Our Asian Adventure...
I must admit, one usually writes a travel blog as soon as they get home from said travel. It doesn't surprise me that it has taken over two months to start writing about my trip to South East Asia with Grant in October. The fact that the trip was planned and paid for in less than four months, the speed at which the five weeks away passed us by and the pace we've been working since returning, its a wonder I even get to this moment now.
As I mentioned, it was only June when we went to see Nicola at House of Travel with a very vague idea of Thailand or Vietnam, on a maximum budget of $10,000 with no idea if we would even get time off work. With her help we managed to find an Intrepid tour that visited 3 different countries and a week of relaxation on the beach to finish; Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. The only compromise was flying with Malaysian Airlines to stay on budget. Apart from a couple of hiccups in 2014, I was willing to take the risk - and it paid off (I couldn't fault the airline). We were off!
We arrived in Hanoi to a sweltering day and to be honest, the culture shock hit me quite hard. The only experience I can liken it to was my trip to Cuba. Arriving was like being back in Old Havana - it even smelt the same. Luckily this time I wasn't alone, and Grant (unfazed by the hustle and bustle) was an awesome companion, not to mention the great group of Intrepid travelers and guides we would befriend on our journey. I left the spending money in Grant's capable hands, and along with the multiple languages he memorised, he quickly became an expert in currency conversions.
The biggest thing I will always remember from the trip is the tooting. I have never seen so many scooters as I did in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, and the rest of the cities we visited too. The perfect mode of transport for the locals who rely on scooters (as cars are often priced out of reach) to get to work, take the kids to school, and carry the shopping (no objects too absurd). Each scooter would toot to indicate they were crossing an intersection, to indicate they were passing, or as we discovered on multiple occasions to hurry other scooters or pedestrians out of their way. The tooting never ended! I guess I do kind of regret not doing a scooter tour, but imagine my mum's reaction if she'd heard I'd been on the back of one.
The second thing I will take with me from the trip, as cliche as it sounds, is the memories of the beautiful local people, of which I have so many. From our Vietnamese guide Man, or our Cambodian one Yuth, to the local family we had dinner with in Hue, or even the villagers we stayed with in the middle of nowhere Cambodia. All had such brilliant smiles and were there to help us crazy tourists with our strange requests. On one day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, our bus (without an onboard toilet) pulled over outside a house and our guide took two of our group into the home of strangers to use the facilities. Talk about hospitality! We did not know their language apart from some basic greetings, but we never felt like they did not understand us. And did I mention how little they live off of? They could teach many a westerner the value of money. It was quite common for locals to live and work in the same place their entire lives, never leaving the village or changing jobs. I felt extremely grateful in learning this for the opportunities I've had in my life.
For me, my favourite places were Halong Bay in Northern Vietnam (if only it hadn't seen so many tourists), Hoi An for its beautiful beaches, the shopping and the food, and Siem Reap in Cambodia - for the most stunning temples I've ever seen. Grant loved all of Cambodia (apart from the places where Chinese influence and corruption were most prevalent) and would move there in a second. He even tells me that if we ever broke up that would be his plan!!! If you are a fan of history, SE Asia has it in spades. Most recently and most well known and most obviously still influencing Vietnam and Cambodia today are the American War and Khmer Rouge. We crawled through the Cu Chi Tunnels, and visited the Killing Fields, and the scale of these events is hard to comprehend. Their histories go back much further that New Zealand's - we are just a baby in comparison. As an example, Ta Prohm Temple (famous for being a main set in the movie Tomb Raider) is thought to have been built in the 1100's. I love the thought of all of the changes the world has seen over that time. A very romantic notion. We had a quick stop in Kuala Lumpur on our way home from our trip and i really enjoyed this city. It was also full of history, and great food and shopping. Not to mention clean and tidy and so green with beautiful gardens. Well worth the stop.
We enjoyed a variety of cuisine; spring rolls en mass, prawns and seafood for miles, Vietnamese Banh Mi and Pho, curries, one stop to KFC and Grant even braved a Tarantula and a Scorpion for good measure. I had my favourite yellow curry at a little family restaurant in Koh Samui, Thailand and enjoyed all of the vegetable-rich dishes from every destination. I definitely didn't put on weight like I normally do when I go overseas. If you like good food then Asia is the place for you.
Were there things I didn't enjoy? Yes, of course. There were so many Chinese tourists at times It was hard to know what country we were in. There were a lot of tourists in general - us included we won't forget. So there were places that will never again be as beautiful as they once were. The other thing I didn't enjoy were the three overnight trains we had to take in Vietnam, an experience that I can laugh about now, but at the time I would have rather spent the nights on a bus!
The ocean was ever present, I love the water, so we spent a lot of time on boats, or in the sea, and we walked on a lot of sand. We walked a lot of miles, and biked a few too. It truly was a magical experience, one we will never forget. We may have come home tired, but I for one was so refreshed! Until next time...
The most common question I've been asked since I got home is "Where to next?". To be honest, you always have an idea, even when you say you haven't thought about it, you always have ideas. I'd love to go to Japan, or my dream holiday would be to The UK and Europe. Unfortunately, we don't have a Europe budget, and Japan would probably be a stretch any time soon. So, we either save for a long time, or we go back to Asia where we know we can travel on a limited budget... say the Philippines?
As I mentioned, it was only June when we went to see Nicola at House of Travel with a very vague idea of Thailand or Vietnam, on a maximum budget of $10,000 with no idea if we would even get time off work. With her help we managed to find an Intrepid tour that visited 3 different countries and a week of relaxation on the beach to finish; Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. The only compromise was flying with Malaysian Airlines to stay on budget. Apart from a couple of hiccups in 2014, I was willing to take the risk - and it paid off (I couldn't fault the airline). We were off!
We arrived in Hanoi to a sweltering day and to be honest, the culture shock hit me quite hard. The only experience I can liken it to was my trip to Cuba. Arriving was like being back in Old Havana - it even smelt the same. Luckily this time I wasn't alone, and Grant (unfazed by the hustle and bustle) was an awesome companion, not to mention the great group of Intrepid travelers and guides we would befriend on our journey. I left the spending money in Grant's capable hands, and along with the multiple languages he memorised, he quickly became an expert in currency conversions.
The biggest thing I will always remember from the trip is the tooting. I have never seen so many scooters as I did in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, and the rest of the cities we visited too. The perfect mode of transport for the locals who rely on scooters (as cars are often priced out of reach) to get to work, take the kids to school, and carry the shopping (no objects too absurd). Each scooter would toot to indicate they were crossing an intersection, to indicate they were passing, or as we discovered on multiple occasions to hurry other scooters or pedestrians out of their way. The tooting never ended! I guess I do kind of regret not doing a scooter tour, but imagine my mum's reaction if she'd heard I'd been on the back of one.
The second thing I will take with me from the trip, as cliche as it sounds, is the memories of the beautiful local people, of which I have so many. From our Vietnamese guide Man, or our Cambodian one Yuth, to the local family we had dinner with in Hue, or even the villagers we stayed with in the middle of nowhere Cambodia. All had such brilliant smiles and were there to help us crazy tourists with our strange requests. On one day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, our bus (without an onboard toilet) pulled over outside a house and our guide took two of our group into the home of strangers to use the facilities. Talk about hospitality! We did not know their language apart from some basic greetings, but we never felt like they did not understand us. And did I mention how little they live off of? They could teach many a westerner the value of money. It was quite common for locals to live and work in the same place their entire lives, never leaving the village or changing jobs. I felt extremely grateful in learning this for the opportunities I've had in my life.
 |
| Some of our Intrepid group after dinner with a local family in Hue, Vietnam. |
For me, my favourite places were Halong Bay in Northern Vietnam (if only it hadn't seen so many tourists), Hoi An for its beautiful beaches, the shopping and the food, and Siem Reap in Cambodia - for the most stunning temples I've ever seen. Grant loved all of Cambodia (apart from the places where Chinese influence and corruption were most prevalent) and would move there in a second. He even tells me that if we ever broke up that would be his plan!!! If you are a fan of history, SE Asia has it in spades. Most recently and most well known and most obviously still influencing Vietnam and Cambodia today are the American War and Khmer Rouge. We crawled through the Cu Chi Tunnels, and visited the Killing Fields, and the scale of these events is hard to comprehend. Their histories go back much further that New Zealand's - we are just a baby in comparison. As an example, Ta Prohm Temple (famous for being a main set in the movie Tomb Raider) is thought to have been built in the 1100's. I love the thought of all of the changes the world has seen over that time. A very romantic notion. We had a quick stop in Kuala Lumpur on our way home from our trip and i really enjoyed this city. It was also full of history, and great food and shopping. Not to mention clean and tidy and so green with beautiful gardens. Well worth the stop.
 |
| Looking out over Halong Bay, Vietnam. |
We enjoyed a variety of cuisine; spring rolls en mass, prawns and seafood for miles, Vietnamese Banh Mi and Pho, curries, one stop to KFC and Grant even braved a Tarantula and a Scorpion for good measure. I had my favourite yellow curry at a little family restaurant in Koh Samui, Thailand and enjoyed all of the vegetable-rich dishes from every destination. I definitely didn't put on weight like I normally do when I go overseas. If you like good food then Asia is the place for you.
Were there things I didn't enjoy? Yes, of course. There were so many Chinese tourists at times It was hard to know what country we were in. There were a lot of tourists in general - us included we won't forget. So there were places that will never again be as beautiful as they once were. The other thing I didn't enjoy were the three overnight trains we had to take in Vietnam, an experience that I can laugh about now, but at the time I would have rather spent the nights on a bus!
The ocean was ever present, I love the water, so we spent a lot of time on boats, or in the sea, and we walked on a lot of sand. We walked a lot of miles, and biked a few too. It truly was a magical experience, one we will never forget. We may have come home tired, but I for one was so refreshed! Until next time...
 |
| The sun rises over Angkor Wat Temple, Siem Reap, Cambodia. |
The most common question I've been asked since I got home is "Where to next?". To be honest, you always have an idea, even when you say you haven't thought about it, you always have ideas. I'd love to go to Japan, or my dream holiday would be to The UK and Europe. Unfortunately, we don't have a Europe budget, and Japan would probably be a stretch any time soon. So, we either save for a long time, or we go back to Asia where we know we can travel on a limited budget... say the Philippines?
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