Cambodia

Kampot (May 19th - 22nd)

Paid 18 dollars for ferry and bus from phu quoc island to Kampot. Border visa cost 27 dollars into Cambodia. The police make an extra dollar from you for 'body temperature' check...

Stayed in Naga guesthouse along the river bank. Its a pretty new hostel, served ok food. Kampot is a well known stopover for chilling out. The hostel had a good decking area to read a book or smoke some weed (as i learnt!) It has a famous item on its breakfast menu called "Rockstar breakfast". It consists of a packet of smokes, shot of whiskey and a black coffee...

I rented a moped as i usually tho when i arrive in a new place. Took a wander into town and grabbed a late breakfast at epic arts centre. After i visited Bokeo national park. Great panoramic views of Kampot and the gulf of thailand. Disappointing overall with a hotel and casino at the top. I guess there needs to be an incentive for building their roads!!

In the evening took a swim in the river, watched the sunset and tried the renowned bbq ribs at Rusty Keyhole (not that impressive mind you!)

Overall - Guesthouse was ok, dorm extremely noisy above the kitchen and near the bar. Staff stoned most of the time so not great for providing info! 

Sihanoukville (May 24 - 26th) 

Koh Rong (May 22nd - 23rd)

5 Dollar return ferry ride

Ty Ty guesthouse 5 dollars per night for own room, pretty basic. Dont book ahead as there is many guesthouses just off the pier. 

Phnom Penh (May 27th - 29th)

Siem Reap (May 30th - June 2nd)

Vietnam

Hanoi (May 3rd - 8th )

Flew from luang prabang to Hanoi. Booked into Hanoi backpackers on Ma may street.
Shared a taxi from the airport with a few girls I met on the plane. First impressions of hanoi was a very energetic city with scooters flooding the streets. You want to be careful when your walking the streets!

The hostel was very modern. Good dorm rooms and showers. The bar downstairs was always kicking off in the evening time. The first night I was on my own as James and Katherine who I met on the gibbon experience were arriving the day after. I grabbed a bite to eat downstairs and chatted to a few backpackers. Held off going out. Very proud of myself!

Next day I decided to do the free walking tour with the hostel. Got to see the old town and learn about the history of Hanoi. I went off on my own then and searched for some local street food and bia hoi (their cheap fresh draught beer). I found one place full of locals where the beer only cost 9000 dong; result! After lunch I checked out the war history museum. Vietnam have alot of history in war, thanks to the French and the Americans... :-)

That night met up with the guys and headed out on the pub crawl with the hostel. Ended up that night in a cafe upstairs in a clothes shop that was converted into a bar just for farangs....  Was not a late night. Hanoi closes down at night time quite early.

The next day we strolled around the city and took some snaps.Checked out hanoi prison also. When Hannah arrived in (Canadian girl I met on gibbon experience also) we grabbed a taxi out to snake village. I wanted to try out some snake for dinner and drink some snake blood.....

The whole experience was quite surreal. At the side of the restaurant was a cage full of cobra and bamboo snakes. We got to choose our snake and then the killing commenced... He wripped out his teeth, then stabbed him in the back of his head. Then he drained its blood, mixed it with some rice wine and took the heart out!

After this eventful show, we were shown to our seats and served up 12 different dishes of snake food. In between this we took shots of blood and I ate the heart... I have to be honest. I lost my appetite after this! Still happy I went tho.

It was an early night after this as we were up early the next morning to head to halong bay on the castaway tour. This tour I booked through the hostel. It was recommended to me and known for its party atmosphere.

Monday morning we set out for halong bay. Was excited about this trip after seeing the photos of the numerous limestone islands and beaches online. The journey there was pretty long. It took nearly 8 hours by coach and boat to arrive to castaways island. The lunch on board was pretty good. I stocked up on snacks for the trip and spirits just in case....

We were greeted by the group that were already on the island the night before. They looked like they had being on the beer all day..... We were greeted by all the lads performing the haka on the beach.

CONTINUE...

Hue (9th May -10th May)

Overnight bus from Hanoi here. Just stayed for the day. Must people go here for day trips to the DMZ, tombs and the citadel. You can also get scenic motorbike bike tours onwards to hoi an. 

Hoi An (10th-12th May)

Stayed in sunflower hotel. Good rooms. Pool with free breakfast buffet. Found sensational restaurant we went for lunch twice and dinner once. Called cargo restaurant. Food is divine especially their desserts! Vietnamese guy opened this one and also the first Vietnamese restaurant in hoi an called mermaid restaurant in 1992. We went there for dinner also. Loved the markets. Picked up some singlets and north face bag. Best part is the bartering! :-)  rented mopeds for the day and headed to da bang beach. Also picked up a charcoal three piece tailored suit, shirt and tie for 203 dollars. They even sorted out the delivery for me to Australia. Only took a day in total!

Ho Chi Minh (13-14th may)

Stayed in long hostel in backpacking district. Flew in from danang. First day walked around the city. Seen presendential palace and the war museum. Museum was pretty morbid and quite harrowing. Obviously its very much anti American but still! Notre dame cathedral. Out for dinner on bar street, place called five oysters. Really good Vietnamese food. Found bia hoi up the street. Only 7000 a glass! Second day cu chi tunnels. Really liked this trip. Tunnels pretty claustrophobic. :-)

 

Mekong delta (15th-16th May)

Said farewell to Katherine and James in the morning.
Rice fields, floating market, Mekong restaurant in can tho, coconut sweets, making rice noodles, listening to traditional music. Bus to rach gia costs 100,000 dong. Stayed in a guesthouse near the wharf for 200,000 no air con, no warm water. The cheapest room. Found a popular spot across the bridge on the riverside for dinner and the coffee rooms near the kids entertainment area for breakfast. Good Vietnamese iced coffee!   Ferry to phu quoc with superdong cost 320,000 dong.

phu quoc island (17th - 20th may)

Alanis cafe, superb food and divine mocha frappe. Best passion fruit juice I've ever had!  The guys that run it are full of information. Recommended different places to go see and where to eat out at night time. Sao beach on the south east coast is amazing. White sand and the water is so warm. Many dirt roads to get here. Phu quoc island is under mass development. Glad I got here now before it becomes over run. Grabbed an assortment of seafood at hue huè stall in the night market. Was delicious. This island is home to pearl farms run by the Russians. It seems everywhere I go I hear about them. Sounds like they have a strong foothold here. Probably to the demise of the Vietnamese.

Conclusion

Some interesting observations. Men have very long finger nails. They love coughing up a lung on the street! Bia hoi is by far the cheapest and best beer I've had in south east asia. Vietnamese are very friendly people. Seafood is amazing. Never seen such massive prawns.

Laos

Huay Xai (28 April - 30 April)

Called into the gibbon office after on the main street to book the tour commencing Monday. For the 2 nights and three days for the waterfall experience cost me 240 euro. Really looking forward to this trip. Stayed in bap guesthouse next door for 80000 kip a night. Its my own ensuite room with a fan.was pretty tired so only ventured out to grab some food; traditional Lapp dish and a dark beer lao.

Next morning headed off on the trip. Funny thing is on the way, one of the Jeeps broke down. For this amount of money surely they can invest in Jeeps, right!? Got to the base around midday and broke into two groups of eight. Decided to do the trek the first day and the waterfall the second. Happy with my choice as the group I was in was pretty cool. It was so humid trekking and the jungle was so dense. Pumping sweat! A lot of water is needed on this trip..... Stopped off halfway and picked up our harnesses. This is where the fun begins zip lining! First zip line we tried was 60m long. Bit nervewrecking at the start, but once you get going its exhilarating. No signs of gibbons unfortunately but did see some other wildlife. That night ziplined to our treehouse where we were staying for the night. It had two floors, spacious and incredible views of the forest. The tour guide provided us with dinner and played cards in the evening to pass the time.

Next morning we were up early to start hiking. Did not sleep very well. There was a lot of commotion between bats and rats moving around.....  Seen some gibbons tho in the trees when we were having our breakfast which was our goal all along.. Left the treehouse around 8 for a tough trek in the heat to the waterfall. They prepared lunch for us (quality of the food BTW is not great) and then we chilled out at the waterfall for a while. There was an old zipline across the water that we all practiced jumping in on; good laugh.

We then headed back to the treehouse and rested up after a hard days trekking. At this stage I was wishing I brought more snacks; so hungry! Took a pretty cool shower in the treehouse. Amazing views of the surrounding jungle. Need to be careful also not to slip and fall when your a 100m up! That night we played cards again under our flashlights as the lights did not work in the treehouse. The next morning had a light breakfast of bread and jam and hike back to base. Majority of the trek back was out in the open and in that humidity and heat was pretty challenging. When we finally arrived back to base, we waited in the shade for the Jeeps to bring us back go huay xai.

Overall, I really enjoyed the trip. The group I was in were outgoing and friendly. The treks were pretty tough in the best and the terrain. I loved the ziplining along the way also. The only real disappointment was the quality and portions of food we were given and the lights not working in the second treehouse. Decided not to get the slow boat down the Mekong river in the end and get the Vip bus instead down to luang prabang with a group I met on the gibbon experience. Ticket cost me 180,000 kip.

 Luang prabang (May 2-3rd)

When we arrived in the bus terminal on the outskirts of the town, it was not what I was expecting. But once we got a tuk tuk into downtown, started to see the affects of the French colonialism. The streets and roundabouts were well maintained and chains of restaurants and guesthouses lined the Mekong river. Stayed in khammany guesthouse on the outskirts of the town. Cost 40,000 kip per night. The mixed dorm was fine. Very spacious, clean and each bunk bed had their own reading lamp and socket. As we arrived early we went to grab breakfast in a cafe nearby called Jo ma cafe. Was not disappointed. Their signature bacon and egg bagel was yum.

We strolled around the town after that and checked out some of the temples before stopping off along the riverside for lunch in a place called saffron cafe. Again, not disappointed with the quality of the food. There is many excursions you can do here including elephant treks, waterfall and cave sightseeing. But I decided to book my ticket to Hanoi the next day to get there for the weekend. We checked out the markets that night before heading for dinner in a restaurant called tamarin that was recommended. It was nice to try the traditional laos dishes but the portion sizes unfortunately were very small. Ended the night off by going for a drink along the riverside and getting drenched running back to the hostel in a thunderstorm... :-)

Conclusion

Overall I found Laos to be very expensive even though it is a lot poorer than Thailand. The locals are rather friendly and felt safe at all times.

Thailand

Preparation

Visas

• Thailand: http://www.thaiconsulateireland.com/visaapplication.htm (Double Entry Tourist Visa: €70.00)
• Vietnam: www.vietnamembassy.org.uk (loose leaf visa) Price £59
• Laos:Visa on arrival as i am entering overland.
• Cambodia: Visa on arrival as I am entering overland. 

Travel insurance 

Decided to go with blues insurance. Backpacker insurance for 80 days, grade 3 level (hazardous activites). Cost was 180 EUR.
http://www.blueinsurance.ie/travel-insurance.asp

Travel vaccinations

Majority of clinics quoted me the same price. Decided to stay with TMB as they already had my existing vaccinations on their system. This time it cost me 195 EUR (i know, i know pretty expensive aye... ) This time i only had to get my Hep A and Hep B boosters. So i should be sorted now for the rest of my life!!

Thailand

Bangkok (April 17th - April 19th)

Staying in rambuttri village inn and plaza. Great location near khao San road and grand palace. Facilities include free wifi and two rooftop pools. I arrive just after the Buddhist new years festival so they're maybe water fights still occurring! 

Flew with air China. Smooth flight and not bad food either! The plane was practically empty so had lots of room. First thing when landing was to get a sim pack. Dtac seems to be the most popular provider but went with ais. The plan for the month and sim cost me around 750 baht. Then I got the air train to the final stop paya  Thai for 45 baht. Very modern train. I think its only two years old. Nice view of the outer suburbs of Bangkok. Foilage is so green and lush with lots of palm trees.

From there flagged a cab to my final destination; rambuttri village inn and plaza. Taxi fare cost 80 baht, so cheap! Room was not ready in the morning so I went to the nearby cafe to grab a coffee and relax. I presume the jet lag will kick in soon! Guesthouse seems very busy and a good mix looking at the sign in book at reception! After a nice rest in my new double room took a walk around. The room btw was standard but clean and spacious with ac so have no complaints. So many food stalls to choose from. Picked a spot that was busy with locals and backpackers. Large Chang beer and chicken with chilli and basil came to 120 baht. Followed that up with a scrumptious nutella and banana crepe for 50 baht!

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Next day I got the river boat to the grand palace. Tricky thing is you can easily miss the lane ways out to the pier. I passed it twice! It costs 500 baht to enter the grand palace. You get to see the emerald Buddha temple also. Be weary of all the dudes outside telling you 'its closed' or 'you can't get in with those shorts!'.  Go straight inside and there you can borrow pants for the tour. You just have to leave a deposit down which you will get back on the way out. The grand palace is quite spectacular. Funny thing is when you enter the temple and take your shoes off, the smell of feet is pretty strong! From there I walked down to the museum of siam. I could have grabbed a tuk tuk to break up the journey but I wasn't in any rush. Picked up some fresh mango along the way for 20 baht. You literally can pick up anything on the food stalls! The museum was certainly the highlight of the day. The exhibits are super interactive and entertaining. The cannon ball game at the end is pretty hilarious. Admission was 300 baht and well worthed.

 Chiang mai (19th April - 23rd) 

Arrived at the airport and got a taxi to the airport for 120 baht. Stayed in deejay backpackers. Room is very basic, 3 bed mixed dorm for 97 baht a night. Seems like a pretty socialable hostel. Decided to walk around old town in the baking heat. Viewed most of the temples. Stopped off for a cold beer and a thai beef salad. Nearly choked on the chillis! Found a massage parlour that is run by female inmates in the correctional facility nearby! 180 baht for fully body massage. Never cracked so many bones in my life... :-)

 Met some people in the hostel that night drinking. Decided to rent a scooter with some of them the next day. Renting a scooter was so cheap, only 200 baht a day. headed up the hills of chiang mai to wat phra that doi suthep. The drive was spectacular and amazing views of Chiang mai. Was gaining confidence on my new friend so decided to drive all night around the moat stopping off at different spots eating and drinking! That night strolled around the Saturday market and got another massage. Life is tough!

 Next day decided to do even more driving and do the 70 km loop around Chiang mai. Went off the beaten track and stopped off at some isolated rural villages for a rest and some food. That night headed to the sun day night market. You literally can buy anything at these markets!

 Next day booked an elephant day trek through the hostel. It cost 2250 baht. Tour was called rantong. The trek lasted most of the day including two rides on the elephant. The second time bathing them in the water. Lunch was really good too. One day for me was definitely enough. That night went to see a thai boxing tournament. The fights were entertaining. Even a farang fought at the end. Ended up in zoes that night. Was a late one and had to get a bus journey to pai the next morning; ouch!

 Pai (22nd April - 27 April) 

 Arrived in the afternoon time and decided to stay in charn chai muay thai. Its only a km out of town so rented a scooter to get out there. Checked in and for 400 baht a night got my own private bungalow, ensuite. It included two double beds, fridge, aircon and TV. Not bad! I barely had any sleep and decided to go to the evening training session at 3. What a workout. Lasted nearly two hours. What the hell have I signed up for!

 On a Wednesday morning they run to the temple and back. I did not realise that the temple has steps and you have to run up them three times also,bummer! When I got back I thought that was the session over. But oh no, pad work for 40 mins followed by ab work! Thank god I got my own bungalow as in between sessions you need your rest.

Still found time to head into town and found a cafe that did amazing crepes and a flat white also.. Very small town to walk around but I still prefer driving around on my scooter! Not much sightseeing the first few days as in between sessions I try and layer up in food. You need a lot of energy for these workouts! Oh forgot to say the scooter cost 140 baht per day for 125cc automatic. Still did not much sightseeing as I was beat in between the sessions. But I did manage one morning to get around on my scooter and seen everything literally in under an hour! The photo below is the temple Wednesday we had to run to and run up the steps three times, killer!

Saturday evening then I got a bus from pai to the thai border with Laos. It was a mini bus and was a nightmare of a bus journey. Accommodation was included in the ticket price. Only had a few hours sleep before hitting the thai border post before getting a slow boat over the Mekong river to the Laos side for 40 baht. You need then a passport photo and 36 us dollars for visa on arrival.

New Zealand - North Island

Wednesday 22nd September
Next day, walked around Wellington, really nice city, lots of cafes and bars, reminds me of my time in Melbourne. All the houses/apartments built on the hillside surrounding the harbour below reminded me of Nice. Cuba st has some cool cafes, grabbed lunch here and hit some vintage shops. Walked down as far as Parliament house (Beehive) and back to Te Papa musuem via Molly Malones for a quick handle! Musuem is free and very informative of coutries history and Maori culture. They even have a colossal squid preserved in a tank they foiund in the Antartic, reminds me of alien in Independence Day!

Took it easy that night and got food special in hostel for Wednesday, 10 dollars for large pizza, nice!

Thursday 23rd September
Took the long drive to New plymouth in the morning. Stayed in YHA Eco Retreat 36 dollars for the night. Lady there made us chocolate cake too yum! There is a scenic coastal walkway here to do.

Friday 24th September - Sunday 26th September
Another long drive to Lake Taupo. Stopped off in North Elmont village on the way and drove to the info office to go for a walk but the weather was way too bad for that! So got back in and headed to Lake Taupo, driving on the highway hugging the west coastline and then east across green lush countryside. Stayed in YHA here, 32 dollars a night pretty sweet for sleeping in the van. Was going to book Tangariro crossing but was cancelled the next few days due to weather, its crazy at the moment! Didnt do too much here, just chilled out and watched the footie on tv, poor tigers!

Took a walk around the lake and booked bungy for Monday morning, 95 dollars with voucher, sweet!

Monday 27th September - Tuesday 28th September
Drove out the Spa road to do Taupo bungy, 46m over blank river, was meant to get dunked but they measured it wrong, pity! Mirka looked a bit nervous but she still said nothing jumpinig and striked her gymnastic pose, fair play! Really liked that bungy, you can jump off whatever way you want.

Had coffee in Replete cafe, good coffee. (Tasting coffee in every township we stop in NZ, to find the best!) Left Taupo and headed to Rotorua. Stopped off in WaioTapu Thermal Wonderland to view champage pool and thermal hot springs. Admission was 30 dollars each. Arrived in Rotorua and stayed in YHA Kiwi Paka hostel, 21 dollars for unpowered site for the night, sweet place. Has bar, cafe, hot spa and showers. Booked Maori night in Mitai Village, 79 dollars each, cheaper to book it here than in town. Maori night was really enjoyable and educational, food was great too and lots of it. Weather was hot and sunny when we were here.

Wednesday 29th September
Grabbed a coffee in cafe Lime befored heading off, really good coffee. Stopped in Hamilton for lunch, ate in Furnace on Victoria st, best 12 dollar lunch ive ever seen and it was really good. Decided to stay in Raglan for the night, quiet village, famous for surfing in the summer  time.

Thursday 30th September - 4th October
Next morning headed to Auckland, last stop on this amazing journey. Decided to stay in City Lodge after ringing a few accomodation places, 92 dollars a night for double ensuite with tv/fridge, communal kitchen downstairs. Complex is located near K' road, entertainment area and short walk to city centre. Took it easy the first night and chilled out in the room.

Bizarre thing i discoverd in Auckland city, only two supermarkets. So is it that Aucklanders eat out almost every night!? Grabbed late lunch in Japanese restuarant on Queen street called Ku Bick , really good.

Next morning grabbed a coffee in Kevins arcade off K' road in Alleluya, really good coffee. Strolled down town and got the lift up to Sky tower, seen people do Sky jump and Sky walk, seeing people do the walk and arching out of it made me nervous just looking at them, may have to do that! Did some vintage shopping and in the evening time grabbed bus out to Eden park to watch Auckland play Hawkes bay in rugby.

Saturday morning grabbed a coffee on K'road and walked as far as Ponsoby, reminds me of Paddington, really nice shops and cafes, seems a nice area to live. Took it easy that night and got take out.

Sunday morning got the ferry across to Devonport. Weather is nice and sunny at the moment, view over there at the top of Victoria park is amazing. Walked back around Princes Wharf to Viaduct, people love their Sunday drinking here, really good beer specials. Sat myself down in O'Higgins bar and watched the NRL final.

Monday grabbed a coffee in Kevins arcade again and did some window shopping in the city. Grabbed lunch with Ger and Lucy in Ku Bick, really good food again. Next day checked out of our room as had a late flight that night from Auckland home. Shuttle bus cost 39 dollars for the both of us. Strolled around the city that day and treated Mirka to a massage in westfield downtown, some cool shops down here, especially Amazon.

Overall
Beautiful country New Zealand, so much to see and do. Favourite beer is Monteiths golden lager. Japanese food i loved here too.