Mad dash through Malaysia

We crossed the border between Thailand and Malaysia by boat, an hour long trip by speedboat from Ko Lipe to Langkawi. I did think I might have to swim the last little bit as our boat came to a stop for a while and a number of boat related investigations were carried out. To my relief there was no need to reach for the life jacket and instead we sped our way onwards and arrived in Langkawi just as the sun was dissolved by the sea.

It was a short stop, just a day on the island! We could have spent longer, but Penang was calling. Our day was spent well however, braving the Langkawi Cable Car to the highest point on the island from where we enjoyed the cool breeze and impressive views.

We took the ferry from Langkawi to Georgetown, Penang and found ourselves at an impressive hostel boasting both a free breakfast and air con! It proved to be a great base and Georgetown far more interesting than expected. Lots of history, some impressive street graffiti and unbelievable street food! Our 2 days here turned into 4... but then sometimes you just need a bit more time to enjoy a place!

Our last stop in Malaysia was the capital Kuala Lumur, home of the Petronas Towers and a lot of rain! Still, between the downpours we were able to explore the city, taking a stroll around Merdeka Square, stopping for a coffee beneath the Petronas Towers and then back to our hostel beneath the Christmas lights at Bukit Bimtang!!  (Enjoying the Christmas lights whilst wearing my shorts...surreal?!)

 

Paradise...

I have been to Thailand before but somehow or another I never made it to any of the islands in the south. As we were heading down towards Malaysia and Singapore it seemed like a great opportunity to change that. Having checked out the weather we changed our original plan to visit Ko Tao and instead took the overnight train  - a nice aircon sleeper this time - to the very south of Thailand and then hopped aboard a speedboat to the Tarutao National Marine Park.

Ko Tarutao

Ko Tarutao, was our first stop and of all the islands this one is considered one of the more erm, basic in terms of facilities, one shop, one restaurant and a few bungalows to sleep in if you decide against living in a tent! Unaware that the tent was an option we had a little beach front bungalow from which you could look out on the sea and listen to the waves!

There were only a few other people daring the wilds of Ko Tarutao, so we pretty much had the beaches to ourselves and spent several challenging days enjoying the sunshine and beautiful beaches. We also met a few creatures here - inc.monkeys, snakes, lizards, wild pigs, and a few really annoying flies...

Whilst VERY cool...I'm not sure I was thrilled to see this!!

After a few days in Ko Tarutao we decided to head on and explore another island, so cruised our way to Ko Lipe. This is a much smaller but much more developed island than Ko Tarutao. We arrived via a longtailed boat and spent a few sunshine filled days swimming in the sea and enjoying the laid back life! We stayed in a small bamboo hut on the beach front and wondered if perhaps living here was an option?! 

Long tailed boats, crystal clear sea...Might need to stay a while!

Bamboo hut on the beach? Go on then!

A good spot for breakfast?

 

All a bit Tomb Raider...

After I managed to drag myself away from the 4000 Islands, it was onwards to Cambodia. Getting to the border was pretty easy, getting across the border also fine...getting the bus on to Phnom Penh not quite as planned - so often the way! After several hours on the border, a rather old bus rocked up, not exactly the VIP air-con bus we had been promised...but given the choice bus or border, bus wins. After many dusty hours sat by the open window (fake tan anyone?!) we made it to the city, and then all the way to the otherside of the city, our driver deciding not to drop us off in the centre as planned but rather just to head out to his bus depot and abandon us there - Genius! 

After a little negotiation with a tuk tuk driver, we managed to sort things out and make it to our hostel. We enjoyed a day exploring Phnom Penh, but with time slipping away quickly we jumped on another bus (actually with aircon) and travelled to Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor! 

I have actually been to Angkor before, but as Sharon hadn't it seemed like an excellent excuse to visit again! I have included a few photos to give you a little taster of the place, but it really doesn't do it justice, I think I will just have to recommend you all pop over and see it one weekend! 

Ever feel like you are being watched??!

The first two days we were taken in a chariot (well tuk tuk) to visit the various temples via both the Small and Grand Circuit. You might think that after you have seen one temple you have seen them all, but it really isnt like that here - I like that there are so many different styles. I think my favourites are Bayon (of the face!), Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm (which is all a bit jungle and if you have seen the film Tomb Raider). It is an amazing place and as you explore you cant help but try to imagine what it would have been like when Angkor was a living breathing city, rather than the ruins they are now filled with monkeys and tourists! 

Angkor Wat!

Having bought a 3 day pass - well you can pack it all into 1 day, but then you might miss something! I decided to abandon the chariot and hire a bicycle for the day! This was a lot of fun and meant I could go back and see some of the temples I had really liked, take a few more photos and attempt to climb a few of the trees! (Ok, maybe not climb the trees, some of them are unbelievably big!!) It really is a fantastic place, where you are free to explore the dark hidden passageways and wander through an ancient kingdom! 

This reminds me of Jack and the beanstalk!!

I will add some more photos when I can find a better internet connection!!

4000 Islands? Go on then!!

There is something about islands that appeals to me... perhaps those bathed in sunshine over others, but when we decided to go back to Laos the 4000 Islands was on my hope to visit list. The 4000 Islands ( - not sure if there are actually 4000 as I didn't quite get round to counting them) are in the south of Laos a stones throw from the border with Cambodia.  It took one of our much loved overnight buses, a daytime bus and a boat to make our way there...but it was definitely worth it!

We arrived early afternoon and having found ourselves a little place to stay and admired the view from the little restaurant we spent the afternoon walking along the dusty path around the edge or our island (Don Det). It only took a couple of hours and it was a great way to see island life. It is mostly agricultural and many of the fields were being harvested by hand!

Having decided we should stay a while and enjoy life here we decided to go on a full day kayaking trip. The trip enabled us to take in the beauty of the islands from our 2 man canoe...is there a better way?! 

After a rather good banana pancake breakfast we took to the water, paddling in the sunshine amongst the islands! I would like to tell you that we were perceived as pros, but sadly my one star kayaking award wasn't quite enough to help us avoid trees / almost capsizing! However, we managed to remain mostly dry and were even able to spot the rare Irrawaddy dolphins before our lunch in Cambodia.
Also included in our day trip was a visit to Khone Phapheng Falls, apparently Asia's largest falls?! Pretty impressive, although definitely glad I wasn't kayaking down them!

As the sun began to drop low in the sky we paddled our way back across the water and made it back to our little place in time to watch the sunset - tough day!  

Think we might have to stay here a little longer...

Lovely Laos

I like Laos. This may be why I decided that it would be good to pop back and see it again! Being in Thailand made it irresistibly close and therefore it would have been wrong not to!

Our first stop was Luang Prabang, a very cool little town which seems to be a bit more laid back than our last few destinations. We spent a couple days here and between coffees ( JoMa ) we enjoyed exploring a few temples, strolling by the Mekong and generally hanging out!

From Luang Prabang it was time to head south to the capital Vientienne. 5 years ago I celebrated Songkran (New Year) here. It is celebrated mainly by having a giant water fight !! - Can't imagine how much I loved that!! Anyways, I met some great local people whilst I was there and decided it would be very cool to go and try to find them! Armed with some photos I headed back to roughly where I remembered they lived and then randomly asked people if they recognised them!! This was quite entertaining, especially as quite a number couldn't speak any English but recognised one of the guys ..."Arhhh Beau, Beau" they repeated and then waved a hand out in one direction or another!

Eventually we tracked down the house and discovered that classically no one was home! In a last ditch effort I asked a few people at the top of the street if they recognised either of the girls. They did! But success was short lived as we were informed that they were now in fact in Thailand and not back until March! Mr Phet, agreed to give them the photos when they returned and insisted we stay and have a chat and a drink with him and his family before we left! Who was I to argue!

I think this is one of the things I really like about Laos - the people!! Generous, friendly and helpful...I don't think this will be my last visit here!

Banana Pancakes

Although, the title of this post may be somewhat misleading one of the things I love about Bangkok is walking up Rambutri or one of the surrounding roads and finding the streetside vendor who with great skill and for just 20 Baht will whip up a very tasty banana Pancake.. picture below!



The very delicious Banana Pancakes!!

Anyways, I am currently in Thailand! We arrive on the 3rd and spent several days in Bangkok, enjoying the Thai Green curry, Pad Thai and the latest Bond film! We took the water taxi down the Chao Phraya river, explored a few temples and were impressed by the Grand Palace...which really is quite grand!

Some of my new friends!

From Bangkok we took the train to Ayutthaya and explored a few more of the temples here! We were however only here for a day as we were heading to Chiang Mai to meet up with one of Sharon's friends. So back on the train and northwards to the slightly cooler and more relaxed Chiang Mai.
It was nice to spend a few days here, to wander around the city, enjoy a coffee and head up to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. This is infact another temple, (as you may have gathered there are quite a few here!) however, it is worth the ride up out of the city to enjoy the cool air, views of the city and to see the temple itself. 

On Sunday I went to church with Sharon's friend Amy, which was great! Fortunately they had an interpreter as the whole thing was in Thai.. and given I only really know hello and thank you I would have struggled somewhat! In the evening we took on the night market, an impressive event that has stalls which seem to cover the streets of at least half of Chiang Mai! After a lot of looking and a little haggling I found a few items to purchase! (Can't get much more in the bag, so cant get too carried away!)

Sharon and Amy

Tomorrow we are off Laos, possibly via Chiang Rai...depends on the buses really! But I'm looking forward to Laos and heading south to 4000 Islands and then Cambodia!

Indian times - Darjeeling To Kolkata

So, after our epic 27hr journey from Kathmandu we arrived in Darjeeling. We were plesantly surprised with how chilled things were in Darjeeling! We stayed a few days and ventured out on the Toy Train (My dad would definitely have approved/enjoyed this!) Went to the tea plantations - although as I don't drink tea  and neither does Sharon, it wasn't an opportunity to sample a fine brew...although we have heard that it was!

We were also very impressed with the mountains we could see from our guesthouse rooftop - Mt Kanchenjunga - the worlds 3rd tallest mountain, definitely worth getting up just after 5am to watch it appear at sunrise.

After finding ourselves a good coffee we took the bus south to Kolkata. Now, I know what you are thinking...surely after the last bus you would have learned? But this night bus (although not the VIP Volvo bus) was much better, in fact, we had sleeping berths which enabled you to lie down and enjoy whizzing along in the darkness...no screeching breaks, no broken bones, obviously I'd be lying if I said it was a completely smooth road, and there was one railway track that we appeared to sit midway across for  longer than I'd liked.. but on the whole it was great...I even slept!

 

Kolkata was completely different to Darjeeling, which is what we had expected. It was much warmer, much more humid and there were considerably more people! We found a place to stay, which after a slight aircon disaster is not somewhere we would chose to stay again .. and had just a couple of days to take in this new realm. We visited St Paul's Cathedral, the Victoria Monument (Built in honor of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.. but not finished until 20yrs after her death) and a few other most colonial establishments, relics of the Imperial age. They were amazing, although a very stark contrast to the poverty that we saw in other areas of the city.

Although we weren't in India long we definitely enjoy our two stops and perhaps one day will go back to see a little more.

The long road to India...

Taking the bus from Kathmandu to the border with India and on to Darjeeling had initially seemed like a cracking idea. We could see some more of the country, avoid paying lots for a plane (not sure I fancy flying in Nepal really) and it just seemed like a bit more of an adventure!

Speed Control.. Yeah right?!

Unfortunately we managed to find ourselves in Kathmandu slap bang in the middle of a festival...our visas were running out and finding a bus was proving to be just a little bit tricky. Having eventually conceded we got a ticket for a local bus...overnight...to the border. Now the Tourist buses are a bit nicer and a bit more money..but the roads are the same and we figured it would probably work out ok...

The bus seemed to find every pothole there was and if there were any particularly viscous looking ones I am fairly certain the bus driver put his foot down! We were near the back of the bus.. not the best place to be positioned, although slightly better than the back row who may now be suffering with concussion!

Then around midnight the efforts of our driver paid off as a loud metallic crunching/breaking sound was heard and the bus ground to a halt... Sometime later a small committee went to inspect the now cooled underside of the bus and the tinkering began... 

Erm...yeah, it's broke...

Several hours later the bus limped away from the side of the road and we edged closer to the Indian border.

As dawn broke we made it to a little town where further repairs were to be made...the time ticked on and the supplies ran low. Hobnobs and water.. not really enough for the 17+ hrs.

At last we were on our way, the roads seemed a little smoother and the driving a little calmer. We had avoided a little rooftop bus ride (which I think looks like quite a lot of fun - but not sure my mum would agree!)

One day maybe?

We crossed the border in to Siliguri, India around 1pm, sad to leave Nepal but looking forward to seeing a tiny part of India. We only have a week here, first to sample some tea in Darjeeling and then on to the big city - Kolkata before flying on.

Himalayan Adventures ... just because I like the pictures!

One of the many bridges we crossed!! 

Love the mountains!

Did someone order chicken?

Dal Bhat - The main meal of most days!

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Before the pass - Dharmasala

Mountain Yak

Just yes!

Amazing Bimtang

Mission complete! - Me, Shyam, Purno and Sharon

Himalayan Adventures Pt 2 - Larkya La!!

The Manaslu circuit itself.

Mt Manaslu - the morning we left from Samagoan to Samdo

The second part of our trek was the Manaslu circuit, here we ventured higher up and around Mount Manaslu, a rather nice snow capped number that sits at about 8156m.

We spent several days climbing higher, through some very medieval looking villages! We met a large number of Yak (I particularly liked the long haired mountain variety!), the occasional trekker and even more impressive views. There wasn't a morning we did not wake up to an impressive mountain vista!

Most days we would be up for breakfast - (usually porridge... occasionally pancakes!) at about 7pm..so a standard 6.30 wake up call from our guide became the norm! What most people may find hard to believe is that my new routine also found me headed to bed by 8pm at the latest!! This was for a number of reasons.. sometimes to escape the cold dark evenings, but mostly because trekking all day is really quite tiring!

The highest section of the trek is also the longest day, here we trekked from Dharmasala a small place 4600m up  accross the Larkya Pass and then down to Bimtang. Day 14 saw us head to bed earlier than usual, it was dark, exceptionally cold and snowing! Our little room was did not seem to be much warmer than outside and  the altitude did not really allow for sleep... so it was a little less than refreshed we heard the 4am wake up call! The snow had stopped and the clouds cleared to leave a million stars! Following breakfast - a challenge at that time and altitude, I donned my head torch and we set out to cross the pass...

The path was quite rocky and it took a fair bit of concentration to pick my way through, but as dawn arrived and the mountains caught the first rays of sunshine it all seemed more than worthwhile!

Daybreak in the mountains

The pass itself was incredibly challenging, the effects of altitude..headache, shortness of breath..feeling sick.. were all a joy!

Larkya La - 5213m - That's really quite high!

We did however make it :) and having crossed the pass we headed down about -- m to Bimtang! It was very cloudy by the time we arrived, but the following morning we discovered it was rather a special place, with spectacular views!

From here we spent a few days heading ever downwards, back to the land of jeeps and tourists and pizza... our trek was an amazing experience and a real adventure!!

Me, our guide Purno and Sharon - Bimtang