10/12/09 - 22/12/09, Peru

We know a few of you out there have been to Peru before and loved it so it´s fair to say that before arriving we felt under a little pressure to make the most of it! But we are starting to feel a little jaded now after 9 months on the road and the budget has been squeezed a smidgen too so we weren´t sure if we would really manage to do Peru justice.

However, our plans took a twist and were given a boost by meeting an Irish couple in Santiago who are pretty much doing the same trip as us but "the other way round". This reassured us that we´re not crazy or, there´s 4 crazy travellers on the loose at the moment? So with renewed energy we set about deciding what sights we could fit in to our 2 weeks.

The first relic (there´s a few to choose from in Peru) being the bizzare Nazca Lines. Ancient pictures in the desert, which you can only see from a plane or UFO as some theories imply. Sadly, even with renewed optimisim we couldn´t afford the UFO tickets, but we did get 2 out of the 6 seats going on the microlight plane. Luckily, our contacts had also warned us to ¨skip breakfast and take a travel sickness tablet¨ - these turned out to be words of wisdom!

And when we arrived at the airport (a pretty small one it has to be said), like most backpacking tours there was a little jostling to see who was going to get the best seats - but we (Graham only) had a secret weapon - chubbiness!!! Being the heaviest of the passengers Graham was upgraded to the cockpit to balance out the weight ratio with the ¨portly¨ pilot - result! And I was able to sit right behind next to the airvent, which stopped things getting really messy later :)

Now, a wee trip in a microlight would have been an experience for us in itself (beats the pricey red letter days you have to fork out for at home), but we were also flying and banking heavily so we could get good views of the Nazcas - very weird! And massive! The shadow of the plane was just a dot in comparison. A fascinating trip - 30 minutes well spent!

So on to the next stop - Cusco and the gateway to Machu Picchu. At this point we hadn´t had any real intention of trekking the Inca Trail but a couple of fellow backpackers let us in on the secret that in low season you can just turn up and get a cheap deal. It sounded too good to be true but it sparked our interest. Of course there´s always someone who says ¨no way, you have to arrange a permit 6 weeks in advance¨- for the record this turned out to be s**t*!

But we needed to get to Cusco and its dizzying altitude of 3600m before we could check if we were in luck. And we set out to do this in comfort in ¨cama¨ luxury - i.e. the really comfy seats that recline way back and make the memories of the buses in India seem like hell ....... but ...... there´s always something you´ve overlooked. Like the road from Nazca to Cusco being the windiest road ever! So no matter how comfy those seats were, there was very little sleep to be had. Although there was still a positive - Graham won at ¨bus bingo!!" That´s how far our Spanish has come on - we can count! It was a pretty good prize too - if we´d been planning a return trip to Lima on the ¨bus with no sleep".

Bleary eyed we arrived in Cusco but this was soon followed with breathlessness too (try saying that when you can´t breath!) - damn altitude sickness! But the good news was that the rumours were true and we did manage to get a good deal on the Inca Trek - sorted!

However, similar to jet lag the altitude sickness basically grounded us for a few days with the only thing we could do was worrying about whether or not we´d just wasted money on a trek when we couldn´t even walk to the Plaza and back! Graham wasn´t worrying about whether the altitude sickness would kill us......it was worse than that.......we could have wasted money!!!

We are pleased to say that no such catastrophe occurred and we made it all the way to Machu Picchu.....but it was tough, by the afternoon of day 3 I just wanted to cry!!! And Day 2 which they call "Dead Woman´s Pass" or the "Gringo Killer" wasn´t a walk in the park either!

I´m starting to think trekking is like childbirth - really painful at the time but you go back and do it again later?....... at this point in time I´m never trekking again ...... nothing wrong with taking the train :) Saying that, it was an amazing experience to actually do (and complete!) the trek and follow in the footsteps of the Incas - they really did pick the most serene locations to settle down. Machu Picchu has made it into our top 5 highlights of the trip so far :)

But after all that hard work we thought a wee massage wouldn´t go a miss to help with the recovery process ..... mmmmm ....... you can imagine my giggles when the last words I heard from Graham before he went for his massage were -"bad time to have a dose of the runs!!!!!!" ........ sure was ...... particularly as it was a full body massage which included the buttocks!!!! .......we did leave a tip :(

Off now to Bolivia for Christmas and we´re pleased to say feeling like we had made a real effort in Peru - and maybe we´ll be back one day to see a bit more ..... Machu Picchu is definitely somewhere we wouldn´t mind seeing again and again!

Chile - "Buenos Noches Amigos"

We've made it to South America for the very first time - exciting!! And crossing the international date line and arriving in a new continent 5 hours before we had left the last one was also a bit of a novelty - that is, until we were hit by a serious dose of jet lag........for a whole week!!!.....be warned time travel has its downsides!

It also meant that 'Wee G' was able to put off turning 35 for an extra 24 hours. Alright for some - time travel and slowing down the ageing process! Although, we're now not sure if his birthday should really be on the 19th next year?

But it wasn't difficult to party this year in Santiago - as Santiago Rocks!! ..... and there was no sense in wasting the extra time we'd been gifted so we got stuck into celebrating with some Chilean Homebrew. And would you believe it the guy crooning at the bar started to sing "Wise Men Say" - now if my Spanish had been more advanced than "uno, dos, tres" at this point I would have requested that one myself!

I'm afraid there's then not much to blog about for the next few days as we pretty much slept until 4.00pm each day and chatted at 4.00am! But no time to rest too long as we had to make our way down to Pucon to meet Stephen & Natalie - so we headed off to the bus station for the first of our many bus journeys in South America. Bus travel in itself is a highlight here!

Have to say it's pretty weird when your brother and his fiance just pop round to your hostel thousands of miles from home when you haven't seen anyone for 8 months. Mind you I think it was pretty weird for them too, particularly as G has turned all hairy! But it was great to see them and Mum now has proof that we are still alive and well and we're not just a recording on Skype!

And we were lucky to get the chance to be the first to celebrate their engagement with them......and to hear their plans for the Big Day when we get back - exciting!!!! (but Susie - you will be disturbed and worried to hear that Natalie has asked me to help with the arrangements......the day I have been elevated to a Wedding Planner is not a good one!!!!... I feel alas I'll never be able to do as good a job as you but I perhaps have a more willing client :)

However, I still need to split my time between weddings and travel so back to Chile. Well, I forgot to point out the obvious - Chile is as long as Australia is big! And after 8 months on the road I think we've nearly peaked with the amount of long distance public transport we can cope with so alas for this trip we've had to put some of the best bits of Chile on ice :( - and some of the best bits of Chile involve a lot of ice!

But not to worry I have already planned our next holiday, granted that may not be until about 2015!....but we'll be able to ramp up to holiday comfort with flights everywhere! - one to Santiago, another one to Easter Island and another one right down the bottom to Torres Del Paine (I'm looking forward to it already but to really top it of we'd love to come back here with Elaine & Manuel - Manuel, you are rightly proud of Chile it is a beautiful country).

Although we have still managed to see some of the sights and soak up the culture this time - we had the most amazing seafood in Castro on Chiloe, (which included the biggest oysters ever for about 40p so was also the biggest bargain ever!), gawped at the snow clad volcanoes, fished on one of the many rivers, learnt a bit about the ancient history and admired the skill of the ChinChinNero man!!!! (he is a talented one man band who also twirls at the same time - it did not look easy!)

And we've had a good time interacting with the locals - Chileans are very congenial and warm in nature so it's not been difficult! We've also been intrigued by Spanish so we are hoping we will be slightly better than pigeons at the end of 3 months. But it would be great to go to some classes when we get back too as there is always an element of embarassment to travelling when you are from the UK - as we are always the ones who have to say "habla ingles?".

However, that's not to say we haven't tried, and if you know Graham well you'll know that he'll give most things a shot, but sometimes regardless of his skill level!! An amusing example of this was when we were trying to get somewhere nice booked in Copacabana at Lake Titicaca for Chrimbo. Our first attempt of emailing failed with no reponse, so we gave them a call but alas this also fell flat on its face as the chap on the other end was using all his 40/50 years of native Spanish and wasn't up for talking to pigeons! So what did G do?

Well, he still likes to call on his nerdiness when faced with a challenge so he googled babel fish and got it to translate what he thought would get us the Honeymoon Suite booked for Christmas. Starting with " I speak only a little Spanish......".......you ain't kidding!!!.... he was just about to tell the guy all the Spanish he knew and that didn't include the other 3 lines!!!!! I did have to stop him before he actually embarked on this call as the guy had already put the phone down once! But we compromised and used babel fish to ask the hotel owner to call for us instead, which was just as well as the guy even cut her off 3 times!! Anyway, we have it booked now :)...just New Year to sort out!

P.S. If you fancy seeing where we are going to be for Christmas check it out below (nice?) :-
http://www.hotelcupula.com/

New Zealand in Colour!

Now there's a first!! - a blog followed quickly by the photos (that's not likely to happen twice!)

You'll see in these pictures that I was being stalked by a Fisherman, and there is a prize for whoever can tell me how many times he appears!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4163290&l=374388f46d&id=810223271

New Zealand is stunningly beautiful!

That's all we really need to say but that would leave this blog entry a little bit brief. So to elaborate, it has taken all the best bits of other countries and rolled them into one - Scotland, Canada, Switzerland, America, Norway, Iceland, France, Nepal, Laos and of course Hobbiton! Stunning doesn't really do justice to some of the Majestic Mountains in the South Island - it was by far our favourite.

But as with all beautiful scenic places NZ does have a touch of the "parochial" about it - if you've seen "Flight of the Conchords", Murray really does exist! That's not saying that Kiwis are unfriendly but perhaps some are not so worldly and are used to their own patch and their own habits!

An amusing example of this was when we were trying to find the Ferry Terminal in Auckland. We harmlessly popped into what seemed like some sort of tourist office to ask for quick directions only to be met with a look of horror from the man behind the desk, and a rather perplexed "I'm National Parks" response. However, he did eventually deviate from his job description just enough to tell us it was just down the road on the right!

We also had another "affronted" encounter at the tourist office in Rotaru. We were just enquiring into "what you could do/what was cheap enough to get a look in on our budget", when the offer of going to see some "sheep shearing" was put to us. We said thanks very much but we're Scottish and pointed out that we have lots of our own sheep back home - this was met with a look that said "that'll be the last piece of helpful advice you'll be getting from me, and what's wrong with sheep shearing tourism anyway?"

There's more..... when in a pub in Queenstown Graham was caught "slightly mocking" the accent of a local. Let's just say this didn't go down well and it was pointed out for his own benefit that "it was a small town" (although we had worked that out already).

So what else were we doing except gawping at scenery and trying to understand the Kiwi psyche....FISHING! Graham was partaking in this Kiwi way of life all day every day - well not quite all day seen as the best times for fishing are early morning and evening. Sadly, even I know where and when it's good to fish these days!! But his efforts were rewarded - we've had Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Carroway and Mullet for tea! Graham even got taken out by a bunch of Kiwi's on an old boys boat - they thought he was an amateur but he caught the only 2 fish!

However, not all Kiwis pass the time with hobbies as sedate and tranquil as fishing. No, you can ramp up the adrenalin and pretty much throw yourself off anything around here - bungy off bridges, glide off mountains and roll yourself down hills in giant hamster balls!..........maybe next time........

More photos - China this time!

Be warned there are a few of them.....
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=166528&id=810223271&l=2ea07a0b5f

Photos from Laos!

With Graham fishing 24/7 in New Zealand I'm getting plenty of time to catch up with all these photos.....only Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Australia and NZ to go now! You did say you wanted to see some photos??......and don't worry, I'm not posting all 7,000!!!

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=163195&id=810223271&l=208fa87fcb

Photies from Japan!

I'm getting the hang of this now!!

More photos from Japan are on facebook or you should be able to get them with links below:-
www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=161027&id=810223271&l=3c135d5f81

and from the Whisky Society:-
www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=162795&id=810223271&l=eae78d28eb

Australia - what you should know!

We've already mentioned a few of the things we got up to so we'll not bore you with the full itinerary. We'll just stick to the things that stood out:-

1) Australia is actually very very big!
Us Scottish/English/Europeans should really realise this before we get here - but it's not the case. Take note, it is the size of Europe and how much of Europe do we visit on a regular basis? We spent 24 hours on a bus just to go from North to South Queensland - and we were gutted when we found out we could have taken the 1.5 hour plane trip for 20 dollars less!!

2) It is far, far away!
Again we should really know this but it's not until you get here that you can actually appreciate how far it is - it took us 5 months after all. And to us it felt like being on another planet not just the other side of the same one! It's so big you spend most of your time getting your head around that and there's no room left to hang the rest of the world off the sides!

3) If you show an Aussie a vegetable they run away in fear!
(which is very surprising considering a vegetable can't kill you but a lot of the other things here can!). Oh, do they love their steak - we on occasion had it for breakfast!! That's how much the Aussie barbie rules. And if you happen to be a vegetable that doesn't go well with steak you are probably extinct over here!!

4) You can just pop in off the street and watch their Prime Minister at question time!
I'd like to see Gordon Brown entertaining such behaviour. We happened to be passing one afternoon in Canberra so we wandered in to see what Mr Rudd was up to. Being heckled by an MP from Sydney actually - "tell the truth Rudd" "tell the truth" - he was thown out for that, which is not unusual. Their parliament is nothing like our stuffy formal lot - no here, let's just say its what we'd call laid back. And Mr Speaker is the best, if you start rambling you get a very dry "you're times up, shut up". If you get the chance you should have a wee listen online it's very amusing.

5) Uluru is a big rock!
We heard many Aussies describe it in this way when it came up in conversation. And to be fair, it is just that - a big rock. But it is a very enchanting one at that - we thought it was mesmorising, so much so that we watched it twice at sunset and spent 3 hours walking round it (but we didn't climb it). If you're going to Oz make sure you go to the Red Centre and see it (if you don't, then you're probably Australian).

6) Australian's love their rock!
Not the Blackpool or Uluru kind but the 80's kind. We went to a pub in Jindabyne where this was evident - everyone knew the words too - even though we'd never heard it. But maybe the 3 blokes with the moustaches and the one with the cape had over done it a bit! Not to mention the Benny from Abba look alike - or maybe it was him??

7) If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef - go soon!
It's truly amazing but it does look as though it is struggling a bit. The coral and the fish are beautiful - and I even saw a Reef Shark.

8) There's some scary things in Oz!
After reading Bill Bryson's book I was surprised to find any of my relatives still alive! Thankfully the only deadly beast we saw was 'Scarface' the 5m Croc and that was from the safety of a boat. Graham was reassured though as Croc's always go for the smallest animal/human so he was ready to push me overborad if need be!

9) The Great Ocean Road is more spectacular than Highway 1!
At least that's what we think - make sure it's on your list.

10) Time your visit with a Sandstorm in Sydney!
We were up at 5.30 that morning to go catch our plane to Ayres Rock and our first thoughts were - "the antipodean sunrise is amazing", "Bill Bryson didn't mention this in his book he must have been too hungover to get up this early" (sorry Bill). However, when our taxi driver informed us that he'd not seen anything like this in the last 25 years we realised it didn't happen everday! It was bizarre - it felt like being in a zombie movie, we were the only humans left! (we were pretty sure our taxi driver wasn't, his laugh was too evil sounding). And once visibility was better than 50m we did make it to Uluru only 30 minutes late. Luckily for us when they opened the airport again they put us on an earlier flight - result! And, we were only a slight tinge of red all over!

11) The animals, birds and plants in Australia are unique!
They just have some of the strangest and most colourful. And if you are a true Aussie you'll never have been to Uluru but you will know about the birds and the bees!! Aussies must study them at school as everyone has their own list of one's they've seen and one's they've got in the garden!

12) Aussie's love their sport!
Everyone follows something whether it's rugby league, union or aussie rules.

13) Saying all this, our firm advice is DON'T go to Australia - at least not right now!
The Australian dollar is at an all time high - gone are the days of 3 to 1, it was 1.75 to 1 when we were there!! Owwwwwwwww....they don't even have a recession!!! Let's just say we spent twice our budget while we were there and if we hadn't had family and friends to visit it would probably have been double that again - i.e. it may cost 4 times what you expect!! It is only slightly cheaper than Japan at the moment - you have been warned!!

14) And we couldn't leave without making reference to the BEACH!!!
Aussie's love them. And they have loads of them to love. It's the No 1 pastime - heading down to the beach!

More thanks to.....

* Bob & Anne for a lovely relaxing week in Ingham - where else could we have picked oranges from the garden for breakfast? Bob also cooks a mean steak. And thanks for letting us induldge in a day of normality with a spot of gardening;

* Nelson & Estelle for showing us the sights in Brisbane and along the Coasts and for taking us to meet 130 Koalas (there's never too many!). And for sharing a very enjoyable afternoon fishing on a boat at Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast. It's just a shame we had to buy Fish & Chips for dinner (or Fusssshhhhh & Chups as we now call them in New Zealand);

* Andrew & Violet for the loan of the fishing rods for the aforementioned trip and for the invite to the Wine Tasting (a little warm up for South America);

* Mark for opening a 30 year old vintage from his 7,000 bottle wine collection - yes, now 6,999;

* Young James for saying Graham looked like the lead singer out of Kings of Leon and to his even younger brother Harrison for saying he sounded like Shrek!;

* Jonathon, Tracey, Finlay & Fergus for letting us get to know wee Finlay with a spot of babysitting. We feel we coped well with the numerous questions - "Do you live in a Castle?", "Is it like the one in Thomas?", "What was the Loch Ness Monster like the last time you met her?" We hope we answered them honestly and we'll get saving for the "Castle" just as soon as we get back. And last, but not least, for the most amazing day out to Moreton Island where we got to do some Sandboarding (still finding some sand from that), 4x4 off roading, driving along the beach, swimming in the Lagoon and watching Turtles, Dolphins and Whales frolicking in the wild (the Dolphins were actually frolicking!). So many things we'd never done before - what a treat!

* And not to forget Cath & Emily for flying up to Brisbane so we could see them again (and say goodbye to them again too!).

After 7 weeks it was now time to head south to New Zealand for our onward journey and I have to confess to shedding a couple of tears at the airport on the way out - it was the family and friends in Oz which really made it special for us. We'll miss you all and if you could just arrange for Australia to move a little bit closer to the UK that would be great! And we'd be happy to consider a swap next year when Stephen & Natalie move to Perth (Perth, Australia that is not Perth, Scotland) - it could balance out the numbers! You're all welcome anytime and we hope to see you soon again, whether in Scotland or Oz. Thanks for looking after us x.

And now back to reality (well not quite reality yet - that's another 4 months away), but what better thing to do after we've spent the last 7 months together 24/7 (with the exception of 2 afternoons, 1 evening & a football match) than to hire a 5' x 9' campervan for the next 3 weeks!!!!(anyone looking for a husband please put in your bid to ebay - don't worry there's no reserve price any offer welcome).

Piccies from India

At long last ....... if you are still interested in seeing some photos there are now 80ish on my facebook page!!!.....yippee.....

p.s. For those of you who aren't as advanced as my mother and have yet to sign up to the horrors of Facebook this link might work, or not:-
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=157625&id=810223271&l=ef5a6d6aac

A photo at last!!!! - only took 6.5 months

2 minutes before this photo was taken the Koala had looked particularly perplexed and had nibbled Graham's beard - we think he thought he'd met a cousin!!

Welcome to Oz...

.... and we've had a warm welcome!

Apologies for not updating this for the last few weeks but we've been very busy being spoilt by loads of folk here. It has been great travelling half way round the world only to arrive here feeling like we have just returned home even though neither of us has been here before.

So before we tell you what we've been up to we must say a special thanks to:-

* Susan & Paul for treating us to a tasty takeaway and nice wine on our first night here (and for letting us dry our washing at their house! - we are still backpackers after all!);
* Rebecca for showing us the sights in Sydney, treating us to cocktails at the Shangri-La and putting us up for the night;
* Stevie, Sandra, Mylo & Ella for having us to stay in Melbourne and treating us to our first Aussie barbie (and for having really cute kids who kept us amused);
* Mark for his amazing tour of Canberra, his beer, his poker skills and not least the largest television in the southern hemisphere which Graham enjoyed immensely.
* Cath, Paul, Emily, Nicholas & Sophie (my ozzy cousins) who have looked after us so well for the last week in Canberra. What can we say - lovely food, great company and very polite children! But most of all we loved having the opportunity to spend some time with them (and Graham enjoyed introducing them to Haggis and addressing it too!). Will miss you x

Bye Bye Asia!

Well, that was a fab 5months in Asia - we never thought we would get the chance to spend so long here (we still have to pinch ourselves most days to remember where we are!!).

It has been amazing - we’ve seen and done so many new things and met so many people - here are a few of the highlights which come to mind:-

* Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal (No.1);
* Spending the night in the desert in India;
* Going to Darjeeling after hearing so much about it;
* Seeing the Taj Mahal;
* Spotting Rhinos’ on safari;
* Having a bath with an elephant;
* Taking a dawn boat trip on the Ganges in Varanasi;
* Having a tropical Thai island all to ourselves;
* “Tubing” in Laos
* Taking a speedboat up the Mekong;
* Relaxing at the 5* Tokyo Park Hotel;
* Trying Caviar for the first time;
* Geisha “spotting” in Kyoto;
* Climbing the Great Wall of China;
* Seeing the Terracotta Warriors;
* Going to a Baseball match;
* Peering into a live volcano (only Graham on this one);
* Watching Thai boxing;
* Admiring the breath taking scenery at Guliogcun….and I’m sure there’s more….

But we are now very much ready for the next part of our trip - bring on 3 months in Australia and New Zealand (we’re counting the days!) and we're really looking forward to some western home comforts, such as:-

* toilets that flush;
* staying in a house;
* driving a car (and no doubt arguing over maps);
* using forks and knifes (that'll be weird);
* wearing make up (only I am looking forward to this);
* using English grammar and full sentences;
* eating ice lollies that don't have sweetcorn in them??;
* decent chocolate;
* fatty western comfort food (I would die for a plate of mince and tatties);
* decent TV (in English) - to name but a few.

And of course there are a few things we will be glad to have a break from for a while too:-
* squat toilets;
* spitting;
* karaoke;
* being stared at (all day);
* car horns;
* being stared at all day;
* bed bugs (we won‘t miss those itchy little blighters);
* being lunch for 100’s of Mossies (although think there are plenty of other things ready to eat us in Oz);
* one too many temples…….

But we do hope to get a chance to come back to Asia again one day - there’s still so much to see - we could easily spend another 6 months in India, 6 months in Japan, 6 months in China, visit Tibet & Mongolia….…think that probably comes to another 2 years!!….if only……

29/08/09-02/09/09, Hong Kong

This was a wee added extra we managed to squeeze into our trip - and we're pretty glad we did. If you aren't able to get 5 months off work to tour Asia, don't worry, 5 days in Hong Kong will give you the chance to see the best bits of Asia rolled into one - good food, amazing skyscrapers, lovely countryside, some shopping and 7 million Hong Kongites to share it with!! If you get the chance - make it a stopover!! It's a bit like China 'light', although in a lot of ways it's really more like Japan.

04/08/09 - 29/08/09, China

To be honest we didn’t really have the time, money or energy to do China justice, which was a shame as it is another fascinating country with lots to see and loads of history, although that’s not to say we didn’t see a few of the big sights:-

* The Great Wall (of course);
* The Forbidden City;
* Tiananmen Square;
* Pingyao (ancient Chinese city);
* The Terracotta Warriors (amazing);
* Guliogcan (most stunning scenery we’ve seen in Asia);
* Peking Duck (so tasty);
* The Bird‘s Nest;
* and Giant Pandas (so so cute).

But there’s a lot more to China than just the tourist attractions - for a start, we’re pretty sure it doubles as the largest building site on earth!! Everywhere…and we mean everywhere, things are being built. Apparently China uses 46% of the world’s supply of concrete, we well believe it (the tram roadworks in Edinburgh don’t even compare!). So in 5/10 years time China is going to be a very different place - but perhaps not the prettiest - their architecture isn’t that pleasing on the eye, but they are definitely building a country for a super power (and building it fast).

Unfortunately for us backpackers though they’re more concerned with building things than learning English (we have tried to learn a little Mandarin but that‘s another story), and they are quite partial to “Chinglish” (which you may have seen on BBC News recently). For example - “the egg hangs off the noodles” or “the bull’s penis with chef cooks the broth clear!!” (no thanks) - we saw these on the same menu!! Or perhaps “sitting on the bedpan” is a good way to describe a western toilet??

So, as I intimated in an earlier blog the language barrier can make getting around extremely difficult. One day we tried to buy a train ticket (in a town where there were no other tourists) for our onward journey but to say we were out of our depth was an understatement as it didn’t prove so easy:-

* we went from the bus station to the train station;
* queued for tickets for the wrong train;
* realised the refund process wasn’t worth further pain;
* walked back to the bus station;
* spoke with the non-English speaking information desk;
* queued at the wrong place for a bus ticket;
* spoke with information again;
* were taken to the right ticket office (which was back at the train station!).

We then waited 2.5 hours for the next bus, arrived at 8.30pm in a city of 1.96 million people (which we hadn’t planned to go to), and with no accommodation booked! But it worked out fine and we didn’t kill each other!! So we must be getting the hang of dealing with the “downs” of travel a little better -“stay calm and don’t expect an instant remedy!”

However, China’s the only country where I think someone would leave their job and walk tourists round to another part of town so they could get tickets - good on you China!! It’s also the only place so far where we have dined out on complete strangers’ genuine hospitality - twice! (with the exception of the night not to be mentioned of “topless” drinking in Tokyo). The first time was at the Great Wall where our hosts, (Mr Doh and his good lady) invited us to dinner with them and their family, got us drunk, then opened THEIR karaoke bar so we could all have a sing song (this as you can imagine was probably unwise on their part!) And again, at Guoliangcun when 2 doctors treated us to dinner and Bijiou (Chinese whisky). Guoliagcun was also where we were in nearly everyone’s holiday snaps as we were the only “Westerners in the Village” - which was just wrong when we were next to the most stunning scenery!

We’ve had other little mishaps along the way too. In Xian we arrived after a day on the bus, checked in, found our room, unpacked a little, went to the loo, then went in search of the bar for our free beer (wasn’t going to waste that). We then realised we had forgotten something and I popped back down to the room….mmmmm…but strange the key wouldn’t work…..however, on closer inspection I realised that the door said 303 and our key said 302!! Oooops…seems we’d checked into the wrong room….I let Graham go down to reception and explain that one!! (but again it turned out okay as 302 was actually a bit nicer).

We were also taking China a lot slower than we have done with other countries so we had time to read the odd newspaper or too - but that in itself was bizarre and enlightening at the same time!! For example, here were the stories in the “Global News” on the 11th of August:-

“China to Regulate Executions” (front page) - and they’re going to try their best to prohibit confessions by torture (that’s good of them??);

“Nepalese women protest at Government plans to pay men to marry widows” (not surprised!);

“500 children abducted from UK” - if you haven’t heard about this in the UK, don’t worry, they have been taken by one of their parents;

”Party calls time on risqué text messages (at work)” - you can now be punished for sending dirty jokes, porn, and gossip about staff changes or office romances!

“Rehab for web addicts to be shutdown” - this was a training camp for internet addicted teenagers which was closed after a 16 year old was beaten to death;

“Face saving measures for Chairman Mao” - quality control is to be introduced on souvenirs, as apparently his face is getting squashed;

“Brad Pitt is not getting married” - always worth knowing!;

“Stinking foreigners and the unwashed masses” - pointing out that foreigners wash in the morning because we’re more smelly!!!! (Chinese wash at night);

Whisky cure recommended for Russian football fans visiting the UK in light of swine flu!

And “Roger Federer’s wife had twins” - that twat gets everywhere!!

An eclectic mix shall we say! It must have been a good day for news as they seem to have covered the main “global” stories - I think the BBC could learn a thing or two from them!

And the TV was no better - I spent half an hour watching a programme one day which looked like it was supposed to be a debate about a film which had just been released called “Invisible Killer”, which is apparently about the internet and I presumed from the title it was against the use of the internet, but after watching for 30 minutes I can’t honestly say whether it was or not??!! It was so confusing, a debate which didn’t actually discuss or put any opinions forward on the issue! You really do feel cut off from the rest off the world here - thankfully we could access BBC, but if you’re Chinese you no doubt can’t.

We did persevere though and watched the news every day (mainly as there were no other English channels out of 60 others - they had Chinese soap operas on each!). However, when we were in Beijing we would have expected the news to mention the practice marches that would be taking place for the 60th anniversary of the forming of the People’s Republic of China on the 1st October. Not so - we just saw notes pinned to the lift and our bathroom mirror in the hostel telling us not to go outside for 36 hours!! This caused us a bit of alarm as we were leaving to go to the airport the next day and that definitely required us to leave the building! But the Chinese are so used to this and told us it would be okay to go out the next day - we’re not used to being told what we can’t do! It’s at times like this you realise you are in a very different country.

And it is also the only country where we have resorted to pointing at the menu in a fast food restaurant and mooing, baahing and clucking!! And all credit to the waiter who confirmed by mooing back that our selection was beef! We have to say that the food here has not been the best - it is nothing like Chinese at home - but looking forward to some Cantonese food in Hong Kong (that’s more what we get in the UK).

Although, we’re hoping Graham doesn’t get stopped by immigration when we’re leaving. It took 3x immigrations officers and a lot of squinting and staring to get Graham in here - he’s lost a stone and a half and grown a beard since he had his passport photo taken, so they took a bit off convincing that it was really him!! But should be easier now as he’s treated himself to a new pair of “the Hoff” shades so that should help with the disguise!!!

>>Hello, Graham here - just popped onto the blog to expand on the digital toilet seats. Didn‘t think Irene had done them enough justice;

Ok, yes they can be warmed to a temperature of your choosing. They have certain other features too, like if you need the sound of running water to help you pee. If don’t want to be heard while on the job, there was a white noise setting on one of them, you can also adjust the seat angle, etc. Now, I’ll just come straight out and say this, the most important part of any digital toilet is its bidet. Having never used one before, and having my stomach turned by rancid hose contraptions in India for the same purpose, I was surprised on first use in Japan at just how effective these are. There are buttons for distance spray and power, much in the same way a car wash does too. So much power in fact that its possible to give yourself a cold water enema if you are feeling backed up. (Did Irene mention that the Japanese don’t have much fibre in their diet).

This is all just background however to an incident with said bidet and Irene in Tokyo, whom I’d sold the merits of the toilet gadgets to and who was subsequently involved in utilising for the first time. All seemed to be going well until I heard strange intermittent cries and yelps protruding from the toilet. Very curious I wandered over to the door, “don‘t come in”, was heard, along with dripping noises and more hysterical yelping and screeches. Unperturbed I endeavoured to push the door open to find Irene soaked from head to foot, hands out in front trying to stop the nightmare mechanical fountain that was exploding from the toilet. I rushed over and hit the stop button then proceeded to laugh hysterically while an unimpressed Irene wondered how the bidet had went wrong.

From what I understand Irene had confused the power setting with the location button and shot the water straight up and over her back and head and had been scrambling around in the mayhem that ensued trying to stop the machine.

Please don’t let this put you off trying a digital toilet if you get the chance, in the hands of the right person they are a good thing.

That’s all for now<<<

Weird & Wonderful!....

…pretty much sums up Japan. Here’s our thoughts on the things which struck us as being so different from home:-

* 99.999% of the population are Japanese for a start, ethnically diverse it is not! This is due to their very strict immigration rules - basically if you’re not Japanese its damn hard to stay here;

* And there are a lot of Japanese folk staying here already. We were told the main island (where most folk stay) is about the size of the UK but they have more than double the population - it’s crowded! For example, we spent 6 hours on the train one day from Fukuoka to Tokyo and we couldn’t tell where one city stopped and another started as it was basically a massive suburb all the way!!

* So this means they have very little in the way of countryside to enjoy (at least in the south) and the countryside we did find has been kind of forgotten about and dare I say it - it was a bit like travelling half way round the world to visit Invergordon‘s twin town!! (although we now do actually have to travel half way round the world to get back to Inverg!);

* The countryside may be a bit disappointing but cities are what the Japanese do best - there’s lots off them and they’re really fun. Each city is different in its own way and has weird and wonderful skyscrapers which really come to life and look their best at night;

* However, the cities are on the pricey side, so particularly when in Tokyo, we couldn’t afford to eat the really tasty food (with the exception of course of the Michelin Star restaurant at the Whisky Society), which left us with the feeling that while Japanese food on the whole looks really tasty and is generally prepared with lots of tlc - in 99% of cases it doesn’t taste like you have imagined it will! They don’t really sweeten their food so there’s a lot more ‘sour’ flavours than we’re used to, and nearly every dish comes with a soft runny egg on top?? ….. and the other thing you don’t realise is that there is virtually no fibre in the Japanese diet….let’s just say this causes it’s own problems when you have a stomach and digestion system used to the western diet!

* Like everything, the Japanese present their food looking perfect and they are perfectionists in every way! The Japanese attention to detail is amazing. And they have invented gadgets/and ways of life to solve ever little annoyance - one’s which we just have to live with. Why can’t we have:-

- sneaker laundries;
- warm digital toilet seats
- train seats that flip round so you never have to travel backwards and feel sick;
- pens that still write even when you’re not leaning on something flat;
- exercise which needs no more exertion than sitting in a bath;
- the luxury of being able to walk the streets in what is effectively a very nice dressing gown;

….I could go on….. if it annoys you, I’m pretty sure the Japanese have come up with something to sort it;

* All these things taken together have left us with the feeling that the Japanese culture is very much alive and well - not so much in terms of history or architecture but in it’s people! They are most definitely Japanese and very proud of the fact and we feel very lucky to have been able to spend some time in this fascinating country to glimpse it at first hand (and perhaps we’ve seen a little of what life might be like for the rest of us in the future - it really does feel like they are leading the world in a lot of ways)…….and talking of world powers…. on to China……

31/07/09 - 04/08/09, Tokyo Take Two!

We’re back and there’s no rest! Up at 6.00am to visit the Tsijuki Fish Market - a fascinating and very colourful place, with every type of fish/seafood that lives in the sea e.g. massive tuna, sea slugs, eels, clams…the list goes on…and it’s crazy, all action.

After a mid-morning snooze we headed to the Edo-Tokyo Museum to try and find out some history. And we learnt the reason Tokyo has so few old buildings is because they were either destroyed in the earthquake in 1923 or the bombing of WWII - the scale of bombing damage to Tokyo was equivalent to that of Hiroshima - pretty much destroyed then!

We then tried to catch a Sumo match, but it wasn’t Sumo Season. However, we did manage a “nosey” into the stadium and the ring looks a lot smaller than on TV.

The evening was then whiled away in Shinjuku watching some unusual dancing at another Shrine festival. Basically everyone joins in (mostly wearing their Kimono’s) and dances round a tower, and they all make a real effort to get the moves right (attention to detail very high!). It also gave us a little insight into how Geisha’s must entertain their clients - and it looks like it hasn’t changed in 100’s of years.

Day 2 - stopped in at Sony Aquarium - no real fish there of course! And finished the day off with a “rolling” Sushi (couldn’t leave without going - will miss a little Sushi!) and a beer at our local. When the barman found out we were on Honeymoon he presented us with a little scarf - seems it is viewed as very auspicious to be on Honeymoon….and as we mentioned previously it only got better at the Whisky Society!!

We also tried our luck for an upgrade at the airport - no chance, Japanese efficiency was in full swing!!

25/07/09 -31/07/09, The Other Bits of Japan!

Well, no need to tell you why Hiroshima is well known but going there makes it much more real and there are still plenty of reminders to the devastation caused. We saw the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum, both very poignant. 200,000 people were either killed instantly or died in agony a couple of days after the bomb. The anniversary was not until 6 August but there was already a small remembrance service taking place where a few folk carried the burning flame (this will not be extinguished until the last nuclear bomb has been destroyed). While Hiroshima will never forget what happened, today it is a nice, (obviously) modern city which we enjoyed visiting. We also had the chance here to go and see one of the many fireworks displays(there are hundreds across Japan) - the Japanese love fireworks (and so do I).

Next stop on the road was the seaside “city” of Beppu - famous for its Hot Springs and Onsens. And it really does have lots of them and steam jetting out everywhere even in the middle of roads! So we opted to try a “Sand” Bath - where you basically bury yourself up to your neck in sand - just like at the seaside when you were wee but here the sand has been warmed for you and with the weight of the sand you end up really sweating. The result - you feel like you’ve had a work out even though you’ve been lying down relaxing - at last, a sport I like! It was also when undertaking this strenuous exercise that the Japanese “perfectionist” streak revealed itself. I wasn’t allowed to leave the changing room until my dressing gown was tied at the right side. Personally, I was just about to bury it and me in sand so I hadn’t thought that it would really matter!

So suitably revived we went on to Aso to see a live volcano. Well, at least Graham did. We travelled quite far to see this but when we arrived there were leaflets, signs, tannoy announcements and blue flashing lights specifically telling you not to go up to see the crater if you had asthma as you might die - damn and botheration!!…so Graham hopped on the cable car while I looked at tacky souvenirs. Graham assures me it was the best thing he has ever seen but he did bring me back a bit of volcanic rock!

However, there was no risk to my health at the next site in Fukuoka (well, only to my hearing) - a baseball game with the home team “Softbank Hawks”. (Note: in case you’re wondering we did not pick these places just because of their names - Aso & Fukuoka!). As with anything they like the Japanese really get into their baseball and it is a real family night out - everyone goes. We did learn a bit about baseball while there but it was really the crowd who were the most entertaining. They just spent hours making as much noise as possible. Everyone has “clangers” which they bash together, but not in any old way, they have “routines”. But despite the crowd support the Softbank Hawks lost, although this didn’t seem to discourage the supporters and they didn’t slump into a “Scottish depression”, which so often follows our defeats!

So our 14 day Japan Rail passes were nearly up and we had to head back to Tokyo before we were forking out £100’s for the train! But before we did, I had just enough time to go to the “Sneaker” laundry - a great invention - a specially designed washing machine and a wee drier like a microwave for your trainers - we NEED them in Britain! - our trainers are like new (unlike everything else we have with us which is now falling apart!)

Apologies!

For any of you out there who are still holding onto the hope of seeing some holiday snaps, that must have seemed like a long night (and it’s not over yet!).

To explain - for the week prior to staying at the Whisky Society Hotel we had been sleeping in Japanese style beds, which are pretty much like kipping on the floor at your friend’s house and we all know we are too old for that these days! So we took the opportunity to sleep in when we found a bed with an old fashioned mattress and thought, no worries, we’ll put the photos up at the airport or when we get to Beijing… mmmm…. this would have worked had the Chinese Government not scuppered our plans!!

The Chinese Government in its wisdom have currently banned access to Facebook and Blogspot (which you've probably heard about). Now, if I was at home I would pretty much support the banning of Facebook but protecting 1.3 billion Chinese from being exposed to our blog has been a bit of a pain! And we are still in China, (Hong Kong at the moment) so in the interests of international diplomacy we’ll be leaving the Chinese blog updates until we are elsewhere (we have no wish to be detained to discuss these with the powers that be!).

However, to give you a little insight into how things have been going in China, here’s a wee example of how we’ve been coping with the ‘communication barrier’. We went into a ‘stationary’ shop when in Xi’an to buy an envelope, as I had a lovely complaint letter waiting to be sent off to Sony UK. So Graham got started on the obligatory mimes, which he thought aptly depicted the ‘licking and sealing of an envelope’ - only to be taken to the back of the shop and shown a Mouth Organ!!! (this still makes me chuckle). And, of course, Graham being Graham, he played a wee tune on the Mouth Organ before opting to draw some pictures to explain that we really wanted an envelope.

As it turned out we had been standing in front of the envelopes all along, but the whole Mouth Organ interpretation had greatly amused us on 2 accounts - 1) why was the ’paper’ shop selling Mouth Organs in the first place?, and 2) why did the lady in the shop think… aaahhhh… ‘Westerners’, they’re always looking to buy a Mouth Organ??? Very odd…although, things haven’t really improved and we now only wish that buying a train ticket was as easy as buying a Mouth Organ!! (note - we also realised the following day when at the Post Office that they glue down their envelopes here - so the “licking an envelope” mime didn’t really travel well anyway!).

But going back to the blog - we’ve loads to tell you, so here’s the rest of the Japanese updates and as I mentioned earlier the China ones will be posted in a few days when we land in Oz. And, we’re just going to put up some photos now too……promise…..

God Bless the Whisky Society!!!

Just taken 25 hours out from backpacking to live it up at the 5* Park Hotel Tokyo!!!.....what a night......lovely room with a very warm toilet seat (they're all digitally heated over here!) and a view of Tokyo Tower (but not from the toilet - thankfully).

So we have been relaxing for the evening at the very swanky Whisky Society Bar (thanks to Fiona & Robert for introducing us to the Whisky Society in Leith all those years ago - we're reaping the rewards now!) - discount off the room, Tower View thrown in, complimentary bottle of Champagne for being on our Honeymoon and a wee dram bought for Graham from the chap who booked our room - it actually feels like we're on honeymoon now!! (even though it is our last night in Japan and we got married 4 months ago!).

And the food....it was amazing (Kaiseki), where it looks like works of art - and we had Caviar in 2 courses!!! Graham also (obviously) sampled a few of the old homebrews - Miltonduff and Dalmore to name a couple but he resisted trying the "Old Puffer at the Harbour"!!

Graham was also amazed (or slightly horrified to be honest) that the Japanese drink their Whisky straight...apparently it is manly to drink it this way - if not slightly reducing your life expectancy - although we were assured by the barman that he dilutes his drinks as he "wants to live".

Anyway, we are going to post some photos for you to see tomorrow morning before we check out so come back shortly for a peek. But afraid there isn't going to be any of the Tower View as they switched it off at midnight - damn!...didn't expect that.

Oh well, all good things and all that.....back to a shared dorm in a youth hostel in Beijing tomorrow night!........

18/07/09 - 23/07/09 Kyoto & Nara

At last.....we seem to have got the hang of the whole train system in Japan (like everything here it can be a little confusing to start with! - all the info is there to help you, you just need to interpret it using a Japanese thought process!!).　So waving our Japan Rail passes we left Tokyo for Kyoto on the super speedy "Bullet" - and it is super speedy! and really feels more like a plane than a train especially going threw tunnels with the tilting and engine noises thrown in!

So 230 miles and not much time later we arrived in Kyoto (and after reading Memoirs of a Geisha a few years ago I had this down as a must see). We were told that the best way to see Kyoto is on a bike - and they weren`t wrong! It is the easiest place on the planet to cycle. You don`t have to worry about hills (it is completely flat) so fancy gears are of no use and the best bit is you can cycle on the pavement - so for nervous nerris here, no need to worry about the crazy traffic! So basically we spent a couple of days cycling around like wee old ladies - very relaxing!

And we managed to see a few of the sights too:- "Jinjo-Jo" Castle (lovely floors but only empty rooms as the Japanese weren`t/aren`t big on furniture!), then on to a "cheesy" Kimono fashion show. The Kimono is still a big part of Japanese culture and for any special occasion (this includes the likes of fireworks displays) you dig out and dust down your best Kimono. We then visited a couple of the 2,000 temples in Kyoto - "Kinkaku-Ji" & "Ryoan-Ji" - with the most bizarre exhibit being a Zen garden which consists of 15 well placed rocks (and nothing much else!).

One other thing! - we have found out the hard way that you have to plan in advance when in Japan - especially when you pick the same month that 127 million Japanese go on their hols! So while we still hadn`t quite finished enjoying Kyoto we were off to Nara for a couple of days.

Now our time in Nara led to an unusual day! - firstly, I was bitten on the bum by a deer, then we got into the museum for half price as the 22nd happened to be "man & wife day!" (first perk to being married!, but shame it wasn`t November, as the 22nd then is "good man & wife day" - and you get in for free!) and finally, we decided to try out an "Onsen" and I had a bath with naked old ladies!! Slightly disturbing day overall! So to explain....

...... "the deer bite" - they like to tame deer and let them wander around parks so you can feed them biscuits, but the deer are quite prepared to bite you on the bum if you take too long at dishing them out!

....."the bath with naked old ladies" - the "Onsen" is another part of Japanese culture which is pretty popular and it is where you strip off and go for a bath in public - but for the british psyche this can take a little getting used to! But we have to say they are actually very relaxing - and we have been for a few now (but thankfully not to mixed baths - that would be testing the british reserve just a little too much!).

So then we were back to Kyoto for some straight forward (and fully clothed) Geisha spotting in Gion - this was a success and a photo of Graham "Geisha Pestering" will be on facebook shortly!

Ready for our next stop now so back on the "Bullet"to Hiroshima ........... and one last thing (promise!), which has come to our attention is how polite the Japanese are, for example - the ticket conductor always bows when entering and leaving the train carriage, not seen that on Scotrail!

Overall the Japanese language seems to be based around how you can be more polite than everyone else! There are at least 3 different ways of saying thank you:- "aragato" (thank you), "domo aragato" (thank you very much) and "domo aragato gouziemas" (thank you very much wth please on the end!)......I`m sure there`s even more as Japan has to be the politiest place on earth! On that note, domo aragato gouziemas for continuing to read this blog!.......

14/07/09 - 18/07/09, Tokyo

Tokyo is fantastic! It`s not like anywhere else on the planet - a metropolis of crazyness (and for those of you who have seen Graham`s latest facebook update I need say no more!) Our night out with 4ｘ Japanese businessmen was one of the highlights - not a lot of Japanese/English chat was understood by both parties but it`s amazing how a few beers, taking your shirt off (Graham & Co for those of you who haven`t seen the facebook photo!), a rendition of "Will Ye Go Lassie Go" and some arm wrestling can keep you out until 3.00 in the morning!!

We also met a 60 year old French ex-pat who spent 3 hours showing us around `Electric City` - Electric City being where all the gadgets are sold - needless to say Graham thought he had died and gone to nerdy heaven!!...... I believe we are going back.........there`s also another `nerdy` past time here - going to bars where girls are dressed up as animation characters.....weird!!

And, we went on to a Shrine Festival, which was basically a fairground with some folk dressed in kimonos but where the stalls were pretty unusual and the `Freak Show` (I kid you not!) was kind of different:- a guy with a pole through his face, one with a chain up his nose and out his mouth, a `vertically challenged person` with naff magic tricks and a lady who chewed a dead snake.......what else is there to say....

But don`t worry, we`ve also been doing loads of the usual touristy things:- eating sushi, climbing towers, wandering around the red light district, window shopping in the thousands of posh department stores and taking in the stunning view at Tokyo Bay and Rainbow Bridge - but to be honest it`s difficult to convey what Tokyo is like - except that it is like looking into the future as everything seems so advanced, hi-tech and utopian.

It`s also massive (I revise my previous assessment as apparently it`s 9 cities joined together), very very tiring as even the underground stations are enormous and you have to walk for ages,　spotlessly clean (no smoking & walking on the streets!) and pretty expensive (we have been staying at youth hostels and eating at the equivalent of Scotmid - thankfully their take out food is much better!!) - BUT if we win the lottery anytime in the future we are coming back here to live it up in style!

Tokyo has been one of the highlights so far and we have extended our stay so we can go back for a few more days.....is that "Flower of Scotland" I can hear?????....

5/7/09 - 13/7/09, Northern Thailand

Before we go prattling on about Japan we thought we had better give Northern Thailand a mention. It had not been part of the original plan but it was well worth a visit (particularly Pai), and we tried a few new things when we were here:-

* 2x nights clubbing with the locals in Chiang Mai;
(quote of the night - "my wife pulled a ladyboy!")

* watching Muay Thai boxing;
(bit gruesome especially when one guy broke his ankle!)

* a sleepover with the Lahu tribe;
(introduced to a 55 year old "hermit" playboy!)

* 'bamboo' jungle lunch;
(took a wee bit of time while our guide chopped down the forest and
whittled it into bowls, cups and spoons!)

* and, then we finished off with an Elephant Ride;
(but thankfully not all the way to Bangkok as it is not as comfy as you might think and very scratchy!)

We were glad we added in Northern Thailand as it has some of the best bits that Thailand has to offer (did we mention Pai, it was lovely!)........ So, Japan......

Wow and double Wow!

We eventually managed to venture out after a few hours kip and we weren't disappointed - Tokyo is amazing (like the opposite of India but both completely fascinating!). We took the Metro to Ginza - the most expensive part of the most expensive city on earth!! - so maybe not the cheapest place for dinner/a snack! So £20 lighter we found the 300 bar where everything is 300 yen - about £2, now you're talking. Then we decided to try....I said try...to get back to the hostel......mmmm......2 trains and a taxi later we are back but lets just say its confusing out there! But we did have a chat with some Tokyoites and I was pleased to learn that the japanese for right is "Migi e" or very close to "Michie".....I think I'll like Japan!

Wow!

Just arrived in Tokyo this morning - yippee! We successfully managed to take the very very busy rush hour train to our youth hostel in the centre of this massive sprawling city (apparently its actually 4 cities joined together!). So just need to catch up on 2 nights sleep now (one was on a bus and the other a plane so we're shattered) and then we will be venturing out! Very exciting.

We're also very very pleased to see western toilets again...and these have computers attached to them!! - but still need to work out exactly what they do!

James Bond look out.....

........we liked the speedboat!!! (once we got used to it that is).

There's a few things to learn before you can relax and enjoy - passing driftwood is no problem, waves are a wee bit bumpy and rocks must be avoided at all costs!!! (and you're going too fast for the monsoon rain to really soak you - or so we found out).

What a great way to travel up the Mekong - you can really take in the landscape and it was loads of fun (oh yeah and we were unharmed - Lonely Planet are very anti this mode of transport but we felt safe all the time, the local drivers seemed to know what they're doing).

So Suzi that was the thing for last week that we would not normally have done - I'm sure we'll find something in Tokyo for next week!!

20/06/09 - 04/07/09, Laos

Laos was a destination we included in our trip because we never made it this far when we went to Vietnam and Cambodia a couple of years ago - but it was when we were floating up the Mekong that we had the idea to go travelling and had wanted to continue on to Laos. Unfortunately we had to go back to work then, but we're here now. Other than hearing from loads of folk how lovely Laos was we hadn't done any research so it was a bit of a surprise.

We are pleased to say it was a nice, relaxing surprise. Apparently, Laos is one of the poorest countries in the world but we think it has some of the happiest people. They don't believe that you should work so hard that it causes you stress and they think you should enjoy your life (sentiments perhaps which we in the west could learn from!). It is also a very scenic and rural country with beautiful landscapes - some bits are a mix between the rolling hills of Scotland and the luminous green of "The Shire" (but we didn't see any Hobbits), and others are like Halong Bay in Vietnam, but without the water. However, getting around isn't always easy as the first tarmac roads were only built 10 years ago - and there's still not many, I think 7 in total - and travel sickness tablets are a must!

As it's such a poor country there isn't much to see in terms of history or architecture (and it's been bombed a bit too), so the scenery and the people are the main attractions. For example, one afternoon was spent drinking 'Lao Lao' Whisky with the locals - this was a really good laugh but while they have a lovely naive sense of humour their jokes are rubbish!

Laos also has to be the most laidback place in Asia (think this is perhaps due to their attitude to life), as their capital city Vientiane is pretty much deserted and more like a small town. Anyway, while in Laos 'do as they do' - so we decided to adopt their ways for a while and relaxed as we know how - we splashed out on a fancy hotel (12 pounds per night!), which had a bath and TV - what luxury! It was great to have a bath for the first time in 3 months and we stayed up until 4.30am watching Andy Murray at Wimbledon. But, don't get us wrong we weren't putting our feet up all the time - one day we hired bikes and cycled for 18 miles!

So we're heading back to northern Thailand now, via the Mekong again......the 1st 9 hours by 'slow' boat and the last 4 by 'speed' boat - like in James Bond but not quite so glam!

Tubing for 2012!

Now that would be an interesting sport. For those of you who are none the wiser as to what this is, there's not a lot to it - find yourself a tractor tyre, sit on it and float down a river. But....... make sure the river is lined with pubs and has folk waiting to throw a rope out to you so they can drag you in for a beer (or 2). Repeat several times and that's pretty much it! We have been in training and can recommend it. Forgot to mention, there are also rope swings, slides and mud baths too - but don't worry about the H&S, after a couple of beers no one's bothered. Maybe the "Water of Leith" will have this by the time we get back - otherwise Vang Vieng in Laos may be the nearest one!

1/06/09 - 19/06/09 Bangkok, Beaches & Boredom....

......is pretty much what we were expecting from Thailand (and that's pretty much what we got!)

Bangkok
As we've been here before we didn't feel the need to do any sightseeing and this was great - some time just to get on with boring stuff, which bizarrely from time to time when you are away is exactly what you're looking for.

So we had a few chores to do - Laos Visa, China Visa, Japan Rail Pass and admitting my camera to the Sony "hospital" for a couple of weeks so it could be repaired (not good for a new camera and I cursed the European Warranty being in South East Asia!)

We also found somewhere else we can recommend - the Shopping Centres! The Paragon Centre is pretty impressive, far swankier than anything in the UK, so we hung out here quite a bit - knew those years in Milton Keynes were not wasted! We also saw a few films - Terminator (pish), Star Trek (fab) and Up (cute).

We stayed on Khao Sarn Road - it's mental, but not really in a good sense - a backpacker mecca which is like "Thamel on Stereoids", so we met a few crazy folk here, had a few beers and listened to lots of really bad music! We actually felt as though our room was in the disco at one point - at least at Thamel (in Nepal) we felt like we were underneath the disco!

Beaches
We needed these to recover from 5 nights staying on Khao Sarn Road! So we jumped on a bus & ferry to Koh Chang. It is one of the bigger islands and we visited Lonely Beach (which is not so lonely), Long Beach (which should be called Lonely Beach) and Bang Bao which is a lovely wee Thai fishing village on stilts in the water.

Then we jumped on a wee boat to Koh Wai - this is a tiny wee island and absolutely beautiful - and the best bit was that we had it all to ourselves! There was not one single tourist there all the time we were - so we had lovely sandy beaches all to ourselves (we stayed at Paradise beach, and it was!), swimming (paddling for me) and snorkelling (more paddling) - fantastic just what we were hoping for.

Off to Laos now......

India - what we think!

So India...well, what can we say.....we've given you the details of all the individual places as we've went along but India really deserves a little summing up and that's quite easy - IT'S CRAZY! It takes no prisoners as all day every day is a constant attack on all your senses - sight, sound, taste, smell (that is tested a lot!), and space (they have none!) - we've never been anywhere quite like it.

We've definitely found what people have said to be true in that if you can travel in India you can travel anywhere (Thailand is a breeze in comparison). India can be hard work and infuriating at times but if you put in the effort it rewards you ten times over.

India doesn't have much in terms of the westernised comforts and lifestyle we enjoy at home but it does have some wonderous sights and its biggest asset is its people (all however many billion!).

We found Indians to always be up for a laugh (they actually have a very british sense of humour), but they aren't shy of having an argument either - infact we think they quite like them! But they all follow my Granny's advice and never want to part on one - so they always make up with you.

India is also a country that has resisted being infultrated by the west to the point that its culture is swallowed up - their traditions are very strong and the family rules! If only they would stop having so many children though as that is why they have so much poverty - the country cannot support them all.

We miss India already and we hope we will get a chance to go back - there is still so much we haven't seen (Kerala in the South and Leh & Ladakh in the North), so many people we've yet to meet, and arguments waiting to happen - I think Graham actually enjoyed this aspect! You could easily spend 6 months in India and our 6 weeks only gave us a taster.

The other aspect to the Indian personality which deserves a mention (and our respect) is their apparently limitless tolerance - how so many of them manage to live together, many in poverty or with very little, without resorting to killing each other amazed us. We think as many Scottish people in the same land mass would be Armageddon!

Finally, just wanted to tell you what happened when we left India as it kinds of sums it up. Graham was a wee bit emotional (and pished) when we were heading to the airport so he started hugging folk and when the taxi driver was the lucky recipient his reply was "I love my India" - what a nice sentiment to end on.

27/05/09 - 30/05/09 Bombay (Mumbai), India

Arrived at our last city and final destination in India. We think we may have saved the best city for last as Bombay was far nicer and far more westernised than we imagined it would be. We stayed in Colaba (general bacpackers area), but the streets were big leafy boulevards - felt more like a New York suburb. We were also only a 5 minute walk from the bay, which gives a lovely setting and a panorama which we imagine Rio to feel like (we shall check this theory out next year).

But you only have to scratch the surface to find a darker side - in general the Indians here were more aggressive than elsewhere, and as you know there are a lot of slums, apparently 55% of its population live in poverty. At night this was very obvious as there were folk sleeping on the streets all over the place - we saw one woman with 4 children lying on the ground, and the kids didn't even have clothes they were just sleeping in their own pee - awful (and they were only a few feet away from a giant rat).

But there is also definitely money in Bombay and we found some at the 5* Taj Mahal Hotel. We had a burger here for lunch, which was amazing, but set us back 2,000rps (£30) - don't worry we're not eating at these establishments every day, this was a one off treat - honest! But being at the hotel could only remind us of the terrorist attacks 6 months ago and how terrifying it must have been. They are still repairing some of the hotel and there is a memorial to those who were killed. Another terrorist attack took place at Leopold's Cafe - this is a real backpacker haunt - and they still have the scars, or actual bullet holes in the glass and walls, although we think they have opted to keep them as a badge of honour.

We did also have a bit of time to take in other (non-terrorist) sites and took the boat trip to Elephanta Island and strolled along Chowpatty Beach (but resisted the really manky water). And we did go in search of a Bollywood film, with subtitles, but this was to no avail so we went to see Tom Hanks & Ewan McGregor in "Angels & Demons" instead. Now, while the film was pretty cheesy, we did experience a night at the pictures - India style. They love it - the cinema was packed and we had to stand for the national anthem before we could see the film, and we also enjoyed a nice interval and appreciated the warning which came up on screen right at the end of the film to remind us that "it was not real" - good to hear that no popes were injured in the making of the film! - thank God.

Bangkok next stop......

26/05/09 - Calcutta, India

We managed to squeeze in a short visit to Calcutta on our way to catch our flight to Bangkok (feels weird to be flying somewhere else and not back home). Now our time in Calcutta was very short - 6 hours infact, so really only managed to get first (or short) impressions. Although, it nearly all went pear-shaped as a Cyclone was due to hit Calcutta shortly before we were also due to turn up! But India doesn't let bad weather stop the national institution that is the train system and we left on time, and by the time we arrived in Calcutta the weather was sunny and the locals were well on their way to repairing the damage - lots of trees blown over and sadly 25 people were killed.

So Calcutta........it looks very different from Delhi with modern buildings and some grand old ones. We also saw photos at the Victoria Memorial Museum which gave the impression that Calcutta in the 40s & 50s looked amazing, but it looks a bit run down now and like the rest of India - overcrowded. Although, when you crossed the river the view looked like it could have been Glasgow, Manchester or New York - at least from a distance. There were also loads of yellow taxi cabs which added to this feeling.

Calcutta also has its own type of rickshaw - we've seen auto and bicycle elsewhere, but here they have "man" rickshaws - just guys pulling folk around! Rather them than me looked hard work.

Well, our short and sweet visit was over and we were back on the train for the next 31 hours! (don't worry, books were at the ready and we'd upgraded to 2AC - luxury!)

21/05/09 - 25/05/09 Sikkim, India

Sikkim is a very beautiful, quiet, unspoilt part of India which feels more like Nepal and is spotlessly clean (unlike the rest of India!) - and it is mainly Bengalis' that visit (in their hundreds) with very few Westerners - we saw a dozen at the most. However, it also attracts a lot of Tibetans as it is supposed to be very similar to their homeland.

We actually met a very nice Tibetan, Sanjay, who over a couple of days told us about his escape from Tibet 9 years ago. He fled across the Himalayas when he was 18, which took 22 days, and meant walking in the winter and mainly at night to avoid being shot by the Chinese, and with only flour and butter to eat and mix with water when they had the chance. He really wants to go back to Tibet, as his Dad is now 75 and he may not see him again, but if he does go he has to go back over the Himalayas and if he gets caught he will most likely be put in prison. His story made us realise how lucky we are and how much we take for granted being able to visit all these countries and come home whenever we want. Tibet sounded such a lovely, peaceful country and we hope Sanjay gets to go home one day soon.

Although, later on in Sikkim we had our own very small (and more amusing) introduction into what not being allowed to do simple things feels like. Basically, Sikkim's borders have made it a bit on the paranoid side so when we booked on a tour to go to Tsomgo Lake we didn't give it much thought. But we hadn't realised we had really booked onto the "NOT ALLOWED" tour! Basically, if you are a Westerner they like to keep close tabs on you and don't want you to run away so they stop you from doing stuff! Here are the things we were NOT ALLOWED to do:-

1) share a jeep with Indians - NOT ALLOWED, had to book a jeep on our own so adding 2,000rps to the cost;
2) go on the trip without a guide - NOT ALLOWED, even though all the guide did was remind us what we were NOT ALLOWED to do;
3) after arriving at 12,000ft we were NOT ALLOWED to walk all the way round the lake (only 1/2 way for us);
4) our white skin meant we were NOT ALLOWED a fair price for a Yak ride, so we had to disembark quickly; and
5) I was NOT ALLOWED 5 minutes to pee as a wee boy kept banging on the door telling me I was taking too long!!

So, in conclusion, we felt Sikkim is a lovely place but it isn't quite ready for westerners, as we're NOT ALLOWED to do much. Saying that, there was 1 thing which we weren't actually allowed to do as it was a "dry" day but we did! That was to sample the local "Tongba" brew. This is made from fermented millet seed, served in a tin, onto which you pour boiling water and then drink through a bamboo straw. It was actually quite nice, bit like fortified wine, but you had to watch because when you stirred it - it got really strong! We also tried a little Yak meat alongwith it - pretty nice, bit like jerky. But, sadly for the Yaks it turned out to be cheaper for us to eat them than go for a ride on them - not good marketing Yaks!

We also managed to see the mountain Kanchenzonga at long last, only took a week! And Graham finished off our time in Sikkim with a visit to Domino's Pizza - you can take the boy out of Paisley.........

Good News!

We are extending our trip!!! - like we haven't been jammy enough so far! We've decided to stay on a bit longer (6 weeks in fact until 21st of Feb 2010) as we realised quite early on that we are trying to pack an awful lot into 9 months. So I have managed to extend my career break (thank you work), and we are in the process of moving flights (thank you Travel Butler) and apologies parents - we will be back soon - promise.

This extra time means we can spend about a month in China, a few days in Hong Kong and 7 weeks in Australia. Rebecca and Australian cousin's - we will let you know the details when we have them confirmed, but look forward to being able to spend more time with you and do Australia justice!

17/05/09 - 20/05/09 Darjeeling, India

It was lovley and a great place to relax for a few days. We can see why the British picked this hillside 7,000ft up - the climate is very similar to home with mist and rain and sub-zero temperatures in winter. It also has the most amazing view of Khangchendzonga (India's highest mountain and the 3rd highest in the world), but I'm afraid we have yet to see it as the aforementioned mist ruined our chances.

The Scottish (not so much British) have also left their mark across town. We saw a very presbyterian St Andrew's Church, the 5* Elgin Hotel, Frank Ross's Cafe, Highlander's Inn, Glenary's Restaurant and a house called Gleneagles! There's also a "Big Ben" like clock.

But we couldn't come to Darjeeling without indulging in sipping tea and eating cake - so we went for High Tea at the Elgin - very posh. We also took a tour round the Happy Valley Tea Estate to see how the "old brew" is made (before this particular variety is sent on to Harrods). We bought a little - so once we get our hands on a tea strainer we can make it on the move!

Another must here was the Toy Train. This was where the Indian's came into their own as our fellow passengers were so excited about being on a steam train that doesn't get over 10 miles per hour!! It was hilarious - and the wee kids were loving it. It seems to be a "must do" for the Indian tourists as well.

We also sampled Indian bureaucracy at its best here (but thankfully we had the time to find it amusing). We are going north to Sikkim next but it is in a key location as it borders Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan - so they keep strict tabs on who goes there and who comes back! But for us Westerners they've made it simple - firstly you have to get a taxi across town to the Office of the District Magistrate to fill out a form and get it stamped. Next, you go back across town to the Foreigner's Regional Registration Office so they can write your name and passport number in another book (have they not heard of the phone or fax, let alone email?). So now its time to go back to the District Magistrate for the actual permit - by this point you're wondering why you're bothering. But after all that effort we're definitely going, Sikkim here we come (loaded with all the necessary paperwork!).

1 down 12 to go!

1st country over! - time is flying past so fast. We really enjoyed our time in Nepal - it is a beautiful country with the most amazing scenery and warm hearted people. But it is very disparate and changing fast - albeit different parts at different rates - from the remote villages in the Foothills to crazy Kathmandu and partying in Pokhara. We also found it a pretty unsettled country at the moment with strikes, protests and effigy burning happening quite a bit, which seems to be due to disillusionment with the current Maoist government. But hopefully they will find a peaceful way forward as Nepal has so much to offer. Although, it does this at a cost and we found it a bit tough on the purse strings (at least compared to India). Saying that we did get the chance to do things we've never done before and we have lots of great memories.

We also think we may have made it into the Guiness Book of Records while in Nepal! Lets just say its not easy to get around fast as those pesky hills get in the way, and we spent "the most time on a bus with the shortest distance travelled" - we turned a 6 hour journey into 14 with the help of a broken crankshaft, landslide and traffic jam!

Anyway, we are back in India for the next couple of weeks (currently in Darjeeling sipping tea and eating cake!). Although true to form within 24 hours of being back we've had dodgy stomachs - good to see we've built up a bit of resistance!

09/05/09 - 11/05/09 - Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Eventually we waved goodbye to Pokhara and we did so in style, in a very unusual form of transport for us - a car none the less (its been so long). But it wasn't to last. We had a puncture within half an hour! But there was a spare. Although the tyre had to be fixed before we went any further as with these bumpy roads another puncture (which was pretty likely) would have meant disaster.

So we arrived in Chitwan which is home to a host of wild beasts, including about 70/80 Bengal Tigers - but we were confident that the smell of Graham's feet would entice them out into the open so we could be the lucky few who get to see them. But Tigers were booked into the schedule for later - Elephants were the first attraction.

We saw 3 month old twin baby elephants at the breeding centre - they were so cute. And not daft either as they knew cookies and mineral water are much tastier than what their keepers give them. Graham even managed to get up close and personal with one of them and got his hand covered in elephant snot - trust him. We were also due to go for a ride through the jungle on an elephant but the Mahout's who look after the elephants are on strike - just our luck. But we're going for a jeep safari tomorrow instead, which apparently takes us deeper into the jungle.

So Day 2 started early with a trip up river in a dug out canoe and we silently floated past a few crocodiles! (the Gharial type). The marshes were also covered with loads of different types of weird and wonderful birds such as storks. It was then time to disembark and get the "dos and don'ts" of the jungle before we started our walk back. However, afterwards I'd be damned if I could remember if you should climb a tree for a Rhino, make a noise for a Sloth Bear, take a detour for an Elephant or s*** your pants for a Tiger! Hopefully somebody would remind me which course of action to take if the need arose.

And sure enough not 10 minutes into the jungle and we saw a big croc (a Mass Mugger) - now he could have been going to rob us of our belongings as his name implies but we didn't enjoy his company for long enough to find this out. We then saw a whole group of Macaq Monkeys, but watching them was short lived as we were accompanied by another rare beast - a lesser spotted lanky legged dutchman whose stealth like movements scared them off (along with everything else in the jungle).

So by this point we were just about giving up hope of seeing any "biggies" - when bingo, we spotted a wild rhino casually enjoying a snack. But like all good jungle stories we had to run for our lives to the safety of the observation tower (which just happened to be nearby) - but to be honest we don't think the Rhino even noticed us. But saying that we did watch a group further up the path having to climb a tree (so I would have needed reminding on what to do after all). It was brilliant to watch the Rhino in the wild before it sauntered off to its watering hole.

We were reliving this encounter when the walk was over but things got better - there just happened to be an Elephant getting washed on our walk back to the hotel. Great - we didn't need to be asked twice, we were changed into our bathing gear and joined the Elephant for a dip! Graham sat on the Elephant and was sprayed clean before being thrown in the water. I mentioned earlier that I can't swim so I just splashed some water on the Elephant from a safe distance. This was great fun - Elephants are such amazing animals (Jennifer you would have been jealous).

After lunch we were back on the road and off on the jeep safari - now we were lucky here (must have been our day), we saw all of these: -muntjacs (barking deer), chitals (spotted deer), jarayos (sambar), guars (wild oxen/bison), rhesus macaque and lanquar (mokeys), peacocks, kingfishers and an Asian Paradise Flycatcher. And......3 more Rhino....and a herd of 10 wild Elephants (even our guide hadn't seen them before).

In the end, we did also see a Bengal Tiger - but she was in a cage. Her mother had been a Man Eater and ate 4 humans in 20 days!

Also, to top things off our jeep broke down - now we weren't confident that the AA would cover us for this, but half a dozen Nepalese men can fix a car no bother and before long we had a new battery connection. Good - we were going back to the hotel in one piece for our dinner - not as dinner!

And finally, bizarrely our dinner was Swiss Raclette as our hotel owner was from Leysin - David and Irene just up the road from you!!

08/05/2009 - Pokhara, Nepal

Pokhara has been our base since arriving in Nepal and we have found it difficult to tear ourselves away - we just keeping staying on for another night. It gives us a little bit of western comfort, Nepali style! So after the trek I spent the day relaxing with wi-fi and updating the blog, and unusually Graham left the technology to me and went off sailing with a guy from Paisley!! Of all the places to meet a fellow Buddy.

As you may have guessed the sailing trip on Lake Phewa is worthy of a mention as it didn't provide the chilled out relaxing time which had been planned. No - Graham, his new friend from Paisley and their pal, Bob, were out kayaking in a freak storm!! And from all accounts this did not provide a smooth ride but instead involved water onboard, a bucket, a lot of steering, a scramble up a hill, thorns in the hands and shelter with a local Nepalese lady who gave them tea and biscuits!!

All I can say is - glad I gave it a miss (particularly being a non-swimmer!). Although I did get a bit concerned when a gale blew through the cafe I was in, and our friends from Leith (Ed & Kelly) said they had not been able to make it more than a few metres from shore in their boat. But I was distractred with some chat, a beer and a slice of pizza so I didn't give it too much more thought - at least not until Graham had been away for 4 hours for his 2 hour boat ride!

I was just about to send out the search parties when a protest blocked the road and the effigy burning got underway - and hey ho Graham turns up covered in scratches, a little pissed and in need of another beer!

But alls well that ends well and we ended the day with the best Chateaubriand Steak we have ever tasted (for less than £10 for us both - although I did have to share with a Duff - you never come out a winner in that situation).

Anyway, Graham is on a roll now after the trek and the sailing escapade and he thinks he's invincible - so never a better time to go Rhino spotting!! (We've also renamed the Lake - "Lake Whewa" seems more appropriate now).

1/5/09 - 07/05/09 Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal

We are just back from a 7 day trek to Annapurna Base Camp, which is at 4,130m (about 14,000ft), it was amazing! And more amazingly we walked all the way, although the blisters and our sore knees are going to need a bit more time to recover. Now don't worry, it is still the same Graham and Irene you know and love who have been trekking (never thought you would see the day I know, but there you go). But we always knew we'd make it as we have been training hard - I've been to the gym 3 times in my life and Graham has been eating Butter Chicken and Murgh Makahni for the last 4 weeks - no more training needed.

So we set off last Friday with not much research into what we had signed up for, which was really just as well because if we'd known how tough it was going to be I think we may have just gone back to eating Butter Chicken - but as they say ignorance is bliss. However, it became clear pretty quick that trekking in Nepal is not like climbing a Scottish Munro (not that I would know what that is like either), but Graham assured me that it is based around "walk up hill and then walk back down".

The Foothills of the Himalayas however are a bit more annoying and can really get in the way when you are trying to get somewhere. We trekked for between 5 and 7 hours each day but that didn't mean that you would necessarily be higher up than when you had started in the morning (this can get a wee bit disheartening) - as it was climb up, go back down, then climb up again! But we persevered each day and referred a lot to the poem by granny used to sing about "the tortoise and the hare" - not sure if you are familiar with this one but if you are, we adopted the tortoise's methodology with the "slow and sure" approach.

On the way we also picked up a few bits of Nepali terminology from our guide, let me translate for you:- "Nepali Flat" means up and down all the way but it will not kill you and you will come to think of this as easy and, "Little High" means really f***ing steep, with lots of steps which will make you want to cry and your lungs explode (he used little high too often!).

At night we did manage to rest and it also gave us a chance to meet loads of people from all around the world (who could share in our pain) - Koreans (lots of them), Indians, Danish, Germans, Russians, Australians, New Zealanders, French, Slovenians, Americans, Canadians, Ukranians, English and when we reached the top a couple who live round the corner from us in Leith!!! Freaky.

As we climbed higher and higher the accommodation and facilities diminished - no mineral water, showers, hot water, phone signal, oxygen and of course no western toilets!! But we didn't mind when we reached the top as Annapurna Base Camp (or ABC to us eperienced trekkers) is stunning. Or at least being surrounded on all sides by 8,000m high mountains is amazing! We have never seen scenery like it.

But we had to be patient before the mountains revealed themselves to us as for the last 2 hours of trekking we didn't see a thing and the scenery and weather were so like Scotland it was spooky - rolling hills, mist, hail, snow, ice, a muddy path and the only things growing were wee tufts of grass just like heather. The only differences were we were at 4,000m and the air was thin, but this scenery spurred us on as we felt so at home!

It wasn't until we stepped outside in the darkness to go to the toilet that we saw the silhouettes of the mountains, they took your breath away and it gave going for a pee a whole new appeal! Getting up at 5.30am to watch the sunrise was also fantastic - Graham referred to ABC as God's own Ampitheatre!

After breakfast we then started our descent, which was so much faster - what had taken 5.5 hours the day before took 1.5 the next day. Coming back down was so much easier but it wasn't without its drama.

On day 6 we were just about to start trekking when our guide collapsed. This caused us a lot of worry and concern and at first we thought he may be diabetic so we gave him a mars bar! However, when he had a grand mal epileptic seizure an hour later we realised our diagnosis was wrong! This was very scary and we realised how far we were from help - a 2 day trek and an hour's drive to the nearest hospital. It was also a 1.5 hour trek to the nearest telephone point - where's NHS 24 when you need them! Thankfully a couple of Nepali guides stayed back to help and speak Nepalese to our guide. Graham was pretty key in this whole thing as the guides lack of basic first aid knowledge was also a worry - meanwhile I was a sort of headless chicken although I did manage to remember the recovery position and get some Canadians to phone a doctor in Kathmandu for us. So to cut a long story short our guide recovered and was able to trek out himself and the trek ended safely for us all!!! We even managed to relax in the Hot Springs further down - fantastic!

Overall, this was an amazing experience and we are very proud of ourselves for making it to where real intrepid explorers start being intrepid!!! (and Dad, Willie, Chris and Eric - you would have all loved it).

24/4/09 - 27/04/09 Varanasi

Varanasi is very cool so we decided to spend a few days here. It is also very holy so G decided he had better smarten up a bit, but a trip to the barbers has its quirks - he had his hair cut, beard trimmed and full body massage! G was now looking and feeling better so he went off to worship his own god and watched St Mirren v Rangers on the internet. Now while Varanasi is one of the holiest places in India it doesn't perform miracles so St Mirren lost 3-0.

We did the usual touristy things and took the sunrise and sunset boat trips -v nice. We went past the "burning" ghat where bodies are cremated. It was very peaceful, no-one crying, as they don't want to affect the releasing of the soul. A pot is then filled by the family with water from the Ganges and smashed to signify the breaking of the relationship with the deceased, and the hip and the chest bones don't burn so they are just thrown in afterwards. There's no such thing as privacy in India so this is all done in public with everyone taking their morning dip in the Ganges.

We then left Varanasi for Nepal - but like our first journey in India our last (at least for a few weeks) was a bit of a nightmare! Our deluxe tourist bus was "broke" so they took us round to the local bus station and put us on the local bus for 12 hours. Oh my god - uncomfy seats (bit like the camel ride), bus packed with Indians everywhere, roasting hot, no toilet stops and no food!! But a chance to see the real India - didn't see another white face all day (except for the other strained tourists on the bus) - interesting to watch everyone getting on with their business. Although, felt a bit sorry for the lady sitting next to me, as she was in full burkha outfit and couldn't even see as her face was totally covered. The children were also very well behaved - on the bus for hours and didn't make a sound while being bounced about and the horn going every 2 minutes.

Eventually we made it to the Nepal border where we were greeted by an army of "bed bugs" at our stopover - great, perfect end to the day and loads of scratching for the 8 hour bus journey tomorrow!

22/04/09 - Akber the Great & the Taj Mahal, Agra

Firstly, Graham booked us very plush accommodation here so we could take in the wonder of the Taj Mahal - a lovely 1970's room with straw and water for air con (con being the right word as it didn't work, sounded like a tractor and they kept switching it off).

A good reason to head out on a day trip to the abandoned city and hear all about Akber the Great. Now he was a lovely chap who had all the power but it turns out he was really a short-assed sex pest with 3 wives and a hareem of 300! Those in the hareem were lucky as he had a giant sized game of ludo in the grounds of his palace and those who reached the centre got to spend the night with Akber - liked his style, not!

Then onto the main attraction - went to see the Taj Mahal at sunset. Have to say it is all it is cracked up to be - stunning, what else can you say....next stop Varanasi...

17/04/09-21/04/09 The Rest of Rajasthan!

Well our quiet day in Mt Abu didn't really turn out as planned...there's a surprise...- ended up at a spiritualist university for brahmakumaris! Our lecture was pretty informative though - they believe in a few things - firstly that we are all made up of light (not sure about that), but they also like a lot of silence, flowers, disco lights and swings! These things are not bad but think they have picked the wrong nation for silence! They have an office in Polmont Terrace so may give them a visit when we get back.

Udaipur was our next destination- but as always getting there was interesting. Now that we have been on a bus in daylight it would appear that driving the wrong way down the motorway is quite normal, just cross the central reservation and you are back on the right side! The road was also a bit bumpy at some points particularly when we were driving through a quarry for half an hour. But we arrived safely and really liked Udaipur - the view from our hotel was the best so far and the Lake Palace was very impressive. But the best bit was watching the bats!- there was loads of them and they were massive like big birds. Only drawback was that we got covered in bat piss! Another one to add to the list.

We then had 2 short stays in Pushkar (Shiva power was strong here!) and Jaipur before heading to Agra and the Taj! We were struggling a bit with the heat by this point as it was 40deg - so think we saw Rajasthan in the nick of time before we started being boiled alive - it goes up to 49deg in May.