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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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Life got in the way!

The time has finally arrived were my dream has come true. I’ve moved to Australia be it for a year or more, the dream has become reality and I’m loving every single second of it. I arrived in Melbourne on the 30th October 2017, where I began my new adventure. I stayed in a hotel just outside the city to get over the jetlag and get myself organised with a bank account and new aussie number. The two nights there helped me get settled and figure out the city before jumping into city life while living in the hostel. On day 3 in Melbourne, I moved in the Space Hotel where I lived until I found a place to call home for at least a few months. It was a shock to the system as I had it all planned out in my head that I’d walk into my dorm and my roomies would be there chatting and I would just join the convo and make friends as soon as I walked in. In reality that’s not how it went, I walked into my new room and said hello to the few girls there, got no response so that left it a little awkward to begin with. After the awkward encounter I decided I’d wander the city and grab a coffee in a café highly recommended by a friend back home (Thanks Conal 😁), then I headed out to St. Kilda where I hoped to find a job in the near future. I explored the beach side suburb for a couple of hours then headed back to the hostel to email the restaurant where I was keen to work in and got a response almost instantly asking me to come in for a chat/interview that evening. I got ready super quick and jumped back on a tram and headed to Phamish. I met the owner/manager Nicole and had a quick chat and she asked me to go in for a trial the following day at 6:30am 😴. The trial was good, getting up early not so good!. I got the job!! 😄. I still hadn't made any friends though so I was finding it hard to fill my days and found it a bit lonely. To occupy my free weekend before starting work I jumped on the city sight seeing bus, as you do. It was very interesting at the time, but I can hardly rememeber any of the facts I learned as I've been so bad at writing this blog. Heres a few photos that a took while on the bus.

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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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The End

Day 27: Thailand - Chiang Kong/ Chiang Mai

Today was another day of travel, after a short stay in Chiang Kong we were off to Chiang Mai. This was the one and only day I slept through all the alarms I had set and woke up at 06:25 and had to be downstairs for 06:30 😴, myself and Janie managed to get ready and be on the bus by 06:35 pretty impressive seeing as we had to pack and check out. After spending our morning on the bus with a quick pit stop to see the white temple, we arrived at our hotel in Chiang Mai, once checked in Sambo took some of us to a nice wee cafe for lunch, it was very English like and cosy ironically it was called cosy 😊. The food was pretty good there but expensive compared to Laos, we headed into the shopping centre to try find me a new set if wheels (new suitcase) as my handle to pull my wheely bag had broke. Eventually after much searching and to my dismay the suitcases were all to expensive so I decided to hold out until I got back to Bangkok. I may not have gotten anything but I helped convince one of the boys to buy trainers he didn't need!😇. Next on the agenda it was relaxation time, while we shopped the rest had gone to the spa in our hotel for all sorts, foot massages to manicures to Thai massages. You know the saying when in Thailand, so I headed for a lovely foot and hand massage plus a mani and pedi, it was pretty amazing (girls I'm slowly turning into a spa day kinda gal). If I'm honest I don't remember what or where we went for dinner apart from that it was beside the night market but we went for a group meal which I'm sure was lovely. After dinner we headed to famous ladyboy show of Chiang Mai, I don't think I've ever laughed so much. Honestly you wouldn't know some of them are men but then others it is 100% obvious. If it looks too good to be true it is!

Day 28: Thailand - Chiang Mai

Today was day I think majority of us had been waiting for, we went to see the elephants in a really good and well kept sanctuary. We headed off early in the morning as we had to leave for the night train later. Once we got there we were briefed on how they looked after the elephants and how to act around them, we were then given traditional Karen clothing so the elephants would recognise the scent and not be hesitant when we went over to them. Next we chopped some sugar cane so we could feed them. The first elephant we were introduced to was blind in one eye, we had to stand on her right side so she could see us. She was such a lovely creature, very curious and happy to be around people (mainly because we had food) she posed for photos with us and stuck her trunk into our bags of sugar cane to let us know she was hungry. The next group of elephants we met were a family, there was a baby (Nina who was 2 years old), her mother, her grandmother and then a family friend. Nina was an energetic little thing, all she wanted to do was play and steal food from your bag. The plan was to feed them for a bit and then walk them down to the river so we could wash and play with them in the water. As soon as we started walking they followed us, they would put their trunks out looking for food and seemed to know if you said no that meant you had no more snacks left for them. I think my go pro confused them as it's stand was yellow, reminded them of bananas I think 🙈.Once we got to the river, the got in and started diving head first into the water and surfacing to spray water at us. It was like a big game to them, the grandmother stayed on the bank as if to keep an eye on the rest. It was such an amazing experience to hang out with such amazing animals that were really well looked after and not just used for tourist to ride. When our visit was finished we were brought back to the hotel yo grab some snack for what we expected to be the worst night train of the whole trip. I must say I was pleasantly surprised, although there wasn't any separate cabins and the cart was made up of over 20 beds , it was really clean and tidy. It meant we all got socialise with each other and of course watch the great British bake off semi final  and then pitch perfect 2, great way to pass time. It's amazing what happens when you've no Wi-Fi, we played card games, memory games and lots more other word association games. I think the final night train was the best of a bad bunch. My only main problem was the lights were always on and your bags are pretty much a free for all if anyone wanted to grab it during the night, which thankfully did not happen. After quite a good sleep on the train we arrived in our final destination of the trip, back were it all began, Bangkok.

Day 29: Thailand - Bangkok

Technically today would be our last day together as a group, as people were leaving either early the next day or the day after, so we decided after a group breakfast we would visit some of the touristy sites of Bangkok such as The Great Palace or any of the other Temples or Floating markets, unfortunately everything was closed due to the cremation of the King that passed away this time last year, so the whole city was basically on mourning lock down. The shops all closed by 15:30, we decided to do some shopping for any last minute souvenirs and some little presents for Sambo. The day was mainly filled with packing suitcases and a little bit of shopping. Around 6pm we headed to met Sambo for dinner, before heading to the restaurant he had picked for us we gave him his gift to say thank you for looking after us and being an unreal tour guide. We had such a lovely meal together as a group and a lovely chat with Sambo about his life and how he ended up being where he is today. Once our last day as a group was over it was time to start saying goodbye to my new friends and family!. It was sad to think that I might not see these people again even though we've all become so close in the past month. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Carla before we out for dinner, so the goodbyes had started. I was glad that majority of the group had planned to come to Australia on their travels at some point so I'll see them again before making trips over to the UK, Wales and Iceland when I'm home!. 😂 I couldn't have asked for a better bunch of people to travel with 💚☘

Day 30: Thailand - Bangkok

The final day with my G-fam, the past 4 weeks with the group would come to an end today as we all went our separate ways to discover new and exciting places. First off was Janie, my first roomie for the trip, she was off at 6am to catch a flight to Bali, then it was Gunnar and James as they headed off to Singapore, next was Katja who was heading home to Germany and Jenna who was heading for Sydney and finally it was time to see off the rest of the group Becca, Lewis, Kate and Laura who were headed off together to do a bit of Island hopping. I will hopefully see all of them as they will all be in Oz at some point. Although I was very excited for each and everyone of my new friends to go on amazing adventures, I was sad to be left on my own in Bangkok for the next 3 days before flying out to Melbourne. I slowly began feeling nervous about being alone for the weekend and being in a city I didn't know on my own, it was like the beginning all over again. To make the whole thing worse, the touristy spots were still closed due to the cremation of the King and the whole country being in mourning. So I had to pass the time by walking through shopping centres that I couldn't afford, chilling by the pool and getting a massage. All in all, I had the best month of my life so far and can't wait to continue my adventure starting in Melbourne and hopefully the rest of Australia.

I know this one is a bit short compared to the others, Melbourne has taken over so I've had to try remember everything as I left it way to long to write this!

ENJOY! :D

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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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No need to be a Princess

Day 20 : Vietnam / Laos : Hanoi/ Vientiane

Today was spent chilling and lazing around our hotel rooms waiting to leave for the airport. We as a group had decided to treat Sambo to a pair of runners (Trainers as the English had me saying on this whole trip)😂. Bec and lew were sent on the mission to purchase the right ones and collect all the dollas. After check out we gave Sambo the trainers (see its what I call them now🙈), he was very surprised and didn't know what to say. It was nice to give something back to him after all his hard work on the first half of the trip, he still had loads of work to do with us for the next half especially as we had a flight to catch today. We loaded onto the bus at half 1 to set off to Hanoi airport to catch our short flight to the capital of Laos, Vientiane. The flight was a v.short one, only 50 mins, Michael O'Leary could learn a thing or two from Lao Airline which is Laos equivalent to Ryanair. The flight itself was a short 50 mins, wasnt full and each passenger got served a snack 20/25 mins into the flight, who wouldve thought snacks were needed on such a short trip. once Landed with went through immigration as per usual when moving through the different countries there was Vietnameses immigration then Laos Immigration were we paid $35 for the visa. It was then time to get a short bus journey to our hotel in Vientiane where we'd stay for 1 night only. We all headed out to dinner as a group, I accidentally left my phone on the sofa in the lobby and only noticed when I got to the restaurant so I told Sambo and he headed back to the hotel to have a look for it because when he rang they said it wasnt there. Little did I know the girls had picked it up and hadnt given it back to me. I was ragin'😂. I felt awful for unintentionally making Sambo walk back to the hotel for me. Thankfully I didnt loose my phone but unfortunately I never got the girls pack for taking it 🙈. After dinner went bowling, which was great fun, I came second in my team but 5th overall.

Day 21: Laos - Vientiane/Vang Vieng

Tuk Tuk time again, majority of the group decided to explore Vientian themselves but some of us decided tog et a Tuk Tuk tour. We were brought to the main attractions of Vientiane. We saw That Luang, Patuxai Victory Monument, The Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) Centre and Wat Si Saket. I enjoyed this tour but I think it wouldve been better if we'd known exactly what places we were stopping at and why they were important. After a bit of googling when I got back I figured it. My favourite park of the tuk tuk tour was visiting the COPE Centre, here we watched a documentary about how the US had a Secret war with Laos.The CIA backed a secret army in Laos to help fight the communist Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese between 1961 and 1973.. A lot of innocent people died during this period, almost 50,000. In 1964 Us warplanes carried out 580,000 bombing missions over Laos and dropped and almost 2.3 million tons of bombs. It is said that the in following years 200 peeople died per year due to bombs that hadn't initailly exploded when dropped. There is still a number of cluster bombs, bomb remenants and undenoated bombs all across Laos, innocent people are still dying due to these bombs. In the documentary we saw that the people of Laos collect the scrap metal to sell but sometimes that ''scrap metal'is a bomb. In the worst case secarnios the bombs have exploded and killed men, women and children. The COPE centre helps rehabilitate people that have been become victims of the unexploded bombs. They make prosthetic limbs and help with physio. It was a real eye opening experience. Once we got back from our Tuk Til tour we got lunch in JOMA bakery then hit the road to Vang Vieng. The drive was amazing, the roads were meandering through the mountains, the view was just spectacular. Once we arrived to our hotel we headed out to dinner and then to my absolute favourite place...the Irish pub! ☘ You can take the girl out of Ireland but you can't take Ireland out of the girl. They had live music and Irish beer, which I didn't have cause yano Guinness is just to heavy for moi.

Day 22: Laos - Vang Vieng

Have I kayaked before? Yes. Have I zip lined before? No. Spend the day doing both, hell yeah!. We spent our day kayaking down the Nam Song River. It was unbelievable, as Jenna said it felt like we were trapped in a computers home screen it was that pretty. I think my kayaking buddy, Katja, was not impressed with me at the beginning due to our boat capsizing. In my defence, I was fixing my go pro and she could've steered!( isn't that right katja 😂😂).its all part of the experience, we weren't the only one either. After kayaking we got to go ziplining, it was epic. I couldn't tell you night they were but the sign said over 200m, I'm just not sure if that was height or the distance it went. Once we had the adrenaline rush of zip lining, we went tubing in a cave, after we went for a walk through the cave with just a headlight to guide us through that pitch black. After an extremely eventful day we headed out for dinner in mind other than the Irish pub from the day before. This turned into a night out where I got punched in the face....accidentally, but hey it still happened. I was home relatively early, I don't think I'm cut out for late nights anymore.

Day 23: Laos - Luang Prabang

Majority of the day was spent travelling from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang. We had one very sick passenger on this journey due to very little sleep, hangover and windy roads. Poor Lew 🙁, it was self inflicted though😂. It took almost 5 hours to get to Luang Prabang, again driving through the mountains on the long windy roads. The sights were beautiful especially where we stopped for lunch. It was breathe taking. Once we arrived at our hotel, we headed out with Sambo on an orientation walk of the quaint little town. We got brought to the food market and the night market, here we tried buffalo jerky and coconut pancakes?( I think that's what they were called). I wasn't a fan of the pancake but the buffalo jerky was delicious. It was then time for dinner, some went to Joma bakery whole the rest of us went to the food market. Here we got a to choose what meat we want and it was barbeques in front of us. I must say the food there was actually one of the best meals of the trip, it was so tasty.

Day 24: Laos - Luang Prabang

Today we got a well deserved lie in😍. When I say lie in breakfast was at 8:30am, but after so many early mornings if consider it a lie on. To fill our afternoon on Luang Prabang we went to a bear Sanctuary and the Kuang Si waterfalls. We explored the bear sanctuary and saw one 3 legged bear. They are wonderful animals, so playful with each other. After the bears we went to see the amazing waterfall that is Kuang Si Fall. I find myself saying "it was spectacular" or "there are no words to describe it", in this case I think the picture will speak the 1000 words I'm looking for. Once we got back to the hotel it was a quick change into respectful clothes to walk up 299 steps( thanks for counting Laura) to watch the sunset at Wat Chom Si temple. It was well worth climbing the step stairs to watch, it was magnificent again the pictures will speak a thousand words.

Day 25: Laos - Luang Prabang/ Pak Beng

Rise and shine! Another early start to head to our slow boat journey down the Mekong River to where we would be staying at our last honesty of the trip. Expectations had been lower as requested. The thought of the slow boat journey was worse than the journey itself, I coloured, read, watched Riverdale and played some card games. The 8/9 hour boat journey actually flew. We arrived at our home stay in Pak Beng. Pak beng is a minority village where the people speak their own language and not Lao. It is a very poor village. When we first arrived I was disappointed to hear there was no shower like the last homestay, but I eventually embraced being sweaty as did everyone else. We met the chief of the village who offered us their drunk of choice Rice wine mixed with beer Lao, it tasted of beer that hadn't been fully brewed. We played with the children, taught them a few words of English then had dinner. We were then showed to our rooms, when Sambo asked for 3 girls to volunteer, little did I know he was putting us in the chiefs house which was made of actual concrete unlike everyone else's accommodation. The rest of the group were split into 3 groups all boys together and all the girls together, it was against their beliefs to allowed men and women share a bed unless they were married. After a bit of a sing song with a drunk Sambo, we headed to our beds to try catch a few zZz's which turned out to be pretty impossible due to the massive storm thundering against the metal roof. Counting down the minutes until 5:30am so I could get up and get onto the boat to pee, brush my teeth and warm up. Even though the homestay was a massive culture shock, it was a great experience to see how those people lived with little to nothing, then we came strolling in giving out about not have a shower and whatnot, it gives you a different perspective on life.

Day 26: Laos/Thailand - Pak Beng/ Chiang Khong

Today was out last day in Laos and it was to be spent on another slow boat to the Laos/Thailand border. After the most dangerous walk of my life down from the village in the pouring rain to the boat, I was final able to have "shower" using a helluva lot of deoderising wipes, brushed my teeth and peed on toilet rather than into a hole in the ground!. It was glorious!. Breakfast was served around 7:30/8, it was good just eggs and bread. Later on our boat crashed into some rocks ( I think) which cut the engine out so we had to swap boats, luckily enough there was boat heading to the border to pick up a group doing the trip the opposite way to us. Once on the other boat, we started playing card games mainly spit, which I taught to anyone who would listen 😂. We had a championship to see who was the best spit player of the group. I then went for a short 2 hour nap, it was glorious. Finally we arrived at the border, got through the immigration process easy peasy and then we were on the way to out next hotel.

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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times

Day 15: Vietnam – Hue

Today we arrived in Hue (pronounced hoi) where we stayed in a hostel. The hostel was really nice,5 per dorm and we were mixed in with another G adventures group who were finishing their trip in Hanoi, it was nice to get to know them as we’d seen them a couple of times throughout our travels so far. After settling into our hostel and enjoying a bite to eat we headed off on a motorcycle tour of the city/countryside. We were brought to so many different places on the tour from an abandoned water park, a kings tomb, US bomb shelters, an incense making demonstration to a woman making traditional Vietnamese hats with only one hand due to the effects of Agent Orange used in the Vietnam war. I think the motorcycle tour has been my favourite part of this trip so far. Our drivers were racing each other and we got to experience the traffic first hand when we were stopped at a railway crossing, it was absolutely insane🙈. When we were at the water park our tour guide brought us up to the top of the slides and we got to go down them, even if it was just walking it was pretty cool. We then moved on to see the woman who was making the Vietnamese hats one handed, here we saw the effects that agent Orange had/ still has on people’s lives all over Vietnam. This woman was able to make 3 of the large hats a day on her own. Very impressive I must say. Our next stop was through a pine forest to see the US bomb shelters that were used in the war. These were located on very high ground which gave use a beautiful view of the river and mountains, it was spectacular 😍. The next stop on the tour was to the kings tomb, where the kings remains are meant to be, according to our guide the French came to Vietnam to excavate the tomb and couldn’t find his remains where they are meant to be located. As he was buried with so much gold if anyone were to excavated the whole area and find him they would be sorted for life. Don’t think I didn’t consider it for a minute 😂. The second to last stop on the tour was to an incense making demonstration. Here was saw how a woman made the incense sticks. We then got the opportunity to make our own, unfortunately we didn’t get to keep them 🙈. They smelt amazing. The last stop but by no means least we were brought to a temple just as the sun was setting. The view from the temple was amazing and the temple itself was exquisite, the colours, the lights and all the detail around it. You couldn’t make it up if you tried. Once back at the hotel we headed out for dinner to this lovely family run restaurant where the wife did all the cooking. The food was so good 👌. We then sang a bit of karaoke and got the drinks flowing which led us to what I would call an absolute dive of pub, but they had 2 for 1 vodka and coke how could I say no 😂(Dont worry dad I made sure to get Smirnoff). After a game of pool and probably a few to many vodkas, I somehow managed to find a group of Irish and English sitting outside so I joined their table which meant having a few more drinks, when in Hue and all that jazz!. According to the girls in my group I kept telling them I didn’t want to go home, so when it was time to go they had a mammoth task on their hands 😂. I kept telling them they were shit craic and that we should stay out. Hindsight a great thing because they were right I should’ve gone home a lot earlier if I had maybe I wouldn’t have had to speak to god on the white telephone as they say 😂. The poor girls in my dorm, they were wee stars looking after me even though I was a mess. Thanks gals! 😍. The following day was a day to laze about until our next night train, thankfully👌.

Day 16: Vietnam – Hue

After a big night out the night before I was so glad that today was a free day to do whatever we wanted. Surprisingly I wasn’t too hungover, I wasn’t great when I first woke up but once I had a coffee I was perfect. Some of the group decided to walk to see the citadel but some of us decided against it as it was way to hot to be walking around in the city. I will insert a stolen picture of the citadel below if I can get one 🙈. My day was spent catching up on home and away and of course bake off. Then it was time to make our way to our 3rd overnight train of the trip. We were told this one would be the like the first train we got which we could live with especially after the nightmare of the last train. The train was clean and there was no sign of cockroaches or mice which was nice 😊. The only complaint the majority of us had was that the air con was way to cold, we didn’t think that was possible. As I kept telling myself I’d rather be too cold than too warm, at least you can layer up if it’s too cold. This train journey was a long 13hours to Hanoi.

Day 17: Vietnam – Halong bay

We survived the ice cube that was the overnight train and made our way to Halong bay via bus. 4 hours later we arrived at our hotel for a quick pit stop before heading off on our junk boat to see Halong Bay. The junk boat was not what I was expecting, it was really nice and had very fancy interior. We got lunch served to us on the boat, which was prawns, crab meat, squid, another fish I don’t know the name of and noodles. Once we’d all finished eating we headed to the roof to take in the view of Halong Bay. It was just breathtakingly beautiful. There are no words to describe it,they wouldn’t do it justice. After cruising round we docked and got to explore one of the many caves in Halong. It too was stunning, there was many rocks in the shape of different animals or people, I think there may have been a few stalagmites and stalactites 😂. It was then time to get back on the boat where we saw the sun setting over the town. I would highly recommend anyone and everyone to visit Halong Bay if they ever have the chance as it is so beautiful. The pictures dont need any captions.

Day 18: Vietnam – Hanoi

We made the 4 hour journey back to Hanoi to spend a couple of days in the city. I’ve decided I do not like cities, give me the countryside any day. We checked in and went for lunch to this amazing bakery 😍. I think it might be one of my favourite places to eat while in Hanoi. For the most part of the day we mainly just chilled before heading out with Sambo for an orientation walk of the city and a little bit of shopping as well. I got a pair of Nikes for 12 yoyos and cons for 6 yoyos, bartering is the way forward. We then headed to get dinner in the old town, where we got to barbeque our own dinner which was pretty cool!. I was a bit scared I might poison myself but I'm still here so all is good!. After dinner we headed out to “the local” for a few drinks to say goodbye to one of the girls who had to leave the tour early. Thankfully it wasn’t a messy one🙈.

Day 19: Vietnam – Hanoi

Today was a free day to explore the city. We walked round the old town again and discovered a few streets and shops that we hadn’t seen the night before. We went on a hunt for an authorised apple store to try get one the girls phone fixed as it decided to have a meltdown earlier in trip. It was a lovely walk until it started bucketing down on the way home 🌧☔, we then decided to squeeze in a the tiniest taxi ever. It was a very funny journey. Once back at the hotel it was time to meet the 5 new arrivals that would be joining our G-Fam. Obviously this meant a night out was on cards to welcome them. We met some lovely Dutch guys that one of the newbies knew from Hoi An. Surprisingly, I went home quite earlier compared to a few others, even Sambo was surprised I wasn’t hungover the next day. The newbies fit right into our crazy g-fam which was unreal! .

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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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And at last I see the light

Day 11: Vietnam- Nha Trang

I survived the first overnight train whoop 👌. The bed was a bit uncomfortable but the rocking of the train helps soothes you to sleep. We arrived at 6am in Nha Trang, a lovely town right beside the beach. As we were too early for check in we headed out to breakfast, to a restaurant located right on the beach. The view was so beautiful and the food that went with the view was just as good 😃. After breakfast we all headed down to the beach to catch some rays, can’t miss an opportunity to work on that tan I’ve been dreaming of. The girls from home rang me while out on a night out so we had a reunion, they in Ridleys and myself on the beach. Me being the water baby I am, i could not pass up the opportunity to spend most of my time the sea which was actually warm unlike the Irish water 😂. I could spend hours upon hours in the ocean it was so relaxing. The waves coming in were a bit too strong sometimes and one time in particular I got washed up on to the sand but not before being brought under and tumbled, I’m sure it was a funny sight for the guys to see. Had sand in my hair for the rest of day, the joys!. After a small lunch ( ice cream and bottle of water) a group of us got brought to the local mud baths. I’m not one for the pamper sessions but when in Nha Trang it’s got to be done. It was 100% worth it, my skin was so soft after the whole process. We sat in the mud bath for 20mins then let the mud dry and washed it off, we then had to go through this hydrolic water spray which felt like little pin pricks on my skin then we had to sit in a natural water bath at a temperature of 37 degrees for 30mins, to say I was hot after is an understatement 😥. After the whole process of the mud baths we got time to chill and relax by the pool and enjoy the peace and quiet. It was so nice to switch off after so many full on days.

Day 12: Vietnam – Nha Trang

Today was meant to be a free day to relax on the beach and just chill or there was an optional activity which was snorkelling. Obviously I opted for the snorkelling, I’m not good with sitting still especially not in the sun. We left the hotel at 9:30 and our guide Lam brought us to a small fishing village where we saw some women handmaking fishing nets. After a short walk round the village it was time to head out to where we were going snorkelling. We got our gear and jumped on into the water, I also had the go pro at the ready, it was no great barrier reef but there was a lot of fish swimming about, in particular we saw starfish, clown fish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. There was probably loads more but I don’t know the names🙈. After about an hour maybe a bit longer of snorkelling we heading back onto the boat for a bit of grub. As lunch was finishing we jumped off the roof of the boat to pass some time. The meal on the boat was one of the best I’ve had on this trip, there was fresh prawns, chicken, beef, noodles, omelette, bread and one fish in particular that was gorgeous but unfortunately I cannot remember the name of it for the life of me. It was unbelievably tasty. Once lunch was finish out guide Lam made use 2 big buckets of passion fruit cocktail and by god was it strong, he decided we should have a floating bar so we all put on lifejackets upside down(legs through the arms) and had our drinks while bobbing in the water. We then continued to jump in off the roof or just sunbathe for the rest of the time. Some of the group went back in to snorkel. We were then brought to a small beach were you could do banana boating or paragliding. My group decided to do banana boating, I decided I’d be the videographer and photographer. Once the adrenaline junkies were finished banana boating we heading to a place where we could jump and swim some more before heading back to the hotel. The time had come again for the 2nd night train of the trip 😐. Sambo had told us to lower our expectations so it wasn’t looking good, he then informed us we had to make our own bed when we boarded the train. Once on board, expectations hadn’t been lowered enough. It started out with the “clean ” sheets not being so clean, and a few small bugs climbing round the walls, if that hadn't been enough cockroaches started climbing through the cracks in the walls. Killed more than my fair share of them, then there was a knock on my cabin door to let us know that there was also mice running up and down the train. I was just glad I had an air mattress and sleeping bag liner Did I sleep that night? I'll let you make up your own mind.

Day 13: Vietnam – Hoi An

After the most horrific journey on the night train, we arrived in Hoi An. What a beautiful little town it is, I fell in love with the old town as soon as we did the orientation walk. The lanterns, the people and the scenery it was all just so wonderfully beautiful. After a short wander through the old town we headed back to the hotel to relax before the cycle tour. On the cycle tour we were brought to a local farming village, saw water buffalo, tasted rice wine, paddled in a basket boat and visited a beach. The cycle tour was such great fun, and a superb way to see Hoi An and not just the old town. We cycled through a farming village were we met the oldest couple in the town who both in their 90s and are married 70 years (couple goals). After that we headed on to were not only did we see water buffalo but got to ride one as well(for a couple a feet) but that was unreal. After the buffalo we cycled to someone’s home were the brew their own rice wine (its disgustingly strong). The next stop was for a spot of lunch which was some traditional Vietnamese pancakes followed by some fruit. Once we'd finished eating we went for a basket boat ride, where the “captain” made us jewellery out if bamboo leafs. We then raced each other back to shore for the prize of 2 free buckets that night. Next stop of the cycle tour was to the beach where we could swim but it definitely didn't have a blue flag 🙈. It was a nice stop for some photo opportunities. Once we perfected out photography skills it was time to head back to the hotel before heading out for dinner in the old town. The old town at night is something else, All the lanterns are lit up and people are send “wishes” down the river, everything just looks so pretty. Hope the photos do it justice 😍.

Day 14: Vietnam – Hoi An

Today was a free day to explore anything we didn’t get to see the day before. Some of our group also went to a noodle demonstration called Oodles of Noodles. Here we learn that there is 6 main types of Noodles used in Vietnam and that Pho is the most popular. After a demonstration we got the chance to cook our own noodles step by step. They then served us one of their famous noodle soups which was delicious. We then explored the old town, going into the temples and visiting the Japanese bridge. The rest of the day was spent chilling by the pool preparing for the next day of travel. We visited the old town again during the evening to see the night market and pick up a few souvenirs. Next stop Hue.

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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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It was gonna happen eventually

Day 8 Cambodia-Vietnam – Mekong Delta

Today was the longest travel day yet. We had to cross the border from Cambodia into Vietnam. 9 hours on a bus😣 the day started at 6:30am, to say I was tired when we arrived in Vietnam is an understatement. To top it all off we were doing a homestay and weren’t in a hotel🙈(I know first world problems). Once we crossed the border we drove into a town to stop for lunch, I thought I’d be adventurous and try something new. Worst decision of my life, that’s an exaggeration but the food did not sit well with me. I felt a bit ill and didn’t think too much of it until we arrived at the homestay. The homestay itself was better than I expected but obviously not the best accommodation we've had, my room had a mattress on the floor with a blanket, pillow and mosquito net, basic but alright for one night. Once settled the family hosting us gave us a cooking demonstration of a traditional Vietnamese pancake. This is about the time I realised my stomach was not well, I couldn’t even handle rice. As it was still early after dinner our group decided to watch Moana(Great movie, would recommend😂). After Moana it was bedtime or in my case stay up most of the night wondering if I was going to be sick. In the end I was up and down to the bathroom a couple times. In case you’re wondering I’m staying away from adventurous dishes now. The family hosting is were absolutely lovely and warming.

Day 9: Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh

After my sleepless night getting sick it was time to move onto the big schmoke of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh. Before heading off, one of the family from the homestay brought us on a boat out to see the floating market, which is pretty epic. Some families live on their boat selling produce for a week at a time before going back to land to get more fresh produce. We were brought to a pineapple boat were we got to see a woman do her thang with her pineapples and then we got to taste them. They are extremely sweet compared to the pineapples at home. We then headed of to Ho Chi Minh, once we got there we went on a cyclo tour. This was a bit bizarre as were we each cycled round the city in the Vietnamese like to call traffic, I myself would call it a death trap 🙈 . It was good fun in the end!.

After the cyclo tour our CEO brought us to a street food market for dinner. Even though my stomach still wasn’t feeling great I tried to stay away from western food, that didn’t go to well as I got a quesadilla(hey at least it wasn't pizza😂)

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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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Country numero 1 complete!

Day 5: Cambodia – Phnom Penh

After a full on morning learning about the Khmer Rouge at the killing fields it was time to relax before heading out to a home dinner. We headed to the home dinner on the only acceptable form of transport a tuk tuk. 🙈 Once we arrived we were introduced to some children that were learning English in the house were dinner was being served. The children were so happy to see us and speak to us using their English. After a bit of talking and playing with he children it was time for dinner, and what a dinner it was. The family went to so much effort preparing a feast for us, from chicken curry to spring rolls to chicken skewers and a lot more. They only brew their very own tarantula rice wine which would blow the head off ya, a whopping 40% 🙈. The food was absolutely gorgeous and the family was so welcoming. It was one of the best meals of the trip so far. 😊

Day 6: Cambodia- Sihanoukville

It was time to move on once again, this time it was too Sihanoukville a small beach side town. It took roughly 4 hours by bus to get there from Phnom Penh. Due to the travelling we had a free afternoon to explore the new town and go for a lovely walk along the beach 🏖. This is when our time in Sihanoukville got a bit interesting as one of the boys wanted to get 1$ tattooed on his arm, all because of a running joke😂. I must say it looks pretty cool!. That then turned into the others getting piercings, 3 noses got pierced and 1 helix. It was eventful night to say the least!.

Day 7: Cambodia – Sihanoukville

Today was meant to be a day for snorkelling but due to a storm warning it was cancelled so instead we got taken on a trek through a forest. It was an amazing trek, the views we amazing and we got to walk through a small village were they grow their own fruit and veg and make their own fishing rods. It is amazing what these people do with such little resources. After the trek through the forest we were brought to a water fall were we ate lunch that our tour guide cooked. It was unreal chicken skewers and cous cous(I think). After a bit of relaxing in hammocks we were taken to a private beach for a swim and some chill time. The beach was fabulous, the sand was so soft and white and the water so warm😍. It was such a lovely day out. The pictures really speak for themselves.

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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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So Much Respect for Cambodia

Day 4: Cambodia - Phnom Penh

Early morning bus journey to Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh. After 6 hours on the bus we arrived in the extremely busy city that is Phnom Penh. It is a really big and busy city. Motorbikes, tuk tuks, scooters and cars on every street not stopping to let you cross the road. I've learned you gotta keep walking and they'll just avoid you.🙈 After we all got settled into our hotel, our guide took us to a local kickboxing match were we got VIP ringside seats. There was a big match on, Thailand vs Cambodia, Cambodia won!. After 3 different matches where one was a knockout and the other finished mid way through round 3,we headed out to dinner. The food is very nice over here but im getting a bit sick of rice, missing spuds😂. End of day 4.

Day 5: Cambodia - Phnom Penh, The killing fields

Today we were brought to a place full of suffering and history for the people of Cambodia. The Killing Fields is one of the many sites around Cambodia where more that 1 million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge almost 30 years ago. We were brought to one just 15km outside the city of Phnom Penh were there was many mass graves to be seen. In one of the mass graves, when excavated they found 450 human remains, another had found 166 headless human remains and another had found a number of children and women remains. Most victims of these killings were blindfolded and had their hand handcuffed behind their backs before being hit in the back of the skull with whatever tool the army comrade could find. They also used trees as loudspeakers to avoid the sound of the victims being heard. The Cambodian government have built a Shupa to commerate all the lives that were lost there, and have put all the remains on display. It is a very heart breaking place. After the killing fields we were taking to the genocide museum where innocent people where kept before being brought to the killing fields. The conditions they victims where kept in are unbelievable. We met one survivor of the genocide who was integrated multiple time during his captivity that only survived because he was a mechanic and could fixed a broken typewriter for the Khmer Rouge. During his captivity he was interrogated and asked the same questions repeatedly "how long have you worked the CIA?" "What is your job?" , and he would answer honestly everytime telling them he was a mechanic and didn't work as a spy for the CIA. Our personal tour guide lived through the genocide and told us his own story about how his uncle was killed and the Khmer Rouge would be killed his family if they didnt go on the run. It is all very heart breaking and you realise how strog the people of Cambodia are now almost 30 years later rebuilding their country back up. It also makes you realise you don't know as much about the world until you visit each place. I have so much respect for the people of Cambodia and may all the victims rest in peace. 💔

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runawayruthie-blog · 8 years ago

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Settling in, much harder than I expected

It's been 4 days since I arrived in Bangkok airport all on my lonesome. At the time I was excited more than anything else and had convinced myself I'm not a homebird. 🐥Little did I know what was going to hit me on the nights to come.🙈

Bangkok city

My first day in Bangkok was mainly just sleeping, which for the record was the worst thing I could've done!. After having a giant cat nap it was dinner time so I went exploring the nearest streets to my hotel in the hope of finding food. I found this small restaurant which had free wifi so obviously that had to be the only option, gotta make the most of wifi when I get it to make everyone at home jealous!. Once back in the hotel it was bedtime, after a while of scrolling aimlessly through internet I felt somewhat sleepy. I woke at 1am to realise it was 7pm at home and everyone was awake. This was the first time I experienced jetlag. I was awake until about 5am,watching gossip girl, chatting to friends and family and watching YouTube videos. End of day 1.😪

Day 1: Bangkok city

It was time to go exploring the big new city I was in before meeting my group to start the tour. I walked for what seems like miles, but in reality was only a few km to find this beautiful public park. Lumphini park. It was such a beautiful sight. It was astonishing how in such a big city you could still find peace in this park full of trees and plants surrounding a massive lake. 🏞(See picture below). Next up it was time to meet my group that I am to spend the next 30 days with. We all met each other and headed out for dinner with our leader. We found out the Plan for the first few days of our trip and how early we had to get up the next morning to move on to Cambodia. 🕕That time of the day came around again it was bedtime and tonight myself and jetlag did not get on one bit. Jetlag had decided that I would only get two hours sleep even if I was up at 6am then next morning!. Due to being up all night I was questioning everything, was this a good idea? Should I've gone straight to melbourne? Am I mad? Etc. 😕 In the end I contacted home and was told all because of the jetlag and adjusting to the new culture that I've never experienced before. 😴 end of day 2.

Day 2: Cambodia

6am start, just what i wanted after 2 hours sleep the night before. The day was made up of a lot of driving. 🚌 We stopped half way to the border to get our visa forms filled in so we didn't have to queue at the border. Once we got to the border we had to go through two lots of immigration. Thai immigration to let them know we were leaving the country and cambodian immigration to let them know we were arriving in the country. The next leg of the trip was down to Siem Reap a small town in Cambodia.Siem reap is known for its night markets. After dinner we all went to the night market via tuktuk🙈 that was an experience! After a small bit of shopping we all heading back to the hotel as we had an early start the next morning. End of day 2.

Day 3: Cambodia- Siem Reap, Angkor Wat

Getting up at 4am is a big task when you've just started getting over jetlag. It will all be worth is what i kept telling myself. We were off to see the sunrise behind the one of the many temples in Angkor Wat. It was such a beautiful sight and well worth the early morning.(see link to instagram/Facebook for pic) after sunrise we had breakfast and then got a guided tour around 3 of the main temples in Angkor Wat, one being the "tombraider temple". All 3 temples we extraordinary, All the detail that went into the building of each pillar to the sandscript written in the walls. It was all very impressive. Due to the early morning we had a free afternoon that was spent napping and chilling by the pool. End of day 3.

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See ya on the flip side! 😊

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