Hellooo!
We are writing at the end of a ridiculously exhausting and frustrating day, doing a visa run to extend our Thai visa at the Cambodian border. So we might use the blog to let off some steam, if you don't mind!
So this "interesting" day started off with us leaving our lovely beach accommodation in Koh Chang - a paradise Thai island, to start making our way to the Cambodian border, which we did not reach until 1pm. There we had to argue with rather intimidating Cambodian Immigration Police who were trying to rip us off by charging twice the normal visa fee. When we refused to pay the extra amount and sat there for half an hour in a staring contest with five of them, they finally gave in and we got our visas for $20 each, the correct price. A short lived victory however, as 2 minutes later we were told that since we weren't staying in the country for at least 1 day, we would have to pay $10 each... So one way or another they managed to rip off the foreigners... And when we eventually got our Thai visa, already in a terrible mood and with a bitter taste of corruption, we headed to the nearest bus stop. After waiting for over 1 hour for a van to our destination and being majorly jerked around by the transport people (and that's a whole other story), we finally bused, ferried and tuk tuk-ed our way back to our place, in Koh Chang by around 10pm.
And now for the good news - we have been staying in Koh Chang for about 3-4 days so far and it is amazing!!! The beaches are beautiful and we are absolutely loving it here - that's why we may stay for another week or so, before going to Bangkok for the final stretch. We'll put photos up as soon as we can, and until then - let the tanning continue!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Hua Hin, Thailand
Hello!
Sorry we haven't updated on things in the past week - I guess we didn't think that enough had happened to write a new blog, but after a few concerned (and very sweet) emails we thought we should update you on where we are.
After Cambodia, we went straight to Bangkok, where we spent 3 pretty uneventful nights. We have sort of learnt our way around here, so we tend to spend our evenings either watching movies in cafes or going to the cinema! As you can see, not much has changed even out here!
After Bangkok we took a very comfy train down to Hua Hin, a popular sea side town which is a favourite holiday spot for the Thai Royals. We ended up staying in a room on stilts going out into the sea, which meant that every morning we were woken up by the sound of the waves crashing under our room! Although Hua Hin is nice, it is very touristy and busy, so we were missing our Cambodian paradise already... But it was great to catch up with our friends Kim and Frazer, who we met up with down there. We also got invited to a very special party at Frazer's dad's house in the Beverly Hills equivalent area there. First of all, the house itself was incredible and unlike anything we'd ever seen - it had completely open (ie. no walls or windows) living, dining and games room and the overall finish made it seem like a 5 star hotel! The party was really very posh, the Hilton had prepared the decorations and food, and it felt more like a wedding than a simple birthday party. Add to that it was a neverending buffet of delicious food and an open bar, and as you can imagine for 2 travelers - we were in heaven! lol The next day we slept until 4pm!!
Today is the second day after the party and we took the train back up to Bangkok and we will be making our way East, to a nice island near the Cambodian border, called Koh Chang. Our visa runs out on the 28th Nov, so we will have to pop over the border and back in to renew it.
So that's all for now. Thank you sooo much for the emails - we love reading them so keep them coming!
Lots of love from us both :o)))
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Sorry we haven't updated on things in the past week - I guess we didn't think that enough had happened to write a new blog, but after a few concerned (and very sweet) emails we thought we should update you on where we are.
After Cambodia, we went straight to Bangkok, where we spent 3 pretty uneventful nights. We have sort of learnt our way around here, so we tend to spend our evenings either watching movies in cafes or going to the cinema! As you can see, not much has changed even out here!
After Bangkok we took a very comfy train down to Hua Hin, a popular sea side town which is a favourite holiday spot for the Thai Royals. We ended up staying in a room on stilts going out into the sea, which meant that every morning we were woken up by the sound of the waves crashing under our room! Although Hua Hin is nice, it is very touristy and busy, so we were missing our Cambodian paradise already... But it was great to catch up with our friends Kim and Frazer, who we met up with down there. We also got invited to a very special party at Frazer's dad's house in the Beverly Hills equivalent area there. First of all, the house itself was incredible and unlike anything we'd ever seen - it had completely open (ie. no walls or windows) living, dining and games room and the overall finish made it seem like a 5 star hotel! The party was really very posh, the Hilton had prepared the decorations and food, and it felt more like a wedding than a simple birthday party. Add to that it was a neverending buffet of delicious food and an open bar, and as you can imagine for 2 travelers - we were in heaven! lol The next day we slept until 4pm!!
Today is the second day after the party and we took the train back up to Bangkok and we will be making our way East, to a nice island near the Cambodian border, called Koh Chang. Our visa runs out on the 28th Nov, so we will have to pop over the border and back in to renew it.
So that's all for now. Thank you sooo much for the emails - we love reading them so keep them coming!
Lots of love from us both :o)))
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Cambodia
Hello!
The day after the Mekong Delta we headed straight for Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital. Although we stayed there 2 nights, we only really explored the city for 1 day, but we managed to pack it full of interesting experiences.
Our first stop in Phnom Penh was the S21 prison, an old school which had been turned into a torture facility during Pol Pot times. We learned so much about the recent Cambodian history there. It was a dark and unsettling and for some, including myself, rather emotional. It is unbelievable that something so horrible as the Khmer Rouge happened as recently as 30 years ago. We also visited the infamous Killing Fields, where Pol Pot's executers piled thousands of bodies of professors, doctors, monks, children, women etc... who had been tortured in S21. What seems incredible is how despite their horrific history, Cambodians seem to be very happy, smiley, eager to help and honest people - and this only adds to the mysterious charm of this amazing country.
We got to experience the Cambodian hospitality later on, when on the way back to our hotel we got sucked into some birthday celebrations, Khmer style! So we sat for a few hours drinking beer and eating chicken's feet (only Laurence, thank God!) with some very friendly and generous locals.
On our third day in Cambodia we headed down for Sihanoukville, desperate to get to a beach! We found the most picture perfect, crystal clear, white sandy and quiet beach called Otres. We stayed in very simple accomodation, with electricity only coming on for a few hours in the evening, and no access to internet, TV or phone. But none of that mattered since we were in beach heaven, so we spent around 5 days just reading, swimming, occasionally eating and drinking the delicious local whisky. It was perfection!! So, it is easy to see why we couldn't pull ourselves away from there to go to Siem Reap and see Angkor. That will have to wait for another visit. And I'm sure there will be more visits to Cambodia!
So following a looooong travelling day yesterday, we are now back in Bangkok. We'll be meeting up with our friends Kim & Frazer down in Hua Hin in a few days, and we will report back soon after that!
In the mean time, don't be shy to write us emails - we love to hear from back home!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
The day after the Mekong Delta we headed straight for Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital. Although we stayed there 2 nights, we only really explored the city for 1 day, but we managed to pack it full of interesting experiences.
Our first stop in Phnom Penh was the S21 prison, an old school which had been turned into a torture facility during Pol Pot times. We learned so much about the recent Cambodian history there. It was a dark and unsettling and for some, including myself, rather emotional. It is unbelievable that something so horrible as the Khmer Rouge happened as recently as 30 years ago. We also visited the infamous Killing Fields, where Pol Pot's executers piled thousands of bodies of professors, doctors, monks, children, women etc... who had been tortured in S21. What seems incredible is how despite their horrific history, Cambodians seem to be very happy, smiley, eager to help and honest people - and this only adds to the mysterious charm of this amazing country.
We got to experience the Cambodian hospitality later on, when on the way back to our hotel we got sucked into some birthday celebrations, Khmer style! So we sat for a few hours drinking beer and eating chicken's feet (only Laurence, thank God!) with some very friendly and generous locals.
On our third day in Cambodia we headed down for Sihanoukville, desperate to get to a beach! We found the most picture perfect, crystal clear, white sandy and quiet beach called Otres. We stayed in very simple accomodation, with electricity only coming on for a few hours in the evening, and no access to internet, TV or phone. But none of that mattered since we were in beach heaven, so we spent around 5 days just reading, swimming, occasionally eating and drinking the delicious local whisky. It was perfection!! So, it is easy to see why we couldn't pull ourselves away from there to go to Siem Reap and see Angkor. That will have to wait for another visit. And I'm sure there will be more visits to Cambodia!
So following a looooong travelling day yesterday, we are now back in Bangkok. We'll be meeting up with our friends Kim & Frazer down in Hua Hin in a few days, and we will report back soon after that!
In the mean time, don't be shy to write us emails - we love to hear from back home!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Sunday, November 8, 2009
South Nam
Hello hello!
A quick update from us - all is well with me (Rozzi) now healthwise... the Dengue fever was weird but relatively painless and short-lived. Unfortunately, I think it tainted a few of our experiences in the North of Vietnam - moodswings etc (for once I have something to blame for those!).
So we stayed 3 days in Hue, which turned out to be very nice, and already we could feel the difference between North and the South, where the locals seemed to be a lot friendlier. From Hue, we headed down towards Hoi An - a lovely little town on the coast, with a strangely French feel with its narrow old streets and old architecture. We loved it there and we decided to stay 2 nights, whilst we waited for Laurence's 2 taylored suits and my dress to be made (ooops... we went a bit mad with the spending for a bit, but its all good value for money!).
From there, we went straight down to Nha Trang, which is meant to be a great beach spot, so we were hoping for a relaxing time sunbathing, as we hadnt really done that since Thailand. As you can imagine, we weren't really expecting a huge tropical typhoon and storm to hit the town as soon as we arrived, so other than a few brief ventures out to the nearest food place, we didnt get to see much of the place. It's amazing how within a couple of days the beach got completely covered in washed up tree branches and other general waste from the sea...
Our next stop was Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon! We have become a little lazy about visiting cities now - they all seem to be pretty similar and generally not that interesting, so other than the Vietnam War Musium, we really didn't do much else! So the day after we arrived in Saigon we went on a trip around the Mekong Delta. Now that is a pretty special experience! It is a huge river with so much life happening around and on it and I'm sure we will be telling tales of it when we get back :o)
So we ended our trip to Vietnam on a nice high and got the bus to Phnom Penh in Cambodia the following day, which is where we are now, writing this blog! Anyway, that's all for now, and we'll update again in around a week or so, after our Cambodian adventures.
Lots of love from us both,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
A quick update from us - all is well with me (Rozzi) now healthwise... the Dengue fever was weird but relatively painless and short-lived. Unfortunately, I think it tainted a few of our experiences in the North of Vietnam - moodswings etc (for once I have something to blame for those!).
So we stayed 3 days in Hue, which turned out to be very nice, and already we could feel the difference between North and the South, where the locals seemed to be a lot friendlier. From Hue, we headed down towards Hoi An - a lovely little town on the coast, with a strangely French feel with its narrow old streets and old architecture. We loved it there and we decided to stay 2 nights, whilst we waited for Laurence's 2 taylored suits and my dress to be made (ooops... we went a bit mad with the spending for a bit, but its all good value for money!).
From there, we went straight down to Nha Trang, which is meant to be a great beach spot, so we were hoping for a relaxing time sunbathing, as we hadnt really done that since Thailand. As you can imagine, we weren't really expecting a huge tropical typhoon and storm to hit the town as soon as we arrived, so other than a few brief ventures out to the nearest food place, we didnt get to see much of the place. It's amazing how within a couple of days the beach got completely covered in washed up tree branches and other general waste from the sea...
Our next stop was Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon! We have become a little lazy about visiting cities now - they all seem to be pretty similar and generally not that interesting, so other than the Vietnam War Musium, we really didn't do much else! So the day after we arrived in Saigon we went on a trip around the Mekong Delta. Now that is a pretty special experience! It is a huge river with so much life happening around and on it and I'm sure we will be telling tales of it when we get back :o)
So we ended our trip to Vietnam on a nice high and got the bus to Phnom Penh in Cambodia the following day, which is where we are now, writing this blog! Anyway, that's all for now, and we'll update again in around a week or so, after our Cambodian adventures.
Lots of love from us both,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
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