a few pounds on a meal or accommodation is really going to hurt.

#6 RELAXED ATMOSPHERE

Nothing phases Asians. Their pace of life is so incredibly slow as they take their time to actually enjoy it. We quickly adapted to their way of thinking, forgetting for the most part what day we were on and expecting everything to be late. It's amazing how much less stressful time keeping is when you just stop keeping it.

#7 MODES OF TRANSPORT

Longtail boats and tuk tuks are my favourite ways of getting around. Being in the open air allows you to absorb your surroundings and gives you a better feel for the areas you're travelling through. Our taxi to the airport will be the first car we've been in in a long time and even that is fluorescent pink! Much more exciting than black cabs back home. 

#8 7-ELEVEN

Primarily from a toastie perspective but also on a general level. We've spent so much time in 7-Elevens that I feel sad I've heard my last annoying 'ding dong' of the automatic doors.

#9 MARKETS

I wish more than anything we were flying back via Asia so we could pick up the entire market on the way home. There are so many beautiful items to be bought and for whatever price you're willing to pay, providing you can stick out the haggling game long enough. 

#10 THE SUN

Everything about the Asian sun is stunning from the second it rises to the lasting moments after it's set. In three months I can't remember more than three days where it didn't shine down on us, despite it being their winter and rainy season in some areas we visited.

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Top 10 Things I Won't Miss:

#1 ROOSTERS

I don't know what they feed their roosters in Asia but it's keeping them up all night. Which in turn is keeping us up too! The bloody things are nocturnal and happy about it, cock-a-doodle-do-ing at every hour.

#2 JOURNEYS FROM A TO B VIA Z

No journey we ever made in Asia was simple. Each time we travelled from one place to another we were carted off in a truck, made to change buses multiple times and left in the middle of nowhere for hours with nothing but a coloured sticker on to say where we were supposed to end up. We always made it eventually but never ever on time.

#3 CUSTOMER SERVICE

It comes hand in hand with their laid back nature so for the most part we've taken it in our stride but there are times when being ignored or forgotten is more frustrating than fun. And even contemplating complaining is completely pointless - Asians are programmed to forget how to speak English as soon as you do.

#4 BED BUGS

I used to think bed bugs were imaginary little monsters invented by parents to scare their children into sleeping but Asia taught me differently. Thankfully these disgusting little pests have only bothered us once but the constant threat has lingered throughout.

#5 SQUAT TOILETS

You know it's bad when you'd rather squat on the side of the road than brave one of the holes in the floor they call toilets. It will be nice to not feel in a state of panic whenever we accidentally leave the room without toilet paper in our pockets and even nicer to be able to actually flush it when we do.

#6 SPITTING

For reasons unbeknownst to me it's perfectly acceptable in Asia to grunt and snort until saliva is gathered in your mouth and then spit it out wherever you fancy. I could stay here three years and the sound and sight of this would still make my stomach turn.

#7 MANGY ANIMALS

The majority of cats and dogs in Asia can only be described as mangy. Missing limbs, covered in scabs or potentially infested with rabies - they're a far cry from the cute little pets we play with back home and they're on every street corner.

#8 WHITENING CREAM

It's typical that we always want what we can't have. Whereas English people cover themselves in fake tan all year around to darken their skin, Asians use whitening creams to make theirs lighter. It's a sign of wealth to have fair skin because it's associated with not having to work outside. Therefore, we've found it really difficult to buy any moisturisers, cleansers or sun creams which don't have whitening lotion in them to counteract our tans.

#9 SWEET BREAD & FLUORESCENT JAM

I can't fault Asia's traditional dishes but their imitations of western foods leave a lot to be desired. Many hostels now offer free breakfast but it often consists of their sweet bread and fluorescent jam combo, essentially an artificial nightmare.

#10 BEING STARED AT LIKE AN ALIEN

The Asian community are fascinated by blonde haired, blue eyed people. Despite the hundreds of westerners arriving in Asia each day, every time I was stopped and asked for a photograph or stared at in the street it felt like I was the only one.

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That all said, even with ending on the negatives there's no fooling myself into thinking that the bad outweighs the good. In fact reading over the second list brings as much of a smile to my face as the first - I might not miss these things in particular but I will certainly miss the sense of accomplishment they bring when conquered and the hilarious stories which inevitably follow. Everything about the last few months has been fantastic and I genuinely have tears in my eyes writing this goodbye. 

I best leave it there before I turn into a blubbering, waffling mess but thank you so much Asia, it's been an absolute pleasure. Australia now has a lot to live up to!

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!