The man who burnt his ankle with a pizza

Richard writes:

That man would be me. I always knew this trip would provide some odd ailments and injuries, but none quite as bizarre as this. The incident occurred at a restaurant in Vang Vieng in Laos where we were enjoying the company of some fellow travellers we had met that day on a kayaking tour. All was going well until my meal came to the table. The table wasn't really large enough for the five of us to sit around, and it was one of those tables that is only just above floor level with no chairs. I was busily clearing the empty Beer Lao bottles and condiments from the table to make more space, when I clipped my pizza plate, depositing the pizza face down in my lap, with the sizzling mozzarella getting well aqauinted to my by now bubbling skin. I hastily removed the hottest bits of cheese as quickly as I could, gave everything a wipe down before going on to consume more beer and the remains of my pizza (which in reality was now just tomato paste on bread!). My ankle did hurt as the evening wore on, but not enough to prevent a visit to a local colonial style bakery where I enjoyed a delicious chocolate chip cookie. It was not until the return to our hotel, that I realised I had a bit of problem. Two large blisters had developed, and it was increasingly sore. We debated a visit to the hospital, but I, like the martyr I am, vowed to see how it went overnight and would check in the morning. By the morning the blisters were even larger, with a long bus trip ahead of us to Luang Prabang, I was a bit concerned. Casey did a great job of dressing the wound, and has continued to play nurse ever since, for which I am very grateful for as I do not even like to look at the slightly gruesome scene!

My bandaged leg!

Until the pizza incident, I had intended to call this blog post "Lovely Laos". In truth this was a slightly naff title, but I could only think of one adjective beginning with L that seemed suitable, but "lovely" doesn't really do Laos justice. From the moment of stepping on our sleeper train from Bangkok station, the chaos of Bangkok and Thailand seemed a world away. We enjoyed a very pleasant overnight train journey before arriving at the Laos border early in the morning. Laos border formalities gave us an early indication of the mindset of the populace. Apart from some form-filling and smiles, the process was almost non existent. Throughout our time in Laos, this laid back attitude has been everywhere.

Our first destination in Laos was Vientiane. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay with friends in Vientiane. A massive thank you to Steve, Hannah and Howard (their dog) for allowing us to stay at their pad on the Mekong river right in the city centre. It was great to stay in a home rather than hostel and gave us some great relaxtion time. Sadly Hannah was away in Melbourne, but thank you to Steve for showing us around and providing a night out! Also thanks to Howard for giving us some entertainment.

Howard and Casey Dancing

Vientiane couldn't be described a beautiful city, but it is one that both Casey and l instantly felt at home in and liked. It has some gorgeous colonial architecture and as with everywhere else in Laos the pace was slow and laid back and we were never hassled in any way (which made a change from Thailand). It has to be the sleepiest capital city I have been to, but it is a city that Casey and I slightly envy Steve and Hannah, at their being able to call it home.

The morning after drinks with Steve, we headed out for a day of sightseeing. We saw the Presidential Palace, the Patuxai (a concrete Arc D'Triomphe replica) and the Cope Centre. The Cope Centre is a medical facility providing prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation to victims of the numerous unexploded bombs that litter the Laos countryside. The USA bombed Laos extensively as part of the Vietnam war and many of the bombs dropped did not detonate at the time, but provide a constant danger to farmers and children if accidently disturbed. The visit was a sombre one, but very interesting to see the impact of the Vietnam war on Laos. The aformentioned Patuxai was built with donated cement from the Americans, who had intended it to be used for a new runway. Humorously, the Laos thought a better use of it was the arch shown in the photo below. Another distinctive feature in Vientiane, is the numerous hammer and sickle flags, an omniscient reminder of the country's communist government. 

The Patuxai

In an adjustment to our original schedule we left Vientiane for two nights in Vang Vieng. I had mixed feelings about going to Vang Vieng. The only thing I knew it for was Aussie uber hedonists consuming vast quantities of alcohol and drugs before embarking on travelling on a rubber tube down a raging river, with the predictably tragic consequences. I was wrong to have viewed Vang Vieng with intrepidation, it was beautiful. A quiet and sleepy town surrounded by majestic mountains and lusciously green jungle, with none of the alcohol fuelled over exubrance I was expecting. Alcohol was enthusiastically imbibed, but just by travellers wanting to have a good time, not to get completely trashed before a trip down the river. After arriving we walked along the river and shared a large Beer Lao before looking for a spot for dinner. We hit upon a pub/restaurant called the Jungle Bar. We ordered more Beer Lao and Laos' national dish; Laap. Laap is an interesting combination of flavours, but is extremely tasty. It combines mince meat with chilli, ginger, spring onions and mint, served with sticky rice and is delicious. Dinner was followed by a free shot of Lao Lao (rice whisky) and a game of chess.

Evening stroll in Vang Vieng

After a shot of Lao Lao!

The next day in Vang Vieng we partook in the activity I had heard so much negative press about, tubing. We did it however without consuming any toxins and done at a very sedate pace. We tubed through an underground lake with just headlamps to direct us before a gorgeous lunch of kebab skewers, rice and bread. We spent the afternoon kayaking 8km down the Nam Song river back to the Centre of Vang Vieng.

Tubing and Kayaking

The next morning, with my burn dressing attached we got on the minibus with six hours ahead of us before arriving in Luang Prabang. The seats were cramped, the roads were atrocious and the driving was frightening. Despite this, the six hours was incredible. We navigated our way up, down and through mountain ranges, passing through countless Laos villages. It was clear that village life in Laos is simple, and the majority are poor, but all seem to have shelter and food, and most villages greeted us with smiles as we travelled through.

We probably didn't see all that Luang Prabang has to offer.  We ambled around its World Heritage listed streets and popped into many temples, had a river boat cruise a long the Mekong and enjoyed the night market. There is lot more to do I think, and it is clearly a beautiful place, but the heat was opressive and in truth we were both feeling a bit lazy after a very busy week in Laos.

Buddhas in Luang Prabang

All that lies between us and China is a 24 hour bus trip. Our first stop is Kunming. My research suggests that we will not be able to check the blogger website in China (as well as Facebook and Twitter), but I think I have found a way to post blogs without logging on. Please still post comments, as we will receive these via email and don't need to log on to see them.

The Best Bus Ride Ever

Casey writes:

We thought it would be easy, straightforward and simple. Purchasing bus tickets from Krabi to Bangkok from what appeared to be a reputable tour agency in Ao Nang.... what could go wrong? That's a good question, because by 4am last night as we collapsed into bed, we were trying to count on one hand the things that had gone right.

We were promised a VIP, airconditioned tourist bus with a toilet and other mod cons for the 11 hour bus ride to Bangkok. We even paid extra to catch the 'day' bus rather than the overnight one, mainly for logistical reasons but also because we were well aware of the high theft rate in overnight buses.

It all started out calmly enough, and we were collected from our accommodation in a small mini van at 10.15am as planned.

We were told the van would take us to the bus station.

It didn't.

We were taken to another tour agency and forced to wait for another mini van which was then packed solid with people and luggage. We felt like sardines and were a bit annoyed but figured that once the two hour journey to Surit Thani was over, our glorious tourist bus would be waiting. We tumbled out, hot and cramped, and well, we were wrong. Another one hour wait with no idea what was happening, before yet another mini van appeared, with more luggage than people and full to the brim. Somehow we were all pushed on, and the depressing reality hit us - we had another 8 hours of knees up to our chins before we arrived in Bangkok.

Oh, if only it was that simple.

8 hours would have been glorious. What they forgot to tell us that it would take another 12 and a half hours in this vehicle, with a driver who, as the more fatigued he got, the faster he drove and the more manically he swerved potholes and trucks. The reality that we had no seatbelts was frightening, and the fact that we had not been given a proper meal break since breakfast was disturbing.

We finally arrived in the outskirts of Bangkok at 2:15am... merely 16 hours after we first set off from our hotel. But, we arrived alive and couldn't have been more relieved. Until we realised that we were actually nowhere near the promised drop-off location of Khao-San Road. In fact, we seemed to be nowhere near the centre of Bangkok at all. We we thrown out of the van, into a distressing hoarde of yelling taxi drivers, demanding we pay more for the taxi ride to our hostel, than what we paid for the bus in the first place. Fortunately, being hardened travellers by this point, we still had our wits about us, and told them we'd walk to the train station (although I doubt either of us had the energy to do so...we didn't even know where it was). Suddenly, magically, we had a taxi for a third of the price, and after a 30 minute drive we finally arrived at our hotel.

We wanted to cry with relief and exhaustion. Instead, we headed straight to Khao-San Road for some Pad Thai, avoiding the drunk westerners at every corner.

Finally we crashed into bed at 4:00am... actually we crashed ON the bed because the sheets were so filthy we were too petrified to touch them.

A terrible experience, but one to never forget. Oh, how I love travelling.

One hour in... spirits are still high:

Bravery Personified

Richard writes:

I write this post from the dangerous environment of a poolside sun lounger within our resort hotel in Krabi. You will all be pleased to note that I am keeping a watchful eye on any menacing predators that might emerge from the pool or leap from the palm trees that surround us, and that Casey is completely safe with me looking after her. She is a lucky girl to have such a courageous boyfriend who keeps such a careful lookout.

Despite what people might think from Casey's last post, this is not the first time I have shown courage and an urge to protect her. Look at the picture below, noting which one of the two of us has Stacey's (a Burmese python) head within reach. Would someone who is scared of monkeys, small lizards and birds hold a snake like this? I think not.

I sadly was unable to protect Casey from the perils of the Kuala Lumpur to Butterworth overnight train. As eluded to in her last post, the conditions were not conducive to a good night's sleep. As she shuffled in an attempt to get comfortable and wrapped up in a throw to keep out the overbearingly cold airconditioning, I gently dozed.

After a short ferry from Butterworth to Georgetown (Penang's capital), we had a lovely morning ambling around its quiet laid back streets, sampling a peanut pancake for breakfast and enjoying its World Heritage listed colonial architecture. In the afternoon we visited the snake temple where the photo above was taken.

Georgetown

We awoke early the next morning, to catch the two and half hour ferry to Langkawi. Langkawi is a beautiful island in far northern Malaysia, just off the Thai coast. Casey hired a car and we spent the afternoon circumnavigating the small island. Assuming the role of chief navigator, I was presented with the challenge that my map was in English and all road signs were in Malay. As a result, each request from Casey regarding our whereabouts was met by mumbled vague responses. Despite this, we did pretty much see what we wanted to. This included, picture postcard beaches, the humorous looking leaf monkeys and many small villages with the locals going about their every day business.

A Langkawi beach

A Malaysian Leaf Monkey

Next stop was the Thai beach resort of Krabi. To get there we needed to catch a ferry to the mainland and then catch a bus from the port town of Satun to Krabi. We had booked the ferry in advance, so we were not too concerned about this leg, but catching the bus that we had read about on the internet, was a bit of an unknown. As it happened, both legs presented their challenges. Without fuss I collected our tickets and we sat down to consume our banana and chocolate pancakes we had procured the night before at the Langkawi night market (along with all sorts of ridiculously cheap other goodies that had made up our dinner). On attempting to board the 9am ferry we were told we had to pass through immigration and customs first, which unfortunately didn't open until 9am. The officials didn't seem to see what our concern was and without much option we got in line for the necessary checks. Gladly the office opened at 8:50, at which point we were given a lesson in Malaysian "queuing", where several vertically challenged elderly Malaysian women ducked under our armpits and rushed through. After a delayed ferry departure we arrived at the port of Satun, where we went through Thai border formalities and began working out how to get a bus to Krabi. At which point, a chirpy middle aged Thai man asked we where we going, and before we knew it, I was undertaking a rushed currency exchange transaction with him and purchasing two tickets for a bus to Krabi. He bundled us onto a glorified ute with a roof rack and we sat in the back careering to the local bus station. On arriving at the bus station we were met by a helpful Thai girl, who checked we were going to Krabi and pointed in the general direction of some buses. After attempting to check that we about to get on the correct bus without success we got on and hoped for the best! All ended well, as five hours later we arrived in Krabi at our hotel.

Our humble Krabi abode

 

In Krabi we have had a very relaxing time in a tourist mecca, with numerous eateries and massage parlours, which we have frequented. Yesterday we went elephant trekking, whilst today we are doing very little, just sitting by the pool, before our 12 hour bus ride to Bangkok tomorrow!

Elephant Trekking

Evening meal and drinks

We are having a truly wonderful time, and the challenges so far have not been too great, but we are aware that some of the countries ahead will present greater foreboding than South-East Asia has. I hope all who are visiting this blog are enjoying our updates and photos. Please feel free to leave comments, as we really enjoy reading them, and it reassures us we are not talking to ourselves!

Singapore and Kuala Lumpur

Casey writes:

We had barely set foot upon solid ground in Singapore when the reality set in that we would suddenly need to start making our own decisions - no longer was anyone going to make our beds, serve us food 24 hours a day, or bring us drinks at our beck and call. And we celebrated! Let the adventure begin...

In Singapore it was easy to navigate, easy to communicate, and even easier to perspire an entire 600ml bottle of water in about ten minutes. Yep, it was hot and humid. But a great place to visit, with lots of highlights including the Night Zoo Safari, Singapore History Museum, Merlion Statue, Raffles Hotel, Colonial District, Muslim Quarters and Little India.

Singapore Zoo:

A brilliant, modern, open plan zoo, with opportunities to come face-to-face (literally) with bats, tapirs and lions, to name a few.

Singapore History Museum:

A modern museum with an excellent design, after three hours we were exhausted to the point of collapse.

Merlion Statue:

WTF! This bizarre statue of a half-lion half-mermaid is on every postcard and plastered across every gift in every souvenir shop, and what is it? A piddly white lumpy thing that spurts water out of its mouth with hordes of oriental tourists posing with peace sign fingers for flapping photographers.

Raffles Hotel and the Colonial District:

Who the hell was this Stamford Raffles anyway? The British didn't even want to annexe Singapore and he died with a massive debt over his head. From my observations his only legacy was an overpriced Singapore Sling, and a hotel named in his honour. But I think the Singaporeans (and British) might see it differently.

Muslim Quarters and Little India:

The highlight of Singapore in my opinion. Dirty, cramped, chaotic, but fascinating all the same. Beautiful mosques, friendly people and bargains galore.

Getting from Singapore to Malaysia was a lot easier than we anticipated. A smooth transaction and we had ourselves seats on a luxury bus that travelled directly to Kuala Lumpur in seven hours. And I thought Singapore was hot! KL was 37 degrees and suffocatingly humid. Mr Taxi Driver ripped us off for the 5 minute hop to our accommodation, and the whiff of 50 pairs of sweat-soaked shoes greeted us at the door of our hostel. But it improved exponentially from there. We found ourselves in the heart of hawker row, with exquisite street food for $2 a plate. This taste of 'authentic Malaysia' was juxtaposed with an almost space-age city: monorails, the Petronas Towers and a shopping centre so huge and so white I was scared to put even one dirty sandal inside its majestic doors.

The Batu Caves were awe-inspiring: a massive cave structure housing the largest hindu temple outside of India. We dodged monkeys, snakes and millipedes throughout our time here. Richard became accustomed to hiding behind me on a permanent basis, in case a rabid monkey attacked him or a poisonous millipede ran up his trouser leg. Suffice to say we emerged unscathed.

The Bird Park was equally fascinating, with thousands of bird species flying overhead. Again, I'm not sure if Richard saw any wildlife, with his head buried in my back for fear of being eaten alive by a peacock or something equally vicious.

We are currently on an overnight train bound for Penang. The baby behind me is crying, the old dude can't stop burping up the nasi goreng he ate for dinner and the giggling girls in front of me are in for the long haul. I'd just like a few hours sleep but I think I might be kidding myself.

HMP Arcadia

Richard writes:

Locked in our prison of luxury and mollycoddling, with the occasional day release, the last fortnight has seemed a challenge. The day releases to Adelaide, Fremantle and Bali were eagerly anticipated before the monotony of the prison ship resumes, for what feels like an eternity. I realise we are will be receiving little sympathy here (with good reason). The eating options on HMP Arcadia, are incredible. Breakfast . . . the buffet with fruits, bacon, sausage, pastries etc, or the fine dining restaurant or even breakfast in bed! Dinner is the same, with the opportunity to dress up for a five course extravaganza every evening whilst watching the ocean drift by as you eat. Entertainment is limiltless (even if directed at the those whose inning's has been longer than ours). We have competed in (and won) quizzes, learnt some Spanish and attended dancing and singing technicolour shows. However the fact remains, that when on a stretch of three sea days, you can't bloody get off! We find ourselves sleeping in between meals (after all, climbing the two flights of stairs from our cabin to the buffet restaurant is exhausting) and endlessly discussing aspects of the cruise in great detail with each other. Why do we give a shit about why Gladys on table six didn't come to dinner last night or why the pork hasn't appeared on the menu since Tuesday? In short, we don't, but we are institutionalised, we have nothing else to talk about.  When at sea, the limit of our (and all inmates) existence is defined by the ship's confines.

Black tie night!

The winning quiz team!

In what represents either a coincidence or a reflection of our institutionalised state of mind, on our visit to Fremantle we visited a prison! Fremantle prison was shut down in 1991, but now makes up one of the three convict sites that are world heritage listed in Australia (the others being Port Arthur in Tasmania and Botany Bay in Sydney). The place is huge and we were treated to one of the historical tours detailing how the prison has changed over time. The remainder of the day was spent ambling around the beautiful city.

Fremantle Prison

We had a very pleasant day in Bali. We were bused around with our fellow our group from the cruise seeing temples, rice fields and ate our lunch overlooking a volcano. I was struck how organised Bali seemed; far more than other Asian countries I have visited. We concluded the tour by returning to the boat on a tender boat (life boat), as the Indonesian port was too shallow for the cruise ship to dock.

A Balinese Temple

Cruisin'

Casey writes:

Farewell to my family... 

After a sad farewell we boarded The Arcadia, our home for the next two weeks. As the ship set sail out of Port Phillip Bay, we could see the neon orange flag being waved by nan and aunty Janet who were standing near the timeball in Williamstown.

We've now been on the ship for four days. How do I describe the experience? There are 2000 passengers on board, 1500 walking sticks, 800 zimmerframes and 300 mobile bikes (or whatever you call those things that run over your feet while you're fighting off hungry old people at the buffet). The most notable statistic is the five deaths that have occurred on the ship since it left Southampton (don't worry, there is an excellent morgue on board). Incidentally, if even one more octogenarian snarls and purses their lips like a cat's bum the next time I accidentally get between them and the pudding, they may end up overboard and the statistic will increase to six.

In reality, the cruise is, well, a means to an end. The food is good, the odd person is friendly, and, when I'm not bedridden with seasickness I've been passing the time with Spanish classes, trivia quizzes, poetry readings by Pam Ayres herself and a performance by virtuoso violinist Ian Cooper. Richard learnt how to turn on his tablet in the Ipad for Beginners course, but neither of us have yet managed to get over the trauma of stumbling onto the topless bathing deck by accident. But the excitement is still to come: bridge, bingo, whist and the knitting club still await our patronage.

Adelaide...

Paranoid at the prospect of missing a bus and the ship departing without us, we played it safe on our Adelaide day trip. We caught a bus to Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills, ate a kransky with sauerkraut, took a few photos and then hightailed it out of there, enroute directly back to the ship.

We are now somewhere in the Great Australian Bight, gearing up for a black tie event tonight. I may well prefer to stick knitting needles in my eyes, but, then, how would I be able to see which oldies to trip over in the waltz, foxtrot or tango?