We have now left Asia, so we thought it might be cool to do a little summary so far:
Number of countries visited: 7 (India, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore)
Money spent so far: 5190.48 GBP
Modes of transport: Plane, Bus, Ferry, Speedboat, Tuk-tuk, Catamaran, Car, Pick-up Truck, Flip-flops, Van, Kayak, Scooter, Bicycle, Longtail Boat,
Number of times 'ran over' : Once
Highlight:
Rob - This is a tough one but I think the
Temples at Angkor just edge it. It was quite early on in the trip and it was just incredible. Getting to see the ancient temples with the trees and jungle growing around, in and sometimes on them was great. Also riding the bikes around them in the sun and getting up for the sunrise over Angkor Wat made it stand out a bit more.
Leanne - Halong Bay, Taj Mahal, Temples of Angkor, Birthday in Koh Rong, seeing an elephant in Khao Yai, scuba diving in Koh Tao....
Biggest Disappointment:
Rob - We have been pretty lucky I think and haven't had many but the one that stands out is the
Mekong Delta trip. We were really excited and looking forward to seeing some amazing floating markets but instead got a murky, empty river and annoying tour guide.
Leanne - This one is a hard one, as all the disappointments have redeeming features. Aside from Rob's I would say it was Vietnam in general. Our experience as a tourist was not as I expected. I felt like most people were trying to trick us or wanted us to buy from them, it felt like money was the most important thing to them. For example a woman at the hotel was so nice to us at first but once we booked our Halong Bay trip (with her) she was miserable and rude. Of course this is not true of all Vietnamese but I felt like our 3 weeks there was ruined by some of the local people. Another small disappointment was Maya Bay where "The Beach" was filmed. the place was over crowded with tourists and was the complete opposite from the beach paradise the film portrays it as.
Most Unexpected:
Rob - Getting invited to an
Indian wedding. Even more so as it came the day after we got ripped off and conned in Delhi, our first day traveling. We were both feeling a bit low and now wary of everyone. But two boys, one around our age and one younger were really friendly and after talking to them invited us to the wedding. Everyone there was also really friendly and seemed genuinely happy we were there and especially loved us when we got on the dance floor.
Leanne - Mine would have to be
Khao Yai National Park, just outside of Bangkok. After the hustle and bustle of the city we arrived in the little town of Pak Chong and then to the beautiful lush green jungle. Our day and a half was one of the most exciting times of the trip and what made it better was that I wasn't expecting it to be good at all and it was off the usual backpacker route. The animals were beautiful and the excitement of the guides was contagious. Others would be the
Fairy Spring in Mui Ne (who knew there were sand dunes in Vietnam!),
Amber Fort in India ( I had never even heard of Jaipur before we went) also not freaking out during scuba diving and not getting Delhi belly in India.
Favourite Country:
Rob - I think Laos is probably mine, Cambodia and Thailand come close though. After Vietnam Laos was so much more laid back and friendly. It has so much natural beauty as well. When driving from one town to another, it was amazing going through, up and around the mountains looking out over them. I wish we had spent longer there and got to see a bit more of the country. I would definitely like to go back.
Leanne - It's between Laos and Thailand, I think Thailand has the edge. The people are so so kind, the country is beautiful, the beaches are spectacular and the food, oh the food is the best! There is no wonder so many people flock here every year.
Best Beach:
Rob - There has been a lot but the one at the other side of
Koh Rong in Cambodia wins. We had a hard trek through the jungle to get there and we just thought Wow when we saw it. It stretched for miles, had beautiful white sand and clear water that was stayed at the same depth for a while so you could walk out really far. The backdrop of the trees and the fact pretty much noone else was on it made it just a little bit better.
Leanne - Cambodia has some beautiful beaches, my favourite was
Otres in Sihanoukville. My favourite of Asia has got to be
Koh Lipe, they were PRISTINE, the water was crystal clear, you could see the bottom perfectly and great for snorkelling with little Nemos every few metres.
Favourite Food:
Rob - This is the hardest one, we have had so much amazing food since we started traveling that choosing one is almost impossible. It's between Masala Dosai, Roti Canai, one of the many Thai or Indian curries, or the Thai dish of beef/chicken with rice basil and chili. I think maybe the beef with chilli and basil just wins although I'm sure there are many I have forgotten and if I answered this again I would have a different answer.
Leanne - This is so hard... every country had its yummy offerings India (curries, dosais, thalis, naans), Lao's was the most surprising, and really good. Vietnam (banh mi, pho bo) Singapore (chilli crab, hawker food courts), Malaysia was great for food (satay, roti canai, apom), but once again Thailand has it (pad thai, tom yum, sticky rice by itself, som tum, glass noodle salads, noodle soups, fresh fruit stalls, laab, aromatic curries the list goes on!) but my favourite has to be Mango Sticky Rice, if you haven't tried it before please do. It's like a fresher, slightly healthier rice pudding, but better. It makes me smile just thinking about it.
Favourite Drink:
Rob - The most refreshing drink has to be Lemon/lime juice (in asia it seems to be the same thing). I don't really like fizzy drinks so only drink water but when it has been really hot and humid, a nice cold lemon juice has gone down a treat! Other than that one of the many cheap local beers around asia or a Mojito at Neng's in Koh Lanta or a bar in Singapore (it was more like a tank of Mojito here than glass).
Leanne - It would have to be Vietnamese Iced Coffee or
cà phê đá. Vietnamese coffee from a filter drip and mixed with a little condensed milk. Like the French baguette it was introduced by the French during the colonisation and the Vietnamese have their own slant on it. Yum.
Favourite City:
Rob - Out of the big cities we have been to
Singapore would be my favourite as I could see myself living there, it is clean, has quite a bit of green space for a city, alot of the bars, restaurants are more outdoors and it seems like there are plenty of different areas to explore. However Chang Mai was also really nice, I wouldn't live here but it terms of traveling to a city it was great. Lots of great cheap food and lots to do.
Leanne - Either
Chiang Mai or
Vientiane, I can't make up my mind. They are both laid back and atmospheric, just a great place to be.
That sums up our summary! We are now enjoying Australia and hope to have another blog ready soon!!
