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| Borneo is touted as one of the top dive sites in the world, this is the reason we decided to travel here. Who knows if we will ever be as close to this area of the world again. Having
been there now and dived six dives I would have to say, amazing. It is hard to find words adaquate enough to describe all that we saw. Look left, look right, look up and look down, everywhere was
filled with a spectacular sights. There are over 3000 different type of fish and all are in great abundance. Rita wanted turtles and ... |
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| Do they exist? Yes, I'm happy to report they do, we have seen some in the Sepilok orang utang Sanctuary. They are a very endangered species with the diminishing
of the rainforests and the sanctuary does a wonderful job of protecting them. ... |
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Traveller's be warned, we know the feeling and try so hard to be careful but it got me and got me good this time. Food posioning is one thing and you can figure it out by the sudden onset of pain and discomfort, add to that you can usually figure it will be done with within a day, unless very severe. But this time the symptoms did not match the physical actions.
I guess this all started about 36 hours prior to our departure from Cambodia. That final day and night I could not leave the hotel room, I became very concerned. Having ruled out food posioning and the possibility that it was Cholera (no headache, anxiety, or vomiting) I looked to the possibility of an intestinal bug (virus).
Cholera is very common place in Asia, during my health classes I had my students do a lot of research about it and other infectious diseases, what symptoms to look for, what to do if infection is suspected and how to stop the spread.
Go to the doctor is what most would think to be the best action, but this is not UK, or the US. Here you have to weigh up the hygene habits and available treatments. Do you want to get stuck with a needle that has probably been used on someone else?
We have medical supplies with us including needles and limited medications for use in emergency situations. I knew also that if this sickness continued untreated I could end up in hospital on the other end of a drip.
Because we were due to leave Cambodia I decided to fill myself up with plenty of bottled water, rehydration packs, including electrolites, and imodium pills. Not the perfect solution, or the cure but it did get me through the flight to Kuala Lumpur and from there the flight to Tawau.
At our destination of Semporna the problems continued which meant we could not book to go diving, in fact I didn't venture out from the hotel until the second day when we found a doctor. She did mention hospitalization but took into consideration that I was doing the right thing by taking plenty of fluids and rehydration packs. She prescribed an antibiotic, a stronger form of imodium and gave me some additional rehydration packs.
It was day five before this all kicked into place, by this time Rita had suggested that we travel North to see the Orang Utans while I recouperate as there was no way I could dive yet. So here we are in Borneo, one of the reconized best diving locations in the world and we have yet to get our feet into the water.
It's at times like these, when I was in need and felt as weak as a kitten that the true value of Rita's love for me shone, throughout this ordeal she was vigilant and caring. Took the lead and made the decisions as needed,
we are a team. |
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From our idyllic island in Vietnam (Phy Quoc) we were suddenly surrounded by noise and pollution in Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon as the locals call it. The
motorbikes are everywhere and have even less rules on the road as in Thailand. Stop for a few seconds in a taxi and you're surounded by them instantly, Honda has a lot to answer for in
Asia.
Then it was time to explore the wonders of the temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and we weren't disappointed. The town itself is very touristy and has cashed in on temple
fever, but who ... |
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Sooner or later, it was inevitable that we had to do a "tour" and be proper tourists. We also wanted to find a way to get to an island we had discovered, Phu Quoc. As Tet was almost upon us (New Year celebrations and the main holiday in Vietnam) all flights were full. Phil, at Highland Tours put together a package for us. A 3-day tour of the Highlands and an over-night drive to the ferry port where we would be put aboard the speed boat for Phu Quoc.
On Day 1 we set off in a very nice Ford Explorer, driven by Hi our Vietnamese driver who loved the vehicle and guarded with his life. Funny was to be our Vietnamese tour guide, a retired war veteran who was always on the look out to get a few extra dong in commission. We were soon up in the mountains with wonderful views. Funny pointed out the hills affected by "Agent Orange" dropped by the Americans in the war. 42 years later and the hills are still barren for miles and miles. We also passed miles of coffee plantations, I hadn't realised that coffee is a main crop in Vietnam. After a few hours we stopped for lunch, the sort of roadside cafe we usually avoided but we decided what the heck, we can't starve for 3 days! Funny organised fried rice and chicken, in fact, he always tried to organise fried rice and chicken. He confessed later that his teeth were bad and he couldn't chew anything else! We ate lunch but declined an offer of snake wine, supposed to have magnificent medical qualities. I couldn't believe my eyes, it's made by putting around 20 snakes in a jar and topping it up with liquid. After 1 year it's ready. I discovered a shop in Phu Quoc that did the same thing with sea-horses. By late afternoon, we had reached an area where the most spectacular waterfalls in Vietnam are found. The hour or spent trekking around the area was well worth it.
The 1st night was spent in a longhouse in one of the minority villages. We weren't too sure about this but Funny assured us we needed to experience it for ourselves. We also experienced a special "blessing of the elephant " ceremony performed by one of the village elders. We were a bit suspicious of the still bleeding pig's head laid out in front of the elephants and what were the elephant riders passing round and ceremoniously sipping? Where was the rest of the pig? Actually, we were served a delicious meal and offered hot showers before being taken to the longhouse (no running water or facilities here). Just remember Scout and Guide camps I said to Jon and get on with it. Torches off.... dark... and noises! The longhouses are built on stilts for a reason, the animals. There was a constant stream of dogs fighting, pigs runting, snakes hissing and cockerels cock-a-doodle-doing even before daybreak! So much for the peace of the countryside. We were exhausted by 7.00 am but we knew we had an easy day just sight-seeing from the vehicle.
The 2nd day's drive took us through spectacular scenery, coffee plantations, minority villages, lakes and mountains. We came across numerous busy markets and even the villagers washing clothes in the river. Now we can add more things to our list of goods carried by motorbike, pig (alive), goat (dead) bed (double). We were both very impressed by it all. Finally we reached Dalat, one of the main tourist areas in Vietnam. The town is centred around a huge lake and has many attractions. It's also a centre for the cultivation of flowers so I was in my element. Funny took us to "The Crazy House" and a flower park before finding our hotel. Thank goodness, no longhouses here! Dalat is a mix of many European countries, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, even little Old England is there too. We loved it there, it had atmosphere and a petite version of the Eiffel Tower!
The 3rd day took us back to the coast, a resort town famous for it's sand dunes. We were ready to relax on the beach again. We thought we had the evening to ourselves but Funny organised fried rice and chicken again! This was the main night of the New Year celebrations (Tet) and Hi went off to spend it with his family who lived nearby. For us, we wandered along the main road for a while giving and receiving "Happy New Year" greetings. It's a night for feasting and drinking but mainly family celebrations. Would we see Hi again we wondered.
We did, and the 4th day was to be a long drive skirting around Saigon and onto the ferry port. Many places closed for Tet and the roads were fairly quiet for the first part of the journey. Funny even had difficulty in finding a place to eat. The roads got busier as we approached Saigon. Families of 4 on one motorbike, with the luggage, sometimes the bedding and the boxes of beer! Kids were asleep in akward positions, I guess they had travelled for miles to celebrate with their families.
Overall, we made good time and reached the ferry port by 10.30 pm. Funny thought we could hang around at the ferry terminal until 8.00 am but a quick call to our man, Phil, and we found a hotel room. Hi insisted on staying with the vehicle for security reasons and Funny kept him company. In the morning they took us to our boat, as arranged, and we waved goodbye as we sped off for our next adventure.
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| Imagine a beautiful blue sky, a warm gentle breeze, sandy beach and plam trees. Also imagine if you will ... |
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Nha Trang has long been a holiday resort for the Vietnamese. Not a big city, it has more of a town feel about it. We have been here for almost a week and have enjoyed having a few lazy days. Both of us have been suffering from bad colds, which seem to have developed amid the polution of Bangkok and the cold, damp air in Hanoi. We prefer the warmer climate in Nha Trang. There's a mix of Russians, Australians, quite a lot of Americans and a few Brits. At the present time, prices are very reasonable which is attracting lots of younger tourists. Hopefully, the prices won't sky-rocket when all the hotels under constuction are finished!
The beach stretches for over 2 kilometers, the sea is rather rough at this time of the year so we haven't ventured in. It reminds me a lot of resorts in the South of France with it's garden areas along the front and the trees to provide shade. Which isn't surprising really considering the many years the French colonized Vietnam. All around are impressive looking mountains which we're looking forward to exploring as we venture inland.
We have been impressed with the Vietnamese food, there seems to be plenty of choice, variety and not as spicey as Thai dishes. It's very civilised sitting out on the pavements eating dinner and drinking cool lager! So, if Nha Trang, Vietnam isn't on your list of places to visit, we suggest you put it on!.
There's a new development called Vinpearl on a big island in the bay. To reach it, there's a gondola chair lift where you get magnificent views of the area. The resort isn't finished yet but it's already impressive.
Tomorrow, we have an early start for our 4 day trip to The Highlands when we get to see the "real" Vietnam. |
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We returned to Bangkok for 5 days to sort out visas for Vietnam. This, in the event, was an easy process so we were able to see a few sights which we missed when we first arrived in March, 2007. The hotel was situated near the infamous Siam Square, a very busy area in Bangkok where many tourists hang out. It's also not far from where our friend Gail is living and working so we were able to catch up with her. We were pleased to find another branch of one of our favourite eating places in Phuket, Molly Malone's Irish Bar! It was there that I had one of my most delicious meals in Thailand. Irish stew, really tender lamb cooked in red wine! Sorry Thais, but we never really got to grips with the hot spicyness of Thai food.
The temperature in Bangkok was hot, hot, hot and seemed to be much busier than on our first visit. The pollution levels were also high and we found that travelling by tuk,tuk was not a very comfortable ride. The metered taxis were much better, and less expensive.
We visited the Grand Palace, the most famous tourist sight in the city. Some of it is closed at present as the late Princess' body is lying in state, but it is still an impressive sight. At the gateway we had to be inspected to make sure we met with "modest" clothing requirements. My three quarter trousers were not approved so I had to hire a wrap-around skirt. It's a free service and they are freshly laundered so no problems there.
The spires and towers in the Palace were a magnificent sight sparkling in the sunlight, so many different styles. As well as being one of the residences of the King, it is also home to the Emerald Buddha which is highly revered in Thailand. Photographs are not allowed of it but you can freely take pictures outside the temples.
Wherever we've been in Thailand, the streets are lined with food stalls and around Siam Square there were no exceptions. Sometimes, you can't get past the tables and chairs and have to step out onto the busy road!
On the 5th day we picked up our visas for Vietnam, said goodbye to Bangkok and moved onto our next adventure.
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Hanoi, Vietnam. What a stark change to what we had become accustomed to, weather wise. From temperatures in the mid nineties to mid forties in the space of a one and a half hour flight. Two days prior to our arrival I had checked on the weather forecast in Hanoi and it was 78 degrees, but a large portion of Asia (most of China) is experiencing an extremely cold winter. It was early evening when we arrived at our hotel only to find the description on the internet site bore no resemblance to what we were presented with. We had booked a large comfortable deluxe room with large windows and a balcony. What we got was a back alley backpacker's bed and breakfast place, cramped room with a small window and no balcony. Add to that it was very cold. We were forced to stay there that first night, due to not knowing where we were in the city. Fortunately we did have WiFi and made a reservation at a much better hotel for the following day. So after breakfast we secured a taxi and sped off to another part of the city. This time we were not disappointed with the hotel. During the next two days we ventured out into the cold to explore. This is the first time since we have been in Asia that we had worn fleece jackets and we were wondering why we left our sunny beaches in Phuket. Hanoi was just the first stop and our initial entry point into Vietnam. This is our view of Hanoi from our balcony on the 13th floor. The Red River is in the background.
Due to time and the climate our exploration of the city was limited, we saw a mix of old and new buildings, sites of interest and the preparations for the New Year celebrations which take place in February. They decorate their homes with orange trees and we saw them being transported in the quickest possible way!
I think I can say that we were both happy to board the plane to fly us to Nha Trang, a very popular seaside resort in the southeast, which is where we are at present. As you can see, the weather is more like what we're used to!
Unfortunately during our week in Bangkok, Rita contracted sinus and flu like symptoms which were not helped during our first cold night in Hanoi and steadily have gotten worse and now I have the same symptoms. So we have become a couple of sickies trying to get better fast.
Having not found what we were looking for in Nha Trang we have decided to treat ourselves to a vacation. In two days we leave on a 4 day tour of the Highlands, visiting a variety on places inland and ending down in the southwest coast. Once there we will take a two hour speedboat ride over to the island of Phu Quoc where we will spent the next 14 days relaxing on the beach and diving offshore amoung some of the beautiful coral beds.
So let the adventure continue. I'm sure Rita will write several updates along the way. |
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How time flies?
It has been ten months since our bold adventure began, even longer than that if you count all of the weeks, no months we spent talking and planning. Most of which by the way didn't amount to achieving very much. It all came down to booking a flight, jumping on a plane, arriving in Bangkok and taking it from there. Very brave you might think, that or very stupid. But isn't life for the living? Sometimes you have just got to stop wishing you could do something and go do it.
Were we afraid? Did we have some fears? Yes, sure we did. We also knew that if we failed we could get back on a plane. This was our time and our choice to go do something and see where the road would take us. Did we have a map? Yes and no, we had a general idea of what we wanted to do but were very fluid and open to change direction at the drop of a hat.
I think our biggest fear upon landing was to feel unsafe, which didn't happen. We were met at the airport and driven to our new accommodation. Feeling welcomed and accepted is a very important part of any relocation and we were certainly made to feel these things.
The next fear on our list invloved the food, or rather the hygiene standards. Which to save space and time spent typing, it is easier to say that in many places there were no hygiene standards practiced. It didn't help much that shortly before leaving the UK we had read a book about diseases that were contracted through eating and drinking, especially in developing countries.
What a dilemma that presented, having people actually handling your food, who looked as if they had never seen a bar of soap, or if they had, had no idea what it was used for. I have used many public restrooms where no soap was provided and most of the men who used the facilities did not even bother to rinse their hands or even come near the sink. Unfortunately I have witnessed those same habits in so called civilized countries and have been told that female habits are not much better. Even in the school that I have just left, I fought to have soap placed in the restrooms. The same restrooms used by the catering staff. What's wrong with a few germs anyway?
Overall I would have to admit that Rita has been far more adventurous than I when it came to trying unfamiliar food items and dishes, even so we have both paid the price on occasion. I found the taste or flavor of most Thai food dishes to be similar in that they used the same spices. Apparently Thai food of years gone by was only seasoned with black pepper and the introduction of other spices and flavors has taken place as foreigners have introduced them.
Clothing size became an apparent issue as most Thai's are of a much smaller frame than the average westerner, so it presented somewhat of an ordeal especially for Rita when shopping for new attire. But we have managed, and more and more we have noticed that in tourist areas clothing is available in larger sizes more suitable to the western frame.
Safety has been and still is a priority. We read the stories of mugging, rape and murder in our local newspaper, as is the same in most countries, and have stayed aware of our surroundings. But I would have to state that not once have we ever felt in fear of our lives. Our accommodation, belongings, including our vehicle have never been under any threat that we are aware of. I think that the use of good common sense in where we have chosen to live, secure our things and chosen to go, have all played a part.
Teaching as a choice was a new vocation for me, although we are all teachers and students throughout our lives. To actually stand in front of a classroom full of students and present a lesson which could affect their future either directly or indirectly bares a heavy weight of responsibility. I was amazed at the eagerness of my students to learn and the warmth with which I was accepted. Just a few days ago I received an e-mail from a former student of mine in Chiang Mai. In it she wrote that she and her classmates still talk about me and wish I would come back to teach them, and that I was their best teacher. I am humbled, what a compliment.
We have been susceptible to the usual monetary rip-offs as are the practice in most tourist places. When a sign at a National park states, foreigners 800 baht, Thai's 40 baht, to gain entry, you have to wonder what are they thinking. We as westerners are viewed as being wealthy and able to afford to pay more for the same things. Upon our second and subsequent visits to places we contested those high prices by stating that we live in Thailand and work as teachers, consequently we were admitted at the Thai price.
In the retail environment also when the westerner price for a shirt is 350 baht we have been able to purchase in for 150 baht, or a watch where they wanted 1800 baht from the westerner was offered to us for 200 baht. A few words with the retailer have made a big difference in the price.
Overall I would have to say that we have been treated with respect and graciousness by the people of Thailand in all areas. They have quietly forgiven us when we have not followed their customs and allowed our western ways to rule. We have sometimes complained and knit-picked, only to be met with a smiling face. This is Thailand and we have sometimes failed to understand why things happen the way they do, but as a people they want to learn and want to please.
Soon we will leave Thailand, as we have decided to continue our adventure in another part of Asia. possibly Vietnam. Although we will carry with us many memories of our time here. I feel sure that as time passes we will realize an even greater understanding of what this time has meant to both of us.
We have now finished work at Kajonkietsuksa School and are in preparation for our move. The one item which will determine our flight date to Vietnam will be the sale of our vehicle. Purchased in Bangkok, it has safely transported us throughout our travels through Thailand. We had contemplated driving it through Cambodia to Vietnam and using it while we're there. However, Cambodia has a law against driving vehicles with right handed steering in its country and we suspect Vietnam may have the same rule. So we have it advertized for sale, if by chance you are interested, it is in excellent condition and low mileage ( 48,000Km, 36,000 miles ).
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