Merida to Cancun via Chichen Itza

The first thing that strikes you upon arrival in Merida is how many of the buildings are white. Colonial architecture dominates proceedings as does the towering spectacle of the government building, which we were fortunate to get a tour of after we had picked up some lunch. Our hotel was situated in a relaxed square and had a beautiful roof terrace with a pool.

We stopped to watch a marching band in one of the main squares before being treated to a ride in a horse and carriage around the city after sunset. The horses had been specially prepared, with flowers in their manes and bells attached to the carriages.

One of our girls unfortunately had an allergic reaction to something she had eaten, so about half way through she had to disembark her horse and I have a memory of her walking the streets several blocks, clutching her neck, before our tour guide was alerted and she was seen to.

After this situation was fixed we came to a halt outside a restaurant, where we had a delicious meal with some Yucatecan speciality dishes, and kept company by a free range bunny hopping about under the tables and between our feet.

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The next day we rose with excitement as we would be ticking off one of the world wonders with a visit to Chichen Itza!

As a UNESCO world heritage site Chichen Itza is the best preserved and naturally most famous Mayan city in Mexico.

The main Mayan spectacle, El Castillo, sits in the middle of the complex, and was originally built as a sacrificial altar of worship to the rain God Chaac. I’m pretty sure that I read somewhere, something about heads being chopped and bouncing down the steps to the ground, but don’t quote me on that. Either way, it serves as a gruesome reminder of the macabre side of mans nature.

There is much history to learn about independently, but our local guide gave us a good head start by explaining about some of the various different ruins of Chichen Itza – it obviously comprises of more than one sacrificial altar – the amazing ceremonial centre, observatory, time temples and workings of the Mayan calendar. We additionally practised ‘the clap’. This involves standing some distance away from El Castillo and clapping in unison. After you have done this you can almost immediately hear the echo from the building, which makes a bizarre high pitched ‘boing’ noise, sounding a little like a deranged farm animal.

Second world wonder complete!

A mini mock up of El Castillo.

Some of us arranged for our names to be engraved on a necklace in Mayan symbols, and this was the result.

If you head for a patch of trees and pile of stones in one corner, you will encounter some impressive looking lizards.

What you don’t see in the guide books are the seemingly never- ending line up of stalls on the periphery of the grounds, selling repetitive wares, with most of the memorabilia relating to Chichen Itza. But as you walk down the path, which you need to to exit the place, you will not merely be allowed to glance at the gifts for sale, no, but will be actively bombarded by all the vendors. In this respect I greatly preferred Christ the Redeemer as a world wonder attraction.

There is a positive to walking out on this route, and that is you will see one of two deep cenotes, I believe this one is called Sacred Cenote. As well as gold and other treasures, remains of victims were also found in here, with their wounds being consistent of sacrifice.

It was to another one of these cenotes that we would now be heading – the well known Ik Kil cenote, sacred to the Mayans, sitting nearby in the archeological park of the same name and measuring in at a whopping 130ft deep and 200ft wide. This giant mouth wasn’t easy at first to jump into and swim around in, not to mention sharing the waters with black catfish. However after we had gotten over our initial fears it was hard to drag us away. A word of warning, do not hold onto or try to swing off any of the creepers hanging down, they are considered sacred and not a plaything.

After all this excitement it was time to dry off, get back on the road and make tracks to glitzy Cancun for a totally different vibe.

Mexico City – City centre, Teotihuacan and the Island of the Dolls

The next day, true to Contiki form, was jam packed as we covered in one day what any sane person would surely cover in three. Our local guide showed us around the delights of the city centre – first by bus and then by foot.

It was time to board the bus again. Our tour guide Ish passed around a bag of dried crickets. We reluctantly tucked in.

 

Afterwards it was a ride on a colourful Trajinera boat in Xochimilco, where we had some drinks, got fed some corn and were even seduced by a Mariachi band.

Many boats with unusual names lined the Xochimilco canals, but possibly even more unusual was our unnerving float past the renowned Isla de Las Munecas, otherwise known as ‘Island of the Dolls’. You can clearly see a selection of dolls hanging from trees, some of them decapitated and decomposing. Oddly I even spotted a Winnie the Pooh bear, but he looked more fresh.

A certain Don Julian Santana, who had left his wife and child and moved to this small island, believed in the tragic story of a young girl who supposedly drowned in the river. He subsequently hung up a large number of dolls that he would find around the place as a tribute to the dead child, and this is how the island got its name. Often they had been discarded for the scrap yard so it explained the dishevelled state of the dolls and this managed to scare many visitors from the island. Santana still, however, held tours for those willing to brave it.

That day’s main attraction still had to be the pyramids of Teotihuacan, just to the North-East of Mexico City, which we covered (and climbed) in the late afternoon. As a once successful pre-Columbian city and the largest archeological city in the Americas, it is divided into three pyramids; Quetzalcoatl, the sun and the moon, with The Avenue of the Dead running down the middle of the site. It really is an astounding feat of ancient building prowess, and I have even heard some say they preferred it here to the great pyramids in Egypt. Not only that but the views at the top are definitely worth the hot climb.

The next day we would briefly visit the old, laid-back Barrio neighbourhood of Coyoacan, containing plenty of old colonial mansions, squares and fountains, not to mention the excellent Coyoacan markets full of tasty treats. It was also here where we would encounter our first black squirrel, have some strong coffee, see the studios of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, as well as the outside of Frida Kahlo’s famous blue house (which we sadly did not have enough time to go in) – before journeying out of Mexico City and onto our next destination, the white stone city of Merida.

Our last night in Mexico City.

Mexico, Guatemala and Belize

Mexico City, Mexico

I loved this tour. Another really great group and a fairly decent amount of time – 3 weeks – to explore Central America. First stop, as mentioned in the last entry, was Mexico City where the tour was to begin. As usual I had a brief spell on my own beforehand.

This part of the world really isn’t as dangerous as ‘they’ make out, and it’s a shame that people sometimes feel the need to skip it. News often dramatises everything and gives a skewed vision of reality – at least some of the time. Other times it is correct. But you can’t rely on semi accuracy, so it is better to go and form your own opinion. Which of course could also be wrong 😉

I rocked up to the airport at night, and it took a little while to get through customs. A taxi rank was inside the airport, where you got given a slip of paper with a number on, before presenting it to the driver. When I got to the line about six of them circled the taxi I was getting into, which made me momentarily have flashbacks of Morocco. But it was fine.

My driver was really nice and chatted away nineteen to the dozen, at one point even blasting the car with Mariachi music and making the vehicle do a small dance.

I reached the hotel, unpacked a little, showered, explored the room and the dining options.

Unsurprisingly I opted for room service, watched some weird Spanish soap opera on TV and crashed out that night.

The next day I woke up, and looked at the clock by my bed.

Unsure if this was my jet lag talking, I decided to get up.

Being near the top floor of the hotel offered splendid skyline views of the huge city.

(By the hotel pool)

I felt extremely reassured by the notice next to the elevator as I headed downstairs to meet my friends.

They were a couple of guys from uni who had moved over to Mexico. I hadn’t seen them in years and it was so lovely to reconnect in a foreign country, as it added an element of excitement. After catching up they told me all about the place and the highlights of the city, as well as the top food and drinks to look out for. “Guack” (Guacamole) was to become a feature food for most of us on tour as it seemed to go with everything, not just tortillas and quesadillas 😉

That evening I met our group and tour leader, Ish. We light heartedly headed out for our first dinner in Mexico – Japanese.

The next day would usher in a long introductory tour of Mexico City proper, including the world famous ruins of archeological city Teotihaucan, a traditional Trajinera boat ride in Xochimilco (complete with snacks and a Mariachi band) and a float past the creepy Isla de Las Munecas (Island of the Dolls).

Iguazu Falls to Buzios to Rio

Iguazu Falls to Buzios

Buzios after the Falls spelt (brief) chill time. Which was great timing as we would be needing our energy for Rio. There were so many fantastic optional extras on this tour that we were struggling to cram everything in.

A flight to Rio first was necessary, followed by bus to Buzios. It is a beautiful little spot and I would strongly recommend to include it as part of your trip. Plus we had bagged yet another awesome hotel.

Our first night welcomed in a local dance performance at the Buda Beach restaurant, as we were treated to a visual display of colourful costumes, heady lights, muscle displays and fast moves. There was even a dance class for the customers which our group got involved in. I stood on the side lines and filmed it, as I decided it had been a fantastic idea to do the limbo in the aisle of our moving bus, and managed to partially re-injure my ankle.

Caipirinhas were the order of the night, plus a couple of clubs with great music and much imitation of the ‘robot’ dance.

We had a whole day the next day to mooch about the town, hang poolside and do some souvenir shopping. Lovely.

Buzios to Rio

The action ramped back up again as our route wound its way back to the super cool Rio. Our main activity of the day was the usual upon arrival at any city – an orientation tour. I think we must have walked for hours that day, as the sun beat down upon us.

That night we naturally explored the night-life, which, of course, is fantastic. The taxi ride was possibly even better, with our driver deciding he wanted to race the other taxi full of our group to the city centre. That’s something I’ll always remember – speeding down the dual carriageway of Rio at night like it was the Autobahn, with no seat belts on, urging our driver to go faster (something he didn’t need much encouragement to do).

Just another night out of ten.

Rio – Christ the Redeemer

Today was the day. I was super excited. The chance to redeem myself and finally take in my first ever man made world wonder! He is simply magnificent, and vast at 90ft high. I’m not religious and yet even I found myself wowed by his imposing presence and stature. To get there is a bit of a performance – via van up a very winding hill at the pace of a snail for a good twenty minutes to half an hour. But that’s fine – I reckon things worth doing should require effort.

Once there, you show your ticket and gain entrance to the main attraction. There are even lifts and escalators. You’re allowed to go up to his feet, where there is a large lookout point for visitors. Photos were aplenty up here, with the walkabout offering a generous variety of angles to snap Christ and the splendid views over Rio de Janeiro. The harbour of Rio is actually considered one of the seven natural world wonders, so I stared in awe at the realisation that I was killing two birds with one stone. Was I really here, after dreaming about it for so long? I had to pinch myself. Not too bad for a nine/ten day tour, I thought.

The next day we headed (hungover of course, with knackered feet) to the inside of the Favellas. We were really excited to see this renowned danger spot of Rio, but also somewhat apprehensive. There really was no need to worry though, as not only are the Favellas a lot safer than they used to be, but our local guide was known by the people and on good terms. Just as well, because if you just want to wander in there as a tourist, forget it.

The sights in there are well worth any nerves you may have, and we decided it was one of the highlights of our trip, even when a teenager suddenly strutted past us carrying a gun and making us jump. He started chuckling and grinned broadly at our discomfort, clearly amused at the soft strangers.

Some guys sat down and played on makeshift ‘drums’, fashioned from tin cans and buckets, to which two little boys joined in and started dancing. I was impressed at their talent for such a young age, and wish the video could go on here.

We tried out some of the local food and even bought some snacks that a kind family had prepared for us. The walk through was fairly long and squeezed in – we picked our way amongst the rubbish, up and down narrow stairs and through winding streets, respectively trying to avoid the eye contact of people standing in their doorways staring at us.

Finally, we bought some paintings in the shop before reaching this view at the end.

The rest of the day was left for us to do as we pleased, this being the last on tour. Some ascended Sugar Loaf mountain. Some went to a football match, others hang glided. If I had had a fully functioning foot and more time, both of those last options definitely would have been added to my list. But that’s what next times are for 😉 I would love to go back for the famous Rio carnival. One day eh.

Our last night was celebrated in style on a cruise boat, with a BBQ not to mention more Caipirinhas and cocktails served up.

The (exhausted) partying continued later on, after a quick change of outfit and shift over to a different vessel. Dancing and drinking on a small moving boat, packed with raucous revellers and occasionally choppy waves is a somewhat challenging task. The music was so loud that at the end and even into the next day, everyone could hear ringing in their ears.

Chilling on Copacabana beach before my flight the next day.

The last supper. (Breakfast)

That evening en route to the airport a storm erupted, with huge bursts of thunder and forked lightning. I glanced up to see Christ bathed in a gloomy, ethereal mist, dramatically lighting up every time a fork appeared. It was an enchanting spell for all of the drive. Some sort of sign, maybe, I entertained myself.

South America, wow. You inflamed my imagination, and I was to return, but not for another year. In the meantime, it was time for another world wonder, to move up the continent and into the arms of Central America, starting with the infamous Mexico City.

Adios amigos…

Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls

Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls (Brazilian side)

The first stop on this exciting non stop tour was to Iguazu Falls, not officially considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world, but I really think it should be. It is utterly amazing. Plus it felt like we were in Jurassic Park (adding instant cool points) which I will go into in a little more detail further down.

We would be seeing the Falls from both sides – that is, from the Argentina and Brazil divide, with Brazil being up first. Many people debate as to which side is better and I have to say I think the Argentinian side is superior. See if you agree or not from the photos. As Argentina is massive we needed to get a flight to the airport and then hop on our bus to drive to the Falls. On the way we’d have to show our passports at border control to cross over to the Brazilian side.

As it was mid afternoon by the time we’d turned up at the park entrance, we decided to have some lunch before we began. Junk food was all that was on offer so junk food was what we had. How much we actually managed to eat of that though was tentative as someone in our group found, when a small, strange looking creature practically wrestled a pink milkshake off the guy. It fell to the floor, spilling everywhere, at which point the criminal immediately followed suit and started lapping at the puddle. Everyone cracked up in incredulous laughter. I have a brilliant video which I wish I could put on here, as it captured the timing of this thief perfectly.

“What the bloody hell is that?” someone asked. As it turned out, the cheeky, striped tail creatures are called Coati – part of the raccoon family – but actually look like a weird hybrid between an aardvark and a raccoon. There were warnings up all around the park, basically saying not to piss them off.

To get to the main part of the waterfall we walked down a man made spiral path into the undergrowth. The waterfall eventually revealed itself, and we headed out onto the walkway to get semi drenched in the spray. There was even a rainbow.

Dinner that night was walkabout.

Iguazu Falls (Argentinian side)

There aren’t really many adjectives that can describe today, because it was that brilliant, but ‘awesome’, ‘jaw dropping’, ‘inspiring’, and ‘out of this world’ are a few I’ll throw out there. And stinking hot. Please, please go at least once in your life. Out of everywhere I’ve been (and admittedly that is a lot by this stage) it is in my top three sights. I’d even suggest, though I haven’t yet been to the others, (but also going by other reports) that if you’re going to visit any waterfall in the world, skip Niagara and Victoria and come here instead. I also liked the fact that it wasn’t massively touristy, with them trying to sell you stuff everywhere you turned.

The National Park is vast and there are many different things to do. A pass gets you in for all day (which you will definitely need) there is a train to drop you at a certain point and several hikes you can do to the Falls. If you are incredibly lucky like we were, then you’ll also get to fit in a helicopter ride as well as a lift in a jeep through the jungle. It was especially at this point where I felt like we were starring in Jurassic Park, during that famous scene where they are trying to outdrive the T Rex.

The jeep drops you off at the waterside, where you will don life jackets and jump onto a SPEEDBOAT to take you almost THROUGH part of the Falls. I kid you not.

Here are some general photos of this stunner at different stages along our hike.

The once-in-a-lifetime helicopter ride over the Falls.

And the speed boat adventure. Please remind me next time to buy a waterproof go pro.

What a day. Surely we had outdone ourselves here? Had we not peaked too soon? Nope.

Argentina to Brazil. First stop, Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires

Ah, 2016, I thought, the year I will really get my teeth into the whole travel thing and see the seven man made World Wonders. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see them all, but still managed two, as well as exploring an entire new continent in some depth – (South, Central and North America) so nevertheless consider that year a travel success.

I loved Buenos Aires as soon as I turned up. The normal jet lag applied, and I got roped into hanging out the following evening with the guy at check in, but everything else was perfect. As usual I’d booked myself a couple of pre-nights at the same hotel the tour kicked off from. I even managed to keep a vague diary for those first couple of days, before it became too impossibly busy to be able to 😉 Here are some extracts.

Day One

Arrive, somewhat stunned that I’ve actually made it in one piece, and jet lagged to the eyeballs. Another continent crossed off the list. Well, kinda. I have been to the Caribbean but South America is obviously totally different.

Taxi driver overcharges me, of course, but he is very nice and I just want to get there so agree to the equivalent of twenty five quid for a 45 minute ride. It’s definitely expensive by South American standards but not London, which I’m used to.

I’m currently sat in a Vegan cafe (recommended by yours truly at reception) after a shower and suitcase rearrangement. Just had a Kobu burger – named after the place – which was delicious but about 5,000 carbs. When you take into account the huge piece of bread it was served in, not to mention the pile of chips on the side, it could have satisfied the appetite of Nelly the Elephant.

Day Two

After a good long sleep I decide to hit Buenos Aires proper. It’s 35 degrees outside and I’m up for a big walk regardless, to take in the main sights at the centre of town. Luckily our hotel Tribeca is in central so I study the map over breakfast (no data abroad so I’m wifi reliant) speak to an old school mate for some advice on where to go, and I’m off.

Walking down Batholomew Mitre street I reach the main road where the needle building or ‘phallic symbol’ is.

It’s huge and white and looks as if it wouldn’t be out of place in the States. I cross past the busy road (which is in three stages with three sets of lights, it is that vast) and carry on walking down B.Mitre until I reach Florida street on the left with loads of shops. Everyone there seems to be shouting out what sounds like ‘Cameo, cameo!’ but I ignore it and carry on.

A couple of times during the day I have to duck into coffee shops to refresh myself due to the heat.

I’ve been advised that there is an art gallery hidden in what looks like an underground car park at the end of Florida street, but unfortunately the guy has forgotten the name and I can’t find it anyway, so I cross over the road to the San Martin square (also recommended). It turns out to be a stunning square that looks like a small park within itself, containing lush and flowering trees looking out over a clock tower a couple of blocks across the road in the distance. Naturally I take loads of photos.

Walk around a bit more, waiting for the museum across the road to open. When it does I realise it’s an army museum with loads of machines so have a very quick scoot around before finding somewhere to have a Caprese salad.

Wander around a little after (Ok, quite a lot more) checking out a square and a couple of museums.

Head back to the hotel to rest for a bit as my feet are caning by this point, walking past the Congress building on the way.

Fast forward to the evening and it actually turned out pretty decently with the guy-from-reception. We went to Palermo Soho for burgers and beer then moved onto a bar with a whole ton of vegetation, for cocktails. A tropical storm broke out while we were sat on the rooftop, which was amazing to watch. I wish I had thought to snap a picture.

Day Three (first day meeting group)

Bit more of a chill day today. Our group officially meet this evening, and as I did so much walking yesterday decide to take it relatively easy.

Need to check out of my room so have a bit of a lengthy wait at hotel reception getting that all sorted. Get introduced to my roommate Emily by yours truly so I switch to her room.

Our group was fairly small compared to some others I had been on, roughly 15 of us, and there were a few couples. We didn’t have our introductory meeting with our tour manager until the next morning, but a few of us went out in a small group that night and ended up getting involved in some sort of street carnival. We had started off as witnesses taking photos but soon very much became participants as we raced down the street away from kids chasing and squirting foam guns at us. After such a fun night and several glasses in us it was a wonder that we managed to find our way into a taxi and back to the right hotel.

Day Four (first day of tour)

The next morning saw the official beginning of the tour with a two hour long introductory meeting by our lovely tour manager Flor. By the end we were ready for a proper introductory walkabout the city. This would cover a fair amount – the extremely hip and colourful neighbourhood of La Boca, a giant flower sculpture made of steel and aluminium called Floralis Generica in the Plaza de la Naciones Unidas, colonial architecture and mansions, Puerto Madero – including the famous ‘Tango’ bridge and giant ship – not to mention San Telmo (both an intriguing mix of historical and cosmopolitan).

That evening would see us attending a Tango show while enjoying a classic steak and red wine that Argentina is famous for. But much like the first night, we didn’t remain witnesses for long.

We paired up and got our moves on.

Was the night over after? Was it ever. We moved onto a club called Ink and continued to dance with the locals, at the beginning of what was to be the most whirlwind tour I’ve ever been on out of all of them.

Day Five (second day of tour)

Today was to be all about the Polo, darling, Argentina’s national sport. First off, we settled down and made ourselves comfortable watching a match. It was somewhat unnerving, as they were moving so fast and whacking the sticks around with abandon – we were concerned the horses legs would be getting hurt, and/or that the ball would come whizzing into the seats among the stadium and crash into one of our faces.

After, it was time for our lesson – we practiced whacking balls around on the grass into a wicker basket before splitting into teams, jumping on our horses and giving the game a go. It was fun, but I can’t say it was really for me, probably partly because I can’t fully control a horse. Ryan, a guy in our group with exceedingly high confidence, was having a whale of a time – ripping down the arena like he’d done it a hundred times before.

Another animal selfie.

Our BBQ lunch after.

A good amount of time was spent lounging around in the pool on the grounds and none of us wanted to leave.

Our group social activity that night was a cooking class and learning how to make Empanadas. We got treated to a Mate tea session and bought some cups. There was also a competition to see who could make the best thing out of their dough, which the owners would judge as they were baking them for us. Ryan did a Mr Potato face and of course, won.

The rest of us losers drowned our sorrows.

Siem Reap to Vietnam

Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh

The next day brought a new set of circumstances as we hung lazily around the hotel pool, saying goodbye to our old group and somewhat reluctantly greeting the new. There were only four of us going on so it felt very odd at first. Vietnam was to be our home for the next ten days, and as I’d come to learn lots already (the good and the bad) about SE Asia in general, this was to be a further learning experience.

In the afternoon, regrouped, we hopped on a flight to Ho Chi Minh city and another fresh country to tick off our ever growing list. The ceiling on this plane was fortunately not stuck together with duct tape and we arrived in one piece. That day is still a bit of a haze in my mind, but I do remember one of the first things we did once we had checked into our hotel and ventured out into the city, was to try a Vietnamese coffee. Honestly I think this (and Laotian) is my favourite coffee in the world, even better than Italian or Australasian.

The Ben Thanh markets were the order of the night that night, as we got lost in the chaos and the haggling for items. I’m generally shit at haggling, but a couple of the girls were awesome, taking no nonsense and putting down a firm price or walking away immediately. The vendor would then be like oh no please come back any price is better than none, and therefore they came away with insanely cheap goods.

Please don’t get me started on the state of the traffic and pedestrian rights. Basically you had none. Your best bet, if you needed to cross to the other side of the road, was just to walk out into the middle of oncoming cars and hope for the best.

Ho Chi Minh to Mekong Delta

We would be making a return to the much loved river today, with a special cruise followed by a visit to a local tea house and the floating markets. Our transferral from land to a Vietnamese ‘Sampans’ (a small boat) was amusing as it was rocking dangerously when we tentatively stepped in. Wearing the traditional hats, ‘Non la’ made from leaves, we drank from coconuts with straws and enjoyed the journey. On dry land we made various pit stops and watched, intrigued, some cooking demonstrations at how the locals made their rice paper.

We were also treated to various creatures dotted around, alive or dead, tanked or jarred.

Upon arriving at our traditional guesthouse (complete with garden hammocks) that we’d be staying in that night, Alicia and I decided to rent some bikes and go explore the island. Everyone waved to us as we went past and kids grinned broadly, sometimes running to follow our trail. Which admittedly got a bit lost, ah well, we weren’t too fussed.

We got back just in time for this.

Not to mention a trek through the undergrowth where the Aussie boys all wrestled each other in a muddy ditch. An ant then bit down viciously on my foot which sent me involuntarily kicking my flip flop across said ditch in pain and surprise. Everyone laughed. Bastards.

That evening, our hosts kindly made us dinner outside, accompanied by a local song and dance.

The Vietnamese people are much like the Laotians, some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met, and it was really interesting to learn their customs and way of life along the river. Plus we did get to hold a snake. A really big one.

Mekong Delta back to Ho Chi Minh

We could have very easily spent more time on the beautiful Mekong, but back to the big smoke we had to go. I’ve always thought that people are well suited to boats, assuming it’s not too choppy. Being in or near to water seems to relax and make us happy, no doubt having something to do with being made up of 90% water.

En route to Ho Chi was a stop at Viet Cong’s immense 250 kilometre long Cu Chi tunnels, used during the Vietnam war and all dug via hand by the Vietnamese resistance fighters. There are many hidden trap doors, with one particularly narrow and claustrophobic tunnel open to the public. Camouflaged into the ground by leaves, this involved taking off the wooden cover, lowering yourself into the hole up to your waist, before squatting down and lifting your arms up, neatly pulling the wooden cover back over your head. An uncomfortable art form.

Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang

Our morning looked set to be a busy one as we made the most of our time left in Ho Chi Minh by visiting the War Remnants Museum. This was another fairly harrowing experience with some shocking photos of the short and long term after effects on the Vietnamese people due to the release of Agent Orange by the US, a deadly, or at least highly destructive, chemical. After the museum we checked out the Notre Dame Cathedral, General Post Office and Presidential Palace before hopping over to Nha Trang, a stunning coastal town with turquoise waters and golden sand that overlooks the South China Sea.

The afternoon in Nha Trang was much more relaxed as we indulged in a mineral mud bath and vegetated in the varying temperatures of the hot thermal springs. We probably would have stayed there, caked in mud all afternoon and evening and ended up eating dinner in there, had we been given half the chance.

Nha Trang

Ah, Nha Trang. Another day in this beautiful place, cruising the water on our party boat ‘Funky Monkey’, soaking up the rays, swimming, snorkelling and enjoying the pleasures of the ‘water bar.’ I think I speak for everyone when I say that nobody will forget our resident watery bartender and the shine that he took to one of our girls. “Becky! Becky! Where’s Becky?!”

Anyone could enjoy this bar, the catch being that every time you wanted a drink, you would have to jump into the sea and hold onto a large rubber ring (the bar) whilst waiting in your own rubber ring. The effect of this was as follows.

Looking back, I’m not sure why we queued so patiently, as a lot of the drink being offered up was some disgusting sweet orange liquid that I could barely swallow. After enough of this we piled back onto the boat for a session of Karaoke, and I have this hilarious video of Danielle cooly sitting there and looking unimpressed while we all yelled the song ‘I’m on a boat!’

Nha Trang to Hoi An

We do cover a lot of ground on these tours, which is why the next day witnessed us getting on another flight to Hoi An. This place is unforgettable, containing an ancient old town cut through with canals and bridges. A sort of Venice of the East, if you like, or ‘lantern town’ – as at night time it is gorgeous, lit up by hundreds if not thousands of lanterns guiding your way through the gently humming streets of people.

A walking tour and bike ride through the town was the first activity covered, as we marvelled at the combination of the Japanese bridge, brightly coloured houses and French colonialism.

The brakes on my bike were a little dodgy, but by that point I hardly cared and nothing surprised me.

Our entertainment that evening was a cooking class, which I sadly had to miss, yet was fortunate to be able to rock up to right as it was finishing and eat the food.

As we had two nights to kill in Hoi An, after the cooking class many of us excitedly went to a tailors to pick out the fabrics and be fitted for some custom made clothes at dirt cheap prices – with the hope they would be ready by tomorrow evening at the latest. I decided to get a Greek style dress done for my upcoming Big Birthday.

Hoi An

Not too far from Hoi An are the Marble Mountains, and this is where we headed the next day. These are a collection of five peaks that represent the five elements in Vietnamese folklore, and in more recent history, were the hiding place for US soldiers during the Vietnam War. The Thuy Son caves and grottos were impressive, with intricate stone carvings.

Most of us managed to get our clothes finished in time. I say most – someone arranged for a special international package to be delivered… (No, not me)

Hoi An to Hue

What stands out most to me about this day is the drive. One of the best looking drives I think we’ve done on tour, it is recommended in many guide books and is also made famous as part of Jeremy Clarkson’s motorbike tour through Ho Chi Minh all the way to Ha Long Bay (in-case you even cared)

Hue itself is known for its lotus flower ponds, artwork and decorative pavilions, and upon arrival we were sucked straight into its intriguing depths with a cyclo ride to the Imperial Citadel. (As a walled fortress and palace surrounded by a moat, neither is the style something that would look out of place in Japan) Contiki wouldn’t be Contiki if we didn’t also manage to squeeze in the Tu Duc Mausoleum, as well as the 7 story Thien Mu Pagoda where we were informed about the nasty Hue Buddhist massacre.

Hue to Hanoi

The flight to Hanoi today was broken up by some amazing cloud porn.

Hanoi is a fantastic mixture of Vietnamese, French and Chinese influences, and this was certainly something we noticed as we checked into our hotel in the old quarter. Hanoi acted as something of a base for us, as we were there for two nights yet it was useful as a jumping point for our jaw dropping cruise through Halong Bay.

The time in the city that afternoon was spent in the Garden of Literature, roaming the Parisian inspired boulevards and trading streets, as well as eating delicious Pho for dinner.

A strange guy on our tour was suffering from swollen feet quite badly by this stage. Alicia, being a nurse, had previously told him to stop walking and put his feet up, which he ignored. At this point she was so annoyed with him that the sight of his two balloons did nothing to elicit her sympathy, something which I can’t blame her for.

Hanoi to Halong Bay

The next morning a group of us decided we needed to go and visit the dead body of Ho Chi Minh (interestingly stored in Hanoi and not Ho Chi Minh itself) and balloon man decided to tag along, much to our dismay. How he was still standing on them I have no idea.

It was another sweaty day and I was glad we had decided to stop by to see a corpse so early in the morning, as it meant that we could once again avoid huge queues. The performance to get in to see him was extraordinary. After a thorough bag search, we had to walk in a uniformed line, with guards marching beside us, even when we got inside the gloomy mausoleum. Ho Chi was illuminated in a kind of sickly yellow light, although I couldn’t be sure as we only had about five seconds in there. Apparently they are worried that you might smash the glass and steal a body part, or something.

Our main destination was the great Halong Bay itself. This may very well surpass, or at least equal, the Fjords of Norway or the Grand Canyon when I try to explain how my jaw dropped. It is out of this world – and we had a whole 24 hours there!

After we had boarded our Chinese style junk boat, we went to the top deck to snap a million photos, whilst cruising through the lagoons, forests and grottos of the Gulf of Tonkin. I believe our first visit was to the Sung Sot caves where it was so hot that it felt – and looked – like Dante’s Inferno, and we spotted a rather rude formation.

Our second stop was via a small speedboat to an island where we climbed to the top to get even more unreal photos of Halong Bay.

Back onboard our main vessel and a woman enthusiastically rowed up to our boat with a whole supply of snacks waiting. (Note all the Pringles)

Sunset was a stunner.

Dinner that night was seafood heavy, as we cranked up the music and got ready to party – pirate style 😉

Halong Bay back to Hanoi

The next morning we woke to a generous breakfast display and an option to go kayaking around the Bay, something that none of us were going to say no to. That hands down has to be my favourite kayaking experience, breathing in the splendour and also keeping a look out for little monkeys hiding in the cliffs looming high above us.

Back to Hanoi – was really not what we wanted to do as it would spell an end to our trip, and for many of us, the next day we would be leaving to fly home. But go we must. I couldn’t quite believe it.

Hanoi to Home (wherever that is)

Well, I’d done it. One whole month in South East Asia, and still miraculously alive. For now – I still had to get back to the UK. Sitting in the airport and sweating whilst waiting for my flight, I decided that I was actually quite relieved to be returning to a much cooler climate – perhaps my brain would start functioning properly again. In all likelihood, it would probably be plotting out the next great adventure in another tropical paradise…

Until then…

Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

It seems only fitting that the last day and night of our tour should end on an exhausted, heat ridden high, as we were to go on an unforgettable trip to Angkor Wat. As with most great destinations or attractions in the world, getting to them is not usually an easy feat. The glamorous photos at the end don’t reflect the effort that you put in to make it happen. In short, you don’t see behind the scenes to any sweating, yawning, whinging or dehydration 😉

Rising at night time and heaving ourselves onto the coach at 3am was the order of the day. We travelled to this great (why is it not) wonder of the world in silence, bleary eyes looking out at the near black landscape. By the time we got there it was starting to get light, and most of us were making vague noises about wishing we had a snack on us, but it was time to enter the gates of greatness. I must admit this was actually quite exciting, as we padded through the gloom of old ruins into an open field to wait for the colourful sunrise to burst through the sky. Taking our positions at various points on a slight hillside, we settled with our cameras and waited. A woman came around selling coffee and most of us jumped at the chance.

We briefly got distracted by a horse wandering around.

The main event was spectacular. I’ve seen a lot of sunsets and a few sunrises in various locations during my short life so far, but none ever quite compared to this. The quickly changing kaleidoscope of colours, lighting and backdrop of Angkor Wat…it couldn’t have been much more perfect. Some birds flew overheard at the right moment too, further adding to the effect. The horse was all but forgotten.

There’s a lot to see and climb and take in at that place, once the light has properly come up. Angkor Wat is simply enormous. The crowds gradually started to thicken, so I was glad that we had made the effort to turn up when we did. Our local guide was extremely informative and useful, but sadly a few of us got split up from the rest of our group. Thank goodness there were at least 6 or 7 of us, I think it was, and luckily this was several hours in so we had all had a chance to look at everything.

Later on, after a much needed nap from the heat we all set off for our next site, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. This was actually where much of Tomb Raider was set, and therefore it felt very adventurous and atmospheric walking amongst the ruins and through forest, imagining being Lara Croft. (Maybe that was just me)

The guard clearly couldn’t be arsed, and I don’t blame him. “This iphone needs to cool down before the camera can be used” was a message I didn’t know existed before this trip.

On our way back to the bus Justin and I made the rookie error of daring to look at the goods various retailers were selling on their market stalls for longer than 0.017 seconds. Seemingly out of nowhere, a crowd started to throng around us, beginning to block our way, like something from The Walking Dead. We looked at each other. “Run” we almost said at the same time, making a mad dash for it. To our incredulity, they had started to run too, physically chasing us – that’s how much they wanted us to buy.

That evening was sadly to be our last as a group, and we gathered together for dinner nearby Pub street followed by Charlie’s bar. All of us had bought ‘I love Cambodia’ T-shirts, which we signed with supportive messages like it was the last day of school. Dancing in the street in Siem Reap with the local kids after several Tequila shots is something I’ll always remember 🙂

What a group! What an adventure!

(Poor Michelle, arm gradually healing by this point ;))

For a select few of us, however, it wasn’t quite time to go home – as we would be continuing onto Vietnam with an entirely new group of people. Until next time…

Vang Vieng to Vientiane and onto Cambodia

Vang Vieng to Vientiane

It was time to head to the capital city and a slice of history and culture. First up, we were shown a documentary on the secret war in Laos. It turned out that during the Vietnam war this secret war had taken place which resulted in millions of cluster bombs being dropped all over the country, and that because of this, Laos is actually the most bombed country in the world. There are still huge numbers of unexploded bombs lying around, which can mean nasty injuries. Sadly many of these are most notably children who would play with them thinking they were a toy or harmless. Thankfully funding has since been sent from the US to help towards a much needed clean up.

As an extension to the film, our first port of call was at the Cope Centre to not only learn more about the war in detail but about the UXOs, which stands for unexploded ordinances, or bombs. We saw a display of many prosthetic limbs and the struggles that amputees of these bombs face.

Our second stop saw us visiting the pretty ‘Arc de Triomphe’ of the South East, in the centre of Vientiane. Marking the end of the war it is constructed out of concrete and open for visitors to climb. Which of course in the heat took us no effort whatsoever. The next destination at Saysettha Park, however, made it seem like a walk in the park. It is here that you can find the famous tourist attraction of the reclining Buddha. We all jostled and sweated for our place amongst the crowds in order to have a picture taken with the Buddha. Most of us opted for a predictable reclining photo.

Our efforts were rewarded at the hotel later, when we discovered to our utter joy that they had a pool.

Several happy hours were spent there drinking beer and playing with a cute little pup on the side until we all somewhat reluctantly got out to get dressed and go for dinner. This was at a roof top bar a Tuk tuk ride away. Later that night some of the crew had a wild night in Tom and Justin’s room playing ‘Never have I ever’, which apparently drew the attention of the local police, who were observing the loud frivolity pool side.

Vientiane to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The next morning, Alicia and I heard a massive crash next door. It turned out that a sizeable portion of Will and Jessie’s bathroom ceiling had collapsed, meaning they had to pop in to use our shower. Time to leave for our next country, I thought.

Cambodia would turn out to have its own set of surprises in store for us.

Check into Phnom Penh airport at the other side was quick and hassle free. We got a chance to eat at Burger King (hooray!) paying with USD and receiving Cambodian Riel. This isn’t the first country I’ve been in where dual or even triple currency is allowed, and it’s still a strange, but useful, concept.

Phnom Penh was a complete culture shock – from the rubbish piles, to the smell, the organised chaos and obvious poverty. I had never been anywhere like this before and as we drove through the city from the airport to the Killing Fields my eyes widened, trying to take it all in. As with Laos, there were little to no traffic rules, probably even more exaggerated here. By the waterfront a group of people had gathered for what looked like a dance class, and two cocks were fighting.

(Sheltering in a restaurant in the evening, after braving a walk through the markets)

The Killing Fields, direct link and main ‘action station’ to Pol Pot’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime of the 70s, is not a place I find easy to recall. Aside from being told that it was normal to find ourselves standing on pieces of bone and teeth protruding from the ground (and we did) some truly horrific things took place there. Perhaps it is easier to go for yourself if you have an interest. You certainly won’t forget it. A quarter of the population were brutally killed, including children, between 1975-79, making it the second largest genocide outside of World War II in human history. Even more remarkable is that it was a killing of their own, the Khmer people.

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum finished off our learning experience, and it was here that we met the lovely and incredibly brave author, Chum Mey. In his 80s, and one of the few surviving members of the regime, he was selling signed copies of his book, “Survivor”. It was truly inspiring, as you thought ‘Well if he can do it, anyone can’.

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

Another day, another flight, another flirtation with death – as we noted to our horror that part of the plane ceiling had been duct taped. After spending an hour nervously eyeballing the bouncing bits of plastic, Justin and I posed for a celebratory survival photo upon landing. Perhaps I would still live to see my thirties, I thought.

Our first visit on solid ground was straight onto the water, with a boat trip through an amazing floating village. A young boy onboard provided back massages for a few coins and we tried to forget about the overwhelming smell of petrol fumes.

Further along on our cruise and we noticed another small boat was ‘chasing’ us. In it were a father and his two children, offering up a live snake. At first we recoiled but then realised that (again, for a small fee) they were giving us a chance to hold it around our necks and pose for photos, which some of the group did.

During the evening we got to hang out in Siem Reap proper, with a scavenger hunt laid out for us. This was a lot of fun and we split off into different groups, with a competition to complete all of the tasks in record time and beat the other groups. Some of these tasks included posing with a local, getting a fish pedicure and finding questionable mascots in shops.

Tomorrow would spell a big day for us, as we were preparing ourselves to rise at dawn for one of the main events of the trip, Angkor Wat.

Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng

Luang Prabang

The following day was mercifully kinder to us as we had some nice things planned and one of those was a ride on an elephant. Our tour manager assured us that the elephants were treated well and that coming from a sanctuary in Laos they were guaranteed this. The experience was a tick off the bucket list for me as I had always wanted to go, and it was amazing. We trekked through the undergrowth and a large area of swampy ground where some of the elephants decided to fill their trunks with water and spray it up into the air, meaning we nearly got drenched. I also filmed an Attenborough style commentary on the back of our elephant but I’ll spare everyone the footage. Which is just as well, because this version of WordPress doesn’t allow for videos anyway.

After the elephants our local guide Doua very kindly invited us back to his home (we all tentatively crowded into his ute!)

to have a look around, mainly so we could be shown his pride and joy, the butterfly garden. He told us he’d created it himself, as a retreat, and how happy it made him to be able to sit in it every day. We were amazed by how many family members were crowded into the small house with little to no furniture, not to mention that his wife was pregnant.

Our next port of call was at a beautiful spot called Kuang Si Falls to swim. Any type of water activity in this heat is welcomed and we stayed several hours.

The day wouldn’t really be complete without any drama at all, as in the evening we went for a walk around the night markets and a motorbike decided to drive into me and nudge me out the way so it could park. No apologies, no warning – just nearly drove over my foot. Standard. I began to think that if we could make it alive out of South East Asia with all our limbs intact we’d be doing very well.

Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng

Our last activity in Luang Prabang involved getting up at 4am to feed the monks. Kneeling on cushions in a long line that stretched all the way down the street, we prepared for the monks to walk past and receive our rice offerings. We were given small baskets of sticky rice and encouraged to roll balls out of them beforehand so as to be ready when each one of them walked past our basket. This was easier said than done as they were of all ages and walked so fast that we were in a race trying to get a ball into each bowl.

En route to Vang Vieng we stopped for lunch high up in the mountains, with unusual bathrooms that had open air views to the amazingly lush scenery below. Not very private but worth it.

Arriving in Vang Vieng some time later, we were randomly dropped off on a US airstrip used during the Vietnam war. This was a little distance from our hotel, as unfortunately our coach wasn’t allowed to park there. Easily the hottest place we had been in so far, the walk to the hotel, which usually may have taken 5-10 minutes, seemed to take forever and this was prolonged by locals wanting to have photos taken with us. The view from the hotel was one of the most stunning I’ve ever seen. It looked out over the Song river which we would tube and kayak down the next day.

Sadly the room itself wasn’t so appealing with an ancient and dodgy looking air con system, the size and sound of which seemed to make the heat even worse – and not only that, but it didn’t seem to be doing much in the way of cooling the room down. The temperature was difficult to describe – a kind of humidity that makes it virtually impossible to think anything other than the desire, if it were possible, to remove not only all your clothes but your skin to cool down. My fault for going in August, I kept thinking.

Drinks on the deck overlooking the river later was lovely. We were all (marginally) cooler by then and more smiley.

Dinner was at the Kangaroo Bar in town after that and then Jonny, another guide, joined us for karaoke. He was always a lot of fun and vaguely out of it.

Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng. 8am. Music. Beer. Transport. This can mean only one thing, party on the Tuk tuk!

We made the most of our fortunate predicament and partied onboard until we had been transferred to the rice fields, which we needed to walk through to reach the caves for our tubing experience. But this wasn’t just any rice field, oh no. This was like an adult version of the 80s kids TV programme ‘Fun House’, where we needed to scale a ladder over a fence, navigate narrow, slippery muddy paths and cross unstable, swaying bridges.

Not forgetting the anorexic cows.

Once safely over to the other side, we were handed our sexy tubing gear (helmets and head torches is always a great look on anyone) and descended into the dark, swirling rapids of the caves. Luckily there was a safety rope as it really was quite dodgy in there, what with the strong current, slippery rocks and lack of visibility. A bit of screaming ensued – once when somebody let go of the rope and another when someone thought they felt something in the water grab their leg. I doubt there will be many other times in my life when I sit on a large black rubber ring and rope burn my hands to get from A to B, but it was definitely an experience I’m glad I had.

In comparison the kayaking experience after was a walk in the park. I shared with Justin, who sat behind and proceeded to use his oars to purposely flick me with water. I just about let him off as he had cut himself in the caves and no doubt needed a respite.

That afternoon a couple of people went rock climbing, while others visited the Blue Lagoon, followed by a hangout at the riverside bars. Some sound advice was written on one bucket.

Back in the old days of only a few years ago, these riverside bars would have featured heavily when tubing down the river – which they severely discourage you from doing now as there were sadly a few tourist fatalities from the combination of alcohol and fast flowing water.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that we ended up back at the Kangaroo bar later.