Conclusion

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine.

Why did we travel in the first place? Was it to find ourselves, to avoid the 9-5 job, to meet different people, to cut ourselves loose from everything we have ever known, to look for something more beautiful/dangerous etc..? I think we would have to admit that it was for all of these reasons. It’s over a year since we left Dublin to start our adventure. That adventure is over for now and it will never be forgotten.

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

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“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” – Clifton Fadiman

I think that these two quotes are very significant when you travel. It is very easy to be ignorant towards the places you go. Everybody is afraid of change and sometimes we don’t understand it, which makes us somewhat ignorant towards it. When you travel you look at things differently and when you see things that you don’t like then it makes you appreciate your own life even more.

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” – Rosalia de Castro

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“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” – Michael Palin

The best thing about travelling is the mystery of not knowing where you are, where you are going, what you will be doing and who you are going to meet. It’s the mystery behind it that makes it special. It is great to experience something that you are not use to and that is so far gone from where you have come from. The security and comforts of home were not around for us when we travelled. Sure we had each other but the four of us were a million miles away form home. I think the fact that we had each other was a comfort in itself and helped us through the tough times. Some people say to travel alone. Before I went travelling I would have thought that this was a bit weird, but having met lots of self travelers I understand it and respect it. When you travel by yourself, I guess you have to make more of an effort and come out of your shell even more. You probably become your own best friend at the end of the day. The one thing we will always have though is that we did this together and we can always share the memories together. Everyday had something different and the common theme throughout our travels was that of laughter. The craic was 90 everyday. We got accustomed to waking up to each others alarms, using each others cameras, I-pods etc… Oh wait that was just me!!! I think everyone added something different to the team if you will, because while we were travelling we were a team….or as Tom called us the four musketeers.

We are delighted that we have managed to keep up to date with this blog. The greatest thing about travelling is the memories that it leaves you with and to quote “The Beach” again, how you feel in a moment in time. You will always remember your travels but this blog will rekindle the memories even more. Sometimes if your having a bad day, you can just look back at where we have been and what we have done and a smile will appear on your face. Having the I-pod is great because some of the songs remind us of places we have been and certain moments from our travels.

When you travel, you instantly think that the places will make the holiday but in fact it’s just as much to do with the people that you meet. We have been so lucky on our travels to have met really genuine people who we got on with. Going all the way back to our Gap tour in South America right up to our final Gap tour in Asia this has been the case. You meet people who have similar opinions to you, contrasting opinions to you etc… and it is a great way to gain a more universal perspective to life. Of course you also meet some strange and whacky characters (Mr Pringle haha) along the way, who you only get to know for a brief moment, but funnily enough these are the people who you will always remember. You have some great conversations about all sorts of things from Religion to Prison Break!

We have seen some fantastic sights along the way- the statue of Christ the Redeemer, the Sugar Loaf mountain, Iguassu Falls, Franz Josef Glacier, the Sydney Opera house, Angkor Wat etc…and these sights will be forever stored in our memories.

Has travelling changed us? I don’t think it has changed anyone dramatically but it has changed people’s perceptions and made us all the wiser for the experience. We are still the same people with the same moral values we had before we left Ireland. However, we have grown up that bit more because of our experiences (poverty etc.). To wrap up, I think that travelling has been the best decision we have ever made and we certainly picked a great time to go. We are young and what we have seen and done, well you can’t put a price on it. And more, much more than this, we did it our way. “ONE FOR ALL, AND ALL FOR ONE”.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover” – Mark Twain

Day 402-403 Shopping Bonanza

We got off the plane and it was welcome home, or should I say welcome to Bangkok, our South East Asian home. It’s finally grown on me. It’s actually a pretty interesting place with loads of stuff to do. I’m not going to defend the fact it’s a bit sleazy but if you’re not interested in that it shouldn’t bother you.

Our trip was coming to an end and the main objective of the last day was to pack or bags to the point of bursting. We hit Kohsan Road to bargain with the stall workers to get a good deal. We walked up and down the road after jeans, shorts, shirts and loads and loads of t-shirts. We got some pretty good deals and once you start you just want to keep going and buying more. Lots of other cool things to be bought aswell include figurines, pictures, bells; fake id’s and pretty much everything else. It’s good craic trying to get the stuff for cheap. It’s a good Business Negotiation lesson, Trump and Sugar learnt it here I tell you.

After some lunch it was time for the lads to treat themselves to a facial. Laugh if you will but for the equivalent of €5 why would you say no. We got all sorts of creams on our faces that made them shine and clean. Fantastic and rejuvenated we left the beautician. Hard to believe 24 hours time we would be separated. Later on that night myself and Mike went back to get pedicures and manicures. Once again our defence is that it was cheap.

Mike and I took another walk down Kohsan Road and saw some freestylers performing. Mike decided he wanted in on the action. He performed with both of the guys one of whom was African and the other Thai. They performed solo and then some combo moves to the cheers of the onlookers. A good show was put on by all. We headed back afterwards and went to bed.

We awoke bright and early to ensure we got the most of our day. We enjoyed the “Last Breakfast” together and reminisced about all the good times. We all got a few last minute gifts and just enjoyed the banter that Bangkok has to offer.

We had come full circle in Asia. Experienced the beautiful Angkor’s that the Kingdom of Cambodia has to offer, travelled through the flooded streets of Siem Reap, got an insight into the horror that 1,000’s experienced in the killing fields and being lucky enough to meet one of only seven survivors, taken a boat down the Mekong, experienced the overnight rat trains of Vietnam, soaked in the beautiful beaches in Nha Trang, shopping till we dropped in the Tailor town of Hoi An, viewed the thousands of beautiful islands of Halong Bay, witnessed the famous Water Puppet show of Hanoi, chilled and drank Beer Lao in Lac Sao and Vientiane, tubed down the Nam Song river in Vang Vieng, experienced the magic of Luang Prabang, slept our way down the Mekong in Laos, viewed the Elephants paint Van Gough, seen the beautiful Maya Bay (location of the “Beach”.) and seen all the Buddha’s of Bangkok.

South East Asia was a 10/10 trip made special by everyone especially a good GAP group. Thailand thank you, Kingdom of Cambodia thank you, thank you Vietnam and thank you Laos.

Conor

Day 401 Phuket

We got up pretty early in the morning (I had to sort out my visa!!!) and had breakfeast in one of the many restaurants around the island. We had a great day yesterday but now it was time to make our way back to Phuket. Inside the boat there were free soft drinks and water melons. There was a full video of the Corr’s on the ferry which sparked a debate. I claimed that there are at least 10 world famous Irish singers/bands in the world; dos anyone agree? Having missed the sights on the ferry over, I decided to make the most of the hour and a half journey by waiting at the top end of the boat. The day was slightly cloudy but that didn’t spoil the sheer beauty of the Island’s in the distance. I paid particular attention to Maya Bay and it looked amazing in the distance. We have been on plenty of ferries over the past year or so and I started to reflect on it all.

We then arrived in Phuket, which is approximately the size of Singapore, is Thailand’s largest island. The island is connected to mainland Thailand by a bridge. The island is mostly mountainous with a mountain range in the west of the island from the north to the south. The day was very over cast and it was getting dark so we got a taxi to our hotel. Our taxi driver was useless; he didn’t know where our hotel was even though we had the street. We eventually got there and checked into our room. We got a bite to eat and then had a stroll around the town. It appeared to be even sleazier than any of the other places we had been in Asia. The massage ladies were as eager as beaver’s to get you into their little rooms!! It wasn’t the most pleasant place in the world, at night time anyway. I booked my flight back to Australia that night.

We got to bed early and woke up for the second half of the Man United CSKA Moscow game as my alarm never went off. We were 3-1 down when I turned on the tv but luckily we got back in it and drew 3-3. Once the final whistle went I hit the hay as we had to be up early for our flight back to Bangkok, the place where our South East Asia tour began and the place were our travels would end and more importantly the place where Mike would bid his farewells to us.

Emotional stuff,

Gary

Day 399-400 “The Beach”

We arrived in Phuket at around one o’clock and we were hounded in the airport by millions of travel agents, each wanting us to go on their taxi’s and to avail of their special offers for Phi Phi Island. We got a taxi and tickets for the ferry at a reasonable price. The ferry took two and a half hours. We were pretty tired and so we didn’t get to see the views on the way to the Island. We arrived on the Island and to our surprise it was very up to date. Internet café’s, restaurants you name it!!! Ko Phi Phi is considered to be one of the most naturally beautiful islands in the world (in fact, there are six islands in Phi Phi). They lie 50 km south-east of Phuket and are part of Hadnopparattara-Koh Phi Phi National Park which is home to an abundance of corals and amazing marine life. There are limestone mountains with cliffs, caves and long white sandy beaches. Ko Phi Phi was devastated by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, when nearly all of the island's infrastructure was wiped out. Redevelopment has, however, been swift, and services like electricity, water, Internet access and ATMs are up and running again, but waste handling has been slower to come back online.

We booked a tour that would bring us to all of the main attractions around the Island. The following morning we were greeted by the glorious sun and headed off on or adventure. The last stop on this tour was Maya Beach…”The Beach” and this was probably one of the main attractions that tempted me to travel in the first place!! Our boat was pretty small and had 6 other passengers. We chatted to two London girls for a bit who absolutely loved Thailand and had been to some of the other Island’s a few years ago. Our first port of call was Ao Ling (Monkey Bay) on Koh Phi Phi Don. This was hilarious and full of Monkey’s….hence the name!! When we stopped to get off, the Monkey’s surrounded us and wanted food. One of the Monkey’s even took a drink of water out of a bottle! We then snorkelled at the famous Hin Klang which was amazing. It was my first experience of snorkling and it lived up to its billing. The water was so clear and there was millions of fish in my face. I just started singing in my head….”UNDER THE SEA!!!!!!”. When we finished we relaxed and had a swim in Koh Mai Pai (Bamboo Island). This Island was in peak condition and the weather helped make this a great experience. Our tour included lunch so we filled our bellies and headed back to the boat. On our way to Phi Phi Leh (Maya Bay) the weather turned from the sun shining to the rain pounding down on us. The tide was rough and we couldn’t even make out the island such was the amount of rain. We were hanging on…quite literally!! The rain was smacking me in the face and I was worried that this would ruin the one place I was desperate to see. Fortunately (luck of the Irish) the sun came out again and before you knew it we were snorkelling again in some of the clearest waters on the planet…wohooooo!!!

Then, the moment I had been waiting for. The boat started pulling into Maya Bay, which is partly enclosed by the high sea cliffs. This particular Bay was used in the famous film “The Beach”. One of the reasons why Andrew Macdonald, producer of "The Beach" chose the Bay was the sea cliff’s as they make the place a secret. It's like a big secret, a swimming pool and a beach in private. It was like we were hidden from the world and that this was our own little Island. The time we spent on that beach, allowed us to free our minds from everything….football, football, football and in my case the dreaded Australia visa!!! We took photos and all had a little think about what it would have been like to live on this beautiful Island. I did a few of my Leonardo DiCaprio impressions and we all had a good laugh at that! The tide was in which meant that the rocks in the water could be felt by our feet but that didn’t spoil the moment. Our time here was up and we said goodbye to Paradise!

“And me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for, 'cause it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something, and if you find that moment... it lasts forever...”

Gary

Day 397-399 Back In Bangkok

Being back in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Bangkok was weird at first but we adapted quickly. We headed straight for the Royal Hotel to drop our bags and relax after the trip the night before. Tonight was to be our final night as a group.

We all met up on the Ko Shan Road for a few drinks and then headed to a beautifully decorated restaurant just off the hectic Ko Shan Road. Dips and Priya rejoined us after meeting up with their new tour group that would take them all the way down to Singapore. They informed us that there was only one other guy in their new group and the rest were party girls! We had a brilliant meal and enjoyed a few beers before saying goodbyes’ in the rain to our tour guide Caroline. She had been a great guide so we gave her the traditional round of applause as she left! We headed into a pub called Gulliver’s Tavern and all played a game of pool with Gary beating a local who had been undefeated in over 10 matches. Great performance! After this we all hit the hay to rest before our big day of shopping in M.B.K tomorrow!

Before heading to the shopping centre we had to say our goodbye to Dips and Priya. We wish them well on their next adventure!

M.B.K. (Mah Boon Krong) is Bangkok’s most famous shopping centre with 8 floors packed with over 2,000 shops that sell everything you could think of! The cool thing about it is that in the shops pretty much any price is negotiable! After a few hours of shopping we headed to Pizza Hut for a break before saying more goodbyes to Phil, Renee and Rachel all of whom are heading to Australia.

We had heard before going to Thailand that the cinemas are supposed to be a unique experience over here and was one of the “Top 35” things to do according to our rough guide to South-East Asia so we said we’d give it a shot.

We ended up in the V.I.P section to watch “Law Abiding Citizen” and were shocked at how cold it was in the cinema. There was a blanket waiting for each of us on our reclining seats and we quickly wrapped up in it. We weren’t cocooned for too long though, we had to arise for a minute long tribute to the king of Thailand. It’s considered very disrespectful if you don’t stand up for it so we said we better not offend anyone!

The next day it was time to meet up with Priya(C) who had just arrived off her train to get Gary’s passport back. After breakfast we booked our flights to Phuket and then we headed to arrange a tuk-tuk to take us all over Bangkok to see all the main sites. We got the guy down to 20 baht (60cent) for the day including a stop or two, which we were happy to do for the guy.
Our first stop was at the 32 metre(100 foot) high Standing Buddha at Wat Intharawihan, which is an awesome sight. It used to be visible from any high vantage point in the city but is now hidden behind modern buildings.

Next we went to see a 700 year-old Buddha at Wat Traimit. It’s 15.9 feet high and weighs approximately 5 tons. It’s in a nice setting and is unrivalled in beauty! We visited a tailor’s next but we weren’t up for buying anything considering we bought a lot in Vietnam. I did a few freestyle tricks for them to pass the time.

Today was a Holy Day in Thailand so one or two of the temples we visited could not be entered. Finally we were brought to the Grand Palace. Outside it there was a crazy woman with about 100 birds trying to give us bird food. Gary took it and used bags and bags of it. The woman then tried to charge him 300 baht(6 euro) for it. He paid he 100 and left it at that.

On the way to Grand Palace we were shouted at locals to not enter the palace because we weren’t wearing long pants. We weren’t too bothered so we walked around it to Wat Pho, The Temple of the Reclining Buddha.

Wat Pho was built as a restoration of an earlier temple on the same site, Wat Phodharam, with work beginning in 1788. It was restored and extended in the reign of King Rama III (1824-51), and restored again in 1982. Wat Pho is also the birthplace of traditional Thai Massage. It shelters the largest Buddha image in Thailand: the Reclining Buddha (Phra Buddhasaiyas). Created as part of Rama III's restoration (1824-51), the Reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. It really was an awesome sight and well worth going to see!

After this we were all Buddha’d out and made our way back the hotel to have dinner with Priya the last person we would say goodbye to from the tour! It has been a great journey on the tour the last 30 days and one we will never forget! So much has happened along the way from people getting punched to people leaving due to depression!

We had another great meal and said our goodbyes before packing our bags in preparation of our early morning start on our journey to Koi Phi Phi to see “The Beach”.

Mike

Day 396-397 Home of the Elephant

We were all awoken once again for an early departure. We quickly had breakfast. The menu was pretty bad. We got fried eggs and a bit of a fry. The bizarre thing was that the hotel staff fried the egg in the microwave. Never imagined it was possible but there you go.

For the first time our bus was over an hour late. This was to make today even more difficult as we were only to have a few hours in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second city. Eventually we got on our way. Only one stop on the way and that was for us to visit a Cashew nut factory. This was good fun as we got plenty of delicious samples most notable was the coconut balls cashew nuts. We all stocked up on some.

We arrived in Chiang Mia and quickly freshened up and had lunch. No rest for the Wicked so we got straight on a tuk tuk destination Thai Elephant Conservation Centre. This was much anticipated so we all hoped it would be worth it.

The main reason behind us selecting this place to enjoy the elephant is due to the fact they treat the elephants exceptionally well. In Bangkok it’s cheap to go and see Elephant shows but those Elephants are beaten to the point they bleed. The conservation contains a hospital for the sick elephants. It’s almost like a retirement home for the older elephants.

The place was located 1 hour outside of Chiang Mia so once we arrived we rushed to see the Elephant show. This showcased how powerful the elephants are. They carried and stacked logs aswell as doing a few showboats for the crowd. The Mohuts then showed us how they get on and off the elephants. It was time for the main event which involved the elephants having a go at painting. Two of the elephants painted self portraits and the others painted flowers. Got to say the paintings were very impressive. I mean the result was much better then I could do.

Mike, Phil and I decided we would get an elephant ride. It’s one of those things that I always wanted to do. It was very enjoyable but a little bumpy. We went through the jungle up hill, down hill and even through water. Along the way we saw the Elephant Hospital were Gary was being kissed by an Elephant. It was an enjoyable afternoon with the Elephants but it was time to head back to Chiang Mia to catch an evening train.

We arrived back to the hotel and quickly had to grab our bags and dash for the train station. We lost another member of the team. Priya had decided to wait in Chiang Mia. CLAP CLAP Priya. We made it with 20 minutes till departure. That sounds like loads of time doesn’t it? Not when Gary decides to forget his passport and wallet. Oops big mistake. Gary decided to run for a taxi and grabbed some money off Rachael. He was in the taxi prepared for the hotel only for Caroline to get a call from the hotel telling how they have given the pouch to Priya. This was “Luck of the Irish” as Gary said. Priya would be in Bangkok in a few days so the pouch could be delivered personally then.

The train left the station at 5:55pm. We chatted for an hour while the train decided to halt a couple of kilometres down the track for no apparent reason. We got some dinner and had the banter with the train staff. We played some drinking games involving coins and cards. Good fun. It was 10pm and time for bed. The train consists of a regular booth with table but the train staff pulled back the table and transformed the booth into a bed and pulled down another section to complete bunk beds. It was pretty impressive and inviting. I hopped up and jumped into bed.

I got to say I got a pretty good night’s sleep thanks to sleeping tablet I got from a Vietnamese Pharmacy. I awoke a couple of times to find that we were stopped but the engine was still on. This was odd but went back to sleep. Next morning we awoke and put the beds away. We got the bad news that we were still a long way from Bangkok.

We arrived at 11am 17 hours later in Bangkok. Delighted to be off the train but upset that the tour was in its final hours.

Stay tuned,
Conor

Day 395- Goodbye Laos

The electricity came back at 5am and the fact that I left the lights on before it went, meant that I was woken up by the light shining down on my face. These early mornings are tough but worth it I suppose. Breakfast was quick and we boarded our slow boat again and had a little bit of a sleep. After an hour or so of chat we all had dinner on the boat which consisted of rice, vegetables, pork and chicken. It cost us 48,000 kip ($1 usd=8,400 kip) which is expensive enough for what we got but it is a lot of money for the family who run the boat. The little girl on the boat was adorable and always laughing. The views on this journey are breath taking but it takes a long time to get to the border.

At the border we said our goodbyes to the family and we got our passports stamped before heading to our hotel in Chiang Kong which is the only crossing point into Laos in this part of Thailand. It was Priya’s last night so we went for dinner in a small restaurant. The food was ok but 2 cats kept looking for food at us!!! The Mossie’s here are ridiculous and everyone got bitten! Tomorrow we will travel to Chiang Mai so we are very much looking forward to that!

Gary

Day 394- Pitch Black Pakbeng

Today we had an early six o clock start to get breakfast in before getting our slow-boat down the Mekong River. Slow-boats down the river take two days including an overnight stop in Pakbeng. Most travellers agree that the two-day journey to the old capital is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Before we left we played with a kid from the hotel who loved football. He was great craic, amazed by our skills and even tried to take the piss out of us himself! I was the goalkeeper and he was taking shots on me, he put the ball down and took the longest run-up you’re ever likely to see for a penalty. As he ran up he started giggling, then just before the striking the ball he jumped over it laughing and pointing at me! I’d been had! Great to see kids who have little enjoy the game so much. I reckon he’s going to be a Lao football superstar!

We met up with our local guide who brought us in tuk-tuks to the pier where we would board our long slow-boat. The boat was run by a family of five and they made us feel at home on the boat. It was necessary to remove our flip-flops when we were on the boat.Our first stop along the way was at a Lao Lao whiskey maker. We sampled every type of whiskey and most of us bought a bottle or two of it.The taste isn’t too far off Putcheen!

Next stop was at a remote village where locals tried to sell us bracelets and wristbands. We were recommended to support them and we did most people buying two. It was funny when one person was buying one, every kid would run as fast as they could towards them to try and sell there wristband. We also went inside a local shack and realised how lucky we have it. The kids were amazed by our cameras and thought it was miraculous to see themselves on screen. We were waved off by a wise woman who couldn’t believe how tall I was. It was a fantastic experience going to a village like this.

The views back on the boat were incredible but everyone was too knackered to tell most of the time. On the boat were these comfortable reclining chairs and everyone made great use of them!Upon arrival in Pakbeng we were greeted by a dog named Beer Laos. He is famous in this town and he led us up to the top of the hill. Pakbeng is a very small town with no internet and an electricity generator that switches off at ten o clock!

We went to a traditional Laos restaurant for dinner and the host knew Caroline so he gave us a free bottle of Lao Lao to enjoy! Not too shabby!Back at the hotel Dips, Phil and I enjoyed a fantastic shooting star show over a few beers in complete darkness and talked about how unique it was to be in a village with no electricity only a few flashlights dotted around the town, a remarkable experience!“This is why I came travelling, this is what it’s all about” - Dips

Take it easy,

Mike

Day 392-394 – Sabidee Monks

Bright and early we made our way to the beautiful town of Louang Phabang. Louang Phabang is located in between mountains and is the meeting point of the Mekong and Khan Rivers. Louang Phabang has such great historical significance it was made a world heritage site in 1995. It’s got a lot of attention since 1995 but it definitely still holds onto the village style feel. I liked the place from the beginning.

We arrived into our guesthouse and for the first time so far in Asia we had to take off our flip flops. This is a sign of respect. Louang Phabang is the most holy place in all of South East Asia and showing respect is very important. Louang Phabang has the highest density of Monks per area in the world. All the hotel staff were very polite and made us feel more than welcome. Shower time then time to explore. All of us made our way through the streets of ochre colonial houses before arriving upon a market. This market was the first market so far that actually impressed me. Actually some good quality stuff compared to the usual junk on show. I’m sure some of you will be lucky enough to get a gift or two. We all spent an hour browsing upon the food stalls, clothing, jewellery, artistic odds and ends.

Tonight’s dinner brought us to a place called Hive. I got to say it was a pretty fancy restaurant which provided some entertainment. The night’s amusement was to be a Laos fashion show. Not every day you get to see that I guess! We got a lot of entertainment out of it though. I have got the entire group into my clapping thing. In case you don’t know what that is: I clap pretty loud at random times and often just do it to make people self-conscious. Its good fun and the group enjoy it. The cuisine and the company was excellent as per usual and we got a few Lao Lao’s (Laos answer to Putcheen).

We had the craic for an hour or two then decided to grab a tuk tuk and head for the bowling alley. Ok little random you might think but the Alley is the place to go in Louang Phabang. As I told you it’s a holy place so all the bars close at 12. The Alley stays open later and serves Alcohol. For the first game we played all the guys against all the girls. Everyone claimed to be bad as per usual but some people played some good stuff namely Rachael. Despite a good fight the guys over came the ladies. I wish I could say I was a big help but I was pretty rubbish. The girls all had to do the forfeit. Lao Lao for the ladies.

We played one more round. This time we mixed up the teams to give everyone a chance. Phil, Dips and Mike started to get serious and try and beat their Personal bests. I wasn’t playing well so I had to recruit a local Laos guy in to get a strike for me. Thanks mate. When the game ended we all headed home for some kip.

Rise and shine everyone. It was time for us to ascend Mount Phou Si. The translation of this is Sacred Hill. I bet some of us were calling it different names as it was a tough climb under the Laos heat. At the top is a Buddhist stupa. The views at the top were incredible and well worth the 20,000 Kip that some of us paid (tut tut to those who didn’t pay). Louang Phabang’s monasteries, colonial house and French architecture are some of the sights to be seen from the top. It was striking to quickly sum it up.

Before heading back to the Guest House I quickly looked into Wat Mai which contains a painting on the walls that dates back to the early nineteenth centaury. It’s a scene of Louang Phabang with a reincarnation of a Buddha. Inside is also a beautiful statue of Buddha. A couple of wonderful paintings were on sale inside aswell one of which was on a leave. The painting is deteriorating so I helped the cause and donated a few bob for restoration.

It was 11:30am and we had already conquered a hell of a lot. This is one of the benefits of an early morning. It was now time for an adventure to Kouang Si Waterfall. We had to board a long boat to bring us to the picturesque location. Kouang Si isn’t just a regular waterfall it’s got multiple levels which tumble 60 metres before descending into a number of bright blue pools. CANNON BALL!! We all went for a swim. The water was refreshing and cool. The place was so perfect and completely needs to be seen to be believed. We could have spent days here but unfortunately with our objectives we don’t have time to stay in the one place for too long.
That night we all descended onto Dala Market once again. This time we were here to sample the street stalls. All the girls went for the Vegetarian options while the guys went for the meat. We all got some BBQ. BBQ chicken, pork and fish was on offer. We cleared our BBQ sticks as it was scrumptious.

We all spent the night just chilling and doing our own thing. Simply relaxing, enjoying the lifestyle that Laos offers. Our target for the night was to watch Manchester United beat Liverpool. Mission failed. Less said the better. We all headed home after the game as tomorrow involved an early start.

Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring. It was the stupid alarm. It was 4:30 am. You better be wondering why it was ringing at that time. Mike and I decided we would get up and pay homage to the Monks. Every morning at sunrise locals provide the monks with some foods and money. The monks aren’t paid so this is how they survive. We watched as they slowly made their way out from the temple to burn a bonfire. This is a ceremony that gets rid of evil. We waited on and looked wide eyed at the temple in preparation for the monks. They looked ready so I ran across to pay them some homage. I kneeled down on the road and as they came by I put out my hand and the monk let me place some money into his collection pot. A local woman near me provided the monks with some rice. I stayed on my knees as monk after monk after monk passed me. It was an interesting sight. Over 50 monks went past me and made their way around Louang Phabang collecting supplies.

This was a great way to end what had been an overwhelming and astounding stay in Laos’s most beautiful city. Louang Phabang is my personal favourite of all the great places we have visited since that grand day we left Kiloughter.

Khop Jai Louang Phabang,

Conor

Day 391 – Tubtastic!

Vang Viang with its beautiful caves and nearby ethnic minority villages has been hyped up to us as one of the best places on this trip. This is largely down to its popular outdoor activity of tubeing down the Nam Xong . We were warned by our tour guide about a death three weeks ago and the dangers of consuming alcohol along the way as the many bars along the river try and pull you in to drink alcohol. We all had our wits about us and decided to take it handy and stick together. We got our tubes and got a tuc tuc to our start point. A hippy guy with pink glasses explained our route to us.

Before setting off, Conor, Priya and Renee went on a zip line high over the river before plummeting down into the river!!! The current seemed pretty strong as it had rained the previous night. We all got in our tubes and floated for about three minutes to the first bar. They basically wave at you and throw you a rope with a bottle attached to the end of it to make it easier to catch and throw. We all had a drink and took in the majestic views…Tom Burke would have been in his element!!!

So many people were scattered around the place and the bars were pretty full. We floated down the river a little more before another stop-off in a bar. This bar had mud volleyball so Mike and I decided to give the locals a run for their money. Two Laos girls played with us. It wasn’t a serious game; I just played in the mud!! A few of the group went down a slide which looked pretty awesome…and once again the landings weren’t great, they all have the bruises to prove this! No more bars were stopped at after this…we just floated down the river and enjoyed the jaw dropping views of the mountains in the background.

It was great to see everyone smile. The rapids and tiny islands kept things interesting. I bumped into a German girl along the river and had a brief chat to her, it was like speed dating for a minute…in a tube!! This really was the life and something we will always remember. All in all it took us over 4 hours to complete the journey with the stops along the way. I imagine most people get stupidly drunk along this river and ignore the beauty of the surroundings but we will appreciate the views forever more and the images of the sun glistening on the river over the mountains will remain in our heads. After this we had lunch and talked about the day.

Everyone was pretty exhausted from our escapades and we hit the hay after a thoroughly enjoyable day tubeing. All in all we loved Vang Viang but we feel that it will be ruined by drunken tourists and that the overall beauty of the place will not be appreciated.

Over and out,

Gary

Day 389- 390 – Vientiane Adventures

Today we had a long seven hour bus to take to the Laos capital Vientiane. Along the way we stopped off at a local Laos’ restaurant and enjoyed the view as we passed Wat Sisaket and Patouxai. Patouxai is Laos’ version of the Arc De Triomphe and is popularly known as “anusawali” (Lao for monument). It was built in the late 1950’s when the US government gave the Lao Government money to build an airport but instead they built Patouxai to commemorate casualties of war on the side of the Royal Lao Government.

First impressions of the city were good, the roads looked very clean and tidy and the main centre point of the city, the Nam Phou Fountain looked spectacular when in motion. After checking in we all headed down to the riverside and enjoyed a beer while waiting for the sunset. Unfortunately once again the clouds ruined our sunset but it didn’t dampen our spirits. While we were there Gary was in an internet café trying to sort out his visa for Australia.

That night we made our way to an awesome restaurant which was 3 floors high and served giraffes. Giraffes are basically 6 pints of Beer Lao (best beer around) in a keg you can pour yourself. I quickly ordered one and was delighted to find out it worked out at only 5USD for the giraffe!

After dinner we all headed to a local wine bar, the best in the town. Then the three of us, Dips and Phil crashed a local Lao music event in a hall just around the corner. The music was shocking so we didn’t last long in there, barely getting a beer in. We chilled out at the fountain instead drinking our beers. A great bit of banter was had! We were supposed to watch United against CSKA but none of us copped the time difference for Russian Champions League games and missed the whole game! Disaster!

The next morning we had little time before our bus to the tubing town of Vang Viang so we did nothing other than freestyle while waiting for the fountain to start (it never did), go on the net and have a great lunch at the “world famous” Jomo’s restaurant.Once we arrived in Vang Viang we went for dinner in The Rising Sun bar owned by an Irish lad from Kerry called Gary. We got a few giraffes in before playing a pool competition which was one suspiciously enough by the owner. He was sound though and gave us a free bucket between us. Sound man!

We met up with the other tour group in Q Bar and then headed down to the river to Sunset Bar for more drinks. We had good night even though a few idiots tried to spoil it!

On the way home Conor, Priya and Rachel somehow got lost and even entered a Lao hospital asking for directions. It took them over an hour to find the hotel in a tiny town!

Take it easy,

Mike

Day 388- Sabidee Laos

It was time to say Adios to Vietnam. Vietnam had brought us some great insight into their view on the war against American compared to the one most of us see on television and movies. It is a culturally beautiful country but the traffic and fumes eventually makes you want to escape it all. Our end couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

Unfortunately the trip from Hanoi to the border was 12 hours. 12 hours on a bus! Bring out the iPods and the sleeping pillows. We have got an amazing group for sleep (myself included). This is the normal set up we go to bed and get 7 hours sleep then pile onto the bus and go straight back to sleep for another 3 or 4 hours. Sounds bizarre but this much travel can be draining as much as rewarding. The good point of the 12 hour journey was that it was full of spectacular scenery. The Vietnamese countryside offers a great contrast to that of the chaotic cities. We passed the time with the “I went to the shop” game. This game goes
· I went to the shop and bought an Apple
· I went to the shop and bought an Apple, Bazooka
· I went to the shop and bought an Apple, Bazooka, Cat
It went on and on and we eventually completed the whole alphabet. It was another success for team GAP and another 20 minutes off the 12 hours. The journey flew by and before we knew it, it was border time again.

Crossing the border was pretty straight forward this time we got stamped and boarded the bus to the Laos immigration station to get our visa. Twenty minutes later we were officially in Laos.

Not many people are familiar with Laos so I’m just going to give you all a quick 101 on Laos. It contains a population of 5.2million people. It’s largely been ignored by Westerns up until the country became a player in the Vietnamese war. However since late 1990’s Laos has decided to invite interest from the west by increasing tourism related activates. Laos has got a lot of French influence which is visible in its architecture. The 101 lesson is over.

We arrived in the village of Lac Sao. A very small town nestled in the mountains. You wouldn’t find this town in any of your guide books so it was a good way to see the real Laos. For the most part it’s an old fashioned country with a lot of culture which was visible in Lac Sao. We arrived just before sunset so got to view the sunset over the mountains from our balconies. It was pretty amazing to see this little village descend into darkness.

We all had a little time to relax before we would enjoy or first meal in Laos. The name of the place we were going was called “The only place in town”. This wasn’t a funny name it actually was the only place in town to eat. There was a clear difference between the Laos cuisine and the Vietnamese cuisine. I never like to order the same kind of food so this time I opted for the Tom Yum Chicken. It was like a chicken style soup. It was quite tasty. We all got to experience our first Beer Lao. Beer Lao is the only Beer in this country so it’s a bit of an icon. After 23 years I have finally acquired a bit of a taste for the stuff. Well it’s more bearable let’s say (That means cheaper).

Some of us headed home early to watch a movie on Star Movies. The movie was called “Severance”. I’m not going to turn the article into a critic’s review of the movie but I will saw it was awful. It was time for bed as another day of travel was to follow.

Oh the life of a traveller,

Conor

Day 386-387 Mua Roi Nuoc

Today we got a bus to Hanoi which is Vietnam’s small, elegant capital lying in the heart of the northern delta. Our tour guide recently added up our travel time (ie bus, trains etc..) and it will be 135 hours plus by the time we finish the trip, not too shabby! Once again it’s a place full of life, full of fumes and traffic!!! You tend to get use to this though because it’s just part and parcel of everyday life here. We explored a bit of the city before having lunch in a nice little café called Papa Joes.

At the heart of Hanoi lies Hoan Kiem Lake, around which you’ll find the banks, airlines and main post office, plus many hotels, restaurants, shopping streets and markets. The lake lies between the cramped but endlessly diverting Old Quarter in the north, and the tree-lined boulevards of the French Quarter to the South.

On our way back to the hotel we spotted a PS3 gaming café so we had a quick game. We haven’t touched a PS3 in ages and we played our old favourite Pro Evolution. I have to admit not missing it as much as I presumed I would but you can’t beat a good competitive game of Pro Evo! Tonight we finally got the chance to enjoy a bowel of one of Hanoi’s specialities, the ubiquitous pho noodle soup. I tried it with pork and it was very filling for just over $1. The Pho was washed down by a beer and we made our way to the Thang Lang Water Puppet show (Mua Roi Nuoc)!

I don’t think that any explanation is required…it is simply puppets that dance on water, a uniquely Vietnamese art form that originated in the Red River Delta. We squeezed into our seats and enjoyed 45 minutes of pure puppet-ness (I just made up that word; it doesn’t actually come up on spell check but who cares). Some of us were sleeping during the show. We don’t know what the puppets were saying or doing but it looked good. Apparently it depicts rural life or historic events. Puppeteers stand waist-deep in water, manipulating the heavy wooden puppets attached to long underwater poles We also enjoyed some traditional Vietnamese music during the show.

A good sleep in was had by everyone and we explored more of the city the following morning. We witnessed a big crash between two motor bikes and a mini fight broke out. We are not surprised by the crash, the roads here are ridiculously busy and the Green Man might aswell pack his bags and go home because no one cares about him here, whereas he is the big boss man back home! I got my haircut…well the back and sides of my head because the Cambodian gentleman who cut my hair in Ankor Wat made a meal of it; the sides were actually longer than the top. This Vietnamese gentleman took over an hour to do the back and sides. To be fair to him he did a great job, its looking sharp!

Next up was something that totally disgusted us. We ventured into a Market and in the food section we were left shocked. Turtles were all piled into a tiny cage. They were still alive and the poor things were trying to get out of the cage. A few of them had cuts and bruises from doing so. It wasn’t a nice sight. Fish were also subjected to the same treatment. That night we ate in a fancy restaurant that allowed you to draw on the tables. The crayons were already on the table so we all tried our hand at drawing Michael Jackson; Dips drew the best one by a mile. Sandra, Bee and Steph enjoyed their last night with us as they are departing the tour after tonight. We wish them all the best in their future travels. Thus the group is now down to 9 and it really is like Big Brother.

Queue Big Brother theme tune,

Gary

Day 385 – How-Long Bay

We arrived at Hanoi at four in the morning feeling a little bedraggled (inside joke). We all scrambled to find our tickets to exit the train station and boarded the mini-bus which would take us to Ha Long Bay. The journey took four hours and when we arrived at the hotel we were devastated to find out we wouldn’t be able to check in right away! We would have to wait a couple of hours! Breakfast, the net and the football helped us pass the time. Our cruise around Ha Long Bay left at eleven thirty so we wouldn’t have to long to relax beforehand.Ha Long Bay is split in two by a wide channel running north-south: the larger, western portion contains the most dramatic scenery and best caves, while to the east lie’s an attractive area of smaller islands, known as Bai Tu Long. Nearly 2000 bizarrely shaped limestone outcrops jut out of the emerald Bay, its hidden caves and needle-sharp ridges providing the inspiration for dozens of local legends and poems.

The only way to explore it is by boat. Thankfully we had the whole boat to ourselves. The boat had a restaurant and bar on the bottom deck and a sun lounging area on the top deck. It was amazing sight after amazing sight as we made our way to our first stop, the caves. Along the way the crew on boarded pleaded with us to buy a bottle of wine for fifteen dollars, the same bottle we had bought the previous night for two! We were having none of it!

When we reached the caves it was an awesome sight, we proceeded inside and we amazed at the amount of different colour lights inside. It looked very artificial but was still cool to see.
When we got back on the boat we set sail for the beach. Along the way we were treated to a buffet of seafood, meat and vegetarian food. It was a great meal and was hilarious when the waitress said something was rice when it clearly tastes of pork!The beach we arrived at looked incredible. The ocean was infested with the beautiful shaped limestone rocks and locals played beach volleyball and soccer.

It cost 10,000dong to get for the tourists which is only 40cent. We jumped straight in to the water and admired the scenery around us. We were told about a ten minute climb to the top of the mountain which featured over 200 steps and we raced to the top. The views from the top were like no other and many a photo was taken! Back on the beach we played beach soccer and volleyball with the locals, most of which seemed very drunk! On the way back to the hotel we managed to catch a great sunset on the way home which summed up a brilliant day.That night we watched United beat Bolton 2-1 and played an hilarious drinking game which turned cards into a horse race!

Good times!Mike

Day 384 – Morning in Hue

We had only a few hours in the morning to get some sight seeing done so time was of the essence. This meant an early wake up. 8:00 we boarded the bus. Some of the group decided they wanted a sleep in instead. Fair enough but it was time to see the City.

The first port of call was The Royal Mausoleums. It was located about 20 minutes outside of Hue in a forest. We Walked in a temple and viewed across a pond full of beautiful water lilies. The whole place had a royal feeling to it. The location of these Mausoleums takes a great deal of time as it needs to represent everything that the King stood. The Mausoleum contains the remains of Khai Dinh and his wife. The Mausoleum was built in 1920-1931.

Emperor Khai Dinh ruled Vietnam for 9 years. Under Khai Dinh, Western culture and influence began to seep into Vietnam. The king himself visited France in 1922. As a result, his tomb has many elements of Western architecture. It contains a large slab stone stele which records details of his reign. It is a kind of an old fashioned autobiography. An amazing thing also was that the Emperor and his Queen are located so far away from one an other. When the Emperor died and his men Buried treasure all his 100 had to be beheaded so none of them would steal it.

The next port of call was the Citadel. This has officially been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The site is made up of over 148 building but unfortunately currently only 20 have survived. The whole complex is covered by a wall and used to protect the imperial city. The place is currently under construction but some of these building require you to use your imagination to see how it was like many years ago. The sheer size of it just shows how important these Emperors were. On view in one of the rooms was the Kings Chair and entertainment center. The King was had a team of 100 to look after him. He could even go to the toilet on the chair as it had a funnel and one of his team would clean up afterwards. The King also had a large Chariot that his team would carry him on between rooms. Walking was clearly too difficult for him.

After all this hard work we headed back to the Hotel. We quickly had showers and headed to the local restaurant for some lunch. I enjoy eating different food in all of these restaurants just to experience something different every time. Gary and Mike tend to go for the Western option generally or something simple. The food was good and the Chocolate Milkshakes were awesome.

Next item on the agenda was a 14 Hour Journey train and then a 4 hour bus trip SWEET !!!!!
We got our treats and lunch before we boarded just to make sure we could make the trip more enjoyable. We were all a bit worried it would be as bad as the last trip but thankfully it was first class. We all cheered enjoyment with no rats or cockroaches.

Half way through the journey we stopped in a random location and bargained with the local at the side of the train. We bought some wine off them for like $ 2US. It was drinkable and helped cheer us all up a bit. We had some good chats and then decided to play a game of "Guess Who (20 Questions). We wrote celebrities names on each others heads and had to guess who we were. It was good fun. Rachael got hers quickest. Bruce Forsyth was hers. Then everyone else got theirs and it was down to me and Priya. This was an hour or so later. Lot of hints but it did not help. Frank Bruno was mine and hers was Donald Duck. With that we ended the night and went to sleep.

Choo Chooo Conor

Day 383- Biker Mice from Mars

Our bus journey to Hue was very scenic and we traveled right up into the mountains. The views were great and the vendors up in the mountains were very aggressive (our tour guide had previously warned us about them!!). Once we got to our hotel we went for lunch in Mandarin coffee. The owner of this particular restaurant was a very skilled photographer and he even had a portfolio of his work for us to browse through whilst enjoying our meals. Once the bill was paid he gave us each a free post-card with his work on the front of it. After this we headed on a motor-bike tour, all 13 of us went. The cool thing about this tour was that it went in sequence. Mike was always ahead of me and if my driver overtook by mistake, then Mike's driver would instantly go head of us again. We always stuck together which was cool.

The city is located in central Vietnam on the banks of the Perfume River (Huong River), just a few miles inland from the South China Sea. It is about 700 km (438 mi.) South of the national capital of Hanoi and about 1100 km (690 mi.) North of Ho Chi Minh City, The country's largest city formerly known as Saigon.

The bike tour took us into small little alley ways and we got some fantastic views of the water buffalo. After this we visited a small village and our tour guide explained about the history of the farming here. An old woman, who was well able to go, demonstrated how to make rice, etc ... This irrigate Woman, along with other elderly Vietnamese Women, have black teeth. The reason behind this is that they want to maintain their original teeth, they do not believe in dentures!! They put a special paste on it. She was crazy in a funny way. She would sing to the beat when she was pounding the rice. As our tour guide said "She is the sweetest old woman you will ever meet."

Before leaving I got my fortune told to me. I will get married at 27, have three kids (two boys, one girl), I am starting my career next year and for some reason at the age of 43 I will get ridiculously drunk!! How random is that? We had a few more little stops and one in particular was interesting. We stopped at the King's Coliseum. In ancient times a Tiger would go up against an elephant. Our tour guide asked us who would triumph all the time .... We said the Tiger. However, it was the Elephant who always won because he represents the King .... That and the fact that the Tiger faced the Elephant minus his teeth and claws, how unfair is that! It was an awesome tour.

Gary

Day 380-382- Tailor Heaven

Off the train at six in the morning, we had a short bus ride to our hotel with one problem in mind: we couldn’t check in! As we waited for our rooms everyone did different things from eating breakfast, trying to sleep on the loungers by the pool, using the free net or freestyling.
Before we check in we decided to get some breakfast in a restaurant called Cargo and it was amazing. Hoi An is one of Vietnam’s most pleasant towns, it somehow escaped damage during both the French and American wars and its charming two-hundred-year-old wooden-fronted shop-houses are among its chief attractions. It is the tailor capital of Asia.

95% of the shops are tailors! It’s a beautiful city, like it’s frozen in time from years gone by. After breakfast Caroline brought us to her usual tailor as she knows they wouldn’t make us pay the full amount without trying on our clothes first.We each had our own personal sales woman and the haggling began. The first order of business was to get measured up for our suits.

The saleswomen were very touchy feely with us and loved a pinch here and there! We had trouble controlling them!We each picked out what type of suit we wanted from a catalogue and picked out our material and shirt/lining and shoe colour. I managed to haggle very well and get a great price right of the bat but the lads would have to raise there game at the second visit and they did. They turned on the charm after we tried on the suits and loved them and Conor sweetened his deal even more by giving away a fragrance he got from Chemist Warehouse! Every time we went back we ended up getting fitted for an extra item, whether it be another suit, jeans, shorts or a leather jacket! And we kept getting great deals!Tonight we were going for dinner in the same restaurant we went to for breakfast: Cargo.

The restaurant was beautifully decorated and its only flaw was a really low ceiling that was a hazard. After we were all done ordering Gary decided it was too hot and sweaty so he headed back to the hotel to change his shirt. We started to get worried when the food arrived and he still wasn’t back. We got even more worried when we had all finished eating and were ordering dessert and he still wasn’t back. While he was gone the wall behind us had been taken over by massive cockroaches and geckos. A fight even broke out between them! Eventually he returned and we all applauded him for finding the restaurant when he banged his head off the low ceiling!

After the dinner we headed to a local pool bar for a drink. We took over the pool table and we were informed by Caroline that the guy racking up the balls was an amazing one-handed player! I asked him for a game and he accepted. He only played one handed and he got off to a blistering start! I fought back and after an amazing attempt by him I potted the black for the win!The next morning we headed straight back to the tailors to try on our clothes and haggle them down a bit more. I was unhappy with my leather jacket but they redid it in a heartbeat!

Mike’s Shopping List:2 suits, 3 shirts, 2 ties, shoes, leather jacket, jeans, shorts and flip flops: 415USD

Conor’s Shopping List:1 suit, 1 shirt, 1 tie, shoes, jacket, customized jeans, shorts: 320USD

Gary’s Shopping List:1 suit, 2 shirts, 1 tie, shoes, jacket, shorts: 320USD

A great couple of days shopping! We sorted out the delivery prices and said our goodbyes to our assistants. We posed for photos and gave them a tip and they were delighted. Most women over in Vietnam get beaten by their husbands and it’s accepted so we felt the need to do something nice for them. We got the email for the store if we ever want anything shipped over.That night we went for an unbelievable Indian meal and after to a bar for more beer and some great banter with our group. Our stay in Hoi An has been incredible and it’s now one of our favourite places we’ve been!

Mike