Robyn's Wanderings

From Bermuda to......

We have to say: “Welcome Back!” to our wanderer Emily Ross. She’s been busy getting back into school so….we can cut her slack! 

I’m so glad she touched this topic….Bermudians around the world. For such a small island, we manage to get around…..the world. Emily we’re happy to have you back!

I am a disgrace. Apologies, bloggers. I should stop get off of http://kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/ and type my blog that I’ve been planning for weeks.

Wherever you go, you will find a Bermudian. Or someone who knows a Bermudian. Or someone who’s been to Bermuda. Used to work in Bermuda. Their brother married a Bermudian. They like the rum.

We are everywhere. Bristol (where I’m studying at the moment) is overrun with Bermudians. I’ll never forget that day in first year where I ran into three Bermudians in the space of 20 minutes – one in the library, one outside the library and one in the gym (which is next to the library). We all have stories like that – you’re on holiday, escaping the rock…and BAM. Bermudian.

For an island filled with 64,000 Bermudians, we can be found all around the world

Even studying in Hong Kong, another Bermudian (a very good friend from high school) also was on exchange there at the same time!

In the middle of Times Square in New York, we ran into my mother’s violin student.

In a mall in Hong Kong, a friend’s parents (who used to live in Bermuda) happened to stroll past and spot us in line for the movie theatre.

In Johannesburg airport, of all places!

In the middle of Waterloo Station in London I ran into a family from home who were going to see Rebecca Faulkenberry (another Bermudian, of course!) in a West End show! The friend I was with was not only amazed that out of all the people in London we ran into some Bermudians I knew, but also that we were name-dropping other Bermudians!

Bermuda's beautiful hibiscus!

So I asked my readers: Where have you unexpectedly run into a Bermudian whilst travelling?

Jenny 

- In London, outside of the Palladium

- In malls in Toronto

- ‘Sitting on Primrose Hill last summer, a man came up to me with a cassava assuming my friends and I wouldn’t know what it was and I was all like “that’s a cassava.” And it turns out after some chat and bafflement that he was Bermudian’

- ‘On my birthday in New Zealand I ran into this guy who’d spent like four summers in Bermuda and knew all of the people who I hang out with…And he was like really close with my brother back in the day.’

Sarah

- On the stairs at South Kensington tube station

- When a Bermudian friend visited ‘we went to a nightclub near my house and when she was holding out her ID some guy behind us in the queue shouted “BERMUDA BERMUUUUUDAAAA”. Turns out he used to work over there.’

- ‘My brother James was running the Chicago marathon in his Bermuda vest and some girl screamed “WOOOOOOO BERMUDA! I’M A BERMUDIAN!” and they high fived as he ran past.’

- ‘My mum ran into some Bermudians in a Pyramid in Egypt.’

Bermuda's sunset!

Chelsea P

-  In a hospital room in Baltimore

Paige

                – ‘I was serving a woman in the cafe in Highgate woods, and at the end of her meal she saw my surname on the bill and asked me if I knew Paige Hallett, to which I replied, “quite well, actually” [She is Paige Hallett] and we had a nice little chat; apparently she spends half her year in Bermuda and the other in London, and she knows my sister quite well.’

                – ‘Have had quite a few Bermudian kids in the cafe. One little boy even dared to tell me that MSA was better than BHS! Needless to say he got a very pathetic scoop of ice cream that day.’

                – ‘In accent and dialect classes in LIPA [The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts] I found a Bermudian accent recording on IDEA (an accent database) and played it for the class…Imagine my surprise when I actually listened to the recording. Halfway through the recording I yelled, “THAT’S DEVAUNE!”

Adrienne

                - In a market in Florence – ‘Turned out she lived right by the villa we were renting!’

Nicholas L

                – ‘In La Paz, Bolivia whilst mountain biking down death road.’

Euan

                - Llunenberg, Canada in a shopping mall. ‘He may have been the only other living person in that town, it was empty.’

Miriam

                -‘One of my favourite customers in the underground, and some random Bermudians I didn’t actually know but got talking to on a bus in New York…’

Nadia

                – ‘Coming out of a chocolate shop in Berne, Switzerland and bumped into one of my sister’s former classmates. It’s the timing that astounds me. We had only stopped to have lunch and to keep on travelling to Beaune in France.’

                – ‘Another time was in that venerated establishment, Mickey-D’s, in the wee hours of the morning in Leicester Square, London – when the guy in front of me ordered his meal there was no mistaking the accent. I hadn’t been home in ages at that point and it was music to my ears. We chatted briefly. It was very amusing because he was gobsmacked I recognised the accent as I sounded English to him.’

Fishing in Bermuda, but they could be in.......

Robyn

                – ‘In a bar on the side of a mountain in Zermatt, Switzerland! And, to top it off, she was a colleague!’

Chelsea M

                – ‘In the Vatican!’

                – ‘Tube stations in London, of course.’

Jack

                - In JJB Sports in Manchester

                -Disneyland!

Karriem

- Eaton Centre in Toronto

- In a Guelph nightclub and at a Guelph bus station – ‘That was super random, being that I only went to Guelph once.’

Nicholas H

                – At the Olympics in Greece

                – At the Commonwealth Games in Italy

                – In a variety of pubs in Manchester, Edinburgh

Ben

                – At an optician’s in London

                – At a pub in Euston

                – ‘There’s one in my uni course in the year below me. I didn’t realise until a guy from the course came down to Bermuda and I recognised him…and thus discovered a fellow Bermudian law student at Kings.’

Kyle

                – In the Topman shop at Westfield

Rebecca

                – UB40 concert in Southampton

Matthew

                – Eaton Centre and Yonge Street in Toronto.

                – University of Toronto campus

                – In the crowd at a parade in Toronto

Johnny

                – In the Ramada Hotel in Atlanta. ‘Doorman, slight accent, called him out on it.’

Emily needs to stop looking at my food photos.

I hope you ate your breakfast this morning because our wanderer Emily Ross is opening her food photos from around the world!

Her move from pastry in Amsterdam to pad Thai in Thailand will entice the tummy and, hopefully, your tastes for traveling! Annnnd it’s on to Emily:

Aaaand Emily emerges from the darkness yet again.

Bermuda has an effect on me, causing me to procrastinate yet simultaneously make obsessive compulsive routines. God forbid I go a DAY without my Lindo’s hummus, but my suitcase remains unpacked and the blog remains neglected.

It’s time for me to get off the island. Getting out of Somerset (one end of the island) is feeling like sightseeing, let’s be honest. I’m off to Toronto this weekend to visit the younger sibling and MAN, am I psyched. I’ve been googling Chinatown restaurants with mounting anticipation.

Go to Amsterdam for the pastry Whove thunk it

I truly hope you all take some time to watch the brilliance that is ‘An Idiot Abroad.’ Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send their idiot/idiot-savant radio colleague Karl Pilkington on a journey to the Seven Wonders of the World and document his reactions to travel.

Before he begins his journey, Pilkington expresses concern at the prospect of travelling to China because he worries he may develop a ‘taste for toad’ and then not be able to get any toad when he returns to the UK. Brilliance. And, I find upon my return to ‘the West’ – a fair point.

There are SO many foods I miss. I had a rather pitiful experience late night in London’s Chinatown – I bought dumplings from a random restaurant and well…they were ALL wrong.  Sigh. I miss the Asian respect for the eggplant. I miss chopsticks. My aunt gave me a family set of chopsticks for my birthday but they seem so misused when applied to roast chicken and peas. Woe.

My kingdom for xiao long bao

Toronto has a reputation for being one of the most multicultural cities in the world and the food scene really reflects the demographic diversity. The fact that there are restaurants sporting xiao long bao, my beloved soup dumplings, truly bodes well for my quest to find The Foods That I Miss.  We’ll see if I’m disappointed.

Perhaps I subconsciously find certain products or foodstuffs to fall in love with when I travel so that I have a greater incentive to return.

Peru – Ambrosoli mint toffees. Oh, the pain when I finally ran out of the stash I brought home.

South Africa/Botswana – All Gold Tomato ketchup. That stuff brings Heinz to shame. Oh, and impala and warthog weren’t half bad either.

France – Speculoos spread. As magical as the name implies.

These barrel pastries in Prague were amazing. Still need to find out the real name

Czech Republic – Activia Aloe Vera yoghurt. Thankfully I can find this in other European countries.

Germany – So. Much. Haribo.

Spain – There was this beautiful, beautiful pasta dish which was SO simple – just a runny fried egg, salt, pepper and pasta. You broke the egg yolk and mixed it in with the pasta to make a ‘sauce.’ Sure, I could make it at home but I could never recreate the pasta my host mother made for me.

I will never forget this pad thai.

If I continue my descriptions into China and Southeast Asia I think I’ll depress myself. Hopefully I’ll find the answer to my cravings in Toronto.

And I suppose if not…well, I have no choice but to return.

Right?

Emily's last photo taken in Hong Kong

Happy Thursday everyone! We haven’t heard from our wanderer, Emily Ross for a while as she transitions from traveling around Asia to returning home, but now she’s back!

And she’s back with a disclosure……a travel blogger, yes? Petrified of flying? Oh yes! Who would have thought a travel blogger afraid of flying, but Emily has found a way to deal with it and it has everything to do with….Akon. Huh? Read on:

Hello, bloggers!

I return, after a shameful month’s hiatus. I was sucked into the Bermuda Triangle’s hedonistic whirlpool, but now I emerge, ready to type once again!

Now, Asia is a distant memory, the skyscrapers of Hong Kong have evaporated as though they’d never existed. I ought to write a sappy love letter to Hong Kong…but instead I shall address a different but nonetheless prevalent issue in my travelling microverse.

Flying.

Necessary.

Unavoidable.

Terrifying.

Yes, travellers, I am afraid of flying.

Don't make me!

I haven’t always been: when I was a kid you had to wrestle me off the plane. But only once the kids meals and gift bags were gone did I see the plane for what it truly was – an unnatural, rickety death trap. Every bump my heart is in my mouth, every air pocket brings more stress than you can imagine.

I understand that it’s rather tragically comical for someone who comes from Bermuda to be afraid of flying. There’s no other way out. I will never, ever go on a cruise (I think if I’m unlucky enough to be eternally damned, Hell for me will be an eternal cruise. With cold showers) so sea travel isn’t an option. No, the plane is the only way off the rock.

Asia I pushed for ANY mode of travel other than flying. Bus, boat, train, hitchhike – sounds good! Let’s go! Anything to keep me below 30,000 feet. But of course, when flight was unavoidable, we were flying the budget airline. If you think I freak out on British Airways, you haven’t seen me on Air Asia. Lao Airlines? Cue hyperventilation.

How am I supposed to sleep on this death trap?

Thankfully, while I still have to fly in order to get to university this autumn, once I’m in the UK there’s no need for me to fly to experience the history and beauty of Europe. I can take the Eurostar, then travel round Europe by train! Oh, wait. The Channel Tunnel’s 250 feet under the ocean. Hmm.  Right. Well! I can go by coach! Catch the ferry from Dover to Calais, then free to roam about Europe!

Ack. So long as I don’t coach the whole way. I’ll never forget the 24 hour journey from Bristol to Prague….which could’ve all been so much easier if I’d just paid the extra 20 pounds for a 2 hour Easyjet flight.

So, yes, flying is the most convenient if still highly unnatural mode of transport.

Thankfully, though, the answer to my inflight terror was found in a pair of ill-suited headphones.

My brother gave me an iPod shuffle in 2010 for my 20^th birthday. Unfortunately, I lost many of the accessories to this iPod shuffle, including the headphones which allow you to pause, play and skip songs. Normal headphones work with the iPod, but you’re stuck with whatever pops up on shuffle. This unskippable feature and a serious of well timed musical manure became invaluable when tackling my fear of flight.

Man was not meant to be this high!

We’re flying over the Cambodian-Lao border. We encounter bad turbulence. I begin to panic…but then I realise that Akon and Kardinal Offishall’s ‘Body Bounce’ is playing on my iPod.

I am not going to die listening to Akon.

He will not be the last thing I hear.

The universe is not that cruel.

And I relax.

So pepper your playlist with awful, awful music. I can guarantee that it will come in handy.

James Bond Island In Thailand

Our wanderer Emily Ross is off to the beaches of Thailand this week! Being a Bermudian means serious critique of beaches all over the world.

So what does Emily find? Well, for one…it’s not as cheap to travel through the beaches of Thailand! So, Emily, tell us how to travel on a budget:

Hello, readers!

Please forgive me a contented sigh. We have reached the fabled Thai islands – having arrived in Phuket, we have nothing to worry about but sand, sun and sea. But hey, here’s a change: we’re hungry! Let’s open a menu and…

…choke.

200 ($7) baht for FRIED RICE?! 150 ($6) baht for ONION RINGS (the menu item in itself is a blasphemy).

Right, so…the islands are expensive apparently.

Extortionate, some might say.

Right, we know, we should have been expecting this. We were, to some extent. I mean, we knew down south would be expensive, we knew it would be a tourist trap but…well, dammit, we just couldn’t believe that it would be like this.

The price was almost as good as the taste!

My friends, I am experiencing what you would call ‘boomerang culture shock.’ I am surrounded by Westerners. Western lifestyle. This is not what I am used to. Or, well, it’s what I was used to. But I’m not used to it anymore.

What do you mean, the toilets flush?

I get a fork and…knife?

There’s a TESCO?!!

Fighting the urge to cower in the foetal position, we decided to accept Phuket’s challenge. Easy and expensive handed to us on a platter? FORGET THAT. We knew, just knew that Phuket could be done on the budget. Beauty will not be denied us because of a lack of funds. So, here are a few tips (which have thusfar brought us great success) for appreciating the Thai islands on a budget:

1) Ask around.

We managed to nab a bungalow for 7 dollars a night each (granted, more than what we normally like to pay but hear me out), equipped with air conditioning, TV AND pool…and all this just across the street from the gorgeous Kata beach. How did we do this? This was not advertised on hostelbookers or hostelworld, which only recommended more expensive options faaar out of our budget. This was not in good ol’ Lonely P. Actually, credit here goes to the Gap Yahs from Chiang Mai. We asked them where they had stayed when they were in Phuket – we were having no luck finding a cheap place ahead of time and our flight landed at 1am, so we couldn’t exactly just rock up anywhere. They described Rico’s Bungalows and its perks. To be honest, I wasn’t really listening, assuming where they had chosen would still be far out of our price range.

Horrible Phuket

Oh, I have turned over a new leaf, readers. I am less quick to judge, more swift to give chances.  Never more will I make assumptions based upon a person’s clothing choices for a nature park trek. Never more will I define a person based upon their uses of ‘jel’ and ‘nervy-b’ instead of jealous and nervous breakdown. For when these Gap Yah girlies named the unbelievably cheap price (I’m still scratching my head as to why it’s really this cheap, considering the super convenient location) I could scarcely believe it. I went to the website (they have a WEBSITE) of the hostel and…well, there it was. We could afford it. Thank you, gap yah girls. You have changed me.

2) Be willing to walk.

That 200 baht fried rice? It’s 40 baht around the corner. Or down the street. Or a few kilometres away. It’s 40 baht somewhere, my friend, and you will find it, come hell or high water.

Go for the less swank places, go for the hole in the wall spilling out of the owner’s house, go for the place juuust that little bit too far out of town. You won’t be disappointed. The thing about South East Asia is that more money does not guarantee better food (unless you’re talking about Western cuisine…but then again, what’re you doing in Cambodia trying to eat a filet mignon? Get that swill back in the country it belongs in!). You’ll probably have a much better foodie experience when you have a local dish, cooked by a local, in a place where other locals are eating.

If the locals like it, they must be doing something right

These tend to scare off the tourists, giving them more backpacker friendly prices. We went to an amazing Pad Thai place – a little shack packed with locals and with limited English, it was one of those great travel foodie moments. We had to walk a good few kilometres from where we were staying, but I can guarantee it’d be ten million times better than anything you’re paying 250 baht for, and it only cost us 50 – more expensive than our usual food budget but this was probably due to the place being mentioned in Lonely P. So walk. Your wallet will thank you for it.

3) Travel in the off season.

Guesthouses, tours and bars aren’t as full. Prices are lower. We were given a deal on a speedboat trip (food and pickup from hostel included) to James Bond Island (where they filmed The Man with the Golden Gun) for 50% of the original price, and still were able to haggle it lower because we were also buying an (also discounted) boat ticket to Koh Phi Phi. It’s much easier to haggle when there’s no business.

4) Travel with friends.

Use the PJ’s Warehouse Philosophy. It’s cheaper to buy in bulk. Travelling with friends to other places can save you loads of money in the long run, as vendors are generally far more generous with haggling when more than one person is buying. Let’s save money together, guys!

This sucks.

5) Go easy on the alcohol there, guys.

Those fruity, tropical cocktails? 150 baht a pop. And that’s cheap. I know, I know – ‘a DRY beach holiday?!! But…but…I’d rather be in SNOW!’

I’m afraid if your wallet is happy, your liver tends to be pretty cheerful as well. Beer is cheap (relatively) and an option if you feel your experience is tainted by sobriety. However, if you don’t drink beer…well, consider being a little more generous with your budget. There is the option of splitting a bottle of rum/vodka/what have you between friends and then mixing that in with street fruit shakes…but you already walked 5k for a meal tonight. Do you really want to stoop thatlow? Not that we’ve ever done such a thing. Cough.

So there you have it, guys! General rules that have kept us pretty much on budget for Phuket. It’s not easy but it CAN be done. Hallelujah! Go forth!

You've got to deserve those beaches!

Our wanderer Emily Ross is coming to the end of her stint living abroad and finds herself flying through Thailand.

What is she going to see? Well that’s why you have to read on:

Apologies. I know it is not Monday. I think my elation at FINALLY finding sun in Thailand has addled my brain and memory somewhat.

Oh, Thailand. I paid you a short visit back in March but oh! How little I did see. Our mission is to rectify that this time around, by moving from the North (for some templing) to the South (for some beaching). Although it wasn’t until our last day in Luang Prabang that we realised…our time in Thailand is preciously short.  We’ve got twenty days to travel cross country before we have to fly back to Hong Kong, collect our belongings and head back home. So, readers, prepare yourselves for Thailand: Express.

Right. So. North of Thailand? We’ve given ourselves a week up here, then we’re flying down to Phuket (because you can’t lounge on a beach unless you DESERVE it. Which means visiting a lot of temples up here).  You can’t (and I mean can’t. There must be an unwritten backpacker law) visit Northern Thailand without stopping by Chiang Mai.

The welcome return of street food

We sampled the Khao Soi (a delicious curried noodle soup) and wandered the weekend markets, taking full advantage of the abundance of street food. That’s one part of Thailand I can’t get enough of – the sheer variety of street snacks. I definitely noticed a shortage of street food in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Sure, you’d get your occasional skewer of meat or nondescript thing wrapped in a banana leaf, but the Thais LOVE their street food like no other South East Asian country. I’m in foodie heaven. Nom.

Because this is supposed to be the half of the trip where we’re not just enjoying all the hedonistic  pleasures Thailand has to offer, we signed up for a day trip. Yes. I know. We haven’t done anything in a big group since VIETNAM. The Cosmos decided to punish us for this by placing us in a group with five gap yah girls (cue shaking fist at sky). This was gonna be a long day.

Karen girls

We signed up for what you might consider to be the ‘taster platter’ or the ‘ADHD special’ of day trips from Chiang Mai. With a day lasting from 8 to 6, we crammed it with as many different activities you could possibly do. We started in an orchid and butterfly garden, then toured various villages specialising in rice farming, weaving and hemp farming (yes).

I wasn’t sure how I felt about visiting the villages – populated by people of different ethnic minorities (including people of the Karen or ‘long neck’ tribe from Burma, where the women wear heavy neck rings to elongate the neck), it felt a bit like a human zoo. It was slightly uncomfortable. Interesting, but uncomfortable. It reminded me of why we’ve been avoiding tours for so long: it’s awkwardly forced, being pummelled by the constant ‘LOOK AT THIS NOW’ structure of the day.

Hallo you.

We then moved on to an elephant sanctuary, where we rode elephants. Having had a near death experience with charging African elephants back in Botswana, the first thing I noticed was how small Asian elephants are in comparison. A promising start. I managed to get myself on the naughty elephant who kept eating along the road, but hey – I can sympathise. Again, not sure how I felt about this – as someone who dislikes zoos, it’s a bit unnatural to be riding elephants, no? But they were very lively and inquisitive and not displaying symptoms of maltreatment, so I was able to placate my inner discomfort for the time being.

After elephants we got FREE FOOD (tofu fried rice and fruit. Yum!). It was at lunch where another difference between Gap Yahs and University students became apparent. Where we helped ourselves to three (or more) plates of the free bounty, they barely touched their first. Oh, they are so young. One day they too shall be students and respect the glory of free food. Especially if you’re gathering strength for an epic hike through rain and mud. Oh yes we did. Crossed rivers on little logs (I would say they were more akin to branches, myself) too. Felt very Indiana Jones. Or somebody else adventurey.

And then onto…white water rafting. Definitely a feature in my List of Things I Never Planned To Do. After the initial terror…I actually enjoyed it. Enjoyed it enough to have been the highlight of the day. Okay, okay, it probably was not the most challenging stretch of river your average adrenaline junkie may encounter but I was invigorated nonetheless! I may have caught the adrenaline bug…which may potentially change the nature of my daytime excursions. Oh, we shall see. Finish the day lounging on a bamboo raft and then back to town for the Sunday night market. WHEW. Done Chiang Mai.

Now onto Chiang Rai….

Child fishing from the third floor (Vang Vieng)

Our poor wanderer, Emily Ross. She can’t catch a break in Laos. She’s encountered everything from the flooded Mekong to buses in the mud and food poisoning…..

How will she salvage this little landlocked country? Here she plays go-fish and discovers…..dry:

Oh, readers, you have no idea how happy I am to be in Luang Prabang.

How shall I describe Laos? Now that I am nearing my final days here (we leave for Chiang Mai on Friday) I think I can confidently say that Laos…

Has been a bit of a fail.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not Laos’ fault! I feel quite sorry for it. The country’s gorgeous landscapes, friendly people and zingy cuisine pretty much guarantee a positive experience…unless you have the terrible luck we have these few days. Oh, Laos. It’s alright. Everybody has an off day. Or twelve.

Unfortunate Incident 1: Pakse

Oh, Lonely Planet praised it so. Built up our expectations! Raised our hopes to divine heights with their speak of pillowy soft naan and moreish tikka masala. But no, the diarrhoeal consistency of the curries at Jasmin Restaurant (we ordered three different dishes which all tasted exactly the same.) and the crunchy toast pretending to be naan left us wondering what the Laos Lonely Planet dude was ON when he wrote that recommendation. As we later learn, turns out a plethora of potential substances.

*As a side note, I know not to have high expectations of food that is not a local specialty. I weren’t born yesterday, bie (a little of Emily’s Bermudian for you).  But even by South East Asian standards of Indian food, this was terrible. AND it was owned by an Indian guy. They gave us ketchup to dip poppadoms in. Ketchup.

Girl on a water buffalo on Don Det

Unfortunate Incident 2: Don Det (the 4000 Islands)

Now, the 4000 Islands were personally my favourite part of Laos. Robyn described them as ‘a trip back in time with no electricity’ and she was right. They were beautiful and laid back, the perfect place to sit back in a hammock and watch the world go by. We had a few incidences of torrential downpour (which would become a more than familiar occurrence over the next few days) but our few days there were still beautiful. Now, in Don Det at least, they’ve become quite eco-conscious (probably as a counter measure against the tourists, we’re in the slow season but I’ve heard this island in particular can get very busy) and have numerous stations where you can fill up your water bottles with filtered water rather than buy new bottles. Unfortunately for my British travel companion, she forgot her wallet on the table next to the water container. By the time she realised it was gone, it was gone. Long gone. At least we were on an island with no ATMs or card readers? Oh, and did I mention Laos doesn’t have a British embassy? Thankfully I also have a British bank account so my friend was able to transfer money to me and now I’m her walking, talking ATM. It is amazing how painless losing everything can be sometimes. Just don’t lose your passport!

Unfortunate Incident 3: The Road to Vientiane

Food poisoning. Horrific food poisoning. All of us. And bumpy roads. I was on the top bunk of the sleeper bus (they’re like proper beds! That was a nice touch) but couldn’t sleep as every bump I was literally thrown in the air (I’m not exaggerating – I was clutching onto the side rails for dear life).

Unfortunate Incident 4: Vientiane

Food poisoning.

Oh, and rain.

Unfortunate Incident 5: Vang Vieng

Ah, Vang Vieng. Notorious party town. Heaven for the hedonist. Your liver’s worst nightmare. Robyn explained it well. Our hostel, run by a father like expat, had a handy advice booklet in each room, reminding us that ‘there are no health and safety regulations in Laos’ (tubing claims at least one life a year, this year somebody has already died) and warning us of the dangers of opium and opium tea. Yes. Opium TEA. I thought opium disappeared in Victorian times, dude!

Palm tree submerged in Vang Vieng

But (I’m not sure how unfortunate this really is, now that I think about it) the town is currently experiencing the worst flooding in decades. Even the elderly were crowded around the river in awe…so you can imagine the extent of how bad this really was. Thankfully there was no tubing – the river was moving quickly and was FILTHY. We met a guy who had just recently recovered from a dangerous parasite born fever caused by swimming in the river with open wounds (this includes mosquito bites). One of his travel companion’s feet had swollen to five times its size due to parasites.

Unfortunately, with no tubing there is literally nothing to do in Vang Vieng – it did not stop raining for the two days we were there, not even for a few minutes, and all we could do was watch Friends in the numerous Friends Bars. Yes. The bars play Friends ALL. DAY. Now I love Friends, the choice of show wasn’t really an issue for me personally, but I can understand why a few backpackers had that crazed ‘get-me-out-of-here’ look in their eyes.

Buuut it’s not that easy to leave Vang Vieng. And so we move on to Unfortunate Incident 6….

The largest landslide

Unfortunate Incident 6: The Road to Luang Prabang

So we decided to escape a day early to Luang Prabang. Easier said than done. We were concerned as we’d already heard that the way to Vientiane was blocked due to landslides caused by all the rain. And you have to understand that we had to get to Luang Prabang – we have a flight on the 1^st July and can’t miss it because we’ve been trapped in Vang Vieng. So we join the many evacuees. The ride was smooth enough…until the first landslide. And then the next. Our six hour journey was lengthened to a whopping seventeen hours. I was amazed we made it to Luang Prabang without spending the entire night on the bus. Late at night on a mountain, waiting for the largest of the landslides to be cleared (it was 9pm, some people had been there since 8am – thankfully we arrived at the Big Boy at 4pm), we played cards. What else could we do? Don’t worry about the lack of food or the possibility of being crushed by a mini mountain of mud as you wait for another to be cleared….go fish.

Nothing else to do but......

But we made it, readers. We made it. And a miraculous thing happened in Luang Prabang.

It’s stopped raining.

I feel strange.

I think it’s called dry.

I can’t remember anymore.

So Laos, I feel sorry for you. We chose a bad time to visit, didn’t we? Don’t worry, I won’t take it personally.

At least Luang Prabang has yummy cinnamon rolls.

Angkor Thom

Today we are traveling to the ancient kingdom of Angkor Wat in Cambodia where our Wanderer, Emily Ross, spent six days here. Doing what? And what should you see? Well let Emily lead the way:

Hola, travellers!

I write from Pakse, Laos – yes, the Cambodian chapter of my journey has regrettably come to an end. After Battambang we moved onto Siem Reap and spent an entire SIX nights there (the longest I think we’ll be anywhere on this trip. We have two rather good reasons for slowing the pace, I promise! Firstly, one of our friends from the Hong Kong exchange is based in Siem Reap volunteering with Rachna Satrei, a local NGO aiming to empower disadvantaged groups in Cambodia (visit http://www.rachnasatrei.webs.com/ for information about the organisation and how to help) and secondly, we’d bought a three day pass to see the incredible ruins of Angkor – where one can find the world’s largest religious monument, the impressive Angkor Wat.

The ruins of Angkor are, as expected, gorgeous – and remarkably well preserved, although unfortunately as we’re travelling during off-peak season (ie rainy season. Very rainy season) one needs to be rather creative with the camera angles in order to avoid the ever present scaffolding and tarpaulins necessary for keeping the ruins so well preserved. In fact, the middle and largest tower of the famous Angkor Wat was rather anticlimactically hidden under a gleaming green tarp, glinting mockingly at you in the sunlight as if to say: ‘Well…you’re here! You HAVE to photograph me, sucker! You can’t NOT take a picture of Angkor Wat, bud. ’

Angkor Wat, be-Tarped

Curse you, Green Tarp. I shall never be avenged, reduced to but a rogue and peasant slave.

Grumble.

Of course, if you go to Angkor Wat you’ve got to watch the sunrise. It’s number one on the Lonely Planet’s Greater Mekong Highlights, although as we noted after the fact they may have slightly romanticised the experience.

‘In the steamy pre-dawn hush we waited, yawning. The glowing orange sun appeared, rising slowly between the graceful stone domes of Angkor Wat – its iconic silhouette mirrored perfectly in the still lake in front of us. With the first soft ray of sun to alight on the water it was as though someone flicked the ‘on’ switch. The quiet filled with a cacophony of buzzing, chirping insects and the day’s throbbing heat was all of a sudden there, where it hadn’t been a moment before.’

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

I suggest a slightly more realistic summary:

The alarm was piercing. Blearily we blinked back our disbelief, our incredulity that we were really willingly getting out of bed at 4 o’clock in the morning. We know how Pyrrhus must have felt. We jumped into the tuk-tuk, shivering (yes, shivering) as we raced through the chilly morning air towards the ruins. We found our way to the lake, and amidst the sound of vendors selling ‘Breakfast, Coffee, Best Price Lady!’, we waited, yawning. A great grey cloud appeared, hovering over the five towers, ominously threatening the day’s afternoon rain. The temple was silhouetted by the few rays of light able to pierce through the cloud – this at least hid The Tarp from view.  The cloud dissipated slightly, we were able to spot speckles of pink in the sky, the silhouette of Angkor Wat reflected in the lake in front of us – but distorted by the skittering of insects, the ripples created when their lives are abruptly ended after being snapped up by…something. You itch a bite. A middle aged Japanese man hits you with his tripod. Repeatedly. Pushing through the crowd of backpackers and tourists, you attempt to get a better angle. The angle is not better. You fight once again through the crowd to reclaim your spot on the waterfront. The sun is higher now, you can’t see it, but can tell by the sweat beads on your brow, suddenly there, where they hadn’t been a moment before. All at once you’re blinded by the glint of The Tarp, now illuminated, ready for the day.

I should write one of these for the Great Wall!

In all seriousness, it WAS worth it. Despite The Tarp, the sweat, the fatigue, the cloud….I still managed to get a good shot and a glimpse at the masochistic lengths we travellers will go to (without question) for ‘the experience.’

Taking a break from the Bamboo train in the Battambang countryside

It’s a little heavy for our wanderer Emily Ross this week, as she leaves Vietnam to visit Cambodia next door. From learning about the after shocks of the Vietnam War to the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia proves to be more than just a backpacking destination.

Luckily, though, the children’s smiles and friendly people help make her trip through this little South East Asian country more pleasurable than it might have been. Here’s Emily’s thoughts:

Happy Monday, bloggers!

I write to you from beautiful, beautiful Cambodia. I’m in Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia (a surprising fact just learned from Wikipedia…as in my opinion it’s tiny!). Surrounded by thousand year old temples, a beautiful man-made lake and the quirky bamboo train, it’s definitely worth a diversion from the typical Sihanoukville-Phnom Penh-Siem Reap route. I feel like we’ve really been given the opportunity to explore the Cambodian countryside. Make sure you nab a good tuk tuk driver (the only way to get to the sights around Battambang…unless you’re on a bike) – it makes a huge difference in terms of how much you see and learn, and you can make a good buddy in the process!

Smiley school children

What has struck me most about Cambodia is the people. Everywhere we go we feel like celebrities – children literally run to the side of the road to wave and squeal a high pitched ‘Hello!’, old and young alike smile when they see us and seem to smile genuinely…they’re smiling Johnny Barnes type smiles rather than laughing at us. People have been helpful, funny and generous. Which is amazing considering everything they’ve been through.

Khmer Rouge interrogation tactics

I’m ashamed to say I crossed the border of Vietnam and Cambodia knowing very little about the Khmer Rouge and the recent horrors in Cambodian history.  I’d heard of the Khmer Rouge. As in, heard the two words before. I didn’t know what any of it entailed. I believe I wikipedia’d Pol Pot after he was mentioned in a Ricky Gervais stand up routine. And when you read about it, when you visit the chilling Tuol Sleng Genocide Musuem (S-21, t he Tuol Sleng prison near Phnom Penh, formerly a school), when you walk in the Killing Fields…it seems surreal. It was so recent, but it seems like something out of a 1984-esque novel, not reality.

S-21: former school turned Khmer Rouge prison and now a museum

I’ve searched through GCSE to A-Level/IB curricula and there’s just no option to study Cambodia. You can study Vietnam, but I suppose that’s only because the US was involved. I can guarantee that most Westerners have only heard of Cambodia because Angelina Jolie adopted from there. I just find it fascinating that millions of people can die and it not be common knowledge – especially considering it’s very, very modern history.

This isn’t a sermon, I’m guilty of it too. I was standing in front of a memorial stupa filled with over 5,000 skulls, bones and rags and was absolutely shocked at my own ignorance of what had occurred. I had a similar experience at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City – I knew the basic history of the Vietnam war, but very little about the atrocities committed by the Americans and the after-effects of Agent Orange. Hollywood doesn’t delve too deeply into that aspect of Vietnam – Forrest Gump sure as hell didn’t go anywhere near My Lai.

Just a few things I’ve been thinking about.

Hanoi, Vietnam

Our wanderer, Emily Ross, has traveled from one end of Vietnam to the other and is about to head to the country’s neighbour, Cambodia.

Vietnam was one long trip (the country is very lengthy:) and Emily believes…..well you have to read her blog to find out :

Happy Tuesday, backpackers!

I write from my hostel bed, waiting for the torrential afternoon rain (in Southern Vietnam it seems you can set your watch by it) to subside. I’m in Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City…but only officially) and it’s my final day in Vietnam! Tomorrow we hop on a bus over the border to Cambodia.

My overall opinion of Vietnam?

Underrated.

The country is huge, and has so much to offer for backpackers. Our route – Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Mui Ne and Ho Chi Minh City – was fantastic. Every region was distinct, attracting the backpacker crowds for different reasons.

Hanoi – a busy, romantic capital. Lonely Planet describes it as a city with ‘a blend of Parisian grace and Asian pace’ and I couldn’t agree more. It’s the perfect start to your South East Asian journey. You are literally plunged into that strange South East Asian mix – wild, uncontrolled speed with languid, laid back lo que sea será philosophy. People are in a hurry …but if they don’t make it in time? No big deal.

I had the luck of reading Anthony Bourdain’s book Medium Raw whilst in Vietnam. The man has a love affair with Vietnam, and I’d like to share an excerpt from the book in which he perfectly describes Hanoi’s roads:

‘The only way to see Hanoi is from the back of a scooter. To ride in a car would be madness – limiting your mobility to a crawl, preventing you from even venturing down half the narrow streets and alleys where the good stuff is to be found. To be separated from what’s around you by a pane of glass would be to miss – everything. Here, the joy of riding on the back of a scooter or a motorbike is to be part of the throng, just one more tiny element in an organic thing, a constantly moving, ever-changing process rushing, mixing, swirling, and diverting through the city’s veins, arteries and capillaries.

“Admittedly, it’s also slightly dangerous. Traffic lights, one-way signs, intersections, and the like – the rough outlines of organized society – are more suggestions than regulations observed by anyone in actual practice. One has, though, the advantage of the right of way. Here? The scooter and the motorbike are kings. The automobile may rule the thoroughfares of America, but in Hanoi it’s cumbersome and unwieldy, the last one to the party, a woolly mammoth of the road – to be waited on, begrudgingly accommodated – even pitied – like the fat man at a sack race.’

Elephant at Hue citadel

Sooo, I avoided the bike. But that is Hanoi. Go. See. Stop off for a night on Halong Bay before heading to Hue.

Hue – beautiful. Get your historical, cultural (and cheap alcohol) fix here. It’s small and you don’t need too much time there, but the sleepy riverside town is a must see. The Hue citadel and nearby tombs are impressive.

Hoi An lanterns

Hoi An – my favourite place of the trip. The atmosphere was relaxed and the architecture was lovely. There was a nearby beach but thankfully lacked the beach party mania that usually accompanies any cluster of sand in the world. Decorated with colourful handmade lanterns, the town was beautiful, especially at night when the large floats on the river running through the town are lit up to compliment the lanterns. The Hindu ruins of My Son are nearby and certainly worth a visit.

Everyone's partying in Nha Trang

Nha Trang – the beach party headquarters of Vietnam. Go to tan, drink and dance. Don’t forget to watch your valuables! Appearing on the scene midweek, we found the parties were few and far between…but we consoled ourselves with cocktails and poolside lounging. Not too shabby.

The White Dunes at Mui Ne

Mui Ne – apparently the best beach in Vietnam. The town is literally one road – it runs along the beach and is framed by hostels and restaurants. More chilled out than Nha Trang, and near the impressive White and Red Dunes. You can go on ATV rides and sand sliding (literally paying a dollar for a piece of plastic upon which you throw yourself to hurtle down a dune)! It’s definitely a contrast from the impossible green of the Vietnamese countryside – all of a sudden you’re in the desert.

Donated medals to the War Remnants museum with the words 'I'm Sorry. I was Wrong.'

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – If I didn’t know better, I’d mistake Saigon for the capital of Vietnam. Many of the buildings are tall and modern, the streets cleaner and less chaotic than Hanoi. Go on a day trip to the Cu Chi tunnels – the incredible network of underground tunnels used by guerrillas during the war. You’ll also get an insight on the tactics used in guerrilla warfare – the booby traps with their giant spikes were quite frightening. Today we went to the War Remnants Museum – I strongly urge anyone visiting Vietnam to pay this museum a visit. I’m not good at the whole museum thing – I tend to rush through, skimming over descriptions and vaguely wondering what I want to have for dinner.

At this museum, however, I read every description. It was both moving and excellently presented. Outside are American fighter planes, a Huey helicopter and tanks; inside are exhibitions about global protests against the war and verygraphic photos of war crimes and the effects of napalm and Agent Orange. The top floor was the fascinating ‘Requiem’ exhibit, containing the work of photographers from both sides who were killed in their attempt to document the war. All exhibits were excellent – obviously they could be perceived as anti-American but when you consider that around two thirds of Vietnamese casualties were civilians then it’s not surprising.

The conclusion? Go to Vietnam. Appreciate the past and enjoy the variety its present has to offer. An overlooked gem of South East Asia – don’t miss it!