After four days in Luang Prabang it was time to move on to Vang Vieng, often described as the Khao San Road of Laos, and after seeing the real thing in bangkok we were all a little apprehensive as to how we would find it. We booked seats on a minibus on our guest house and spent an hour on the bus trying to get the driver to actually leave the town! He kept driving back into the middle of town, giving different reasons for the delay but in the end it seemed he was just waiting for more people to book so that he could make a bit more money. The ride was pretty hairy, weaving around the mountains in a small bus with no seat belts, feeling pretty ill from the night before and in a now rammed full minibus. It was a slow journey but in the end we arrived in the centre of Vang Vieng. Well really it only consists of one street lined with guest houses and little bar/restaurants that have sofa-like seating areas alll pointing towards TV's at the front playing constant re-runs of Friends or Family Guy.
First impressions were that it was a bit empty and all the hype had been wrong, that was until all the people came back from tubing which is the activity the town is famous for. Built on the side of the Nam Ngum river, the activity is basically to hire out the inner tube of a tractor tyre, get a lift around 3km out of town, and then float back to town on your inner tube. It started because of the amazing scenerary surrounding the river and people found that it was a nice relaxing way to idle away the afternoon. Now though the river is lined with bars and this is why it is so popular with backpackers.
We thought we'd give it a couple of days before going tubing as Pete and Jakob both weren't feeling well and so the first full day, minus Jakob, we went to the caves which were a short trip outside the town. There were four main caves, the Elephant Cave famed for having a stalactite shaped like an elephant which looks suspiciuosly too good, two other very deep rocky caves which we ventured about a kilometre into with torches in the pitch black, and the Water Cave which you could tube into a little way. These were quite fun but nothing spectacular, in contrast especially to the countryside of huge mountains these were carved into. We had one day of being pretty bad and just watching TV in the bars, which although obviously not in the spirit of why we came away, was kind of nice, especially as a few of us were feeling a little under the weather.
The next day was our final day in Vang Vieng and we all felt well enough to go tubing. As I said, we were all a bit apprehensive about what it would be like as it was very hyped up and one of the things people always say to do, but actually it was pretty amazing! It was like being in some kind of American college movie like American Pie, lots of really drunk half naked people, rope swings and slides, and a huge mud pit. There were about 8 bars and all had big decks out over the water where you would sit or dance and lots of people we had met over the last week were there. It was definitelt worth the hype, and although completely uncultured and nothing to do with being in Laos as such, I have no shame in suggesting that every young person that goes to the area has to do it at least once! The next day, feeling pretty hungover, we went on the the capital city of Laos, Vientiane.
Monday 16 February 2009
13th February - Laos (1)
Well we have just left Laos after spending around 2 weeks traveling the length of the country and I have to say I had very mixed feelings about the country. It's extremely beautiful and most of the people are very welcoming, but at the same time it is very much a country in transition and still one of the poorest in the world. A small minority of people are out to exploit the relative wealth of people traveling around and as such some times it can feel a little unsafe. This though is definitely a very small minority and we have had some really amazing times, I'm quite sad to be leaving.
We left Thailand by crossing a small boat over the Mekong River separating it from Laos, bought visas at the chaotic visa control and were dropped off at a cafe, ready to board the slowboat we were getting down the river to Luang Prabang. This was the first of many attempted scams we would encounter in Laos! A official looking man starting giving a lecture about the dangers of the slowboat and scaring quite a few people about the impending ride ahead by saying it took twice as long as we thought and that many people fell in. He also gave some information about the town that we would be staying in for the night, Pek Beng, saying that it had no electricity, was overpriced, people would try and steal your bags etc... All the while though we still thought he was employed by the boat company and this information was for our benefit. Until that was, he offered us the alternative of booking a bus with his bus company! Around half the people with us were suitably scared and booked with him, even though they had already paid for the boat ticket, but at least it meant there was more room for us on the boat now! As it was the boat was amazing, traveling through the incredible tree lined mountains at a comfortable pace and meeting other people. The only thing the man was right about was when we arrived at Pak Beng, men from the beach jumped onto the boat where all our bags were stored at the back in order to carry them off for you and demand cash for the service. There was a bit of a fight in the back but in the end we all got off safely with our bags and found an acceptable guest house that defintely DID have electricity.
A further 8 hours on the boat the next day and we arrived in Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Town in Northern Laos. It is an absolutely amazing town built on land at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam On rivers with a huge, lush hill in the middle of the town which has a temple built on the top. We found a really nice family run house to stay in and by this point we had acquired some more people; Jan and Jakob, two german guys that we met on the boat, and very strangely a guy named James (or Brain as I call him out of habit) who was in my halls of residence at university and had bumped into in Chiang Mai. We spent the next four days in Luang Prabang, paddling in the confluence, looking round the great night market and generally relaxing after the long boat journey. We watched a show of traditional Laos songs and ballet in the grounds royal palace as well as climbing the hill to the temple on top to see a supposed imprint of Buddha's foot and a great view of the city. Strangely we found in most cities in Laos the place to be after the strictly imposed 11.30 curfew was always a bowling alley just a little while out of town. We went a couple of times and was pretty fun bowling with beer and watching the bemused faces of the local young people as strange Falang danced to cheesy pop, my idea of the perfect night!
We left Thailand by crossing a small boat over the Mekong River separating it from Laos, bought visas at the chaotic visa control and were dropped off at a cafe, ready to board the slowboat we were getting down the river to Luang Prabang. This was the first of many attempted scams we would encounter in Laos! A official looking man starting giving a lecture about the dangers of the slowboat and scaring quite a few people about the impending ride ahead by saying it took twice as long as we thought and that many people fell in. He also gave some information about the town that we would be staying in for the night, Pek Beng, saying that it had no electricity, was overpriced, people would try and steal your bags etc... All the while though we still thought he was employed by the boat company and this information was for our benefit. Until that was, he offered us the alternative of booking a bus with his bus company! Around half the people with us were suitably scared and booked with him, even though they had already paid for the boat ticket, but at least it meant there was more room for us on the boat now! As it was the boat was amazing, traveling through the incredible tree lined mountains at a comfortable pace and meeting other people. The only thing the man was right about was when we arrived at Pak Beng, men from the beach jumped onto the boat where all our bags were stored at the back in order to carry them off for you and demand cash for the service. There was a bit of a fight in the back but in the end we all got off safely with our bags and found an acceptable guest house that defintely DID have electricity.
A further 8 hours on the boat the next day and we arrived in Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage Town in Northern Laos. It is an absolutely amazing town built on land at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam On rivers with a huge, lush hill in the middle of the town which has a temple built on the top. We found a really nice family run house to stay in and by this point we had acquired some more people; Jan and Jakob, two german guys that we met on the boat, and very strangely a guy named James (or Brain as I call him out of habit) who was in my halls of residence at university and had bumped into in Chiang Mai. We spent the next four days in Luang Prabang, paddling in the confluence, looking round the great night market and generally relaxing after the long boat journey. We watched a show of traditional Laos songs and ballet in the grounds royal palace as well as climbing the hill to the temple on top to see a supposed imprint of Buddha's foot and a great view of the city. Strangely we found in most cities in Laos the place to be after the strictly imposed 11.30 curfew was always a bowling alley just a little while out of town. We went a couple of times and was pretty fun bowling with beer and watching the bemused faces of the local young people as strange Falang danced to cheesy pop, my idea of the perfect night!
Friday 30 January 2009
28th January - Chiang Mai (2)
We woke up the next day, which was to be the day of the most walking, all feeling a bit stiff but the great breakfast they had cooked us really helped. We set off into really dense jungle in the morning, up and down hills that were essentially small mountains, and settled for lunch at a stream with a small hut deep within the jungle. Strangely, they has re-routed some water to create a rudimentary cold shower near the hut and so we all dived under to get out of the heat, that was now especially hot and sticky. It was so invigorating showering in deep in the jungle. The afternoon was walking around 4 hours again, sometimes not seeing life for an hour until we reached our camp for that night, on the edge of the river in which we would be bamboo rafting the next day. As we got their they were still constructing our rafts, literally just out of bamboo and vine, and we all looked at them a bit sheepishly. The river wasn't particularly fast flowing but it had it's share of big rocks and small rapids so these precarious looking rafts were supposed to maneuver through these to get us down the river! We were all in high spirits though and that night after more great local food we sat again by the fire (with more Chang beer!) and our guide taught us some traditional Thai tribal songs. One was about the local festival, Loi Krathong, and the other was about the Chang (elephant). We attempted to sing but even with the phonetic lyrics he had prepared, we must have sounded ridiculous as Doh and the other tribal people were falling about laughing! The accommodation was the same kind of place, wood floors, blankets and mosquito nets but again I slept surprisingly well.
The next day we woke up to see our bamboo rafts fully built and looking a lot safer, so we set out on our way down the river. I don't whether it was a compliment or not but I was given the job of the engine at the back, obviously because I looked the strongest! Haha. This just involved pushing of rocks and the river bed with a bamboo stick, much like a Gondola in Venice. It was fine to start but then we started hitting some small rapids, and some big rocks, and although the other guys only had to worry about not falling off, I had to worrying about trying to power through as well! The most fun part was when we encountered a fallen tree in the river that we couldn't cross, so all the guys in the party had to get out in the river up to our armpits and try and loosen this tree so we could break our way through. We reached the end point of our crossing and walked a small way to the car, having proudly navigated about 15 km on the river in a couple of hours. On the way back to Chiang Mai there was another surprise, a gigantic waterfall that Doh informed us we had to go under if we wanted to return to Chiang Mai! We plucked up the courage after a little while, although Pete jumped straight in, and it was again incredible to be showering under the most powerful natural shower I had ever seen! I definitely got the dirt I had accumulated from the trek off! I hadn't really looked into trekking much before I got to Chiang Mai but I would recommend anyone coming to this part of the world to do one, everything about it was great.
So back in Chiang Mai that night we tried to have a quite night, we were all quite tired from the trek and me, Pete and Matt had booked a cookery course the next day. As it was we found by climbing over a wall just up from our guest house, we came to what was essentially a car park full of bars playing live music. We found one with a metal band that were playing terrible British Indie covers, so after a few drinks it seemed like the best place ever. There were lots of Thai young people and although there were quite a few tourists (or Farang as we are called) we met loads of different people which was really interesting. We ended up staying until about 5am just talking to different groups of tourists and Thais.
The next morning we were up for 8 30am for the cookery course and for the first morning since Bangkok, I didn't feel too great! Luckily the cookery course was fun, we went to the market first after choosing our dishes for the ingredients. As it was so early, the 'Farang' hadn't got up yet so it was full of Thai people buying their ingredients for the day and it felt really authentic. The strangest thing was ordering some fish that was still alive in a bucket before being promptly battered on the head, de-finned, de-scaled and wrapped within about 30 seconds! All the dishes we cooked were so tasty and the chef was a real character, he sounded like a Thai Stephen Hawking.
That night was our second to last night in Chiang Mai and as we knew we had nothing to do the next day, we decided to go out again until late. The night didn't start as we intended as we were all so tired from the night before, we were all falling asleep in the first bar we went to. After we went back to the car park place though, we were feeling ready again. It was probably due to ordering some 'buckets' which are basically a bottle of whiskey, energy drink (which apparently aren't allowed in UK but we only found that after) and a little bit of Cola. The night becomes a bit of blur after that but we went to club called Spice where I'm pretty sure we all made fools of ourselves, but I'll choose not to remember that.
So today we are heading off to the Thai-Laos border to get the slowboat to Luang Prabang. It takes around two days and sounds relaxing, although we will be sitting on wooden seats, so we will see.
The next day we woke up to see our bamboo rafts fully built and looking a lot safer, so we set out on our way down the river. I don't whether it was a compliment or not but I was given the job of the engine at the back, obviously because I looked the strongest! Haha. This just involved pushing of rocks and the river bed with a bamboo stick, much like a Gondola in Venice. It was fine to start but then we started hitting some small rapids, and some big rocks, and although the other guys only had to worry about not falling off, I had to worrying about trying to power through as well! The most fun part was when we encountered a fallen tree in the river that we couldn't cross, so all the guys in the party had to get out in the river up to our armpits and try and loosen this tree so we could break our way through. We reached the end point of our crossing and walked a small way to the car, having proudly navigated about 15 km on the river in a couple of hours. On the way back to Chiang Mai there was another surprise, a gigantic waterfall that Doh informed us we had to go under if we wanted to return to Chiang Mai! We plucked up the courage after a little while, although Pete jumped straight in, and it was again incredible to be showering under the most powerful natural shower I had ever seen! I definitely got the dirt I had accumulated from the trek off! I hadn't really looked into trekking much before I got to Chiang Mai but I would recommend anyone coming to this part of the world to do one, everything about it was great.
So back in Chiang Mai that night we tried to have a quite night, we were all quite tired from the trek and me, Pete and Matt had booked a cookery course the next day. As it was we found by climbing over a wall just up from our guest house, we came to what was essentially a car park full of bars playing live music. We found one with a metal band that were playing terrible British Indie covers, so after a few drinks it seemed like the best place ever. There were lots of Thai young people and although there were quite a few tourists (or Farang as we are called) we met loads of different people which was really interesting. We ended up staying until about 5am just talking to different groups of tourists and Thais.
The next morning we were up for 8 30am for the cookery course and for the first morning since Bangkok, I didn't feel too great! Luckily the cookery course was fun, we went to the market first after choosing our dishes for the ingredients. As it was so early, the 'Farang' hadn't got up yet so it was full of Thai people buying their ingredients for the day and it felt really authentic. The strangest thing was ordering some fish that was still alive in a bucket before being promptly battered on the head, de-finned, de-scaled and wrapped within about 30 seconds! All the dishes we cooked were so tasty and the chef was a real character, he sounded like a Thai Stephen Hawking.
That night was our second to last night in Chiang Mai and as we knew we had nothing to do the next day, we decided to go out again until late. The night didn't start as we intended as we were all so tired from the night before, we were all falling asleep in the first bar we went to. After we went back to the car park place though, we were feeling ready again. It was probably due to ordering some 'buckets' which are basically a bottle of whiskey, energy drink (which apparently aren't allowed in UK but we only found that after) and a little bit of Cola. The night becomes a bit of blur after that but we went to club called Spice where I'm pretty sure we all made fools of ourselves, but I'll choose not to remember that.
So today we are heading off to the Thai-Laos border to get the slowboat to Luang Prabang. It takes around two days and sounds relaxing, although we will be sitting on wooden seats, so we will see.
28th January - Chiang Mai (1)
We arrived into Chiang Mai from the night bus at around 7.30 am and so were all pretty disorientated, although the bus was surprisingly comfortable so we all managed some sleep. Strangely too, I got chatting to the guy that came to sit next to me and it turned out he went to the same college as us all and came from Surrey too! His name was Andrew, or Sol as we call him, and he pretty much became our forth man from then on for everything in Chiang Mai. We found a guest house that the Lonely Planet ( or the Bible as we were calling it) had recommended and got two double rooms for about 1/4 of the price of the place in Bangkok, although it was probably about 1/2 as clean. It had a good reputation for Treks into the jungle though so we thought it was worth staying.
Our first day was just about getting settled in and we booked our trek for the next day as well as the slow boat trip into Laos for 6 days later. We then went to hire some bikes to explore the town properly. Chiang Mai is an amazing old town in the North of Thailand that started as an old city surrounded by walls and a moat. It has since built up around this old city pretty evenly, although the old city is still where most of the attractions and guest house are and this is where we were staying. It is infinitely smaller than Bangkok and as such we could ride round the whole of the old city in about 15 mins, dodging in and out of the traffic and looking at people going about their daily business.
It is an amazing city and feels a lot more like Asia than Bangkok, and after all the cycling and the bus journey, we were inspired to do something very Thai; get a (legitimate!) Thai Massage. It was quite surreal, we were all made to change into Thai garments and were laid on beds in the middle of a big room, all four of us together. They had to call in reinforcements as they weren't expecting all of us to come in at once, and so we all started getting our massages at stuttered times. Pete was the first and Matt the last, who, having been lying there for 30 mins already, had to be woken up to start. It was amazing to get a proper massage, although some bit really hurt like when she was walking on my back! We were all a bit scared when Pete had finished and they pulled a curtain across...but luckily it was just so he could get changed!
So we slept pretty well that night, which it turned out was really handy as we set off on our trek the next day. Even though it was called a 'Trek' I still don't think any of us expecting to be doing so much walking! We first were driven, with 5 others, around 2 hours to a place just outside the jungle were we rode elephants. It was strangely relaxing, except when the trunk came up like a giant snake to ask for more food! I didn't realise too that the 'sticks' in the bag were in fact sugar cane and I was depriving it of more food that I'm sure it could smell, but it didn't throw us off so I guess it didn't mind my stupidity too much. We got a lot of pictures of us all on the elephants, including Pete on his head, that I'll try to put up soon.
After lunch a few miles later, we drove again for around 3 hours into the National Park south west of Chiang Mai were we set off on our trek into the jungle were only the hill tribes live. We walked for around 3 hours through jungle and untended Paddy fields, harvesting is around September, until we reached our tribe that Doh, our guide, knew to stay the night with. They are of the Kar'en people, incidentally the only tribe not to grow opium, who live in wooden huts on stilts so that pigs, chickens etc. can run free underneath. It was an amazing night, sitting around a fire looking up at stars I had never had the chance to see before, and of course drinking Chang beer! The hut we stayed in was comfortable enough, we slept on bare wood in blankets but at least we had mosquito nets. It was the first time since being here that I have been really cold at night, the mountains and clear skies combined to make the nights get near to freezing, but I still managed to sleep a few solid hours.
Our first day was just about getting settled in and we booked our trek for the next day as well as the slow boat trip into Laos for 6 days later. We then went to hire some bikes to explore the town properly. Chiang Mai is an amazing old town in the North of Thailand that started as an old city surrounded by walls and a moat. It has since built up around this old city pretty evenly, although the old city is still where most of the attractions and guest house are and this is where we were staying. It is infinitely smaller than Bangkok and as such we could ride round the whole of the old city in about 15 mins, dodging in and out of the traffic and looking at people going about their daily business.
It is an amazing city and feels a lot more like Asia than Bangkok, and after all the cycling and the bus journey, we were inspired to do something very Thai; get a (legitimate!) Thai Massage. It was quite surreal, we were all made to change into Thai garments and were laid on beds in the middle of a big room, all four of us together. They had to call in reinforcements as they weren't expecting all of us to come in at once, and so we all started getting our massages at stuttered times. Pete was the first and Matt the last, who, having been lying there for 30 mins already, had to be woken up to start. It was amazing to get a proper massage, although some bit really hurt like when she was walking on my back! We were all a bit scared when Pete had finished and they pulled a curtain across...but luckily it was just so he could get changed!
So we slept pretty well that night, which it turned out was really handy as we set off on our trek the next day. Even though it was called a 'Trek' I still don't think any of us expecting to be doing so much walking! We first were driven, with 5 others, around 2 hours to a place just outside the jungle were we rode elephants. It was strangely relaxing, except when the trunk came up like a giant snake to ask for more food! I didn't realise too that the 'sticks' in the bag were in fact sugar cane and I was depriving it of more food that I'm sure it could smell, but it didn't throw us off so I guess it didn't mind my stupidity too much. We got a lot of pictures of us all on the elephants, including Pete on his head, that I'll try to put up soon.
After lunch a few miles later, we drove again for around 3 hours into the National Park south west of Chiang Mai were we set off on our trek into the jungle were only the hill tribes live. We walked for around 3 hours through jungle and untended Paddy fields, harvesting is around September, until we reached our tribe that Doh, our guide, knew to stay the night with. They are of the Kar'en people, incidentally the only tribe not to grow opium, who live in wooden huts on stilts so that pigs, chickens etc. can run free underneath. It was an amazing night, sitting around a fire looking up at stars I had never had the chance to see before, and of course drinking Chang beer! The hut we stayed in was comfortable enough, we slept on bare wood in blankets but at least we had mosquito nets. It was the first time since being here that I have been really cold at night, the mountains and clear skies combined to make the nights get near to freezing, but I still managed to sleep a few solid hours.
Sunday 25 January 2009
21st January - Bangkok
We finally got to Bangkok Airport about 8pm on Saturday after about 17 hours travel, not too bad but I definitely needed a shower! My first impressions of the city from our taxi away from the airport were just that it seemed immensely bigger than I expected and so hectic, it was hard to imagine anyone actually living in the city. We got out at the infamous Khao San Road where Matt had booked us into a guest house and it was quite clear why every self-respecting guide I'd read says to avoid the place. It was kind of like the Costa del Sol in Asia! Bars everywhere and people trying to sell you things, it was all very manic. We met Matt at a bar next to the guest house and after we got settled in we tried to catch up with Matt, who had been at the bar for hours already. The last thing I remember is ordering a beer tower, worrying about bargirls trying to mug us and then going for a late night swim in the pool on the roof of the guest house!
The guest house we were staying in was actually really clean and comfortable, a stark contrast to the road outside. It was probably for the best too because the next day the combination of jetlag and hangover meant I could really leave the room for more than half an hour!
We spend the net couple of days just settling in, looking round temples and sorting out visas, bus tickets etc. Bangkok definitely takes it out of you and although a gateway to the rest of SE Asia, it takes a lot of effort to get used to. It was only really today that I started to enjoy it. During these days though we were witness to our first 'crafty scam', as Lonely Planet calls them. We got talked into going to the Night Market by a random seemingly friendly man who swore he worked at a newspaper and said there would be lots of people and live music etc. He was helpful enough to hail a tuk-tuk against our will too and persuade us in. Only then did we realise it was actually taking us to a suit shop (which are everywhere and annoying!) and there probably was no Night Market! So we just got out but at least we got a free ride in a tuk-tuk.
Yesterday was a pretty crazy day and the best so far. It was an organised trip with our guest house which took us first to a floating market, where we were punted down canals with stalls either side. This was OK but basically the same as the markets in Bangkok but the novelty factor was quite fun. Then we drove a while nearer the Burmese border to the Bridge over River Kwai and Jeath Museum which was really interesting and had lots of pictures and items used by soldiers that built the bridge. Then in the afternoon we went to the Tiger Temple where we stroked tigers! Pretty strange, these tigers have been brought up vegetarian and are really placid and unresponsive. They seem perfectly happy though and it a really good experience. I got a lot of pictures of me looking live an evil overlord surrounded by tigers, pretty cool!
Well that's what we've got up to so far, late today we leave on a night bus to Chiang Mai in the north where we will be going trekking so I'll write next when I'm there.
The guest house we were staying in was actually really clean and comfortable, a stark contrast to the road outside. It was probably for the best too because the next day the combination of jetlag and hangover meant I could really leave the room for more than half an hour!
We spend the net couple of days just settling in, looking round temples and sorting out visas, bus tickets etc. Bangkok definitely takes it out of you and although a gateway to the rest of SE Asia, it takes a lot of effort to get used to. It was only really today that I started to enjoy it. During these days though we were witness to our first 'crafty scam', as Lonely Planet calls them. We got talked into going to the Night Market by a random seemingly friendly man who swore he worked at a newspaper and said there would be lots of people and live music etc. He was helpful enough to hail a tuk-tuk against our will too and persuade us in. Only then did we realise it was actually taking us to a suit shop (which are everywhere and annoying!) and there probably was no Night Market! So we just got out but at least we got a free ride in a tuk-tuk.
Yesterday was a pretty crazy day and the best so far. It was an organised trip with our guest house which took us first to a floating market, where we were punted down canals with stalls either side. This was OK but basically the same as the markets in Bangkok but the novelty factor was quite fun. Then we drove a while nearer the Burmese border to the Bridge over River Kwai and Jeath Museum which was really interesting and had lots of pictures and items used by soldiers that built the bridge. Then in the afternoon we went to the Tiger Temple where we stroked tigers! Pretty strange, these tigers have been brought up vegetarian and are really placid and unresponsive. They seem perfectly happy though and it a really good experience. I got a lot of pictures of me looking live an evil overlord surrounded by tigers, pretty cool!
Well that's what we've got up to so far, late today we leave on a night bus to Chiang Mai in the north where we will be going trekking so I'll write next when I'm there.
Monday 19 January 2009
First Post 16th January
So most people reading this will probably know what we're doing on this trip but just incase I'll run through it quickly. I'm writing this on a plane to Bahrain which is connecting to Bangkok (a day later than planned but I'll explain that later). After a few days in Bangkok we will be heading up through Thailand and then into Laos. From there we going down Vietnam to Ho Chi Minh City and into Cambodia. Then it's back to Thailand to be proper 'Backpackers' and go to the Full Moon Party on Koh Phagnan.
'We' include my two friends, Matt and Pete, and at this point in time, Matt will go back to Japan and myself and Pete leave a couple of weeks Later for the USA. Various other people are meeting us at different points on a route from LA to New York. The whole trip will be 3 1/2 months with the last month being in America.
So that's about all I have to write at the moment. We're about 41000 feet over what looks like Bulgaria on the map. Matt is already in Bangkok having arrived from Japan earlier today staying in a nice hotel in my name! I was meant to be there too but I was held up for a day as my flight was full and I only had a standby ticket. I guess that's what you get for buying things cheaply! So I had to spend another day in wonderful Horley waiting for the same flight as Pete. Get to Bangkok in about 12 hours and I'm already knackered, I know I'm going to feel rough when I get there...
'We' include my two friends, Matt and Pete, and at this point in time, Matt will go back to Japan and myself and Pete leave a couple of weeks Later for the USA. Various other people are meeting us at different points on a route from LA to New York. The whole trip will be 3 1/2 months with the last month being in America.
So that's about all I have to write at the moment. We're about 41000 feet over what looks like Bulgaria on the map. Matt is already in Bangkok having arrived from Japan earlier today staying in a nice hotel in my name! I was meant to be there too but I was held up for a day as my flight was full and I only had a standby ticket. I guess that's what you get for buying things cheaply! So I had to spend another day in wonderful Horley waiting for the same flight as Pete. Get to Bangkok in about 12 hours and I'm already knackered, I know I'm going to feel rough when I get there...
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