Ants, farming and village life...

I was feeling all chocked up when I was leaving Lao but it was probably time I ventured into Thailand for some proper TLC. My body has been ravaged by bed bug bites, a spider bite, an ear infection and a bad knee. That’s from a couple of months of going all out on the trekking, home stays, the lot. Over the last couple of weeks I braved the sweltering heat and travelled through the Mekong Delta to cross the border from Vietnam to Cambodia. I’ll never forget the looks on our faces as my Swedish buddy and I waited at the border helplessly staring at each other as sweat poured out from every possible part of our bodies. Anyway, I only had a week in Cambodia, so I hit the Angkor Temples and it lived up to all of my expectations as the most stunning site in SE Asia. The jungle ravaged temple ruins from the Khmer empire have a seductive air of mystery and despite the heat; it was well worth the cycle to the temples every day (or maybe get a tuk-tuk if you're not tight like me). One mini boo boo though, cycling really quickly to catch the sunrise is probably a photo no-no because I arrived there 40 minutes later again drenched head to toe in sweat. So after a week, I was kind of relieved to be heading north into Northern Lao so that I wouldn’t drown in my own sweat.

Lao was not on my original itinerary but after so many recommendations from fellow travellers, I needed to pay it a visit. They were all right; Lao is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Its landscape of mountains and hills are covered in every shade of green imaginable, a natural beauty that could rival Nepal (my favourite so far for natural scenery). Now Lao does not have a train system so you can't just hop onto a sleeper bus or train and expect to get anywhere quickly or on time, you'll be spending days travelling. The drivers here don't seem to be in too much of a hurry or in desperate need for business. So Echo (my friend) and I mastered the art of persuasion by either scrambling around for other travellers to fill up the bus/boat or hopelessly trying to charm the pants off of the driver and convince him that earning something for the day is way better then chilling with your buddies. Bartering’s a whole new ball game here too, you've only got one chance to offer your desired price and if you went too low, that’s it, you've blown it and your paying for the full asking price or more.

Once we managed to make it up to Northern Lao (despite the boat breaking down and not having enough travellers at one point), Echo and I thought we would trek and ‘couch surf’ at the nearby villages back down. What an eye opener. Village life really is a close knit community and there are generally about 170 people living in the bamboo huts. When we arrived, we quickly realised that we couldn’t have met a friendlier bunch of people. The inquisitive women circled around us and asked us to wait for their husbands to come back from farming. We used our best sign language to ask for food and shelter and before we knew it, the women were preparing a slap up meal of fresh chicken (they didn’t have deer that day as they hadn’t caught a deer) and some other new taste sensations - frogs, ants, ant eggs (I only knew I had been eating a plateful of ants when I shone my torch on it and had to hide my look of 'horror' from the chef).

The next day, we joined them farming in the hills and it is this scene that will stay with me forever. The hill where they were harvesting the rice was spectacular, I could just about make it up the hill so was dragged up it by one of the women. We spent two hours farming and then had to call it a day to finish our trek. As amazing as it was, I'll certainly be thinking twice about farming for 2 hours before a long trek; we were well and truly messed up afterwards. Now once again, this experience has opened up my mind a little bit more and I'll probably be thinking twice when I complain about having a bad day at the office.

Show down in Vietnam!

After a brief recovery in Kathmandu, I flew to Hong Kong to meet my cousin for our sleeper bus into South China. I'll never forget this journey as I had the worst case of food poisoning ever and the bus driver flew over the highways like a lunatic. Anyhow, I survived and arrived at my uncles house looking like death. I then spent a week recovering and stuffing my face to power up for our Vietnamese adventure.

We entered North Vietnam from the North border and our adventure started instantly. The events so far have certainly been very interesting. Lets just say that my cousin has a pretty solid reputation for being a mild mannered person; I have never seen her 'don't-f'ck-with-me' side let alone so many times in a week. But pretty much every day so far, our patience has been tested as we continuously found ourselves being overcharged for most things. There have been scenes of shouting, finger wagging, fists being banged on tables as we challenged our bumped up food, hotel and taxi bills. We've sharpened up now so we are ready for war if necessary; my cousin is the good cop and I'm the bad (naturally). One incident made us chuckle though, we were at Ha Long Bay (stunning place with beautiful natural scenery of limestone rocks jutting out of the calm emerald sea) in a floating fish restaurant and decided to order a fish dish. When it was served, a fish head and its tail was staring up at us from the plate. They had only gone and removed the middle of the fish (presumably to sell it again) and thought we would be stupid enough not to notice! And so a big barny ensued as we rolled up our sleeves to prepare for a show down.

Aside from having to be on guard most days, we've done plenty so far including a day trek through Cat Ba Island (just off of Ha Long Bay) which we had thought would be a stroll in the park that turned out to be a day of rock climbing as we were literally on all fours trying to climb up and down the slippery rocks of the limestone rock faces. No exaggeration, but this was one mighty death trap. It was worth it in the end just for the stunning boat trip through the floating village.

I'm also loving the divine Vietnamese food. We look for the grubbiest street kitchens with the sticky tables and perch on the tiny plastic chairs because we know that we will be served delicious hot bowls of beef noodles, crab meat spring rolls, grilled pork, clams, jelly drinks and all. Unfortunately for this, I'll be leaving Vietnam three dress sizes bigger. This is a big fat boo, especially since I'm surrounded by so many gorgeous Vietnamese women with their slim and petite frames who seem to be all so glamourously dressed (or in strange contrast walking around in their pyjamas). It's great watching them elegantly zip around on the scooters in their 5 inch heels like they have just stepped out of a salon.

I'm now in Hue in Central Vietnam and we'll be moving onto Hoi An to check out some islands and for me to hire a motorcycle so I can zip around town too. After that I'll be bidding my cousin farewell to make my way into Cambodia.

The Turtle reaches Annapurna base camp

OK, so I was a little apprehensive when I started my 15 day trek of the Annapurna circuit and base camp because lets be honest, I haven't had too much trekking experience let alone trekking the Himalaya Mountains on my todd but I wanted to tick this one challenge off the things-I-have-to-do-in-my-life list. And guess what, every single physical and mental agony, ache and pain was worth what was probably the most adventuress two weeks of my little life.

There were days when I wished the trekking would end (I was trekking between 6 to 9 hours a day) and I won't lie, on one day when I ascended 2000 metres, I threw a tantrum and shouted out loud 'Sod the flipping scenery, I can't take this endless climbing no more' and was close to throwing my backpack over the mountain edge. And yes, after I saw the sunrise at Annapurna base camp, I did bomb it down the mountain as fast as my little legs would carry me because I knew that if I stayed up in the freezing cold any longer, I might just keel over and die. And there were nights when I may as well have been sleeping in a freezer (-20 at base camp) so put on every single piece of clothing I had including my down jacket and would then spend 30 minutes psyching myself up to jump into my ice cold sleeping bag and then another hour warming it up, not forgetting waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air as I my body demanded more oxygen (oh those nights were hellish). On this trek, I learnt that when the sun set, the evenings would freeze over and I would be shivering away waiting for the sun to come up again the next day.

Even when the wind God struck during the afternoons and nearly swept me off my feet and sandblasted me across the face over and over again, I never once doubted if the trek was worth the agony. And when I found myself lost as I was nearing base camp and the clouds started to come in and the trees started to look all scary as I heard the sound of a nearby avalanche crashing down and I said my first prayer to God, I still persisted with my turtle-paced ascent. Because you see, over the last 15 days, I trekked through what is probably the worlds most stunning natural scenery with just my common sense (yes, I have heaps of it!), a map, and my 10kg backpack and got to meet some incredible people and locals. I'll also admit that it was pretty damn satisfying to see the admiration (or shock) on the faces of other experienced trekkers with their entourage of porters and guides as I told them that it was just little old me (the Turtle), no guide or porter carrying my own sodding gear all the way up the mountain, including mascara, eyelash curlers and all. I've joined the league of brave and courageous lone female bad ass trekkers! Hell yeah, I'm hardcore!! So hardcore that I was probably the only person to take a bucket shower at base camp. But be warned, my challenge was not without some strange and compromising situations.

So my beloved backpack and I would rock up at the next village for dinner and a good nights sleep and some days we would arrive at a ghost town with not a tourist in sight. The Tibetan villages were both mysterious and beautiful as the prayer flags flapped in the wind and I was often woken up by the sound of Tibetan monks praying. During the day, I passed through mountains and their even bigger snowed capped neighbours in the distance knowing that closer to the end of my journey; I would soon be working my way towards base camp. I watched the landscape change from barren valleys to alpine forests, fields of apple and orange trees to a forest right out of the Lord of the Rings to trekking knee deep or sliding on my butt in snow. I also got pretty good at finding trails in the denser areas (yes you just follow the foot prints or ask the villagers). Once when I was lost and panicked, a porter miraculously appeared like an angel and I told him that he would have to make sure that I got to the next place safely so he created the trail in the snow and patiently waited for my slow ass.

And in the end, Mr B (the man who inspired me to do this) was right, I met some incredible people who I would spend days trekking and the evenings chilling with so really had company a lot of the way including one hardcore German girl who trekked Everest base camp on her own. Truly bad ass! I also had the privilege of eating like a horse as I was burning so many calories so picked up a daily snickers bar and can of coke a habit.

So my Nepalese adventure has ended for now but without a shadow of a doubt, I'll be back. I'm off to meet my cousin to travel South China and Vietnam in 2 days, bring on some pampering and the beef pho!

Is taking on the biggest challenge of my life so far, the Himalaya Mountains for 2 weeks on my jack jones!

A 27 hour train ride west to the state of Rajasthan, my new German buddy and I finally reach the stunning blue city of Jodhpur. A majestic fort overlooks the city and is surrounded by lots of miniature blue houses that are clustered up together like Lego pieces. In fact, this city has been featured in a film before but I can't remember which one. It’s literally a whistle stop so we visit the fort and then later decide to sample the special bhang lassi (er…Indian yoghurt drink). Hmmm…we soon realize that it was perhaps not such a good idea. When new buddy told me that he had to go back to his room for a lie down, I thought it was a little odd so I went to check on him and he was as white as a sheet. Well, I didn’t have to wait long to find out for myself as we both spent the evening throwing our lunches up. I suggest you lot give this one a miss if you visit India. Of course, our plans to attend the once-in-a-year festival that evening fell through because we'd passed out and slept through the singing, drumming and music that happened right outside our guesthouse without stirring once.

So I missed the village trip the next day but was adamant that the day would not go to waste so I jumped on the local bus to a small town called Osian. It was on this random trip that I really experienced the kindness of the local people. Whilst waiting for my bus home, a packed bus skidded up towards me with people hanging out from the windows and doors. To me, this bus was full, the locals thought otherwise. They squeezed me onto the bus and a seat miraculously appeared from nowhere and I was helped out with paying and all before I even mentioned where I was going. They had automatically helped me out and I didn’t even hear a single word of complaint. I felt a deep sense of profound gratitude to the people! 

Today, my whirlwind love affair with India has come to an end. I am now in love with Kathmandu. This place is nuts, I had no idea that there was a 14 hour power cut everyday and so I found myself scrambling for a wall when the lights went out as I was halfway through a shower! Showering by starlight is certainly an experience. Anyhow, I got talking to a seasoned Aussie trekker and he's coaxed me into my next challenge; a 2 week trek in the Himalayas on my own!! No guide, no porter, nothing, just little old me and my backpack. He's done base camp three times and said that this way; I would really get to discover new things about myself. We went shopping together and he's helped kit me out with my trendy new trekking gear (a must for photos he said and I agree) and we've mapped out my itinerary. He's confident that I will be OK but was a little dubious when I asked him if Kathmandu was above sea level and he said that it was the dumbest question he's ever been asked in Nepal! So now he's making sure that I get on the right bus to start my trek.  

Hmm…..I'm excited but nervous, the altitudes pretty high, I'll be stinking for days, I'll have to use my brain and navigate, I could get attacked by a yak (but I know what to do if I do) but let's hope there are phone boxes along the way just in case I need to call the SOS! Only joking! I set off tomorrow, wish me luck!

Wedding crashing, Bollywood dancing, Korean food and bhang cookie

After a 5 hour bus journey, several flights and a night in Delhi airport lounge, I finally reached Varanasi. To cut a long story short, Varanasi (one of the world’s oldest holy towns) is intense, imagine London rush hour, times it by two and then make it constant. As soon as the taxi driver dropped us off in this tightly packed old town (I traveled with two Isreali girls there), we were all blown away with the extreme hustle and bustle. It was a complete change from ‘chilled out’ South India and was the India I had always imagined in my head. We found ourselves dodging rickshaws, scooters, crowds of people (and their shooting spit), cows, goats, dogs, you name it as we attempted to share the tiny winding walkways that are beautifully lined with small temples, sari, sweet, chai and various other shops that were probably no wider than a meter and a half. Making our way to our guest house carrying a backpack the size of a cow itself and trying to avoid the traffic, touts and huge fresh heaps of cow dung was like a challenge straight from an episode of the Crystal Maze.

So in this holy place, I was able to witness many different life events all in a day. Along the River Ganges, I got to see about five weddings, countless Hindu ceremonies and a fair few funerals which also included the burning of the bodies by the ‘Burning Ghat’ (which I can only describe as an area of steps by the river bank). That was pretty strange; I saw sadness and mourning and then about 20 meters along the river, I then witnessed joy and laughter from a wedding. All this activity in one place; everything seems to happen by the river ganges, from people bathing, washing their clothes, dumping their trash, not forgetting the burning of the bodies and the cows and buffalo doing their business in there too made me decide that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go for a dip in there after all.

Anyway, it looks like my plan to be a size zero has gone to pot too because I have been pigging out big time on all the street food. I met some Koreans and of all places Varanasi offers some top notch Korean food which I ended up eating every night because it was so delicious. I also had the pleasure of spending one afternoon cackling like a hyena with a Japanese girl as we tried our first bhang cookie and thought it would be a good idea to go for a wander through the busy streets. Let’s just say it was a fun challenge when I had to find my guest house to pick up by luggage to catch my train, my friend kept saying that I would miss my train, phew...I didnt in the end!

Ohhh….I also got to gatecrash my first wedding. I rocked up in my shabby travelers outfit although if I had known that I would be attending I would have seriously bought a sari. I spent the night doing more eating (they force you to eat because they are so hospitable) and busting out with some proper Bollywood dance moves. Indian girls here can dance, there is some serious hip shaking in those dance moves and I thought I did a pretty good version of the changing-the-light-bulbs dance move too. I was wrong; I have a lot to learn.

Next stop is the dessert city of Jodhpur by a 27 hour sleeper train journey; let’s hope I can stay sane for this.

The search for a home cooked meal goes on.....

The 10 hour sleeper bus wasn’t as bad as I had heard in the end despite my Delhi belly being in full force at the time and nearly falling off the top bunk when the bus driver decided to do an abrupt stop. I finally arrived at the beautiful sandy beaches of Gokarna. I probably didn’t quite deserve an extended stay here but I couldn’t resist the relaxed atmosphere, evening runs barefoot along the beach and the yoga and meditation course that I had booked myself on. My yoga teacher is amazing, I use to get frustrated with my pathetic attempts at yoga but having practiced the correct breathing and relaxation techniques, I’m realizing its true value and the fact that it has helped to ‘calm’ my mind because by nature, my mind has the tendency to go into overdrive anyway. This is especially true when you are traveling alone, it can actually be constant and you find yourself mulling over dull or useless thoughts over and over again.

I was also able to reflect on my traveling style in Gokarna. I realized that I wanted to try and get off the ‘beaten track’ more. Let’s be honest, as beautiful as the beaches are, it really could be just another beach resort anywhere in the world. So after much socializing with fellow travelers, I’m keen to hang out with the locals again especially for another helping of traditional home cooked food. I’ve had lots of tasty street and local food so far but nothing beats a traditional home cooked meal cooked with tender loving care. So today I went into town and tried to pawn my labour in exchange for an invite to dinner. So far, I’ve been given a banana leaf, lots of free cups of chai and an invite to a fish supper tomorrow which I can’t make because I’m leaving the next day! I’m gutted because he said his wife makes this really good rice dish which is only local to South India.

I also promised myself that I wouldn’t buy any tat on my travels but I’ve broken my promise and have kitted myself out with too many pairs of ali baba trousers and a bongo drum to the credit of the super sales people here. I’ll probably spend tonight on the beach pretending to play the drums just because I have bought it. Maybe, I’ll play it with my friend, the looniest-hippy-in-India who by chance ended up here too even though he said he was moving onto another town. It’s not just me that thinks he’s a loon another person confirmed this too and I confessed to him that I had secretly chuckled to myself when I saw that he too had befriended him.

So tomorrow, I’m heading back up North which will be a welcome relief because it is getting way too hot down South, plus I’ve struggled to sleep in my beach hut for the last couple of nights because my room mate Mr White-rat-the-same-size-as-my-forearm keeps disturbing me with his constant nibbling at night. I’m too tired to care and when I mention it to the guy on ‘reception’, he gives me a look that says ‘What’s new?’ so I guess I have no choice but to let my room mate reside for free.

Also I am seriously missing meat. Cows are like dogs in India, thy wander all over the joint, every time I see a cow, I can’t help thinking what a juicy steak it would make, the last decent piece of meat I ate was that home cooked meal and even that piece of chicken was just the size of a satsuma. Give me MEAT!