Hello to 2015.

I am well aware we are in May now, so saying hello isn't that new but wow so much has happened and so many decisions were made that I wanted to share a few with you all.

I made a few NY Resolutions and so far things seem to be working out.

• Starting 2 business - Yoga and Counselling.

The Yoga side of this has actually become more developed, which at first I found a challenge as that wasn't the plan and I wanted my energy to be more focused on developing a women's only counselling service, however with funding the way it is I wasn't getting anywhere and have decided to work privately at home with 1-2 women a week which is a nice balance with my employed part of the week. I am still managing to connect with women, offer my skills but work in an empowerment way which was the prime focus, its not about how many I work with, working with 1-2 women allows my full energy to be present, so although things haven't worked how first imagined I guess that's business and I feel its working right for how it should be right now.

Yogabud is booming, I use Tuesday as my 'yoga day' and work with 3 women privately during the day and then teach a class on an evening in Gosforth. I carried out my first workshop this weekend which I hope to do every 6-8wks, the workshop sold out and was really successful, with a lot of great feedback coming back from it.

• Start a new job as a Children's Counsellor

I honestly have to pinch myself at times at how lucky I feel, I have literally walked into a perfect role, I work 3 days a week as a Children's Counsellor for children impacted by sexual and domestic violence. The role is challenging, heart breaking and difficult but I love the balance of being there 3 days and then have two days to do my own thing, yoga, create, learn. I work in an integrative way and bring in a lot of play therapeutic style which is incredible when working with children. I am 5 months into the role and already have planned my next training to go further in the role.

• Learn how to look after houseplants.

I decided when away I wanted to become more green fingered, so far so good, orchids are blooming, streptocarpus are flowering, spider plants are reproducing, its just the sneaky aloe vera that I haven't got to grips with yet.

• Use my day off on Fridays to be more creative.

So this hasn't happened as much as recently I have been back and forth to London, however now Sam is residing in the North I feel this is definitely a plan that will start soon, the knitting needles have been clicking on other nights though and lots of baby projects for friends in place.

• Spend more time exploring Northumberland.

This I have definitely been doing, beach walks at Newton by the Sea, walking Hadrian's Wall, exploring castles and going out to Kielder, I purchased two walking books with some Christmas money so lots more planned for 2015.

Reflections of 2014.

So were back in the wilds of the beautiful North East, its been a long 6 months  waiting for Sammy to join me but eventually were reunited and the discussions of where we were this time last year have began, reflecting over the incredible adventure and opportunity life brought us to spend 9 months exploring part of this incredible world.

The highs, lows and learning's of 2014.

Many lessons were learnt last year, I fell in and out of love with every country we travelled, I learnt lessons about love not just from my relationship but others, I pushed myself to limits I didn't think I could and I let myself be freer then I ever have, letting my toes travel where the adventure chose.

Travelling.

Day trains, night trains, night buses, day buses, ferries, speed boats, rowing boats, taxis, hiking, flights, walking, up hills, down hills, across country, through continents we did it all and I smiled and cried through so many as I thought my poorly sick mind could take no more, but it always did and there was always another journey around the corner. We took a 32hr train through India, a night insect ridden train through Burma, we waited hours to get picked up in Borneo, we jumped out of a taxi with a drunken Thai driver, lost on the motorway in Chiang Mai, went back in time when heading to Mexico and lost our minds and our way on the way to Bali, however I wouldn't change any of it, as like people say 'its all part of the experience'.

Sleeping.

So part of my agreement was that we wouldn't stay in basic stays and would at least hit the mid way mark, however the excitement of travelling I realised was not always laying your head on a bed and sometimes finding sleep whenever and wherever it came, from bartering cheap prices to sleep in basic but beautiful seafront huts, sleeping on night trains, spooning up in locked bays on night buses, catching a few hours on the seats in a Japanese airport, sleeping in a brothel in Mexico, the middle of a desert in India, a tent in the forest of a Malaysian island, we got everywhere, some places I slept in a perfect dream, one night I woke up with a cockroach on my face, it tested me to my limits but the memories will always make me smile.

Eating.

Samosas from every bus stand in India, Thai curry on the streets of Bangkok, Fish upon fish in Malaysia, Khmer Curry in Cambodia, Kuching Laksa in Borneo, we ate every type of food going, my vegetarianism lacked and although I never chose to eat meat there were at times a definite hint of meat flavour, I suffered but enjoyed and my culinary tastes developed and my hatred of fish bones dissolved.

Friendships.

We met and adventured with so many great people on our trip, friends we feel we have made for life, friends who were just the right people to be there at that time, I learnt and developed from some of these people and changed my views on some of life's important lessons from understanding and searching deeper in my heart for a stronger meaning. Exploring the world you realise how many people are on similar journeys, sometimes even having a parallel life in some aspect, the many nights we spent talking and sharing times and adventures, it was great to have the chance in life to go out there be vulnerable but be open to learn from people I met as strangers but soon become friends.

Love.

Sam and I decided we wanted to spend this year together, we wanted to be away from the stresses and strains life brings and connect to each other somewhere different then England, my job can be very demanding and with training to be a Counsellor the last few years I have gone through a number of changes and unfolding in my own personal world, which Sam has held me through and supported me in every stage. This trip therefore was to move on from that and have a year where the world was just about us. Wow what a privilege, hey, we spent many days and nights talking about our relationship, other relationships, family relationships, how they work, how they don't, who inspires us, who doesn't. We talked with friends we met about the meaning of love and importance of past, the strength it gives us to be who we are in our relationship now and the changes we have made due to that. We argued, cried, smiled, loved, jumped, dived, walked, ran, hiked, made decisions, debated decisions, reassured, got lost, got totally lost, but mostly we found each other, we saw each others vulnerabilities and wants and found that deep love that connects us and inspires us.

Lessons.

I never have to do anything, I get to do it.. My yoga teacher Denise Payne taught me this when one day in teacher I asked 'do I have to do this' she reminded me that I never have to do anything, I get to do it and what a privilege that is.

I have a precious human life and I am not going to waste it.. Bex Tyrer read this poem out one day when in a yoga class, it stuck with me and made me think of the adventure we were on, it confirmed the right choices about going away, about quitting my work and doing something for us, life is precious and I certainly wasn't going to waste it.

Everything doesn't happen for a reason, we live in a cruel world.

What's meant for me wont pass me, a friend text me this one day when I was worrying about something, its a mantra that lives with me always.

The Lonely planet does the tell the truth.

When Sam told me we would have the chance to meet the Dalai Lama, I obviously laughed at him, of course the LP states that in its highlighted blue box, why wouldn't it.... well it only turned out to be true and we did get to meet him, miracles do happen.

Changes.

Babies were born, friends were married, people moved away, people moved home, life carried on whilst we travelled and although people always say everything is the same when you come home for us it wasn't, we were different and we were changed, we came home 6wks early as the bank of Sam and Claire ran out, however it felt the right time and we were ready for the next adventure.

 

 



 



 

Marveling Mexico

So our final stop on this awesome trail across to Central America.... Mexico wasn’t meant to be the last stop but due to time constraints and money we had to make a few changes and head back home 7wks early, however we both wanted to end the trip somewhere we both had never been and Mexico appealed to us both. With changes made and our friend Rosa arranging to meet us out there we chose to take a month to explore this new land and totally new continent.

Our trip started in Cancun, we did fly into Mexico city but only spent a night there before heading out to meet Rosa. We chose Cancun as it was an easy place to meet and however much we were told to not go I wanted to see for myself what this tourist land held. Rosa arrived around 7ish and we were ecstatic to see one another after so long. We booked a hostel in town and were pleasantly pleased with our stay, it certainly didn’t feel touristy or over run and maybe because we didn’t venture down to the coast and stayed in the town we had more of a local experience. We were right near to the food area and enjoyed some real Mexican treats, local music and beer catching up on news from home, our main conversation being around the Scottish referendum and how it was for Rosa living in Scotland and being English.

We left the hostel the next morning, heading to the port to board our boat to Isla Mujeres, we had planned 3 days on the beach before venturing into the world of Mayan ruins and Mexican towns. As we took the boat across I was totally amazed at the sea in front of us, it was crystal clear, it felt like something you see in an advert and Rosa and I couldn’t stop saying ‘have you seen the sea’ we marveled in the beauty of it and knew the next few days were going to be a truly spectacular.

We had been recommended to stay at Poc Na hostel, it seemed this was the place to stay and we secured ourselves a private room for 3, the hostel was a great recommendation and had everything you would want, live music, beach bar, free yoga, Spanish classes and 2.4.1 cocktails, we knew we would be settled for the next few days. 

The main two islands in Mexico are Isla Holbox and Isla Mujeres, we knew Isla Mujeres was easier to get too and therefore busier but we were lucky it was quiet season and therefore the tourist hustle and bustle wasn’t as intense. Our time was spent lazing on the beach, making the classic English picnic lunch and enjoying evening beers embracing the white sand and being in awe of the rolling crystal sea.

From Poc Na our toes took us to Merida, for me Merida was on the Mexico’s cities which give me the feel of real Mexico, the colours and culture were just incredible and we enjoyed two wonderful days exploring the locals market, purchasing leather goods and eating delicious street food, queso being my staple diet in Mexico. The streets of Merida were so colourful and there was such Spanish authenticity when wandering the maze of rainbow streets. Our first night was spent dancing on the streets outside a local building with a Mexican band, a number of locals had come out and all were paired up dancing an enjoyable rhythm, celebrating the music with smiles and laughter, Rosa and I were pulled up by a wholesome cute, Mexican women who spun us around, and got us into the swing of how we move our hips to the beat. Rosa and I also participated in a salsa class at our hostel, which was great fun and I started to understand the basic steps Maderia had told me in Ubud when we went salsa dancing, the class was great fun, sweaty but a real experience into the waythe dance evoles and the body moves. 

We ate at two tasty local(ish) restaurants in our two days there and we all tried our hand at local dishes, me indulging in some sort of vegetarian scotch egg dish with tomato, egg and breadcrumb mixture, Sam and Rosa being served the opposite, feasting on a plate of Mexican infused meat. 

We took a day trip from Merida to Chichen Itza, our first sighting of the marveling ruins we had heard so much about. We took the early bus to Chichen Itza and spent a full day in awe of these colossal monumental ruins. With getting there early we luckily missed a lot of the tourist hustle and even managed a few moments of ruins alone, taking in the expanse of their size, overwhelmed, reading about how they become to be there and what the building may have once been used for it made my mind wander to a time when the Maya’s nested and ruled there. We manage to trail behind a few tours, learning about sweat lodges and sacrifices into the cenotes, these tribes definitely didn’t do things by half. It was incredible to wander and see the different inscriptions and images carved over the ruins, the skulls and bas reliefs prominent on the sacrificial buildings, enveloping the spell binding structures surrounding us. The day flew by as we read from our lonely planet and learnt with each step how life was once lived in this world and why Chichen Itza came to be in this dense land in the heart of Mexico. We headed home on our bus journey amazed at what we had experienced and ready to explore another ruins but in a very different landscape.

We left Merida content and full, pleased to have seen how the locals lived and experience firsthand events of how Merida flows and how interactions are in everyday life in this quaint town. 

Our next stop was to Palenque, we head decided to stay next to the national park next to Palenque ruins, we had been recommended a communal area called El Panchen which had a number of different stays, we found ourselves settled in a treetop bungalow deep in the jungle, surrounded by beautiful howler monkeys swinging and singing in the trees above us.

With arriving early we used our first day to settle in and enjoy jungle life, so different from the city streets we had been exploring, the jungle felt so tranquil and calm and just where I wanted to be at this time in the trip, it felt like the last few days had been busy sightseeing and bus journeys that it was nice to just be back in nature relaxing. The day was beautiful and is one of my fondest of the four weeks travelling Mexico; we put the hammock up, read, wrote in our diaries and relaxed watching and listening to the sound of monkeys above us and the insects in the trees around us. That evening we dined at the local pizzeria Don Munchos and drank copious wine, dancing to salsa played by a local band and laughing continuously at the venue we were in and the magic of the surroundings we were having the pleasure to explore and enjoy!

The following day we headed into the national park to embrace Palenque’s ruins, the ruins are set in the jungle and stir such depth and beauty within you, the beauty of the surroundings is mesmerising and just takes your breath away. The main difference for me from Chichen Itza was that Palenque definitely has less of a touristy feel due to it being less of the trail, it also allows more exploration of the ruins, allowing you to climb and discover inside the ruins. Like Chichen Itza, Palenque had a real grand feel to it, you could imagine royalty living and breathing here, with the grand courts and observatories used for special occasions. It was amazing to watch the archaeologists at work, digging out more buried treasures and excavating the splendor of the buildings left. I loved seeing the bas reliefs that had been excavated and seeing the grandeur of the images once carved.

We ended the day climbing high onto one of the main ruins and the expanse of the view was just mind blowing, we could see across the whole of the ruin site and the sounds of the howler monkeys was just so intense, I had never heard anything so loud but still so distant. It was spectacular being so high up and having an experience like this with two of my favourite people, we sat for a good hour just taking it all in, being so thankful for our time together, our time here and our last country offering sites such as this.

That night we took the bus to Lake Bacalar, our last night bus whilst travelling and sure to be at the top of the worse night travels that year. We had been told about Bacalar by a friend, I had a real image of what it would be like, a peaceful lake, serene living , all the accommodation being circled around the lake, hammocks and tyres to float about in. When we arrived we all had to take a step back and found there was a lot of similarities in what we wanted, but also a lot of differences, the main one being that there was hardly anyone there. It was a strange reality in terms of wanting peace but also wanting there to be some sort of buzz. Our first choice of accommodation didn't work out so we chose to head to where the lonely planet recommended, this turning out to be a nice spot and one we all felt comfortable to stay and relax for a few days. Lake Bacalar is named the lake of seven colours and throughout the day it was truly beautiful to watch the changes in the colour and the radiant blues gleaming through. Our stay in Bacalar didnt end up being for as long as we had first intended, however we did get into life on the lake and we did bask in the serenity of nobody being around. We marveled in midday picnics, daytime reading, napping and a lot of good chats. On our last day however things did take a turn for the worse when Sammy was bitten by fire ants and took a bad reaction to the bites which saw us head to hospital for an emergency shot in the bum and an hours stay leaving Sammy dosed up and tired.

We decided with that to head off from lake 'back in time' and head to Tulum for sun kissed coastline and eco friendly beach huts. The journey was quick and easy from Bacalar to Tulum, our bus driver indulged us in some oldskool house music bombing along the highways arriving into Tulum town centre without much of a plan, meaning our next challenge hit us right bang in the face.... where to stay.

I knew I wanted to stay on the beachfront, it was the last two weeks of our trip and Sam and I had decided to use this time to take stop and enjoy the weeks without night buses, day travel and dodgy accommodation. Sadly Tulum town didnt offer anything that suited, meaning we headed down to the beach to see what was available there. After a jaunt up and down we managed to get a good deal on a beautiful cabana Diamonte K, which was right on the rocks, looking out into the ocean, dreamy.

Tulum gave me a mixture of feelings, some amazing, some not so, as a holiday spot it would be perfect, as a way to end travelling, (with not much money) it wasn't so great. Tulum is set up with the town and then a few miles away is the coastline, where all the eco lodges are, therefore meaning to get from one place to the next you either have to get a taxi, bike or walk, walking and cycling is fine but late at night it isn't that safe as there is no lights and the roads are pitch black. We managed to get a few taxis for a decent price (as season was quiet), our walking legs came into good action (and my fear of pitch black roads). Rosa stayed with us for the first few days of the trip and we enjoyed our last week together soaking in the Caribbean waves, sunkissed sands, reading and relaxing, we discussed every topic possible and it was beautiful for me to watch my bestfriend and my husband getting to know one another so well, there was a few nights where i retired early and those two stayed up, laughing over sneaky praying mantas and sharing coronas.

We took a day trip to Akumal which was recommended by our good friends to swim with sea turtles, the day was mindblowing, however it shared its good and bad as sadly we witnessed a death after a man drowned snorkelling. So with the amazement of seeing these beautiful marine reptiles and watching Rosa squel with delight as they swam underneath her feet we sadly had the cold hit of reality that life is short and whilst one person is having the time of their life another is losing theirs.

Rosa chose to take off for a couple of adventure days, i think what we witnessed in Akumal made her feel life is short and to take challenges when available, so we said our goodbyes on the Thursday and off she ventured back to Isla Mujeres.

It was suddenly so strange for Sam and I to be back alone, we had spent the last part of a month and a half travelling with family and friends and suddenly we had this last 10days to be in each others company again. We stalked out our favourite eateries and enjoyed amazing fish enchiladas at El Captains (Tulum Centre), Finally tasty fish tacos at Maetaoes (Tulum Beach), Something different but delicious thai food at Mezzaine (Tulum Beach) and if pizza is required, its always required in my life then Salepepe (Tulum Centre) does huge tasty real Italian pizzas.

We chose to head back to Akumal for two days and had two great days snorkeling and swimming with the turtles, my mind is still blown when i think about them and the pang of happiness at such a special experience, they glide so gracefully and their statue but beauty just make me smile so much, those two days were definitely two i will hold dear as i just feel experiences with sea life like this is a rare delight and having this trip allows these experiences to happen. We basked in the sea on and off all day and fully immersed ourselves in Akumal beach life.

We visited two more ruin stops, again very different from the two we had been too but defiantly two of the best. We first went to Tulum ruins which is set on the coastline, looking down onto the sea, like Chichen Itza this is a popular tourist spot so was busy however you could feel the royalty that once may have lived here and the money and trade that was passed through this port town. The ruins felt very grand and with the shore in front it felt a place for the wealthy.

Coba was our next ruin stop and this was a bus ride away, out into the jungle like Palenque, however very different to Palenque as a lot of the ruins are still hidden away in the midst of the Mexican jungle and its set across a large expense of terrain. It was a murky day also and the atmosphere just felt right for the ruins we were exploring. At one point the rain fell so torrential we had to hide under a ruin for some time as we weren't equipped with waterproofs and our fake havianas were set for muddy puddles. The day was great even with the rain and i enjoyed that it was packed with tourists, which allowed the enjoyment of wandering and reading about each ruin, temple and home. It was a lovely day away from the beach and broke the last week up with a day out to see another part of Mexico.

Either that night or the following we experienced the most terrifying, exhilarating (i can say that now), noisy and raucous storm, it started at around 2am and for 3hrs Sam and I literally lay in bed freaked out by the thunder claps surrounding our hut and the palm trees being struck around us. We could see the forks of lightening hitting the ocean and the rumble of thunder rippling the sky, i cant deny it i cried and did think were going to die in our last week, how ironic. The storm eventually moved on at around 5am and the next morning our cabanas stay was a mess, sand had been washed away, palm trees were brown and drooped and the sky looked sad, no sun out to play for a few days.

We managed to catch some sun for our last couple of days though, after a few days of being in doors, we danced a merry dance when we woke to find the sun beating down and were straight onto the beach to bake away for our final few days, Mexico had definitely been an adventure, a one with great memories and one with bad but whatever i was pleased we had marveled this wonderful land and seen what it had to offer.

It was time to head home though with a one way trip to London, 8.5 months on the road, coming home 6wks early but feeling ready for normality and seeing some well loved faces. The trip had been an adventure of a lifetime, i felt so pleased Sam and I had took on this adventure together, as Mr and Mrs Austin, making memories of our own and exploring these lands in the way we chose. At times such challenge but so many times insane experiences and mind tingling events, the trip had really proved everything i had wanted and made me learn so much about me, my husband and our relationship, ready for the next adventure with a move to the North and starting a nest with a quieter life. 2014, what a year, what a perfect adventure. 

Merida

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

Palenque Jungle

Surveying the Ruins at Palenque

Palenque

Lake Bacalar

Our cabana in Tulum

Exploring Coba

Return to Nam

We had decided to go back to Vietnam as we still felt we had undiscovered land to explore there, plus we had managed to convince my parents to come and visit us for two weeks and couldn’t think of anywhere better, with the vast range of different landscapes and the mentalness of Hanoi, we thought it was a perfect stamp for them to acquire on their passports and a ideal reason for us to return.  

 We entered Vietnam on the Mekong from Cambodia, heading to Can Tho for the floating markets and a riverboat canal trip along this bustling water way. Our trip started like any other with the meeting of  locals, the border brought us into a Chau Doc so we had to get a bus to Can Tho, we hopped onto some rather amusing bike taxis and were cycled through the streets to the local bus station, being dropped off at local bus station we climbed onto a mini bus and became enthralled at watching some women eating some hard fruit/veg, dipping it in chili then munching away, my staring was caught out and suddenly some of the said fruit was being pushed into my mouth, yum…. no not really, I still had no idea what it was and thought it was some sort of gherkin, later finding out it was unripe mango (we think). 

Our stay in Chau Doc was short and sweet but was definitely worth it, we hadn’t yet managed to get to a floating market and I really wanted to experience one, we thought the Mekong was the best place to appreciate this with it being such a huge run way for passing trade. We booked a 5am start with a local tour, securing a boat for the two of us and a driver. As sunrise crept in our first stop was the wholesalers market which was full of roaring trade and sellers, Sam noticed on the top of each boat was a stick with fruit/veg attached, soon realising this being what was being sold, after that we headed to a more local market which was a number of women selling a range of goods, so many squashes, toiletries and other goodies. We got right into the middle of all the selling and it was so nice to hear the women chatting away, pushing each other’s boats out and selling like crazy. The floating market was different to how I first imagined and in my mind it would be more a market style on the river, whereas what we found was just loads of boats selling loads of goods, no order, slight chaos but it worked none the less. It made me think of the scooters in Hanoi and to us it looks like there is no order but to the Vietnamese people they know the order and that’s how it works. 

After our market trips we had a wonderful boat ride through the back canals of the Can Tho river, it reminded me of the boat trip we took at the start of this trip in Kerala, souring through the waters, surrounded by palm trees, the backwaters were beautiful and we got off a few times for walks through orchards of jackfruit and bananas. The palms encased the river paths and it was so relaxing (even when it rained) to be away from the roads and people, just us and our boat, I imagined a life of when people only used the waters as their main passageway enjoying the calm we were feeling, wondering if at one time that calm wasn’t present due to the waterways being more like the roads are now in current day Vietnam. The waters is such an incredible beautiful way to travel though and one that makes a complete sense of ease due to the surrounding nature, we pulled in at a local home stay and were treated to a breakfast of pho (traditional Vietnamese breakfast) which was so good, we took an hour to enjoy the surroundings and watch local life pass by. After breakfast we headed back onto the bigger passageways and our lovely boatman shared fruit with us and made a number of different gifts out of banana leaves, constantly surprising us with something new. We arrived back at land at 1pm and headed back to our hotel for an afternoon of rest before our bus journey the following day to Saigon, HCMC. 

We took a morning bus to Saigon, again a quick stop over to catch a flight to Hanoi to then head to Sapa that evening. We stayed one night in Saigon, my main experience of the city being from our last trip where I enjoyed our stayed but could feel the more business side of the city, it felt ‘cleaner’ and that economy flourished more in this capital rather than Hanoi, it reminded me of the difference between Mumbai and Delhi, it definitely had a Mumbai city feel to it. We didn’t do much apart from arrive, ate and had a small wander before resting up for our long travel day the following day. 

We arrived into Hanoi in the morning and headed straight to the train station, we hadn’t managed to get to Sapa last time due to us only being away for three weeks and had other places on our route so we knew this time it was a must on our list. We booked our night train for that evening and planned 3 days in Sapa, leaving on the 3rd day back to Hanoi for my parents arriving. We secured a carriage all to ourselves, bonus and enjoyed our first experience of Vietnamese trains. The journey went well apart from the unknown time of waking up and therefore being up and down from 4am, however it was comfy and we got some sleep, we arrived into a town next to Sapa then you get the bus up to Sapa itself. We sorted our bus journey and arrived at the Sapa Cozy resting up for the day enjoying wandering around, working out where to get the best cake and tea in the hills. Sapa really reminded me of Dalat, we had visited Dalat last year which is another hill town, both have a real back in time feel with everyone going about daily life, living in the hills like the life down below doesn’t really exist, Sapa had more of a tourist hub feel due to it being a main stop on the travel trail, however in both towns it’s the hills that have the adventure and the town is just sleeping nest. We decided against doing any trekking, we wanted to get on a bike and really explore that way, we had read about the Ta Throm Pass and this seemed a perfect day out and an ideal way to see the beauty of what Sapa holds. 

The Ta Throm Pass is a mountain pass through two mountain ranges, and it was possibly one of the most beautiful sites of our whole trip. The green was like a postcard and the scenery just rolled on and on, never a dull site and always a new landscape to enjoy, whether that be waterfalls, rivers, farmers working, hills, random cows being walked from one village to another or the small delicate looking homes in the middle of nowhere, it was just spell binding to witness and I sat on the back of the scooter dazzled by the spectacular view.  The pass runs for miles and we had chosen to head to a particular village, which would take us a few hours, then turn around and head back, at no point was there a boring moment and the sun blazed down on us making the ride complete, we hopped on and off taking photos, going for river side swims and lazing in the heat of the day, as afternoon started approaching we headed back happy with the feeling we had really seen the Sapa countryside, we ended the day with tea and cake, a standard Sapa requirement and wondered how tomorrow could come close to the beauty we had already indulged in. 

The following day didn’t go as planned and we ended up heading back onto the Ta Throm Pass, finding a nice spot to put our blanket down and enjoy the views again, I got my diary out and Sam found his book, taken a few hours to relax with the gorgeous greenery before heading back to go for our night train. We were so chuffed with our few days ad felt humble with the experience we had, definitely feeling we got what we wanted out of Sapa.

We woke the next morning at 6am, it was Sam’s 30th and we had a day planned in our favourite city, Hanoi, we were booked into a swanky hotel and headed there from the night train, smiling knowing we had two weeks of nice stays and luxury in front of us, travelling digs being left behind, Ma and Ron were on their way. 

I had a number of plans for Sam’s birthday, hoping to make it memorable in every way, I had got a number of videos from friends and family, all of them wishing him happy birthday, and had a street food, bia hoi food plan mapped out. We arrived at our hotel and enjoyed a morning of coffee, birthday treats and relax before heading out for breakfast, Sam was overjoyed with his videos and smiled at the efforts people had put it. 

Our plan was to hit 6 street food restaurants and then whatever beer hoi we passed, we then had a chart I made to score the restaurants so we could take M&R back when they arrived, giving them a real slice of Vietnamese food. Our first stop was delicious pho, Sam enjoyed a tasty pho bo as I sat on and watched, sadly street vendors don’t sell vegetarian pho, the first meal went down a treat and Sam rated it a top high score stating it was his favourite pho bo he had ever tasted. The day went on from there and although we didn’t reach the 6 vendors we wanted we did however manage 4 tasty meals, the best for me being the crab spring rolls and another restaurant that sold a noodle, salad, stew like meal that was really fresh and full of garlic and ginger. Vietnamese really do their street food well and although it’s classed as street food its different from our style of pop up eateries, there more local restaurants cooking traditional food.  We also embraced the bia hoi and found a number of local stops serving the famous 30p locally brewed beer. At around 4pm we retreated for a rest and were surprised with a birthday cake from the hotel staff, after a slice of that was munched down we headed back out to a craft ale bar Sam had read about, sadly it wasn’t as we had hoped, however Sam enjoyed two tasty ales, pleased to have tried out the craft scene in Hanoi, we walked our way back to a bia hoi street stall and spent the rest of the evening watching Hanoi life scoot pass and talking of Sam’s next 30yrs.

We woke early the next morning to head to the airport to meet M&R, there flight was in at 6am and we wanted to be there for their arrival, my stomach was full of butterflies, it had been 7 months since I had seen my parents and I was so excited for two weeks in Vietnam with them. Knowing this was a huge trip for them both (and probably the last big trip they have, mother hen doesn’t love flying) so we wanted to make it the best trip ever for them. We had planned the first week in Hanoi, doing day trips, Ha Long Bay and the second week relaxing in Hoi An. 

Seeing them come out of arrivals was magic, we embraced smiling and laughing, so happy to see one another, there trip had been long so we headed back to the hotel so they could rest up. Their expressions were just as we had hoped, amazed by the manic roads, scooters everywhere and so many people, their faces were a picture and we knew we had made the right decision bringing them here first. 

Our first week was spent exploring the streets of Hanoi, taking them to local restaurants and getting into the life of being a tourist in Vietnam. We headed to Tam Coc for the day which is classed as the Ha Long Bay on land; the day was really fun and nice to see a different perspective of the limestone rocks from the view at Ha Long Bay. We took a boat trip along a lazy river, in awe at our lady Lin rowing and the beauty of the views she was showing us around. So much green with huge beautiful rocks jutting out of everywhere, sitting in the boat was incredible and I felt like a borrower with the grandness surrounding me. 

We also headed to Ha Long Bay, which turned out to be great; however we had planned 3 days, 2 nights but there was a typhoon which meant a number of trips were cancelled, ours being one of them. We did however manage to arrange a 1 day trip which for me was possibly a better experience then the original trip planned. We were picked up in a private car and had an awesome tour guide, Nam. We then had a private junkboat to ourselves (junkboats are what are used for the big trips, so it could normally fit 15 – 20 people on), Ronnie was gob smacked and kept saying, ‘I can’t believe we have this boat just for us’, we laughed away as our boat shipped out of the dock ready for an amazing exciting day ahead.
The day was incredible and like Nam said if you haven’t visited Ha Long Bay you haven’t visited Vietnam, M&R enjoyed the day, and for Mum who loves boat trips she was in her element. We cruised through Ha Long Bay, enjoying a feast of seafood taking in the UNESCO beauty of the centre site and the spell binding beauty of the scene in front and all around us. 

We visited the caves in Ha Long Bay, attempted Kayaking but the rain poured so we chose to head to the bay and viewing platform, the rain calmed by this point and Sam and Ronnie decided to climb, mother hen wasn’t feeling great so we took the option to laze on the beach bay letting the boys do the walking work. The viewing platform is a great way to get a bird’s eye view of Ha Long and is worth the walk, it’s a hefty climb though and definitely one you need a good amount of energy for. We took the next hour relaxing on the beach, the sun came out and we swam in the sea and drank some coconuts. Mum perked up after a little snooze and came and paddled in the shore.  Our journey back let us all reflect, taking in the last hour as we slowly cruised back, so happy we got our day and so happy M&R had loved it as much as S and I do. 

The next day we headed out to Hoi An, we had booked our favourite villa, where we stated last time and knew this week was about total relax. M&R loved Hoi An Garden Villas and were overjoyed with their room. The whole week went amazing, we found hidden beaches, cycled loads, got some amazing clothes made, took a cooking course and eat so much delicious food, delving into the relaxing world of Hoi An. M&R looked at home in the cobbled streets, they looked like they were soaking in every moment they could and I could tell the beauty of Hoi An had reached into their hearts and stolen their love. We couldn’t have asked for a better week and were all sad to leave, we had our routine of beach, pool, pre drinks on the river then food and were still wanting more of M&R time, sadly everything must come to an end and we embraced our last few days with a lot of laughter, nice talks and reflecting over their time in Vietnam. 

We headed back to the big city for M&R flight home the following day, we said our goodbyes that evening, so thankful for the holiday and experience and so proud of how they had taken the last two weeks, I knew it hadn’t all been easy and had been a huge culture shock, but as they left but embraced us both stating it had been a trip of a lifetime and they were thankful for the experience. 

We had two days left and spent it doing nothing, we hibernated and slept, catching up in the afternoons with the lovely Mike and Ash again, roaming the streets, drinking bia hoi, catching up on the last few weeks and hearing about future plans. We found some great street music and ate at some of our favourite street vendors soaking up our last two days before we left the capital. 

Our time came to an end quick and we said a huge goodbye to M&A, knowing this time it would be a few years before we saw one another again and not just a few weeks. It wasn’t goodbye but see you later and we group hugged for one last time, talking of how many countries we had travelled together and how thankful we were for the friendship developed. 

As we walked back to our hotel that night the streets were empty, we hugged, I had a tear and we talked of the beauty of our time in this incredible part of the world. SE Asia has been more then I could have hoped for and I know it’s a place I will travel forever, it holds so much beauty and culture, it has everything I love about travelling and this trip has changed me, it’s made me look deeper at myself and made me aware of my strengths and my weaknesses, it’s made me appreciate this life I have and be thankful for it every day. We are blessed to have these experiences and I hope I never forgot that when I return to England, life couldn’t be better than it is now and I feel so grateful for that. 

Now though it’s time to fly away and head to Mexico for our last month.

Courgeous Cambodia

Cambodia to me has been the one place I have left feeling impacted the most, it was like a history lesson from the minute we entered to the minute we left, being able to see the devastation of war everywhere, from the population to the experiences of the Khmer people, Cambodia for me is a perfect example of the courageous survival of human kind.

From Angkor Wat we headed to Ko Tah Kiev island for 3 days at Crusoe Island, Crusoe island is a rustic island stay we found quite a few months back, maybe even last year and we both had been so excited for this experience of island life, Crusoe just looked a dream, it looked what island life should be like, rustic, laid back, hammocks and the sea on our door step, we had booked one of the bungalows, the vie.  When we arrived the sun was shining and the view stood up to its name, It was an open bungalow that looked straight onto a nook of beach and the ocean, ah heaven! We made our nest and got straight into the water, happy, smiling, and content. Ash and Mike were in the explorer cabin next to us and we all agreed things were going to be great, what more could you want then sun and ocean for three days?

Well without going into it too much, the rain come and Crusoe Island went drastically downhill, we did however manage to string some hammocks up in the only communal area and read and drink tea/coffee, so relaxing did happen, just in a very different form to how we had imagined.

We did however find some space when the rain stopped to go and clean some of the beach (in exchange for beer), sadly the beach is cluttered with rubbish and we managed to gather around 8-12 bags of plastic bottles before the drizzle started again, at this we jumped into the ocean and attempted to body surf the waves. For around 2hrs we played like children in the sea, laughing, joking, being swept under, riding on top of the waves and making the most of the storm brewing above us, making the sea a delightful playground.

That evening we were informed the kitchen had run out of food, at that point we knew we couldn’t wait to get off the island and head to our next destination, Kampot. We took a stroll along the beach that evening and went back to the restaurant we had enjoyed lunch at, having a feast of pizza and wine, it was nice to feel humbly fed with food and drink, retiring that night with the joyful thought of no rain tomorrow and a room that didn’t have sneaky mice stealing from you as you snoozed.

We took a taxi to Kampot the next day, Sam had booked us a floating bungalow on the river kampot which just looked so beautiful and M&A had a treetop bungalow out in the gardens of Bodi Villa. Kampot was such a lovely stay, really relaxing and just what we needed after our time on the island. For the three days we were there we just relaxed by the river, swam, ate and drank delicious wine. It was a great place for reading, writing and just enjoying the blissful calm of life in Kampot. Mike turned 29 when were there also so we chose to take a day trip to Kep, sadly the weather turned but we didn’t let it stop our plan, we took our scooters and travelled the hour’s drive to Kep market. Kep is known for its tasty crab and we found a perfect shack to enjoy a tasty feast. It was like a northern day at the beach, the rain was coming down, blustery winds and cool in the air, for us though it made it feel like home, both being from cold countries we embraced the chill and enjoyed the gusty day at the seaside.That evening we headed home in time for our firefly tour, we had no idea what to expect for our evening boat trip but we certainly were not dissapointed. The four of us heading out on a priavte boat, docking up at the side of a mud drawn road, we all looked at each other as if to say 'what the hell' but our lovely tour guide got us walking and took us through a muddy puddle into a bushy area, at this he pointed out one firefly and the moon, great we thought one firefly, oh and the moon! but then suddenly a tree in front of us just flashed, like a christmas tree, the lights of the fireflies intermittently going on and off, we all gasped with happiness and our tour man started singing happy birthday (in Cambodion). With a huge roar of laughter we all broke down, totally unaware of how he knew it was Mikes birthday, we sang away though and enjoyed such a magical moment. Another 30mins passed and we enjoyed the array of activity these little insects brought us, smiling with wonderous joy at each flicker of light, another one of the worlds wonderful creatures. Our tour came to an end and we headed back to Bodi for an evening on the pontoon, drinking wine and talking about Mikes 30th plans ahead.

The following day we packed and headed for our next stop in Cambodia, Phonm Phen, we had decided to take two days to explore the capital, taking in the museums and history of this wonderful country we had been travelling and taking so much richness from. I had started reading a book recommended to me about the Cambodian civil war which for me was a great way to prepare me for the horrific sad information to be given at the museums. My knowledge of history is dire and so I am aware of the Khmer Rouge regime but wasn’t as fully aware as I should have been, by the end of day 2 though my brain felt like it could have exploded with the sadness, terror and stories heard of this devastating period and the impact it still has today.

We started the day by heading to S21, this used to be an old high school before the Pol Pot regime took it over and used it as a prison, we chose to get a guide for the few hours we would be spending there, our guide was a women who had lived through the regime and told us her story of how she had lost her brothers and sisters due to the child labour camps and starvation they suffered as children,  her parents had also been killed for no other reason than being from the city. Her story was like so many others and my heart broke at the information surrounding us. The high school – prison – museum held such strong messages and a proportion of it was still in the same structure as it had been in the 1970’s. In one part the walls are lined with images of child soldier’s, innocent faces turned evil for power, brain washed by a man clearly unstable in his own mental health all for a notion of sheer madness, I read somewhere that even if you wore glasses you would be killed. We learnt that over half the population were killed, that’s 1 in 2 people were murdered for no reason, I don’t even know If I can still digest the information now but I know I feel utter admiration for Cambodian people, their courage to carry on is inspiring after such a brutal attack on their society. We entered one part of the museum which was dedicated to foreigners caught up in the attack, one guy was from Newcastle, my home town (as most of you know), it didn’t have much information so I chose to read some more on the internet, it again was another tale of horror, he was seized whilst yachting and was taken to S21, captured and tortured and made to admit he was part of the CIA,  this was a method the Khmer Rouge used when killing, by people admitting they were part of the CIA they then felt they had allowances to kill the said victim, none of it makes sense, the Pol Pot genocide was one of sick  intention and in S21 alone 14,000 people were tortured and killed.

From here we headed to The Killing Fields, I had no idea what to expect from this museum and was surprised at how well it was organised for such a horrific but important memorial site. The Killing Fields was another area people were taken to before being killed, there is a number of these all over Cambodia but the one in Phonm Phen is the biggest. The memorial is carried out as a audio tour,  each stop informing you what this area was and what was carried out here, the detail is to harrowing to write up and I think it’s more important to experience or read more about it yourself if interested. The emotion it stirred in all of us was indomitable and we all had to take some time out to regain ourselves and feel the sadness and devastation that was being stirred.  For me at first I didn’t really understand the true importance of people going to visit these museums and have these experiences but as I walked around I realised I was mourning the loss of thousands of lives, mothers, babies, fathers, children, families taken away for no reason, butchered for no reason, the killing fields was a memorial to these people to be remembered and never forgotten, it’s so important to remember these periods of history and stop civil wars and genocides like this happening again and if places like this do that then the message is being put out there and a nation is not being forgotten.

We took the evening and following day to be with ourselves and enjoy the feeling of being in PP after the devastation it suffered, looking at the pictures of how the city was prior to it being captured to how it was during and how it had been built back up now, booming with industry and travelers. I was proud to wander the streets and experience the culture, feeling blessed to be in this life and with the people I was with. Our last day in Cambodia was one of reflection and my time in this beautiful country had been more then I could have expected a highlight on the travel train, how it has opened my mind and eyes, making me feel a different appreciation for life and the experiences I am having.

We said our goodbyes to Mike and Ash, arranging to see one another again in Vietnam, they headed up to Kratie for dolphin spotting and we had to get ourselves to Vietnam for our time in Sapa before the parentals arrived. We took the mighty Mekong out of Cambodia, crossing the border to Vietnam on the river, entering back into familiar territory and excited for the next month of travel. 

From Sunset to Sunrise, the Temples of Angkor Wat

We entered Cambodia through the notorious land border Poi Pet, known for its shady scams and dodgy sales staff, Sam had prepped me to let him sort the visas and not freak out if his pointing finger ‘you’re lying’ face came on. All the guidebooks and internet reading tells you of the fake buildings and fake security staff in place, supposedly helping you with your visas and quick route into Cambodia, however what will happen is you will be over charged, money taken and still be waiting in the long line with all the other weary travelers and locals passing through. We managed to make it off the bus, our bus driver being so lovely and in his broken English pointing at the actual border control offices, as the scam men started to surround us demanding our time and notes, we pushed through no finger pointing but lots of no no no, NO THANKYOU.  We got to the border control and even there the guards tried their luck, stating they needed an extra few $’s to put our visas through, at this Sam informed them, no sorry, we don’t have it and with a few exchanged words our visas were processed and we were in the queue crossing to Thailand, phew. 

We caught the bus to Siem Reap to meet lovely Ash and Mike, the journey wasn’t too bad apart from the fact we found out just before getting on the bus our friends had gone into labour, meaning the whole bus journey was a panic of if they were okay and how the labour was going. We somehow managed to get 10 seconds of internet at a random service stop and a beautiful picture of baby Heidi came through, we were over whelmed with emotion and both were teary eyed at the happiness we felt our besties had a brood but sadness at feeling so far away when such a special moment was occurring. 

We arrived into Siem Reap in standard SE Asia fashion with the bus turning into a dark dodgy bus terminal and a 100 tuk tuks awaiting our arrival, we bartered a price and then got on our way to our hotel. When we arrived we were greeted by the lovely smiles of our Canadian friends and instantly felt at home in their embrace.  The evening was spent settling into Siem Reap and making plans for the next few days, M&A had already been in Siem Reap for a few days and had bought the 3 day tickets to Angkor Wat, we knew we only wanted to do the one day, as with the one day you also get the previous evening, meaning we would buy our tickets the following day at 5pm, have that evening and the whole of the next day. M&A informed us they had done the two outer routes of Angkor but had saved the big temples for us for our full day together.  So with plans made we enjoyed the rest of the evening on ‘pub street’ drinking lots of wine, local 30p beer and a lot of good chats with two very good friends, we missed the fact a river of rain had flooded the streets and when we emerged from the bar at 3am we fell into a puddle and stumbled into a tuk tuk. We awoke the next morning with fuzzy heads and happy thoughts, I woke up earlier than the rest so went for a nice swim and enjoyed the morning sunshine on my back, after my swim I went and enjoyed breakfast catching up on my diary and filling in my last few days of Thailand. Soon the others joined me and we arranged a lazy day in Siem Reap before Sam and I hired some bikes and went for our evening cycle to Angkor. 

We arrived at Angkor spot on 5pm, we got our faces snapped and our tickets purchased and set out without any real plan, not planning to go in any temples, more just enjoy the cycle of what was to come and find a spot to watch sunset. I had no idea what I expected of Angkor and after being at Bagan (Burma) I had a similar image in my mind of the temples being smaller and quite similar and had no understanding of the distance between them all, some are miles away in a taxi (the outer route).  It was great to get a feel of the place before our main day and we nestled on a bridge at the end of the day to enjoy sunset. We headed back that night, prepared for our voyage into the mystic temples the following day, we chose to have a quieter night then the previous, meeting with a friend from home who was in Siem Reap also, we enjoyed a feast of Khmer curry’s and a few beers, oh and some tasty tea, heading to bed with full tummy’s ready for a 5am sunrise jaunt. 

We woke super early and were greeted by Mr Thom (who soon become Uncle Thom) for our days adventure, we chose to take a tuk tuk for the day at Angkor as our plan was to do sunrise to sunset and knew on bikes we wouldn’t make it, plus the sun gets so blazing hot at midday we wanted the shade of the tuk tuk and not the blistering heat on our faces. Uncle Thom was a total sweetie, he told us our route for the day, thankfully what we had planned and how he would drop us at each temple and wait for us as we explored. We joined the procession of tuk tuks and tourists and were dropped at Angkor Wat, the main temple in Angkor, everyone heads here for sunrise so as we entered it was slight chaos, everyone heads to the lake to watch sunrise, as the reflection of Angkor in the lake is spectacular, however it becomes a ipad, iphone photograph hell and for this reason we headed right as everyone to the grassy garden. We had our lovely trusty Indian blanket so put that down and settled ourselves for the morning, at that point Ash said ‘wouldn’t it be great to have a coffee’ with that James Bond (yep that was his name) came over with a list of coffee and promised he would bring it to us for our morning view. With coffee and comfort we were ready for a beautiful morning, or so we thought, sunrise was spectacular but sadly we had a child learning there ABC and was playing a very strange song out of his parents iphone, it did stop after a while but did leave us all laughing at such a random situation at such a beautiful spot. The joy of iphones and music, my definite travelling pet hate! We didn’t let it spoil our time though and managed to smile through it and embrace the beauty of what we were experiencing in front of us. 

Angkor Wat temple completely blew my mind and I was completely in awe of the beauty before me, Mike and I both had our guides/temple books which I would recommend to anyone visiting the temples, the books tell of all the bas reliefs (carvings/stories) engraved into the walls, stories of life times ago, wars, dietys and religious beliefs, they tell the tales of suffering and change and you can see the new carvings from the old, you can see where there has been change when the Khmer people left the Angkor complex and the temples were changed from Hindu to Buddhist carvings. For me the most beautiful carvings were the Apsara depictions, beautiful images of women nymphs/pixies saturated the walls, there were a number of similar images but everywhere the images embraced and flowed in groups and singular elements of these incredible women. I hadn’t ever heard the term Apsara but Mike soon explained they were seen to men as goddess and were worshipped for their beauty, I chose to do some further reading when home and loved the description of female spirits of the clouds and water, and they are youthful, elegant and superb in the art of dancing. How could these women not be respected and worshipped these mythical goddess sounded heavenly. Some of my other favourite carvings were the Rishis, Hindu sages, the representations was of old wise men, crossed legged like Buddha, with a long beard, looking wise and calm in his posture and positioning. My favourite statues led to a lot of laughs (and slight sex education lessons), these statues were the lungi and yoni, now some back history on yonis. I recently completed a course around feminist studies and working with vulnerable women, in this course we talked about what we called our lady parts and everyone had their hilarious name we all learnt as children. We were asked how we felt saying the word out loud and every one of us felt uncomfortable with the word, mine being ‘fairy’ which has always left me feeling awkward as I become obsessed with flower fairy’s and the magical world of fairy’s throughout my younger years and early twenty’s, therefore using the word fairy to describe my vagina and my best friend just felt wrong. After this course I chose a new word and one I would teach my child, that being yoni, so to see this word used to describe the fertility statues in Angkor Wat led me to informing M&A and Sam about my story of a change up in words. I went off on a wander around one of the temples to find one of these statues and joined a Chinese tour group as it was explained to them what they were, now this was amusing, as the tour guide poured the water and said some proactive words that made the ladies giggle and the men groan. The belief with the statues is that at one time the Khmer people poured water over the top of the lungi, the water then flowed into the yoni and out through a drainage system that led outside the temple, the people living outside the temple could then collect the water, drink it and wish for good fertility. It just made my mind spin how everything has such meaning and beauty wherever you step and wander. 

After 4hrs we exited Angkor Wat, hungry for breakfast and amazed at the humble amble we had just experienced. Our next stop was Bayon, we were welcomed by the most beautiful elephant trudging along, sadly carrying tourists on its back but the beauty of an elephant  a few steps in front of us was stupefying and I couldn’t help but let out a small gasp of excitement seeing its beautiful face and outstanding stature.  Bayon is a world of difference from Angkor Wat but just as magnificent and jaw dropping. I believe Bayon was built 80yrs after Angkor Wat by a new Khmer King, from far away the temple looks a pile of rubble but as you come closer it becomes a mass of smiling faces that at first glance could represent the familiarity of Buddha but when reading I learnt the images were to represent the Kings face, spread across 47 towers the faces envelope the towers, supposedly representing the 47 provinces in Cambodia at that time, the king watching down on all, creepy right? For me Bayon was a beauty but did hold a gothic eeriness and when learning about the kings faces I soon felt I understood why. Like Angkor, Bayon did have bas reliefs also which we attempted to understand but parts of the temple walls had fell into disrepair which was part of the beauty of this ruined attraction. 

Bayon is situated in the Angkor Thom complex; therefore we wondered the rest of the complex, enjoying various smaller temples and the terrace of elephants. We took a rest with a group of local boys who were playing in one of the pools and I enjoyed being splashed as they ran and jumped in front of me, giggling with excitement and happiness. 

Angkor Thom means big city and it was where the Khmer people once lived when residing in the Angkor complex, for me what astounded me was that is no evidence of settlement due to the residents using wood as there means to nest and live, stone was only for the gods and that’s why the temples were stone and still stand. When reading up about the movement of the Khmer residents there is no actual understanding as to why everyone left and therefore no records of how many people lived there.  Exploring these temples and  once distressed lands felt enjoyable but uncomforting knowing people were maybe run out of the home, their city and moved on to places nobody knows. 

We headed back to meet Uncle Thom for lunch then headed to our next stop Ta Phrom, known to all as Tomb Raider temple. Ta Phrom was what I was most excited to see, I had seen so many pictures and knew when planning this trip it was one of my top things I wanted to explore and experience and it sure didn’t disappoint. Ta Phrom is very different from the other temples as it has been left in a similar state to how it was found, piles of rubble, trees dominating the temple walls, nature taking back what belongs to it, land. The tetrameles nudiflora trees is what makes this temple so spectacular, it has literally been brought to ruins because of some of the trees, the roots engulf the insides of the temple and are beautiful to look at and photograph. We found so many nooks to climb into and climbed high as sun was coming down embracing the vast maze of ruins in front of us. 

After a few hours we exited Ta Phrom, with Uncle Thom telling us we didn’t have long for sunset and he would show us one more temple, Banteay Kdei, before our chosen sunset spot, he gave us 15minutes to explore our next one, which was a quick walk through, more beautiful apsaras, doorways upon doorways to walk through, another beautiful maze in the temples of Angkor. 

Like our morning jaunt we decided we didn’t want crowds of people so chose to ignore the guidance of the sunset temple and head to the kings royal bathing pool, Sra Srang to watch sunset on us. We didn’t pick wrong either as we enjoyed our time with a group of local kids, watching them play a game Sam played at cubs (therefore we learnt the rules from him), smiling and laughing like children should. As sun come down we reflected on what was an amazing day and how blessed we were to spend it together but also be on this incredible journey in this incredible place, one of the incredible wonders of our astonishing world.
 

Angkor Wat

Rishi

Apsara and Sammy

Bayon

Fertility Statue

Ta Phrom

Ta Phrom exploring.

Sunset at the Royal Pool.