Asia

May 16, 2015

Singapore slings and wild things

Our final stop on our south east Asia trip was Singapore and I had been looking forward to our visit for a few reasons. First, I have been to Singapore about 6 times, although I have never really left the airport. Second, was we were meeting up with a friend of James’s which meant there was no need to worry about guide books or making plans. Finally – I was just looking forward to being one step closer to home!

We arrived mid-afternoon and spent the afternoon looking around Peninsula Plaza which is one of the many shopping centres in Singapore. However, this one is pretty much dedicated to cameras so James had an enjoyable afternoon going from store to store to see what he could find. I ditched him (with love) and went and had a mani-pedi in a spa. So overall, it was an ideal afternoon for the both of us!

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May 16, 2015

Shopping City

Usually I get a bit glum when we head back to a big city as I much prefer exploring the smaller cities and towns in a place, however I was really looking forward to exploring Kuala Lumpur. I was particularly looking forward to having a bit of a shop around too. We stayed close to Chinatown so we had an excellent place to explore on our first afternoon. We walked down Petaling Street which is covered market where you can buy pretty much any counterfeit or rip off clothing, bags and jewellery. It is also home to some hawker food stalls but instead of getting distracted by the food we powered through to visit the Central Market.

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May 13, 2015

High(lands) Tea

After a stunning few days in the Perhenthian Islands our next stop had a lot to live up to. As we drove through winding roads up to the Cameron Highlands in the pouring rain, it wasn’t looking like it would make the cut. Unfortunately, the rain kept up all afternoon but we were staying in a lovely guest house that had cosy lounges and a sheltered courtyard so we had a nice place to relax while we waited it out.

It finally stopped so we made our way down to the main town of Tanah Rata to check out the scene. There was one main road, with a whole bunch of restaurants, shops and tour agencies so our exploration didn’t last too long. Luckily, the sights of Tanah Rata highstreet weren’t the reason we were visiting the highlands.

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April 30, 2015

Exploring an Ancient City

Our final stop in Cambodia was Siem Reap and the ancient city of Angkor. First though, we had to get a bus from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh and then from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. It was a fairly uncomfortable journey and one I am glad I never have to do again. It took just over 13 hours to do the trip and by the time we arrived at our guesthouse in Siem Reap all I wanted to do was crash. After a over a week in bamboo huts and beach shacks we had flashed out a little on a double room with aircon and it was a welcome treat after a long journey.
 
Siem Reap is a great base for exploring the ancient temples of Angkor and for $30 you can get a three day pass that gives you access to everything. We also hired a tuk-tuk driver for the three days at $60 (so $10 per person per day) and he was a great guide and point of contact for all things Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. His first piece of advice was to visit the Phnom Bakheng temple for sunset. As he drove us through the complex where we saw our first glimpse of Angkor Wat before reaching the foot of the hill. We walked for 15 minutes up to the top where we found the ruins of the temple. We climbed its steep stairs to the top and waited with the rest of the crowds for the sun to set. We were there so early and had about an hour to kill before it set so we wandered the ruins, people watched and waited patiently while we were jostled and pushed around by everyone else trying to get their sunset shot.

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April 8, 2015

History, Architecture and Temples

Our first overnight bus experience in Vietnam was much different than I was expecting. We had booked some tickets on an Open Bus Tour which is basically a hop-on-hop-off bus trip that runs north to south. For $60 we can jump on buses taking us to all four of our destinations, but we could have stopped at many more. The buses themselves were super swanky. Bunk-style seats that lay down in to flat beds, a little cubby hole for your bag and a blanket to keep you warm. It was actually quite a comfortable journey for me and I a managed to get quite a lot of sleep. Unfortunately for James who is much taller the journey wasn’t quite so comfortable.

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April 7, 2015

Cruising Halong Bay

Our time in Hanoi was short but sweet – the reason we only had had one day to explore was because we were off on a 3 day and 2 night cruise of Halong Bay. We had booked on a tour that pretty much took control of everything and I have to say it was nice to put the guide books and maps down and let someone else take control for a change.

We got picked up bright and early and were bundled onto a bus which drove us for four hours from Hanoi to Halong Harbor. From there we split into three groups and made our way down to a little boat, which then took us to a larger boat. Despite setting off at 8am we didn’t actually set sail until about 1:30pm, but once we finally got going it was time to relax. All of our meals were included over the next few days and our first lunch on the boat was a good sign of what was to come.

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April 6, 2015

Hectic Hanoi

The first stop in Vietnam for us was Hanoi, and this was actually my second visit to the city. However last time was about 13 years ago and I must admit I don’t remember much of the city itself. So I was keen to get exploring and see if I could jog any memories. We arrived at our hotel, brilliantly named ‘Posh Hotel‘ and after checking in and grabbing a map from reception we tried to decipher our way around the hectic mayhem that is the Old Quarter.

The streets of the city are ram packed full of motorbikes. I am not exaggerating when I say that at some points there are about 8 motorbikes wide across a road with another 8 motorbikes going the opposite way and it is all just a mash of mayhem. Trying to cross the road is a nightmare – we just had to start walking and hope that they would go around us. Thankfully they are probably used to tourists being lost in the area and we managed to find our destination.

One of the things I had been looking forward to the most about getting back to Vietnam was the food. I am a huge fan of their cuisine and I couldn’t wait to try a genuine bowl of Pho (noodle soup). We wandered down May May Street and found New Day Restaurant. Packed to the gills with other tourists for the exact same thing – Pho Bo. It was great to sit out on the street and people watch as I devoured fresh spring rolls and a beef soup, washing down with a Bia Ha Noi.

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April 1, 2015

Vientiane In One Day

During out time in Laos we enjoyed being in smaller towns and having a realxing time and didn’t leave much time to check out the captial, Vientiane. We only had one day to explore the city and we sure made the most of it!

First up was a visit to Wat Sit Saket, Vientianes oldest temple. This one was a joy to wander around due to the hundreds (probably thousands) of mini buddha statues lining the walls of the complex. It was interesting to wander through and have a look through all the little nooks and crannies.

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March 31, 2015

Adventures On The Nam Song River

Our next stop on our trip through Laos was Vang Vieng. Made famous (or infamous depending how you look at it) over the years for its tubing down the Nam Song River, we were interested to see what it was like. According to all the guidebooks and blog posts, the tubing scene was now non existant but that didnt stop hordes of people flocking there.

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March 20, 2015

Burmese Days: Mandalay

Our arrival into Mandalay was at 3am when our night bus dropped us randomly in the middle of no where and we jumped in a taxi with our fingers crossed that there was someone awake at our guest house. Since we were arriving so early we of course couldn’t check into our room but our guest house kindly let us crash on their couch for the morning. All through our trip in Myanmar, we have experienced this fantastic hospitality and understanding from all of our guest houses. Its another reason why I think the Burmese people are some of the friendliest I have ever met.

Since most of our first day in Mandalay was spent sleeping its not surprising the first agenda on our itinerary was walking up Mandalay Hill for a sunset view. The walk up the hill is a long one but thankfully not too steep. Its a really interesting journey through covered walkways lined with markets, stopping off at different pagodas and view points on the way. It seemed like every time we reached the top of one set of stairs we thought we were there, but it just kept going and going. Finally we made it and we were rewarded with a fantastic view and another stunning sunset.

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