Koh Phi Phi

After Katie and I left Indonesia we stopped over in Phuket, Thailand for one day only because of our flight. During the day, the town was crowded with white, tattooed biker dudes hitting on local Thai girls, and by night converted to young white backpackers also hitting on local girls. As we walked the main strip at night, we were bombarded with lizards being shoved into our arms as well as little bear-like animals (which were actually adorable), but knew that petting or holding these animals never comes without a cost. I’m happy to have experienced Phuket but was even more happy to only be staying the day. We struggled figuring out our next move as it is monsoon season in the western Thai islands, but didn’t want to make our way over to the east just yet as that would mean not seeing the west at all. The online weather forecasts claimed 100% chance of rain for the next several days on Koh Phi Phi but we figured we would give it a shot. We spent 3 days in Koh Phi Phi and experienced only clear, blue skies and no rain. We booked a tour to see a variety of sites, of which the main attraction was Maya Bay, where the film ‘The Beach’ with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. We had assumed that our long tail boat would float right up to the beach but instead we stopped on the opposite end of the island, and were told to get out of the boat. We weren’t sure if this was the snorkelling portion of the trip or if we were going for a mid-day swim, but we got out anyways, only to be led through a ropes course of sorts, barely touching the sharp rocks beneath us, and with each wave, being pushed into the rock wall beside us. If nothing else, it was a bonding experience for everyone on the boat. We have also fallen in love with a family of kittens, no older than 6 weeks, living under the stairs at our hostel. We check on them each time we walk by, making sure they are all accounted for.

Amongst the Bugs

After returning to Bali to bid Jenn and Michelle farewell, I also met up with my old travel partner, Katie! We took a surf lesson on Kuta beach, visited Sky Garden several times if only for the free drinks and cheap BBQ, took a motor bike ride down to Ulu Watu to watch the sunset from 'Single Fin' bar, and attempted to track down Katie's lost luggage. We then journeyed back to the Gili islands for scuba diving, laying on the beach, and relaxation. Our accommodation on Gili Trawangan was somewhat interesting as the floor boards were wide enough to see the floor, and the walls did not go all the way to the ceiling. This was nothing shocking but that evening, when we were greeted by a whole host of large insects, we second guessed our decision to take the cheapest room possible. Our first night there, there was a large spider hanging out right in front of the toilet. Not knowing anything about poisonous vs. non-poisonous spiders I decided to wait until the spider left. When I checked soon after, he had disappeared, so I was in the clear and could finally use the toilet. Upon standing to flush, I noticed a skinny black leg creeping out from under the toilet seat, and sure enough, it was our little friend that I was trying desperately to stay away from. Lesson learnt: always check under the toilet seat before sitting down in bug infested rooms! We were also able to complete two dives while on the islands which has only made me more excited to keep diving while in Thailand. Sadly, we have to bid Indonesia farewell, but will be returning to Thailand for the last 3 weeks of our holiday.

Lost in Paradise

After spending 5 days in Bali, we made the short 4-hour journey to Gili T, one of three small islands off the west coast of Lombok. The small village community with hens and roosters running wild as well as the fact that motorized vehicles are not allowed, reminded me of 4000 Islands in Laos. Everybody gets around either on foot, bicycle or horse and buggy. We were very quickly welcomed to Gili T by a local who invited us into his backyard only to be serenaded with his rendition of Neil Young. The locals here are possibly the friendliest people I have ever met. Instead of being constantly pressured into buying their products, they simply say hello, ask us how we are, and wish us well on our travels. There is a great mixing of locals and tourists as the locals sit around with the tourists on the beach and hang out at the same bars in the evening. It makes it much easier to learn about their lives, and we were surprised to find out that few have ever even left the island. Gili T is a sort of paradise, with the bluest water, soft sand, and plenty of marine life to be explored. We did a one-day snorkelling trip around all three Gili islands and once again I was lucky enough to spot a turtle. Jennifer also bought her first beer of the trip, I was very proud of her. I will be returning for a longer stay with Katie as we plan on taking full advantage of our Scuba certification. I hear diving is amazing in Indonesia, so I can’t wait to get back into the water.

On Top of the World

I had been looking forward to Indonesia since I first started planning my trip, and it has not disappointed. Upon arriving in Kuta we heard the murmurs of fellow travellers: “there is nothing to do in Bali, you will get bored after a couple days,” “don’t walk around in the evening,” and “get out of Kuta as quickly as possible.” After 5 days here I still feel like I have only touched the surface of Bali. We have been staying in ‘Bed Bunkers’ which bragged on the Internet over the fact that they have three-bed bunks. Not sure why this is a selling point but makes for interesting mid-night washroom breaks. We booked a tour to see the temples, which included the famous floating temple featured on the 50 000 rupiah bill, as well as Monkey Temple. I have never seen so many monkeys in my life and all the “don’t feed or touch monkeys in Asia” advice that I had received back home was flashing in my mind as the lady handed us peanuts and said “get closer, get closer!” I think I am monkey-ed out since they can be so unpredictable. While visiting the other temples we realized that we were quite the hot commodity to these people who have apparently seen very few white people. We would get asked by one group if they could be in a picture with us, only to be joined by 5 or 10 others who wanted to get in on it as well. I had mothers put little children on my lap for photos, made more peace signs than I wish to admit, and maybe enjoyed the ‘fame’ just a little. Since we really liked our tour guide, Hogen, we asked him where else in Bali we need to visit. He named off many activities and sights, and we ended up hiring him as transportation for the next two days to introduce us to Bali. Our first activity was to wake up at 2am to hike up Mount Batur to watch the sunrise. Although I questioned my decision when the alarm went off at 1:30 in the morning, I knew I had made the right decision as we sat above the clouds, watched the sky light up, and I sipped on a delicious cup of Bali coffee. We went dolphin watching and snorkelling in Lovina, spent the day at hot springs, held bats and ate dog (sorry puppy). I have two weeks left in Indonesia and hope to learn to surf, fit in several scuba dives, and lay on the beach for many more hours. I have to give Jenn credit for some of the amazing pictures you are about to see.

"Lady! Lady! Tuc Tuc?"

After arriving by bus to Siem Reap, Cambodia, we were about to start our trek to finding a hostel. Deja-vu immediately began to set in as our tuc-tuc driver insisted we first check out this one hostel in City Center, 'Siem Reap Temple Villa.' After we turned down the dirt road next to the sketchy 'Pink Paradise' I immediately got a flash-back to my hostel that I had last year in Siem Reap, which our tuc-tuc driver had also insisted we check out. So, turns out we are staying only 3 doors down from the room that Katie and I shared just one year ago! It is a huge room with three beds, a TV and a swimming pool. Plus, we only pay $5 a night per person. I can't complain. I was happy to return here since I really like the city, although I had already visited Angkor Wat. One of my favourite things about this place is trying all the different foods in the many restaurants, browsing the markets (and buying nick-nacks to put into my already over-full backpack) and enjoying the absence of cars on 'Pub Street' when they close it off to cars in the evening. We have kept up our daily ice cream break at 'Blue Pumpkin' and deepened the tan at our hostel's swimming pool. We got massages, pedicures, and Jenn and Michelle got their feet eaten by fish. Mmm.

Our Final Goodbyes to Vietnam

As our allotted time in Vietnam drew to an end, we decided to squeeze as much into our last few days as possible. It became a whirlwind few days-tiring but worthwhile. We spent one night in Nha Trang, two nights in Dalat and one final night in Ho Chi Minh, before spending a 17 hour day on the bus to Siem Reap, Cambodia. The funny thing about travelling is that you cannot do enough research on the internet to know what to expect once you arrive somewhere. We have found the best source to be fellow travellers, who have proved to generally share the same opinions about places as we do. We had heard that Nha Trang is not so nice, but that it does have a great beach. Since we were only spending one night, we figured a great beach would satisfy us for that time. Upon arriving in Nha Trang we realized we also didn’t care too much for it. Unfortunately first impressions are telling, and the taxi driver who agreed to use the meter then insisted and whined like a child to give him double as much as what the meter said. He was the first of many locals to rub us the wrong way in Nha Trang. However, we simply walked away as he followed us, yelling, as we held tight to our purses. Eventually he took the amount shown on the meter and left. One point for us. Next, the receptionist at the hostel who barely lifted her eyes and simply mumbled under her breath to come back in three hours since our room wasn’t ready, didn’t help either. And the third strike came from the angry lady selling us bus tickets minutes later, as we could only think about getting out of there! Apart from the unhappy people and the ‘so-so’ city, the beach was indeed lovely and stretched out further than we could see. Jenn’s bug bites were at their peak impressiveness on this day, as can be seen in the photo below. We met some Canadian teachers working in Malaysia, making a Canadian teacher’s salary and “living like royalty” in the much cheaper country. My curiosity is always sparked when I meet people teaching abroad. Sign of things to come? It’s a possibility. We were excited for the ‘spring-like’ weather in Dalat as it is built up in the mountains. The views from the bus were beautiful and we all quickly layered on the clothing as we stepped off the bus. The city is quiet (well, quieter than we had been used to) and friendly. We decided to rent ‘easy-rider’s’ for our full day there. Easy-riders can be found all throughout Vietnam, equipped with not only a motorcycle but also someone to drive it and scoot you around. We spent all day on the back of motorcycles, checking out the country-side and some of the sights. I broadened my horizons by eating my first cricket and silk worm and sipping on a steaming cup of weasel coffee (for those of you who are unsure, it’s coffee made with the help of a weasel and its apparent ‘digestive enzymes.’ Appetizing!) We visited elephants and ‘fished for crocodiles’ with, you guessed it, a fishing rod! In reality we just fed them but it was cool nonetheless. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love rollercoasters or anything that gets the adrenaline pumping, so I was excited to hear that we could pay $2 to ride a so-called ‘bobsled’. Two people sit in a cart and the person in the back controls the speed with two levers on the side. When I saw all the little children boarding the carts and realized it was more of a slide than a true rollercoaster, I have to admit I started to turn my nose up at it a bit. But as I sat in the back and pushed the levers to the ground so the brakes were off completely, we flew pretty fast around the corners and I got a bit of a thrill watching Jenn’s ‘easy-rider’ yell at us to stop as we quickly approached the cart that him and Jenn were in. The look on his face was priceless as he likely had no faith in us ‘dumb tourists’ to put on the brakes. Certainly someone could get seriously injured since the carts can easily collide but it was fun being able to control the ride. Lastly we stopped off in Ho Chi Minh where the traffic was even crazier than Hanoi! We knew we didn’t want much time here so we only spent the evening. The shopping could be excellent here as they have all the big brand stores we have back home, but living out of a backpack (and on a very strict budget) is not conducive to much shopping. We did find a Pizza Hut and were overjoyed when it tasted like real Pizza Hut. It’s been awhile since I’ve savoured a meal and the taste of real cheese like I did here. We spent the last several hours of the night at a cool pub, where Jenn became the unofficial DJ. We even managed to get a little dance party going. Another point for us. We left the next morning for Siem Reap.