Queenstown, New Zealand

The Queenstown YHA is stunning, set in a big old building with a kitchen and communal area overlooking the lake. I hadn't pre-booked a room and (again) was lucky enough to grab the last bed. Also staying there was someone I'd met in Kaikoura - the backpacker world is a small world! Qneenstown itself is ridiculously picturesque. Everywhere you look is crystal clear water or rugged mountain peaks (the Remarkables, as made famous by Lord of the Rings). The town itself is tourist central, with pretty much every shop catering for one extreme sport or another. From here you can go parachute jumping, bungee jumping, rafting, jetboating, river-surfing, skiing, heli-boarding, mountain biking, water-skiing, diving... the list is endless. 

We opted for one non-extreme and one extreme. The non-extreme was a trip to Milford Sounds - the gigantic glacier-carver inlet on the west coast. We booked a BBQ bus. The driver had an amazingly dry sense of humour - very entertaining. The journey to Milford is about 4 hours - with a half-way stop for the BBQ. Cooked from a trailer at the back of the bus it took about 45 minutes, while we walked amongst the forest and sat by the river. Back on the road we snaked up the mountain past some incredible scenery - New Zealand must be the most beautiful place on the planet. At the top of the pass you go through a tunnel and pop out into the top of the Sound.

On the boat you get a real sense of the size of the Sound as the boat keeps close to the vertical cliffs. Occasionally you see seals basking in the sunshine. The boat gets to the sea and U-turns back to dock, via (almost literally!) some impressive waterfalls. 

Fergburger!  An institution in Queenstown. One of my top 3 burgers ever... totes. I opted for a smelly blue-cheese coated meat-fest. We ate these on the beach, and washed it down with some pear cider while the sun sets. 

I've been wanting to skydive somewhere beautiful for years. I've been refused several times due to bad weather conditions - mainly in Cape Town but also recently in Franz and Fox. Today was going to be the day! I booked with a company recommended by the YHA, with a discount. All was set and we paid, and got in the van - when 20 minutes into the drive the car radio blarted out that the wind was too strong to jump - foiled again! Back at the town centre they said that another company did jumps from a different area, and that we should try them. They were indeed still jumping and we got a slot on the next plane. The guy doing the safety briefing was a Brummie - it was reassuring to hear the accent.

The jump site was stunning, surrounded by mountains and people falling from the sky. The cameramen are insane - they have to get to the ground before the customers and swoop down, skimming the ground at incredible speeds. There's music, giant chess and toilets to ease you before heading out. You're put into a jumpsuit and harness, then greeted by your cameraman and tandem. The planes are tiny - you're attached to your tandem then slotted in for the order of exit. I have no fear of heights but the brain says "no, this is wrong" when you're balanced on the edge of the plane door, with the cameraman hanging off the wing. The tandem then holds your head back for safety and slides you out. Once out you're in a spin, you have no idea which way anything is for a second or two, until the tandem corrects it. Our fall was 45 seconds but felt like 5! When the chute opens you start to feel the adrenaline - I would love to do this solo, the buzz must be ridiculous! The tandem asks if you're ok - I was in wooping American mode so he did a few spins and spirals down to the ground for a feather-light landing. 

Koh Rong, Cambodia

Vietnam to Cambodia summoned images of a long painful bus journey, but the trip was absolutely fine. Before we knew it we were at the border and were whisked through in no time at all. Out into Cambodia it's same same but different. Before long we were at the Neak Loeang river crossing. The coach edged up onto a rickety old boat followed by other cars and many motorbikes; one with twenty live chickens strapped to the back; the poor things looked in a really bad way. There were ladies selling all manner of odd things to eat none of which I could describe!

It was a twenty minute float to the other bank where the bus creaked off; next stop Phnom Penh for a quick stop and bus change before heading to Sihanoukville, the beach partaaaay capital of Cambodia, for a one night stop. We stayed at the Big Easy; your average Ozzie style backpacker. One thing I didn't like was the major sweat factor in the rooms. Sure, dorm's are normally a little sticky but this one felt very damp and smelly!

Next morning up early for a rainy two hour boat trip to Koh Rong on a cute little (ex?) fishing boat. Getting on the boat with luggage was interesting; edging from the high dock down a thin steep bit of wood and under the roof of the boat. Deathtrap flip-flops removed we all walked the plank successfully and took to our seats. Talitha entertained me by trying to tune her uke over the pounding engine noise and Emily slept off last nights hangover.

With thirty minutes to go the island appeared. An absolute paradise; I've never been anywhere quite like it; snow-white palm-fringed sands, mirror-flat turquoise sea, and beautiful beach huts. As we docked you could see thousands of tiny fish gathered around the boats. Greeted by the Coco beach resort eager to gain our business we're scooted off to a bar for a welcome lemonade and chat. The island is mostly deserted; at Coco there's two bars with evening BBQ's, with a little village, some tourist huts and two dive centres, then further down the beach there's the paradise resort (with an amazingly open, stilted restaurant) then further down and around the corner there's some super-cool tree houses and that's it! We're told by a barman that this would probably be the last season it would be like this. Checking the wiki confirms that there's plans underway for mega-resorts, casino's, golf courses and even an airport; turning Koh Rong into Cambodia's playground for the rich. Incredibly sad, but I'm glad we were able to see it before it's destroyed.

Land ahoy!

Coco's

Looking back towards the village 

We ignore the Coco "we are the cheapest on the island" spiel and find a $10 (for three of us!); literally a wooden hut on the pier; with two double-beds. For the second night we wanted to splash out $35 on a tree house, but they were all booked up. The next few days are spent relaxing in the big egg seats, floating in the hot sea, enjoying the amazing Coco beach BBQ (and going back to enjoy it again, and again) with some Klang beers and staring at the billions of brilliant stars and distant thunderstorms in the sky.

Epic BBQ

Epic relaxing

 

Distant storms

I'm not a huge beach person; I get bored so easily. Beaches for me normally involve some kind of physical activity; I can't sit and relax for long. I loved this beach so much, because for the first time in my life I actually enjoyed beach relaxing! The absolute peace and quiet of it put me in a trance and hours went past doing happily nothing. My favourite favourite moment was waking at 5:30am for the sunrise. Me, Talitha, sea & sky.

 
I hope development is halted and beauty kept for dribbles of future tourists to see. Do people really want to go to huge expensive resorts, fighting for beach space, when you can stay on an almost deserted island for $10 a night? It makes no sense to me.

I would just like to add this picture of the little dog (Gremlin) that was rescued from the mainland by the paradise staff;

Cute??

Sa Pa, Vietnam

Sleepily crawling off the night bus from Hanoi the mountain freshness and a coffee soon wake us up. A lady offers us a $5 each double room at "Nha Khach Giao Thong" which translates as "The back packer hostel" I believe. Most people who come here go trekking into the nearby hills so in the town you can see groups of westerners keenly followed by the traditionally dressed resident ladies of the various nearby hill villages: Hmong, Dao, Giay, Pho Lu and Tay. They literally follow you for all of your trek hoping that you might buy some clothes or trinkets that they make. Tomorrow we do one of these treks so we have today to relax. We have an omelette then have a look around the shops and markets which sell colourful arrays of trinkets and food (including dog meat, although I couldn't find any). The village square has a huge 8-point star in the middle (Christian?) and working communist propaganda speaker arrays in each corner. Next to the square is a catholic church from the days of the Sa Pa as a French hill station.

Sa Pa town square

We book a two day one night homestay trek with Nomad trails for which I decide I'm going to need a rucksack. I hate rucksacks while travelling, purely because I hate carrying two bags around (a common sight is the traveller surrounded by a big rucksack on back and small rucksack on front). Vietnam holds no prisoners when it comes to faking stuff and here is no exception; there's hundreds of shops selling rip-offs (mostly North Face). I decide to go against the masses and not get a North Face bag, eventually finding a shop selling Deuter so reluctantly purchase a knock-off rucksack for $8. Extortionate!

 

There's a cute little cafe perched on the roadside with tiny chairs outside and a little BBQ. Grabbing a jug of Bia Hoi and some meaty kebabs, mushroom kebabs, purple potatoes and grilled sweetcorn we proceed to get drunk with some ex-pats who work in an eco-lodge a few km out of town.

Nha Khach Giao Thong hotel

 Next morning Talitha's friend (and violin teacher) Emily arrives off the sleeper bus from Hanoi, she's going to be travelling with us for a month. She meets us at our hotel and we let her shower and get the sleep out of her system before embarking on the trek. Fake rucksack packed, battered vans on feet and camera in hand we follow our guide out of the town, followed by around ten village ladies and their super-cute babies strapped with cloths on their backs.

Threading along the valley past fields of indigo (I never knew it was a plant!) and down dusty roads the views are fantastic, only spoiled slightly by occasional diggers and trucks. It's baking hot and sweaty work so we stop every so often for refreshments, trinket purchases and for our guide (I forget her name) to explain about the valley and village people (no, not the band) in very good English. Onwards and downwards into the valley, crossing rivers and paddy fields. For lunch we have some noodles with 100 other hungry trekkers and 1000 new trinket sellers then carry on to our homestay.

 

I've never stayed at a homestay before and I expected it to be literally a small cosy home, where just a few of us would spend a night and eat with the residents. Don't get me wrong, it was very beautiful, and the people did live there, but it was more like a dormitory, in the loft of the house, where up to twenty people could stay. But I have no other homestay experience to compare this to so I'll leave it there! For dinner it was me and about twelve girls. The food was incredible. All fresh cooked dishes with enough to feed an army, for want of a better expression. We had some beer and rice wine, watched a massive storm brewing then retired to our mosquito nets, worn out from the day.

Homestay

Day two and we had more pancakes and bananas than anyone could ever eat (I cannot fault the food!). Before we know it our guide is up and we're off down the valley; promptly joined by more village ladies plus babies, and children. The second day took us through whispy bamboo forests, over almost dry waterfalls, through damp paddy fields and tiny farms with muddy half-clothed kids playing with pigs. Lunch was a quieter affair as most people has just done the one day trek. I bought some wrist bands from a cute old lady that had been following us for an eternity and an mouth instrument that sounds like a little like a digeridoo. I gave one lovely lady my hat and she gave me a free wrist band! We continued for another hour then were picked up by a minibus for the journey back to Sa Pa.

Cute wild village kids 

Lady in my hat and my new wristband

Next day is exploring time. Hiring some motorbikes from a man on the street corner ($4 a day) we set off up the mountain roads. Unfortunately it's raining so we have to take it easy, but eventually find the waterfall and have a coffee on what seems like a pass (there's too much fog to be sure). Back down out of the clouds Talitha drops out with a bad stomach while me and Emily carried on down the valley. It was at 60k/h that I saw an enormous bug coming towards me. Next thing I knew I felt a crazy buzzing in my helmet so prompted Emily to stop so I could look. I took the helmet off and a giant dragonfly flew out; I have no idea how it survived that! Getting too far down the valley we headed back up, refuelled then went over the other side of the mountain where the sun was blazing. HELLO rain shadow!! The roads here are fantastic and we opened the bikes up for a great ride. It was here that my motorbike appreciation nodule opened for business!