Thoughts 2017-04-26T11:24:04+00:00

world_6Our Thoughts!

One of our main thoughts after reading this entire website, after our return was how much we seemed to complain about the 100+ degree heat, tropical rain, bugs, floods, poor accomodation, awful food, rats, lack of air conditioning, etc.

So we have two options: Remove all the negative remarks – or – Leave it as it is.

We told it as it was at the time – so yes it’s staying as it is.

Given the chance we would both do it all again tomorrow and like Amanda said

“all it takes is a credit card”

So watch this space!!!!!

Sri Lanka

My first thought when we got off the plane was “Crikey, it’s a bit warm, this might take some getting used to!” out of the airport and escorted to our car, one of many men waiting there wanted to put our rucksacks in the boot of the car for some spare change. After coming out of a temple one day a young boy walked with me for about half a mile trying desperately to sell me a hand carved Budhu, he was really annoying. Driving further into the country we saw mud huts, we both had the same thought “do people really live in these still?” Then we saw people washing their clothes on the river bank, wow! Only a week away and already I felt quite ignorant to what’s going on in the rest of the world. I should have bought the Budha!

Sri Lanka is a wonderful, beautiful country full of amazing and very proud people, they work incredibly hard for what they have got, which actually isn’t much. Definately not rich with money but very rich with life.

I can’t name a single favourite memory of Sri Lanka because there are too many but I remember seeing a man walking and carrying two wooden bed frames and a chest on his head in the 100 degree heat and being told he will keep walking until he sells all three, however many days it takes – – – – what a dude!

Thailand

Thailand! Where do I start? The country of smiles! Everyone is so happy all the time, so helpful, wonderful people. I could spend a year here and still want more! Bangkok is simply amazing, so hot and humid but you get used to it. The food looked a bit of a worry at first, I approached with caution but after a few samples of a few dishes of whatever it was I was hooked. Now Thai food is the best in the world! I love it.

Tuk tuks,,, just how much fun are they? and for about 5 pence a mile, thinking back they are all accidents looking for a place to happen! Cool! I couldn’t believe how cheap it was in Thailand, if the prices tripled overnight it would still be cheap.

Best meals: Apples in Kanchanaburi and a fish restaurant in Phi Phi Don, Red Snapper in a chilli sauce – Awesome.

Hottest meal, Kanchanaburi by the bridge, I ate a chilli that should of had a government health warning. I think I went to the moon and back that evening! Oh wow!

Worst memory: Catching the bamboo fever or whatever it was in Ko Tao, oh and having to go and visit Dr Bamboo because of it. All credit though he fixed me up in a few days. No other bad memories apart from having to leave!

Vietnam

Motorbikes! and anyone who has been to Vietnam will say the same, thousands and thousands of them. A family of five on a small motorbike is quite normal, a fridge freezer on another shows their determination to get the job done! Food is a bit of a worry here, I am Mr fussy when it comes to food and this place gave me a sample of what hunger is all about. I used to think hunger was when you had missed breakfast and lunch and had to call in a sweet shop for a couple of mars bars! The odd bread roll and a small taste of a couple of Vietnamese dishes was my food for two weeks! Now that I have found out about hunger, I hope I never experience starvation.

Vietnam is another country of many poor people (especially in the north) but this doesn’t seem to make them less happy. The only beggars you see are people with arms and/ or legs missing or worse! You won’t see an able bodied person begging. Pride is a big thing here, with their immaculate clothes and their gleaming shoes they march down the street with their head up high. It makes sure you think!

Every day here you get a “wow” factor, whether it’s the motorbikes, listening to stories from a native, rowing through the mangroves, riding in a taxi, crouching through a military tunnel, or simply walking the streets. A wonderful education, a fantastic experience and an incredible county.

Biggest memory was sleeping under the stars on an old wooden rat infested boat because we didn’t want to sleep downstairs, only to be moved on again by the rats in the early hours of the morning…. fantastic!

Worst memory was the frequent smell that can only be described as similar to burning wet dog… can you imagine?

Australia

First thing I saw in the arrivals lounge at Sydney: A man wearing shorts and a long pair of socks that came up to the bottom of his shorts…. what’s all that about? It made me smile!

The first week in Oz I had “wow” overload, every view, every beach and the space, so much space, seeing signs with the population of the towns (I think the lowest was 56ish)

The people again are so friendly (why don’t we get this in England?) Everyone has time for a chat and they’re interested in what you have to say….. Even the Police always seem to have a friend or a passer by chatting and laughing with them,, Yes, people like them in Oz!! never seen that in England…

I thought I was going to see and get attacked by all sorts of wildlife including killer spiders,, seen more spiders at home. We regularly saw frogs in the campsite shower rooms and the odd possum wandering around outside… wonderful!

Gas cookers (they called them BBQ’s) in most parks for anyone to use which would probably get vandalised or stolen in England, great to see a family or group of friends cooking their evening meal outside with a few tinnies!!

Preferred Sydney and Noosa the best, started getting a bit bored for the last 2 weeks in Oz up by Cairnes, I think I was going troppo! intense heat, humidity and mozzies got the better of me in the end. It wouldn’t stop me from going back though!!

New Zealand

As far away from England as you can get but the closest to England you can get.

Another wonderful country full of wonderful people. Everything seemed so colourful, the land, the cities, the little towns.

Half of our time here was spent dodging the worst floods seen in their history. Even so, what we saw was terrific. We did seem to stay in a few rough places here but it didn’t seem to make any difference to us.

There seems to be quite a lot going on here in a modest way, haven’t finished yet,,,,,,,,,,, you’ll have to come back!!!!

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Such a tiny island, one side seemed to be very rainy and the other side was always sunny,, weird!

Quite a lot of poor people, one man told me he works all day which covers his bills and in the evening he and his wife bake bread for shops to sell, he said he would never be able to afford to go abroad, sad!

The perfect place to get away from it all and just chill out, not a lot going on here. Perfect for us to gather our thoughts and prepare to go home 🙁

Well, not before a visit to Las Vegas first,, hey?

U.S.A.

I’m not sure about America! Five months of travelling and not one moment where we felt uncomfortable or out of our comfort zone. Sri Lanka with its army check points and the threat of trouble in the north, Thailand’s Cities or jungles late at night, Vietnam’s very poor areas and ghetto style streets at 1 o’clock in the morning, all these places and more we never felt that we had to watch our back once. As soon as we were out of Los Angeles Airport we both noticed a clicky feel, need to be alert here! This continued throughout our stay.

Food! Where can you buy a decent meal over there??

Three places I (we) loved were Santa Barbera, Carmel and WoW Las Vegas. Fantastic!

I’ve travelled through seven States in total (although Amanda has done more, well she would do wouldn’t she!) 🙂 and I can’t say that I need to go back. There are to many other fantastic places on the travelling menu!

Biggest memories are Bellagio Fountains, our Bellagio room! saying wow 50 times as I drove into Vegas for the first time. Hiring a car with a Cook Island driving licence as they wouldn’t accept my UK one! Interesting!

Going out for a burger (the only option) at midnight in downtown whereever, bit of a worry!

England

I knew I was back in England when I ordered 2 coffees at a cafe in Heathrow Airport, the guy looked at me funny, he took my money and grunted, gave me the coffee and grunted then onto the next customer. Why is this the norm in England?

Great to be home in a way, nice to see family and friends for the first time in months, but after a week reality kicks in followed by the big depression, that lasted for a couple of months. All I could think about was how to get back out there!

I’m still here!!!

For now 🙂

Sri Lanka

My very first thought of this country was how green, humid and happy it was.
Out of the main cities the land was so lush, crammed full of every green plant fighting for a bit of space anywhere it could muster.

It also amazed me that due to the religion, animals walked anywhere they darn well liked. Cows would mooch along the busiest road without a care in the world as people jostled around them in their cars. Very funny sight!

One sight that made me feel so much respect for this country was the children. They would live in tiny, basic mud huts but have such pride in their education that they would emerge from these huts in their pristine white, gleaming uniforms, grinning as they walked to school.. It looked like something out of a Persil advert! It is instilled into them that school and education is the most important thing for them to have a good and happy life… wish it was like that in England.. I think our country is far too spoilt.

Another thing that made mw feel very good about this country was the ethos of the Buddhist religion. Everywhere there were scripts telling people that we must respect everything around us, the plants and animals, they are all a part of us and should be respected as such… very much the way I live my life albeit I don’t sit in lotus positions and chant….

Thailand

There is so much of a variety here. You could spend months and still not see all that this country has to offer. Huge bustling cities, pretty little farming communities, hillside villages and culture and all those stunning little islands, all in one country.

I am so pleased that the Thai’s know what they have and so look after it. I hear that many people think that Thailand has been ruined and we could certainly see patches of over development, but it still is the most beautiful country, and still has the tranquillity that most travellers look for – you just have to look a little harder. Yes, there are travellers EVERYWHERE, but that kind of adds to the charm and by travelling off the beaten track, untouched, un-travelled Thailand is very much still there.

The people are extraordinary. Very beautiful, friendly and smiley. Coming from grumpy old miserable England, it was a daily shock to see the coat hanger smiles of the Thai’s. The children were cheeky giggly and playful, the homeless still had a bright white grins and everyone just seemed to be at peace.

We made a point of walking around Bangkok at night, in order to see the less pleasant side of life. The worst we saw was a huge obnoxious American woman hurling abuse at poor unsuspecting waiter because her wallet had been stolen.

Vietnam

Anything after Thailand I thought would be a disappointment. We heard from other travellers that it’s a harder, less friendly and dirtier place, and indeed it was but it had its own most incredible charm.

We flew into Hanoi and the messy, dirty, noisy, smelly bustle of the place was a shock.. and people did smile a heck of a lot less – but then they had a heck of a lot less to smile about.

The aftermath of the American war was everywhere. From the bullet marked buildings to the hideous disfigurements of the homeless, it all drove home the pure nastiness of this war.

Children came up to us with school books asking us ‘white people’ what we thought of the war, the aftermath and who was right. It was a fascinating insight to the ‘other sides’ views of a war. One thing we noticed though was the lack of resentment. Although the museums certainly took a dim view of the Americans, the everyday people certainly did not, and my goodness they had a lot to resent.

The forests were only just recovering from the effects of Agent Orange and napalm, and some places were still no go areas due to mines, which still manage to blow children’s legs of.

Enough of the war, the natural beauty of the country is awesome. Dragons Teeth Mountains scatter the countryside in-between flat lush green paddy fields dotted with buffalo and conical hat farmers. Its everything that a stereotypical view of Vietnam is. Totally from a postcard.

Yes the people are harder, less friendly and are ALWAYS after a buck and a scam, but luckily we caught onto scams very fast and did all we could to scam them right back. That and the beggars really were quite warring, but after a bit of a thought, the annoyance left us and understanding crept in.

Singapore

They must hire a zillion street cleaners in this place. It is spotless.
There isn’t a blade of grass unturned, not a weed in sight. Everything is swept, scrubbed, dressed, clipped, and cleaned for the wealthy international shopper.

I have never seen so many shops, all full of fantastic things, many of which I have never seen before. We arrived here just before Christmas, so obviously the array of products to buy and the elaborate decorations on the trees and in the shops enhanced the cities splendour all the more.

And of course Raffles… what a sight. It was magnificent.

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

A little drop of paradise. Have the two extremes here… extreme 5 star luxury and just the other side of the dirt track, a shack put together with palm leaves, mud and a prayer.

Incredible. Fantastic lush greenery, stunning turquoise shallows, bath like warm water and totally unrecognisable, but fantastically tasty food.

A wonderful place to sip champagne, watch the magical sunset and listen to the soft drums and jingles of Polynesian music.