India - Bangkok - Vietnam

It’s been a while since my last update and quite a bit has happened since!

I moved on from the resort based north Goa to Palolem beach in the south of the region. Much more relaxed, so relaxed in fact that before I knew it, 7 days had flown by. My accommodation comprised of little more than a garden shed on stilts with a bed in the middle. It was located right on the beach though so worth sacrificing a few luxuries

After dragging myself away from Palolem, I made the arduous overnight journey to Hampi on a ‘sleeper’ bus. Unfortunately due to the state of Indian roads and the drivers inability to brake gently not much sleep was to be had. Hampi was worth it though. I will let the pictures do most of the talking. The area is basically a huge series of temple complexes set amongst and on top of a stunning natural formation of rocks. Many travelers will spend weeks to months here as the area and Hampi Bazaar are so chilled out. I braved a hair cut, shave, and Indian head massage while here (I didn’t have any choice over the last two) which was a nervous moment.

After another sleeper bus, 8 hour day train, expensive rickshaw journey then an early morning flight (about 36 hours traveling and waiting), I arrived in Bangkok feeling pretty exhausted. I quickly found accommodation for about 2 pounds a night, which doesn’t buy you much other than thin walls, a door, bed and fan.

I spent 4 days in Bangkok in which time I fitted in the main tourist attractions including the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew and Wat Pho with its giant reclining Buddha. It is a city of amazing contrasts, with old Thai settings and customs in one street and huge air conditioned shopping centres in the next. It’s certainly a dynamic place to be, even the fried crickets taste good!

My original plan was to travel overland from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam via Cambodia where I would meet my friends Alan and Debbie (for anyone who doesn’t know; Alan suffered working with me for nearly 5 years). As I was short of time though I caught a direct flight.

It was great to see familiar friendly faces on my arrival in Vietnam. The 3 of us spent the next 3 weeks working our way north to Hanoi on the painfully slow sleeper train. The Reunification ‘Express’ line hugs the coast of Vietnam and travels through some dramatic scenery. On the way we stopped off at Nha Trang, a popular beach town for a few days before moving on to Hoi An for Xmas. Hoi An is a beautiful town with strong colonial influences and a beach nearby. A great place to spend Christmas day really, although it did rain to give us a small taste of home.

New Year was spent in Hanoi, which seeing that it’s not Vietnamese New Year until early February, they celebrate enthusiastically.

New Years Day will be remembered by all 3 of us for the amazing bicycle ride then river boat trip around Tam Coc (see pictures)

After all our traveling we had earned ourselves a well deserved rest on the island of Phu Quoc, just off the coast of Cambodia. Miles of golden beaches, clear blue skies and the warm sea soon got us in a relaxed frame of mind. Phu Quoc is largely undeveloped to mass tourism so far and most of the island is served by dirt roads which are great to travel on by moped (not exactly relaxing though!) Western tourists are still quite a novelty on most of the island too.

With Al and Deb back in cold blighty now (sorry!), I’m getting used to traveling on my own again. After a few days finding my feet in Ho Chi Minh, tomorrow I am off to Mui Ne beach hopefully for a spot of surfing before going on a Mekong Delta river trip into Cambodia.

Happy New Year to everyone!

David

PS... Apologies to Al and Deb for the very brief summary of Vietnam, I would be writing for hours to cover everything we have seen and done!