down the east coast to Sydney

I fly home today! This is so wierd I don't really know how to feel. I've been looking forward to coming home for ages but am now a bit anxious. Someone said to me the other day is that the hardest thing is when you get back absolutely nothing has changed and you just slot right back into your old routine as if you had never gone anywhere. That scares me a bit. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone but I don't want it to be like 'oh you're back' and then just talking about normal stuff. I feel like I've been so far away that every time someone sees me they should be 'OH WOW YOU"RE BACK THAT'S AMAZING'. Every single time. Cos that's how I will feel. Things like having a dishwasher and a room where I can keep my stuff instead of in a huge bag that I have to fight to put things into every morning just seem so alien. hmmm.
Anyway since Surfer's Paradise we have been to a couple of other nice seaside towns like Coffs Harbour, Port Macquerie, Byron Bay etc, that all seemed very nice but a bit dull. I think going to them in winter when you don't really want to go onto the beach makes them all a bit samey. Coffs Harbour was nice as we went there on a Sunday and they had a big market on where Mike and I both bought cool sunglasses. The best times in the camper were when we went inland. We followed Waterfall Way up to Dorrigo National Park and that was brilliant. The drive there was right up a mountain on really twisty roads with fantastic views, both our ears popped. The national park has a skybridge where you walk along a wooden path at tree level, and at the end the trees drop away and you're looking out over this view of the whole valley, about 600m up in the air. We also found a really lovely free campsite in a valley near Thornton, near Brisbanish. It's not on any of our maps, the road isn't even on the maps, we got a bit lost, but it had hot showers so we were happy. The scenery there was gorgeous too, one morning it rained and there was a rainbow that looked like it ended about 100m away from our van. We've been having a bit of an OAP holiday, getting up early and going to bed early, going on walks in the countryside, not talking to anyone else. Not very cool but quite nice. We decided to change our tickets so we would come home a bit early as we really were getting abit too cold in the camper to stay in it for a month and were also both running out of money quite alarmingly. I was also getting bored of washing my hair in public loos sinks every morning and going for a week (I did wash in buckets of hot water in between but it isn't really the same) without a shower.
Our last day with the camper we went to the Hunter Valley near Sydney where they make lots of wine and cheese and lovely things like that. That was one of the best days, we got to taste some lovely posh wines including this amazing pink champagne. Also had lovely olives, preserves, cheese... ah it was so good. I really wished I was rich at that point as I could have spent so much money on good food there. We went on a wine tour of McGuigan's vineyard which was good, came out feeling very knowledgable about wine.
Handed back the camper on Saturday about 10 days early, after the most horrific drive through Sydney. After spending 2 hours trying to avoid the toll roads and one way system, we got about 100m away from the drop of point when we went down a tunnel and ended up about 20km away on a different side of town! It was just like snakes and ladders. Both feeling pretty stressed by the time we got to the drop off point a 2nd time, only to be told that the outside of the camper had to be cleaned (I had got up so early to clean the inside and he didn't even look at that), so we had to drive back up the road and pay 17 bluddy quid to have it washed. rip off. By then we didn't care though, just wanted to get rid of it and not have to drive around sydney any more. Hopefully we haven't been fined for anything on it but I think we're still waiting for an email to let us know if we're in the clear.
Checked into a really nice hostel called Australia Backpackers in the Kings Cross area. Only paying 11 quid each a night but we've ended up with a private room which is pretty good. We went out for a walk around the Botanic Gardens which are beautiful. So much better than London parks as it's got so many different bits. And lovely views over the water. Then we went to the Opera House! That was amazing, really sunk in that we're round the other side of the world, as I've seen so many photos of it and now I'm actually here. Went inside and wished we had enough to watch something there. For dinner went to a nice place in Kings Cross that did chicken and chips for $6.50. The food doesn't seem as cheap here as Brisbane (nothing could beat those $3 burritos) but there are a few offers if you look. Had an early night but some idiots in the hostel had a party until 7am with crap really loud house music. They got chucked out the next day though.
Sunday we went to The Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Contemporary Art Gallery. Mike is so good to put up with me. Both were really good, much more modern than I was expecting and some really interesting stuff. There was also a free concert in art gallery of NSW which was pretty cool. More walking around perving on the botanic gardens and then we went to The Rocks which was packed as it had a big coffee festival on and a proper party atmosphere. We walked across the Harbour Bridge, talking loads of photos and then staggered home as my feet were hurting a lot. Yesterday was our last full day here. I don't think we really did much, just went across to the shopping bit of sydney and looked in lots of lovely shops. Wondered down to Chinatown and sat in a really pretty garden with lots of fountains for our lunch. Also had a look at Darling Harbour which is so picturesque. Came home and sat in an Irish Bar drinking jugs and reminising. Had a huge $10 steak for dinner which was delicious. More jugs and did a trivia quizz. Then came back and passed out.
And so now it's Tuesday and we're catching our 24 hour flight home at 2.25pm. Crazy times xx

Brisbane to Surfer's Paradise, via Hervey Bay

We're in the camper van, but it's not quite going as planned, no one told us how bluddy cold it is in Australia! I was expecting it to be like English summer, maybe a couple of chilly days but all we'd need would be hoodys, especially in Queensland. That is a lie. It is so so cold, apparently it went down to 3 degrees the other night. I have to sleep with 3 pairs of socks on and 4 layers of t shirts and hoodys. So that's been a bit of a shock. We've also realised that we have a bit too much time here for the route we've planned (can't really go too far past Sydney as that's where we fly from) so we're going through huge stresses now trying to see if we can move our flights forward a bit to save a bit of moolah. It's not going well at the moment. But other bits have been quite good.
We went up to Noosa the first day and it was really pretty, didn't do much but camped by the river (we got woken up at 7.30am but a warden telling us this was illegal so can't recommend that to anyone). Watched the sunset from a vantage point which had an amazing view over the river and all of the islands and the next day we went on a walk around the National Park which was lovely and again very pretty. Headed up to Hervy Bay and stayed in a campsite with a shower! ah it was amazing, showers are the best things in the world as we're currently having to pull over to public toilets everyday and wash ourselves in the disabled public loos with their icy cold water. Walked around the town which was nice and had some chips. We've realised that Australia is a bit more expensive that we expected, for example all chocolate bars seem to cost over a pound! For a mars bar! That's ridiculous. And all the day trips to go and do nice things are 60-70 pounds plus which we really can't afford. So we're sticking to the free stuff like sunsets. Had a nice drive back down through some national parks and saw lots of scenery. Went to Towoomba but it was pretty dull so we left quite soon. Then got a bit lost on some roads that aren't on the maps but found a really nice free campsite in the middle of a valley where we stayed for 2 nights. Again it had hot showers which were lovely. Went on a nice walk, it was so so quiet and just really picturesque. And now we're in surfers paradise. It's nicer than I expected as after reading Bill Bryson's 'Down Under' I was expecting it to be horrible here. Mike went surfing earlier but the sea is freezing so I stayed clear. We haven't got any electricity and our phone's are dead so we're now killing (expensive) time on the internet to use their plug sockets. That's about it. We're spending a lot of time sitting about reading and drinking goon. It's not bad and I'm still having a nice time, just not brilliant and not the best end to our travels at the moment.

Singapore to Brisbane

We've made it here to the 4th continent on the list and Australia is so looooovely. Just everything about it: you can drink water out of the taps, everyone speaks fluent english, the food comes in portions that fill you up... so nice. Only bad point is knives and forks. I can no longer eat with a knife and fork, it feels so clumsy in my hands and I'm not really cutting anymore, just tearing at things. Spoon and fork is a much better way of eating.
So last day in Singapore I didn't do much. I had all of this hassle with my uni place to worry about so sat about on the internet most of the day. We went back to our lovely Moroccan restaurant for lunch and then at about 5pm we headed down to the MRT station to get to the airport. Changi airport is amazing. There is free internet, free phone chargers, free massive comfy armchairs to watch tv in. Unfortunatley the food was very expensive but didn't mind that really. We flew with Quantas which was pretty good although I don't think anything will ever beat Emirates. Food was a bit grim. Had a good flight though, got my gin and tonic and watched 'He's Just Not That Into You' (mike mocked me for my shallowness) and 'Yes Man'. Didn't manage to get that much sleep though and when we landed I was so so tired, felt like I was going to collapse. We took a very long winded bus to our hostel (Prince Consort Backpackers - very nice but a bit pricey, or maybe I'm still thinking in Asian terms) but when we checked in they said our room wouldn't be ready for 3 hours. So we slept on their sofas until they were and then spent most of the day sleeping in our beds. When we felt a bit more alive we went on a little explore and discovered that we really like Brisbane. I've heard from so many people that it's rubbish and boring and ugly and we shouldn't even bother going there. But it seems lovely, we're staying in Chinatown and it seems like there's a really good live music scene and loads of little quirky art shops and boutiques. Tuesday we went down to the centre and went around lots of the museums and art galleries (all free) around the river and it was really pretty and a nice temperature and just really lovely. I like Brisbane lots, although apparently it gets up to 40 degrees in summer so I probably wouldn't like it then. Oh yeh and it's cold here! It's so wierd, apart from a few rainy days and the time we spent in Hong Kong, we have been in places that are constantly over 25 degrees, often more like 30-35 every day for the past 5 months. And here it's like English spring. I have to wear socks! Mental I'm still getting used to having to remember to take a cardi out with me.
So yeh Tuesday we had a lovely day walking around the centre and saw some good art shows and the Museum of Modern Art. Came back here and had an amazing $3 curry and later we went to a pizza place and mike and i shared a pizza for $5. Everything is either really expensive or really cheap here, there doesn't seem to be a middle ground. We've spent the past 2 nights sitting in our dorm with a big irish group that we've met drinking goon (wine in a box, I don't know why it's called that), and I think we're planning on going out somewhere tonight.
Today we got up really late and caught a bus up to Kount Kootha, which is a big lookout over the whole city, with Amy and Denise. Was really pretty. Then we went to the Panetarium and the Botanical Gardens which were also cool but we were so tired for some reason I don't think we really appreciated them. Came back here and slept for about 3 hours. So now I'm just about to go out for dinner and tomorrow we pick up the camper van!

my lovely tatoo

actually this picture looks a bit grim as it was taken just after the tatoo was finished. ah well, I finally have a Brand New tatoo!

Malaysia and Singapore

We leave Asia tomorrow, after being here for 3 months! I'm quite excited about being somewhere as hi tech as an air port. And about moving on. I'm not bored of Asia, and in a way I wish we had longer to do more, as I would love to go to the jungle and beaches of Malaysia as people we've met have said it's amazing and really unspoiled. But I think I'm still a bit restless from Thailand where I did get a bit bored, so I'm looking forward to Australia where because we're driving ourselves around, we're much more in control of what we do each day.
Soo... last time I wrote we were in Ao Nang and had just had our tatoos done. They still look cool. Then we went out to find dinner and went to this place called Bernies where they do huuuuge all you can eat barbeque buffets for a fiver! It was so delicious, they had mash which I haven't had since I left in February, and garlic bread, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, sausages, kebabs...oh all sorts. We stuffed ourselves. And then there was all you can eat ice cream!! Not that crappy soft scoop stuff but really posh lime, chocolate, strawberry and coffee sorbets. ah it was amazing. We went back to the room and couldn't move for several hours and felt quite ill after all of that.
Next morning we got up early and were picked up and taken, via various minivans, to Malaysia. At times we weren't too sure where we were heading but in the end they took us all the way to Penang and dropped us in Chinatown in Georgetown which was pretty good. Went and checked into the Blue Diamond Hotel which is lovely. It's a big old colonial villa, all the rooms are massive with 5m high ceilings and old fashioned light switches. Mike found it a bit creepy. We stayed in an open dorm there where we each had a double bed for about 1 pound ninety a night. bargain. There's also a really nice Mexican restaurant downstairs where we ate the first night. And one of the men who own it is awsome, he calls himself 'Mr Postman' and he was really helpful whenever we had daft questions or couldn't find things.
First day in Georgetown wasn't a huge success, we tried to go to Fort Cornwallis and the Art Museum but both are closed on Sundays so we just got very hot and sweaty. Ended up going to an internet cafe for about 6 hours so I could back up all of my photos. We did get to walk through Little India though and had a curry and roti for breakfast and some crazy Indian cakey sweet things. India is definately next on my list of places to go to. Particularly after all the Indian food in Malaysia.
That evening we wondered around all of the food stalls in Chinatown and ate loads of lovely things. The best was a piece of deep fried pasty stuffed with mince meat for 20p. Oh and the apple smoothie.
Next day we got up early an actually went to Fort Cornwallis. It was quite cool, but growing up in Kent I have been to so many castles in my childhood, and this one just looked a bit like them. It started to drizzle and I could have been in Rochester or Deal. Still it was nice to do something a bit cultural. We caught a trishaw to take us to a shopping mall and then the drizzle turned into some of the heaviest rain I have seen. We got soaked through. The driver put the hood up and gave us a little blanket. I had to put my sunglasses on to avoid the splashes and had the blanket pulled right up to my chin.
Got to the shopping mall and went in and that was when I really fell in love with Malaysia, it is so so so cheap!! They had really nice shoes on sale for 10RM which is about 1 pound 90! and T shirts for the same price! I actually spent a quite scary amount of money, but for 75 pounds I got: 4 T shirts, a beautiful dress, both series of Gossip Girl (series are cheaper here than Vietnam!) and AND a pair of Levis skinny jeans. bargain.
Left feeling quite horrified at how much my budget had been blown but so in love with my new clothes I wasn't too upset. I'm sure I'll make it all up somewhere. Shopping in Malaysia is great, not just because the shops are so cheap but because they actually sell really nice things. There weren't many chain stores in the shopping centre we went to, just loads of little clothes stores. And they all sold different stock (which was lovely after Thailand where every shop is selling the same Chang beer vest) and all of it was really quirky and cool. The designs of the t shirts were just really different, they were the sort of thing you'd expect to see in Spitalfields market in London for about 30 quid. and we got them for 2 pounds!
The next morning we wondered down to the bus station and caught our bus to Singapore. Oh, another brilliant thing about Malaysia, it has massive comfy seats on its coaches. I wish Vietnam would buy some for their sleeper buses. There are only 3 seats on each row and they are like arm chairs, with so much leg room. It's a shame we've been on 2 of these and are now about to catch an economy flight to Australia, I think we've been spoiled a bit.
So we got into Singapore yesterday afternoon and checked into Sleepy Sams which Lonely Planet bums on about quite a lot. deservedly though, it is probably the nicest place we have stayed on the whole trip. It's decorated like a really posh hotel, and is so clean with free internet, tv and comfy chairs, lovely breakfast, shower gels, moisturisers toothpaste etc. Just really nice. It's costig us a fortune though, 14 pounds a night! We got a rubbish exchange rate at an ATM so everything is costing us quite a lot here. Checked in yesterday and then went to a Morroccan restaurant opposite for a really delicious dinner. I will definately miss the food when we get home, we have eaten so well since we've been travelling.
Mike had found in LP that if we went to the Asian Civilisations Museum on a Friday night then we could get in for free. So we set off down to there, perving over how clean and lovely everything in Singapore looked. It seems to be abit like Hong Kong, but Hong Kong is much busier and intense, it's filled with sky scrapers and neon lights, and just feels like there's loads going on. Singapore is a bit like that but much more laid back. And it feels a lot more open, there's a lot more space and it's just a bit more chilled. Got down to the river and there was a river festival going on, with loads of tents selling clothes and bands and a bar. So we got a bit excited as this looked so lovely. Went and queued to get into the museum and got given a free mojito! So we went and had that sitting on a picnic blanket (free) on the grass next to the river while listening to a jazz band (free). Then a river parade started with lots of little boats playing music covered in lights. The museum was really good, lots of lovely fabrics and things on art and calligraphy which I liked. After we'd been round and spent a bit longer watching the band and everyone dancing we got ready to go. But as we were walking away we found another tent where a local band playing really good music were playing. So we stayed there for another half hour listening to them (for free) and falling in love with Singapore. Slept really well in our expensive beds.
This morning we had our lovely free breakfast and then walked down to the Esplenade Theatre and had a look around there. There was a cool art exhibiton in it with big suspended cushions and a lovely library where we sat and read movie scripts and felt very liberal and cultured. Then went to a shopping centre with the worlds largest fountain in. It was pretty cool but not as big as I would have expected.
Had lunch and then went to the Singapore Art Museum which is so nice. Really made me look forward to going to uni and getting back into art, I'm getting so restless to start making things. There was a show called 'Threads' which had lots of pieces made from fabric which I liked, although I think maybe I should be doing fashion or textiles...
so that's it up to now. We've got most of tomorrow here, and then catch our plane to Oz at 9.30pm. Is it a bit sad that I'm so excited about getting on a plane?

koh pha ngan, nai yang, koh phi phi, railay, ton sai and ao nang

internet here is stupidly expensive so sorry again for our lack of communication. we are still alive and have just got back from getting tatoos!! They are so cool i love mine. It's a brand new lyric along the bottom of my foot in thai. and yes i know it definately says what I want it to and not 'i'm an idiot' or something because we have checked it with numerous thai people. Hurt so so much though it felt like they were sawing into my bone at one point.
ok so back to aaages ago when we were on koh pha ngan. We rode around on bikes the rest of that day and lost bella and nina. Met up with them again at Amersterdam Bar on the west coast which is brilliant. It's really high up and you have a panoramic view of the sea and the sunset. Then we probably went and got drunk same as most nights on Pha Ngan. Some quite eventful nights: mike getting horrifly drunk and then depressed and then trying to buy drugs off some scary looking thai man while i tried to fight him off and persuade mike that life would be ok he just needed to stop drinking, the guy who i thought was gay until he took me off to a corner of a beach and got naked, so I ran away back to one of my friends rooms, who had a boy in there so i wasn't really welcome, then found out the not gay boy and all of his friends lived opposite nina, livia and bellas room and laughed at me lots the next day, various sleezy men hitting on all of us and then full moon... the biggest let down ever. Just rubbish really. Exactly the same music (literally, in the same order as all of the other nights, nothing particularly different going on just some more people and a lot more rave paint. Mike and I got a bit cynical and felt a bit old but had a lovely time slagging off other people. If you're thinking of going: full moon is like a rave for people who's parents wouldn't let them go to raves. It's pretty tame and crap. Half moon is awsome, do that instead. We were really glad to leave pha ngan in the end, just spent far too much time there and it's just a bit samey. Caught a boat and a series of buses to Nai Yang beach which is a bit north of Phuket.
Nai Yang was brilliant. We went with Nina and Livia and met Jade from Real Gap there. There were huge rolling waves which we spent all day playing in and being knocked over by and a brilliant Thai food market with delicious currys. Stayed there for two days chilling out and giving our bodies a rest from drinking. Then caught a ferry over to Phi Phi.
On Phi Phi we stayed at Golden Hill bungalows which were really good. Payed four hundered baht for a lovely clean room. But the best bit is dave the manager. He's so helpful and gave us a tour and told us good places to eat. First day we chilled out, went to some of the bars on the beach in the evening but they were rubbish compared to Tao and Pha Ngan so didn't stay out that late. Next day we did the snorkelling tour which was ace we had such a good time. Got to go to some really quiet beautiful beaches and snrkelling we saw more fish than we had diving in ko Tao. Livia made us all get naked again swimming in a cove on Phi Phi Ley. Mike, Livia and I jumped off a 20m cliff which was terrifying but so cool, made my day. Gave me a terrible wedgie though. Went and sat on Maya Beach in the evening where they filmed The Beach and had a little explore in the jungley bit behind and then went back. And walking back through town to our bungalow I bumped into the guy I got with in Ko Tao. I don't want to me horrible about someone on the internet using their real name so lets call him "Paul" as he features a ridiculous amount in the next weeks tales. So I met him and he was lovely as he had been in all of the emails saying that he wanted to meet me. Arranged to meet him that night and got on really well. The next day the girls all left which was really hard. I'd been with Nina everday for the past 6 weeks, and Mike and I had been travelling with other people for ages so was really hard to be on our own again. We didn't do much, lay about on the beach and watched the sunset. Bumped into Ash and Lee who we met in Vietnam on the beach and went out for a drink with them that evening. Also bumped into Paul again and arranged to meet up. But he never turned up. Went and knocked for him and he didn't answer. Thought all this was a bit wierd so went and got drunk with Mike and a pretty scary guy who said he was minted and a formula 3000 driver and begged me to go back to his room. Didn't go back to his room. Oh and mike pulled a fit girl and hasn't stopped going on about it since. The next day we left Phi Phi. Oh one last thing, on Phi Phi there is an amazing restaurant called Papaya. The portions are massive you can share them between 2 or three and its just the best thai food ever.
So we left Phi Phi and caught a boat to Railay. Stayed on Railay East (the cheap side) at Lampraya (?) which is a bit basic but 200B a room. The bungalows are like semi detached, so 2 share one balcony and hammock. So we're sitting on our balcony, mike lying in the hammock chilling out when who turns up but Paul, who it turns out is our next door neighbour. Bit awkward as he'd stood me up the night before and left without saying goodbye. Nobody really knew what to do so we went and got beers and got drunk together. Had a really good night. He reged me again though.
Mext day it started monsooning and didn't stop for 3 days. Mike and I went and had a little explore and Railay looks really pretty (the west side is stupidly expensive) but no one was really about and the rain just made us feel a bit low. Kept bumping into Paul. I think he thought we were stalking him. I think he thought we were massively wierd. There are some nice cheap places to eat on the very end of Railay East so we stayed around there. That night Paul bought more beer and mike and I bought a bottle of whiskey. Proceeded to get very drunk. I have some very wierd pictures of mike and paul hugging in a hammock. Mike then did his classic crash and burn and went to bed. I persuaded will it would be fun to go out so we went to the bar next door. Someone thought we were a couple, paul got terrified and ran off and wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the night. I met a lovely irish guy called phil who told me paul was a twat and I was beautiful. We stayed up till 6am chatting. He was awsome. He walked me home and yelled at pauls room and woke mike up so mike thinks he's an idiot.
Next day it was still raining. I was pretty ill and slept all day and night. Mike sewed badges onto his bag. In the evening he met up with ash and lee. paul promised to come down and meet them and didn't show up. standard. Next day I knew paul was leaving and finally ending the awkwardness so i stayed in bed till i though he was gone. Went outside and he was lying on the chair like he was waiting for us to say goodbye, which seemed nice as we had got to know him quite well over those 3 days. Said good morning, went and had a shower and when I came back he had gone. So never said goodbye., Very strange. We decided to leave and go over to Ton Sai as we were bored of Railay in the rain. Went and sat on Railay west for a while waiting for a boat that would take us for a reasonable price. Sitting there I saw paul. Headed over to say goodbye and wish him a good trip, he saw me, stood up and walked off the other way. He is the wierdest and rudest persom. Luckily that's the last time we saw him, good riddance. Was feeling pretty low by this point having been reged for being friends as well so very glad to leave Railay. Got soaked on the boat over to ton sai, and cheked into Mambo bungalows which are pretty nice.
Ton Sai was ok. In high season it's probably really fun but in low season and drizzle it's a bit dead. There's a nice restaurant on the sea fron that does free pancake rolls though. We went and gave Kate's letter to her man in small world bar and hung out there with an idiot old hippy traveller who was wasting his life. Spent lots of time chilling out at our listening to music and reading. Had some really lovely food. I will miss thai food it's so good. Weather cheered up yesterday and the cliffs around the beach really are amazing. I can't believe people climb them they look stupidly high. This morning we sat on the beach for aaages waiting for a boat to take us to Ao Nang. Got here and checked into J Mansion which is soooo lovely, so much better than the bungalows that we've been used to. Amd just went and got our tatoos!! That's about it so far. We are catching a bus to Penang in Malyasia tomorrow so that will be the end of Thailand. It's been brilliant but I am ready to leave. I think we've been here, particularly the southern islands for a bit too long and I'm bored of doing nothing. We have been planning Australia and I can't wait for that and our campervan! xx

Sinburi, Bangkok, Ko Tao, Ko Pha Ngan

sorry sorry internet is so expensive here I haven't been able to afford to update this. I am quite low on money and surviving on 2 meals a day and swigs of nasty thai whisky out of a plastic bottle I keep in my bag. Classy!
The last week of teaching with Real Gap wasn't great. Well I had a lovely time but the teaching was awful, there was no point in us being there at all. The staff at the school didnt really know what to do with us, so would push us into a classroom with the instructions of "teach them jobs" and then stand at the back telling the children all the answers. Several times they made us teach time to children who couldn't tell the time in thai which was pretty painful. But they gave us a glass of hot chocolate every morning so it wasn't all bad. And when we left they gave us a china cup with a lid and a saucer with the name of the school on. Ptobably the least practical present to give someone who is backpacking but still it was very nice. We only actually taught for about 3 hours a day so the rest of the time Nina, Rach and I lay about in our room sleeping and laughing at Rach. We had some really good parties, one we went to Lemon house and all got quite drunk. We fitted 16 people into 1 car and Nina and Rach rode on the roof. Our last night we had a fashion disaster party at ours. Rach and I invented an amazing drinking game called Killer Dice. That's about where my memory of the night ends but it was a great game. And there was the whole situation with the Israeli guy that I had on my facebook. It got a bit wierd. I lost a game of backgammon to this chap and so he said I had to give him a back massage. I agreed thikning he was a normal person. Then we went to a party and he cornered me and spent the whole evening stroking my leg and telling me that he new a secret bush where we could go and be 'spontanious' together. I was terrified and bluddy Rach did nothing to help me as she was to busy perving over a boy she thinks looks like Edward Cullen. Eventually I escaped to the toilet and stayed there for ages until he went to talk to someone else. The next day he kept creeping up on me and whispering "I haven't forgotton about my massage" in my ear, and just generally following me around. He followed me to the internet and tried to make me talk to his family on Skype. Then he followed me to my room and I had to have a break up chat with him and tell him I wouldn't give him a massage as he had scared me to much. Really really wierd. And now apparently he's on Ko Pha Ngan and asking everyone where I'm staying!!! aaaarg.
Urm other stories from that week...can't really remember but both Rach and Eli were really cool and we miss them lots.
Nina and I left for Bangkok on the Saturday. Mike and I decided to leave the Real Gap program early because it just wasn't that good. They looked after us really well and I don't want to slag them off too much but what was advertised and what it's actually like are just so different and I really didn't like it. So we got to Bangkok and met up with Mike, Livia and Bella and Mike and I crept into Nina's posh room at the Royal hotel becuase we're too pikey to pay for our own room. Did a bit of shopping and went to Patpong night market which was really wierd, I have never seen so many prostitues or been offered so many different 'pussy' options. Had a bit of a night out but i was trying to save money for Ko Tao so went back pretty early. Mike was horribly ill all night so don't think Nina was that pleased to have us both in there. The next morning we all had to run past the maids cleaning the rooms we were so scared they were going to catch us all in there and fine us the 500B a person fine. Mike and I spent the day by the pool and he got a bit better.
Coach to Ko Tao was ok, except we had these IDIOTS sitting behind us. They were proper little rich kids and kept telling 'hilarious' stories about their sex lives and taking about using Daddy's credit card (they actually said that) in really loud voices in the middle of the night. Then 2 of them started having sex in the seat behind me. I hated them so much and they keep popping up everywhere we go. I think they are the 1st people I have met travelling who I hate.
Got to Ko Tao and did our PADI Open Water with DJL Dive school who are brilliant. We paid 9,500B and got 4 nights accomodation for free. And the instructors and everyone there are just really cool and there's a nice bar and swimming pool. Diving was awsome, we went to Chumphon Pinnacle and it was really clear and we saw a whale shark! And just loads of other cool fish. Loved diving. (Sorry I'm trying to do this quickly!) We went out on Sairee Beach a couple of times, Lotus bar was really cool. Last night I managed to pull someone normal. On Friday Mike and I left the others and went over the other side of the island to Ao Leuk. It was so beautiful, really clear turquoise water with loads of coral, white sand and lots of bolders dotted about. We could see the sea from our bungalow (Ao Leuk Bungalows, 450B a night) and just spent 3 days chilling there it was so lovely. Hired a snorkel on the last day and floated about in the water. Nina and Livia came to sea us and Livia made us all go skinny dipping in the middle of the afternoon. Crazy Swiss.
Then Monday we got a boat over here the Ko Pha Ngan where we are staying for far too long until the full moon party on Sunday. We are staying in an amazing place though, it's called Lighthouse Bungalows and it's in Had Rin but on the very southern tip next to Leela Beach. We have to walk along a big wooden walkway over rocks and the sea to get there and it's so quiet and lovely it feels like we're miles away from everything. And it's only 250B (a fiver) a night! First night we got here it was the half moon party so we got a taxi there and had a really good night. Except those whisky buckets are lethal, both Nina and I got a bit paraletic, although Mike looked after me and I was ok. Realy good night though. Oh and Kate is here as in Mike's Kate from home. She stayed with us the first night but is now staying at Reggae hut in town. Last night we had a quiet night although Nina and Bella went to the pool party, and today we've hired motorbikes and are off exploring. Pop's don't read this bit but the roads are aaawful. They aren't paved and have big craters in and vertical hills. I have been so scared. I think the bit we're doing this afternoon is paved though. We went up to a beach in the North East and lay about in hammocks and then to a rubbish waterfall. Kate's taking us off to a fishing village now and we're going to some nice beach to watch the sunset.
I'll try and update this a bit more often, sorry it's not that detailed but basically we're having a lovely time. Loads more photos are on the camera and when I next find cheap internet I'll upload them xx

Chiang Mai and back again

Chiang Mai ended up beinf brilliant, we had so much fun we didn't mind the other group and they went off and did their own thing. We took a sleeper train up there which was so comfortable: huge beds, a privacy curtain and air con. lovely. Arrived at about 8am and went off to book our white water rafting trip the next day. Then went to find a hostel. We tried to get into Julie's guesthouse which is in Lonely Planet and looked lovely but it was full so we went to this grim little one called Nat guesthouse round the corner. It wasn't very nice, lots of bugs and a bit dirty. and a really wierd guy sharing our room but I suppose that wasn't their fault. We got a tuk tuk to Wat U Mong which was really pretty and had lots of tunnels and a lovely lake. Rachel got shat on by a pigeon. Spent the afternoon lying in a really pretty park, but we couldn't move as it was so stupidly hot. That evening we went to the night market which had so many beautiful things but I was good and only bought a bracelet. oh and a top. There was then a mini monsoon while we were at the market so we got stranded there for a few hours. Rachel Bella and I left after this so we would be fresh sor rafting but Mike and the others stayed out and woke everyone up laughing at about 4.30am.
Sunday we got picked up and went rafting and it was soooo good. We went with a company called The Peak who are brilliant, really professional but lots of fun, they have the best job in the world. They drove us down this winding dirt track for about an hour, several times it looked like we were going to fall down a ravine into the river. Got there and had lunch and taught how to do everything and then got into our rafts. On the way in a huuge spider crawled up mikes leg and all the girls screamed. Then we set off. it was just brilliant, so so fun. We went down lots of little rapids and 5 or 6 big sets where we were just flying all over the boat. Half way through we had a really long drift down river with no rapids and we all got out and swam and floated along with the boat. The scenery was beautiful, we got all the beauty of trekking but got to stay cool in the water. I can't bum on about it enough if you're going to Chiang Mai you have to do it, it was one of the best things that we've done travelling.
Got dropped off at the train station and caught another lovely air conditioned sleeper back. They are so much more comfy than our beds here. We though we were getting in to Lop Buri at 4am so we all got up and dressed and then the attendant came and told us that we were running 2 hours late so we all trudged back to bed. Got a bus back to Twin House in time for breakfast and ready to start 'Culture Week' with real gap.
Culture Week is worse than Introduction week. There is even less to do and even more 'free time'. On monday we had a chat to some monks. I'm sure mike will have a rant about how most of us feel about some of the monks out here so I will leave it. Tuesday we set off for our temple stay which I was really looking forward to. It started off really well, the girls had a really nice little house to stay in and there were mats to sleep on and pillows which I wasn't expecting. We all had to rent these white pyjama things which made our group look like a group of mental patients. They were great I loved them. There are quite a lot of photos of us dancing in them and looking like idiots. We went to a temple and a really sweet monk taught us how to meditate. I don't know if I did it quite right but it was very calming and it was good to have someone teaching us how to do it properly. mike fell asleep. Then we went to where the boys were sleeping and did some chanting (which wasn't that great) and some more meditating. that is where it all started to go a bit wrong. We did some sitting meditation which was good and standing which was harder but ok. At this point lots of inch long flying ants started appearing. First they would fly around our heads, then along the ground, then they would have lots of loud buzzy spasms as they forgot how to fly and fell out of the air, lost all of their wings, crawled all over the ground and then died. We did walking meditation which was impossibly hard and the bugs were a bit offputting and then lying meditation which was awful as by this point there were bugs all over the carpet and they kept flying into our glowing white pyjamas. And it kept getting worse. Outside the windows we could see there were thousands (I am not exaggerating) of bugs underneath the lights, and the girls had to go through these to get to our dorm. The worst bit was the staircase to our floor. The bugs were like a solid wall and walking through them they got everywhere, in our hair, ears, under our clothes. As we walked and our feet lifted off our flip flops they would fly underneath so you would squash five or six with your feet with every step. Everyone was screaming and running around and it sounded like a horror movie. We managed to get up to our room and pull our group in before bolting the door (someone had left the bathroom lights on and there were hundereds in there, opposite our room). After blocking up all of the doors and windows (more were creeping in underneath the door) we turned all the lights on and each of us grapped a weapon and set about killing all of the bugs in our room. Five minutes later we were surrounded by hundereds of squashed dead bugs. Everyone then wrapped up in sleeping bags, rain macs, eye masks... to stop any bugs from landing on us as we slept, and swearing at everything we went to sleep. The next morning we woke up at 5am to do some more chanting and meditation. It was still dark and we had to go through the whole things again. It was awful, I am so scared from that night I now have a proper issue with bugs. When it was light and they had all died we could see piles inches thick of dead bugs. The wings were everywhere and it was just really disgusting.
Enough about bugs for a while, we went off with a monk as he walked round the town and collected food from all of the townspeople for the monks to eat. Then more meditation. Had some of the collected food but it was all cold and not very nice. And then finally we got to leave. I really enjoyed it and in ways it was hilarious, but it was also so so horrible and awful I would never ever stay there in the rainy season again.
Got back at 1pm, free time for the rest of the day. Thursday two massage instructors came to our house and taught us how to do Thai massage. Mike was my partner and hurt me so so much. I screamed in agony and laughed the whole way through. That lasted 2 hours, rest of the day was free time. Friday we went to a zoo which was really cool. There were bears that weren't behind cages, just dunks in the floor, and loads of lions and tigers, and orangutan that you could hold and a really big aviary you could walk around with lots of peacocks and vultures. Oh and 'rabbit paradise' which was an island with lots and lots of rabbits on. There were some baby angora (? the really fluffy ones) who were lovely. Then to a market that was crap. It was a local market for people to buy their food and childrens toys and tables. not really for tourists. Then back to twin house and more free time. We had a toga party that evening which was really good. Our gang played drinking games in Nina and my room first of all and got very drunk on a horrible mix of thai wiskey and something in between tequila and vodka. Then went to the bar where hardly anyone else was dressed up and just kept on drinking. Very funny but I can't remember that much of it. Lots of people were very sick the next day. Saturday I just lay around sleeping and watching south park with the gang.
Sunday we left for 'the resort' which sounded very exciting. Oh and we went to a Thai Tesco superstore which was very cultural. The resort had big room and air con so I was happy. Although the en suites had to be reached by a balcony which was the worst idea in the world and meant I had to deal with some more of the horrible flying ants that evening. mike was very nice and went and squashed lots of them for me. We spent the day playing in the pool and playing basketball. Next day the trekking lot (including mike, lucy and bella) left us and we have now come back to twin house. and i have to finish there as the internet cafe is about to close and i am being chucked out. xx

Siem Reap to Bangkok to Real Gap

We managed to spend hardly any money on our last day in Siem Reap and had a lovely day lying in hammocks and eating happy pizza. Border crossing from Cambodia to Thailand was pretty painless. The roads were all pretty good and we arrived in Bangkok before dark. We had to wait at the border for about 1 1/2 hours and the buses were a bit squashed but we paid $9 for the whole trip so was pretty good. We checked into the first hostel we saw (Rainbow Guesthouse just off Khoa San Road) and stayed there which was ok. Then went out on Khoa San. I was a bit worried about being there because I had read so many scary things about it being absolutley mental. I was expecting muggers and child prostitutes and drugs and all sorts. And it's really not. It's busy and very western with lots of neon but I really liked it. The shops are designed to cater to backpackers so sell loads of stuff that I want. There are lots of bars so after a 50p meal of Pad Thai off a street stall we sat down and started drinking beer which was almost english prices! Ended up talking to 2 pretty cool english people who had just arrived and were off to do their open water on khoa tao the next day. Also met a bluddy wierdo who just sat and talked about himself until we stopped nodding and started our own comversation.
Friday we checked out of our tiny little room and checked into the Royal Hotel where we were staying with Real Gap. We could really see where our money had been spent, it is huuge there! Our room was so posh and had air conditioning. In fact the whole hotel was so air conditioned it was really cold. We spent the day walking around Khoa San and buying clothes to replace our ruined stuff from 3 months travelling. I bought one really horrific one which really does make me look like a prostitute. Not on purpose.
That evening we went down to the foyer of the hotle and met everyone else on the tour with us and then wondered off to a bar, instantly forgetting everyone's names. We ended up splitting into 2 groups as there were 20 of us and we couldn't really all talk. Then the evening gets a bit blurred as we drank too many coctail buckets and wondered about. At one point Bella bought a bag of fried grasshoppers which we all ate and were actually really tasty. Rachel and I also ended up trying to find a toilet down an alley infested with cockroaches. We went to several bars and 2 clubs (one 'the club' was really good) but eventually mike got too drunk and couldn't speak so we went home.
Got up early the next morning for the free breakfast at the hotel. It was brilliant, there was so much food. Then we staggered back to bed and stayed there till about 3pm sleeping off our hangovers. We went down to the pool but I don't think we left the hotel until that eveing when we went out drinking on Khoa San again. This time about half way through the night we bumped into Melon (Mike's frined from home) and went off to drink with him with Nina and her friend from home. I left at about 1am and I think Mike got back about 4.
Sunday got up again for the breakfast and then we checked out and spent the morning by the pool. Then at 1ish we met Hong our tour guide and got put on a bus to come here to the Eco Houses. We're staying in Twin House and it is relly pretty, lots of little bungalows surrounded by seating areas and butterflies. The rules are a bit intense though, we're not allowed any alcohol on the premises, which considering everyone here is over 18 and on holiday seems a bit much. We've also quickly realised that the 'Thailand Experience' or any big organised thing through a company isn't really our thing. Firstly we've looked at the costs and we could have saved at least 300 pounds by doing it on our own. Also, even though we're here for a month we're not really doing any of the things we want to do in Thailand like going to Chang Mai or a full moon party. It's like being a school, everything is so organised and planned. We get driven to a place and told that we have 35 minutes to look around and then we get driven to the next place and so on. We've realised that half of what we've enjoyed over the past few months has been the 'adventure' of reading lonely planet and working out what we want to do and then getting there and doing things on our own. We feel really proud of ourselves when we 'discover' a restaurant that's not in lonely planet or go off the beaten track a bit. And here it's just not like that. It's just so planned and if we don't want to do something then tough. Urgh it's so annoying to think that we've got a whole month and a stupid amount of money if we think of what we've paid to do this and all the things we could have done with that time and money instead of being here. ah well. we're trying to make the best of it, and we have met some really lovely people, but it has still been a big mistake. I wouldn't recommend organised tours to anyone. It's so much better to do it on your own you get so much more out of it.
Sorry about that little rant. Anyway so over the fast few days we have gone to lots of temples (which are nice but they're built in the style of angkor wat and we've been to angkor wat so they're not as good), and today we went to a school (we stood in front of a class and sang incy wincy spider, and then they sang the thai version), and a really lovely riverboat dinner (and then they brought out the kareoke and it got a bit dire and i wanted to jump off), and we've had some thai lessons and did some thai cooking (our teams was inedible, they had to make some rice for us to eat instead). So lots of things, we're not bored, just not all things that I would choose to do or if they are fun then doing them with a big group of 18 year olds and someone telling me how much time I have to do them isn't the way I'd like to do them.
At weekends we have free time so our little gang (Mike, Bella, Rachel, Nina, Lucy and I) who are all a bit disillusioned with the tour decided to go on an adventure and go up to Chang Mai on our own. We checked all the train times and read about it in Lonely Planet and were really excited about it. One of the other girls on our tour heard us talking about it and asked if she could come. So we said yes. Then she told some of her friends and other people joined not wanting to be left out and now THE WHOLE BLUDDY TOUR is coming to Chang Mai this weekend. Some of them think it is organised by Real Gap and asked if the hotel and transport was all booked. Most do not know where Chang Mai is and none have done any sort of research on it. So our little adventure is now a big group outing. we are pretty annoyed and are not really sure how we can ask them to leave us alone. We're heading off on the night train from Lop Buri tomorrow so I'll let you know next time how it goes.
(sorry if i sound really angry in all of this. it is actually very nice, we have lots of food and nice accomodation and they do give us stuff to do. it's just not really my cup of tea and I feel like it's all going wrong a bit) xx

Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap

Hello we're in Siem Reap now and have found a place with free internet so I can waffle away again now.
Right, after our eventful night in Ho Chi Minh we took a trip on the Mekong Delta with Sinh Cafe the next day. Was a bit touristy but still really fun. We got to see how lots of different things like coconut candy and rice paper were made and had lots of free samples (mike ate 3 coconut candies and spat each one out deciding that he didn't like them, only to try and eat another one a few minutes later). There were also lots of free cups of tea and some very strange fruit that tasted bit like smelly feet. Highlight was probably riding around in a horse drawn carriage (don't know what this had to do with the local people or the way of life in the mekong as we didn't see any locals doing this, but they gave us all silly hats to wear so it was ok) or going down the river in a little rowing boat.
At 6.30 the following morning we got on the bus to Phnom Penh which was pretty uneventful,and checked into Tat Guesthouse which is brilliant. $7 for a double room with ensuite and the staff were so lovely and friendly. And they have a rooftop bit with hammocks.
We checked in and went off to see the Royal Palace which was a bit off a mug off as was the same price as our room, each. Was very pretty though, lots of pagodas and temples and we saw some really expensive stuff that had been donated by the royal family. Wandered about a bit and found D's Bookshop which was so lovely, i think i want to run a second hand bookshop when I'm older. Bought too many books. Then found another lil gem that had apparently just opened: it's a silk shop that also serves coffee and beer and they have loads of big cushions on the floor and jugs of beer for $3, so we stayed there for a bit. Think I would incorporate something like that into my bookshop.
Had dinner at the guesthouse with Paul and Sarah who had been eating Happy Pizza all day, and then lay in the hammocks and watched Borat. Lovely day.
Sunday we did the horrible stuff. Got up early and walked to Toul Sleng Genocide Museum to watch he film they show at 10am. We hired a guide who walked us round and explained everything. She was 8 when the Khmer Rouge took over and was sent to a labour camp near the Vietnamese border with her family. Her father was shot as he used to be in the army. Two of her brothers died there. One night she and he mother escaped and walked for a week to cross the border to Vietnam, where they lived until the 1980s. After that we went to the Killing Fields. I don't really want to write anything else about it as I don't think I could do it justice.
We had a really lovely tuk tuk driver that I think also works at Tat Guesthouse. He drove us about all day and then took us to the Russian Market where I bought far too many kramars and silk things... and an ipod!! It cost $40 and looks just like the little square ipod nanos, except the screen is a bit wonky. And the software on it is nothing like and ipod. But it's brilliant I'm so pleased with it. it even has a speaker on the back so in some ways (not many) it's better than a real ipod!
That cheered me up but apart from that we were both pretty low all day and i was quite glad to go to bed.
Monday was when I wrote my other posts, we bummed about on the internet until it was time to catch our bus to Siem Reap. We piled into a little mini bus thinking it would drop us at a bus station but it never did so we were a bit squashed the whole way. And the roads are pretty bad. Apparently they've got better recently, but there were some bits which were very bumpy and our driver was a bit of a loony. The views were amazing though, there is a lot more jungle here than Vietnam (obviously...) and most of the houses are on stilts for when the rivers flood in the rainy season. There were loads of temples and really ornate pagodas that looked beautiful and I'm sure if they were somewhere else would have loads of tourists, but here they are just peaking out of the jungle and look like no one from outside ever sees them.
Had a bit of a problem about an hour from Siem Reap, our driver started driving really slowly and meandering on and off the road. Eventually he stopped and explained to us in broken English that one of the brake disks had broken. ah. we all got off the bus and it was getting dark and huge bugs were flying into us. There was a thunder storm going on a few miles away and the lightening kept lighting up the clouds. The driver started to take the wheel apart and mike assisted by holding the torch for him. About 1/4 of the disk had come off but after fiddling with it for about 20 minutes the driver decided it would be fine if he drove slowly (read not quite as terribly as before) so we all piled back in and off we set.
Actually wasn't too bad, after a little while they swapped our bus for one with seats that reclined almost all the way back.
Got into Siem Reap and came to the Siem Reap hostel after being recommended it by loads of people. It seems really nice and clean and there are loads of good areas for lounging about in hammocks, but is very expensive $8 a night for a dorm bed without breakfast. But we're going to stay here as we're too poor to go out and do stuff and it's nice for bumming around. and free internet. The tuk tuk driver who brought us here seemed really nice him so we 'booked' him for a temples tour today. Got up at 4.30am to meet him outside at 5am. He drove us to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise which was very pretty but we got a bit bored so while everyone else was watching we went off and explored. It was brilliant as we had the whole place to ourselves, there was NO ONE else around. We climbed all over it and took loads of photos and had a lovely time. We did the 'small tour' which covered all the main ones and the one where bits from tomb raider were filmed and the trees are part of the temples. At Angkor Thom we did an elephant ride which was a really bad idea. They're mentioned in Lonely Planet so we though they would be ok and well treated but it was $15 which is a mug off for a 10 minute ride and the bloke riding it kept hitting the elephant with a stick with a nail on the end and making it bleed. We were the 2nd ride of the day and there was already quite a bit of blood on it's head so it must be really bad later in the day.
the Bayon was my favourite temple and before 9am there are hardly any other tourists. There are lots of towers with heads carved onto them and it just looks really cool. Ta Keo was the worst. It is so high up and the steps are stupidly steep. I'm not great with heights and was pretty scared the whole way up and down. The whole day was just really good, temples are good.
We got back at about 12pm but felt like we'd had a whole day as we got up so early. Don't think we've really done much since. Lay in hammocks, wondered around town and seen where sells cheap beer, that's about it.
Plan for the next few days: staying in Siem Reap tonight (28/4) and tomorrow (29/4) trying to spend as little money as possible and then catching bus at 8am on 30/4 to Bangkok which should get in about 5.30pm (and costs $10). Spending 1 night in a hostel somewhere and then on 1/5 we check into the royal hotel and start the whole organised tour. easy. xx

Ho Chi Minh City

Sorry about that rushed ending. Right so we caught the sleeper bus to Ho Chi Minh which was pretty uneventful. Mike took some valium as everyone has been raving about it but it didn't really seem to work. He only slept once he'd stolen my really comfy extra long bunk and made me swap so I was in his mini cramped one. bluddy boy. Arrived in Ho Chi Minh at about 6.30am and for the first time didn't check into a great hotel. It was $16 a night which we now think of as a fortune and just not that nice, but they were the only place with rooms at that time. We went to Sinh Cafe and booked lots of tours for the next 2 days and an open bus ticket to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, for under 25 pounds each! Then we went to see the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum. Palace was pretty rubbish, not really worth it. Lonely Planet says it hasn't been changed since it fell to the North but there is a big gold statue of Ho Chi Minh in there so I don't believe one word of it. It was just a lot of rooms with furniture in, but no signs telling you anything. The war remnants museum was brilliant though. There was loads of information about the American War and a bit about some of the journalists who had died and their photographs which were really powerful. Also lots of information about the war crimes the american army committed which I didn't really know about. Like the Hanoi Hilton, it was all very one sided, but that still didn't explain why America did some of these awful things and seems to have got away with it. There were some really upsetting photographs of children who were deformed because of the Agent Orange chemical which was dropped on their villages, and of the Viet Cong in the prison there and the terrible conditions they lived in. I couldn't go in the cells as I was feeling pretty low. There was a visitors book which was pretty bad, it was either filled with stupidly nieve people writing things like "never again!" or just stupid angry people ranting about how bad america is.
So we left from there feeling a bit low and it was so so hot we had to stop and have breaks every few minutes. We ended up eating in a Pho 24 (like a fast food noodle restuarant) which was pretty crap and expensive. Then came back to our room and I don't think we did much for the rest of the day.
Thursday we were booked to go on a tour of the Cao Dai Temple and the Cu Chi Tunnels. We left at about 8.30am on this little bus with only 6 other people in our group. And we had the best tour guide ever. His name was Tom and he was so smiley and happy. At the end of the day he sang a song about how much he would miss us. I love him. Temple was quite a long way out so we were on the bus for about 3 hours. It was really cool though, the religion is a mix of pretty much every religion in the world, and the temple was really brightly coloured with loads of dragons and things all over it. We watched the mid day mass which was loads of people in white, red, yellow and blue walking around and kneeling while about 200 tourists with big cameras filmed them.
Then back on the bus to the Cu Chi Tunnels where the Viet Cong hid from and fought the Americans during the war. We went in the afternoon after most of the tourists so was quite quiet and we all got a go to try and fit down the tiny holes the Viet Cong used to jump down. mike and I were the only ones who fitted. The tour was really good, it's ridiculous how small and hot the tunnels that they lived down were.
Back at Ho Chi Minh and we swapped hotels to the Yellow Hotel so we could be in a dorm and meet people. Met loads of people which was good but the hotel was rubbish, even though it's in lonely Planet. The staff are very rude and unhelpful and it's not worth the money. There were 2 other places nearby where they had dorm beds for $3 or $4 instead of the $7 they charge there.
That evening we went out for Bia Hoi and then to an amazing restaurant called Lam Cafe on the same road as Yellow Hotel. The food is so lovely, about 40,000 for a meal and really big portions. Then went down to Go2 bar and met Ash and Lee and some girls from Milton Keynes. Ended up staying out till 3am playing smoke or fire and drinking too much beer while the staff played with a wiji board. Then decided that Yellow Hotel was crap as the chap who sits inside all night to let people in had got bored and gone off to see his friend, locking the door with a bike lock from the outside (so good there wasn't a fire as there is no back entrance). So we had to sit for 1/2 hour until he came back and let us in, in a very bad mood for dragging us away. Idiot.
Oh have to go as mike is back and we need to catch a bus bye xxxx

Nha Trang, Vietnam

oh no I haven't done this for a while I have looads to do and not much time! Ok well Nha Trang was very nice but essentially just a lovely beach with lots of bars. On Saturday we went to a beach party at the Sailing Club which turned into a pretty strange night as we wondered all over town, stopping at little shops by the road to drink beer and play with tiny baby puppies. Ended with everyone going skinny diping at 4am. The next day was spent in bed and on the beach as we were so hungover. I think mike may have even skipped a meal we felt that bad.
The next day after that (I can't remember days of the week) we went to Vin Pearl Land which is brilliant, if you're going to Nha Trang you should definately have a look. We paid 300,000 VND for the day, plus taxis of about 50,000 VND each way to get to the harbour. It's on an island opposite Nha Trang beach that you have to get a cable car across. Mike wondering if you leant against the doors and they opened if you would die while we were going across didn't help. The theme park is brilliant - there was no one there! At all, it was just us. We went on one of those swinging ship things and both sat at opposite ends laughing at how surreal it was. Then we went on a rollercoaster and at the end swapped seats and went on again, just beacuse we could. There was a huge amusement arcade with dodgems, a 4D cinema and every arcade game ever, all for free! It was also very air conditioned so we stayed in there quite a while. Then off to the aquarium which was brilliant, except mike took far too many photos of the fish. There is a moving walk way where you can go underneath the largest glass ceiling in the world and all the fish swim around you. And then we went to the water park which was the best bit. Loads of slides and rubber rings. Although I got whiplash on one as they are pretty steep. Basically a really good day. In the evening we saw Alex and Ewan (the boys who hired motorbikes in Hanoi and had ridden down Vietnam) and were so pleased they weren't dead we went out for dinner and drinks at Red Apple with them.
Last day in Nha Trang we hired bikes and went up to Cham Towers which were very pretty. Then tried to find a secluded beach but they all had big sewage pipes which put me off Nha Trang a bit. So we went back to the main tourist beach and bummed about there until it was time to get the bus to Ho Chi Minh.
And that is where I shall have to leave it as I need to go and buy some lunch and this internet is very expensive. But we're now in Phnom Penh in Cambodia and still alive xx

Hoi An to Nha Trang, Vietnam

Have just arrived in Nha Trang this morning (after another painful sleeper bus journey) and again it's so much hotter. We can see the beach from our hotel window and it looks so beautiful, heading down there in a bit to cool down.
Hoi An was brilliant we had such a good time there. Firstly it's just so pretty, especially in the evenings when there are lots of Chinese lanterns strung up across the street and you can see all the restaurant lights by the river. Also because we rented motorbikes. That was probably our best idea so far, was so much fun. On Wednesday Mike and Ken rented them while I went and faffed around at the tailors trying to get everyone's clothes sorted (my whole family put in orders for tailor made clothes, it got a little bit complicated). Then they came and picked me up and we went off exploring. I don't think we actually really went anywhere (tried to go to Marble Mountain but it was closed), we just went really fast up and down the roads outside of Hoi An by the beach and the rice fields. And it was just really fun. I had a go but as expected I was pretty crap and uncoordinated and slowed everyone down so mike took it off me. We went to the beach and walked around and had a drink. The beach at Hoi An is so beautiful and so quiet. There are a couple of really expensive resorts ($155 for the cheapest room!) and that's about it. Just lots palm trees and some people sunbathing. It's been the first time we've really gone to the beach and I really enjoyed it, although we were only paddling. We went on the bridge over the river back into Hoi An just as the sun was starting to set and it looked pretty perfect.
Beth and Rory arrived that evening from Hue so we all went to Cafe 96 for dinner and then for some Bia Hoi. Then a chap handing out leaflets persuaded us it would be a good idea to go over to the island to King Kong bar where there were free rum and cokes so we headed off. I have not yet spoken to anyone who has been to King Kong bar and not got hideously drunk. Ken said it smelled of rape but I though it seemed quite a nice place, although there were only drunken British people there. Proper brits abroad, they gave out stupid amounts of free alcohol and everyone danced on the pool table. Was really fun until the amount of spirits caught up with me and I found that I couldn't really walk. Beth was worse so they had to go home early. We didn't stay that late as mike was more battered than me and couldn't actually speak any more, so we stumbled home and spent most of the next day in bed or sitting in Treats with sunglasses on. By the eve we were a bit better and met up with some boys that Beth and Rory had met in Hue. Went for dinner with them and then to Before and Now bar which was really cool and had loads of paintings all over the walls. They tried to persuade us to go back to King Kong bar that night but we wisely resisted.
Friday we were good and got up early to post all of our clothes back to England. Cost a small fortune. Oh and we went to Jean's cafe and spent 1 pound 80 having the best breakfast ever: banana milkshake, tea, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and chips :) Then we hired bikes again (because we're such pros) and went to Marble Mountain, which was open this time.
Marble Mountain is a pretty wierd place. It's a huge cave about 50m high in a cliff of marble that just sticks out of the land. At the start it looks amazing, there's lots of little shrines carved into the rock and steps taking you to more secret shrines and waterfalls and it looks really pretty. We were the only ones in there and it was so quiet. Then there's some more bigger shrines with lots of buddhas and flashing lights. And then there's some little steps going down and it gets really dark and narrow. There are some carvings of people being tortured and eaten by demons. And then some more carvings of people in pain and being killed. And some demon heads carved into the walls and you keep on walking down and it's like descending into hell. I got a little bit freaked out and suddenly wished there were some more people in there to make some noise. And I had just read a book about vampires and there were some bats squeaking up at the top which weren't really helping. And that was the end. The steps just stopped and you turned around and walked back out of hell to the buddhas. Very strange place.
After that we went to the beach again and just stood in the sea for about 30 minutes just perving on how pretty it was and how nice and cool we were. I do love Hoi An. Had some ice creams and found a place that sold board shorts for one pound sixty. Then went back for dinner. We went to a place called Tam Tam cafe for dinner which was a bit more expensive that where we'd been before but was delicious, worth every penny.
Then we got on the sleeper bus to get to Nha Trang (obviously we had to wait about 1 1/2 hours to do this as the bus was late, standard). We got better seats than last time but I think at about 3 in the morning we went offroad for about an hour, as no proper road could possibly have that amount of potholes or need that amount of swerving. Got into Nha Trang at about 6.30 am and have now checked into Nice Hotel. Which seems very nice, our room has 2 double beds which is pretty good (and a little odd). Lots of pictures on facebook as it's a bit tricky putting them up on here xx

Just some pics...

Citadel, Hue, Vietnam








Halong Bay, Vietnam











Temple of Literature, Hanoi, Vietnam









Sik Sik Temple, Hong Kong

Kowloon New Kostel, Hong Kong

Carrying water at Volta Home For Children, Ghana










...more on facebook

Hanoi to Hoi An, Vietnam

We didn't go and drink snake blood in the end, for some strange reason no one else except Mike, Beth, Rory and I had booked to do it that night so it was cancelled. Went back to Gecko again though and then to Bia Hoi square and drank 12p beer for most of the night.
Friday we woke up early and checked out and caught a motorbike taxi (both of us on the back) to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum to see his preserved body. Except it's apparently shut on Fridays so we somehow ended up in Ho Chi Minh's house which wasn't nearly as good. It seems that he moved several times to the house next door to where he was, and you can now walk past all of these and see things like tables and beds inside. facinating. There were also some fish in a tank which were either very old or not supposed to be there.
Bummed about for the next bit of the day, went on the internet, Mike bought every episode of South Park, ate some beef burgers etc. Then headed off to Hoa Lo Prison or the Hanoi Hilton. Was a bit horrible in places like the tiny isolation cells and although they'd done it up really nicely some bits were still a bit creepy. Really good exhibits though. Highlight was the comparison between how awfully the French Colonialists had treated the Vietnamese in the prison with how brilliantly the Vietnamese treated the American POWs in there. Lots of smiling pictures of americans playing football and opening letters. Oh and pictures of John McCain as he was apparently there.
About 6pm ish we caught the open bus (with Hung Thanh travel - $40 Hanoi to Saigon) to take us to Hue. It was a bit more complicated than jus getting on a bus though. First we got into a taxi. Then about 5 more people were put in the boot and then we set off. Then the people in the boot started banging as apparently it was air tight and they couldn't breathe. Then the police pulled us over, so the driver refused to open the boot in case the police saw the people he had crammed in there. Then we set off again and the people in the boot were still banging and people were yelling and it was pretty bad. Then we stopped, the people in the boot were put into another taxi where they could breathe (why this couldn't have been done at the beginning I don't know) and we went to the bus stop. An hour later the bus turned up and we got on. It wasn't as bad as the Chinese train but it wasn't great. The beds weren't long enough for me let along mike and they were tilted upwards so you kept slipping down and getting even less room. But that didn't seem to bad until we set off and we realised the sides were very low and didn't really keep you and Vietnamese drive like maniacs! nobody fell out and actually managed to sleep quite well. Arrived in Hue at about 8am the next day and checked into the 'recommended' hotel because they gave us a free taxi there.
Hoem Thien Hotel was actually really nice. $10 a night for a room with a single and double bed, air con, en suite, balcony, lovely. We booked to go on a tour of the royal tombs in the afternoon so spent the morning rushing around the Citadel and Forbidden Purple City. It was so lovely though, as it was all crumbling and you could just go off and explore and find all these little hidden bits as it's so big. Good pics on mike and my facebook, although I think we may have taken a few too many of all of the scenery. We caught a cyclo ( a big seat on the front of a bicycle) back to make sure we still had time for lunch. Cyclo was pretty expensive and I didn't really like it as we went so slowly and there was just this poor old man on the back sweating and trying to cycle mike and I around. I just wanted to get off and tell him that I'd walk. Had a lovely lunch and then got in a taxi to take us round the tombs. Went to Minh Mang first and had to pay to get in and it was lovely and very pretty but not as nice as the citadel and wasn't really that exciting. Then went to 2 more tombs but decided not to pay to get in and save a bit of money. Saw how conical hats and incense sticks are made, and then had to fight off vietnamese woman trying to sell conical hats and incense sticks to us. Then we caught a Dragon boat home which made it all worth it as the boat actually had 2 big dragons made from plastic of something on the front and we got to go all the way down the Perfum River. Then had a really amazing dinner at a little place round the corner from us. They made us traditional Hue cuisine like these little rice pancakes with shrimp wrapped in vine leaves and fried beef in lotus leaves and pancakes and was all just so so nice. We went down to Bar Why Not and played pool but I was pretty rubbish and then Mike got annoyed with the football so we went home.
Had a really lazy day on Saturday and caught up on sleep and read lots. Went to Missy Roo cafe and ate lots of spring rolls and drank beer while we used their free internet for most of the afternoon. There was a huge storm so we couldn't do our origional plan of lying around by the river so just drank more beer. Went to Mandarin Cafe for dinner which was really cheap but not as amazing food as other places. The pictures on the walls were amazing though and the staff were really frinedly and gave us a leaflet on a free walking tour of Hue. Should have gone there first day, I can see why they're in the lonely planet.
This morning we left Hue at 8am and caught a bus to Hoi An. It seemed hotter in Hue than Hanoi but it's soo much hotter here! And we've just readjusted to it being cold again after Africa! It seems so nice here I can see why lots of people we've met bum it. There's a river running through the middleand it's quite quiet and just really pretty. There seem to be a lot of older tourists here so I think it's a bit more chilled. And the shops are amazing. I could spend so much money I have already seen so many things I want. That's tomorrow's job, to try and find a good tailors for my large clothes order. We're staying in the Hoa Binh hotel which is again just where the bus dropped us but it's so lovely and easy to be lazy like this. And it's got a swimming pool! And it's very central so seems like a good idea. We went for a walk earlier and had a cheap lunch (although not as nice, but everything seems more expensive here than Hue) and just perved on how nice everything looked. Not too sure what our plans are, just bumming around, buying things and waiting for Beth and Rory to turn up I think.
But just to say, although Hoi An seems lovely, we did really really like Hue, as loads of people have been moaning about it and telling us to miss it out but we disagree and thought it was brilliant. and cheap.
So that's all for now, these updates are getting quite regular! I do like fast internet xx

Guangzhou, China to Hanoi, Vietnam

We're back in civilization! Been in Hanoi a few days now and it is so lovely. I could spend so much money in the shops. Actually I have a bit, but I have such nice things it's ok.
The overnight sleeper train to Nanning was just a bit wierd. It was sooo small and squashed and Mike and I were down opposite ends of the carriage. As it is so small there is no space to stand or sit except on your bed so we couldn't really talk for 12 hours. Actually there wasn't even much space on your bed. The bed above was too low so you couldn't sit on them. We did both try to lie on one but I almost fell off so we stopped that. It wasn't that fun but was pretty funny. We managed to cross the border pretty painlessly, nothing really went that wrong but it was still very stressful as I worried about everything that could go wrong, thinking that every taxi driver was going to murder us and everyone was trying to steal our bags. Actually one time it was quite bad, we got into the only taxi on the Vietnamese side of the border and he took us down a little backstreet and told us to wait a minute while he got out. I stayed remarkably calm until he came back about 10 minutes later and drove off. Mike started spazzing out and only later told me that the taxi driver had walked into a house with about 20 large men in suits who all started pointing at the car and looking at us and though we were about to be mugged/ murdered/ sold into the slave trade. I'm quite glad he didn't tell his at the time. We then got mugged off and paid about 4 times as much as we should have for a mini bus to Hanoi as the taxi driver didn't take us to the bus station but some dodgy mate of his and we had no other option but to pay his stupid price. The driver was a maniac, he constantly drove on the wrong side of the road, so I just read my book and tried not to look out the windows and see this. We were dropped off at his mates hostel but with mike's amazing mapreading skills we found our way to Hanoi Backpackers Hostel where we wanted to stay and got a room.
And then everything started getting much better! The hostel is brilliant I'd recommend it to anyone, really clean, quite cheap, free internet and breakfast, and just lots of people who have been travelling around to ask advice from. They also organised our trip to Halong Bay and our bus ticket down Vietnam for good prices and no hassle. They are brilliant, after China I love them so much.
The first night we met a bloke in the bar who took us to a pizza place where we had real cheese for the first time in almost 2 months! We got up early on Monday and went to the Temple of Literature which was good and very pretty but I think we may have peaked with our gardens at Nam Lian and all others will never seem as good as that place. They had some cool old things on tortoises though. Then we wondered about and went down to the lake and sat writing in our journals, taking pictures and bumming Vietnam. Oh and we had a delicious lunch in a little cafe near the lake. All the food we have had here actually has been really delicious. We haven't had much street food yet, just been popping into little cafes and having the cheapest thing on the menu. Back at the hostel we were told weather was starting to go downhill so booked our trip to Halong Bay the next day. The company was called Rock Long Rock Hard which maybe should have indicated to us that it was quite a heavy drinking sort of cruise. We went with it though cos it had lots of kayaking which Mike fancied.
The kayaking ended up being the best bit, was so fun. We were out for about 3 hours which killed my arms but we got to go to loads of bits you can't see on the big boats. Also went to a cave called the 'Fairy Cave' which was pitch black but had loads of huge stalactites and stalacmites in it. We turned off all of the torches and stood there without talking and it was pitch black and completely quiet which was wierd. Then came back and jumped off the 3 level boat. And got very cold, think mike and I have both now got colds, possibly from this. Then everyone started drinking and it went downhill a bit. They turned this hardcore dance music and europop up really loud and started playing drinking games and it got a bit intense, while all we wanted to do was sit about and drink beer and look at this beautiful place we were. We found 3 other girls who shared out point of view and went to bed early with us. Bit sad but it didn't really seem the right place to get blind drunk and play I Have Never.
Took most of Wednesday to get back to Hanoi and then we just bummed about. Went to another brilliant restaurant for dinner and collapsed as we were so tired.
Got up early again today and went to the Thai embassy to sort out our visas and they were free!! They've got some sort of special offer on there at the moment which is pretty cool. Then we wondered about the Old Quarter and went to Dong Xuan market. I have bought so much stuff!! There is such beautiful silk here and it's just so lovely I keep buying pashminas and purses. Most of them are presents so I kid myself it's ok but I really ought to stop.
Oh and mike has just informed me that we're going to a snake farm this evening where we will do shots of snake blood and eat snakes. brilliant! That's pretty much all up to now, I'll let you know soon how the snakes are xx

IF YOU'RE GOING HERE (and can't be arsed to read all of my waffle):
- The direct train or bus from Nanning to Hanoi is probably easiest. We didn't do this, to try and save time but it wasn't any cheaper and caused us quite a lot of worry. If you do it yourself and catch lots of different trains and taxis: Sleeper from Guangzhou to Nanning 173RMB hard sleeper, train from Nanning to Pingxiang 30RMB, taxi to border 20RMB each (there was a little man offering it for 2 RMB, apparently this is a scam), really easy to walk accross the border, althouth the Vietnamese side is a little disorganised and you need 2000 dong or 2RMB to pay for something to get in. The money changers in the middle gave us quite a good price but check the exchange rate before you go, taxi to Lang Song $10, minibus to Hanoi $15 each (apparently we got mugged off here and it should be about 50,000 dong but they were asking 300,000. Make sure the taxi driver takes you to the bus station and not just one mini bus. Then just barter better than us, although it's pretty scary when that is the only minibus you can see and you HAVE to get to Hanoi!). Have a good map to be able to point to where you want to get dropped off/ work out where you are and walk to your hostel. Most of the streets have big signs showing their names making it a bit easier to navigate
- Hanoi Backpackers hostel is ace. $7.50 for a dorm bed with free breakfast. There are loads of rooms so I'd imagine you can normally just walk in. We got there at about 5pm and they had lots left.
- Rock Long Rock Hard tour of Halong Bay was $69.50 for 2 days 1 night including everything except drink (20,000 for beers, 30,000 for spirit+mixers). 3ish hours of kayaking which is brilliant. All food is lovely and lots of it, vegetarians had quite a lot of choice too. Then a LOT of drinking. Not very chilled out, and very loud europop music.
- The Gecko Cafe in the Old Quarter is brilliant. Don't think it's in the lonely planet but it should be. Meals about 50,000.
- You can get the 60 day tourist visa for Thailand at the Thai embassy in Hanoi and at the moment (April 2009) it's free!

China - Shenzhen to Guangzhou

you know how in the film 'In Brugues', Colin Farrell keeps saying "fuckin' Brugues"? Well replace Brugues with China and that's pretty much how we feel. I feel a bit bad as I'm sure it's a lovely place and there's loads of cool stuff to do, we've just had some pretty crap experiences and are really looking forward to leaving.
After my last post I woke Mike up off the floor, said goodbye to the girls and we wandered off to get an MTR train to the border. Then things started going a bit wrong, Mike was sick all over the floor of East Tsim Sha Tsui station. Just everywhere. That was pretty bad. We got on a train and then I was sick. Luckily into a plastic bag but still also pretty bad. Then we couldn't find where to return our octopus cards to so wer HKD100 out of pocket. But after getting all of that alcohol out of our systems we weren't feeling too bad. Once you leave Hong Kong and get into China everything changes a bit. From every single sign being written in English and everyone speaking English fluently, it becomes one or two signs and about one person in the whole station who speaks a tiny bit of English. Or maybe he just nodded at the right time as his directions were't much good. It is all just a bit more confusing and not as clean and sparkly as Hong Kong was. After about an hour of wondering around getting more and more down we found where we needed to buy train tickets from (outside of the station, how did we not work that out!), queued for 30 minutes to be told the tickets to Guilin were almost 100 pounds each. So that wasn't very good and we were a bit stuck. Lots of hassle later we decided to change out plans and abandon our already paid for hostel in Guilin and catch a train to Guangzhou. Which was relitavely easy so we nievely though our troubles were over and things were improving. Got off, queued for another age and realised that Chinese people (or maybe just the ones we met) don't have much of an idea of personal space and walk into us and each other a lot). Luckliy I had written down the names of some hostels in Guangzhou so we headed to a taxi rank. But no one spoke English. But it's ok cos we spell Chinese words phonetically, the way they say them, so if we just said the street name... but no that didn't work. So we showed them the written address. And that didn't work either. One taxi driver gave me he phone and i had to try and spell things down the line to a woman who barely spoke english and it was so painful I wanted to cry. This went on for longer than I want to remember, it was so bad and we were so tired and just wanted to sleep. In the end we gave up and walked into a posh hotel, thinking we would have to just pay a fortune and leave as soon as possible. In the hotel was a map, with the name of the road we had been trying to get to clearly written in the middle as it was the main road in the town. I may have cried a little bit at this point. Then we finally had some good luck and found out that this posh looking hotel (the Bay Yin City Hotel) was actually quite cheap, so we booked a room for 2 nights and went and collapsed in bed for the next 18 hours. The room was really nice and had free tea and toothbrushes and stuff like that.
Next afternoon we got up and went to find an internet cafe. I think we asked over 20 people but in the end we managed to find one and find out the train details to leave and get to Nanning where we can get into Vietnam. Did the same asking millions of people and managed to find an ATM. Then went and scarily easily managed to buy our train tickets. So in about 3 hours we're catching a sleeper to Nanning. hopefully. Had dinner in a wierd Chinese KFC for one pound ninety each and went to bed. So far those are our adventures in China, which is not very exciting at all. Apart from the both being sick in the railway station, that was pretty funny.

Hong Kong

Such a culture shock, Hong Kong is the complete opposite of Ghana. All of the buildings here are a million storeys high and everything is super clean and organised. Sitting in an internet cafe at the moment so hungover as went out in Wan Chai last night with the lovely girls in our room. Mike is sleeping on the floor at the moment but they don't seem to mind.
Hong Kong is amazing I love it here. Although it is horribly expensive. We got in late Monday night so just went to our hostel and stayed up a bit talking to Hannah, Jenny and Sophia, the girls in our room. Tuesday we spent a lot of time trying to get around and getting a bit confused. There are some buits of Hong Kong island where you can't walk on the street, you have to use covered walkways between the buildings. Eventually we figured this out and caught a bus up to the Peak which is a big hill overlooking all of Hong Kong. It was a bit misty but it was so lovely and we could see so much. The buildings here are so tall. We met an American woman who told us about her favourite restaurant in quarry bay so we went there after and it was crap. So expensive and food was minging so we were a bit annoyed after that. I think she got commission from them. That was pretty much our whole day although it doesn't sound like much. We came back to the room and went with the girls to the Temple Street night market. The lights up Nathan road are brilliant there are just huge lit up signs for everything hanging over the whole street. Market was good but not that cheap and lots of rubbish being sold.
Wednesday was the best day ever. We got up really early and went to the Sin Sin temple (I don't have a guide book here with me so some of the names might be a bit off). It was already quite crowded with people lighting incense sticks and praying. There was a pretty garden bit at the back with lots of walkways over water. Then we went to Nam Lian Garden which is the best place in the whole world I could live there. It is a beautiful, really carefully planned garden near diamond hill and it is just so beautiful. It's designed to make you feel really calm and it does. There's a monastary up the top with lots of shrines to Buddha. It's so difficult to describe but it was just brilliant. Then we went to a pretty rubbish electronics market where most things were same as english prices. Bought a memory card though to try and avoid any further camera troubles. Then went and posted our package of goodies home. Then went to the Hong Kong Cultural Museum and learned all about Hong Kong and it's histroy. The museum was really well done, with loads of interesting stuff but not so well laid out so think we may have missed some bits out. Had a nap then went out in the eve to this bar where all the drinks were free. Bit mental. Can't remember much except laughing lots with Jenny and Mike.
So all in all Hong Kong is brilliant but expensive, we are hugely over budget. Ah well hopefully china will be cheaper! We leave today so I will update when I'm next near internet xx

Last Day In Ghana

last day in ghana today and I feel really wierd about it. I am really looking forward to Hong Kong and I think we will have a bit more of the normal 'traveller' experiences (getting drunk on beaches etc) but I will miss this place as it is so lovely and friendly and you really don't have to worry about things here. No one is trying to rip us off or steal our things or just generally be a nob. I think we may be a bit too trusting after leaving here because we are so used to people just being nice and helping us out. Also we've got really comfortable here, we know bits of the language, how much things cost, how to get around and catch a taxi etc. It will be wierd going somewhere where we have to learn how to do all of that again.
This week we have been teaching again at God's Divine Academy. I could not bum that school any more it is so good. We got our uniforms and they are so cool!! They are dark green big checks with the school logo in alternate squares. I have a matching skirt and shirt tailor made for me and this was all free!! It is definately the best souvenir I have ever had. The classes have got a bit easier as I have got used to the children and what they can do but it's still a bit difficult without training or very good knowledge of English grammar rules. I got my classes to write letters to English schools this week.
Also this week got my two dresses picked up from the tailors. They are pretty cool, although one has been made for someone with African boobs so looks fairly ridiculous on me!
On Saturday we went on a tour of Ho and took pictures of all the brilliant shop names. Most shops are little wooden boxes like beach huts painted really bright colours. And most have brilliant names like Femmy Spot, People Do Not Know But Who Will Tell Them Oh Lord Please Forgive Them Meat Shop, The Observers Are Worried, Jesus Fills My Cup Beauty Salon etc. Oh I do love it here.
On Wednesday we went to a local hotel and used their pool with some volunteers from Projects Abroad. Was so lovely to be cool and have so much water, although it was pretty dirty and there were some scary looking dead bugs floating around. Then the wind got up and there was a big storm. The warmest place was in the water (I was actually cold when I got out, I had forgotton how that feels) so we stayed in and played volleyball while it rained really heavily, which was pretty cool.
We have had more hassle with both of our cameras. They and African computers are crap. Alyssa has been lovely and let us use her mac to try and back up everything until we can get to some decent computers and upload them. She is a goody.
It's got much hotter this week, apparently because it's almost the rainy season. Alex said it got up to 42 oC one day which is pretty hot. I'm a bit burned and look fairly ridiculous.
So I'm off now to try and find a fan ice (frozen yogurt in a packet that a man on a bike with a cool box and a clowns horn rides around and sells) as I haven't had one yet. Hopefully next time I write on here I'll be in Hong Kong!xxxx