With a little help from my friends

I've not only visited amazing places and seen stunning sights on this trip, I've made some fantastic friendships. The people I've met along the way have made my journey all the more special.

My fellow volunteers in Cambodia really helped me through. I was so far out of my comfort zone! The proper belly laughs, hugs and confidence boosts that we gave each other made the experience so much sweeter. Special thanks go to Suzanne and Sarah. I can't wait to share another fit of the giggles with you.

Vietnam was quite a lonely experience for me. It's a beautiful country with wonderful people and delicious food, but I spent a lot of time alone there. That all changed when I hit Halong Bay. The few days that I spent on that boat with a fabulous group of people (well most of them!) were just great. Monkey Island really was nuts!

And then I reached Australia. I joined my good pal Emma and everything changed. We had so much fun and a good dose of self-discovery. Our shared experience was a delight to us both and changed our perceptions of travelling. I miss you Em - thank you for sharing Aus with me.

I wasn't looking forward to New Zealand but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Magic Bus made it all too easy. It also helped that I found a fellow caffeine-addict in Kat who also found it extremely funny to mock the Kiwis' vowels (fush n chups indeed!).

I couldn't have lasted in Australia as long as I did without the generosity of some very special people. Massive thanks in particular to Michelle, Monica, Sarah, Mike, Brooke and Julian. You're total stars and I owe you big time. You made Sydney feel like home. It's down to you that I stopped travelling and started living. And I absolutely love this new lease of life that I've discovered.

Thank you.

Reflections on my journey

I've been a bit reflective of late. That might be because I've spent a lot of time on plane, bus and train journeys looking into space. It might just be that time of year with seasons changing. It might also be because I'm nearing the end of this journey. What an amazing journey it's been too - and it's not over yet.

This time last year I was miserable. I wasn't just a bit down, I was absolutely bloody miserable. A series of bad events had worn me down. I look back on it as if I was a different person. In a way, I was. I feel so far away from that person now (quite literally). I haven't felt this happy, healthy or positive in years. Thank you open road!

I did the difficult bit of travelling first - Cambodia. That was such a culture shock, but a brilliant experience. Alongside my memories of being filthy, sweaty and totally out of my comfort zone, are the memories of laughing until my belly hurt, making fantastic new friendships and reaping the rewards of teaching the kids. Vietnam was a test of flying solo. I learnt a lot about myself then. I've certainly tapped into my inner strength on this trip and I've discovered how much you can gain from pushing yourself a bit.

Australia has been a massive learning curve too, but it certainly hasn't been hard work. I feel like I'm sitting back and reaping the rewards now. Life here is so much easier. I feel relaxed, happy and so much more confident. I've met so many different people with interesting tales. It's really opened my mind.

I put a lot of this positivity down to the new love in my life - Sydney! Is it just a fling or is it a longer term relationship? That remains to be seen. All I know is that I've discovered something great here and my journey isn't over yet thankfully.

Hello Hong Kong

This week I have mainly been chilling out in Hong Kong with my lovely cousin Charlotte and her hubby, Martin. It's so different from my last few weeks. Being back in civilisation and relative normality is taking some getting used to. I've been talking to people who don't need to know my background and story as they already know it. I can go into the kitchen and make myself a cup of tea. I can sit on a sofa and watch TV. It's ace!

The first thing that struck me about Hong Kong when I arrived here is that it's so organised compared to my recent destinations. I got a train from the airport into town and it was spotless, efficient and quick. I got a taxi from the station. There was a taxi stand with somebody directing the cabs to passengers. I didn't have to haggle the price, check that the meter was running correctly or fear I was going to be taken to a random shop or hotel. I got in a cab, the fare was set, and the driver took me to my destination. Such a weird concept!

I found myself walking down the street the other day and I had to remind myself that I should be walking on the pavement rather than in the road. In Cambodia and Vietnam, there's rarely room for you to walk on the pavement. The pavement is where people park their motorbikes, cook food, eat on tiny plastic stools, beg, sell, sleep, but rarely just walk. I've got used to walking in the gutter, hoping not to be hit by one of the many motorbikes zooming past me.

I feel like I'm having a week off travelling. I've visited Hong Kong twice before, so I don't have my usual agenda of sightseeing. The temperature is about 10 degrees cooler here too which is a total shocker. I'm really unprepared too as I've only packed for sunshine. A chilblain started to develop on my finger within 36 hours!

We went to the Hong Kong Open golf tournament on Saturday. This trip is all about new experiences, but this wasn't one that I'd anticipated. It was really interesting wandering around the gorgeous course and watching men hit balls with sticks. I have to say that I was more intrigued by their fashion choices than their putting ability, but nevetheless it was another good first for me.

I have a few more days to relax and explore HK before I fly off to Perth, Australia. I'll enjoy the cooler temperature here while I can as Oz will be getting hot and hotter. Phew!

Beauty treats?

When you can get a salon treatment for the price of a skinny cappuccino, it's great to indulge in some pampering from time to time. Quite frankly, my body needs a few treats given what it's endured over the past few weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Feet treats
A couple of times in Cambodia I decided to try and pretty up my feet, especially considering what they'd waded through on the farm. I started with a regular pedicure. I sat back in my comfy chair while my therapist crouched in the typical flat foot squat that Asian people adopt so easily. Try it, it really isn't so easy.

My feet were cleaned, then cleaned some more - clearly even she recognised the depth of dirt she was dealing with and decided to move on swiftly. Out came the colours. Now I'm normally a deep berry kind of girl, but I was out of luck. Acid green, lemon yellow, lurid pink or a 1980s bridesmaid shade of peach? Hmmm. I opted for a pink which was rather more luminous than I anticipated. However, this proved rather useful the following day when the tuk tuk broke down and I jumped out into a muddy ditch yet could still see a gleaming pink toenail shining through the cow dung!

Fishy feet treats
I'd heard tales of the legendary fish massage in Siem Reap, so I was eager to try it for myself. Picture a kind of paddling pool filled with little fish all waiting to nibble away on your feet. Why did I ever think this was going to be a treat? It was truly revolting. My friend Sarah and I sat poised on the edge of the pool, trying unsuccessfully to immerse our feet in the fishy water for quite some time. Every time our feet got near the water and enticed the fish towards us, we shrieked and pulled our feet away. Eventually I managed to get my feet just below the water, the fish gathered around and started nibbling away on my heels. It really wasn't pleasant. When they ventured up to the sole of my feet, that was it. I hate having my feet tickled by anyone, but by a fish... Sorry, it wasn't for me. Fish fingers, yes. Fish feet, definitely not.

"You want massaaaage lady?"
This phrase was heard fairly frequently and once or twice I accepted. Now I love a good firm massage, but be warned. Don't be fooled by the masseur's petite frame. Cambodian women are incredibly strong, and when they're kneeling on your buttocks, leaning their full body weight onto your shoulders, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was Mike Tyson back there rather than an 8 stone middle aged woman. As I was wondering whether to surrender, lift the white flag and admit defeat, the silence was broken by the tune of 'Happy birthday'. It was her mobile phone ringtone! Ignoring me, she started to chat animatedly. I began to relax, but then she laughed heartily into her phone whilst gazing at my near naked body. If she hadn't been still kneeling on my buttocks, I'd have run away!

Two for the price of one
My latest beauty treat really was an experience. In Saigon, I realised that I was due a wax. After negotiating a good price, I was introduced to my two therapists. Yes, two for the price of one! They set about waxing my legs with gusto. Brilliant - double speed, extra efficiency and over in no time.

Then they moved up. I may be a little sensitive, paranoid even, but the glances that they exchanged and the fevered chat that ensued as they tackled my bikini line was somewhat disconcerting. This continued for the next 20 minutes. Yes, 20 minutes of the sort of teeth sucking noises normally reserved for builders and plumbers who reckon 'it's gonna cost ya love'. Give me a touch of British reserve and chat about holidays from a beauty therapist any day!

I ran away from that beauty session feeling rather traumatised, but with extremely silky hair-free legs. I'm still not sure if it was a beauty trick or treat though...

Vietnam: the final phase

So I've had a busy week or so in Hanoi. I went to Halong Bay for a 3 day boat trip which was great - definitely a highlight of my Vietnam trip. Halong Bay is just beautiful, if a little overcrowded with tourist boats. It's a shame that they've not embraced the 'green thing' over here yet, as this stunning place is getting full of litter. Despite that, sailing around the islands with gorgeous sunshine and clear blue skies overhead was a joy.

We had a day and a bit on a junk (surrounded by junk - ha ha!) and then we went to Cat Ba island. I managed to trek, scramble and climb my way to the peak in my Haviana flip flops. Not a feat to be recommended, but my tour guide assured me that it would be fine as he did it regularly. It was at about the halfway point that I twigged that he climbs like a mountain goat and I certainly don't! I managed it though and bumped into a woman who lives 5 minutes away from me at home. Small world eh?

Day 2 ended on Monkey Island where we had a private beach and I had my own little beach bungalow. Bliss! The evening kicked off with a 'floating bar' and happy hour. This involved us getting in lifebuoys, running into the sea to get a plastic mug of 'Monkey Island magic' from a mad Vietnamese guy in a polystyrene dinghy. The start to a very amusing evening with a great gang of people.

After Halong Bay, I took the night train to Sapa in north Vietnam. It's a mountainous area with many hill tribes. More trekking (in proper shoes this time) and exploring the stunning countryside. It looked rather like Switzerland so it was appropriate that I was adopted by an Austrian couple aged about 60. They were so sweet, but they did badger me constantly to apply suncream, drink water, eat more dinner, accompany them for an evening stroll, blah blah blah. I felt like a teenager on holiday with parents!

I'm back in Hanoi now and I've got two days to go before I fly off to Hong Kong to stay with my cousin Charlotte. I cannot tell you how excited I am about seeing her. I am longing to see a familiar face and relax on her sofa with some trashy mags and TV. Oh, and a cup of proper tea with proper milk (rather than the condensed milk that they use out here) would go down a treat. Simple pleasures eh?

Pip x

Hello Hanoi

Wednesday 4th November
Thanks for all of your emails. It's so good to hear all your news from home. It seems weird that it's getting cold and dark over there. The hotel receptionist here was complaining how cold it is here today as I sauntered out in a vest top and sunglasses. It really isn't cold - it's nearly thirty degrees!

I've had a great few days in Hoi An. It is such a lovely, quaint town. I spent ages just pottering round the streets full of tailor shops and art. I got to the beach which was beautiful and did a Vietnamese cookery course which was fun too. Be prepared to sample my new repertoire of dishes next year!

I had a few days to enjoy the sunshine before a big old storm hit on Monday. By Tuesday the river had spilled over its banks and flooded a couple of streets. The ever resourceful locals just pitched up in boats to take the tourists to the places that were under water.

I'm in Hanoi now and it's much nicer than I expected. Everybody told me that it was crazy busy and unbearable. After Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City it seems ok to me. I've learnt how to cross the sea of traffic. Basically, you can step out in front of a motorbike but not a car, definitely not a 4x4 and only step in front of a 4x4 with a government numberplate if you have a death wish! I've spent the day wandering around the city sightseeing. I went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum but his body is in Russia being cleaned at the moment unfortunately. I still managed to see the mausoleum, the museum, sing the Ho Chi Minh theme tune and avoid buying the t-shirt. They're HCM mad here!

Anyway, I've just booked myself up for the rest of my time here so I have a plan. I'm off on a boat trip Thurs-Saturday around various islands in Halong bay. According to the tourism blurb, there's one that looks like a human head, one like a teapot and one like a cock (fowl or phallic?). I end up staying on Planet of the Apes (ok, monkey island!) for a night so I'll try to avoid going monkey nuts. Then I head off into the hills around Sapa for a few days to go trekking.

I'll let you know how it goes...

Vietnam: step 2

I'm now in Hoi An which is a really old quaint town in central Vietnam. I highly recommend it. I've been feeling very unsettled all week, getting used to travelling by myself, so I treated myself to a decent hotel. I arrived with the sun shining and a sun lounger by the pool calling to me. All is ok!

I've been to the beach which is gorgeous and spent hours pottering around the higgledy piggledy streets filled with tailor shops, art and ancient buildings.

There's so much I could buy here if I had some space in my rucksack. I took a shine to the people here when they started showering me with compliments. It didn't take long to realise that they were trying to entice me into their shop to have some clothes made. There's often a story of a dead mother or aunt to add some emotional gravitas to their sell too. I've got away reasonably unscathed with only the one tailor-made skirt - a midnight blue silk 50s style prom skirt. Not bad for about a fiver!

I did another cookery course too which was fun. Our teacher-chef was hilarious and kept coming out with peculiar English sayings like 'too many cooks spoil the broth'. He had a few wise words too such as'eating food without chilli is like making love without kissing and warning the men to wash their hands after chopping chillis and before going near their 'population stick'!

I have many more recipes to add to my repertoire now - spring rolls again, rice paper, Hoi An style pancakes, claypot casserole and banana leaf grilled fish. We also learnt vegetable decoration. It's clearly not a hidden talent of mine. I managed the tomato rose, but the cucumber fan was way beyond me!

I still feel a bit weird about travelling rather than working or volunteering and I do wonder how my students are doing. It's time to think about me now though. It's my 'me-ternity leave'after all.

Miss you
Pip x

Goodbye Cambodia...Good Morning Vietnam

30th October: Vietnam
I am now in Vietnam on my own and it feels very strange. I don't know quite what to do with myself now that I don't have a routine, a role and people around me 24/7. It feels very decadent to just wake up in the morning and decide whether to go and visit some ancient temples, a museum or just get on a bus to another location.

I arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) on Monday after a 6 hour bus journey from Phnom Penh. I thought Phnom Penh was full of motorbikes until I saw the sea of them hurtling towards me as the bus pulled into town. It's crazy! I went exploring on my first day though and it is actually a rather charming place, albeit a little busy. It has definite colonial influences and is a lot more developed than PP. I visited some of the main buildings and then went on to the war museum and independence palace. I think calling it a palace is slightly overdoing it. It's a pretty ugly 1960s government building which is still in the same state it was when it was liberated in the 70s. It was really interesting to find out more about the Vietnam war that I'm only aware of from US films. The war museum was so graphic - lots of photos and descriptions of torture and atrocities committed not so long ago.

I went on a 2 day tour of the Mekong Delta on a boat. I thought we'd be getting real insight into how people live in this area but instead we were marched from one souvenir stall to another. It did improve though. 10 of us opted for the homestay option which meant that we stayed with a local family for the night. How far out of my comfort zone was I with that one? We travelled there at about 7pm, so it was completely dark and we were led through alleyways, across fields and then onto rowing boats to take us down the river to the house. We were served a delicious dinner of elephant fish caught in the river, rice (of course), noodles and veg from their land. I slept on a bed made of concrete underneath a mozzie net and tried to ignore the random noises and shadows that I could see throughout the night. Fortunately there was a cockerel right outside my window to wake me up. Unfortunately it was 3am when he started to crow! By 5.30 we were all up and checking out the rice fields, watermelon crop and the orchard. By 7am we were back on the boats to explore floating markets, more villages and so on. I was so happy to be back in my hotel room by 6pm for a hot shower and a lie down!

So many places to visit and so many decisions to make. This travelling lark is hard I tell you!

Pip x