New York, a long time coming

It was 17 hr flight from Bangkok to New York, flying over the north pole that got me to NY finally. How cool is that! Didn't have a window seat, but I did have three babies behind me crying during the trip. Hellll. Anyway I survived and arrived early Thursday morning.

Straight onto the subway system with all my bags during peak hour into Manhattan and then back out to Brooklyn and caught up with my friend Sarah whom I'm crashing with. She gave me some amazingly detailed instructions on how to get to her place, so easy.

It took me a long time, and alot of effort to get to New York. I still don't know why I came here, but I'm here now. And if my first week is any indication I'm sure I'll make the most of it.

Everyday I pick an area or two of the city and just walk around, get lost a little, wander around trying to get a feel for the place. The grid system and the subway makes it so easy to get around. I'm not doing much in the way of the traditional tourist site seeing, that will come in time.

The strange thing is that I find it very quiet, clean and peaceful. Not what I expected. I think it's because I've been travelling in Asia, where there is so much going on, everyday is hard work with the traffic, people, pollution, noises and smells. Here it's easy. Even all the walking isn't so bad, I've been walking everyday for six weeks too.

Luckily the few people I know here have been looking after me and I've been doing something just about every night. My favourite was a rooftop party in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Bushwick is supposed to be reasonably dodgy, the party was in a security complex with barb wire and a guard... so there is some street cred there I guess. It didn't stop me and Ben (Sarah's brother) wandering around at 3.30 looking for another bar! Felt safer than Cambodia, but is that saying much?

I think I like it here, it's a city that you can really get into. The people are nice (so far), the food is terrible, the weather is gorgeous (at the moment), the transport easy. So from now, who knows?

I'm looking for work, but not really yet. Maybe tomorrow.

I'll let you know if I continue with the blog, I can't see myself doing it to be honest. I'm in New York to live, and you guys don't need to hear about my laundry and subway experiences. Stay in contact with me on personnel email level, sms or skype.

It's been emotional.

Swimming and Shopping in Bangkok

I was so, so tired when I got to Bangkok, maybe a little sick even. The trip had taken it's toll on me. Col was feeling much the same.

We got a terrible room in a hotel but it had a pool! So each day I shopped during the day for clothes, and swam when I got back. Col just swam. It was still exhausting.

It was three pretty quite days before I left for the final destination, New York.

Angkor wat what? Angkor what???

We spent the next two days driving around Angkor with Mark and our tuk tuk. It was the most amazing temple complex I have ever visited. The site is so huge you can't really see it all, so we didn't really try.

We just drove and walked around, taking in the calm and beautiful surroundings and seeing the different sites. Even though I was a little templed out from the rest of my trip, I still loved it.

We caught up with a group of Germans who were awesome, such lovely people. Big shout out to Gordon, Vera, Katherine and Anna! Enjoy the rest of your trip. We had some great nights together and they were such good people. It was sad to leave them.

After the tuk tuk ride I was so over buses, the thought of another day on a bus made me shudder. So I flew to Bangkok. Col came along too as he was on much the same schedule. So the Phil and Col show continued in Bangkok. Well sorta...

The great tuk tuk journey

The plan was a whirlwind 5 day trip to Cambodia. A day or so in Phnom Penh, travell to Siam Reap and a few days exploring Angkor. What do they say about planning? Things sort of went to plan.

I'd like to say that I enjoyed myself in Phnom Penh, it was an interesting place but the sad history of the Khemer Rouge got to me. After visiting the S-21 the genocide museum, and the killing fields I was more than a little saddened, shaken and distrubed.

During the site seeing I met up with Col, an Australian plumber from perth, who I had meet a few times in Vietnam. We decided to meet up that evening for dinner. When we caught up we took a tuk tuk out and ended up having dinner with the driver Mark. Lots of Cambodians working in tourism seem to have adopted western names.

The conversation at dinner was forced and I was searching for an conversation topic and I asked Mark how much it would cost to take a tuk tuk to Siam Reap. Mark thought about it and said for the day there, and then two days looking around it would be $100US. Then he said he would get an esky and a case of beer. Col looked at me and nooded. I've got to learn how to say no.

Tuk tuk's come in different shapes and sizes in each country. So to paint a picture - ours was similiar to a horse and carriage. But without the horse. Replace the horse with a 110cc honda scooter, the carriage has two benches facing each other and roof over the top. If it rains you can roll down waterproof sheets. The carriage has one set of wheels in the centre so it can be very bumpy ride.

Siam Reap is 300km away from Phomg Pen and luckily for us it is the best road in the country. Mark had never driven his tuk tuk so far and didn't how long it would take. He first said 8hrs maybe 10hrs. The bus is only 4 or 5hrs I think.

We started around 8.30 the next morning, Mark turned up with an esky full of beer and Ice and we were off. No breakfast though, so after two hours on the road we stopped and had a spider for breakfast. I only ate a leg or two. It was about then that we had our first beer, no drink is sweeter after eating spider legs.

It was a great way to see the country side, better than riding a motorbike because you could relax and concentrate on the scenery. Just relax, sit back with a beer going at max speed of 40km an hour.

Of course the tuk tuk broke down a couple of times, but your never far from a team of mechanics. Think of it like a F1 pit stop, cruise in on your tuk tuk and a team of mechanics jump straight onto the scooter, pulling it apart, tightening this replacing that. There's only like 5 or 6 different bikes so they know them so well.

We drank all the beers and had to get some more, Mark helped us too. Me and Col weren't too good at encouraging responsible tuk tuk driving. It was a long, long day for us in the back, but Mark had a full, full day. Don't know how he did it. We were so excited to arrive in Siam Reap and a little tanked. We run amok coming into town cheering and jumping out of the tuk tuk. What can I say, we were happy to be there.

Luckily I didn't get sunburnt, but I got windburnt my face was really, red and my eyes were really dry.

Anyway we arrived around 9pm, got sorted in hotel had a quiet dinner and went out to explore. Not in the mood to go out or go to bed, me and col went for a massage. It was amazing. It was an hour massage and After it finished we just said can we have another hour? So good, just what you need after a 12 hour tuk tuk journey. A massage.

HCMC a girl for each foot

HCMC (Saigon or Ho Chi Minh city) was my favourite city of Vietnam - so of course not much relaxing. Imagine, some people actually relax on holidays.

I spent three days in HCMC and I kept on running into friends I had made earlier in the trip, so of course there were some late nights. Including an attempt at an going out at a Vietnamese nightclub... hmmm not exactly a highlight but interesting all the same.

The real highlight was the cu chi tunnels. Although it was an organised tour and very touristy, it was the best tour I went on in Vietnam. The tunnels were pretty intense to go through, much smaller than the tunnels I visited around Hue. Adding to the experience was the constant sound of gun fire. It was bizzare as you wandered around you could hear the sounds of tourists shooting at the firing range. Of course, I had a go. I had never shot a gun before... I'm obviously an expert now - M16, AK47, M60, K57. I don't think it's for me really, the whole gun thing. I'm a sensitive soul you know.


Another highlight was exploring china town with Ludo (my friend from the long motorcycle trip in Dalat). The markets, temples and streets were very different from other areas of Vietnam. I was on a shopping mission as it was my last day in Vietnam to get some inexpensive clothes for the streets of New York. Not much luck I'm afraid. However, while visiting a random mall me and Ludo decided to get a foot massage. It was bliss after a long day of unsuccessful shopping. And like all good foot massages there was a girl for each foot!

Motorbike adventures continue

After three days on the bike I was keen to relax and take it easy. For some reason every time I make plans the universe conspires against me so I end up doing the complete opposite. The next day was probably the least relaxing day I´ve ever had!

Soon after arriving in Dalat after my 3 day trip I got talking to a french guy who was into motorbike riding about how much better it was to to explore Vietnam by bike than taking buses everywhere. He had already done a 6 day tour in the north that sounded fantastic.

We started off at 9 in the morning with a vague plan about a possible day tour we could do around the area. It was pretty ambitious roughly 200km. The people kept on saying to us the roads weren´t very good. But what would the locals know right?

The ride was great! nice roads, big sweeping corners, amazing scenery and not many cars for the first 150kms or so. We had loads of fun stopping off in the villages drinking coffee making sure and talking to the locals to make sure we were going in the right direction. The last 50km´s of the first 150km was the best though.

It was a brand new road through an area that had many hill tribes villages. It was so unlike anything else I had seen in Vietnam. The people were still very traditional in how they dressed, but there had been lots of development in terms of housing and infrastructure.

While checking for directions to make sure we were still on the right track people started to say the next leg of the loop was not possible. But we would keep on asking people until some said it was possible. Even though the road was a on the national map of Vietnam as a secondary road it was still being built.

Soon the road from being perfect to gravel to mud and narrower and bumpier the further we went up into the mountains. It was pretty tough going to say the least. It was 5.00pm and it was looking it pretty bad, villagers collecting bamboo on the dirt goat track we had found ourselves in on the mountain said that there was a collapse or mud slide further up and there was no way we could go on.

Then it started to rain. I had a half a small water, only t-shirt and shorts. So I did not want to spend the night in the jungle. It was not looking good. So we turned around and started the 150km journey back at 5.30pm on our little scooters in the rain.

After 50kms it was dark and the rain was too heavy so we stopped for an hour to eat some food. At 7.30 we started back up and it took 3hrs to go just 100kms. It was still raining for the first 1hr. The ride was so scary because you just couldn´t see the pot holes or judge the corners coming up. Ludo was very confident driver so he was always a ahead of me and he would wait for me to catch up every 20mins or so. He was dressed a bit more appropriately than me. I was shaking from the cold. To keep my mind occupied I would talk to myself saying ¨hard left¨ ¨medium right¨ ¨long straight¨ just to keep myself focused.

About 20km´s outside town I came off the bike when I hit a big mud patch. Because of the rain and the lack of drainage there were mud patches that stretched across the road regularly. I had picked up a bit of speed because the road was wide and straight, it wasn´t raining and I could almost imagine being in bed. A moment of indecision after I saw the mud patch and I braked too late as I went over the mud and I came off. But I was so lucky. The bike and myself only slid across mud for the most part.

A medium graze on my elbow was the worst of it for me, small scratches on my legs and some bruising to the back makes it sound much worse that it is! The bike was covered in mud, all on the engine so I couldn´t work out the extent of the damage. The brake leaver was bent badly and a panel had popped out. So very lucky.

I limped into town shaking with adrenaline and cold and got straight into bed and had the best night's sleep.

In the morning I got up early and went to mechanic and got a new leaver and the panel fixed for $2.5US. I got it the deluxe clean for $1US. So happy that I didn´t have to go through the whole process of dealing with getting it fixed through the bike rental place.

Needless to say I took the bus to Ho Chi Minh City.

Easy riding... sorta. mostly.

Not really much to report from the two nights in Nha Trang. Lots of parties and lots and lots of Australians. Perhaps there is a connection there... It was relaxing and tiring at the same time.

Just after I booked another bus ticket to the next stage in the journey, I got talking to this guy... Famous last words right?

So before I knew it I had agreed to go on a three day bike tour with him to Dalat in the mountains. But there was no way I was going to sit being him for three days pillion. So I hired a nice little 110cc scooter to follow him. He ended up taking his younger brother with him so he could teach him the tour.

It was a a good trip mostly. Or in retrospect it was a good thing to do.

Soon after starting the trip I started to dislike Hau my guide. He was always trying to impress me with Macho stories about sleeping with western women and getting into fights. Hau had definitely had a hard life, his parents died during the Vietnam war and he was a street kid who sold things on the beach to tourists and stole when he had the opportunity and now he was doing o.k through tourism. So I understand why he was like that.

The trip itself was great, I loved the riding the scooter through the mountains and for the first time I felt like I was experiencing Vietnam not just seeing it.

On the last night we were drinking local rice wine (25'50% and 1USD for a litre) and Hau got pretty smashed. We all shared a room and halfway through the night another motorbike guide came into the room and started yelling at Hau. It turned out Hau and his brother climbed up into the bathroom and were checking out a dutch girl showing. Classy right?

Hau defended his innocence and went out and had fight with the guide...

Lucky the next day was the last day and I was happy to say goodbye.

Vietnam ' moving on

From Hue´ it was another bus ride to Hoi An. I only spent two nights and wished it had been a bit longer. The town was really nice and probably the best food of Vietnam. The french influence is very obvious in the architecture and infrastructure.

The big tourist thing here is the tailors though. Get a suit made up for 20-40us dollars. Custom made jackets, shirts and shoes. Even bags. It wasn´t really for me though. I´m not one for suits and it seemed like hard work. However, I´ve met lots of people who had nice shirts and shorts made up inexpensively... It´s better to travel light and pick up stuff at the end of the trip. That´s what I tell myself.

The next bus ride was the worst of the trip, overnight on a public bus on the biggest Vietnamese public holiday. And I had some serious sunburn from a motorbike trip I had gone on exploring the area during the day... so I was not happy when I arrived in Nha Trang.

The naive traveller

I'm thinking about writing a book or article title the "Naive traveller" based off my experiences. There are so many different stories and schemes that if you are a trusting person it would be very reasonable for you to go along with them.



During my visiting to Hue' so many people came up to me, saying they only want to practise their English or they wanted to talk about Australia as they have family there. Think 4 or 5 people in one day.

I agreed to get guided in the right direction by the last one as I was interested in what would happen. So she said the tomb I wanted to visit was near her house, she was a farmer and wanted practise her English so she could help her kids do better at school.

During the bike ride, it's like you come to place and see where I live. She lived in a small village, that was very simple, but clean and nice. We had tea, talked about her children. Then she wanted to take me to all the tombs etc. I was a bit bored by the whole thing by now and really just wanted to do my own thing, Which I told her in a nicer way of course. Then it started to rain, I didn't really want to leave, but it got really uncomfortable. So I started to leave and I finally got the hard (or soft) sell. She wanted money to buy English dictionary books for her children. I disengaged and left. Maybe I should have, but I rarely give money to people in situations like that. I never really have, so I just don't, I would like to be more generous....

I also agreed to go to dinner with this guy who said his sister studied in Canberra, but in the end I thought it would end with much the same story, and I was tired. So I've stood him up had dinner with the American girls I met with in Halong bay.

Vietname - the start

In the last email installments of my travels I left Laos with feeling pressed for time and frustrated that I couldn't spend long in the country. It was only after the first week that I really started to "get" the country and get into the travelling phase.

Arriving in Hanoi was hell of a shock after Laos. On the flight a grand scheme of motorbiking throughout Vietnam had developed in my mind. The 40 min ride from the Airport to the city destroyed that idea, the roads were not only crazy and I saw four accidents and probably the first dead body of my life. Not the scenes to inspire confidence in motorbike touring.

I marked my first night in Hanoi with an impressive bloodstain on my flip flop after a bicycle ran over my right foot. The next day during museum visiting a scooter ran over my left foot when I was standing at corner. Reduced to hobbling around I still managed to visit a few the museums which were a real highlight of the trip. Gave a very different view of history and culture than the one I had from popular culture and school.


The injuries to my feet meant that I didn't go north to Sapa for trekking as was my original plan. Every person I meet tells me that was their favourite part of Vietnam... Yep salt rubbed into the wound.

An obligatory tour to Halong bay was really nice, Caught up with a a couple of American girls on the tour and we had some fun. One of the girls had just moved to Manhattan and we got on really well, so we'll be catching up soon. I think I'll need all the friends I can get. Also, she gave me the lowdown on Apartment hunting and would let me know if any of her friends could help me out.


After arriving back from Halong bay I was straight on a bus for 12 hours to Hue'. The bus ride was pretty awful. It was a sleeper bus where you lie sitting up with the person's legs from behind under your back and feet under the persons infront of you. Of course not made to my dimensions nor the poor 6"6 Swede next to me. I would have rathered a normal sitting bus. I wish I had taken the sleeping tablets offered to me by a street vendor outside the bus.

My foot was still giving me trouble, and as the traffic didn't look to bad, so I hired another bike after breakfast to explore the city which was ok. I meet an Austrian girl soon after we went out into the country side to look at tombs of past Vietnamese kings. And it was raining so hard, I got completely drenched but didn't have the patience to wait it out. It made the tombs more beautiful in the rain in some way.

The blog begins!

I've become self conscious about sending out a long self indulgent email about myself. So today I've started a blog. Yep I'm a geek. I'll be catching up on the events over the last few weeks over the next few days. Hopefully soon I'll be up to date.

Tomorrow is my last day in Bangkok, I fly to New York at midnight on a 17 hr non-stop flight.