Missioning Malaysia

Due to the length of time i ended up staying in Myanmar i only had 10 days to see the sights of peninsula Malaysia.

Flying back to Bangkok i headed straight for the train station to catch the 23 hour train bound for Butterworth. The train turned out to be pretty comfy and surprisingly enough i managed a few hours kip before entering Malaysia early the next morning. The first greeting was a board saying 'strictly no hippies' and then a list defining what a hippy was. Already liking this place.

From Butterworth its a short hop on the ferry to Penang Island and Georgetown. I teamed up with some guys from Glasgow and some American girls on a visa run. We headed for the nearest hostel and knackered i decided to relax with a few beers. This was spoiled by the fact there is a 200% tax on alcohol in Malaysia which made it very expensive. Instead a shared bottle of vodka was called for and we had a fun evening playing drinking games, before heading out on the town.

I was really worried about how much time i had before I had to be in Singapore but Penang really didn't have much to offer. I spent one day walking around and going to the snake temple but that was really it. The food on the other hand was incredible, the best indian i have had anywhere!! Also cheap 2 quid for half a tandoori chicken with naan and salad. Happy happy days, anything to get away from the fried rice i had been eating for the last month.

I left early the next day for the Cameron highlands to do some walking and get some exercise. The highlands as you might expect are pretty high and were freezing cold. This wasnt helped by the wet weather which turned the trails into mudbaths. I managed one day hiking through lush rain forest and tea plantations before heading back into the middle of another drinking session. My alcohol tolerance since russia has declined rapidly and a few 'down it' cards later meant i was ready to call it a day. The weather deteriorated overnight so i just used the next day to book some flights for the rest of the trip as well as plan my next few days.

I now had four days left two of which i spent in KL and the other two in Malacca. Both were ok but one full day was enough in each. Plus a Christmas spending session in the Petronas towers mall had me spent out. Its really weird building up to Christmas in the warm as everything is so un-christmasy. Listening to carols and slade while sweating buckets does not get you in the mood. Despite this i managed a photo with Santa and his assistant.

I left Malacca after much stress having missed my earlier bus as the guesthouse had neglected to inform me there is no public transport on sundays. Malaysia really is the worst place for public transport. In just the few days i was there i had so many issues. Fortunately there are quite a few buses to Singapore so i jumped aboard and six hours later i was on the island.

Singapore is a very sterile place as everything is illegal and it has very little atmosphere save for the indian and chinese quarters. After dumping my stuff i headed on the metro to raffles hotel for cocktails with beav. It was so odd seeing somebody i actually knew for a change. Anyway Singapore slings down the hatch we had a walk around for the next couple of days as well as blagging a swim in the pool. There are some things its worth having somebody else pay for.

Two days in Singapore was plenty and then it was time to catch my flight to Perth, WA where the fun would really begin.

Golden lands: part 2

Ok so following on from last time

We left Hopin on the only transport available which was a truck full to the brim with goods and it was on top of these we had to sit crammed in with twenty other misfortunates. It was really really uncomfortable and also incredibly hair raising as we made it closer to the lake and had to cross a mountain road deep with mud and ruts. It got to the point where as we tilted to the side we all had to hang on to each other so no-one fell off the top. We also took it upon ourselves to trade medical insurance details incase one of us survived and could help the other in the event we rolled over. 6 painful hours later we rolled into Lonton and disembark at a gorgeous lakeside chalet. I was so glad we had made the journey plus after much haggling we managed to get the price of the room down to $5 each. Now things in Myanmar don't always go to plan or in accordance with the normal rules of traveling. This is further complicated as most towns have electricity for maximum of two hours a day or none at all. So come 5.30 it is pitch black and a torch is your most prized possession. Just setting the seen for you.

Where there are no other tourists it normally works in your favour as you have the bargaining upperhand but in lonton miles from anywhere this did not happen. We had just finished eating dinner when the guy running the guesthouse runs over and says we have to leave. He doesn't speak much english so someone translates and says one of the army generals wants to stay and therefore we cant. Great we think. Hotels in Myanmar unlike most places have to have a permit for foreigners to stay there, and we are banned from staying anywhere else. Lonton not surprisingly only has one such hotel and so essentially we have just been told we have nowhere to stay and because the way the trucks work we were stuck there for two days. To add to this confused situation, some random woman turns up and says we can sleep on her floor. At this point i am knackered, not feeling great and on a short fuse especially as i was just looking forward to some much needed sleep as i hadnt slept well due to the dreadful room in Hopin. I was so pissed off stood there in the dark, not having a clue what was going on or how to go about doing something about it. To cut it short it turns out an army general (who lived in a mini fortknox overlooking the town dracula esque) wasnt coming to stay but he owned the guesthouse and said we couldnt stay for the price we had haggled for. So an hour later crisis over and we are a little more out of pocket than we would have liked.

Indawgi despite all this turned out to be incredible in the main part as it was completely unspoiled by mass tourism. Its main hope being its not on any tour operators radar. Day one we rented a rowing boat and some extra rowers and went out to the amazing floating Shwemyzu pogada. Although Anya was disappointed as women weren't allowed onto the island. This took pretty much the whole day as it was alot further than i expected and also our hired help took to letting me do all the work when we weren't looking. Second day we were so lucky as Jean a really nice Swiss guy showed up and after finding out we weren't planning on doing a motorboat trip due to the huge expense said we could go with him. So we had a whole day feeling like proper pioneers hitting really small villages that maybe get one or two outside visitors a year. The looks on people faces were amazing and everywhere we went we were greeted after the initial shock by big shouts of 'Mingalabar' my new favourite word. Basically it just means hello in Burmese but everyone loves it when a foreigner speaks in their language and its such a great ice breaker in situations when the locals just didn't know quite what to say or do.

Our time here went so fast and we headed back to Myitkina after just two days. The journey back wasn't so eventful as the road had dried out somewhat and the train being 3 hours late worked in our favour for once allowing us to jump aboard and make the distance without losing another day. Next up came a four day river trip down the Irrawaddy to Mandalay. It was really cool as travelling in this way is such a joy. We took three different types of boats and properly got a taste of local life watching people at work on the riverbanks doing everything from farming to panning for gold. Anything just to scrape a living. In this part of the world the forestry has been relatively minor so for most parts the banks were unbroken jungle with the occasional small wooden village. I would have loved to have gotten off somewhere and explored but there was nowhere for us to stay and we would have probably gotten the locals into trouble with the police.

Most foreigners i met who lived in Myanmar even in Yangon said the secret police was just a fact of life and most days they get followed by someone. Also anyone we spoke to would probably get a visit to make sure nothing subversive was going on. On indawgi when we did the boat trip the generals daughter was sent along to keep tabs on us and as soon as we got back she was straight up the hill to give her report.

Our river plans were messed up a bit when the government boat we planned to take broke down and instead we had to wait an extra day for a private boat which cost 8 times as much. Like most places there was a local price and a foreigner price but here it was ridiculous. $5 for locals and $60 for foreigners. Its not like we got a room or anything just a chair. We made the most of it though and relaxed in the sunshine with rum and cokes for the whole day and also managed to scavenge a row of seats to sleep on that night.

Arriving in Mandalay was a shock and also the only let down for me in the entire month. So far up to now i hadn't been hassled but Mandalay is tourist central and touts were everywhere. The city was also really dirty and crazy as it is one of the few places where people can afford bikes and cars. We did a trip to Sagain hill which is the biggest Buddhism centre in Burma and then went to Arapura bridge for sunset. The bridge is the longest stilt bridge in Burma and was amazingly beautiful. By this point amazing sunsets had become so routine but this was the best of the lot.

Next day we got up at 4am for sunrise on Mandalay hill which was alright but the city was pretty boring other than that so i headed off to Kalaw that night. I only had just over a week left and wanted to get in the three day trek to Inle lake as well as the fire festival i had found out about the day before. It turns out i was really lucky to get a seat on the bus at short notice and after a couple hours sleep i joined a group of people heading to Taunggi. The festival was insane, basically just really drunk men messing around with fireworks and fire in the attempt to get some wacking great balloons off the ground. The evening ones were pretty dangerous as the balloons had crates of fireworks hanging below and the fuses seemed to be random. This resulted on a few occasions in some of the fireworks going off before the balloon was clear of the ground which got everyone running for cover.

Next day I set off with an English couple and an Argentinian couple with our guide on the three day trek to Inle lake. The walking was pretty spectacular taking in forest, rolling hills, farmland, tribal villages and another round of friendly people. First night we slept in a tiny village and had the best food, and the next one in a monastery. Being woken up at 5am by the chanting of the monks was so nice and a real experience, added to by the misty morning over the hills outside. Some of the colours were stunning and at points it felt like walking through a painting. I had never seen anything like it.

Getting to Inle i also lucked out as i got an amazing room for $10. It was by far the nicest i have had to date and plus everyone from the trek was staying at the same place so we shared the cost of a boat trip around the lake. I can see why the lake is so popular and cruising around stilt villages and floating gardens made for a very enjoyable day and another chance to top up the tan. I think i saw a cloud once in my entire trip and every day it was so hot at least 35-40. It made made me feel even better when i got news of the utter misery in England.

Two really good days were spent at the lake but time was pressing and the ancient temples of bagan awaited. On the bus was a girl from hong kong i had met earlier so we shared a horse cart ride around the temples. It was really amazing, the site is so huge and did not feel overcrowded which was the problem at Angkor wat. Most temples were fairly similar but you could climb quite a few of them which due to the really flat terrain resulted in amazing panoramas especially at sunset. There were two main areas and the second day i rented a bike to check out the others which was a bad idea. It was so hot i only made it to five or six before i felt a bit dizzy and went back to lie in the air con.

I managed to watch a few games of football that night which is so surreal when you are surrounded by monks, who once they realise your the only one cheering for villa actually turned around every time arsenal scored pointed and went 'aaaahhh' right in my face. Monks here are really different to the rest of asia.

I then was left with a 15 hour night bus ride on an abysmal bus that kept breaking down, plus every time i fell asleep we reached a checkpoint where i had to get off and show my passport. So annoying. But i did get to see the new capital Napydjaw on the way back to Yangon. Never have i seen such a complete farce or felt utter hatred towards the ridiculous government in Myanmar that grows fat off the hard work of people who have nothing. 5 years ago the Military government consulted astrologers who told them that Myanmar's problems were due to the bad spirits brought by foreigners to Yangon. So the solution was to waste an incredible sum of money building a new capital in the middle of the jungle to which foreigners are banned from visiting. Its the only place in the entire country with 24 hour electricity and driving through it was lit up like Vegas complete with massive shopping centres and hotels but nobody to use them. Even the roundabouts had flashing lights and ridiculous lit up sculptures. There were row upon row of streets that had street lighting but no buildings had even been built yet, it was so maddening and surreal at the same. I could see the Burmese on my bus felt physically sick at what they were seeing but fortunately the huge new boulevards with no traffic allowed us to escape in record time.

This brought an end to my Burma adventure and it was utterly perfect. Honestly it was the only time i have felt sad leaving a country and if it wasnt so much hassle to stay there i would have done. Anyway as soon as the government falls or the restrictions are relaxed i am so back there.

Sorry i forgot to mention about going out clubbing in Yangon on my last night. There is pretty much no nightlife but the only place listed in Lonely Planet turned out to be completely empty. I only found this out after already having payed to go in. They then refused to give me money back instead giving me two free beers which i drank in utter bemusement whilst watching a midget dancing to some hard core house music which apparently passed for entertainment. So so funny and wierd i wasnt even positive that it was actually happening. Lol!

The Two Faces of the Golden Lands

There isnt much in the way i can do my trip to myanmar justice as it was purely and simply incredible and i think the best month i have ever had. Considering even up until the day before i was still unsure whether to proceed and actually continue with my plans, im so glad in the end i did.

This is all well and good now and so easy to look back on, but myanmar is one of those places where reliable information is nearly impossible to come accross and nearly everything is hearsay or complete guesswork. So sat in Bangkok airport in an empty departure lounge did nothing to improve my confidence in the decision i had made. Fortunately more people did turn up before the plane took off but the only topic of converstation was a)what do you think if anything will happen and b)what your emergency plan was should the worst come to the worst during the election.

Arriving in Yangon was one of the more unusual aspects of the trip as having taken off from the bright lights of Bangkok i was confronted by a wall of darkness. The taxi ride down town did not reveal much of anything apart from a confusing mess of streets and market stalls and i really did wonder if i had bitten off more than i could chew, which by the looks of the others in the car i wasnt the only one. Yangon is probably the only place that can call itself cosmopolitan in Myanamr and that really is quite a stretch. Basically the infrastructure in the country is archaic or non existent. Anything that does work was built by the british a hundred years ago and so the electricity grid system is unreliable and is turned off anyway at around 9pm which means only those few number of buildings with generators actually provide any light. The matter is not helped by the numerous missing manholes, broken slabs, dogs etc all of which can conspire to spoil your day. It really does take a bit of getting used to which is why i decided to change some money at the hotel rather than take on the money changers on my first day. I think Myanmar is the only country where you have to do your reading thoroughly before you go as well as do your sums as there are no banks, atms etc and the money you have on you is all that you have for your stay. Changing money is a bit of a headache as it has to be done on the blackmarket which everyone does, but at the same time it is still illegal. So when walking around many times someone will whisper at you in there best undercover way 'change money' which if the answer is yes means being led down some winding dark lanes to there 'shop' where the deal can be done. Another complication is that the official exchange rate is 6 kyat to 1 dollar which results in the highest note available being 1000 kyat. The unofficial exchange rate is 900 kyat to the dollar which means that if you change a decent amount of money you end up needing a rucksack to cart it all back to the hotel. Also counting out large numbers of notes in poor light makes for some easy swindling so having been warned about what to look out for i managed to get some changed. Headache over.

I had planned for three days in Yangon. The first one disappeared rapidly as i spent nearly the whole day visiting the Shwedagon pagoda which left me lost for words. There is more gold on the Stupa than in the bank of england and accompanying this is over 3,000 precious stones, with one of the biggest diamonds the world has ever seen to cap it off. I went during the day but made another trip for sunset and to see it lit up at night. It was pretty amazing but unusually the monks who are normally so reserved in the rest of asia were outright demanding money off people which i have never seen before, yet i met a number of people who remarked on how non monkish the monks were here.

The thing with burma is this it has little variance in the type of sites to visit, if you dont like buddhas, pagodas and stupas then there is little else to see which is why i held off in Laos and Thailand knowing i would get a lifetimes fix in the few weeks i was going to be there. As a result after exploring the downtown area the rest of yangon was spent checking out two or three more pagodas as well as the biggest reclining buddha i have ever seen before getting a taste of burmese life and people. This involved going local so for one day i ate at all the street stalls, drank tea in the street cafes and accepted when it came along the chance to chew betel nut. Most people in Burma do this both young and old and it is the main reason why many people have little or no teeth and the fact the pavements are covered in red stains. Anyway when in rome i thought ill try it. It consists of the betel nut itself, wrapped in tobacco leaf with something else included that i have no idea about. Firstly it tastes horrible, disgusting in fact and so after a few seconds of chewing i had to spit it out. Thinking that was it and slightly disappointed i stood to leave before nearly keeling over as the effect of the drug near knocked me out. I then spent the next hour or so in a lazy chair at the side of some nameless street being fanned by a very concerned looking old lady who kept shoving different antidotal remedies down my neck. The feeling was awful and as a result my one dabble into this field laid ruin to my afternoon which i had to spend asleep after somehow stumbling back to the hotel much to everyones amusemet.

I had already decided before i went that the main part of interest for me would be the far north as it is definately comes under the category for roads less travelled, which in burma means you get stared at alot as a complete novelty item. The best thing about this is that the local population havent been corrupted by tourism and the money it brings in. With this in mind i boarded the smallest plane i have ever seen for a slightly nervous two hour flight to Myitkina a small town on the irewaddy river near the chinese border. This is essentially as far north as a foreinger can go without buying a permit as most of the border territories are rebel controlled and strictly off limits. Whether this is actually for our safety as the police continue to insist or to cover up the no doubt attrocities comitted against the tribal people that inhabit these areas remains to be seen.

Fortunately for me i met Anya on the plane up north who had a very similar plan to me. She did however change my plans a little after suggesting a trip to Indawgi lake which would take two days as the transport links serving the area did not link well with each other. The jounrey consisted of a five hour train journey, followed by a stopover in Hopin from where we could take the 6 hour bus the next day. Not bad but considering the lake was only 100 miles away not that great either. Fortunately for us despite Hopin having the worst accomodation known to man, our stroll around the town resulted in us being invited to the house warming party of the daughter of an 80 year old lady called nora who spoke perfect english. I love these chance encounters and despite hopin being a dump i will always remember it fondly for the sheer generosity of the people. Whilst in the town we also ate at the restaurant of a family that refused all payment, gave us gifts galore and took it upon themselves to make sure all of our transport and needs were taken care of. Honestly it is something to behold.

Here i want to make a clarification. I sometimes call it myanmar and other times burma and this reflects on the two faces of the country that any visitor will recognise. On the one hand the modern political and completely corrupt and failing state of myanmar that will make you jump through hoops and try and block your way at every opportunity and on the other hand burma a land of truly amazing and generous people, as well as the most incredible sights and experiences that you will remember for ever. As i spent a month in the country i have alot to write about and will finish off the blog when i next get a chance, plus the suns out here in malaysia and i want to go trekking.

Thailand

This ones going to be pretty short as i have done jack all of anything interesting since i have been here.

I had a little bit more time on my hands than i originally reckoned on, so i headed to the second city of Thailand on the worst 12 hour night bus of my life. Chiang Mai made up for it and turned out to be perfect for some hardcore relaxation. Funnily enough in the room next to me were some guys from Oldbury and were villa fans. I hadnt watched a game in ages and the Blues game was next day so was looking forward to it. We met up later that evening to watch saturdays games in a sports bar that had everything showing. Quality and to top it off free popcorn by the bucket load. I really don't remember Thailand being as cheap as it was this time. I for the last few days even in Bangkok have been eating decent meals for about $1. This is all well and good as ive been trying to limit my spending as i have had to take out $1100 dollars to cover the whole of the next month in Myanmar and Thai atms are costing a fortune.

Despite this I did manage a couple of good nights out and a feast at every fast food restaurant i could find to make up for three months of rice and noodles. Subway has neither smelt or tasted so good ever. I also to pass the time joined a Thai cooking course and spent an entire day preparing but mainly eating a variety of great Thai dishes all made from fresh produce at the market. The cooking was all of 15 minutes a piece but i am properly enthused to give it a whorl when i get home.

The last night was pretty much the same as the previous although the football was abysmal and the memory was left behind in one of the many empty glasses. Ill say one thing about Thai beer never get drunk on the stuff. I don't know whats in it but a Chang'over as its known is dreadful.

So after three really great days i took another night bus twelve hours to Bangkok this time and rocked up at 6am. Great i thought head for Khao San road and there will be plenty of places. Never have i been so wrong, the place was rammed and after an hours wandering i finally found somewhere to crash. Sleep has never been so welcome having not had a decent nights sleep in well over a week.

Bangkok is Bangkok and i largely despise the place although it does have the plus side of being pretty much the only place in South East Asia where you can obtain the things you need before Myanmar. My check list was as follows

1) $1100 dollars in brand new notes. (absolutely no creases, not older than 10 years, in small denominations, no marks, and neither serial number AB or CB)
2) Strong mosquito repellant
3) 20 copies each of passport and visa
4) phrasebook
5) more malaria tablets

In total i went to 32 banks (yes i counted) and was only able to obtain notes from one of those and in pretty high denominations which means i will be right royally shafted when it comes to paying for small things. The phrasebook was also a no go and the type of malaria tablets i am on you can only buy in Singapore.

I leave tomorrow and i am not as prepared as i would have liked but i really hope all goes well nonetheless. At the very least i can say i have been to Myanmar, but as it is the main place for me i will be gutted if i cant carry out my albeit fairly ambitious plans.

Life in slow motion

Tomorrow i leave Laos and head out to Thailand having had to curtail my trip somewhat due to the fact i have to collect my passport from the Myanmar embassy in the capital Vientiane. I'm kind of a bit gutted at not being able to make it to the really far north of Laos especially as the whole effort for Myanmar could be wasted if there election goes to pot.

The last two weeks have taken some getting used to as the pace of life here is something to be seen to be believed. It wasn't helped in the beginning as my first introduction to Laos was waiting for an age at the side of the road for a connecting bus after having to pay extra (bribe) to officials in order to get into the country. Starving i make it to the beautiful island of Don Det in the middle of the Mekong where josh and i obtained a river front bungalow complete with balcony and hammock. The view was immense and lying listening to the sounds of the river, beer in hand is what Laos is all about. You soon realise that nothing happens quickly especially food as we were left waiting 1 hour for fried rice which is normally the fastest thing on the menu. We thought this might just be the nature of the island but no its the same absolutely everywhere. It might sound like the perfect place but honestly its gone too far in the opposite direction, its nice for a few days but when you have a limited time frame its frustrating. Its rare that anyone can summon the energy to get out of their hammock let alone get around to driving the bus!!

Anyways we met two dutch girls and two aussies on the bus over the border from cambodia and the next couple of days we spent riding around our island as well as the neighbouring Don Khong which has some jungle trails and a pretty cool waterfall. Following this Josh and i parted ways which was wierd as it is by far the longest time i have ever spent travelling with anybody on the whole trip. After six months of meeting new people every couple of days it was nice to have a permanent fixture rather than being bored or having to seek out somebody to talk to. Fortunately the two aussies louis and jesse were heading the same way as me and we grabbed a bus up to the Bolaven plateau which towers over the south of Laos. Some of the best coffee in the world comes from up here and it was pretty good, especially accompanying the view from our bungalow overlooking the tad lo waterfall. Theres not a great deal to do on the plateau although we did manage to do a days hike through some thick jungle in a national park that has tigers although not suprisingly we didnt see them. The buses in laos really arnt cheap at all so we resorted to hitch hiking something none of us had tried before. Little tip for laos: if you can, hitch everywhere, we never waited for longer than 10 minutes and everyone was really friendly. Also theres not much better than watching a laos sunset from the flatbed of a yute.

Having already spent two nights in the dirty, seedy hole that is paxong (we stayed in a guesthouse/brothel jokes) we grabbed what turned out to be a austin powers meets pimp my ride nightbus to Vientiane. The bus was ridiculous with neon lights, padded leather interior and double beds, although we didnt find the swimming pool. Vientiane is a city of 200,000 people and with nothing to see so we left the next day nursing sore heads and with me having to alter my plans to collect my passport one week later.

From there we went to Vang Vieng the tubing place which was really not my cup of tea at all so i left the aussies to it and headed to Luang Phabang 7 hours away. The setting is pretty incredible and considering how long it took to get there i was surprised as it appeared to be a retirement village of expats. Anyway it provided one of the best sunsets i have ever seen from the temple on the top of a hill, as well as a waterfall complete with rope swing. Kuang si waterfall is amazing as it is pretty spectacular but it also forms pools of crystal clear water which you can swim in. Save from being attacked by leeches on the way there and then being bitten by fish in the pool it was a great day out although i had to cut it short having not fancied the 10 hour night bus which would have given me no sleep at all.

So the flooded north of Thailand awaits tomorrow where i have to collect as many brand new dollars as i can (Myanmar has no atms) before flying into Yangon on the 5th. There are regular power outages in Myanmar and little or no internet in most places so this could be the last blog in a while. Also the election (first one in two decades under the military junta) is on the 7th which could spell disaster for a prolonged stay in the country if as i expect they don't accept the result. I just have to wait and see.

Hope everyone's well and look forward to seeing a couple of you at least in Oz in just over a month!!

Shambodia

I spent a total of 9 days in cambodia and despite the glowing reports i had heard beforehand i didnt find anything of great interest with probably the least friendly money grabbing people i have ever met thrown in. Crossing the border from vietnam and going from tarmac to knee deep mud gave me an inkling into what lay ahead.

Crossing the border turned out to be much more simple than expected and the earlier problems with the bikes for the time being seemed to have resolved themselves. Our first port of call was Kampot, described in lonely planet as a charming river town with excellent backdrop of the local mountains and amazing pepper. Maybe they should rewrite this as what the two of us found was anything but charming and the scenery left alot to be desired. I have never before entered a guesthouse or anywhere else for that matter where every resident is over 55 and single male. Lets be honest its well documented why they are here. As i saw it written on one guide "Cambodia has two attractions Angkor Wat and Lawlessness." Basically if you have the means to back it up you can do anything you want and no-one cares in the slightest. After 5 weeks of warm smiles from very welcoming people in vietnam, cambodia was a bit of a shock. As soon as we stopped we were surrounded by people begging, but begging forcefully demanding money. This led to us beating a hasty retreat and meant we were sorely tempted not to rest anywhere as our second stop yielded the same result.

I understand that cambodia is a developing country and all the rest of it but Laos and vietnam seem to manage where cambodia doesnt. We took off the next morning chased out by the rats in the room and headed to the capital. The main road from Kampot to the capital Pnomh Penh was an experience i dont really ever want to repeat. 160km of single track road covered in loose gravel, and clouds of dust flung up by the trucks that come hurtling by. It could well have been the least pleasant day ever spent on a bike ever. After reaching Pnomh Penh 10 hours later it was just a relief as the worst of it was over and the ruts and potholes hadnt completely destroyed the bikes.

The capital was pretty much empty due to a festival, and the wide immaculately paved boulevards were empty. Literally no atmosphere whatsoever, as every building is either a ministry, department, institute or some other arm of the government. All these buildings are huge and beautifully designed but i just cant understand why they didnt spend it on something more useful.

There are three main tourist attractions in Cambodia, two of which are in Pnomh Penh and these are where we spent our time visiting. These are both unfortunately also two genocide museums relating to Pol Pot and his mental Khmer Rouge regime. His ideas of turning cambodia into an agrarian utopia turned foul and ended up in the slaughter of 2 million citizens at various death camps(cambodia at the time only had a population of 8 million). The first museum was the biggest prison in cambodia which was essentially a converted high school. There wasnt a great deal to see but walls of portrait photos of faces of men, women and children was pretty harrowing as only 7 people ever survived being sent there. The next stop was the Killing fields where the murders and burials took place. The field is dominated by a pillar containing all the bones and clothers of over 8000 people dug up from the surrounding pits. Its not great to see and pretty depressing especially as it was only 40 years ago and most of the old people all lived through it.

Two days was plenty in Pnomh Penh as there is nothing else to do and anything other than the three or four main streets were pretty gross. This meant that our final journey with the bikes was about to begin, the 330km ride to Siem Reap and Angkor wat. I was pretty excited about seeing the temples as everyone i have spoken to said it was amazing and it would be a great finish for this part of the trip on the bikes. The road to Siem Reap turned out to be pretty good although for large parts Josh was limping along at 40kph as his bike seemed to fill up with water everytime it rained. Siem Reap is a pretty nice place to hang out although is built solely for the hoards of tourists. Unfortunately we found out motorbikes are banned from the temples so that first evening i sold mine to some guys outside the hotel for $60. I just wanted a quick sale. A congratulatory drink followed although i think both of us were pretty gutted about losing our independence and the fact that the most amazing month had come to a close.

Its the wet season now in cambodia and the next few days disappeared in torrential rain storms with the water in the streets coming up to our knees as the river burst its banks. We managed a day trip on push bikes to angkor and i will say it is pretty cool but theres just so many temples. We did maybe 15 temples in a 10 hour day and for me that was plenty as they really are that much different from each other, plus the exceedingly pushy people selling tat are so so irritating it just ruins the experience.

By now i was pretty fed up with cambodia and was looking forward to leaving. We had to take the bus to Kratie which is over the other side of the country in order to connect to a bus the next morning that would take us onto Laos. I had forgotten how much hassle public transport here involves and it wasnt helped by the fact that we paid for a VIP bus but ended up being dumped off at the local bus station. We then had to change after being assured that we wouldnt have to, and then when to top it all off that bus didnt show we had to grab the crappiest minibus you have ever seen. The 6 hour journey turned into a nightmare 10 and we only just had time to grab a boat out to see the river dolphins before it got dark. There are only 70 irawaddy dolphins left in the mekong and it is reconned that they will be extinct in the next couple of years. It was pretty nice watching them in the mekong which is currently at full flood and the sunset over the surrounding jungle was immense. This brought the end to what i can only describe as a really disappointing stay in cambodia and am now in Laos. Its still really wet here, bring on november and the dry season!!!

Keeping the fat lady at bay

A hell of alot has happened since last i wrote in dalat. We have navigated our way through Ho Chi Minh city accross the ferries and waterways of the mekong delta and over the border to Cambodia. All this in two utterly exhausting weeks, but ones that will live with me forever.

Dalat was a bit of a let down and sucked to be honest, there was really nothing to do at all and three days were more than enough. I was pretty glad to see the back of it as we returned to the coast and the fishing village of Mui ne. This place is the up and coming beach resort in vietnam but to be fair it was nothing to write home about. We found an ok place on the beach went out for some beers in an overly priced bar and generally complained about there being too many other foreigners. To be honest we have become travelling snobs, as with a motorbike it actually seems like and adventure rather than a holiday. Mui ne was good for two nights as we managed to get a look at the famous sand dunes which were cool almost like a few square miles of the sahara. On leaving Mui ne time was of the essence as Josh only had one more week left on his visa, which meant we had to do Ho Chi Minh, the delta and Phu Quoc island in this time.

I was dreading riding to Ho Chi Minh due to one of the quirks of my bike being i cant get it in to neutral so it stalls all the time. A city of 7 million people and hundreds of traffic lights was going to be fun. To be fair i only stalled 3 times on getting into the centre and it really wasnt as bad as i thought or that may be because i am now used to vietnamese traffic and the way the roads work here. I had been to Ho Chi Minh before and wasnt fussed about any of the sights, but took a walk anyway and went to the Museum of American War Crimes. Catchy title and a nice biased look at everything that went on. The photo gallery was amazing but the rest take it or leave it, pretty much the same as most museums you see. We had planned to go out to Cu Chi tunnels but as time wears on you long for a day of doing nothing which is pretty much what we did. Read a book in the park, practiced english with some students and drank some coffee to avoid the heavy afternoon rain.

Two nights was plenty especially as we had annoyed the hotel owner by insisting our bikes did not live on the street. We were both really excited about the next few days as neither of us had ever ventured into a region like the delta before. First day 90km to Ben tre. Easy we thought have a lie in, breakfast and head out around 10am. At 10am the heaviest rainshower ever starts so we are delayed by an hour, then the road gets a bit rough and my bike dies and we head to a mechanic. After Hoi an my bike had been great and joshs had been the problem as his chain amongst other things were causing him to take regular stops. Today was my turn and what a day. In total we completed 70km in 7 hours, arrived in the dark and i had spent nearly 10 quid in mechanics which comparative for vietnam is a truck load. I hate riding in the dark here and this sucked big time as we didnt even make it to Ben tre. I was seriously considering binning the whole thing as it had been an awful day.

Fortunately there is always the next day and it was joshs turn again although the problems were not too extensive and we did see a few of the islands in the delta as well as taking in the lush jungle and coconut plantations. There are no sign posts in the delta and we had to guess our way which ended in a 60km dead end road. It was soon to get dark so we had to ride 160km flat out along narrow roads, over tiny bridges barely wide enough to walk over and avoid the other hazards that litter the roads. Up to this point i hadnt really considered how dangerous the bike riding would be but we saw a proper accident for the first time which also resulted in my first dead body. In vietnam every year 70,000 people are killed on the roads which is over 200 a day. This is a crazy stat and seeing that really messed me up for the rest of the day. Fortunately the run into Can Tho went over a really amazing suspension bridge at sunset which was stunning and helped me put the days events behind me. Like with dog i am willing to try most things and here we had a buffet dinner of snake, frog and wait for it rat. Rat honest to god is amazing it doesnt taste like chicken its 10 times better!!

A really early morning start got us from Can Tho to Rach Gia intime for us to unwittingly ride into the biggest festival of the year. The place was boiling hot and absolutely crazy with people everywhere, which meant it took at least an hour to navigate through the small town to the ferry terminal. We wanted to take our bikes with us and had an infuriating few hours being told we could then couldnt take our bikes. Eventually for a ridiculous price we made it to the paradise island of Phu Quoc. I was totaly ready to unwind but joshs bike messed up straight after the ferry and this time the mechanics couldnt help. It seemed to right itself the next day but died again while pottering around the island. We were both gutted as it really looked like this was it. We got somebody to come and buy our bikes the next day as i didnt really want to ride on on my own as it wouldnt be as good. But miracles do happen and before the guy arrived josh went crazy at his bike and somehow it started working again. So relieved!! I havent really considered what i will do post bike and i dont really want to either until it is really necessary.

Fortunately we were back in business enjoyed a nice day on the beach and then headed back to the mainland and the cambodian border. We had done alot of research on crossing the border and had heard something differnt from everyone, from putting money in the passport to just sneaking accross. We decided on the honest option and had no problems whatsoever. So far the only issue has been the complete and utter state that cambodia is in. I will write about that in the next one but safe to say im looking forward to leaving and ive only been here a day!

The real Vietnam: riding the Ho Chi Minh trail

What an amazing week, i could quite possibly say its the best week out of the entire six months i have been away. After initially coming up with what we both thought a slightly hair brained idea it has turned into a stroke of genious or at least is paying massive dividends.

For the last week after leaving Hoi an with a few more kilos of clothes than planned we headed inland away from Highway 1 and the tourist trail that follows the entire of vietnams coast. The country may be long but it is also very thin and after 40km we had hit Highway 14 also known as the Ho Chi Minh trail. This road famously follows the supply routes of the vietcong from north to south (along the border with lao) and for this reason it is the most bombed area of the world. Both Josh and I have essentially gotten fed up of package tours everywhere, always being hassled by touts and the never ending supply of 'same same but different' sights. Instead what we have been after is unspoilt countryside, amazing views, mountains, forest and what i would now call the real vietnam.

Joshs bike has been so far without any problems and mine has had a few hiccups shall we say and is double the age of the other bike. I would say i set out with some tripidation of the bikes capability to do 800km of mountainous riding along roads that are one big pothole. The first day nearly killed me we did 350km in one stretch having gotten lost for about an hour earlier on. One thing about asia and i have found this everywhere if you ask for directions and they have no idea they will give you some anyway. This led us a merry dance but we eventually found our way and blitzed 40km inland towards the trail. My bike which makes numerous noises then started to vibrate really badly and forced me to pull into a garage. 10 minutes and 10,000 dong later (30p) my bike was better than new. The potholes had loosened a nut which was the problem. Sorted and for the first time when someone knew they had you over a barrel they didnt try and rip me off.

The rest of the day was shattering, roads that were beautiful but needed full concentration and then just when i was really tired we had to do the last 30km in the dark. I have lights that are pitiful at best and there are no street lights so 30kms straining to see while trucks are hammering past and people are everywhere and theres potholes and sections of the road missing was so exhausting. Nevertheless we made it to Kon tom our first staging post. I had not seen a foreigner all day and the town was no different. We dumped our stuff in our cockroach ridden room and went out for dinner. In vietnam you never eat from a resteraunt only off the street and in Kon tom we had prawn pancakes which were insanely good. I think this was probably the best food i had eaten anywhere ever!!!

The next day was a short hop 45km to Plikou as our bodies wouldnt take much more, so we treated ourselves to a lie in and the chance to eat breakfast before heading off. The towns themselves have nothing to see and are just dust bowls but its for the road that we were here so i didnt care too much. In plikou we just chilled in our nice hotel ready to do the 180km to Boum ma thot. We were treated to amazing roads again all day and the feeling is incredible. On a bus all this passes you by but on a bike you see it, smell it and have everyone waving and shouting hello from the side of the road.

Buon ma thot is the coffee capital of vietnam. Iced white coffee is something to which i am now addicted and there is nothing better than sipping this while watching the world go by. We have bought ourselves lots of the stuff in an attempt to not too succesfully recreate what we have had so far. On my trip i have tried to tick off as many new things as possible and one that had alooded me so far was Thit Cho also known as dog. The random place we were staying (im pretty sure they had just kicked there son out of his room) took us to a dog restaurant. The place was heaving so it must be good. We tried the lot, BBQ dog, dog blood sausage, dog soup, dog with ginger and generally the taste was pretty good although it doesnt smell great. The taste is unlike anything else not quite beef, not chicken or pork but you have to try it to know what i mean.

Our final day on the trail took us 200km south to Dalat a mountain resort in the south highlands. We both agreed that despite the road surface for large sections being the worst we had ever seen the scenery was incredible. People talk about great drives of the world and for me there have been some good ones in six months and this was by far the best. For large sections there were ethnic communities perched on the sides of stunning valleys, jungle, friendly people, mountain passes and exciting bends to really get stuck into.

We now plan to keep the bikes until Angkor wat in cambodia, and we are hoping we can cross the border easily (not too much money in bribes). We will see but tomorrow its back down to the coast and the amazing beaches of Mui ne. I cant wait

Refinding the groove

Nearly three weeks now in Vietnam and i am in Hoi an the tailoring capital of the world or so it seems. I arrived this morning with Josh who i met in Ukraine and remet randomly in Hanoi. We have been traveling together for the last week after we both decided to buy motorbikes and see the country from a different perspective.

After getting to Vietnam i headed up to the mountain country along the Chinese border for a couple of days mainly to check out how things had changed since my last visit. I probably shouldn't have as the picturesque mountain town of sapa now exists as a tourist trap. Slightly disappointed i cut down my stay to two nights although i did manage to head out of town to some of the more remote tribal villages on a rented scooter. Seriously i didn't think the bike would make it with the state of the road. At one of the villages i met a Vietnamese couple on holiday who then proceeded to show me round sapa as well as all the local food markets. Honestly black chicken (a different species not burnt) is incredible i must have had it three or more times that day. I was also introduced to Pho the staple of Vietnamese cuisine which is noodles in spicy soup although out of the town thats about all you can get so its beginning to lose it magic.

From sapa i took the train to Hanoi after being smuggled on board by a security guard as all of the tickets were sold out. After china this was a refreshing change especially as he didn't ask for money. Onboard i managed to pick up a spare ticket from a family heading back after being on holiday. They were really cool and spoke a bit of english which made the 12 hour journey pass alot faster although teaching and then playing endless games of snap was a bad idea. The ticket didn't go all the way to Hanoi so i had to grab a bus in the pitch black (no streetlights in Vietnam) and pray for forty minutes i was going the right way. Shattered from traveling and the day before i did pretty much nothing in Hanoi for 5 days. I had been before so the sights were of no interest instead a book, ipod and the lake was perfect. On the last day i bumped into josh who i had met in Ukraine. Our journeys had separated after a day and then came back together again. I kind of wanted to ride a motorbike down Vietnam but not on my own and turns out so did he so we agreed to meet in Hue a few days later buy bikes and take the trip from there.

We met in Hue and bought our bikes. They basically cost $200-250 each and all was well at the beginning. We took them out for a test drive and perfect. Next day leaving our bags we headed up to the DMZ (de militarised zone) to see the tunnels and the dividing line between the north and south before heading up to khe san where the famous siege of the US marines happened. We spent the night up there and awoke to solid mist, great this will be a steep learning curve. We had already learnt to ride a bike in Vietnam rush hour traffic probably not the best idea but you learn fast. Then riding in the rain up the coast, then the mountains and now thick fog. All fun and games. The plan was to ride down the Ho Chi Minh trail for 100kms before taking the back road over the mountains to hue to pick up our stuff then over the famous (top gear) hi van pass to Danang and china beach. It kind of went ok until we got delayed in hue sending a parcel then my bike making funny noises. Despite this we soldiered on going over the hi van pass at sunsest (seriously amazing) me at about 2mph and josh powering on ahead. We then took on Danang vietnams third largest city at night which is something that will live with me forever, just a mass of lights, horns people crossing without looking. Insanity in its purist form.

Somehow completely shattered we turned up at our small guesthouse on a deserted section of china beach. Not being a beach person i was not sure about spending too long here but it was amazing. Pristine white sand, palm trees and perfectly clear water the perfect place to relax and unwind although the sun got us both by the end of the day. The ownly downer was going swimming forgetting my solitary bike key was in my open pocket and remembering with horror later. The solution a shifty looking guy with blank keys files me a new one in 10 seconds flat by looking in the lock. Not a comforting thought considering our bikes live outside.

Today we just did the 20km to Hoi an along the coast road to where we are now a nice hotel with a pool $6 a night, happy days. An in two days time we attempt the next section of the Ho Chi Minh trail, should be amazing.

Heres hoping my bikes makes it ;-)

Trials and tribulations on the roof of the world

On my last day in Chengdu i finally met violet the lady who has put up with my constant questions and change of plans to pick up my tickets and passes in order to get to Tibet. Chengdu itself was a great place to lie around and do nothing, not that there is much to do apart from try the local delicacy hotpot and look at pandas. Compared to the zoo i went to in Kunming yesterday the pandas have the greatest life ever.

The train from Chengdu to Lhasa is 1 day and 19 hours long and passes over a 5100m pass before continuing along the Tibetan plateau at 4600m and then dropping down to Lhasa which occupies the lowly altitude of 3600m. I was really nervous about this train after my experiences at the top of Fuji. This anxiety wasn't helped when i was asked to sign a disclaimer in case anything happened due to the altitude. The train ride itself was great as for the entire journey the scenery was incredible and there were two australians in the next carriage to talk to and play cards with as nobody on the train spoke a word of English and the constant eating of chickens feet is enough to make anyone nauseous. Arriving at Lhasa train station was an experience, the building itself was strangely futuristic and brand new as the train line had only been completed in 2007. Outside though i had a taste of what was to come, a city under siege from heavily armed Chinese troops. The people on the train were all Han Chinese and were moving to Lhasa under financial encouragement from the government and soon Tibetans will be the minority.

Due to the restrictions on foreigners traveling in Tibet the whole trip was already organized something i hate as so far i have been able to wing it. I was staying in a hotel for the first time on my trip and it was great to be able to leave all my stuff out and not have to go hiking in the night to find a toilet. Despite all my fears about altitude sickness the train journey went fine and when i arrived in Lhasa i could walk around freely without fighting for breath. I stupidly thought i would then be fine and that afternoon i undertook a long walk all around the Tibetan old quarter the barkhor. Lhasa is divided into the old Tibetan part of the city and the new Chinese section that threatens to overwhelm the unique charm of the city. After a few drinks with a dutch guy in a bar (which closed at 11pm) i started to walk through the pitch black streets as the old town has no lights. My experience in Lhasa so far had been great and it was to continue as i lost myself amongst the monks, the people on pilgrimage and the colourful market stalls. Many Tibetans unlike the Chinese speak a few words of english and everywhere i was greeted with smiling faces and cries of 'hello' and 'how are you'. Unfortunately by the time i reached the hotel the effects of what i later found out to be a rich oxygen environment on the train had worn off and the beginnings of a headache and various aches and pains as well as a lack of breath started.

That night i did not sleep at all and in the morning i had to get up at 6am in order to get on the bus for the eight hour ride to Shigatse to the west. The bus ride was incredible twice we went over 5000m passes and also we saw yam drok lake which was bluer than anything i had ever seen. Each time we went higher the banging in my head got worse and walking came with great difficulty. At this point i was seriously worried about going to everest base camp the next day.

The towns of Tibet are all small but thankfully outside of Lhasa there a fewer Chinese and they have a different atmosphere. Pretty much everything eaten or drunk comes from the yaks which you see everywhere wandering the high pastures. In shigatse i took some pills which helped with the sickness and i managed to sleep a little. Again we had to rise early and we headed to Tengri a small town on the edge of the everest national park. I took another bunch of tablets but as we went above 4000m they stopped being effective. When we finally reached Tengri at 5000m i again had a pounding headache worse than anything i had felt before and this time nausea and pins and needles in my limbs. I was traveling with 8 others and although they had sickness it was not anywhere near as severe as mine. The road to base camp was another 5 hours but over the worst road you have ever seen. Absolutely gutted i realised i could not make it and if it got any worse i could be in serious trouble as tengri was the last place with medical facilities. Unlike the Nepalese side there is very little infrastructure in Tibet and later i found out people have died on the same tour i was doing a comforting thought.

I spent the afternoon and the night trying not to move as well as having every local remedy they could give me as well as taking altitude pills and pure oxygen. None of this helped as i had just gone too high too fast and felt so ill. Again being sick and lying in a hotel room on your own in a place where no-one speaks english is the worst feeling. I even managed to panick my parents with an expensive phone call in order to speak to someone. The people in the hotel were so kind and were incredibly worried. I found out the next day the old lady who had given me the local remedies sat outside my door making sure i was still alive. I managed to sleep somehow and woke the next morning feeling great. I was just one day too early to go to base camp and this demoralised feeling was made worse when i saw the photos the group brought back of everest completely clear. So gutted its unbelievable and for me i have unfinished business in Tibet.

After this we again went to Shigatse to see the monastery before taking the 8 hour ride back to Lhasa via several viewing places by glaciers and mountain lakes. I was staying for an extra day on the tour and had a private guide to take me around the temples and palaces of Lhasa the next day. My guide showed me so many things i had missed the first day including the snipers on the buildings in the old town as well as the security cameras placed in every alley. To see the pothala palace is a dream come true for me and i could sit and look at that building all day as the different lighting makes it come alive. Also i went to another monastery as well as the most holy sight in the whole of Tibet the Jankhor temple. It was filled with prostrating people as well as those making the epic trip from the outer regions of Tibet to give yak butter as an offering to the budhas. The deep feeling felt by these people was really something to behold and not being religious there devotion really touched me. Tibet is amazing and im glad i saw it before the Chinese destroy it completely. Its stunning that purely due to the wests heavy reliance on china they let the tragedy continue. It left me with a bad taste in my mouth and today i left China for Vietnam and felt a great sense of relief.

Compounding the problem

I think i will just come out with it right from the very beginning i really have not enjoyed china due to so many reasons its hard to list. I am all for new and different cultures but china really is something you have to witness to believe. Everybody knows china has 1.4 billion people but that is just a number until you are on the ground you dont realise what that feels like especially when they just see you with dollar signs in there eyes. Everything in china involves standing in a queue or waiting around for days because all of the bus and train tickets for some journeys are sold out for two weeks. In xian it took two hours to go 20km due to the traffic. This for a few days is ok but after three weeks i have been struggling, i very nearly couldnt face going to the great wall or the forbidden city. These are cool places but if there were less people it would be infinitely better. Another thing with china is the various customs such as hawking up massive gobs of spit constantly in the street, on the metro just everywhere as well as letting babies relieve themselves at will. On the metro i have seen a woman just stand up and hold the baby in the aisle and let it go. For chinese who are used to this i guess they dont mind but when it is 40 degrees 90% humidity as well its enough to drive you insane.

Anyway enough of the bad things i did spend five days cycling along a really scenic river in yangshou, going swimming, eating great food and drinking on the rooftop terrace. After nearly 5 months of constant sightseeing i was really happy just to do nothing. The train to shanghai was sold out so i had to stay an extra day but after a 24 hour train i eventually arrived and went straight to the expo. I had heard various reviews of the expo but decided to check it out for myself. Ill sum it up two hours to get in, and between 1-3 hour queue for any good pavillions. So instead i took a tour of the turkmenistan pavillion amongst a few other less well known. The highlight had to be North Koreas proudly proclaiming "a paradise for people" it made me laugh a bit anyway. There is really nothing in shanghai apart from a battle against 22 million people so i left for beijing. I stayed longer than expected in yangshou as well as hong kong so i only had two weeks before i had to be in chengdu.

Beijing is really one of the oddest cities i have ever seen. I was walking down a street lined with really expensive shops but due to the smog and the tramps going through bins as well as the decrepit bicycle carts it just doesnt gell, its two alien worlds being forced together. I took one day trip out to the great wall at Mutian yu which was spectacular although it looks like it was rebuilt very recently. The other sights in beijing like the forbidden city really are overhyped and i hate to say it you have seen one you have seen them all. The real highlight for me was the summer palace, the day i went the smog was not so bad and from the pagoda there was a really spectacular view of beijing. I also managed to see Mr Mao to get the hatrick of dead communist leaders.

I only had five days left to see Xi'an and chengdu so i took the first available train. 12 hours standing. It is the worst thing i have ever done. The first hour i could speak to this guy who spoke english then that was it 11 hours crammed into the area where you can stand as moving was impossible. It was so hot, it smelled people still continued to spit and get food and cigarettes everywhere. By the end i was nearly insane as at the same point i hadnt eaten anything for over a day being unable to keep anything down due to my first bout of food poisining. Fortunately i arrived in Xi'an checked in and fell asleep for the rest of the day. I had organised to see the terracotta warriors the next day and i joined a tour from the hostel. The warriors are really not what you think, very few have actually been excavated most of it is just mounds of earth. Its ok but again the stress getting there, the fact the tour guide was trying to rip us off, that the food in the restaurant was revolting and the painfully slow traffic just ruined it.

Anyway im now in chengdu the city that had the really bad earthquake a few years ago. This place is alot more laid back and today i went to the panda breeding reserve. It was a special place as they were really close, although they are only very slightly more active than sloths. I have so many photos but the internet here is so slow as everything is filtered by the government. I am only able to write this using a proxy website.

And tomorrow i go to Tibet. Solo travel is not alowed so with the help of many people i have arranged a tour for the next eight days. I have no idea what it will be like, maybe you dont see the real tibet i just dont know. But taking the highest railway in the world complete with oxygen masks is really cool. For the first time in a while im really too excited!!!!

From Japan to China

What can you say about hong kong its nothing short of incredible. I had originally planned to be here for four days just long enough to get a Chinese visa. It is already day six in hong kong today and unfortunately i will have to leave tomorrow otherwise i would have been tempted to stay for a few weeks. Admittedly being here for longer than planned is partly due to the fact that UK visas are double the cost and take double the time of everyone elses and hopefully i should have it today.

The last three days in japan were completely mental trying to fit everything i had left to do. From Hiroshima i headed back to kyoto to use as a base in order to visit Himeji castle as well as Nara. The castle unfortunately was under restoration and so only the gardens were accessible but they were the best i saw in japan so no loss there. The next day i day tripped nara which was the ancient capital of japan and has all the temples, pagodas etc set around a big park. Nara is famed for its tame deer which wander the busy streets in big herds and add to the calm and relaxing atmosphere. I also planned to go the baseball at some point in japan and that night Hanshin tigers were playing in osaka which is an hour away from Nara. I arrived about 2 hours before the game and found much to my disapointment it was cancelled due to the weather which had been raining on and off all day. Gutted i remembered there was a game in Kobe another city close to osaka. This story shows how amazing japans transport actually is as from the Hanshin stadium i caught the train back to osaka, ran and jumped onto a train to kobe before navigating accross the city on the subway and making it to kobe just as the game started. Relieved and happy at the situation i took my seat and settled in to enjoy the game and the crazy japanese fans. The team here the Orix buffaloes are pretty rubbish and so there werent that many people there although the chants of 'home run home run in the bag' were loud and pretty comical in there accent. Unfortunately one inning later the heavens opened and this game was also called off so slightly dispondent i went back to Kyoto. The one day in two weeks where it rained was the one where i needed it desperately not too. Theres not much you can do when you have a limited schedule so that remained the only thing i didnt manage to get done in japan.

That left me with a day in osaka which everybody had said wasnt great although their aquarium is amazing. It has to be one of the best in the world and it had a huge seven story central tank with whale sharks as well as a tiger shark. It was well worth a trip to osaka just on its own. The final night i tried out a capsule hotel which is a really interesting experience. If your my height its fine but people who are over six foot must struggle. The capsule hotel is only really for business men who missed the last train but mine had a gym, tvs and was really comfortable. Thats another month gone already nearly half way :-(

As i said before hong kong is great its more like i would call proper asia but has all the trappings of home as well. For me japan was too sterile a country and suprisingly i found it not particularly interesting or exciting but as soon as i was in hong kong its more like proper travelling again. I had a couple of days exploring the various areas of the city as well as lantau island the home of a spectacular cable car ride as well as the worlds largest seated budha. Hong kong has everthing you could possibly want from beaches and mountains to the best skyline both in the day and night i have ever seen. Hong Kong has the world record for the longest running light show but honestly it is appaling and the city without the show is much better and the view from the star ferry going between the island and kowloon will stick with me for ever. It really must have been the jewel in our empire. After a couple of days i met up with Ben a friend i met in Russia and we had a couple of days just chilling before joining a pub crawl with some others from our hostel on our last night. For what it is Hong Kong is really expensive maybe like 10x china where i am now. Drinking was around 6-7 quid a beer but somewhow for a tenner we got free drinks and entry galore. My night was cut short as i have another cold due mainly to the chinese obsession with near freezing air con in any indoor area. A week of going from 40 degrees to 20 then back into 40 really messes you about.

Another long one but i have had so little access to computers recently. Im now off to take a dip in the river in yanshou in southern china (the scenery from the HSBC cormorant fishing advert) which is stunning and also a legendary backpacker retreat.

A letter from Miyajima

Im now back on Honshu in the city of Hiroshima with only three days left in japan after a brief foray last week into Hokkaido. With mixed feelings im kind of looking forward to leaving as a few things are starting to annoy. Despite being so advanced in some respects things such as the ticket offices in railway stations belong in yesteryear. The timetable bafflingly is not on computer but instead invloves the service personel taking an age to look through a book larger than the yellow pages. Any journey involving more than one or two changes takes forever. Also with little money left in the budget for this month finding accomodation is also a pain. Two nights ago i had to travel two hours from nagano to find somewhere i could afford and when in nagano i had to sleep in an internet cafe which was certainly a new experience. But despite this the last few days have had the best sights so far.

Yesterday i visited one of the best museums/memorials i have ever seen. The a-bomb memorial park and peace museum were unbelievably moving and it was a shame that i did not have more time having arrived that afternoon from Hakuba. The last few days have been hectic and with no respite today i took a day trip to Miyajima an island jut off the coast that is home to the `famous` floating tori as well as it turns out an amazing scenic walk amongst shrines, temples, pagodas and masses of tame deer. The island was amazing and was definately the best place i have visited in japan so far although the temperature has really started to get beyond bearable.

After　i wrote last time i headed a few hours north of Hakodate to the capital of Hokkaido, Sapporo for a day and then onto Daisetzusan national park. Sapporo is a pretty boring place to be honest which was a shame as the hostel Inos place was the best ive stayed in so far on the entire trip. The Sapporo beer museum was the only real saving grace and a happy hour was spent trying the various samples. There are very few people who make it up to Hokkaido and those that do all seem to be english people all teaching in japan, which seems to be becoming ever more popular as the demand exceeds the supply. As Sapporo was only worth a day i headed to Daisetsuzan national park in the hope of getting some decent hiking done as well as possibly seeing some bears. Everybody's image of japan is of densely packed buildings with everybody living on top of each other, but as soon as you leave Tokyo and the endless cities that merge with it the country becomes some of the wildest landscapes ever.

I stayed at Sounkyo which is a small hot spring resort town which provided a great base in which to carry out some hikes around the various local peaks and hopefully to the volcanically active mt. Asahi. First day i headed to some waterfalls that appear on all the photos of the area, and to be honest they were much more underwhelming in real life. But the second day i headed up on the rope way and from the top an hour or so climb to the top of mt. Kurodake. From here i was hoping to do a big loop on the mountainous plateau and across to an active caldera. As soon as i reached the top of Kurodake the weather started to go pear shaped and i made it to a glacier before strong winds and driving rain meant i had to turn around. I saw a tiny bit of the crater with the sulphur river but managed to miss the bear that everyone else saw, big time gutted. Hokkaido in the end turned into a bit of a wash out which was a shame as it was the last opportunity for hiking for a while. Despite this the relative cool made a great change to the 35 degree 80% humidity down south.

Trying to make the most of my remaining week i took the fourteen hour train to Nagano of Olympic fame. I got in at near midnight and had nowhere to stay so crashed in an internet cafe. The good thing about japan is that they have a variety of unusual cheaper ways to sleep than would be elsewhere mainly due to the fact the trains stop so early. Most parks have a spot for those with `difficulty commuting` as the trains stop so early. Nagano has few sights so i took the scenic local train to the nearby mountain city of Matsumoto which has the oldest and probably the best castle in japan. The castle and the city as a whole were great having an atmosphere unlike anything else i have seen in japan. Being a hot sunday afternoon the entire city was out in carnival atmosphere with food stalls lining the streets and people playing on the towns river beach. From Matsumoto having not found anywhere affordable i took another scenic train up into the mountains to Hakuba. The hostel here is part of the K hostel chain which provides an amazing service and if you ever visit japan this is highly recommeded although also very popular. Hakuba being off all the main routes meant another early morning in order to get to Hiroshima but it was well worth it for an afternoon in the peace park.

The last three days as you can imagine are packed starting with tomorrow with a trip to Himeji castle on the way back to Kyoto. From Kyoto i can day trip the ancient capital Nara and go the baseball before my last day in Osaka then on to Hong Kong and China on saturday.

Culture Shock

As of today i have been in japan for 12 days and everyone has been truly amazing and impressive。Everything about japan is both new and high technology as well as preserving the culture and traditions。Normally technology spells the end of any culture but somehow it exists here in harmony.

My last day in vladivostok summed up everything i like about travelling. I met Ben a fellow english traveller who i looked around vladivostok with before going to the funniest football match of my life before missing the last bus walking forty minutes back in the dark and poring rain before being invited to a random russian 25th birthday by some people on the street. We were essentially guests of honour and were plied with vodka and food for several hours. The only trouble is these nights always occur when i have to get up early for a very important bus or train. This time after retiring at 3am i struggled manfully to pack　my things and get to the bus which left at 9am and then make my flight to japan. Utter madness, when your travelling thecommon sense with regards to nights out merging with early mornings is forgotten.

I arrived in narita that night, managed to negotiate the mass of signs and information and get on the correct train to tokyo. It really isnt that bad but i had got into a comfort zone in russia being able to read signs etc and it was certainly a jolt. July is japans rainy season and this has pretty much shaped my time here. Go out in the baking hot sunshine try and get undercover for the crazy hours of rain that are about to arrive. I had three days in Tokyo seeing the sights most of which were traditional gardens, islands of of peace set among the craziness and sky scrapers all around. I also had one 4am start to get to Tsujiki the largest market in the world to see the tuna auction. As instructed i arrived at 5am to be told that i was late and it had finnished. Instead i had very fresh early morning sushi. I know sushi is pretty popular but this has completely passed me by. I had tried it once before and not enjoyed it and this was no better. Sitting in a very intimate restaurant surrounded by people saying this is the best thing they have ever eaten while i am sat there trying not to throw up. Oh well a good thing the rest of japanese quisine is immense.

In tokyo i had inishaly planned to spend four days but i managed to tick off two areas of tokyo a day as well as go to shinjuku at night. Honestly you dont know what a crowd is until you have been here, and it seems everybody is going the opposite way to you. I had heard that there was a major festival on in kyoto in three days so i rearranged my plans and somehow got the last bed in the city. With three days to kill i decided to try to climb mount fuji which is japans highest mountain and only 2 hours away. The climbing season is only for two months and in this time hundreds of thousands of people climb. The first two days the weather was so bad i couldnt even see the mountain but on the third it was my final chance so i got ready and started climbing. Most go from the 5th station about halfway but i decided to go traditional and start from the segen shrine right at the bottom. Being pretty good at walking by now i made good progress and managed to pick up two americans on the way. By the time i got to the top at 3776m (nearly three times Ben Nevis) 10 hours later i was glad i had. The weather was so bad that you couldnt see the person standing next to you and with the high winds and rain it was pretty dicy not ideal on your own. The final section was like slow motion, fuji is high enough for altitude sickness and by the end it was take ten steps and take a break just to slow your heart rate to an acceptable level. By this time it was also dark so we spent the night in a mountain hut at the 8th station (3200m) before stupidly running down in 1 hour (supposed to be 4 hours) to the 5th station. At that point i just wanted to get off the mountain as i had a splitting headache from the altitude and just wanted to be in the warm. The run down screwed my legs for days.

After Fuji i headed to Kyoto which is the culture capital of Japan. There is a shrine or temple or zen garden everywhere you look. I had two days of wandering through these before going to the Gion Matsuri festival. Kyoto was packed and so were all the places to see which kind of ruined it a bit. Having to jostle through crowds to take a photo isnt great. The festival though was great, the night before the whole city was on the streets in traditional kimonos as they decorated giant wooden floats and sold amazing street food. The day of the festival the streets were lined with decorations and for three hours the huge procession of floats were pulled through the streets. Any festival in japan would be great and Gion Matsuri is one of the biggest.

That night as i hadnt got a bed i had planned to take the night train to Hokkaido. Unfortunately this meant a 7 hour layover between trains and my plans to sleep in the station ended at 2am when they kicked me out. So i had three hours wandering the streets with all my stuff in some dodgy area by the station before i could get in and go back to sleep. Fortunately Japan is pretty much the safest place on earth, but i wouldn't have liked to have tried that in many places i have been. But happily 7 hours later after passing through the longest under sea train tunnel i was in Hokkaido and last night i was treated to the Keirin cycling and an unexpected spectacular view of the city and a huge fireworks display from my guesthouse halfway up the mountain overlooking Hakodate.

Sorry this has been a long one but its the first time i have had internet that isnt an absurd price. One thing with Japan is you have to watch the pennies as the pounds just disappear.

Time travelling

Since i last wrote quite a while ago i have spent an equal amount of time on a train as well as off it. The problem with having only a 28 day visa and crossing the country by train is that a week is already taken off your trip, see five places and thats it time to go. Until you visit russia you just dont realise how huge it is, 8 timezones in all. I am now in Vladivostok the furtherst east i will be in the entire trip, further east than Australia. I thought this morning what would happen if FC Vladivostok ever qualified for europe some Liverpool fans trying to work out how a place 12 hour flight away was in the UEFA cup.

Most of the cities in Siberia are worth no more than a day unless you can visit the surrounding area. Yekaterinburg proved that way although i had two days there as i messed up my tickets, i thought i had booked 6am but i was looking at the date rather than the time. I managed to get out to see the Europe asia border marker which is in the ural mountains just outside of the town as well as the church of blood where the romanovs (anastasia story) met their grisly end. This was essentially everything and as there was no one else at the hostel a day relaxing by the river and the park was a good option. The mix up in tickets also meant i was able to watch england slovenia which was predictably tense and drab affair. I left fairly confident we could improve as we had won the group and had ghana in the next round.

The train station turned into a massive stress as the taxi was late and I arrived about 10 minutes before the train was due to leave and could not find it. As i was due to spend the next three days on it i could not really afford to be left behind. After frantically searching every platform it turned out it was late (nothing had been even remotely late to this point) but there was no one to explain this and after an hour or so with much relief i borded the train.

As with anything about travelling its the people and not the places that make the trip and the trans-siberian is no different. My carriage was full of people who did not speak english and did not want to try and make do with sign language etc that had tipified my time in eastern europe to this point. It proved to be three days of severe boredom as i proceeded to max out my ipod and books while staring out of the window at scenery that never changed. Since moscow the route of the train has showed countryside that to me looks like the wild west era of the USA. A group of small wooden cabbins amidst the forest and grass, with people eaking a living off small plots of land. Apart from the inevitable satelite dishes life has not changed much in hundreds of years. Outside of the cities and towns which are all 10+ hours apart its like serfdom of old.

The next stop was irkutsk next to lake Baikal. I had been looking forward to this for ages as i have hardly been able to hike or explore any countryside. I had an afternoon in irkutsk which despite the guidebook calling it the paris of siberia was plenty. I met tom (english) and patrick (dane/german) at the hostel and together we went out on a night out i shall remember for a long time. As there was little else to do we had a few beers in a bar where i expected to see england play ghana until patrick broke the news that england were playing germany the next day. A few beers led us to a packed club where everyone was in swim wear. Despite being heavily overdressed we headed in and soon realised why as it turned into a massive foam party with some very friendly locals. Im not sure what time it finished or we left but the three of us im pretty sure just made the bus at 7.45 the next morning heading to Olkhon island.

Olkhon was an amazing place, we reached the island itself after 4 hours of driving before having another 3 hours to get to the village where we were staying. Desperately in need of some sleep i managed part of the journey but after the ferry it disintegrated into essentially driving accross the peak district with no road. Everyone drives the old soviet trucks that will go anywhere and do anything and even a 4x4 i doubt would have made it. Kuzhir the village had only got electricity 5 years ago and was stuck in a time warp with wooden houses and cows wandering around the streets. Luckily that evening we found a tv and twenty people (90% german) crowded around the 5 inch screen to watch the game. Completely gutted.

I had a few days on the island and managed despite the drizzling weather a mountain bike ride accross the central hills to the deserted east of the island, as well as a tour. I even managed a swim althought the 7 degree water was hardly inviting. The guest house we stayed in was properly rustic with outdoor toilets and showers but three meals a day of home cooked amazing food. Your realise that Baikal is huge not only in surface area as well as the depth over a mile in some places. Standing on the cliffs you could see forever. I took so many photos which i shall sort through before uploading although i didnt see a seal.

I was gutted to leave so early but my train was the next morning. It was 72 hours but his time with some nice russians Serghei his wife and his mother, who were heading back to the air force base in vladivostok after visiting home. Most russians i have met on the train are in the armed forces and these guys showed true hospitality stuffing endless quantities of home made schnapps, beer, smoked fish, sausage and cheese down me. Its no suprise you dont see many old guys and those over 30 have a mouth full of gold teeth as the diet is horrendous. The time passed really quickly getting off at a few stations to catch some fresh air and sample the delights being sold on the platforms.

There is not a great deal to do in vladivostok apart from get ready for my flight on wednesday to japan. Really looking forward to it although i think a massive culture shock is due.

Crossing continents

Two and a half months gone and i am now in asia having crossed the Ural mountains on the 28 hour train from Moscow to Yekaterinburg. Im going to the monument that marks the border between the two continents tonight before my train leaves on the two day trip to Irkutsk and lake Baikal. I spoke to some guys in the hostel here doing a similar trip to me and we couldnt work out where the legend of the trans siberian came from as its so boring not like the Vodka train i had been led to expect. Its mainly families and dads going home from the army. The guy i shared a cabin with was pretty cool we had a few beers and he spoke a bit of english but there is only so far sign language and podcasts can take you.

Russia is really starting to grow on me as St Petersburg really was a non event in the end with most days consisiting of either the warm irish bar or the sofa for the football. I made it to the hermitage after standing in a queue in the rain for an hour and a half which was pretty amazing much like the louvre but on a smaller scale. Other than this a short walk round the centre of town took in the church of spilled blood which was pretty cool but it has got to the stage now and i hate to say it but youve seen one church you have seen them all. I also saw the peter and paul fortress which has a political prison which held many of the famous names of the various russian uprisings as well as the cathedral where many of the royal family where buried. Compared to the reviews i have heard about st petersburg i have no idea why everybody raves about it. Its ok at best nothing compared to what was to come in Moscow.

The Soul Kitchen hostel was pretty nice and i met some canadians there who i bumped into again in moscow. We had one night out in St Petersburg with Iliya and various other russians with loose associations to the hostel. We left at about 11pm after the Germany v Australia match. Iliya said if you dont come with us you will never find the bar and it was true as he also could not find it. Maybe an hour walking round and round before behind an anonymous door we found the bar. It was pretty nice but largely quiet so rounds of jagermeister was called for to fix the atmosphere. We ended up following some other people to another bar which again took ages to find despite the constant daylight as it just doesnt get dark. This one was completely dead and after having a russian stress his love for jenson button for what seemed like hours i left to get some sleep before the train to moscow.

I arrived in moscow pretty much as it was getting dark and straight away had to experience the metro. Im pretty sure this has to be the best metro in the world with huge stations of glittering marble and chandeliers as well as being easy to navigate and having a reliable service. I dont know why but this was the beginning of a major liking for moscow. The hostel turned out to be right in the posh area and a perfect base for exploring. The first two days involved major stress in aquiring a japan rail pass as i found the place on the edge of town but they didnt take cards and my withdrawl limit was 1/4 of what i needed per day. Everywhere you find this, russia is modern in some respects but back in the dark ages for everything else. In the end i had to use my emergency currency card and i have no idea how much this cost me in fees but i have the pass which is all that matters.

I also had to register my visa which i completely forgot to do in St Petersburg. Russia ends up being quite expensive with all the little burocratic things invites, visas, registration. It really is a pain. But Moscow itself was really great although more for the atmosphere than any sightseeing. The guidebook describes it as imposing and forbidding but i found it really enjoyable. Knowing cyrillic and a few words helps massively as i had a completely different excperience to some guys i met from leeds who hated it so much. There really is not alot to do apart from Red Square which has the Kremlin, St Basils Cathedral and Lenins Mausoleum. The kremlin is pretty cool and consists of a massive red wall surrounding five cathedrals with the actual government building a bit of a side show. St Basils is worth the trip alone and really is mesmeric as you first get a glimpse then see it get closer and more and more colourful. Lenins mausoleum take it or leave it really, it was a pain to get in as you cant take cameras, phones or anything else and the queue is pretty long for something that looks like a wax work.

The final night in moscow everyone in my dorm went on one mad night out as they were going to japan the next day and i was starting the trans siberian. Starting off with 9% vodka red bull from a several cans and then being bought a constant stream of huge shots by russians in the club means i cant really describe anything else as i have no clue as to what happened apart from a good time was had by all!! Cant wait for the rest of Russia now

Into the north

The dreaded has actually happened and im ill. A severe case of man flu is all i need with the trans siberian five days away. Stupidly i had left Kiev in t shirt and shorts as for the fourth day in a row it was over 30 degrees. I think more in hope than anything else i believed St Petersburg to be at least similar. Arriving i was severely disappointed it was like winter, dark sky, heavy clouds and torrents of rain. Perfect for walking round for hours on end. To be honest though St Petersburg really isnt that amazing a few things were ok like the hermitage museum which is like a mini louvre but apart from that i dont see what the fuss is about.

The whole of ukraine was baking hot perfect for seeing the amazing sights it has to offer but not quite so good for long journeys. Sevastopol to Lviv - 25 hours and officially my longest journey so far. Unfortunately the only tickets remaining were for 3rd class, essentially a vodka fuelled 50 person free for all. I had pretty much the worst bed right at the top in the corridor, no where to sit upright, nowhere to put my stuff and about three people to climb over everytime i needed to get up. The ipod and pot noodles were rationed as essentials to stave off madness. Unlike most other trains the ones in eastern europe only have two windows per carriage that open and at points it is unbearably hot which is why lots of people sit unabashedly half naked.

The train wasnt in truth that bad and lviv really was worth it. As i have said to people here if Lviv was anywhere in western europe it would easily be the most visited attraction. As it was there were a few tourists but essentially authentic. The city itself has hundreds of amazing churches which on a sunday were all packed to overflowing. Most days were just spent wandering around enjoying the weather and cafe culture but before my night train to kiev i got to go shooting with the guy from the hostel. Five different soviet era weapons with five bullets for each. They ranged from the rubbish pistol, to an ak-47, a sniper rifle that nearly took my shoulder off and a semi-automatic shotgun with solid slug. In most countries the ammunition and guns are all banned but you can shoot here with no training. I love eastern europe.

From Lviv to Kiev it is only 8 hours so on board the train sleep and your there. The hostel i was staying was very highly rated and i can see why. The polish owner cooked amazing food, it was a great location and was packed. As soon as i arrived i received a full day tour of the city from this ukrainian guy who was staying there. I think we did pretty much everthing including the cave monastery with the mumified monks. This is the number one thing to do but a minutes worth of cadavers is really a highlight for me. The rest of the time i spent looking through the flea markets. Its amazing what you can find. The stuff you were looking at in the museum you can buy out in the street. I have so far managed to get a Heroes of Stalingrad Medal and one from Sevastopol as well. The australians and i at the hostel also found out the secret to ukrainian drinking as well as there low life expectancy. Pig fat. All shots are quickly followed by a slice of fat that suprisingly tastes amazing as well as leaving no traces of a hangover. Somehow i dont think this will take off in the UK.

Anyway train to moscow leaves in two hours so have to get my stuff ready.

A monkey on my back

Absolutely shattered after getting off a direct 25 hour night train to Lvov. Honestly it was one of the worst things i have done not only because in third class you are in close confines in a hot carriage with 49 other people but unlike hopefully the trans siberian there is nothing to do apart from listen to my ipod and no one to talk to. Hey ho thats what you get for coming to places like this.

After chisinau i had taken the 4 hour bus to Odessa the party capital of Ukraine on the black sea. I arrived at the time i hate most 2.30 in the morning. Its too early too stay up and not pay for a night in a hostel but too late to make good use of a bed. Anyway i found the hostel after collecting about 20 helpers on the way from the station and after waking Luba the manager up crashed until midday. The last couple of weeks haven't been that great weather wise but when i woke up it was already 33 degrees. A stroll around was all i could muster after an attempt to send some post home. Take 1 ended with me trying out the classic english tactic of speaking english louder, take 2 i tried in my incredibly limited russian no good. Take 3 i walked back to the hostel and got Luba to write it down in Ukranian. Literally nobody speaks even a word of english here its a nightmare and to make it worse everything is written in cyrillic but all the maps are in english, impossible to compare.

By the time i had got back to the hostel some Kazakhs had arrived and were already into there second bottle of vodka. After much persuading lol they agreed to go out after the Klitschko fight at midnight. After a couple of bars we all headed out to Arcadia beach where there are lots of clubs on the sea front. We were there till about 5am before going back to the hostel to continue the party. Im not entirely sure but i think i went to bed at around 8am as the sun was already quite warm.

Not surprisingly the rest of the day for me was a complete write off although despite having drunk maybe half of what the others had i was by far the worst. By around 4pm i managed a walk to the beach before the second night out began. The kazakhs sergei, sergei, oleg and andrei were already at the vodka and had cooked pimini for everyone which was amazing. Another english guy josh also arrived and we went out for a second time this time just around the local Odessa bars. It was another late one, the thing about drinking till the next day you wake up more drunk than when you went to bed, its a bit of a shock to the system.

The beach was again the best option and despite the port nearby i took a swim in the clean but absolutely freezing black sea. That night i took the 12 hour night train to Sevastopol in the Crimea. Ukraine really isn't the best place for rushing around or trying to squeeze in an extra place or two as everything is a night train or a full day from everywhere else. Sevastopol is the home of the Russian fleet and is covered in ornamental parks and statues. Again everything was in Cyrillic but by now i have managed to work out not how to speak it but at least to read it. I was at the hostel with Chris (ozzie) and Adam (kiwi) who were a good laugh with the national rivalry banter. We headed out on a day trip to Object 221 which took 15 years to build and was due to be the command center for the black sea fleet. Unfortunately the USSR collapsed a year after it was finished and it was never used. The place is well off the beaten track and consists of four story building inside a mountain with ramps you could drive a truck up. It was pitch black inside so we had to use head torches to explore. This was followed by the submarine base in balaklava. Until 1996 Sevastopol was a closed city and balaklava was completely off limits. All this ex soviet stuff once the most secret places on earth you can now just wander round.

The Crimea is at the cross roads of many civilizations so we visited Bakchasaray which used to be the old Tatar capital when they ruled the area. The city has a completely intact Tatar palace which was well worth a vist as well as a cave monastery in an nearby cliff and a cave city right on the summit of an escarpment that we had to hike up to. Despite being well out of the way the crimea was well worth a trip although for the entire 25 hour train journey to lvov i was cussing the unplanned detour.