gap year!

Visited Jim Thompson's house in Bangkok and did a bit of shopping.

We then drove overnight on a bus to Savannakhet. Interesting bus... two of us had money and credit cards stolen from luggage in the hold... nevermind... it could have happened anywhere, but on talking to other travellers it seems to be quite common.

We spent a week on Koh Pha-ngan... very pleasant way of chilling out and getting used to not travelling continuously. The beaches were sandy and the food and drink was very good. The sea was warm as was the pool.

We have since travelled to Malaysia. We spent two nights in Penang... doing a bit of sightseeing and getting used to once again being in a predominantly Muslim country.

We are not in a small port waiting to go across to an island.

10 days and we will be in Singapore. Tomorrow we go across to an island and then to Kuala Lumpa... then Singapore... 6 months seemed a long time at the beginning but it is nearly over.

Cambodia was quite an experience.

We spent 2 nights in Pnohm Penh. We had drinks and food at the Foreign Correspondents Club and the next day we went to the Genocide Museum and the killing Fields. It was all very depressing. I think the younger ones in the group could not imagine that something like that could happen

Off to the Russian Market... yes they were here too, selling various things. We had fantastic food at a restaurant which had been set up by an excellent chef, who trains orphans and street children to cook and manage restaurants.

There was some extremely heavy rain and we got drenched at one point running for 20 yards!

The next days we took the bus to Siem Reap. We went to the see the Temples at Angkor Wat... actually Wat means temple... but anyway we saw them all and went through the town where a million people had lived in the 14th Century.

We spent four nights there and and went on a trip to see the largest lake in South East Asia. It was all fascinating, Kirsten held a baby crocdile so that we could have a photo taken. We now have to find an animal for Jo to hold.

The road to the border was very muddy and we managed not to get stuck... although the group that left on Thursday got held up for ages.

A day's shopping here and tomorrow we are off to the south and a week on the beach!

This has been a very good value trip!

I think I have had a good time for the money... that's all for today.

We arrived here yesterday afternoon, after a couple of nights in Dalat.

Dalat was a strange town, but some went on a cable car, others went to the crazy house and even I had a go on the swan shaped pedalos on the lake. I had wanted to go for a ride on the cog railway, to see a pagoda but only three people turned up so the train didn't run!

We had a luxury coach here and arrived mid-afternoon, in time for "Kaffee und Kuchen" and to get a new out fit ordered. I will have to look "ethinic" once in a while!

Today I did the museums... very depressing and horrific... so I have done small time retail therapy since then. Tomorrow will be a boat trip down the Mekong Delta. I went everywhere by rickshaw, because there is no way that I would travel around here on a motor bike, which is another optiom.

This city is very busy and there is a lot to see and buy. Vietnam is worth a visit!

Off to Cambodia on Saturday and then we'll have to double check Thailand before we go there... may be another flight?!