Vienna Austria

Vienna, well, dont have many photos from Vienna. After Cesky Krumlov I didnt really feel like doing much sightseeing and stuff cos I was so relaxed after that! Did a bit of walking around and stuff! Went to the park on the sunday and read my book! Was really good weather and stuff! I met up with Jason and Petra for breakfast the last day I was there.

Me and Jase came back to the hostel to get my stuff to get on the train to Budapest and as we went to the train it pulled away! So what else to do but go back to the city and sit down at this outside bar place and have a beer. And again we made it for the train station and I made the train to Budapest this time! Not much to say about Vienna, lots of museums and parks, of which I didn’t actually go to any museums, but alls good. Don’t feel like I missed out on much!

A journal entry from: Adventure journey in 2008: Traveler Simone

Diving Honduras style

We’ve just come from 8 days diving in Utila, part of the Bay Islands off Honduras. What a top week. We did 10 great dives and saw plenty of stuff including turtles, rays, sea horsies (ha!), plenty of other brightly coloured fish (that we don’t know the names of) and even a shark! Unfortunately the Whale Sharks must’ve heard we were in town so they buggered off, but even so, we had a great week. This was topped off by the fact that we were staying in a big house with a huge deck over looking the water and a private jetty with some fab people. The fact that we could unpack and cook for ourselves was a plus too…..and did we mention the rum???!

We were lucky enough to be on Utila on Honduras’ Independence Day. They seemed to celebrate this with the typical street parade and then in the not so usual way with kid boxing fights (picture 5 year old girls going at it) and a big greasy pole (i.e. a massive pole, greased up, that you climb to the top off for an undisclosed amount of money). The festivities ended with 1 Lempira notes (about 5 cents) being thrown into the crowd causing absolute riots (business must be slow??), followed by bags of flour. Needless to say it was easy to spot the scabs thereafter.

Other than that we weren’t too wrapped in Honduras…underwater it was tops, above water?…..hmmm. Copan Ruinas was pretty nice but Santa Rosa de Copan and Gracias left a lot to be desired. Gracias ended up being a case of us planning to spend the day there and instead taking the bus back out 2 hours later, jokingly saying, ‘Gracias, pero, no Gracias (i.e. thanks but no thanks). And the other place is memorable as it’s the location of the biggest dive of a hostel thus far (refer to the photo´s)….the stench mixed with the unknown substance on the shower floor certainly left an impression…definitely a kodak moment.

But before Honduras came El Salvador…and this place rated pretty good. We decided to stick to the mountains and not the beach (sorry Lyndell and Jacko, we didn’t get to visit your block of land and move along the squatters). The mountains though were great. We did 2 massive walks, one bushbashing near a small town called Tacuba for 8 hours in torrential rain….good fun although it took days for everything to dry. The second was on Kate’s birthday up Volcano Izalco…in the rain again, but good fun. That night we celebrated Kate’s 26th with a dinner on a pretty spectacular lake, choosing a restaurant with a strict ‘no guns policy’…and who said we weren’t being careful over here?!?!?!

This brings us up to date. Tonight is our first night in Nicaragua after 2 massive travel days. Yesterday the plan was to visit another place in Honduras called La Union for some more treks, but this plan was aborted when we were dropped off by the chicken bus on a random cross road yesterday and told we had to hitch the rest of the way….and with no cars in sight for 1.5 hours, we aborted mission and added 5+ hours of buses to the day.

More soon….
A journal entry from: Central and South America: Traveler james and kate

Long planning we decided to visit at Los angeles by bike. My self david and I an small village boy. Few months ago came los angeles city for my new job. I do not know los angeles city very acceptably. My boss make an impression me and gave some days off so I want to enjoy these days to know everything in this city but it is not achievable to know everything. Whatever, early morning run off our room. I had known to behavior of whole city by map but take also city map for our help. My destinations are opposite to each other but too adventure place both of us, be informed by my friend aboutLos Angeles. I want to go Gardena park, Alondra park and last destinations Hermosa beach. I did not go at any beach so I was interesting feeling to Hermosa Beach secondly I visit this place by bike, it was too cool and adventure trip to me. After few hours we want to feel eat some food so stop our bike a motel near the road. Take a cup of coffee with cream puffs, a hot dog also. Bit by bit taste food was to good. Los angeles city is the famous of the world his IT industry, financial and other things, longest building of offices located there.

I never saw these building in our home city. It was first time in my life to visit a beach by bike and didn’t know ways of our destinations very extremely. I have 2 week time to enjoyment so every moment want to live. Road of this city as well as great everywhere with destination name marks at every turns so you could not forget our destinations. First destination is Gardena parks, we arrived there next days after noon, in between we enjoy night in beer bar with some un none friends and I had reserved there hotels between Hermosa destinations and help internet to reserved this. At night bear bar had enjoyed very sensationally ways. After 8 pm going to hotels rooms before parking our bike near parking place. Getting fresh when arrived to hotels went to near street restaurants for dinner; Great time to me at that restaurant, its not too expensive but one thing is that this city have food and labor both are too expensive. So I new guy at that city so take everything in budget, take some chicken by turkey, it was so delicious but some expensive but not bad. Hotels rooms was too great and all things are available there so great to me and not expensive they are very cheap to me. Early morning start our journey with new energy and arrived to Gardena at noon. This is great places and too adventures because have more fun things and more places too adventure there but I was starting our journey after few hours. My next evening at alondra park; very nice and beautiful place to all; have more ducks apartment and adventure thing there like swimming pool, golf courses, museum, fishing lake, beautiful lake with crowd of duck, watching birds and more and more. I was feeling a great when arrived there. Apartments have a swimming pool and our restaurant and our long parking place and more. All hotels and apartment are so cheap and I think cheap hotels in Los Angeles are not at noon and I stay there 5 days with my planning. At Hermosa Beach have always crowd of summer season so it was my first time at that beach so I was to romantic and adventure feel. You could do more activities like swimming, surfing, watching waves, wind surfing, fishing at deep water at fishing boat. I would do that at afternoon at one day. It was too great experience at deep fishing. I could not see ocean at nearest views. You understand my feeling if you go there at first time. I was great experience to me at that trip. I will come this place again and again by bike. I thanks to my boss gave me two weeks holidays to this great trip, thanks to cheap hotels of this city.

A journal entry from: Adventure journey in 2008: Traveler petterbroklin

Arriving back in Thailand with just one day before I flew out to Burma I suddenly began to worry about my right leg and foot. I now had a series of cuts, bites and incisions that had swelled, were pussing and were very sore. The original cut from the rope-swing at Vang Viang had still not healed, I had three mosquito bites that I had scratched and seemed to be growing by the day, a big cut on the top of my foot from smashing it on a rock swimming in Ko Tao, and a small but widening hole on my big toe that was producing a substantial amount of pus and was now really painful to walk on, that I had got standing on a piece of coral in Ko Phangan.

Rather than leave these to become worse infected than what they already were and having to let the Burmese hospitals take care of me I decided I would visit yet another Bangkok hospital. As good as it was I?d already done the Bumrungrad, so I instead made for the Aussie-run Thravmin Bangkok Medical Centre, which was close to the Siam Paragon where I knew I could pop in to get a few more cookies to cheer me up during my ordeal.

Once again the South East Asian hospitals astounded me. I was immediately seen by a nurse, whisked in to a room to be weighed, have my heart rate, temperature and blood pressure monitored and swiftly offered ?tea or coffee sir?. After this initial consultation I was taken straight in to another room, where within two minutes a doctor arrived to take a good gander at my feet. He confirmed my ever so professional diagnosis that my foot was buggered and quite infected. I was given probably one of the most painful antibiotic injections in a vein in my arm, told to lie down for half an hour, as I felt quite sick immediately afterwards and then once more received the good doctor. He proceeded to inject my manky toe with a local anesthetic to numb it, then go full at it with a scalpel to make sure there was no coral still remaining inside. He then cleaned the toe, dressed the wound in a bandage and provided me with enough Betadine, antibiotic cream, dressings, tape and cleaning trays (together with tweezers and cotton buds) to rid the whole world of disease. This and piece of mind all for the tidy price of ?60. Thai hospitals I salute you.

A journal entry from: Around The World Without A Plane: Traveler Simon Clark

Ko Phangan Shrooms Moons and Motorbikes Full Moon Party

Another train took us from Bangkok, south once more overnight to a wake-up call in Surat Thani, where we departed the train, panicked over where Cary had put the bus and boat tickets, before eventually finding them tucked in her bag and boarding the bus to the port of Don Sak on the eastern coast of Thailand, just as the sun was rising with a few hundred fellow travelers, who were also heading for the Full Moon Party.

The boat eventually left at 8am, and we grabbed a seat on the deck for the three hour voyage to the island. By the time we arrived I was well and truly sunburnt. A fabulous start. Waiting for us at Thong Sala, the port on Ko Phangan was Kara, who had already had a one nights stay on Ko Samui and hadn’t particularly enjoyed the experience, so she’d come straight to Phangan to meet with us. Cary had managed to book a couple of bungalows at a resort just over the hill from Hed Rin, where the Full Moon Party was due to take place on the 22nd, at Leela Bungalows. It was a grinding walk with our bags up and then down hill from the main town, but good to their word this time, they had kept us two bungalows.

It was finally time to relax and things began to come together. Troy and Alan turned up and had themselves a bungalow too. Darren arrived and was already staying at an apartment in Ban Khai, further up the coast, but moved to join us. The illnesses from us all seemed to be receeding, although in Bangkok Cary had been munched upon by an army of bed-bugs leaving nasty bite marks all over her legs and back. But above all else the sun was shining and good, relaxing times beckoned. Not that the previous five months had not been good, far far from it, it had been amazing, but like with Sihanoukville in Cambodia, sometimes it’s good to stay in one place for a decent amount of time to recuperate from all the traveling.

Our bungalows were at the top of yet another hill, and were as basic as they come, i.e. hole in the wall for a toilet, no electricity, covered in mosquitoes and big hairy spiders, but did what they said on the label. After all we weren’t going to be spending much time there. We spent most of the afternoon lying on the beach sunning ourselves, then that evening went to sample the delights of Hed Rin for the first time. It is a heaving, manic town, especially around the full moon because of the number of people it attracts here, containing shop after shop of Western eateries, internet cafes, tour companies and souvenir shops. The shops sit back from the highlight itself, Hat Rin Beach, that from end to end has either bars opening out on to it or hundreds of small stalls all competing with one another for you to buy their buckets of potent alcohol mixtures. We duly obliged.

Ko Phangan and Had Rin specifically is the ultimate place to people watch. At the beginning of the night, revelers are just getting in to their stride, warming up with a vodka – redbull bucket, having a go at the flaming jumprope, (which put me on my ass on a number of occasions) and flirting wherever they can. Holiday makers straight off the plane prance around in their designer clothes and trainers, while the back-packers brush the dirt out of their hair with a cut hand, smiling gleefully, in their vest-tops and flip-flops. But everybody is and was in such a good mood. A mood to enjoy themselves, to soak up the atmosphere, to meet and socialise with every other person that is there, regardless of nationality, sex, colour or creed. There’s not the hostility that you immediately feel as eyes bear down on you when you walk in to the Town Hall in Staines on a Saturday night, nothing near it. This of course could be down to the amount of recreational drugs floating around the beach area, or as I like to think and hope, that it’s because of the certain type of person who comes to Ko Phangan.

We decided to hire bikes out on our second day and go in search of what the rest of the island had to offer. Kara rode on the back of my bike, while Cary kept a firm hold on Darren as we rode over the steep hills in to the centre of the island. Troy and Alan decided they would sleep off their hangovers in their hammocks. It was one of the most rewarding things we did on the island and the four of us, through going off exploring around the island on two separate occasions became extremely close as a group. We first stopped off at Pang Waterfall, where we climbed up through the forest to a beautiful view point over the west of the island. Then, after descending down the waterless rockface, we rode out west and sat having dinner watching the sun receding behind the horizon. On the way back along the coastal road we spotted what seemed like a mirage ahead of us. ‘The Mason Arms’ sign was illuminated and was a pub here in the middle of Ko Phangan straight out of Emmerdale. It would have been rude to turn it down, so we popped in for a sly pint of Guinness and a few games of pool, then visited a Mai Thai boxing ring, where Darren and I went at it for a few rounds.

Tired after a full day, Darren and Kara stayed at the hut watching some DVD’s on Darren’s lap-top while Cary and I went in to town, myself meeting back up with Dave again after a month of us traveling solo. We spotted Dave strolling across the beach and it was great to see him again, tattooed arm and all. Bizarrely, within minutes of us catching up on what each of us had been doing, who walks by but Steve Trainer from Canada, who we first met in Hoi An, Viet Nam, then again in Saigon, followed by Phnom Penh, Don Det and now here once again in Ko Phangan. On all occasions our meetings had been completely unplanned and unexpected, and what makes it weirder was that Dave and I traveling alone hadn’t run in to him, but here we were for just a short amount of time back together again and Steve turns up. Steve’s arrival was shortly followed by the guys from Staines, Keith, Andy and Dan, who we had met in Don Det and who Dave had been traveling with for the past week. With everyone arriving so soon, Dave and I didn’t get much of a chance to chat, and the party on the beach was kicking in. I still, even now, after 2 weeks hadn’t rid the Pai bug out of my system completely and after the busy day on the bikes decided I’d leave Dave to his last night on the island as he was leaving the following day. Our paths would now not come together again until Australia.

There’s a beach up on the north east of the island which is said to be the nicest one of them all. Most people take a boat from Hed Rin, which is in the south of the island, around the headland to reach it, but I was determined we could negotiate the apparently tough, steep, dirt-track road that reached it through the middle of the island. On the way up the police, who were rumoured to be cracking down on drugs around the island were pulling in Westerners left, right and centre and searching them all. Two Spanish guys were sitting on the back of the police car handcuffed to one another, looking pretty sorry for themselves when we were shepherded in. I must have looked like a very respectable gentleman, even with my over-growing beard I now flourished, as they paid me little attention at all and went about having a good check of Darren, Kara and Cary. We continued up the hill and as forewarned the road became dirt, with huge holes in the ground. The hill was actually more like a mountain. I reckon we’d have been fine had it not been for a three guys in the middle of the road already having problems getting up. It was at this point, as I tried to navigate around them to the right that I had my first motorbike accident. I should probably leave it to your own imagination and you might come up with me flipping through the air as my bike explodes in to a ball of flames. Alas, it was nowhere near as dramatic. I was barely doing 2mph when the bike actually fell in to the ditch, which was no doubt my downfall. It fell sideways on to my right leg, but I had time to check behind me to see that Kara could jump off to safety without getting hurt. She got a knock as she disembarked, but because of the gradient I fell and then rolled back down the hill laughing away with the bike on top of me. Would have been a great photo. I had a few scrapes on my back, but nothing that wouldn’t take too long to heal. Then again I thought that about the cut on my foot from Vang Viang and that still hasn’t healed.

After that slight blip on the day out we decided against Ao Thong Nai Pan, and instead headed to the north of the island and the Coral View Resort at Ao Chaloaklam. A white sandy beach, pleasantly peaceful with a volleyball court, that sadly didn’t last too long from me and three Americans playing on it. We were waiting for our food to be served and three guys from California had stepped on to the court and were looking for a forth, so despite my war-wounds I happily joined them. My team mate set the ball for me and I went up to spike it, only for one of the guys on the other team who went up to block me to slip. His face took out my legs, bringing me smashing in to the net, snapping the bamboo cane that was serving as a post. Time for lunch.

Like the previous day we rode out to the west for the sunset, this time to the ridiculously named town of Hat Salad. The food and the setting at the hotel we ate dinner in was amazing and it would have been a beautiful place to have stayed, but sadly was way out of the budget we were living on.

After yet another busy and tiring day we had all probably resigned ourselves to going out to Hed Rin, having a few drinks and then turning in about 3am in preparation for the Full Moon Party, which had now been put back to the 24th February because of the elections that were taking place on the 22nd and 23rd. As we got to the beach area though it was evident, despite it being the day of the originally planned Full Moon Party that things were quieter than they had been. Music had been banned on the beach and only certain places were selling alcohol. We made our way to the far end of the beach to a place known as Mushroom Mountain, due to the hallucinogenic Mushroom Shakes that are sold here. We got a couple of cocktails and a few shots to get us going and then from then on the night was truly raucous. Cary had brought some bodypaint and it wasn’t long before all four of us were adorning our bodies with it. I’m not quite sure what happened to Kara, but she passed out soon after under the influence of the cocktails and the buckets which we subsequently bought. Alan and Troy arrived and the party continued, with Kara now suddenly revitalised, back on Leela beach, complete with guitar and yet another pair of flip-flops for me after mine went walkabout.

Before we knew it the sun was coming up, so we headed around the bay and lay on some rocks to await its arrival. I think we might have caught glimpses of its first rays, but that was it. Kara, Cary, Darren and I all passed out looking to any passersby like we’d just been washed up on the shore with some weird radioactive waste all over us (that’s the bodypaint you will realise from the photos, nothing more sinister).

When we did eventually arise we spent the day once again laying on the beach, and playing some more volleyball, this time with a crew of Israelis who find Ko Phangan a very popular destination. In fact there are more Israelis and Swedish here than in any other place I’ve visited. The influence is obviously apparent with Stars of David featuring on many bucket stands, and Israeli and Scandinavian dishes on many menus.

Cary, Troy and Alan were all leaving the following day as they had flights from Bangkok the day after that; Cary to Australia, Troy and Alan on to India. So that night they were intent on having another big night. Despite once again the presence of music we had a good night with Cary throwing bucket after bucket down her neck, and almost not getting up in time, while Alan arrived sweating buckets about 3 minutes before his taxi departed for the ferry. Kara, Darren and I decided we’d had enough of the squalor of Leela Bungalows and wandered to the much plusher appartments 100 metres further down the beach..

It had finally arrived the official night of the Full Moon Party and oh my was it memorable. In fact it was one of the most amazing parties I’ve ever been to. Thousands danced the night away on the beach to a mixture of house, reggae, trance and dance music. In the thick of it all the Swedes, Martin and Wilhelm whom Dave and I had met on the Trans-Siberian Railway wandered by. They in turn led us to where Mia and Danny also were. It was great to see all of them again and together with Kara and Darren we danced the night away well in to the morning. At about 4am the heavens opened and the rain tumulted down. Nobody cared, in fact quite the opposite. With dancing for so long the cool refreshing sensation of the rain was exactly what was needed and everybody continued to dance taking in the incredible atmosphere of this indescribable party. We hung around to watch the sun come up and saw some of the funniest sights known to human-kind. People were running in to the sea fully clothed; there were people passed out, lying supine on the sand; there were dogs confusedly walking round wondering what on earth was going on; and one situation in particular with a rotund, cheeky chappy who kept on running by and pushing unsuspecting girls in to the sea was simply hilarious. It was a shame that one poor guy was as drunk and as unconscious as he was, as would he have been sober he would have taken great pleasure in the three rather attractive leggy blonde Swedish girls dancing and posing provocatively over the top of him for their own photo collections.

Ko Phangan is a glorious island, not only for the Full Moon Party, but actually as a beautiful place in its own right. The party of course will always be remembered as will the great times that Kara, Cary, Darren and myself shared together. We had dinner on our last night in Ko Phangan with the my Swedish friends I had been reunited with, then bid our farewells to Darren the following day as our traveling four became just two and Kara and I headed off to Ko Tao.

A journal entry from: Around The World Without A Plane: Traveler: Simon Clark

Building in Dallas Downtown

Hello!

We are now in Chicago which is a nice city – lots of trees even though they are brown at the moment! Spring has not arrived yet and it was snowing when we arrived but has been sunny and ‘crisp’ ever since which is nice! We went to a huge conservatory yesterday full of massive palms and all sorts of lovely flowers – there were a couple of crazy white salamanders which were cool! We are staying with Jeff & Kristi who we met at Ana & Doug’s wedding so that’s fun!

So, we travelled from San Francisco down to Dallas on the Greyhound (three days on a bus … we stank) and got asked if we were homeless when we arrived in Dallas – the guy told us where we could get free food and milk which was nice of him but we didn’t go there! Anyway, Dallas was fun – we met some really nice people including Nathan (Texan) and Spencer (London) and we all hung around together for the week. Conrad taught me how to shoot (I tried a pistol and an M4 assault rifle) which was a bit against my hippy principles but kind of fun if I’m honest! We saw the spot where JFK was shot, went to a huge St.Patrick’s day parade which was fun and just generally enjoyed Dallas and it’s inhabitants. WE LOVE TEXAS!

Ok, then we were going to get the train to St.Louis but all trains North were cancelled due to crazy flooding and a broken bridge so we ended up on the Greyhound again – this time for only 15 hours which wasn’t so bad, nobody asked us if we were homeless this time! St.Louis was ok, not our favourite place but they had some nice buildings and we went on an old paddle steamer down the (flooded) Mississippi river and admired the arch. We also went to the St.Louis zoo which has lots of endangered animals and is free to get in – we loved the prairie dogs and the silverback gorillas!

We are off to Boston on Monday where we will meet up with mum and dad at the end of the week – we’re really looking forward to it! Then we will all have a week in NY with Adam & Sarah too so good times are ahead!

Take care and keep smiling!
Hugs,
Philippa & Conrad
xx

A journal entry from: Round the world: : Traveler: Conrad & Philippa

I’m writing this diary a week afterwards and somehow in wrong order, but I’m not travelling around that logical anymore, since I visited Singapore twice this week, but this island stay were in between.
And I just applied for my courses  at university back in Uppsala. It feels great to see the end of le paradize that I’ve been enjoying for three years soon. One year travelling around and making great friends in and around Switzerland. One year exploring my cultural/musical side with my new family at Skinnskattebergs folkhogskola. And this year working and travelling around all over the world, feeling a bit lost in the world. Like my mother sang to me as a child:

Varlden ar sa stor sa stor, Lasse Lasse liten.
Storre an du nansin tror, Lasse Lasse liten.

The world is very big, and there are so many people everywhere. It’s so easy to make new friends all over the world. And way to easy to loose the contact again.

Sometimes, or often when I wake up in the morning I feel lost.
Questions..
Which country am I in?
Where are my friends and family?
What am I supposed to today? What is my mission in this place? Why am I here?

So I wake up and walk around in this big city. Go through one huge shopping mall after another.
Looking at people walking faster than me. Where are they going? Probably they are at lunch break from work.
They work, they go to school. And afterwards they have free time to do what they want a couple of hours.
And they can become my friends and show me their city and culture, show what they do in the free time. How they let time pass by in the evenings and weekends. And when they go back to work. I go.. where?

I continue to pass my seven months of free time. Figuring out the meaning of travelling. Or mostly plan for my next travels, plan for the next place. And try to avoid not to spend all my money. Staying healthy. Staying happy.
Thinking, sometimes too tired too think.

Three months of travelling so far. Last week I’ve started thinking of what the purpose is with my travelling and I wonder if I can do anything good to other people. Not just travelling around exploiting the poverty in the world to let them wash my clothes, serve my food and so on. And also I wonder about the bigger picture of travelling and life. When going around in all these different countries I try to see similiarities/differences and try to figure out what makes people happy and what their meaning of life is.
It seems that family is very important. But also, I don’t know, people actually seems a bit lost here too like in Sweden. But more people around here have some kind of religion and belief of what is good to do in life. Some culture/religion/family rules to guide them on their way. And it seems very important to get married and found a new family. Maybe that’s the meaning of life, simple as that.
I don’t know…

Otherwise Singapore is a really hi-tech place. I get lost in the huge air conditioned shopping malls and sometimes don’t feel the equator tropical heat here, for hours. People are beautiful, they are a mix of indian, chinese, malays and the rest of the world and dressed in fashion clothes. The cinema is like a fridge. The zoo has lot of cool monkeys. IKEA was nice to visit to get some swedish Gott och blandat and salt sill. My host family was very nice. I’ve never seen so many indians as in Little India. I’ve never spent this much money in just a few days since Hong Kong..

And today I fly to Jakarta in Indonesia, 7th April I fly back to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia from Yogjakarta in Indonesia.
What do people like to do there?

A journal entry from: World Tour 2008: Traveler: Michael

Luang Prabang, Laos

We rented a couple of pretty nice mountain bikes and headed into the karst-filled hills. The ride was beautiful, a great way to see small villages somewhat off the beaten path. From Vang Vieng we took a crowded mini bus to Luang Prabang. Imagine taking a 300km. ride on old Whistler-style road in a super crowded bus with no brakes and very little steering. The views were breathtaking but by the end we were nervous wrecks. It was worth it to get to Luang Prabang however. This is another UNESCO world heritage sight similar to Hoi An in that the city has retained much of its architectural heritage including the most amazing Wats, or temples, we have seen yet. Luang Prbang is home to thousands of buddist monks and their orange colored robes fill the street. The city is also a gastronomic delight with many beautiful restaurants serving wonderful Laotian cuisine. We have decided to hang in here for a good long time as it’s a great place to relax as well as having lots of excursions to be done in the surrounding countryside.

A journal entry from: S.E.Asia: Traveler Bev and Larry