New Year in Vietnam

I had a lovely Christmas and Boxing Day. Whilst I missed the Aussie sun, it was nice to be with the family, partaking in our usual Christmas rituals of presents, turkey, chocolate, wine - I even got some snow up in Leicestershire (although it did make my drive to Heathrow somewhat more of a challenge). But with the festivities complete I was glad to be jetting off to the Far East, even with the daunting thought of getting out of my winter wear and into a bikini after all the overindulgence of the past few weeks.

So here I am, tubby stomach and all, with my best friend in Vietnam. And, wow what a place! There is still so much to do, but thus far our trip has consisted of reuniting with old friends, sitting on miniature stalls at one of Hanoi's many street cafés, haggling at the market, sipping Prosecco at the beautiful Metropole Hotel, pagodas, temples, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, kayaking round the incredible sights of Halong Bay, seeing monkeys and a New Years Eve I will definitely never forget.

Our biggest challenge surprisingly has not been the language barrier - so many Vietnamese speak good English. Instead, it is crossing the road that poses the greatest threat. They don't use zebra crossings in the same way we do. Here you generally just have to walk out into the enslaught of traffic and hope for dear life that the mass of bikes, mopeds and cars coming at you stop or swerve round you. Quite the experience, I can tell you! But it's also part of what makes Hanoi. Bustling and lively, it's been easy to get quite attached to the place. 

In stark contrast, Halong Bay is definitely one of the most tranquil places I've been to. Those calm waters and stunning islands make for a very picturesque scene. What better place to see in the New Year! Although we did see it in early as our guide and the crew bafflingly decided midnight celebrations would be at 10.30! They didn't quite get it, playing Christmas songs, having double the countdowns and ensuing 'New Year's music', serving an interesting Hungarian red bubbly instead of the more traditional champers. But it was brilliant. They had a great time, so did we and it was certainly memorable. Here's to more wacky and wonderful moments in 2015.

The travel bug bites

The travel bug. Something you get out of your system once you've been travelling, right? Wrong. How can you ever shake off such an infectious disease?

I'm incredibly lucky. I've been to some amazing places - New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Bali, Thailand, Finland. I've seen some mind-blowing views and experienced some phemonenal things. But I've merely scratched the surface of what this world has to offer.

That's why I'm embracing my 'illness' and heading off on my next adventure at the end of the month... bring on Cambodia and Vietnam!

5 things I learnt at Oktoberfest

Big flashing lights, crazy rides, lederhosen, beer maids, wooden food huts, thousands of people, giant beer halls, lively music, beer, beer and more beer...

Oktoberfest in Munich is something everyone should experience in their life time. Having spent a long weekend there, here's five things I learnt about the crazy beer-fuelled festival along the way:

1. Beer is better at Oktoberfest

Why does beer taste better in Germany? Especially when wearing a traditional beer maid's outfit and drinking it out of a litre steiner?

I don't know the answer to this question. All I know is that it's true.

2. Traditional outfits are a must

My black and blue drindle is officially my new favourite dress. Having arrived with a cheap, short dress impulse bought online, it soon became apparent nobody does 'fancy dress' as such. With the exception of a few silly t-shirts and hats worn by those who didn't get the memo - and that were frowned upon by the Germans, even requested to be taken off in the most traditional (and our favourite beer hall, Marstall).

There are two options at Oktoberfest: normal dress (which even then is questioned) and traditional lederhosen and beer maids outfits. The latter is not only more fun, but the dresses hold you in in all the right places, and if you're blonde make people think you're actually German - always interesting!

3. Italian men get a little overexcited

Being mistaken for German did have its disadvantages, however. Namely the effect it had on Itlian men, who felt it was not only acceptable, but necessary to make comments, take photos, grope, kiss, even follow you. It was like they were on heat. Not cool.

4. The Germans don't do Jäger bombs

Jäger bombs... a beautiful British invention. Definitely not German. Jäger? Yes. Jäger and red bull? No.

We knew this from a previous trip to Berlin, but it's an easy fact to forget once you've had a steiner or four. Alas, our after party at a wonderfully trashy Munchen bar, involved drinking a wonderful concotion of Jäger and red bull, poured like you'd have a vodka and lemonade. Surprised it didn't blow our brains off!

5. Curry Wurst is basically sausage, ketchup and some curry powder

Curry Wurst is an essential when you're in Germany, no? Well, no.

I managed to avoid Curry Wurst on previous trips to Germany, and now I know why. There's nothing exciting or appealing about a bit of sausage in glorified ketchup with a bit of curry powder sprinkled on top. I'd recommend steering clear.

La vie est pleine de petits bonheurs

Translated means 'life is full of little pleasures'. It's one of the phrases I discovered on my recent trip to France, one of the phrases that I loved. And one which elegantly sums up my lovely little break in Limoges.

When you only have a few days away, it's important to make the most of them. To me on this trip it didn't mean see as much of the country in as short a time as possible, rather it meant relax and enjoy the French way of life for a few days. I learnt some new phrases, practiced my French, ate lots of croissants, cheese, duck and mergeuz (some amazing spicy sausages), and drank lots of coffee and red wine.

Sure, we did some more active things than just eat, drink and attempt to speak French. We visited Etang Saint-Estèphe, a wonderful lake with a beautiful beach, and la Grotte de Villars, some stunning caves with prehistoric drawings inside; we even had our own back garden Olympics, with giant Jenga, Boules and Badminton. But it was the combination of lots of little things that made the trip truly wonderful.

Just out of interest, here's another French proverb I came across, which I enjoyed:

'It's the tone that makes the song.' Or as we say: it's not what you do, it's the way you do it. Alors...

Readjusting to normal life

It was always going to be with a heavy heart that I had to return home from my travels. Put simply it's been difficult readjusting to normal life; a life which only a few weeks ago seemed a million miles away. But I don't see that as a bad thing. I mean after all, if I'd returned the same person as I'd left what would have been the point going in the first place?

So on my return to drowning England, and despite my fast fading tan, I'm determined to continue making the best of every day and to remember some important lessons I learnt whilst swanning about in the sun (yes, I did actually learn something other than the fact I like hot weather!)

I have learnt to slow down. Take it easy.

Before I left I was always rushing around at a hundred miles an hour, constantly on the move, constantly doing something. If I wasn't at work, I was socialising, if I wasn't socialising I was at the gym. What was the rush? Why was I running about like a headless chicken? Who knows.

I love being active and adventurous, but I now appreciate a bit of good old fashioned down time too. And if I have to wait, be it for a friend, in traffic, in life, what does it matter. A few minutes, hours, even weeks won't make a difference. Plus, there's always plenty of interesting things around us, which we so often overlook. I now see waiting as an opportunity to look and see what I would have otherwise missed.

I have learnt to let go of where I once was.

There are things, people, situations from my past that before I left I was struggling to let go of, that in all honesty if I could I would have turned back the clock and gone back to. Travelling to so many stunning places, so many that I fell in love with and grew attached to, and then having to leave them, taught me the power of letting go. I realised if I wanted to go to the next amazing destination I had to leave the one I was currently at behind - and what a great life lesson. We have to let go of where we were in order to get where we want to be. I can't turn back time and be back travelling again, and I accept that now. Whilst I'll always remember it with incredible fondness, I'm leaving my amazing adventure behind, so that I can move on to my next one - can't wait to find out what it'll be.

I have learnt it doesn't matter if you don't always have a plan.

Now, don't get me wrong I love a good plan. I plan at work, I make plans with my friends, I even planned a lot of our road trip, and I've always had a life plan. If you read my early blog posts you'll know last year I was starting to embrace the certainty of uncertainty and learning to live without a plan, but I think travelling has provided clarity on why. If you're always working to one end goal, what happens when you get there? A lot of people think when they get to the end of their plan, they'll be happy. But I've seen too many people (and marriages) finding once they get where they wanted to be, that something else is missing. Not always planning for the future, living in the now and embracing the new, for me is the only way to be truly happy.

Yes, it's good to have something to work towards (and I'm sure in time, I'll have some shape of life plan again) but don't defer happiness in favour of it. We are constantly changing, being shaped by the world around us, so I'm not too worried that I haven't decided who I want to be or where I want to go yet. Whilst travelling some of my favourite moments were those in which we embraced our freedom and decided to visit a place we hadn't already planned to visit, or to stay a bit longer at the places we wanted to stay, so why wouldn't that apply in the rest of my life? I'm going to become the person I end up becoming, and in the mean time I'm going to focus on enjoying today.

Diving and partying - Ko Samui & Koh Tao

So here it is, the end of the most incredible adventure of my life. Wow, has it been amazing! And the last five days have finished it off perfectly, on the beautiful islands of Koh Tao and Ko Samui.

It had been a good couple of weeks since I last had some proper beach time. So when we arrived on Ko Samui, I felt almost like I'd come home; back to the white sands and crystal clear waters I'd become accustomed to on my journey through the US, Mexico and Australia.

After a nice morning jog in Khao Sok, where rather hilariously I was joined by a mini pack of dogs (keep your puns to yourself), we headed in our open truck to the east coast. With a mad dash and a bit of grovelling to the terminal staff we jumped on the midday ferry just in the nick of time, with the only casualty being my beloved Havianas.

The unintended exercise was worth it, however, as we got to our resort in Ko Samui in plenty of time to soak up some sun, nearly drown in the sizeable waves and have a beer or two on the beach, watching the sun go down.

Throw in some nice food, a couple of massages, fire throwers, cocktails, a bit of Muai Thai, a lady boy show, pet monkeys, planking and some very dodgey looking rocks and that pretty much sums up our time in Ko Samui.

As you can imagine, it was a pretty fun couple of days, but as a more commercial island with little diving to be done, really Ko Samui - for me at least - was just the prelude to the paradise that is Koh Tao. 'Turtle island', as it's otherwise known (apparently due to its shape rather than an abundance of sea turtles) had all Ko Samui had to offer plus a whole load more. Our resort was nicer, the beach more paradise-like, the nightlife equally as crazy, and crucially there was plenty of scuba diving to be done!

In fact, it was my favourite diving of the whole trip. Despite the 6am starts, lack of whale sharks and an incident where one of the women couldn't equalise and we had to resurface, the warm calm water and dive sites just a few minutes boat ride from the shore are pretty tough to beat.

Huge shoals of barracuda, blue spotted stingray, stripy sea snakes, pink nemos (I've never seen them before), giant grouper, big napoleon fish, yellow box fish, moray eels, the list of sea life goes on. And I got to dive another shipwreck - always a bonus!

The only downside was on the second morning, first dive of the day when we descended 18m to the reef only to find a fishing net caught in the coral. The glassed over eyes of the ensnared fish in the net and the couple that continued to desperately squirm in a hopeless attempt to free themselves really was a harrowing site. And whilst I was determined not to let it ruin what was otherwise an incredible few days diving, it's clear the Thai government needs to do more to enforce no fishing over the protected reef as it's quite evidently continually being openly ignored. Otherwise, in a few years time there won't be any point diving as there won't be much to see. 

Okay, rant over. Koh Tao really is a fantastic place though and the last evening where I was reunited with my little 'Schatzchen' (or hunny to those that don't speak German), Denise from our northern Thailand tour, was my favourite night out to date.

A yummy dinner, nutella pancakes, delicious cocktails, buckets of vodka red bull, fire throwers, big rings of fire to leap through, late night swims - and all right on the beach, just a couple of minutes walk from our hotel room. Talk about going out with a bang - quite literally in my case as I fell (with some help) the 2 metres from the big pool to the shallow one. Oops.

Now following an evening in Chumphon, which was interesting in its own right, especially since support for the protesters was quite clear as people gathered en mass on the eve of the election to hear the protest leader's broadcast on a big screen, and our final sleeper train - I'm genuinely going to miss them - I find myself back in Bangkok. After some last minute souvenir buying, a massage and one final dip in the pool it will be time to say good bye to my incredible new friends, who I feel I have known much longer than I actually have, and head to the airport and home, where the real world awaits me *sigh*. Oh well, I can't complain. I have just had the best five months of my life after all.

Sawadee Ka Thailand, till next time.

Khao Sok National Park

I normally try to spread my blog posts out, but yesterday was such an action packed day I felt it deserved a post to itself.

After losing some members of our previous group and gaining five new ones (with some great street food, clubbing, swimming, sunbathing and a massage in between) we made our way over night from Bangkok, south. Arriving at 5am after a serious lack of sleep and a busy day ahead in Khao Sok National Park, I was dubious as to how it would turn out. But my reservations proved to be unfounded as I had one of my favourite days to date.

Our first stop was a local market, where our group 'CEO', Touch, showed us the local cuisine - different in many ways to northern food - and brought us some yummy breakfast pastry-type things.

We then headed to Ratchaprapha Dam to start our tour of Cheow Lan Lake, the beauty of which is indescribable. Jagged limestone cliffs, emerald green water, wildlife-rich rainforest and intriguing hidden caves.

After exploring the Pra Kay Pelch cave and finding the resident bats, we made our way past the various islands to a floating lodge to borrow kayaks, have a swim and eat lunch. After a good few hours taking in the scenery, we headed back to where we began our lake tour and ice cream in hand ventured on in our open-back truck to the monkey temple. 

Touch had promised we'd see monkeys and irrespective of the fact we'd already seen one on our tour of the lake we were still over-excited to find the monkeys were tempted down from the mountains by our stash of peanuts.

Some serious cuteness later and it was on to our accommodation for the night, sweet little bungalows and tree houses right on the edge of the national park. We had a nice, albeit somewhat reserved evening (only two vodkas with dinner) before a much-deserved early night.

Now it's on to the islands to conclude my adventure in the same fashion it began five months ago; on the beach and scuba diving. Bring it on.

Loving the simple life - Chiang Mai and the jungle

It's been a mere five days since my last blog, yet I feel I've grown more as a person in those five days than I could ever have imagined.

I've travelled from Bangkok to Chiang Mai via sleeper train - which in itself is an experience with the air conditioning blasting and snoring permeating from the neighbouring bunk; discovered the wonderful city of Chiang Mai; and trekked through the Thai jungle, meeting different hill tribes as we go.

It's taken some readjustment no longer having my best friends to share the adventure with, but I've been eased in to travelling alone gently by my lovely G Adventures tour group, the majority of which are fellow solo travellers.

Together we've walked, jumped and climbed our way through the jungle; slept on the floor of wooden huts in the freezing cold; washed in the river; ridden elephants; learned how to make the best spring rolls I've ever tasted; swum in waterfalls; played drinking games round the campfire; and accidentally capsized our bamboo rafts.

Travelling with a group of strangers, especially on a basic jungle tour was always going to teach me a bit about myself, but I've been surprised how revealing it has been.

Since my travels began I've noticed the most memorable and often the most enjoyable experiences for me have been when luxuries have been removed and we've gone back to basics: the Mexican jungle; Yosemite national park; Sian Ka'an nature reserve; and now the northern Thailand hill tribes. I have genuinely really appreciated living simply.

And not just in the 'it was fun for three days but now I'm glad to be back to civilisation' way that seemed to be the sentiment shared by the majority of my tour group. When others were missing phone signal, warm beds, hot showers, western toilets (although I do admit I have a greater appreciation for normal loos now), I was absorbing the different plants, wildlife, culture of the tribes; and rather than thinking of home and all the pressures that come with it, I was distracted by thoughts of how I could keep doing this for quite some time. It was amazingly peaceful and incredibly refreshing.

I've had a fantastic taster of jungle life and it's inspired me to try trekking again, next time for longer. Watch this space.

Sensory overload

I've been in Bangkok for two days now and wow has it been a sensory overload.

A different language, different culture, different people, protests, Singha beer, rice, markets, chicken feet, temples, boats, fish, Buddhas, Asian-style toilets, shisha, rice, gold, China town, Tuk tuks, shrines, Chang beer, monitor lizards, sarongs, mopeds, Pad Thai.

It's been crazy, a bit lonely, but it's been interesting and at times a lot of fun. Bangkok actually isn't quite as mental as I anticipated; surprisingly there are times when it's quite peaceful. It also isn't as steeped in history as I expected - a lot of the temples are newer than I'd have thought. 

There are some beautiful spots as well as some not so beautiful. I'm certainly looking forward to returning in a few days, when my senses have calmed down a little, to explore a bit more.

Melbourne, my kind of city

On our first day in Melbourne, we met with my friend and local resident, Kev, who explained: 'Melbourne's a city of coffee, food and wine.' Which is exactly why I like it!

We'd been given an unfair picture of Melbourne before we arrived, with other Aussies referring to it as 'Mel-boring' we couldn't imagine what it would have to offer us over the bright lights and beautiful beaches of Sydney. But in fact, from the moment we arrived, we loved it. The city centre somehow more familiar to us than Sydney, with similarities to London, though easier to navigate.

We initially stayed with friends out in the suburbs of the city, which allowed us plenty of time to explore what the surrounding countryside had to offer. Wineries, beaches, amazing vanilla slices, strawberry farms, chocolateries, seafront pubs, rainforest and more wineries. As you can see, there was definitely a food and wine theme to our weekend. What's not to love about that?

The rest of the week we stayed in the centre of town - we were lucky enough to find a reasonable priced hotel on Queen Street, right in the heart of the CBD. And from there we got to know the city, as well as making trips out of town too. 

Two days we hired cars - KoKo and then Kourt - and drove to Geelong one day, and Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife park then Phillip island to see the fascinating penguin parade the other. Watching the resident little penguins return from the sea, cross the beach and waddle up to their young in the sand dunes with 'fish soup' for their dinner was definitely a highlight of the week. Unfortunately we never made it to the Great Coastal Road and the Twelve Apostles, which were recommended to me, but you have to leave some reason to come back, right?

Getting to know Melbourne CBD seemed easier than Sydney. For starters there's a free tram (number 35) which takes you round the city, explaining the different areas as you go, but with locals using the team just as transport and with a lack of air conditioning - not ideal when you're experiencing a heat wave with highs of 45 degrees - we found the best way to acquaint ourselves with the city was the free walking tour. Our guide told us some interesting anecdotes of the city as well as showing us some hidden gems, such as the rooftop bar, the street art and The Block shopping arcade.

With a trip to St Kilda beach, although admittedly we spent most of that day sheltering from the blistering heat in the pub, a Neighbours tour (it had to be done) and a day at the Australian Open - what a fantastic tennis tournament - that was our week in Melbourne gone!

So with a teary goodbye I find myself reluctantly leaving my best friend and the most amazing country behind. And as I question where on earth the past four and half months have disappeared to, I head to the final chapter of my adventure, in Thailand.