Goodbye Guangzhou, Hello Hong Kong

19/07

 Catch a taxi through to Garden Hotel to get our bus to Hong Kong.  We ended up getting there early so have to sit around for awhile.  Eventually the bus arrives and we get on.  Uneventful trip until we get to Shenzen, the border.  Oh boy, organised chaos!  The queues are ludicrous, nothing you can do but stand and wait your turn.  Two and a half hours later we emerge, very much frazzled!

We finally arrive in Kowloon.  Oh dear more running repairs on big bag.  The screw popped out of the handle, never to be seen again.

I managed to get a map from a nearby hotel.  We were standing, eating a sandwich, trying to see where we need to go when a young guy came up and asked if he could help us.  Wonderful, he showed us where we were going and advised us where to get a taxi.  Brilliant we were at our Hotel/Guesthouse? in no time at all.

We booked in and dumped our bags in the smallest room you have ever seen.  What a giggle!  Frank stood in the middle of the room and stretched his arms out almost touching the two side walls.  As we had walked into the room, Frank commented on the high hospital style beds - It's the only place to put your luggage!  The shower and toilet is about 900 mm square with the shower directly above the toilet and a minute handbasin to the side.  Oh well it is only to sleep in for one night.  Accommodation in Hong Kong is very expensive so make do!

Now we go downstairs, I really chose a Metropolitan place this time.  I think every race, creed and type stay here.  out we go into the street.  Heeeeelp!  Everyone wants to sell you a good copy watch, suit, handbags.

It is getting dark as we walk down to the Ferry Jetty as I have heard that it is very nice and peaceful.  The closer we get the more people we see heading in the same direction.  When we reach the quayside everybody is there!  It is the "Symphony of Lights".  It is a real treat! Unfortunately my photos can't display the stunning show.

20/07

We find ambition at McDonalds.  Afterwards we were walking in the street and discussing how we were going to get to the airport, when a Kiwi guy came up and started talking to us.  Oooops he was just a slight bit under the weather.  Considering he had been out all night and still had a beer in his hand, it was understandable.  He seems a really nice guy though.  He told us where to catch the bus to the airport as a taxi would cost us in the region of R250.  We stood chatting about NZ (where he is from), Taiwan (where he currently lives) and SA until he realises that his wife will be awake and wondering where he is.  I don't wanna be him!

We go back to our minute room and get our stuff together and leave it in the storage room so we can explore a bit of Hong Kong in daylight.  Another concrete jungle so not surprising we find ourselves back near the jetty.

Eventually we collect our bags and go catch our bus.  We sat around at the airport for several hours as our flight left at 11:35pm.  While we were there a Typhoon warning came through and we were as worried as hell that our flight would be cancelled but it wasn't and our pilot flew around it once we got in the air!

Goodbye Nanning Hello Guangzhou

13/07
Bus trip is pretty uneventful except for the stop at lunchtime!  It was impossible to find out what the unappetising food was.  We ended up buying some bananas and cokes.

When we finally arrive in Gaungzhou it is dark.  We walk through the bus terminus and Lo & Behold we find a KFC.  It was the very best KFC we have ever tasted (we were THAT hungry)!  Once bellies are full we start walking, in this vast city, looking for a hotel.  Eventually I find a policeman and asked for directions to a hotel.  With many hand gestures he was very helpful and we were almost at the hotel (posh) when we got accosted by the infamous touts.

The first place she takes us to was way too expensive and looked a bit of a dive. Then she starts getting in my face to take us to another hotel.  I told her to P... Off (she really was pushy and irritating) so she starts hassling Frank.  Next minute a male tout joins in the discussion.  He said he would drive us (not far, Hah) to a good hotel.  I was terrified of this as I had read many articles of people getting scammed this way but Frank said let's go for it.  I was panicking all the way but he did take us to an alright hotel.  We finally collapsed on the bed utterly exhausted.

14/07

Up early looking for coffee.  Wow we found a place where we could have breakfast and coffee.  On going back to the hotel, I ask about their laundry service only to be advised that they don't do laundry and I should use the laundry across the road.  No problem except it is closed!  I book us into the hotel for another night, let our CS host know we will be with him the following day.  Now we wait for the laundry to open.  We are down to our last set of clean clothing!  Guess what? - The laundry doesn't open!  What a waste of time!

Eventually we go for a walk.  We find a fruit shop which had beautiful looking peaches and Frank got a hankering for a Peach.  I start looking at the peaches and feeling them.  Ooooops wrong thing to do!!!!  The lady in the shop starts taking off at me in "Gooble-de-Gook" and pointing to a sign with funny squiggles on it!  I presume you aren't allowed to handle the merchandise so I take the two I had handled and bought them.  Huh!  Franks one was ripe but had a split pip which had opened the whole peach, mine was still hard as nails.

15/07

Guess what - Laundry still hasn't opened.  We grab a taxi and arrive at our CS host's apartment, dirty clothes an' all!  Eli was kind enough to let me use his washing machine.  Hooray clean clothes!

When we arrived we were met by Dan, an American, who said Eli (also an American) would be home shortly, which he was.  Dan described himself as Eli's 'ex husband-in-law' which rather baffles us.  We later find out that Dan had married Eli's ex wife, who he has since divorced.

Lunch was served shortly after Eli had arrived.   Mmmmm he doesn't like local food so we had Tuna Croquettes and several different salads.  What a delicious meal!

The afternoon was spent doing laundry and hanging it up to dry.  Everything is hung on the balconies - You don't hang your washing outside on a line here and they don't have driers at all.

We go walking and exploring this new area - Big buildings after big buildings.  Grief the high-rise apartments are unbelievable and then of course you have the office blocks and shops.  Renting is expensive but buying a property is over the top.

We found a "wild rice research Centre".  Unfortunately they gave up the whole project as all we could find was weeds, weeds and more weeds.  We were in an area behind apartments and shops.  We carried on a little way and came across a veggie garden.  How strange to find this in amongst the concrete jungle.

We went back to the apartment.  Eli came back from work and we sat and chatted.  What an interesting man.
16/07

We decide we want to go to the shopping markets.  Dan gives us directions and says we need to go to the Garden Hotel and we will find the area easily enough.  Hah!  We are in the wrong place.  Oh well we walk around looking at the shops an' all.  We managed also to buy our bus tickets to Hong Kong, from the hotel, so all was not a waste of time.  Hmmm now the sky is darkening very heavily with rain clouds.  Amazing - What's rain?  I really thought we would see a lot more than what we did in Asia.

Only problem after a short shower of rain the sun comes out and just makes everything that much more muggy!

This evening we go with Eli and Dan to a restaurant where CS meet.  Unfortunately Eli is not feeling too well so we eat and then leave.  Oh dear it has been raining again so there is no chance of finding a taxi (they are all full).  We walk back to the apartment, which was not that far, probably about two and a half kilometers
17/07
Ok now Eli gives us directions to get to the shopping markets and off we go.  Oh we land up just near the bus terminus where we had originally arrived in Guangzhou.  LOL! That means nothing 'cos we still got horribly lost.  We walked for ages before Frank lost it and hailed a tuc-tuc.  Help!  They drive like Idiots!  This was a woman driver so I thought it might be better.  What a laugh!  We give her the address of where we want to go and we set off.  Next minute she turns into a main road.  No problem, except she is driving on the wrong side of the road, towards on-coming traffic!!  I know that we almost knocked over several pedestrians.  I don't know how many close calls there were with the on -coming traffic, I had my eyes shut tight most of the time!  Ok we get there in one piece.  She indicates that we need to walk up this lane where she dropped us.  Oooookay!?  Yes we did find it after walking passed shops, after shops of clothing.

This place is unreal!  One block (and damn their blocks are big) is female clothing, one is men's clothing then there are blocks for watches, leather, computers and shoes.  I really have no idea how all of these shops make enough money to survive.

We spend most of the day wandering around this massive area.  Shoppers delight if you have lots of money and plenty of space in your suitcase.  Needless to say we have neither of these commodities so we just "window lick"!!!

Eli went out this evening so we had our 'doggy-bags' from last night for supper and just chilled.
18/07

We make a relatively early start 'cos we taking the Metro to Xiangjiang Safari Park.  It is a fair distance away (almost to the end of our Metro line).  The train fills up pretty quickly.  It looks like most of Guangzhou have the same idea.  We arrive and get on the shuttle bus, with the masses, which is provided.  Thank heavens we didn't decide to walk as we travelled a good distance and we would have got  lost again.

We go into the Park and I buy a fan with a map of the park on it not realising that a little way on they give you a free map.  Oh well not serious at least I can keep myself a little cool 'cos it's going to be a killer day again.

We are very impressed with the park.  It is beautifully laid out.  The animals and birds all look in exquisite condition.  Of course they have animals from all over the world but we are more interested in the more local ones like the tigers - absolutely stunning - What majestic creatures they are.  Of course we couldn't leave out the Panda Bears, I mean we Are in China!  They are soooo beautiful.

Food was like any theme park. damn expensive and not very good tasting.

We spent almost the whole day walking around.  By lunchtime the crowds had really grown.  We wanted to go on the 'Ride on Safari' but that wasn't going to happen looking at the queues.

 
We make our way back home and went looking for somewhere to eat.  Right we go into this one place.  Frank has a pork on rice hotpot and I go for a beef dish.  They tell me the one I chose is very hot (spicy) so I change my mind.  Then the waitress says they have one that is mild so I go "Ok".  Hah!  I like chillies but this is ridiculous.  It was sooooooo hot that I was sweating and had tears running down my face.  Frank tried some (he can eat Hot chillies) and even said he wouldn't be able to eat my food.  It was actually tasty when you could get past the chillie.  Needless to say I left most of it!

Goodbye Hanoi Hello Nanning, China

12/07

Oh well the last day of our Vietnamese visa so we catch a bus to Nanning, China.

The scenery along the way is great.  We seem to be travelling uphill almost all the way from Hanoi.  Nanning must be quite high above sea level.

The border crossing was pretty painless!  Only problem we had was a pretty steep hill we had to drag the big case up, but we managed.

We now climb on a Chinese bus, hmmm, very comfortable.  Again their roads are very good.  South Africa really needs to pay attention as to the condition that roads should be, instead of saying, "we are lucky we have tar roads."

Oh dear we are asked which bus station we want to be dropped off at.  How the heck do we know?  Anyway we say the one that is closest to the city centre and hotels.  Big Mistake!  The centre of this big city called Nanning, don't speak English!  Even the tourist desk inside the bus station.  One guy there even used his computer to tell me "No English."  Oh Boy!!!!  Then I find a young girl who speaks 'leeetle English'.  I ask for a map and she tells me, via computer, from a library????!!!!!

I go looking for a hotel.  Hooray there is one right next door.  Ooooops they are full! - so I walk down the road going into several hotels.  The stock answer I got was NO, nothing else but NO!  Eventually I find one and there is a young girl in the reception area who CAN speak a bit of English.  She did very well and we managed to get a room and find an ATM.  Unfortunately she had to go home.

I go down later to ask about having laundry done.  LOL!!!!!  Another mission!!  The receptionist phones a woman who can speak a bit of English, which, unfortunately, does not go as far as laundry, dirty washing etc. Eventually after much trying she tells me that she will allow me to do washing in my room!  Hello!  They only have showers in the rooms.  There is a handbasin but the plugs never work.  I give up!!!!

Now we go looking for some food.  The hotel has a restaurant but that has been booked for a bunch of very noisy kids - can't eat there.  Ok so we walk the streets again.  We eventually find a place that is called "Noodles & Rice" or something.  We see a picture on the menu and point to it ordering only one, Thank Heavens!  We get our bowl of food which turns out to be a noodle soup sort of thing with one prawn and god alone knows what other bits were in it.  Neither Frank nor I are very good with chopsticks so we get some spoons, break the noodles into smaller pieces and try to eat it.  The locals are straight-out laughing at us but we were so damn hungry we just ignored them and carried on battling.  Not happy Chappies!

We decided enough was enough, we went and booked bus tickets for the next day to Guangzhou, bypassing Yangshou (apparently you have to catch 2 buses to get there).  Far too much potential frustration!

Goodbye Hue, Hello Hanoi

09/07
We arrived at 6:30 am.  I was still climbing off the bus when I have a piece of paper shoved under my nose.  I pushed it away and then realised it had MY name on it!  Our hotel in Hue had sent our name through to their sister hotel in Hanoi and it was a tout from the hotel holding it.  Grief these guys really irritate me!!!!!  When I get off a bus after Hours of travelling the first thing I need is a damn cig and try to get my bearings 'cos you can rest assured Frank will be asking me shortly, "Where are we?".  Anyway we hummed and Hahhed with this guy until he told us he would take us by taxi to the hotel at his cost.  The hotel wasn't too bad so we stayed - $15 for the room plus breakfast.

We freshened up and then went for a walk to explore the surrounds.  Unbelievable!  They drive even worse than in Saigon city.  Can't say we are too impressed with what we saw.  The "Old Town" is dirty, dusty, busy and Ugh.  We made our way down to the lake which was pretty.  We sat and people watched, drinking overpriced Cokes.

Walking back to the hotel we found a guy making 'souvlakia' sort of buns.  They were quite dee-lish!

We went out later and got horribly lost!  Oh dear, we walked for miles.  The two maps I had were useless...... half the roads weren't marked or else they weren't even on the maps!

Eventually we find ourselves in familiar territory so we sit at a corner stand and have a coke.  I had heard that the Vietnamese eat dog but I don't think I really believed it!  Unfortunately now I know it as a fact!  Probably a bit of information that I did not need verification of.  Went back to the hotel in a very sombre mood.

10/07

Oh yes..... getting out of Hanoi for two days.  We are going to Ha Long Bay.

We wet off to Sinhtourist office to catch the bus with ample time to spare.  Ooooops, what with walking on pavement, off pavement, dodging moving motorbikes, trying to squeeze past parked motorbikes, we walk right past where we are supposed to be!  Only the MentalMantles!!!!!  We walked 'hell 'n gone' down the road before turning around and eventually finding the office, a few minutes late!  Then we are told that the bus is waiting at the other office for us.  No Chance!  They came and fetched us!

After approximately a four hour trip we reached Ha Long Bay.  Now the real frustration started!  Most of the people on the bus had opted to sleep over on the boat.  They were whisked off to their boat and we went to the "Day Trip" side.  A Very good reminder of why we had steered clear of most tourist attractions - The crowds were like overcrowded tins of sardines!!! Ok we finally get on board a boat with us both extremely irritated.  We are served a very local lunch on board, the famous fish head, overcooked squid, Tofu and gluey rice.

As the sailing went so the irritations disappeared. 

Oh what an amazing place.  The beauty is indescribable.  All I can say is, if one is ever in Vietnam and you don't go to Ha Long Bay then you cannot say you have seen Vietnam.

We stopped at Thien Cung cave.  Ok back to the cattle line of tourists.  Our guide tells us it is about a 25 metre climb - HAH! - Definitely more like a 50 metre climb, almost straight up.  We were exhausted but boy are the caves stunning.  Our guide gave us all the folklore stories of the Dragon and Fairy who were in love and had 100 sons (or 1000).  They couldn't stay together so split up and the sons, half going with Dad Dragon and the others going with Mom Fairy.  The hole is there where the Dragon and his share of kids flew through.  Mom Fairy left one of her breasts in the cave in case her sons came back etc, etc.  So I imagine the Fairy become a little lob-sided?!

We then continued sailing for a few more hours.  The other people on this boat were sleeping on board and had just been given their cabin keys.  Oh boy there were an awful lot of unhappy people.  They had all paid $60 each for "Deluxe" accommodation and the sleeping quarters were nowhere near expectations.  They spent the rest of the afternoon arguing with their tour guide, who in our opinion was in on the scam!

We were dropped off on Cat Ba Island where a crazy mini bus collected us and took us to our hotel.  What a nice surprise!  We had booked a 2* hotel but were taken to a 3*.  Mmmmm I could get use to this, it was a lovely hotel.  We had an awesome view of the small boat harbour and on the side was one of the mountain type rocks.  The weather was not quite as hot as usual.

After a shower I went downstairs to find our tour-aunty only to be told that she had gone out.  The concierge told me that we needed to go to the second floor for dinner - Another surprise!  We had some soup (scrumptious), then the all familiar bowl of rice appeared, with a dish with fish (not head), 2 battered prawns, bowl of "Tender" beef, salad, bowl of green beans and vegies.  What a delicious meal!

Our tour-"aunty", Viet, came and had a shower in our room as she was unable to get a room with a shower as the hotel was full.  When she finished Frank & I went walking in the street.  It was a real party-like atmosphere down there.  No vehicles, people were hiring tandem bicycles and riding up and down.  The market-like stalls were all there as well.  A stage was set up where different singers performed.  The lighting in the trees and along the boardwalk was brilliant and the boats in the harbour also had all their lights on.  Oh it was stunning!

11/07

Awake early, made coffee and went for  a walk in the daylight.  how peaceful!  We went back to the hotel for a buffet breakfast.  Ooooooh decent breakfast, bacon, eggs, sausage and all the different fruits and of course coffee.

8:30am oh dear time to leave this paradise.  Another crazy mini bus ride.  As you are driving along you look up and see these enormous rocks balancing and you wonder if one is going to fall on top of the bus.  Oh well back on the boat and we start sailing back to the mainland.  Oh I wish we could have stayed longer!

Right now lunchtime, we were taken to a restaurant with all the other tourists - Another VERY local meal, similar to what we had on the boat, the day before.

The bus trip back to Hanoi was uneventful.  Booked in at our hotel and went looking for our 'souvlakia' guy.  After chow we walked through the streets, which had materialised into a Night Market.  It was rather pleasant as the vehicles had been blocked and you could walk without dodging all the crap.  Unfortunately all the other tourists had the same idea.

Goodbye Hoi An, Hello Hue.

07/07

Oh dear, time to leave Hoi An.  On the bus again, a sleeper bus, why, who knows 'cos it is only a morning trip.  We arrive in Hue around lunchtime.  We had a very friendly chap next to us on the bus.  On enquiring where he was from, he replied, "Malaysia!"  It just proves my point of how nice these people are.

We had been travelling for a little while when the bus turned off the road and we got a wonderful surprise, we had stopped at Marble Mountain.  I thought that we would not get to see it.  It is something so different seeing the Rock (Mountain) standing there in all it glory.  We only had 20 minutes there so unfortunately couldn't go up and into it.  It would have taken us probably almost 20 minutes to climb the stairs!

Hue is uneventful, we only stopped here for the night, instead of doing two bus trips in one day.

We took a walk down to the river and saw the Dragon boats which you can hire and go along the river.  We, later, ambled back to the hotel to die quietly.  I swear every place we go to gets hotter than the last.

08/07

We while away most of the day until our sleeper bus leaves at 5:30 pm for Hanoi.

Goodbye Da Lat, Hello Hoi An via Nha Trang

04/07
Up early again, this time waiting for the bus to pick us up. We are going to Nha Trang and  then onto Hoi An later.  Our hotel made us breakfast "padkos" which was great!

Sinhtourist (ex SinhCafe), the bus company we are travelling with, seem to take all the back roads which is much more scenic than freeways, although some roads leave a lot to be desired and makes the trips last that much longer!

We drove through lots of small villages, most people in this area seem to plant vegetables in any available piece of ground.  Oooops now comes the descent!!!!................. Going down this mountain pass was unbelievable.  It is only 30 Km but took us 2 hours to get down.  In places they were repairing wash-aways and there was only enough space (just) for 1 vehicle to get through.  The road snaked back and forth like you cannot believe.  Sometimes when passing on-coming traffic, I swear, our tyres were inches from the edge.  Oh boy scary at times but the countryside was outstanding, when you stopped watching the road!  For those in the know Sani Pass is "Mickey Mouse" and that can scare the Sh... out of me!

We finally arrive in Nha Trang and we had several hours to waste before our sleeper bus to Hoi An left.

We were close to the beach front so went there found a shady spot and made Avo rolls for lunch.  We had bought 2 Avos the day before and then got 2 rolls from our coffee place before we left.

I put my toes in the ocean, that was warmer than my bath water.  The sea here is very flat, hence all the water-sports are available here!

We went walking around when it got a little cooler and came across this Vietnamese museum/showpiece for embroidered pictures.  Words cannot describe the artistry required for this craft.  We watched a couple of young girls displaying their talents.  Talking to one of them, she reckons it takes almost a month to complete one average sized piece.  Most young girls are still taught the art as part of growing up.  Damn I wish we had space in our suitcase!!!

Later on we went and caught our "sleeper" bus, what a giggle!  Just imagine the 2 old fogies bending down and crawling into these sleep bunks.  Oh well another first!!!

05/07

After a strange on/off sleeping night we arrive in Hoi An at about 6:30am.  We got our bags off , left them at the bus company's office while we found some ambition.  Then on to look for a hotel.  The first one we went into quoted us $15 with bathroom, AC, Wi-fi and breakfast.  Frank reckoned we should take it so we went to fetch the bags.  When we got back the receptionist said we would have to pay another $2 for the AC and we couldn't have the room until 12:00pm.  We left our bags there and walked down the road.  I saw a very nice looking hotel and went in out of curiosity to see what it would cost.  Amazing! - $15 with AC and breakfast.  We went back to the first one, got our bags and booked in at the second one.  Oh and we could have the room immediately!  No contest!

Hooray a shower was badly needed!  You need to take at least three showers a day in Asia, damn but it is HOT!

Ok if anyone really wants to buy clothes, come spend a couple of days in Hoi An and you will end up with the most amazing clothes.  Bring your own designs, if you want.  They make whatever you want.  The fabrics are awesome!  By the way this applies to males and females!

We found  a shop where they do wood carvings.  The quality of these guys' work is incredible.  The artistic talents of the Vietnamese people still takes my breath away.  The attention to detail is impressive to say the least!

We booked our last two legs of our trip through to Hanoi.  We have also booked a 2 day, 1 night trip to Ha Long Bay which should be fascinating.

Right we shared a Vietnamese style hamburger (strange) and chips for dinner.  It is still too damn hot to have a full meal.

06/07

Morning Vietnam!  We found some "wild" ambition at about 5:45am.  Wow if that don't kick-start your day with a bang I don't know what would!

Later we had breakfast at the hotel.  Hmmm, Yum-Yum!  It is buffet style, let's see, boiled eggs (hard), ham (real ham), dragon fruit (white one), watermelon, pineapple, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, bread/toast/breadroll and of course coffee.  Very tasty!

We went back to the hotel room as I was trying to charge the battery for the camera.  At about 10:00am we took a walk down to the river.  We wanted to take a boat to Kim Bong Island (carpentry and woodcarving) and Thanh Ha Island (pottery).  A young "boat captain" who had spoken to us yesterday saw us and came over to say Hi.  We got him to take us to the islands.  What a fantastic morning!  First we went to see the pottery.  They have to buy their clay out as the clay from the river is no good and does not fire properly.  Their pottery wheel is totally manual.  A young child pushes the wheel around with her foot while the adult forms the clay.  When I think of the supplies and machines I have for pottery it makes one realise just how damn privileged we are!  Their greenware is dried for two days and then it is fired in a wood kiln for 3 days.  They do handwork, wheel and moulds.  All the children are encouraged to make things with clay.  When we arrived on the island there was a young girl, no more than 7 or 8 years old, selling her little whistles she made.  I bought three and her little face just lit up with excitement.

The government has also stepped in to try and save this dying art on this small island.  They have even started a school for the children.  Nice to hear that they offer support!

Next we went with Captain Seo (pronounced Say-O) to the carpentry island and saw them building their boats.  I was so damn fascinated I forgot to take photos!  Can you believe it?????  We then went to the wood carving place.  Like I say the talents that these amazing people have, is humbling!....And Awe-Inspiring!

Goodbye Saigon, Hello Da Lat

02/07

Up early, dragged the bag along the road to where we had to catch our bus.  We got in early before the ants with helmets surfaced and make the roads a "dodgem" track.

The bus left at 7:30am.  It was a long trip approximately 8 to 9 hours.  You drive through some of the most stunning countryside.  The mountain passes we climbed made the uncomfortable trip worth it.

Oh dear the hotel I booked is about 2Km from the centre of town - all UPHILL!!!!  Looking at it while driving to the hotel our hearts sank.  Frank was not impressed and did not think he would be able to walk up the hills to get to town!

We had supper at the hotel and retired for the night!

03/07

Awoke early to a lovely cool misty morning!  It looked and felt like home!  After breakfast we attempted the hills which were not as bad as we had envisaged.  Actually the cooler weather helped a lot!  The incredible heat of everywhere else just drains the energy from you before you start.

We walked around the town centre and market before we started heading back to the hotel.  We made a detour (yes another uphill) to see the convent and its orchid garden.

Unfortunately most of Da Lat's sights have to be done with tours and we were not there long enough, so we just enjoyed the very pleasant weather.

Goodbye Bangkok Hello Saigon, Vietnam

29/06
What a lousy night.......No sleep.......Knew we had to wake up early, our taxi was fetching us at 5:00 am.  No way did we want to be late.  Hooray!  Yippee!  Whoopee!  We  leave Bangkok today!  Definitely not sorry to go.  We are tired of dour faced Thais.  I always thought they were a happy nation but No Way!  They hardly smile, and certainly aren't interested in trying to understand you or help you.
Right we have our ambition.  Our taxi driver arrives early.  Get our bags stowed in the boot and off we go to the airport.
We go and check in and .......... Oh No!  Our flight is non-existent!  We have to catch the 4:00pm flight!  We were told that our agent had screwed up and that it was his fault!  Anyway they gave us vouchers to buy food while we wait.
When we got to the board with all flights on and checked it only to find that Air Asia had cancelled the flight and it had nothing to do with our agent!  Nice One!!!!!
Oh well get over the boring and frustrating day and get on with the better part of the day.......Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon as most still call it, in Vietnam.  Ooooops taxis are the same!!!!  They try and take a chance so we walked almost out of the airport and found a cabbie that was prepared to put his meter on!

OMG.  The Traffic!!!!!!  The Bikes!!!!!!  What an unbelievable sight.  In the plane just before landing I told Frank that it looked like millions of ants, wearing helmets, but wow driving in amongst it was bloody scary! 

The hotel we staying in is awesome, clean and quiet (no more tuc-tuc noises of Bangkok.)  As soon as we dropped our bags off we went walking around.

HELP!!!!!!! One they drive on the wrong side of the road, - Two they seem to forget what side they are on.  In other words they drive anywhere and everywhere, including the sidewalks!!!  You must walk where you find a space and know that somebody will blow his horn at you!

30/06

Good Morning Saigon!

Oh yes back to normal, up early looking for ambition!  We are back amongst friendly, smiling people.  What a pleasure!

We got a map and started walking all over, braving road crossings with our hearts sitting somewhere in the top of our throats!  We found the market and walked around but, whoa, it is crowded with people and stands.  You get pounced on at every stand trying to get you to buy something.

Boy but it is hot.  I think I am perspiring even more here.  We found a park and rested our weary legs in the shade of large flamboyant trees.

We slowly made our way back to the hotel.

Oooooooooh Yes!  Frank has even admitted he wouldn't go on a bike here!!!!!  I don't even think I would drive a car here.  I would be a nervous wreck within 2 minutes!

01/07

Up early again!  We went and booked our Open Bus tickets, so we move onto Da Lat tomorrow, where we will stay for a couple of nights.  There aren't many CS hosts here it is more like meet for coffee, so will be staying in another Hotel/Guest House!

Oh I forgot, yesterday the electricity was out all day, which isn't surprising when you look at the wireworks in the streets.  Scary Stuff!  Our room is on the 6th floor.  Oh my heavens my knees nearly conked!  I had to fetch the camera so didn't have an option!  Oh well I still live to talk about it so  it couldn't have been that bad!???

Now on with today.  We went walking again, now we found a "Boys" market, hardware, tools, motor bike & car spares.  Stalls after stalls, it makes you wonder how anyone can make a living with so much competition.

We bought some street food for lunch and sat in the park again, watching the world go by.  We made it back to the hotel just before the storm erupted, which put paid to further walking for a while, so I have been able to catch up a bit with the blog, but of course I will get behind again.  There is too much to see and do and so little time!

Goodbye Phuket, Hello Bangkok

21/06

Oh me and my big mouth.  I was asking everyone yesterday - "Where is the rain? I thought it rained regularly?"  Guess what .........It's flipping hosing with rain!  Hmmmm and we have to go through to Phuket town to catch our bus.
We got a lift to Phuket Town and walked around until 5:00pm.
Oh dear we got caught AGAIN!!!!! We bought our bus tickets from a so called agent!  We paid for the 24 seater VIP bus so we could stretch out and maybe sleep.  Hahaha!  We ended up on a 40 seater which was bloody uncomfortable.  We tried to find our "agent" but of course she had disappeared!
Oh well imagine a 12 hour night journey with your feet wrapped around your ears, and you might be close to what it was like!
22/06
Ok we finally arrive at 5:00am................Pull toes out of ears and try to get some feeling back into them so we can get off bus.
Now you get mobbed by taxi drivers who won't put their meters on 'cos they know they have you over a barrel!  They know you just want to get to where you are going!

Finally we get to Shanti Lodge in Bangkok.  Definitely nowhere as awesome, in any way, as the one in Phuket.

Bangkok is noisy, crowded and stinky!  We are staying near the river so we can catch ferries to different places.  We took a stroll down to the jetty to check it out.  People were buying bread crusts by the bagfuls then throwing them over the side of the jetty.  The amount of catfish fighting for the bread was unbelievable.  They go into an absolute frenzy!

23/06

Caught the river ferry, we were going to the Grand Palace but found out that we were not suitably dressed.  Oh well we won't get to see that as there is no possible way we can put long pants and sleeved shirts on.  We will really die of heatstroke!

We ended up walking around China Town and Thieves Market.  The market is made up of stalls selling sound equipment and electronic components like you won't believe.

We got back to the hotel both dying of the heat!

Ok......ay it is official.........Bangkok is @#%$#^%%*  Frank hates it and I don't think I like it much better.  I think Bangkok is a city you either love or hate!  I don't think there any shades of grey inbetweeen.

I am trying to get us up north for a few days but that is not happening either.  Oh well suffer in silence and try and find some good!

24/06

We decided to go to the island (in the middle of the river) Where the Mong (from Cambodia) came and settled after getting stranded on a sand bank.  Oh dear, Guess what?  That's right! We couldn't find it! One time I had walked away from Frank to try and find out how to get to the island and some older man approached him and started chatting to him. Next minute he takes a photo of a pretty young girl and tells Frank that it is his daughter and asks if he doesn't want to meet her as she gives good "Boom-Boom"! Frank was speechless for once!   We ended up walking around the area where we had landed which wasn't too bad. 

Hooray a CS host in Hau Hin confirmed that we can spend the weekend with him and his family.  Fantastic we both need to get out of Bangkok.  We have informed front desk that we are leaving and will be back on Monday.  They have agreed to keep our Big bag which is going to be a big help.  Yippee!!!!!

25/06

Checked out of the hotel and we were waiting for the river ferry when we got the call cancelling the weekend.  Shit!

Oh well back to the hotel and got our room back.  Now what to do??

We caught a taxi to Phathip Plaza which is a mall dedicated to computers and software.  Good heavens it is just floor after floor. 

Afterwards we went walking around town for a while.  Tammy & Teneka I have found your mall!  This one is dedicated to clothes and accessories, over 2000 shops!  People take empty suitcases or buy BIG bags on wheels and then start shopping.

The taxi going into town cost us 63 Baht (about R26.00), when we tried to get a taxi back home he wanted to charge us 300 Baht (R75.00), they refused to put their meters on.  We ended up walking back the 6 Km to the hotel.  Oooooh legs and backs are sore!!!!

26/06

Ooooops went back to Phathip Plaza - bought me a computer (hence I am able to catch up on the blog) and some memory sticks for Jakes.  Oh dear same problem with taxi so we walked a way down the road then hailed one.  A first for us.........We met an honest taxi driver!  He told us we actually need to waste an hour before taking a cab as the traffic is still very heavy and it will cost a fortune if we try and do it now so we thanked him, climbed out the cab and went and had some supper to waste time.

27/06 & 28/06

I don't believe it we had to go back to the computer place 'cos the idiot hadn't loaded the wi-fi and of course that is why I bought the bloody thing.  Oooooooooh I can scream.  The level of frustration felt in Bangkok is not healthy!

Sat for the most part catching up on things on the computer while Frank got bored!

Goodbye Penang, Hello Phuket - Thailand

17/06
Up at 5:00am.  Check emails, pack bags, have coffee, go catch mini bus.  Like our KT's!  Yes believe it or not we actually got in one!  Chin kindly dropped us off in town so we could catch the mini bus.  I must be honest I w!as nervous as hell to get into one.  We all know the things that happen on SA roads, so wary wasn't the word!  There were only 5 passengers so we had lots of room.  Needless to say nothing to worry about.
Just before the border our bus was stopped by the police!  It looked like a Gestapo scenario.  Our driver's passport was taken after much talking.  We then had to follow the cop miles back to the police station.  After 45 minutes we finally got on our way again.  The border crossing was painless.
We arrived in Hat Yai where we had to change mini buses.  Our second driver, unfortunately liked "Rap Crap".  Oh dear our poor ears!!!!!
We arrived in Krabi and Lo & Behold we had to change buses again!  We tried to find some food but unfortunately had a slight language problem.  Oh well carry on starving!
Our new drivers driving ability was a little scary.  The first two youngsters we had were good drivers but boy this new one was another story.  Oh well we finally arrived at our hotel/lodge at about 10:00pm.

We went up to our room and nearly fell on our backs.  Frank was adamant that we had come to the wrong place!  It is absolutely stunning.  The whole place is done like a Thai village!!!  It is costing us 550 Baht a night, R122.00 - Can't believe it!

We now went looking for food as we famished!  Our stomachs definitely thought our throats had been cut somewhere along the way!  We found some street food and had pork fried rice.  It tasted like the best meal we had ever eaten.  We went back to our room and fell comatose across the bed.  What a long day! - 13 hours in a mini-bus...............Arghhhh......

18/06

Up early in the tropical paradise.  Found ambition down the road.  Came back to the lodge and had more ambition when their kitchen finally woke up.

We then went for a walk along the main road.  How interesting!!  We watched  a young family making bamboo furniture in their front yard.  Later we found a young guy painting his pottery.  I wish I could have bought a whole lot from him.  His figurines were so adorable!

We walked along to Wat Chalong, a different  type of temples than the ones we saw in Malaysia.  Outside the gate we saw a youngster who had a weird looking animal on his shoulder.  It was tiny, it fitted in his hand!  I don't know .......... A cross between a squirrel, mouse (with bushy tail) and possibly a little like a minute dassie with long tail.  What a combination.

Later that evening we went back to our food place from the night before.  Their food still tasted good.  I had seafood fried rice which was very nice with quite a bit of seafood in it.
Chilled some more.  It was nice to be able to lay down when we wanted and not have to worry about a host.  I think we both needed this chill day badly!
19/06
This morning Frank had the bright idea to borrow a motorbike and went up the road to see how he handled their bikes.  He then came back and told me to get on the back!

Ok.......ay!?  We start off with me clutching onto him like a mad nutter with my eyes  tightly shut!  Then I reckon I better open them and see where we are going.  Of course I am still hanging on for dear life!  Anyway we turn around and go back to the lodge.  When I get off the damn thing he asks me, "So how was that?"  I show him my hands that are shaking so badly!  The manager now also asks me so I show him my hands as well.  I then went and sat inside the lounge.  Oh boy, then I start crying like a little baby!!!!!  How ridiculous!  I know I am scared of motorbikes but certainly didn't realise the phobia had gotten that bad!  Needless to say we hired a small car to drive around the island.  Oh Yes so MUCH better!!!!  Of course Frank is teasing the hell out of me at every opportunity he gets!

We drove further down the coast, enjoying the fabulous beaches here.  Later we went into Phuket town to book our bus tickets to Bangkok.  Gee we didn't even really get lost.  Amazing!! 

20/06

Ok all the early morning things and then we were off.  We went driving around part of the island.  We went down to Rawai Beach and onto the "Sea-Gypsy" village.  How interesting and what a different lifestyle again.  We continued around to Phomthep Cape (Sunset viewpoint).  The view was spectacular even though it was morning.

We continued around the coastline to Kata Beach, Karon Beach and Patong Beach - Ugh! Horrid!  They are definitely there for the tourist.  The beautiful jungles have been cut back to make way for concrete jungles.

On our travels we came across a place where you can go for elephant rides.  The elephants are so much smaller than ours.

Coming back to the lodge we got lost......................It had to happen!  Trying to read street names here is hysterical!  The Thai name is there and the English name is in minute writing underneath.  Oh well we finally made it back and in one piece!

We have decided that the East Coast is better - It might not be as picturesque but it is far more natural which is beauty in its own!

After a little rest we went and put petrol in the car and then drove down to Chalong Pier.  Here you can go out fishing or cruise in a boat.  Their cruise boats are strange, some have 3 outboard motors on.  We even saw a few with 4 motors! - And they weren't toys either, 200 - 250hp each.  Unreal!