Link to travels in Bulgaria – June 2009

Link to travels in China - China May & June 2007

Link to travels in Northern India - Northern India November 2005

Link to travels in Chile, Bolivia & Peru - September October November 2003

Link to travels in Malaysia & Thailand - March & April 2000

Link to travels in China - October 1997

BULGARIA, JUNE 2009.

The first two days were mostly spent travelling. We were a little apprehensive about the flight; the airline was Easyjet, however all went well.

Arrived Sofia around midday on the first day of June. Now the usual hassle organising a bus ride to the centre & finding accommodation, the latter took longer than we had anticipated. Most rooms were crummy & very expensive. Eventually we found one near the Lion Bridge.

Tuesday 02.06.09. Today we had another tricky job, to cash travellers cheques, finally having visited most of the banks in the capital we succeeded.

Sofia is an old city with a population of 1.8 million. Much history lies in its buildings, we spent most of the day exploring some of them, including some fine old Orthodox churches & the President's Palace.

Eating out in Sofia was also difficult only a very few establishments are to be found.

Today was marred with having a rather harassing encounter with a pick pocket gang. We had succumbed to visiting a McDonalds restaurant & were having trouble figuring out how to get in, when a kindly hand reached over my shoulder to help, unknown to us this was part of a plan to gain access to Caroline's security purse. The thieves however only managed to open the top & were unable to retrieve the passports there in as Caroline had wrapped them up in polythene bags, in case of rain!

Wednesday 03.06.09. Today we were to travel on to Belogradchik in the NW of the country. The bus journey took three & a half hours, at the end of which we managed to secure a clean cheap room, near the centre of this small town.

Thursday 04.06.09. We set off with a packed lunch to explore the walking trails through the rock forests, a feature of this region. Huge rock pillars stood like statues, a true natural wonder of the New World. Our wanderings took us eventually to a tiny settlement. On the way we enjoyed seeing an abundance of insects & wild flowers, something, which is becoming all too rare in Britain.

Belogradchik View to the west

Bulgaria is just emerging from being controlled by Russia & the infrastructure shows signs of decay.

At the small settlement we happened on a tiny shop & enjoyed a beer with the old lady owner, until she decided it was time to shut-up shop, the clue came, when she inserted the key in the lock signalling for us to leave.

Friday 05.06.09. A hike to a high ridge to the east of the town today. At its highest point stood a TV mast. The walk up was not difficult following the access road. A trig pillar stands on the summit & we had our packed lunch here in the company of a multitude of butterflies gathering nectar from the abundance of wild flowers. On our return to the town we followed a goat herder for a little while, the goats grazing on wild land. In a nearby allotment we spotted a lady harvesting strawberries, very kindly she offered us a huge bowl full, which we thoroughly enjoyed later.

Saturday 06.06.09. Today the landlady informed us we would have to vacate our room, as it had been pre-booked. Oh dear! Weekend visitors from near & far arrive here at the weekends to explore. We then had a two-hour search for another room without success, however with the help of the local tourist office we were safely established in another room.

Today we had planned a visit to the nearby village of Dabrarka to the west, using a forest trail. However we failed a find the start of the trail & ended up marching along the road some 7kms.

We arrived at the village at lunchtime. Nesting on the top of a nearby telegraph pole was a huge stork's nest with its inhabitants standing proud! Eventually we found the local shed/shop & enjoyed a couple of beers; the owner duly presented us with some rather nice cheese to enhance our meal.

Old travellers in Belogradchik

We were able to return to Belogradchik via the forest trail, at the end of which was a gypsy encampment, which we had pass through. Folk here were obviously less well off than the rest of the town.

Storks nesting precariously on pole

Sunday 07.06.09. We were intending to catch a bus to Sofia, which was to leave at 6a.m. We arrived at the bus station in plenty of time, 6a.m. came & went, no bus, today was Sunday! Just as we were about to plan our next move a young female backpacker came on the scene. We chatted with her & eventually accompanied her in a taxi to the nearby train station some 11kms. away. At 7.10a.m. we boarded the train to Sofia, the journey took 3hrs.

With everything now working like clockwork we managed to acquire a bus connection to Bansko almost right away from the nearby bus station. After a three-hour ride we arrived at this winter ski resort in the heart of the Pirin Mountains. We landed at Bansko at 2p.m. & amazingly found a very clean room with a veranda almost immediately.

Monday 08.06.09. Awoke to a few spots of rain, which soon cleared. We left the guesthouse with no real plan & found ourselves drawn towards the highest peaks. In winter this resort is buzzing with snow worshippers. A metalled road winds it's way up southward & it seemed liked forever until we reached its end. Using forest trails we continued the climb, only very occasionally glimpsing site of the towering peaks either side. An alpine river known as the Glazne crashes its way through deep gorges & over many dramatic waterfalls. We progressed along its boulder-strewn banks & tested the water temperature, it was ice cold. During our climb we passed many mountain refuges supplied for hikers to spend the night.

On & on we climbed not appearing to get any closer to the peaks. We had hiked for about 5hours, a little longer than we had planned. In a meadow stood another lonely refuge, whilst here a four wheeled drive vehicle surprisingly appeared & it bumped its way to a halt near the refuge. Five young men & an older man alighted with haversacks.

At this point we were treated to a very dramatic thunderstorm. Fate dealt us a favourable hand here, one of the young men volunteered his father to give us a lift back to Bansko, & we eagerly accepted & took our seats in the back of the vehicle. With rain still falling heavily we started down the very rough track, at times both Caroline & myself wondered whether we would ever make it but make it we did.

Tuesday 09.06.09. A ten-minute bus ride found us in the neighbouring village of Dodrinishite.

During an amble around the village we spotted two ladies busy washing blankets & what looked like carpets. Standing near a fast flowing river was a huge wooden bowl some 10ft. in diameter, about a third way up the sides were openings that allowed the flow of water. A launder fed water into the top of the bowl with a great deal of force that caused turbulence in the bowl, mimicking the action of a washing machine. To retrieve the washing the two ladies hoisted the articles out using long wooden hooks.

Washing heavy blankets & carpets using water from the river

We continued our tour of the old village, the dwellings constructed from forest wood & pebbles from the river.

After lunch we had a swim in a nearby hotel swimming pool/spa.

Wednesday 10.06.09. Today the plan was to visit another village close by, this one called Banya. This village too was old & very traditional, wood piles stacked outside each residence for the harsh winters. We passed a lady washing her ‘smalls’ at a village tap, which was issuing very hot water, which was supplied by hot springs deep in the hillside. When she had finished using the hot water she plugged the drain hole with a piece of old corn!

Deciding to set off on a forest trail we climbed into the woods. As we walked two ladies called to us & showed us their harvest of wild strawberries. It wasn't long before we too were enjoying our own crop. From the top of our climb we were treated to stunning views of both the Pirin & the Rila Mountains.

Before catching the bus back we noticed an old derelict mineral bath house ‘Hamman’ at the side of the track similar to ones we had seen in the east of Turkey.

Thursday 11.06.09. Time to travel.

We took the slow train to Septemvri. The train wound its way through the dramatic scenery of the Rila Mountains. The locomotive stopped at all the small communities on the way, people using it as a local bus.

Plovdiv was today's destination; this is Bulgaria's second city. We arrived late afternoon.

Day two in this city was spent exploring, climbing two of the famous hills & visiting the many churches. Plovdiv in general was a much friendlier city than the capital, however we did have a run in with a local bus driver & won!

Saturday 13.06.09. Morning arrives & Caroline surprises me with a birthday card she had brought with her all the way from dear old Blighty, bless her!

Time to move on again today our destination Devin. The bus ride took three & a half-hours. Making our way up a very dramatic deep gorge carved out by the river Devinaska. Under construction along the way were huge hydroelectric stations.

With very few budget guesthouse s in Devin we had a long search but eventually found one high on the hill. We settled in well & were watching TV when a knock came at the door, I was the chosen one to answer it, standing there was the landlady & her sweet five year old granddaughter. As soon as they saw it was I they broke into song, beautifully singing Happy Birthday in English. At the end of the performance the little girl presented me with three pink roses in a vase & a soft kiss on the cheek. What a beautiful kind thought. My birth date had been noticed when our passport information had been processed.

Sunday 14.06.09. The breaking of a beautiful sunny day.

Today we visited the local mineral spring/baths & spent a relaxing morning here enjoying a swim in large local swimming pool & a small very hot naturally heated tub!

After lunch we had had enough of lazing around & decided to walk up the Devinska River to try & locate the remains of a castle. A very pleasant walk, at times using constructed walkways alongside the river. A long steep climb saw us at the ridge top. The castle remains turned out to be a small section of low wall.

Monday 15.06.09. The neighbouring village of Shiroka Luka was to be today's treat. We arrived in a local bus. This village is truly a traditional Bulgarian settlement, with heavily cobbled streets. The houses had roofs of thick natural slate.

An ascending forest walk took us to the Chapel of St.Atanas, a tiny building with an interesting wooden shelter nearby, very cleverly constructed with forest wood. We had to abort our look for the next chapel St.Duk because of angry dogs & Caroline was convinced she saw bear pooh or was it pooh bear!

A Roman bridge stands south of the village over the river, its arch very acute. A church stands nearby which was build in 40 days, unfortunately we were unable to visit it as being a Monday it was closed all day. (Translations found in our guidebook helped us with the days of the week).

Roman Bridge Shiroka Luka

Tuesday 16.06.09. Caroline had spotted a trail high on the hillside SE of the town, our plan for today was to follow it to wherever it lead. We climbed steadily leaving the last houses of the town behind. The day was already hot, thank heavens for water fountains on the way. Ahead Caroline spotted a couple making slow but sure progress up the steep hill. In time the couple sat on the ridge & we arrived & were invited to sit with them. Caroline making the most of the chat & in doing so learnt they were both in there 70's. The old man took advantage of the rest bite to suck heavily of a cigarette. Smoking in Bulgaria is very prevalent. Bidding them farewell we climbed the short distance to the nearby summit. We enjoyed views far below of work in progress re-routing the main incoming road to Devin, in preparation for the flooding of the valley which would supply the huge hydroelectric project downstream.

Continuing our walk we spotted a wooden house/shack at the side of a wild meadow. It was nearing lunchtime so we decided to eat in the shade of the hut. Whilst eating we could hear the distress calls of a bird coming from a tree some 100 metres below, try as we may we could not spot it.

Unable to control our curiosity we took a peep in the shed, tools for working the land & a bag of old stale food hung from the rafters, a practice usually followed when in bear country!

During our meal & enjoying the solitude a horrendous crashing sound came from the forest nearby, slightly shocked we looked & Caroline spotted the rear of a large reddish/brown animal, was it a bear? A short time after the crash a gut wrenching roar which was repeated until it eventually faded into the distance, we both sighed a sigh of relief.

Still enjoying our lunch spot Caroline spotted a white flash of a Gt.Spotted Woodpecker. The incessant alarm call could still be heard, I crept quietly to the spot, it wasn't until I was almost there I caught sight of a woodpeckers hole & protruding from it was the head of a noisy chick. I was able to creep up to within two feet, such a thrill; I called to Caroline who joined me.

Wednesday 17.06.09. Another walk today this time climbing NW into the forest strewn hills. We zigzagged following a track ever higher until the track petered out. Not wanting to retrace our steps we hunted around for another track, we found one climbing up the steep wooded hill, half expecting to be confronted by a bear. In time we intersected a vehicle track & we used this to continue. A signpost on a nearby tree pointed the way to Orpheus’s Cave, intrigue got the better of us & we set off to find it. On & on we trekked, the trail hugged the hillside & we could see way below between the trees. Another crash & looking below we spotted an adult wild boar, we watched as it started up towards us, fearing a confrontation I panicked & clapped noisily which sent the large animal into the depths of the forest.

We never did get to see Orpheus's Cave after a 6km walk. Our return was undertaken in a heavy thunderstorm.

Thursday 18.06.09. Travelling on today on a bus to Plovdiv & a train to our next destination Burgas, a resort on the Black Sea coast, we arrived late afternoon.

Plovdiv view of two of the famous hills

After an exhausting search for accommodation we finally succumbed to visiting an agency. They were able to fix us up with a room with a Bulgarian family. We arrived at the address eventually. An elderly gent & his wife were to be our landlords for a couple of days.

Friday 19.06.09. Our task today was to change traveller's cheques, always a delight! Much hunting & walking found us at the elusive bank suggested by American Express, only to find there was a commission charge. Dejected we left & decided to try the bank next door. Bingo all went well & no charge.

The afternoon was spent relaxing on the beach, taking frequent swims in the warm water. Bulgaria's Black Sea coast is renown for strong onshore winds. Life saving stations are sited 100m apart along the strand.

Saturday 20.06.09. Today we were to visit Burgas Lakes, which are Bulgaria's main source of sea salt. We caught the local bus to the planned Lake but some confusion in translation found us travelling in the opposite direction, however all turned out Ok & we were dropped off beside another lake called Atanasovska. Having negotiated a very busy dual carriageway we were at the shoreline. A real treat here spotting all sorts of unfamiliar birds some of which were Avocets with chicks, Black Winged Stilts, Black Redstarts, Greenfinches & Swifts collecting mud for their nests. Across the road we spotted a larger lake so we battled our way along the busy road until we gained access to the lakeside road, not many birds here. We continued the long walk along the road to the end where there were cars parked giving access to the seashore. Many Saturday visitors from the city were enjoying the sea.

We hadn't packed our swimmers today! We noticed folk making their way further along the road towards the lake so curiosity got the better of us & we followed. As we made progress some black mud drenched swimmers approached. On arrival we followed a small track through the tall reeds & were confronted with a very strange sight. Floating like bobbing corks in one of the red salt lakes were swimmers taking of the healthy mineral salts, after which they seemed to wallow in the mud. It was such a pity we had left our swimmers in our room. Lunch was taken near the lake, later the lure of the lake proved too much so we joined in the fun wearing only our underwear. The water was blood red & very, very salty. The lake was so full of salt it was possible to float sitting up. Not to miss out on the full treatment we smeared thick smelly black mud on each other. Caroline not wanting to ruin her white bra did the obvious. Across the road we made our way to the beach which was covered in black sand. After allowing the mud to cake in the sun we bathed in the sea cleaning our bodies. What an experience!

Sunday 21.06.09. Moving on today, but only a little way south along the coast to Sozopol. This little town traditional & quaint located on an isthmus, a beach to the south & a fishing harbour to the north. Finding a room was easy & we settled into a good clean guesthouse for just £4 each per night.

Monday 22.06.09. A day trip to the nearby resort of Kiten today. After a long hunt for the bus stop we were on our way. Kiten has been developed in order to cater for tourists & had no character. We spent the rest of the day on yet another windy beach.

Tuesday 23.06.09. We started the day with a cup of coffee & a plate of fresh shrimps, which cost 10p, very tasty. A visit to the village of Chernomorets, only a short bus ride away. This tiny coastal village is yet unspoilt & we enjoyed our visit. A sandy cove facing N afforded shelter from the strong east winds which dog this coast. We spent a lazy afternoon on the beach enjoying frequent dips into the calm warm waters.

The evening brought an unexpected treat. Taking place on a stage in the centre of Sozopol was a children’s singing & dancing competition. We sat & enjoyed four hours of talented children performing song & dance. One particular treat was a group performing Cossack dancing. The whole affair was professionally carried out, the costumes were spectacular each being tailored for every individual child.

Wednesday 24.06.09. A travel day today, our destination was Veliko Tarnova this city stands almost at the centre of the country. Before our bus left we had time to waste, so sat a while in the central park. We watched as mums with toddlers turned up each bringing a toy. The object of the exercise was to share their toys & use others, this however didn't always happen with the result of a few tears!

Our mode of transport to Tarnova was a mini bus that took us through the sometimes dramatic countryside; the main feature being heavily wooded hills.

We arrived at our destination at teatime & started the daunting challenge of finding accommodation; all hotels suggested in the guidebook were out of our range. A stroke of luck near the centre of the city saw us following a gent who had offered us accommodation. An inspection saw us moving into a small apartment at a reasonable charge.

Veliko Tarnovo sited on the slopes adjoining the river Yantra

Thursday 25.06.09. The origin of Veliko Tarnovo is a fortress on Tsarevets Hill. This fortress which has been reconstructed dominates the skyline & is one of Bulgaria's most beloved monuments. An entry fee is normally charges but today being Thursday it was free. At the north end of the complex is an overhanging rock with a one hundred or more feet drop, it was off this rock that traitors were ceremoniously launched to their death. At the very summit of the hill is a reconstructed church with some very unusual artwork on the interior walls, quite modern.

The afternoon saw us visit a huge memorial to the memory of the Assen brothers who had liberated Bulgaria in the distant past. The State Art Museum is sited nearby & we enjoyed a muse around this, the attendants had to switch on the lights for us.

Friday 26.06.09. A disappointing visit to the nearby village of Arbansi today. We walked the 5km only to find the whole village geared up for coach loads of tourists being trailed around the local sights. We did however find solace in a monastery run by nuns. Children were staying here on a retreat, no sign of commercialisation here!

Saturday 27.06.09. Using local buses we travelled to Emen Gorge, Bulgaria's deepest gorge. From where the bus stopped at the centre of the village we had some difficulty finding our way to the start of the Eco Trail in-order to explore the gorge. In time however we were on our way.

At the start of the trail is a huge cave populated by bats, a loud continual screeching could be heard coming from the roof & we could see hundreds of tiny creatures hanging above us.

As we started the trail proper we spotted a Golden Orial, a magnificently bright yellow coloured bird.

The trail took us high above the west side of the gorge & we had views of this deep natural feature. The river was depleted & only a trickle flowed. We spotted some rickety wooden walkways below, so decided to take a look. Arriving at the gorge floor we followed these shaky walkways downstream on the east bank. The gorge is 3km long & soon we were at the side of a lake at the N end.

A map would have been useful! We retraced our steps to the north end of the gorge where Momin Skok Falls are; again only a trickle tumbled over the rocks.

The trail from here should climb slowly NE to the top of the east ridge, but this route appeared to run out. We found ourselves battling in forests with no defined track. Determination & sheer stubbornness saw us eventually succeed to reach the village for our ride home. We had time to enjoy a refreshing couple of cool beers from the local shop, in the company of four ramblers from England.

Sunday 28.06.09. A relatively inactive day today visiting the craft area of the city, crafts included woodcarving, sheet metal work, potters & artists. At lunchtime we found ourselves at a high arched bridge over the river. Two men were busy attaching something to the railings. Soon a group of young westerners gathered, & waited their turn to jump off the bridge connected to a bungey. In the heat of the moment I was slightly tempted but Caroline deterred me thankfully!

Monday 29.06.09. The start of our journey home today, a bus ride to the capital where we stayed in the same hotel as we used on our first day.

Whilst enjoying a beer outside the Lion Hotel a young lady arrived pushing a bicycle. We entered into conversation with her & learnt she intended to challenge herself & cycle from Sofia to Venice on her fixed wheel bike, good luck to you we thought.

Tuesday 30.06.09. Our flight took off on time at 12.20.pm.

CHINA May & June 2007

WEDNESDAY 02.05.07 - After a eleven hour flight we touched down in Hong Kong 2:30pm on Wednesday.

Hong Kong comprises of a multitude of islands the two main ones are Lantau & Hong Kong Island. We landed on Lantau Island & following a wise suggestion from friends Pete & Sara made for the village of Mui Wo on the SE side. We jumped on a local bus & made it there via the village of Tung Chung fairly easily.

THURSDAY 03.05.07 - Breakfast at a local eatery, Ian had steamed pork bits & Caroline a sweet dough ball & a pot of green tea, which was to become the norm in future days. Today we planned a visit to Hong Kong Island. Caught a fast ferry over the very busy & congested harbour & arrived in the bustling, overcrowded city, but very clean & organised. One of the local attractions is to visit Victoria Peak. A funicular railway ferries tourists, which there are many, to the top - 552m above sea level. All very organised & from our vantage point from the top we could see thousands of sky reaching buildings below.

FRIDAY 04.05.07 - Sleep still a little fretful - which is always like this for the start of our holidays. Two sweet buns & a sweet coffee for breakfast.

The local library was thankfully equipped with Internet so made use of it. In the morning a trip to the Buddha at Ngong Ping which is a fairly new construction. In the afternoon we took a local bus to Tai O, a picturesque fishing village, some of the dwellings are on stilts. The local shops bursting with fresh fish and a speciality here being shrimp paste. Dolphins were a regularly seen off shore. We had light rain for most of our visit here.

In the evening at our chosen restaurant we met a lady who kindly gave us an umbrella & two tins of tea - a kind thought but Ian now has to carry these

SATURDAY 05.05.07 - A walk up into the nearby foothills to Silver Mine, the whole way we were treated to the sight of many birds unique to us. We visited a small waterfall & met a lone Welshman, twenty years resident to Lantau Island, who kindly explained all the birds - we had in fact seen nine types of cuckoo one the size of pheasant.

After a very pleasant stroll around the island we finished upon a manicured sandy beach with a shark boom, we enjoyed a long cool swim, the locals fearing the water too cold.

SUNDAY 06.05.07 - It was time to travel north into China proper. Caught the fast ferry to Hong Kong Island & another to Hung Hom, from here we jumped on a train to the boarder Lu Wo. All went well with our transit & we were soon aboard a bullet train to our next port of call Guangzhou (Canton). An error here & we had to catch a local bus to the south railway station. The bus station wasn't a happy place as two females were fighting aggressively & police were trying to calm things down, both Caroline & I broke into sweats.

MONDAY 07.05.07 - Ordering food in restaurants is still a big problem for us. We eventually had fried eggs & chicken feet - um! We spent the whole day roaming this huge Chinese city of twelve million residents. Our main project for the day was to purchase our overnight train ticket to Guilin for the night of the eighth. As we wandered around the city we found a seafood restaurant selling live animals for consumption including crocodile tails, water snakes, large turtles, fish & lobsters.

TUESDAY 08.05.07 - At last a restful nights sleep. Our plan today was to visit Shamian Island in the Pearl River, which is by far the quietest & most attractive area to stay in Canton. To get there we used then ultra efficient Metro.

Expecting the island to be mid-stream we mistakenly caught a ferry to the far shore only to realise we had to re-cross. The island is accessed by a fifty metre bridge. We spent a pleasant afternoon wandering the old colonial type buildings. Shamian Island is where Americans come to adopt Chinese babies.

At 8pm we boarded a very comfortable sleeper train to Guilin.

WEDNESDAY 09.05.07 - Arrived at 7:15am & quickly selected a hotel, after freshening up we had breakfast at a spot where we were able to select a variety of foods which suited us fine, all washed down with plenty of green tea.

Guilin is a city with a half million people so less congested than our previous

venues. The river Li courses through its heart & high lime stone peeks stand like sky scrapers along its shores, this area is a magnet for tourists both Chinese & foreign.

We visited the Solitary Beauty Park, a local park with a princess grotto, the 50yuan entry fee took us aback a little. We climbed the 360 steps to the summit, from here enjoyed fine views over the city. A little disappointed we left to spend a quiet hour at the rivers edge watching the local fishermen on their small but buoyant bamboo rafts.

THURSDAY 10.05.07 - Up & ready to go at 8am. Breakfast at same restaurant as yesterday but in my selection of foods was snakes skin (tasty) plenty of good old green tea to wash it down.

We spent the whole day wandering the city & met a young trainee teacher who was desperate to talk, however at the end came the hard sell wasted on us.He took us to a gallery selling students work - some of which was his.

At the riverfront many elderly groups were involved in exercising & ballroom dancing.

We continued to wander on the east side of the river & found a large produce market with many varieties of food stuffs on display, one lady was selling terrapins, eels & frogs - all alive.

We had strolled a bit too far & had to catch a packed bus back to our hotel.

FRIDAY 11.05.07 - We caught the bus to Yangshuo an hours ride away following the river Li south. During the whole journey we were treated to dramatic scenery of high, vegetated limestone peaks. Yangshuo has definitely grown around the tourist trade, the main street to the boat piers is known as "foreigners road". We made our way to the piers just after lunch & watched many large tourist boats dock & spew out hundreds of paying souls - which spoiled a little for us. Cormorant fishermen posed for photos, at a price of course.

SATURDAY 12.05.07 - Awoke to rain - our plan today was to hop on a local bus to the nearby village of Fu Li. We eventually secured a ride on a small cramped mini bus & set off south through two tunnels & over the Li River.

Fu Li is a typical Chinese village, one main street with small retail outlets selling everyday essential. Today was market day & we wandered between the many stalls selling all matter of fascinating produce. The rain was still falling heavy & the stalls all had plastic sheets covering them. The raw meat section was both fascinating & shocking to our western eyes. One couple were dismembering a good sized dog which had only very recently been dispatched. On another stall a de-furred cat with rigor mortis stood like a macabre statue for some lucky mum to cook for tea.

Many bundles of raw tobacco were also on sale, a reminder of our previous visit ten years ago.

We eventually left the village & set off into the countryside, soon rural China appeared & we set off between the multitude of paddy fields, soaking up the atmosphere & unfamiliar sights. Ladies were walking with individual buffalo watching over them whilst they grazed.

Attached to the side of the irrigation channels were egg sacks with bright contents, we found out later these were from snails. A very pleasant afternoon was spent here in hot sunshine. Ducks were being reared in lakes associated with the irrigation channels. All these sights set within the shadow of the huge limestone peeks.

SUNDAY 13.05.07 - Today we had planned another bus ride this time to the small village of Baisha. The many tourists to this area do have a positive effect - we were able to acquire good tasting breakfasts.

The bus ride to Baisha was good & we alighted our bus in the main street, not knowing where or what was ahead. We set off along the road SW, in time we arrived at a small farming hamlet & as we passed a dwelling a young girl was eager to chat. She invited us into her home & we met the family, after chatting & eating fruit she volunteered to walk with us the river route back to Yangshou some four hours away. In very hot sun the three of us set off first visiting Dragon Bridge, a very old arched structure with bamboo rafts hauled up nearby.

Our new guide was called Feng Zhen a nineteen years old student.

We enjoyed a spectacular walk alongside the Yulong River etched between the now familiar peaks. We chatted as we walked, Zhen pleased to be able to practise her English. Her parents are farmers & work very long hours toiling in rented fields.

A frightening occurrence on the way was when we witnessed a very angry father beat his young daughter with a plastic syphon pump breaking it not only once over her back but smashing it to pieces.

As we reached Yangshou tourists on bikes appeared. We arrived safely & had a well earned drink & said our farewells to Zhen who caught the bus home.

MONDAY 14.05.07 - We lingered in our beds after our exertions of yesterday & after a rather good breakfast caught a local bus to Zing Ping 36kms. distant. Arrived at about lunch time & wandered west towards the Li River. In a shop on route were cages with four or five large rodent type animals with long yellow incisor teeth - water rats?

We arrived at the rivers edge & boat pier - we found a sheltered spot & settled down to just watch. A old man & his adult son were busy butchering & cleaning a dog carcass in the river, they spent the good part of an hour meticulously cleaning every morsel, including the head. Chinese tourists boarding nearby boats were also disturbed by this sight.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking high above the river, on the west bank, enjoying the scenes of the local farmland. Found a bar overlooking the river (as we would) where we enjoyed a couple of beers. Whilst here along came a large university group who were keen to chat, we enjoyed conversing with them, they were from Nanchang. They were a respectful group of youngsters with an unyielding thirst for knowledge.

We continued our walk & met a very old lady walking her cow, I stopped & chatted repeating the words she spoke & we seemed to be conversing, I shook her tiny hand when we left, we had a great afternoon.

TUESDAY 15.05.07 - It was time to move on today, caught the bus back to Guilin, spent the day in the city until 8pm. when we climbed aboard a sleeper bus for Guiyang, a stepping off point for our final destination of Chengdu.

WEDNESDAY 16.05.07 - The sleeper bus was surprisingly comfortable catering for thirty-six passengers in double rows of six. At 8:30am we arrived in rain at Guiyang, unfortunately we had missed the connection to Chengdu by only minutes so had to find a hotel for the night. Guiyang is a huge grey city & we spent much of the day resting in our room (that's how comfortable the bus was).

The evening meal was a struggle, unable to communicate we eventually gesticulated for chicken & fried rice & received chicken with boiled rice & cold tea.

THURSDAY 17.05.07 - A bus ride to Chengdu today & we set off on what we thought to be a ride of nine hours which turned out to be a journey of thirteen. The first section of the ride was through high peaks & we passed through many long tunnels & over many newly constructed bridges. Eventually good roads gave way to unmade tracks (as we recalled from ten years ago) with mud & massive potholes. The bus rattled & lurched for a good couple of hours. We crossed the Yangsi River at Nanjing, a really gigantic city with on-going construction in progress. Where does China get all its money? A heavy grey cloud of pollution hung over it. The hours ticked by & day became night, eventually we touched down at Chadianzi Bus Station at 10pm. miles from anywhere. Like lambs to the slaughter we battled our way through the hoards willing either to take us to the city or rip us off - all a bit of a lottery. All went well however & we found a clean quiet place & sleep came at midnight.

FRIDAY 18.05.07 - Today duly settled in at Sam's Place we set of to explore the city of Chengdu. The streets were very busy with buses & many electric scooters making their way to daily business. The streets were very clean being kept so by an army of sweepers. As we approached Wenshu Monastery the streets became more narrow & the roadside shops less commercial. By now the heat of the sun forced us to a beer purchased from a local shop & we sat in out of the way to enjoy it. As we sipped a guy came out of his unit & began to show us his pride & joy - a mechanical Majong table. Fascinated by its workings he was good enough to take of the top to show us, unfortunately the mechanism decided to malfunction, we tried to assist but unable to decided to move on & leave him with it.

We came to a shaded park with terrapins swimming in pools, we sat with the elderly locals who were socialising, we were able to communicate & as one chap could speak English learnt from the TV.

We continued with a wander around the Monastry gardens & found a tea garden, for 20p each we drank green tea for the rest of the afternoon - as soon as our cups emptied along came a little man who topped them up again from a copper kettle.

SATURDAY 19.05.07 - Thinking ahead today we would purchase our train ticket to our port of call Xi'An. We did this with very little hassle at a kiosk near the entrance to Peoples Park.

We decided to explore the park & found the atmosphere friendly & relaxed, the tiny paths beautifully manicured. In an open space a group of mostly elderly ladies were ballroom dancing & taking it very seriously, we were invited to join in.

A small pleasure park with rides & games for the children was at the centre of the park, children sat contented making pictures from glue & sand.

We could hear sounds of a band as we drew nearer the melodic sounds of a choir singing. We sat & watched the group of people putting all their hearts into singing local folk songs - both Caroline & I had tears in our eyes. The ages of the group ranged from the very young to Gt.Grandparents.

The afternoon was spent looking around a bird & pet market, we were surprised to see so many puppies not destined for the table.

SUNDAY 20.05.07 - A visit to the Grand Buddha today at Leshan a bus ride of two hours away. We arrived at our destination & somehow managed to catch another bus to the Grand Buddha theme park. This unfortunately was not where we wanted to be, so jumped back on the bus to the far side of the river & made our way to a small local ferry which ran between the mainland & a large sand bank/island. Arriving on the island we set of for the walk to the east end negotiating a thigh deep fast flowing tributary on the way - we almost came a cropper, only a hand full of brave souls joined us. At the end of the island we had great views of the Buddha carved into the river bank cliffs on the far side of the river Dudu. The Buddha is 71m high & took ninety years to complete, it was started in AD713.

At this spot the local television station were just starting filming cormorant fishermen & we were treated to this unusual spectacle.

MONDAY 21.05.07 - A special treat today we were to visit the Giant Panda's at the research & breeding centre on the outskirts of Chengdu.

A tasteful site & a fairly lengthy walk to the enclosures ensured relative quiet for the inhabitants. We were able to see juvenile & the really large adults either busy feeding on fresh bamboo shoots or playing, we could have watched them for hours & almost did.

The large adults preferred just to lie back on their rears stripping & crunching their food. We were able to observe about thirty animals in all, a rare treat. A good clean well run establishment, a credit to China.

TUESDAY 22.05.07 - Today the slow train in China. We boarded at 2pm & soon discovered why the ticket we had was cheaper than we had expected. We were allocated the top two bunks next to the door to the toilet, which was ajar the whole time. The journey was to last 18hrs. Confined to the black hole of Shanghai we suffered all night either the smell of urine or tobacco smoke drifting from the space between the carriages.

WEDNESDAY 23.05.07 - Arrived at Xi'An station at 8am. thoroughly knackered & feeling chatty. As we left the station into the teeth of the touts bagging for our custom we decided to be led away by one, as things turned out this was a good decision, we were lead to a clean & comfortable room.

After a hearty breakfast we set off in rain for the Muslim quarter & enjoyed a wander around this unique area.

The streets of Xi'An are clean & modern enclosed within the confines of a large city wall. After our evening meal we both crashed out for an undisturbed ten hours sleep.

THURSDAY 24.05.07 - One of the most popular tourist attractions in China - if not the world - is the Terracotta Army a multitude of slightly larger than life model warriors of the Qin Dynasty buried in huge vaults 15' under ground. Today's treat was to visit them. We travelled to the site on a local bus. This unique place was only discovered in 1974 when a local farmer was digging a well & uncovered some relics.

Emperor Qin reigned 2010 years ago & believing there was life after death underground summoned his followers of some 750,000 to model thousands of figures & horses for his eventual demise. The task took forty years to complete. When all the figures were standing in their trenches the whole site was covered with huge wooden beams & earth. Gigantic doors sealed this secret from prying eyes. However after Qin's death the next ruler broke into the vault & destroyed much of what they found, setting fires as they went. The ashes of the beams still plain to see. In the main pit No1 some 2000 figures have been recovered & restored, there are a possible 6000 left to uncover. A remarkable sight & one we will never forget. We spent six hours enjoying this spectacle in well kept clean grounds.

FRIDAY 25.05.07 - Cashing travellers cheques in China can be a long & bureaucratic process. Here in Xi'an we had to find the Bank O Communications this we did without too much trouble but were unable to complete our transaction here but had to visit the main branch in the centre of the city. A three parts of an hour walk followed by another three parts of an hour cutting red tape.

Today we had decided to hop on a local bus for a half an hours ride to an outlying district of the city. A long & dusty walk east along a wide busy road, school children were leaving school & the sight of two foreigners caused some excitement. We stopped for a couple of beers bought from a local chap who kindly allowed us to sit & enjoy them. The object of our trip today was to visit a Neolithic Village which eventually located only to find a hefty entrance fee in a drab setting. We left wondering why the Chinese are hell bent on charging the earth to view their treasures.

Eventually we made it back to the city popping into a local super market for a few supplies, as we left the security alarm sounded as I passed through much excitement & confusion - I then had to empty the contents of our day bag to reveal a bottle of sun lotion bought in England with a foil bar code.

SATURDAY 26.05.07 - We tried to purchase a train sleeper ticket to the next location of our journey but were told no seats available until the 3rd. July. Not knowing what to do next decided to try the bus station & we were able to secure a sleeper ticket here. On the way we passed some ladies of the night looking for early morning business - I resisted!

Today we decided to visit the largest park in the city, which is sited outside the city wall. A fairly long walk found us at the north gate. We had our lunch under a tree & enjoyed watching the Chinese having a day out. At the heart of the park is a large lake where people enjoy boats. We sat & watched a tern swooping over the water, occasionally dipping for a fish - the sea is thousands of miles away where did it come from?

Along with fairground rides & other attractions was a rather shabby looking circus, it seemed the main attractions were large wild animals eg. tigers & lions. In a very confined small iron cage outside lay a very unhappy looking black bear.

SUNDAY 27.05.07 - Tonight we were to take the night bus to Ping Yao, so packed our bags & left them at the hotel reception for the day.

We visited another park today - Revolution Park - arrived in time to watch a couple of games of croquet played by two teams of very enthusiastic elderly participants on a dusty pitch under the trees. Occasionally heated discussions raged.

Our bus journey was less than straight forward. Arrived at the bus station on time & boarded our bus, which only had a couple of other passengers ready for the 7:30pm departure. However after much frustration we ended up leaving 3hrs. late, having to lay in our bunks in the sweltering heat, for much of this time Caroline was not a happy bunny. To add insult to injury as we were about to take off a couple of drunks boarded & one of them chose the bunk next to Caroline, fearing the worst Caroline moved her position.

MONDAY 28.05.07 - Good roads & a good bus saw us at our destination at 4:30am. However we were dropped off alongside the motorway & had to walk a couple of miles to the toll exit, there was a dusty putrid smell in the air. A prearranged lift from the tollgate saw us safely at Harmony Guest House.

Ping Yao is a well preserved, renovated in places, Han Dynasty Chinese city surrounded by a 6kms. city wall, claimed to be the last remaining one in China.

After a fine breakfast we set off to explore on what was to be one of the hottest days of our trip. One has to say much of what we saw had been tastefully renovated to attract many tourists. We wandered the back streets & saw where the residents lived, their homes were very basic built from dry cob. Very dusty narrow streets with a lot of new sewer work in progress.

We found a Catholic Church here & we sat a while in solace out of the sun to reflect.

TUESDAY 29.05.07 - Today having seen most of Ping Yao decided to catch a local bus to the nearest nearby city of Jie Xui. The ride was along a very dusty & through one of the most polluted areas of China. Many coke making plants & coal mines lined the way, not a pretty sight. We arrived in the throngs of a large busy city & began to explore. Lunch was to be a fascinating event. Unable to find many eating houses we instinctively followed a group of people through an arch & found a busy noisy eating house. We entered & all noise abated. With not a word of English to be seen decided to point to a dish being server - a big mistake - this dish was one of many included in a set meal, so what we hoped would be a snack turned into a full blown banquet. After we were invited to a nearby hotel foyer for a chat, one young girl brought along her English textbook.

It became quite obvious that the residents of Jie Xui hadn't seen many foreigners & we felt rather special.

At a local park we enjoyed the sight of six elderly men flying their hand made kites.

On a street corner a rubber stamp cutter was carving intricate patterns so decided to have a stamp cut - WISTMANS WOOD -so watch this space!

We made an acquaintance of a young auxiliary nurse called Wu Wengao who was keen to chat, will email him later.

WEDNESDAY 30.05.07 - A return to Jie Xui today having had such a fascinating time yesterday. Lunch time today also proved interesting. We were passing a hotel & Caroline noticed some firecrackers laid out on the ground in preparation for a special occasion, we decided to wait & see. We stood quietly eating a couple of bananas & slowly but surely a large crowd gathered watching our every move - we now know how it must feel to be in a zoo. The crowd caused so much commotion that a young woman arrived & invited us in to partake in the celebration of her niece's 13th. Birthday. We accepted & enjoyed being treated like royalty, we were lavished with food & birthday cake which was eleven tiers high. Caroline was led to the stage along with the main females of the party for a photo shoot.

THURSDAY 31.05.07 - A travelling day today with the initial target of Taiyain we set off for the bus station. When travelling in China it is critical to have destinations written down in Chinese scripts. After a bus ride of a hour & a half we were in the heart of the huge city with a population of three million people. We decided to continue the journey to our final destination of Wutai Shan - a mountain retreat. We had to connect with a local bus ride to a bus station on the other side of the city, all going far too well. Boarded our bus at 13:40pm & left at 14:00pm. We left the station half full, from here the local scammers took over, we parked up in a city side street where half-fare paying punters & much cargo boarded - our planned start was delayed by an hour.

Our journey was to take 5hrs. firstly through flat farmland which gave way to mountains. The last leg of the journey took us over a snaking pass, we crested the ridge to be confronted by a gate where most of the passengers were made to leave the bus & pay $12:00 entry fee to this scenic mountain area. This was a bit of a shock - China seems always to have the last laugh. We look forward to some good rambling in the coming days.

FRIDAY 01.06.07 - Wutai Shan is the name of the five sacred mountains that form a gigantic ring, at its centre & on the valley floor is the small town of Taiyuan.

We were to spend the next few days exploring some of the many Taoist temples that perch precariously on every peak.

Today was a hot day. Breakfast for us in the is country poses problems - we set off to find a suitable eating house, found one with a Chinese group enjoying their breakfast, however our attempt to order something tasty went astray & we ended up with watery rice soup & a dough ball - yummy!

We left & emerged into the hot sun & spotted a large monastery high up on the east hill & decided to make for it. The going was easy , up along a paved road. We enjoyed an hour exploring this serene place. The views from the courtyard were sublime, all the five sacred peaks were in view.

SATURDAY 02.06.07 - The main tourist attraction in Taiyuan is the main temple & its huge white bottle shaped Stupa 52m high, the largest in China.

We spent the first part of the day along with hundreds of Chinese pilgrims enjoying the temple & all it brings. Just inside the courtyard was a stage upon which was performing a Chinese opera - cats choir came to mind.

Taoist monks flock from all over the country to visit this sacred area & pay their respects.

We left the temple to wander into the hills, we had walked a couple of hours or so & happened upon a solitary dwelling outside of which was an old typically dressed China-man. We helped him a while to sort out some dried beans for the coming growing season, as we left we gave him a string of beads used for uttering prayers. It was so good to be out walking the hills in the refreshingly clean air & we continued to visit another temple all closed up & a shrine high up on a hill in memory to a famous monk. Here we met three young monks who wanted to chat. Views of the valley way below were good.

SUNDAY 03.06.07 - Breakfasts from now on were to be taken in our room from supplies bought in local stores. A restful morning, at about lunchtime we heard the sound of music emanating from a large marquee on the opposite side of the towns river, so decided to investigate. We arrived to the hustle of the market & sat quietly at one of the stalls & enjoyed a beer, people mingled all around us, always happy & friendly. We had appeared to have missed the performance in the marquee. There were many stall selling clothing including plenty of double layered thermal underwear, it must get very cold here in the winter.

Another well visited temple near the town has a cable car connected to it, but for the fit & enthusiastic a flight of many steps, at the foot of these were a few unfortunate souls begging for survival. Yet another alternative means to climb the hill was on horseback & a large group of horses all in prime condition with their handlers waited for fee paying pilgrims.

MONDAY 04.06.07 - Awoke to mist on tops of the mountains which developed into rain then thunder & lightening but soon passed.

Just south of where we were staying is lonely monastery & today we followed the paved path to the top. We enjoyed a quiet time here observing monks & pilgrims worshipping. A classic event here, as I peered into the main temple a lone pilgrim along with a monk were involved in a serene moment when out of the blue the monks mobile phone rang!

Today we had our sights on a distant peak so we set off along the ridge path enjoying the tranquillity, spring flowers & insects were in profusion. On the way we met monks coming in the opposite direction, two of which sat with us a while & chatted, one of them kept smoothing my arm, he seemed to be fascinated by the hairs - that's my story anyway.

We arrived in time at out target peak & had our lunch, below approaching along the route we had taken was a lone young monk singing his heart out as he went. In time he duly arrived & we chatted. These guys seem so at one with their surroundings.

Our return was taken over a different path down steeply into a valley passing a couple of disused farm houses & temple one of which had a temporary resident squatting with his few cattle.

TUESDAY 05.06.07 - We revisited the main temple in the town today, the same opera was in progress with many more pilgrims paying their respects, we had occasion to visit the toilets which were pretty gruesome.

A walk north up the valley alongside the depleted but clean river, had lunch in a small copse out of the hot sun.

In the distance we spotted a small white Stupa on a nearby hill so went for it. Soon we arrived & found a temple in refurbishment.

On our return we were treated to some torrential rain & had to take refuge in, yes you have guessed it a temple.

WEDNESDAY 06.06.07 - Today it was time to move on & a bus ride to Datong our next port of call was planned. We arrived at the bus stop early whereupon we were asked for the fare prior to getting on the bus, breaking every rule in the book we handed over the money & were led like lambs to the slaughter passed a half full bus to an empty one. We sat here like lemons for a while until the penny dropped, we had been selected to leave on a 10am bus & not the 7:30am. Guns blasting we emerged like two demented banshees, a confrontation with the offending guy in the street for all to see, eventually were given our money back & we boarded the early bus.

The bus zigzagged out of the valley north & down the other side leaving the mountains behind. We passed through busy industrial areas where hundreds of huge coal carrying trucks proceeded along the narrow roads. Inevitably a couple overheated which caused a long tailback. We caught sight of a famous temple on the way called the Hanging Monastery perched under the overhang of a cliff.

Arrived Datong 1:30pm. & soon found a good clean room.

THURSDAY 07.06.07 - Had to change money today so caught a local bus to the south end of the city, all went well & we were again in the black.

A visit to a local park was a bit dismal, renovation was in progress Decided to attempt a visit to the famous Datong Locomotive Factory on the south-west outskirts of the city. This factory was the last to manufacture the famous Iron Rooster steam engine in 2004.

We were able to wander the massive grounds for an hour of so & looked in at the many huge hangers where diesel locomotives are now assembled, the smell of heavy engineering works brought back distant memories of the Dockyard. A couple of old steam engine stood sadly beside one hanger.

The long hot walk back just got too much so called in at an eating house for one, two or three beers washed down with a small porcelain bottle of local white spirit, nibbles were provided by the owner. The rest of the walk back to our Hotel went surprisingly well.

FRIDAY 08.06.07 - Today we had planned to visit Yungang Caves, the main tourist attraction around Datong. We hopped on a local bus for the 16km. journey & were dropped at the gate & duly coughed up our entry fee.

The caves are cut into the southern cliffs of Wuzhou Shan next to the pass leading to Inner Mongolia. The caves contain over 50,000 Buddist statues & stretch for about 1km. east to west. On top of the overlooking cliffs are the remains of a huge mud brick 17th. century Qing Dynasty fortress.

In the immediate area are some huge coal mines & dust from the massive trucks once covered the artefacts, until the road was diverted. The spectacle of these caves were one not to be missed.

Apparently near the caves is a small still standing section of the Great Wall, but try as we could we failed to find it. However during our quest we hopped on a bus & travelled another five miles east & were dropped off slap bang in the centre of a coal mining community. Had a great cold beer in a nearby eatery & chatted with the owner & his partner best we could.

We wandered off over a smart road bridge & ended up in another world of clean high rise flats surrounding a well manicured central square. Pictures depicting injured & miners in failing health were all around the perimeter of the square. It seems this place is a retreat for old retired miners.

SATURDAY 09.06.07 - A rest day, a visit to Datong Park, the usual opera singers occupied the bandstand.

A small but great fun park with plenty of simple rides, Caroline dragged me screaming on to a water dipper ride & we managed to get a little wet, much to the amusement of a small crowd who had gathered to watch the foreigners make fools of themselves.

There was a reverse bungee jump too, but not ideally sited beside overhead high voltage cables - but that's China for you. Another amusement & great fun with the children, was a large shallow pool full of goldfish, each punter was given a fishing rod & was able to catch & possibly eat all they aquired.

SUNDAY 10.06.07 - Off to Inner Mongolia today & the city of Hohhot. A rough road to start with which soon developed into a super highway with little traffic. The landscape changed from small mud walled farms to the wide open grasslands Inner Mongolia is famous for.

Occasionally we spotted the odd yurt in the distance (the home of the native nomadic people). We passed a tipped coal lorry, which had wandered off course & ended up in a 5' roadside ditch.

We arrived at Hohhot at midday & escaped the bus station touts to emerge onto the busy streets. The pavements had many ethnic people selling all sorts of strange animal bits, mostly from endangered species e.g. lions claws, rhino horn, antelope antler & tigers penis.

We settled into the best hotel yet at $11:00.

MONDAY 11.06.07 - A visit today to the Inner Mongolian museum, it was well worth the visit. The collection includes a large Mammoth skeleton dug out from a coal mine near Mauzhouli, dinosaurs exhibits, a yurt & excellent array of Mongolian dress. Also artefacts,these included archery equipment & horse saddles, as well as detailed introductions to the other ethnic groups in the province.

On our way back we stopped off at the huge central square & were treated to a massive array of water fountains spurted in time to music - very impressive.

TUESDAY 12.06.07 - Today we bought our bus ticket to Beijing for the 8:30am bus on Thursday, we were helped greatly by a pleasant young English teacher.

With our tickets safely purchased we hopped on a local bus & travelled north to the edge of the city. Our plan was to wander the hills here but for some unknown reason all access seemed to be denied & an endless barbed wire fence with red & white posts stretched for as far as the eye could see. However we did manage to find a break in it & climb to the top to set off on a very pleasant ridge walk. The wind on top was strong but warm. Our route was a gigantic loop & we enjoyed great views of the city & the nearby hills.

A couple of well earned beers before returning to our hotel.

WEDNESDAY 13.06.07 - MY BIRTHDAY - A leisurely awakening & I opened all my cards!

Not much planned today, so we made our way to the main central square, as we approached hundreds of young school children passed us hastily making their way north, they had been attending some sort of ceremony at the square.

On the north fringes of the square a stage was set up & many people were in columns waiting to be presented with awards, most of these people were from the medical profession.

A colourful drumming band sat waiting patiently to perform. In time & to the dramatic theme music of The High Chaparral each nominee was led to the stage to receive their reward - presumably earned for good works in Hohhot. The Chinese certainly know how to reward good work & loyalty, which there is an abundance in China.

We sat a good couple of hours & were entertained by a variety of singers, dancers & musicians. A strong wind blew which made the release of balloons & pigeons very dramatic.

Had a Mc.Donald's for lunch!! Red wine with our evening meal.

THURSDAY 14.06.07 - Time to move on today - to the capital Beijing & we were at the bus station in good time. There was some confusion as to what gate to use but found our vehicle eventually. We set off on time & plain sailing Caroline befriended a young woman & was able to converse with her via a pocket held translator. This venture was to prove most valuable in Beijing. We were only an hour away from our destination when we had to pull over & change a wheel, the water leak from the radiator was duly ignored.

At our destination & for some unknown reason we were dropped off at the side of a bustling city street. Our guardian angel also alighted here, together we jumped on the underground & made our way to the main central train station where there is plenty of budget accommodation. We said farewell to Yu Ling Ling & thanked her for her invaluable help.

FRIDAY 15.06.07 - Move on today after cashing our travellers cheques in the only place left The Bank of Communications Beijing. We hopped on the Metro & for 3yuan duly arrived in the cities financial centre, huge skyscrapers surrounded us. After much red tape we had cash in hand so hopped back on the Metro for a ride to Dongzhumeu bus station. It took us quite some time to locate the bus to Chengde - our pronunciation not ringing any bells with who ever we asked.

Our rather shabby bus only a couple more passengers on it. Happy with our lot we settled down for our ride, but China being China this wasn't to be. We had only journeyed a few blocks when we were told to get off & join another even shabbier full bus, even the drop-down seats between rows were occupied. The driver was a little erratic so our trip was a little nail biting. We left the sprawl of the city behind us south & drove through some dramatic mountains arriving at Chengde at 3pm.

SATURDAY 16.06.07 - Always prudent in this country to secure the next journey early to accommodate any hick-ups. After much frustration we made our way to the bus station on the south outskirts of the city only to be told "buy ticket tomorrow". A little disappointed we caught a local bus to the city centre.

The main tourist attraction in Chengde is the Imperial Summer Villa, this park covers some 590 hectares & is bound by a 10km. 10' high wall, surprise surprise! For the two of us entry would have cost $24:00 so thought better of it, however hundreds of Chinese tourists appeared to be oblivious to this admission cost which to us bore no comparison to the everyday cost of living in China.

We next hopped on a bus to Puning Temple & enjoyed a walk in the hills. As we climbed the small path along the way we passed groups of young people sitting under the trees just enjoying each others company. The path we were following ran out some 100m from the summit but we enjoyed fine views over the city & surrounding countryside. On the skyline to the north east we could see a gigantic upstanding rock, on checking our guide book it is known as Club Rock.

SUNDAY 17.06.07 - First job of the day was to purchase our bus tickets to Beidaihe so a return to the bus station, & mission accomplished.

Club Rock was our target for today, we caught the bus to Pule Temple, all the usual tourist trappings around the gate.

In time we located a track leading towards Club Rock which we could just see in the far distance. As we started up the track it wasn't long before warnings of imminent payment appeared on notices. Pre-empting the approach of the dreaded ticket booth I branched off north looping around access gate, however the loop wasn't long enough before I was spotted & had to admit defeat whereupon I was ejected from the area. Both Caroline & I were aggrieved at not being able to walk free in the hills so decided to attempt a larger loop to the north, this time success was ours & after negotiating a deep vegetative valley found a hole in the barbed wire fence. We decided to sit a while to allow the heat cool off. While sitting we spotted movement in the valley below & soon two young Chinese couples arrived who had had the same idea. In time we made it to the main path & continued like any other paying guest.

We had a great day, & enjoyed visiting the huge Club Rock before looping around & descending along the general line of the massive chair lift. A couple of beers went down a treat.

MONDAY 18.06.07 - A rest day today, we visited the city & enjoyed a walk alongside a depleted Wulie River, where many locals were catching tiny silver fish.

In the afternoon an elderly gent allowed me to take charge in flying his kite in the park. The kite flew high above the neighbouring skyscrapers. Whilst I was busy with the kite he started another on its way.

TUESDAY 19.06.07 - Always awake before the alarm clock & up at 5:30am. Noisy taxi drivers were gathering outside our room collecting like jackal's waiting the arrival of the overnight train from Beijing.

Today we were to travel to the coast at Beidaihi.

The bus left on time & we enjoyed a great ride through dramatic mountainous terrain following the courses of a couple of rivers. Eventually we left the alps behind us & moved into a more industrial setting, passing two gigantic steel mills. We were dropped off on the outskirts of Beidaihi, a beach resort for the well to do. We knew the coast was south so continued our journey on foot some two miles until the sea came into view. We managed to secure a room but the cost reflected this beach resort, we only booked in for two nights, will investigate hopefully a more reasonable room tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY 20.06.07 - Today we planned a walk east along the coast. At the end of the beach was a collection of some forty fishing boats, many police were in evidence & were checking some of the boats, we stayed a while to observe but never did learn the full story. We continued our walk & passed rod fishermen & women on the rocks. Soon we came face to face with a fence & a lookout post, there was a hole in the fence that local people were using so we did also. Sandy shale soon became a large jagged headland, a couple were busy harvesting seaweed for their meal tonight.

Much clambering & scrambling brought us to a rocky pool & a swim seemed a good idea, we were both changed & were about to plunge into the Yellow Sea when we were startled by the words "No PRIVATE - Chinese Army". We turned to see an armed guard who motioned for us to retreat, not wanting to retrace our steps over the rough terrain we persuaded him to escort us to through the army compound to the nearest road access - at least we avoided jail & a major diplomatic incident.

The afternoon was spent swimming & watching the many Russian tourists enjoying the segregated beach.

THURSDAY 21.06.07 - A move up town today to a more reasonable room, so hopped on a local bus for the two mile trip.

After settling in we decided to visit the beach & enjoy a couple of restful hours in the sun. A strong onshore wind blew which made the people enjoying pedalos work quite hard.

We walked the full length of the beach & at the far end enjoyed another swim. The sun was deceptively hot.

A small purpose built harbour was nearby & we wandered around many old fishing boats, the water was stained rusty brown.

We found a great eating house with cheerful friendly staff to enjoy a couple of cold beers & freshly prepared peanuts.

FRIDAY 22.06.07 - A lazy awakening & breakfast in our room - locally made yogurt in unique porcelain pots.

What we thought was a small coastal village Qinhuarigdao a short bus ride away proved to be a huge bustling city, so we retreated on the bus & stopped off half way at some huge sand flats. The area was similar to that of Morecombe Bay & like Morecombe Bay many people were harvesting cockles.

We tried to have a swim but had to walk such a long way out to find decent water depth.

A walk along the beach south & we spotted a large flock of birds at the waters edge, feeding amongst them were egrets, large terns & small waders.

After our evening meal we strolled down to the beach which was floodlit - we were able to watch many Chinese tourists sampling the seaside for the first time, all were acting like excited children.

SATURDAY 23.06.07 - A visit to Nandaihe today some 5km. north. We left the bus & were immediately engulfed by noisy touts wanting to ferry us the 1km. walk to the coast, needless to say we made our own way to the resort.

A one hundred & twenty chair chairlift was in operation transferring visitors a couple of miles out to sea to an island on which was a huge high tower & helter skelter. From the top of the tower bungee jumpers occasionally leapt from a platform on top & were recovered via a boat.

We found a quiet spot between some fishing boats & enjoyed a warm swim.

After lunch we walked north along the beach through a very busy area, the water was crowded with bathers all wearing rubber rings, very strange sight to see grown men & women wearing these.

SUNDAY 24.06.07 - Another day at Nandaihe beach much like yesterday. However the bus ride out was abruptly halted by the need to change the fan belt. We were then taken the rest of the way by the following bus.

After our evening meal we strolled through a purpose built pedestrian area, all new & well kept. We sat a while to watch the world go by. The spot we selected to sit was where a few ladies had marked out an area to sell trinkets with an old rope. A group of four policemen approached & after much shuffling the rope was recovered, only to be replaced when the officers had gone.

MONDAY 25.06.07 - Move on today to Shanhaiguan & hours bus ride north. Shanhaiguan is where the Gt.Wall of China meets the east coast. We arrived at 11:00am. & after securing a room we set off for the rest of the day. We thought we would check out the Gt.Wall at the coast for our visit tomorrow. However not knowing where exactly to get off the bus we over ran the stop by about 20kms. & ended up at the outskirts of Qintiuangdao almost back where we had started this morning. After jumping back on the bus we were soon at the Gt.Wall scenic area.

A high fence rings this tourist attraction & the whole sandy coastline is prohibited to the locals - this is a great shame! Followed by a number of taxi drivers & a woman we set off to find a way around the fence. We ended up walking 5kms. until we found a chink in the defences - an open gate. Cautiously we crept through half expecting angry dogs to pounce, however all was quiet & we made our way back & along the coast passing a small fishing boat harbour.

We stopped at a small sandy beach at the side of a fast flowing inlet to the harbour, our progress was slowed somewhat due to five Chinese men swimming in the nude. We were able to have a swim as the tide crept slowly in. During our stay here we saw many cockle pickers returning from their days work, some were being ferried by returning fishing boats.

TUESDAY 26.06.07 - A visit to the Great Wall today, a restored section which meets the east coast. A local bus dropped us at the site & we duly coughed up our entry fee. In the 16th. century when the Great Wall was in operation some 1000 men were garrisoned here. Not many tourists roamed the ramparts & we enjoyed the spectacle. Where the wall met the ocean many years ago a dragons head was carved, hence its present name of Old Dragons Head. An original section was encased behind glass.

A beautiful beach lay to the south & we spent 2-3hrs. enjoying the solitude & warmth of the sea. We wondered why no one else was swimming then we noticed the numerous signs 'No Swimming'.

WEDNESDAY 27.06.07 - Time to organise our final trip to Beijing so off to the railway station to buy a ticket, it wasn't until later we realised our tickets were for standing only, so we marched back to the station for a refund. We did not fancy four hours standing on a crowded train.

Within the old city wall of Shanhaiguan much renovation & building work is in progress, all the original dwellings have been removed, paving the way for a tourist haven in the future!

After our evening meal we were slowly making our way back to our room, when we noticed a couple of Europeans, sheltering from the rain. We stopped to say hello & ended up having a drink or two with them in a local restaurant, we seemed to have so much in common, they have travelled extensively & had been to many of the places we had. Home to bed at 11:30pm. dirty stop outs!

THURSDAY 28.06.07 - Where the Great Wall climbs its first real peak on its way west is known as Jiao Shan & this was today's excursion.

Had to use a taxi to journey the 8km. north. Y30 admission fee & we payed up. The renovated Great Wall climbs steeply towards the top of the mountain & we walked with it to the summit. Such a gargantuan feat constructing a 12m high wall over such difficult terrain. A cable car operated for the less able. A monastery sits near the top & further on a view point from which we had magnificent all round clear views.

In the valley on the other side was a reservoir from which another huge chair lift was operating. We thoroughly enjoyed our Great Wall experience here. We walked back to the city stopping off at a great beer house full of locals, mostly women playing Mahjong. We sat quietly in the midst of about a dozen people for about an hour.

FRIDAY 29.06.07 – The return journey to Beijing today, we hopped on a local bus No33 to Qinhuangdao where the Beijing bus operates. On arrival we jumped straight on an air-conditioned bus & waited our departure. At 8:10am. on time we were off, all going too smoothly! About two hours into the journey Caroline noticed the driver rubbing his eyes & yawning a lot, he had a wet towel which he kept rubbing his brow with. I was so pleased Caroline had shared this information with me, from now on we were both concerned & on tender hooks. We stopped for a toilet break & Caroline used this opportunity to air her concerns to the driver who instantly dismissed them. More tender hooks & more yawning but thankfully at midday we pulled into one of the many Beijing bus stations safely.

We hopped on the metro & rode it to our hotel in the Wangfujing area, which had been recommended by the young couple we had met in Shanhaiguan.

SATURDAY 30.06.07 – Heavy rain all day today. Our plan was to visit the famous Tiananmen Square & surrounding area. We stalled our visit in the hope the rain would stop but eventually had to bite the bullet. We arrived at the largest public square in the whole of China if not the world. Had to purchase an umbrella from one of the many hawkers who were taking advantage of the inclement weather. The square itself is on a north – south axis & entered from the south through the Front Gate. At its centre is Chairman Mau’s Mausoleum where the body of the famous Chinese leader lies in state. At the north end lies the Gate Of Heavenly Peace, behind which is the Forbidden City. Here congregate most of the tourists of which we estimate are half a million a day. A moat surrounds the wall of the old city & we strolled beside it. The Forbidden City had been off limits to ordinary folk for 500 years, now we had a chance to visit.

SUNDAY 01.07.07 – What a difference a day makes, we awoke to hot bright sunshine. We visited Tiananmen Square again today in order to take a look at the Mausoleam, but unfortunately it was closed for renovation work in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.

Off to Beijing Zoo & had a great day roaming around a well-kept site, generally the animals were in good shape. We joined the queue at the gate & were dreading how many people would actually be in the Zoo, but once inside we were pleasantly surprised at it not being too crowded. Tired we left at 4pm.

MONDAY 02.07.07 – A visit to Beijing’s Botanical Gardens, a peaceful day enjoying the many plants both exotic & ones we have at home. The national flower of China is the Peony & this plant was especially well represented, unfortunately we had just missed the flowering season. After our ramble around the grounds we enjoyed a quiet sit in a pagoda overlooking a lily pond.

After a couple of cold beers in a local eating house we caught the two busses back which took us an hour, it took us another hour to change back excess Chinese money into sterling.

TUESDAY 03.07.07 – The flight home generally went to plan; we were pampered by our German hosts with a couple of films, food & drink whilst on board. However we had to catch a connecting flight from Frankfurt to London Heathrow & the times were a little tight, we made it with the help of airport staff but our luggage didn’t. We spent the night in London with friends Rod & Mona to return in the morning for our haversacks. We were put through vigorous security checks to enter the left luggage department much to Caroline’s disgust.

Arrived home to dear old Horrabridge at 3pm.

NORTHERN INDIA

27th.October to 30th.November 2005

Monday 1st.November 2005. - The flight to New Delhi took nine hours, stopping off in transit at Kuwait, arriving 5:30am. Getting from the airport to the city centre 25kms was as expected tedious, until the going rate was established. Arrived at the centre & found accommodation. Such commotion rickshaws, taxis & busses honking to clear the way. Much poverty was in evidence with beggars & mal-nourished children roaming the streets. The heat from the sun bearing down on us.

Sunday 2nd. - Next day we had a 3km walk through the bustling narrow streets to Old Delhi railway station & after much confusion bought two tickets to Varnarsi our next planed port of call, we thought. On the way we got a little lost & ended up tramping along open railway lines in the company of holy cattle.

Monday 3rd. - We visited one of the cities tourist attractions – the Red Fort. This fortification was once owned by the British & handed back to the Indian government in 1947. The entry fee for foreigners was five times that of the locals.

Tuesday 4th. - A visit to India’s national zoo, unfortunately we picked a holiday Sunday, however a pleasant but tiring day spent wandering the well kept grounds. All the animals seemed in good health. We were consuming two litres of liquid a day & not passing any. On our journey back we stopped off at India Gate a massive epitaph erected to commemorate souls lost in past wars fighting with us. Thousands of visitors were enjoying the sunshine & pleasant surroundings.

We thought it prudent to check our rail tickets for tomorrow to see if all OK, here the fun started. As we approached the rail station we were approached by a chap who informed us we needed to confirm our tickets at booth 39. On our way we were once again accosted by a second tout who led us away like lambs to the slaughter across the road to a travel agent (Decent Tours). We were plied with cups of tea & almost parted with six hundred pounds for a complete tour of India, but sense in the end prevailed, however we did fork out one hundred & thirty seven pounds for a new ticket to Darjeeling apparently we had bought a third class ticket instead of a two tier air conditioned sleeper. We left shell-shocked & it wasn’t until we thought things through in our hotel room that we were convinced we had been ripped off big time. No ticket & no money, just a dodgy receipt. No sleep that night going over every scenario over & over again. Morning dawned & we packed our sacks hoping the journey to Darjeeling was still on, even though we had no tickets.

We made our way to what we thought was the agents office but in a blue haze couldn’t find the correct office amidst the mass. We entered a couple of wrong ones & were convinced rooms had been shifted; we even knocked on the walls. Eventually we found the right office & with both barrels blazing & having written off the money we crashed into the managers office & set about delving through his receipts to find ours but no sign. Much huffing & puffing on our part the manager produced the tickets & a refund of seventy pounds. We were on our way to Darjeeling at 2pm.

Wednesday 5th. - Overnight sleeper to NJP & bus following most of the time the toy train track (which would have taken us nine hours) we arrived in Darjeeling dark & raining. The temperature dropped dramatically.

In the morning we set about the complicated procedure of obtaining our entry permits to the independent state of Sikkim. Much to-ing & frowing & a couple of hours later we had succeeded – all manual – no computers.

Thursday 6th. - Jeep ride to Gangtock which was to take 4hrs. but due to a landslide took six. Arrived at 2pm. & were soon settled into our hotel with panoramic views of the deep vegetative valleys neatly planted with tea.

Friday 7th. - Sight seeing in a safe atmosphere was now enjoyed, we now have time to chill out a little. Good news beer is 70p a litre & is 8% proof.

We visited Tibetan monasteries & temples, learning about Tibetan culture.

Saturday 8th. - We awoke to sunshine & the view WNW revealed the show capped mountain of Mt.Khangchendzonga, India’s highest peak & the worlds third highest.

We embarked on a tour to Tsomogo Lake some 25kms away, but as is the norm in Sikkim we had to obtain a day pass signed by everyone except Michael Jackson.

A hair raising drive snaking up to 12,700’ passing through many military units here to protect from a Chinese invasion.

At the lake we were a little disappointed at not being able to wander more. Rain cut the trip short plus it being very cold just like Dartmoor in the mist.

Tourists were able to take short rides on brightly decorated Yaks.

Back at the hotel we were cordially invited to spend an evening with a number of families from Assam a nearby state. A birthday party with cake & whiskey. We enjoyed a truly memorable evening.

Sunday 9^th. - A devastating earth-quake had hit Pakistan & North India so set off to email all that we were safe & well.

The rest of the day we spent roaming the city, which sits on the slopes of very steep hills. We visited a flower show with only stalks – the orchid season had finished. We also visited a monastery, a lot of young boy monks about all a bit suspect.

An evening stroll found us at a temporary temple decorated ornately, we were allowed into the crowded assembly & learned also that the chief minister of Sikkim was attending.

Monday 10^th. - Our original plan to return to Darjeeling was floored, no spare seats, so we set off to Rumtek across the valley some 30kms away. Found a clean & quiet hotel & set off to explore the famous monastery here. Still having time in the day we started S along the road & soon came across another monastery, this one not visited by the tourists. We wandered around & sat on the front temple steps & were treated to the sounds of the Tibetan monks chanting prayers & banging very large drums. A young monk offered an orange; we must have looked poor & malnourished.

Tuesday 11^th. - Another attempt to get to Darjeeling failed miserably so bought a bus ticket to Siliguri. On route a boy was caught on the roof top luggage rack of the bus & we wondered whether we would have haversacks at the end of the trip, but all OK.

Siliguri was busy in the middle of a very important nine-day festival known as Punja – lots of people & temporary ornately decorated temples.

Wednesday 12^th. - More problems with rail tickets but this one took only five hours to sort out. We were at the rail station at 3pm for a 5pm take off, silly us; we eventually left at 8pm. A sleeper train & we arrived Varanasi at 10am.

Thursday 13^th. - Vananasi is a very bustling city & the most holy situated on the banks of the massive Ganges. After some frustration & stress we made to the quieter end of the town known as Cantonment located a good clean hotel & bed early to catch up.

Friday 14^th. - Early to bed & early to rise & into battle with the intensive interest from the locals wanting to relieve us of our money. A motorised rickshaw to the centre & walked to the Ganges river bank some 2kms N of the main Ghat (worshipping area) We were faced with a gigantic spanse of water some three-quarter of a mile across. Bathing & cooling in the murky waters was a large heard of water buffalo. Locals were busy washing their clothes having to wade ankle deep in mud. Clothes were then laid out to dry on the hard mud. As Caroline posed for a photo one of the men took exception & tossed a couple of lumps of mud, hitting her on the shoulder. We set off along the river bank S walking along a flattened muddy path, the smell was putrid but still many pilgrims were immersing themselves in the so called holy but polluted waters. The river was about half full & funeral remains floated their way down stream towards the sea. In a couple of kms. our way was blocked & we had to climb a steep set of steps to enter the old city. The streets here are only 8’ wide, so no rickshaws only pedestrians & the odd motor bike. In time as we neared the centre the streets became crowded & on either side were many small stall units selling all manner of wares from bangles to rat traps.

In time we arrived at the main Ghat & sat a while on the temple steps drinking in the whole strange atmosphere. Holy men lay prostrate & others were dunking themselves in the waters. The day was scorching & the smells unforgettable.

Saturday 15^th. – The thing to do when in Varnasi is to rise early & be on the bank of the Ganges for day break – who’s idea was that. An unsettled night having not set the alarm, up at 4:30am & crept from the hotel, needless to say a motor rickshaw driver was there waiting. We were dropped off at the main Ghat at 5:15am a hazy morning so no signs of a sunrise. Throngs of people were gathered, pilgrims & tourists. The other thing to do is to catch a boat ride against the flow of the river & observe the whole spectacle. Trust us penny pinching as usual we hired a boat captained by a ninety year old, had to help somewhat to help him move, after a short while we agreed to ride the current back, Fireworks & offering effigies into the murky waters plus everyone immersing themselves in the holy waters.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around the Hindi University sited in vast green grounds & at its centre a Vishwnath Temple. Dutifully we took off our shoes to explore, on our return our shoes had vanished, a bit of huffing & puffing & the shoe walla had hidden them in the bushes because we had neglected to leave them with him – we will take our shoes with us next time.

Sunday 16^th. – A visit to the nearby town of Sarnath, had to walk a mile or so along a street with many poor families living in tents, their children bare foot & naked & constantly begged us for money. Around the town we visited a number of temples, Tibetan, Japanese & Hindu. We also visited a museum full of stone effigies of Budha.

Monday 17^th. – Had to draw some money, so in time walked a mile or so to a bank previously noted only to be told the only bank to change travellers cheques was right next door to our hotel. Had a cooked lunch & caught the sleeper train to Agra – the city of the Taj Mahal.

Tuesday 18^th. – We arrived in Agra at 10am. Tea in India is served in tiny clone pots, which are then disposed of only being used the once, quite a surprise in such a waste-less society. Agra is the mother of all hassle – Agra must be short for aggression, so we hit the streets prepared for all events. Managed to get a cheap ride to our hotel but at a price later the rickshaw driver arrived at our hotel room door requesting further rides throughout our visit. Spent the rest of the day looking over Agra Fort built in the 15^th. Century & becoming a prison in the 16^th.

Wednesday 19^th. – Had to dispatch a cricket in the night, which mimicked a squeaky fan. Today we had planned a visit to the Taj Mahal but were shuddering at the thought of forking out twenty quid. At the huge gate we paid our dues & were given a bottle of water. Foreigners’ ten-pound locals pay 50p. However the spectacle of such a beautiful marble structure was truly magnificent. Hundreds of visitors were clambering around it. Built in 1653 by Emperor Shah Jahon for his wife who died giving birth to her fourteenth child. After our visit we had lunch at a neighbouring restaurant in their roof top garden with clear views of the Taj Mahal.

Thursday 20^th. – Today we caught the local bus to Fatehpur Sikri to see a magnificent fortified ghost city which was the capitol of the Mughal Empire between 1571 & 1585 during the reign of emperor Akbar.

Arrived to find the entry fee to be five pound each so decided to wander around the free bits. Persistence in the end won through; we found a back door & enjoyed a wander around the emperor’s palace with all the paying tourists.

Made a big mistake on the bus ride home, had my arm out of the window & didn’t see a fellow passenger in front spit out of his window, yes you guessed it the sputum landed on my elbow – give the man his due he did wipe my arm clean with his hand.

Friday 21^st. – Time to move on, so caught the bus to Bharatpur, found a good clean lodge & set off to explore the city. We were pleasantly surprised at such a friendly society, everyone found us an attraction & all greeted us with enthusiasm & no requests for money – a pleasant contrast from the tourist trap of Agra.

Saturday 22^nd. – We hired a couple of bikes & set off to visit Keolaeo National Park – bird paradise. Caroline was a little apprehensive for the last bike she rode crashed into a tree in Thailand. In the past the park was extensively hunted for wild fowl & boar but in 1965 it became a wildlife reserve & is now enjoyed by many.

A metalled road dissects the park in two with vast lakes on either side. A large colony of Painted Storks was noisily nesting in an offshore mangrove clump. Each nest had three large grey ugly chicks standing like old men. A Painted Stork is a massive bird with a wingspan in excess of 8’ – all good day all in all with masses of bird sightings.

Sunday 23^rd. – A three-hour dusty bus ride to Jaipur arriving at 10am. Jaipur is a large city & very busy hence the air quality was poor. Being a Sunday we had difficulty in finding an Internet facility open but won through in the end.

A cold beer in our room always goes down well after a hot & dusty day.

Monday 24^th – At the centre of Jaipur is the old walled city its fortified walls pink – hence its name the Pink City. We visited the palace at its centre & a unique observatory. There were many large sundials standing & precisely scaled. This park holds the largest Sundial in the world & its shadow moves one segment every 20min. its possible to determine accurate time even today.

As is the case we always seem to attract attention & this time we sat & chatted to a large group young lads who were on a trip from the west coast near Pakistan.

During the walk back through the city we spotted a very young bare foot lad about 4years old sitting quietly with a selection of old nails neatly arranged in front of him. It had to be done I approached him & bought a bent nail for 10Rs. Bewildered & stunned he eventually agreed & the transaction was complete – a budding Richard Branson!

Tuesday 25^th – Off on a local bus for the 13kms ride to the Amber Palace. We stepped off the bus & were greeted with the sight of eight elephants being scrubbed & pampered in the lake. Both owners & elephants were enjoying the experience – it was good to be so close to such magnificent & gentle creatures. With elephant poo on our shoes we climbed to the palace, which sits on the hill NW of the lake. Enjoyed an amble around here, which was once a place of splendour.

In he afternoon we continued the climb to the top of the hill where sits Amber Fort, within its wall is housed the largest cannon on wheels in the world. It weighs 50 tons & takes 100kgs of powder for one shot & has a range of 22 miles.

India seems to have a last surprise of the day - during the last city bus ride a group of six young gypsy women boarded carrying young babies all had broad smiles. So they began beating their drums & gesturing Indian dancing with their arms – we just had to join in. A good-natured bunch, all the children happy & the youngest being occasionally fed from the breast.

Wednesday 26^th. – A visit to the science park – a well-designed & engineered outside display with many working models showing the basics of science. Again at one point we had about fifty rural Indians around us – not speaking just staring.

Nearing the end of our visit we were invited in to take a look at projects compiled by some very bright youngsters who enthusiastically demonstrated their work. We were treated like royalty & were asked to comment in their workbooks.

THURSDAY 27^th – A bus ride to Ajmer & then on to Pushkar arriving at lunchtime. This is a very holy town built around a holy lake. Signs are erected around the town to advise visitors not to eat non-vegetarian meals, drink alcohol, no caressing in public, no drugs or eating of eggs. Sounds like a bundle of laughs here!

Nearly got caught up with the filming of a Bollywood movie on the shores of the lake.

Friday 28^th – Pushkar seems relatively hassle free & we enjoyed roaming its narrow streets, camels & cows a familiar sight.

We sat beside the lake & watched a couple of black & white kingfishers fishing.

Stopped off to look at a brand new Sikh temple expense no object. A service was taking place & we sat quietly in the tranquil atmosphere of the massive marble hall with eight finely dressed priests chanting. As we left the complex we chatted to a couple of wood-carvers busy expertly carving teak doors. The temple is expected to be complete in 2007 & was started in 1999.

Saturday 29^th. - No particular plans for today, so after breakfast we set off for a walk N along a sandy road, a few camels grazing on depleted grass. From a vantagepoint yesterday we had seen vast tent cities & we intended to check one out. In time we found one run by a father & son team, we were invited in & given tea & a guided tour. The most luxurious was $120:00 a night, all tents had three rooms & installed plumbing. The object of these huge tented areas was to accommodate rich westerners who wish to visit the world famous week long Pushkar camel festival.

During our walk back a four-wheeled drive jeep stopped & offered us a lift to the nearby city of Ajmer – it was from our new found friend Bharat who had his own driver. We accepted & spent a very pleasant couple of hours exploring the city & museums.

Sunday 30^th. - With early morning news of three bomb attacks in Delhi we set off to buy a newspaper but failed. We past a camel & cart with a gaggle of women gathered around. We investigated & watched flour milling in progress on the cart. Caroline chipped in, I’m sure this was the hardest they had seen a western lady work around here.

Preparation for the coming festival of Diwalli India’s biggest annual celebration – many large explosive fireworks are set off mostly by young children.

Monday 31^st. - Caught the bus to Udaipur another city by a lake, a couple of shocking road traffic accidents on the way. Arrived at 3pm & found a lodging house – not too good. Whilst out for our evening meal we found more acceptable accommodation & tomorrow would move in.

Tuesday 1^st. – Festival Day. - Settled into our new room early & were pleased.

We took a trip to the lakeside, which is manmade, as is the case in India many locals were using the waters for clothes washing & cleaning themselves. As we walked we were wished happy Diwali. Not feeling 100% we decided to call in at a German Bakery to indulge ourselves on date & walnut slice & a fresh cup of coffee.

Tonight was to be the noisiest we were to experience – loud & I mean loud explosions all night, when they eventually eased at 4am a gigantic sound system was switched on in a street nearby. We decided to move on once again.

Wednesday 2^nd. - A day confined to barracks both listless & with flu symptoms, our new room was spacious & a little quieter. We caught up with lost sleep from last night.

Thursday 3^rd. - Still not in tip top shape we spent another half day resting but today we needed to change money so set off for the city centre to find a bank.

Friday 4^th. - With a good nights sleep & the flu symptoms easing we set of from the lakeside palace complex & took a boat on Lake Pichola. At the centre of this lake are two islands one of which has an exclusive hotel. A very pleasant calm cruise & were able to land on one of the islands – Jagmandir.

Our energies returning we had a long walk in the afternoon S along the lakeside & enjoyed a rare lone walk. The culmination of which was a climb to Eklinggarh (fort), had to stop a few times but arrived safely. From the summit we were treated to magnificent views of the lake to the W & the city to the E.

Whilst resting in a park busy with visitors many of which just cannot help themselves staring at us, one lady walked into a tree, we both laughed out loud.

Saturday 5^th. - Today we planned a trip to nearby village called Shilpgram, this village had been specifically set up to give an insight to tourists regarding how the ethnic tribes of India live now & times gone by.

Before we left for the walk we secured two bus tickets to our next port of call Mt.Abu tomorrow.

A very hot day but we enjoyed the 5km. walk to Shilpgram walking beside tranquil lakes, we caught sight of green bee-eaters & terns busy pairing up on an island.

Shilpgram village was interesting & we enjoyed the colourful demonstrations of the rural Indian peoples. There was an English film crew working on a project filming a musical band & dancers.

Sunday 6^th. - The ride to Mt.Abu was to take us six hours, we had been allocated the last two seats in the bus, hence a very bumpy ride at the back.

Mt.Abu is a gigantic 27km. by 6km. sandstone plateau, rising from the flat plains of Rajasthan, we zig zagged up the steep hill to our destination, arriving at 2pm. A bit of a shock, everywhere we tried for a room seemed fully booked & the few room available were double the price that we had been paying throughout India. Primarily the Indians use Mt.Abu for their holidays & prices reflected this. Some stress & much bartering we secured an average room.

The resort was teaming with holidaymakers, at the hub of the town is rather a pretty lake, on which half the population of India seemed to be enjoying themselves boating. We enjoyed a comparatively quiet walk around the lake. A huge toad shaped sandstone boulder sat on the mountainside as if about to plunge into the water.

Monday 7^th. - In-order to visit the highest peak in Rajasthan on the plateau Guru Shikhar we had to take a shared jeep with three other Indian families – all spoke good English. We had to endure countless visits to Hindi Temples which are frequently perched high on hillsides. These Temples are strange to western ideas, with a big build up then when inside the altar & idols seem tatty & cheap, but locals all seem eager to pay homage. The whole trip was for us a religious marathon until at last we arrived at the highest peak, yes you guessed it at the summit – a Temple but here also was a rather splendid large brass bell which was being frequently being struck by the many visitors. Great views of the plateau & the Plains below were enjoyed.

Tuesday 8^th. - A walk across country was planned for today, so with a packed lunch we set off for the start, north of the lake, here was a Temple & signs warning visitors not to wander into lonely places – too late we were on our way. Armed with a sturdy stick we started the climb along a jungle track to the ridged way above, here was a cave & standing quietly outside was holy man. We were duly invited into his dwelling which was cool & very simple, laying on some old news papers was a small selection of vegetables, we added a banana from our packed lunch. Meditation was his prime reason for living such an existence, we tried to join in but the lack of email facilities was a real problem for me. We left him in peace & continued on our way. Following compass & jungle tracks we enjoyed a great day out – the threat of being attacked by gypsies soon faded.

Wednesday 9^th. - Having enjoyed our stay here at Mt.Abu today it was time to move on to Jodhpur & bus ride of some seven hours. Arrived on the outskirts of the city at 3pm. This is always the most stressful time of any journey being dropped off not knowing where one is. The rickshaw drivers seem to sense a travellers panic & before long there becomes a tourist feeding frenzy.

We managed to get a ride to the old city and secure an average room.

Thursday 10^th. - Another city & much more to see so set off for the day north through the old city ambling through the narrow streets. A young man tempted us with offers of cheap internet connection so we followed his instructions to his café & restaurant, we had a good couple of hours touching base then enjoyed a very relaxing time with a couple of beers on the roof top terrace. We were made so welcome we stayed for lunch.

At 2pm. We set off for a walk to the ridge north of the city where stands a magnificent fort & mausoleum. We needed more time to explore the fort so decided to check out the Taj Mahal type mausoleum. A very very hot afternoon but enjoyable, investigating this magnificent white marble structure Jaswant Thada.

The walk back was interrupted by seeing a large crowd of bystanders huddled over a deep & dark disused well, where we were told a couple of days ago a young boy had fallen in & lost his life.

Friday 11^th. - Today we were to visit a village 10kms. North of the city called Mandore Garden. We jumped on a local bus & in a half an hour were at the garden gate & were greeted by some friendly monkeys. Mandore was the capital of Marwar prior to the formation of Jodphur, a pleasant day wandering around ancient artefacts & temples. We found ourselves as we would in a lonely location some 3kms. North of the most visited sites & were amazed to find a collection of Stuppas enclosed by a high wall – we wandered around & saw no-one else only a local family & a few goats – such a rare sight & no visitors.

Saturday 12^th. – Today we had planned to visit Jodhpur’s main attraction Nehrangarth Fort 1459AD. After we started the long hot climb to the fort gate, after paying the entrance fee we were given audio equipment which at strategic points around the tour described features in the immediate vacinity.

The fort had never been breached by the enemy, one of its strengths was a pair of gigantic reinforced wood & steel gates armed with sturdy 6" steel spikes to deter elephant attack. The corridor leading to the entrance was designed with a hairpin bend to stop attacking elephants building speed & pressure against the doors. A very interesting & educational tour. We finished the exploration with a stroll along the ramparts, which were festooned with cannons. Views of the city below were predominately coloured blue hence its name the Blue City.

Sunday 13^th. – Today we moved on to Jaisalmer, a 6hr. bus ride through the Thar Desert. We passed many villages surviving in a very inhospitable region. The houses were in clusters & straw roofed enclosed by a scrub fence. The main livestock were goats & camels, which graze on what appears to be nothing but sand.

Arrived at Jaisalmer & booked into a rather nice hotel, unusual for India. After a meal we took a short stroll to the old city & a simple fair ground the main attraction being a massive swing boat & seemed to give all the punters huge thrills.

Monday 14^th. – Today we arrived by chance at Salim Singh Ki Haveli, a five storey, extraordinary mansion commanding the skyline of the old city. It was built some 200 years ago by Salim Singh a powerful Prime Minister of Maharaja Gaj Singh. The Haveli (house) begins with narrow dimensions at the base then suddenly spreads outwards with a projecting balcony on its top storey. It is distinguished by the blue cupolas on its arched roof. We had a guided tour of this old dwelling & were shown secret wall safes, beautiful carved sandstone screens. The building construction is made with Lego style interlocking stone work & no cement. T discourage would be invaders all the internal door-ways were tiny & the stone stairs varied in height so interlopers could be heard heavy footing their way up. All in all a very interesting visit for 15Rs. (20p).

Tuesday 15^th. – After breakfast we set off for a walk to Jaisalmer’s Gordsisar Lake – a beautiful unspoiled lake bordered with the inevitable temples. At the moment it is full & in times gone by could have kept the city in water for 3yrs. After a pleasant walk around the shore we struck off into the desert – we came across a small dwelling with no roof & sitting out of the sun was a dog so we crept nervously away. We returned to the lakeside & enjoyed a couple of hours watching many brightly coloured birds feeding.

Wednesday 16^th. – At 3pm we had signed up for a camel safari, we set off with our guide Lucky in a rather nice four wheeled drive vehicle & were driven some 45kms west into the Thar Desert.

On the way we stopped off at a village & were shown some rather simple dwellings. A walled courtyard & a couple of small thatched buildings built by the owners & daubed with a mixture of camel dung & sand. The courtyard was meticulously clean & tidy. We were asked to take along sweets for the village children – not a good idea in our opinion – but nevertheless we conformed – but mass excitement by the children over-flowed into greed, leaving a legacy of more begging in the future. We stopped off at one more village on our way to the Safari Centre. At the Centre we were greeted by the owner with a cup of tea flavoured with Cardinam – rather tasty if a little sweet.

A large purpose built lodge to house tourists who were keen to ride camels & explore the Thar Desert. Whilst drinking our tea we noticed large dung beetles wandering around the enclosure, presumably looking for camel dung. After our tea we were escorted to our mounts – a couple of handsome camels. Caroline was a little apprehensive about the ride but all power to her she mounted her female beast & was hoisted high as the camel stood up. It was my turn, my camel was a male & rather handsome. With us both safely riding Lucky snapped a couple of photos. Leading the camels were a couple of young lads who looked after us admirably. We set off towards the sand dunes, stopping off on the way at a bush laden with red berries which we were invited to try. We continued the ride, following Caroline’s camel was a baby only 3 months old who was still suckling from its mother. A bell hung around its neck in the event of it wandering off, in another half-hour or so we were brought to a halt & the camels sat to allow us to alight.

We were allowed to climb some huge sand dunes to witness a spectacular sunset. We ploughed our way up the soft sand & made our way along the ridges. Many small tracks were in evidence in the soft sand; these were being made by the dung beetles foraging for food.

Whilst waiting for the sun to set to the west Caroline spotted a small flat lizard which ran scared & then buried itself in the sand for safety. Observant as ever Caroline also spotted a long eared desert fox scurrying through the distant scrub, we were able to watch it through binoculars.

Thursday 17^th. – Time to move on again – we caught the bus to Bikaner at 06:00am arrived at 12:00 noon an unusually chilly journey until that is the sun rose high in the sky.

Friday 18^th. – Bikaner is a large busy city – one of the nearby attractions is Karni Mata Temple in the village of Desnoke some 30km south of Bikaner. We caught a local bus & arrived at 1:00pm. The temple here is unique in that rats called Kabas are venerated here & the shrine is a sanctuary for them. It is believed that these rats carry souls of future Charans (Deepawatts) who inhabit the region. Held sacred they roam freely in the temple precincts it is highly auspicious to spot one of the six white rats of a total population of some 6000.

At the door of the temple we had to take off our shoes & walk bare footed into a courtyard with hundreds of rats running free. These animals have no fear of humans & were busy feeding on offerings left by the many pilgrims. We spent a couple of hours here roaming the dark corridors infested with rats. The animals are holy & can do no wrong – covering the courtyard is a net to protect the rodents from attack from above.

The pilgrims even sit in rooms off the courtyard & eat meals with them. A truly memorable experience & perhaps the eighth wonder of the world.

Saturday 19^th. – One of the jobs today was to have developed films of our trip, on the way we had to negotiate a railway level crossing, the barriers were down but this had no real effect on the locals who ducked under & risked life & limb to cross. Even motor bikes were laid down & taken across. When the train eventually arrived many were almost caught on the tracks.

By chance we passed a rather magnificent bronze statue of Narindia Ghandi; a much respected Prime Minister. Congregated around the statue were a group of gents who when they spotted us invited us over to join in celebrating her birth date. Photos were taken for the local paper & our names & address were taken – fame at last!

Sunday 20^th. – There are four main attractions in & around Bikaner – the Junagarth Fort, the royal Cenotaph, a camel breeding centre & yes another famous temple. We elected to hire a motorized rickshaw to take in the last three. First stop the Royal Cenotaph, an enclosed area with many marble mausoleums with inscriptions telling who each were & when they lived – all the previous Bikaner royal family are buried here.

Next it was off into the desert to the camel breeding centre – being a Sunday it was very quiet, we were greeted at the gate by a local guide who after much argy bargy settled on a price. We were shown many camels but most of the residents were in the desert grazing – only the sick & pregnant remained. First stop the infirmary about seven unwell camels were convalescing, one old girl was 27yrs. old (life expectancy is around 22yrs.) We saw a half a dozen pregnant females resting & a few magnificent males. The complex also houses a camel research centre. Luckily for us being a Sunday the Temple was closed.

Monday 21^st. – Today we hopped on a local bus 45kms. to the village of Kolayatji. We stepped off the bus in to a dusty village & followed our noses to the lake & Ghats which are situated at the village centre, sited around the shores were many temples where pilgrims enthusiastically worship. As we would we walked the entire perimeter & met a very poor family living in homemade shelters, all the members were involved in the manufacture of clay molded statues – however all were smiling. Back at the village we could hear loud chanting & followed the sound to a temple thronging with worshipers. We arrived & were mobbed all eager to make contact – now we know how Mr. & Mrs. Beckham must feel all of the time. Eventually we tore ourselves away & returned to the village for a bite to eat washed down with a couple of rather stale soft drinks. A visit to one last temple, guided by a local monk, who shouted information at us, he lead us the green stagnant waters of the lake where he took a drink, we politely refused to join him.

Tuesday 22^nd. – Today we were to move on to Jhunjhunu scarcely visited by tourists – but this city was half way by road to our final destination Delhi. Whilst waiting for the bus a brigade of border patrol soldiers rode by on camels, a spectacular sight, there were 37 animals in all.

At Jhunjhunu we located a good clean hotel & were able to reconfirm our flight home thanks to a very helpful hotel owner.

Wednesday 23^rd. – There are a few things to see in this city & after a visit to the tourist information office we set about exploring. First stop Kamruddin Shah Ki Dargah, a large ornate building with many painted frescos. The city has the inevitable fort but we were unable to visit due to being closed. We passed a small school & I popped in to say hello, there were two teachers a man & a woman, they were obviously Muslim, when the children spotted us there was understandable excitement, to gain control the teaches leapt into action, the lady had a stick & the man punched a young girl violently in the back, silence ensued & we said farewell. Jhunjhunu is famous for tie dying & watched a family busy producing beautiful tie-dyed saris.

Thursday 24^th. – On to our final destination the last port of call Delhi. The bus ride was OK if a little uncomfortable, we were dropped off at a bus stand outside the city & had to catch a local bus to our hotel. We arrived at Connaught Place & walked to our hotel, it was then that Caroline noticed that her money pouch had been slit with a razor but fortunately the thief left empty handed. The suspect was a short weedy guy who had a small child in arms as cover – India lands another blow.

Friday 25^th. – A day spent wandering the aggressive streets of Delhi. We were able to check all OK with our homeward flight & have Caroline’s purse repaired.

We visited the largest Muslim mosque in India – Jama Masjid - it can accommodate 25,000 worshipers in the courtyard. At the entrance I had to don a cover for my bare legs & was able to dodge all requests for rupees.

SOUTH AMERICAN TRIP – CHILE, BOLIVIA & PERU

1^ST.September to 1^st.December 2003

Week Ending 12.09.03

We left Santiago and started N for a short journey to Vina Del Mar, a seaside resort - now out of season. The Pacific Ocean looked cold and rough, only the pelicans were swimming. Our second day here saw the first rain for 3 months - and the streets were awash.

Ovalle next - some six hours N by bus. A visit to a valley, known for rock drawings, had to hitch a lift 20km., then we were on our own for another 10km. walk into the countryside. An enjoyable day with many species of birds, unknown to us. Cowboy type cactus were prevalent, some in flower.

Copiapo was our next destination some six hours distant - still travelling N. Only a night rest stop here, managing to climb a hill W of the town - called Dela Cruz Hill. The climb to the top into the hot desert sun was sweaty. From the top we had all round vistas of the town with its 150,000 souls and its now abandoned silver mine to N. We returned to a bar to enjoy a jug of ale (3litres) at 50p per pint.

Next an eleven hour bus ride overnight to Calama (where it has never rained). We awoke 7am. on the bus to a scene of real desert, no vegetation at all. Passed through Chile's second city Antofagasta.

Calama is a town sitting in the heart of the Atacama desert and thrives on the nearby open-cast copper mine (the largest in the world). We enjoyed a tour of the mine, the scene of the main pit was truly unbelievable - some 2miles long 1.5miles wide and 2,500feet deep. The trucks moving the ore from the bottom to the top were gigantic, some 30ft high, and their engines resembled that of aircraft.

Today Saturday, is time to reflect & plan the border crossing into Bolivia.

OVERLAND INTO BOLIVIA & BEYOND THROUGH THE WILDERNESS.

Week ending 19.09.03.

From Calama we travelled to San Pedro de Atacama, a very dusty place. We were able to explore the outskirts of the town by ourselves, visiting an Inca settlement set on top of a hill beside a dried up river-bed. We booked to embark on a visit to the valley of the moon to watch the sunset. Our trip started at 3pm. & our driver took us to other sights, first we enjoyed a walk down the valley of death - where we watched people sand-boarding, they had cycled from San Pedro.

Before being able to watch the sunset we had a good half hour climb in soft sand to the top of a huge sand dune. We arrived about 15mins. before the set. The colours were amazing, the descent was a lot easier.

We had decided to journey into Bolivia with a small group, overland in a 4x4.

From San Pedro we were bussed to the frontier, which was set in a very remote, cold, desolate spot beneath dormant volcano's, only a Bolivian outpost to check us through.

Waiting here for us was our transport & crew - Gonzalez (Speedy) & his wife chief cook & bottle washer Mastenis, also in our group were three young student Germans, two girls & a lad. With haversacks neatly stowed away on top we were off into the unknown, over the lava fields, no road or track!

Our first stop was high overlooking two lagoons one appeared white & the other green & so named, something to do with light & algae. Lunch was had beside a huge salt lake, which was being fed from a thermal spring, flamingos fed vivaciously in the salt slush. Our lunch was prepared in the back of the Toyota by our crew, very good too.

Our journey continued through the wonderland of wilderness, no sign of human life for hundreds of miles in either direction.

We came next upon a strange sight, a sea of sand with isolated pillars of rock, apparently the subject of one of Salvador Dali's paintings, even though he had never seen this view.

Geysers were next - with huge volumes of steam escaping noisily from gaping holes, mud boiled in smaller pits - a stench of sulphur was strong - I blamed the breakfast!

Our night stop was to be a refuge some 13,000feet above sea level, beside another lagoon known as Red Lake for its very red colour, caused by light and algae - food for thousands of flamingos. The night here was very cold and we had to use sleeping bags as well as blankets. Altitude effects were felt by many of the transient travellers and so were the toilets.

Next morning we set off early for another day of 'Travel & Adventure´. Our vehicle was taking a terrific pounding along with our backsides.

More lagoons and more exotic sights, difficult to take it all in.

Along one of the particular sections - hundreds of miles from anywhere - a lone cyclist sat resting - he looked fit if not a little daft, our driver offered him water, he excepted readily.

Our second night was spent at San Pedro in Bolivia, the home village of our driver & wife, a very pleasant stop. The village is very poor but manages to survive on the little they grow, Llamas were feeding in the street.

Day three was mostly spent driving over the largest salt flats in the world, some 1,000sq km., & in some parts 6m thick. Standing in the centre of this vast open space is an island called Fish Island. We stopped here for an hour & from its summit we had views of the sea of white. Growing on the oasis were thousands of huge cacti some 1200 years old. Lunch here then another long drive over the compact salt to a hotel constructed purely of salt.

Our trip ended in Uyuni a dusty Bolivian desert town, we said farewell to our fellow travellers having just experienced a trip of a lifetime & one which can be thoroughly recommended.

Our travels next took us to Potosi the highest city in the world at 4,070m above sea level. Beer here even cheaper than in Chile. A main meal at a restaurant costs about 3 pounds Stirling (for two). Blue skies every day freezing temperatures at night.

Potosi, Sucre Cochbamba & Oruro.

Week ending 26.09.03.

Potosi´s claim to fame is a huge silver mountain, which in colonial times afforded the Spanish with hoards of fine grade silver, now however the mine is only producing composite ore of nickel, tin, lead & silver - thus the mine is slowly ceasing to function. A trip around the mine was organised for me only, Caroline decided crawling around underground was not for her. A fellow tourist from Belgium accompanied me. First stop was at one of the many miners' shops - we were shown an array of necessities used by the underground workers eg. dynamite, 20p a stick along with cordite fuse & detonators all perfectly legal for anyone to purchase. Pure alcohol in small plastic bottles & mineral water, coca leaves & a soft stone for nibbling to extract the most from the coca leaves. We were advised to buy some of these articles for presents for the miners - so we each bought a bag of coca leaves & alcohol.

Next it was time to kit up in overalls & headlamps. In a taxi we drove to the mine head. At the entrance a few miners' gathered & small children offered us minerals to buy. Our guide explained the workings of the mine, & from our vantage point we could see where the miners & their families lived, in shacks across the valley. We gave a bag of coca leaves to the miners here, & were nearly killed in the rush.

It was time to go underground, the entrance to Sant Elena mine was smaller than I had expected & on the rocks at the door were stains of llama blood, daubed there as a sacrifice to Tio (Uncle God of mines). We entered the mine & followed two large pipes, one for oxygen & one for water. Safety was at a minimum here & large open 90m shafts were avoided thanks to instructions from our guide. Soon we were at an alcove, at its head was an idol depicting Tio, we were to offer coca leaves, cigarettes & alcohol, to ensure a safe passage. The statue was red & had horns, green eyes, a beard & a prominent large penis - for fertilising mother earth (Pachamama). Whilst we were here a miner arrived to make his own offering.

We descended the dusty levels to No9 finding mineral veins of nickel, silver, zinc, lead & tin - now composite for all the pure silver has now been harvested. Asbestos is another hazard & we were shown deposits.

The miners' life is short & most can only cope with ten years service before they fall ill & die.

Santa Elena mine butts onto Pailaviri mine & in time we were wandering the passage-ways of this mine. Eventually we emerged into the fresh air and once again a rush of children came to us offering minerals. The tour was over & I very much enjoyed the experience.

Due to a slight misunderstanding we had to leave Potosi in rather a hurried fashion & at one point we were barred from leaving the hotel. Much heated discussion & a threat to call the police & we eventually left - bad feeling as usual! It wasn't until we arrived at our next stop we realised I still had the room key - oh dear!

More trouble at Sucre, we had booked into a hotel & a little later decided to move to a cleaner residence, much to the disgust of yet another hotelier, another threat to call the police. Sucre had an air of unease for us, we had been warned about pickpockets & bag slashers, so we were glad to be moving on to Cochbamba an overnight bus ride arriving 5:45am. Found a hotel close to the bus station, as my rear end was calling for help.

Whilst here we came across a large trailer in the main street with four fully grown lions, the trailer had developed a puncture. The animals looked in fine health & to see such large cats close up was a treat.

Friday and we were leaving for Oruro another city sitting high on the Altiplano 3709m above sea level. The bus ride was over spectacular arid mountains. The country people of Bolivia are truly poor. As we passed through one village we saw two pigs on a dusty green then noticed blood pouring from one of their necks, nearby two men manhandled the other pig & its throat was also cut, its enough to turn one vegetarian.

Today we are planning our route to Arica in Chile - we were being constantly advise not to travel near the capitol La Paz due to disturbances.

ADVISED TO LEAVE BOLIVIA BEFORE A NATIONAL STRIKE STARTS – Oruro to Arica.

Week ending 03.10.03.

Saturday we visited a thermal spring, had to take a local bus some 20km. Standing in the middle of nowhere was a hotel & a swimming pool, being fed from a natural hot spring. We enjoyed a swim in the warm pool & after a soak in a very hot plunge pool. When it was time to catch the bus back to Oruro we had yet more trouble with the natives. There was one bus waiting & would not leave until full, however a rogue bus out with the family was ready to leave, we ran with a couple more passengers to catch a ride. The driver of the official bus started his vehicle & cut our bus off, & a stale-mate ensued. Eventually the other two passengers gave up the fight & returned to the official bus, we on the other hand were not being held to ransom & started to walk back to Oruro. The angry bus driver shadowed us in his empty vehicle for about a mile, until he gave up, leaving us to walk. As luck would have it in time a taxi passed & gave us a lift for the same price as the bus.

Unrest in Bolivia & we were advised to leave or face perhaps many days trying to escape. The population are unhappy with their governments wishes to sell natural gas to the USA, & also welfare for the poor & elderly are a concern.

Our exit was to take a bus from Oruro to Putre in Chile. The bus was scheduled to leave at 1:30pm Sunday so we had a chance to walk around the city. We were approached by a couple from France who warned us of a popular scam involving false police wanting to check passports & once they manipulated the tourists into a taxi it was easy to take their money! This had happened twice to this French couple this very morning. We were lucky & had no problems.

The bus out of Bolivia was luxurious but full with travellers escaping at the last moment. In pitch darkness we were dropped 5km from Putre, the walk at night wasn't attractive so we ended up travelling all the way to Arica for no extra cost.

Arica is a city on the Pacific coast & we were to spend four days here, it was good to relax. Saw plenty of strange sea birds including hundreds of pelicans, an ugly bird but graceful in flight. We managed to enjoy a couple of swims. Huge sea lions hauled themselves onto the rocks at the fish quay & we had a close encounter.

About 20km north of the city is a museum with examples of recently uncovered mummified bodies from 4000BC, we took a trip & enjoyed a morning looking at the well laid out displays.

Time to leave Arica to cross into Peru. We were taken by taxi to the Peruvian town of Tacna, the taxi driver saw to all the technicalities of the border crossing. Spent the night here & in the morning caught the bus to Peru`s second city Arequipa. The journey took us high again over arid desert with no vegetation at all. The plateau on which Arequipa stands is made fertile by a huge river & it was good to see green once again.

A VISIT TO THREE REMOTE PERUVIAN VILLAGES.

Arequipa, Colca Canyon & Lake Titicaca

Week ending 11.10.03.

Arequipa is a bustling Peruvian city and has many ancient buildings and ornate churches. The cathedral was spectacular and has a huge hand carved wooden pulpit. The building has been rebuilt since being destroyed 30 years ago by a huge earthquake.

The central plaza was busy with a beautiful water fountain as its prime feature, visitors were feeding the many hundreds of pigeons. Whilst we sat in the hot sun a troop of dancers and drummers entertained the crowds, the dancers were all male dressed in suits and wore plastic masks with moustaches, they also wore bells on there toes.

We had to embark on a two day trek into the Colca Canyon which is a 6 hour bus ride north of Arequipa.

Tuesday morning we caught a local bus to the canyon and on our arrival at the end of the line, Cobanaconde, a remote village. we were met by the lady of the family who we were to stay with, she showed us to her home. A simple dwelling but clean, she cooked us a meal of alpaca - small llama - delicious.

Early the next morning the head of the house Remigio arrived back at the house with a couple of tourists who he had taken on the same trip prior to ourselves.

After breakfast we set off with him for the canyon, on the way we passed a small hospital and watched as a dead body being manhandled from the luggage department of a bus into the building - a resident returning, RIP.

In an hour we were standing high on the south lip of the canyon some 50km. long and half mile deep - truly impressive. The descent was very steep along a mule track, we passed the odd villager herding their animals.

Three hours of leg straining descent took its toll and at the flimsy suspension bridge over the river our legs turned to jelly.

The sun was very hot and we had to drink plenty. A moderately short climb up the north side of the canyon and we were walking through fertile field systems full of fruit trees and vegetables all being watered from the Colca river by a series of leats.

On to the remote village of San Juan this village and many more in the region survive on what they can eke out from nature and have no need for money or electricity. All the residents were obviously content and in touch with their environment, always smiling and very friendly.

Our guide prepared lunch in one of the huts and we rested until it was time to move on. Another stiffer climb this time and we were at village No2 Cosnirhua - from here panoramic vistas were fantastic.

One more village on the same contour - Malata - then it was all down-hill to where we were to stay the night - an oasis. We arrived at 3pm after a 7 hour testing hike, had time for a swim in the pool. That evening, we had yet another excellent meal prepared by Remigio who then informed us we would to rise at 3am the next morning for the final ascent back to Cobanaconde. Caroline nearly had heart failure on the spot but managed to keep cool.

Early to bed and early to rise and we were dressing in the dark in our bamboo hut - dancing from leg to leg in order to dress. Caroline was dreading the 3000' ascent in the dark, but we gritted our teeth and set off. Luckily there was a full moon so a torch was only used in the shadows. The reason the ascent was attempted so early is to avoid the intense heat of the sun, which appeared at 4.30am.

At the top we were tired but exhilarated our guide Remigio was a true professional and showed us old fogies plenty of patience.

After breakfast we left for the bus ride back to Arequipa which we interrupted to stop off at a point high above the deepest and narrowest point of the canyon at 8am in order that we might catch sight of Condors. At 9.15am we were treated to a fly past by a magnificent fully grown male, there were a number of tourists here and everyone sighed in awe. This sighting topped off a truly amazing couple of days.

Puno next beside Lake Titicaca, still hot and sunny at 3,820m above sea level.

MACHU PICCHU - AN ANCIENT INCA CITY HIGH IN THE ANDES – Puno, Chaciuto, & Cusco

Week ending 17.10.03.

The floating islands of Lake Titicaca - We boarded a local boat at Puno quay and chugged our way out into the Lake, the sun was hot and the half-hour trip to the islands was pleasant. Soon we were weaving our way between the reed islands, which are home to the Uros people. These folk lives are totally interwoven with the Totora reed, which grows abundantly in the shallows of the lake. They harvest these reeds and use them to make everything from the islands themselves to little model boats to sell to the tourists. The islands are constructed from many layers of reeds, which rot away from the underside and are replaced from the top. The ground is soft to the foot and we sank some four inches whilst walking. The Uros folk build canoe shaped boats from the tightly bundled reeds. A well constructed boat carries a whole family and lasts some six months. We visited three islands all in good shape, possibly too good for permanent living. The sun was hot and the skies clear, we very much enjoyed seeing this very unusual life style. We saw Uros homes and a school. Every island has a lookout tower. Needless to say there were plenty of souvenirs on sale.

Back to shore and a fish dinner from a market stall, very tasty. We had finished the first course when our host produced a dish which contained what resembled dirty dish water, Caroline very nearly washed her fingers in it when a spoon was produced and we were expected to eat it, we declined politely - the whole meal cost 30p for two.

We caught a local bus south the next day, along the banks of the lake for fifteen miles or so to Chaciuto and alighted to explore. It was yet another very hot day and we were lucky to visit during a festival to celebrate the Virgin of the Rosery. Noisy bands paraded around the plaza and we took our rightful seats in a beer tent along the way. Traditional dancing and celebrations all seemed to hinge around the local brew Cusquena - this suited us just fine. The male members of the bands were all dressed in suits and trilby hats all resembling the Blues Brothers. A good day was had by all and we staggered back the bus stop at 5pm.

Next port of call was Cusco the historical capitol of Peru, from here most of the tours to Machu Picchu set off. We spent one day touring the local churches and museums, there's only a certain amount of old age tat one can take.

Our trip to Machu Picchu started with a couple of local bus rides first to Urubamba and then on to the end of the road at Ollantaytambo. We had to wait for the local train, which left at 7:45pm so took the time out to visit a local Inca town. At 8:15pm we boarded the train along with hundreds of locals and were at the terminus Aguas Callentes at 9:45pm. Another rush to secure a room for the night alongside the railway track, this community survives on what the railroad supplies.

We had decided to walk from our hostel to Machu Picchu, so up at 5am and off we set. A 2 hour very steep climb of 2,000' brought us to the gates at 7am. The entrance charge is ten pounds stirling each and the site has about 700 visitors a day. At this early hour there were only a few visitors, in a short while we were treated to a view of the Inca city perched high on a mountain plateau. We sat for an hour or so just drinking in the atmosphere and tried to imagine life here when it was a thriving community. We spent the whole day here and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. After lunch the tourists arrived in their hoards being bussed in from the railway station. We managed to complete our trip for the third of the cost of the cheapest organised tour, but with a few more heartaches. Another night stop, at Aguas Callentes before returning along our outward route to Cusco. One remarkable feature of the Inca buildings is the perfect stone masonry - every block cut to fit the next exactly and ever one keyed. Many Inca buildings resist earthquake shocks unlike modern buildings of today.

THE NAZCA LINES

Week ending 24.10.03.

Pisac turned out to be a fascinating mountain village, the Sunday market manic with all number of stalls selling trinkets to the tourists. High above this village on top of yet another mountain were more Inca ruins, why these indigenous people built their towns on mountain tops is an enigma.

Monday - Took a local bus 12km north of Cusco and walked back visiting four Inca settlements along the way. The largest and most spectacular of these was Sacsayhuaman (satisfied falcon). The ruins are extensive but only twenty percent of the original structures remain. The Spaniards used the blocks to build their own homes in Cusco - but they left the most impressive of the original blocks one of which must weigh 300 tons. The magnificent zig-zag walls are very impressive though most of them have been destroyed. It is thought the city had important religious and military significance. This was the site of one of the most bitter battles of the conquest between the Spanish and the rebellious Muno Inca Manco who were defeated but only narrowly but most of his forces were killed. The dead attracted flocks of Andean Condors which is why there are eight Condors on Cuzco's coat of arms.

Tuesday - A long and tiring bus ride to Nazca stopping off at Abancay for a few hours. Abancay is truly a working mans town deep in the Andean mountains, no trinkets for sale here only useful implements for everyday life.

Between dozes we eventually arrived at Ica having passed our planned stop Nazca. A little disappointed Caroline aired her views first to the hostess with the mostest’ then the driver and finally to an innocent taxi driver standing nearby. As it turned out Ica was good for us.

Thursday - Today we planned to visit the world famous Nazca Lines, these lines are etched into the pampa and consist of enormous geoglyphs and geometrical lines and shapes, they were only discovered during the early part of the 20th. Century. These designs can only be recognised from the air. It is possible to climb a viewing tower and glimpse a few shapes, which is eventually what we did. Before this however we wandered off on the pampa to examine constructions of the lines, we could only make out were the stony desert had been parted in channels , but were unable to distinguish shapes - a bit disappointing, that is until two officials on a motor cycle screamed up to chastise us for wandering onto this world heritage site of SSI. Suitably chastised we conformed and used their tower. Over head was the constant hum of light aircraft ferrying the more affluent or stupid tourists to see this unique sight.

Nazca - the town - is driven by the notoriety of the Lines, we caught the bus to the town and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring and checking out the aqueducts - a spiral means of gaining access to artisan well water - still in use.

Friday - We set off for 6km. walk west from Ica to the oasis of Huacachina, we arrived to find a large green lake nestling between huge sand dunes. Many tourists are bussed here to enjoy the tranquillity, which has the opposite effect. We sat with a few beers and watched a few energetic young people trudge their way to the top of the nearest 300 foot sand dune, in order to sand board back down. A lot made it to the top but few were prepared to slide down.

The museum at Ica is very impressive and known throughout Peru for having some fine examples to reflect the lives of the indigenous Peruvian people. There was a large assortment of mummies, their hair still in place - unlike me! There were examples also of skull miss-shapes achieved by straps etc when young in order to elongate the head - which made them resemble aliens.

BALLESTAS ISLANDS OFF PARACAS

Pisco & Ballestas Islands

Week ending 31.10.03.

We arrived at Pisco on the west Pacific coast famous for a white brandy drunk throughout Peru. The brandy is mixed with egg white & lemon to become Pisco Sour.

Some 5km south of Pisco is the port of Paracas, from here boat trips leave daily to visit the National Park of Paracas & the Ballestas Islands - a haven for wildlife.

Sunday - We spent walking along the beach south, many interesting finds along the way - dead seals & many types of mollusc shells. The beach was many km in length & there was no man made pollution. At the extent of our walk a sign denoting the start of the National Park, we stayed here awhile and watched flamingos feeding in the shallows. These birds migrate from the Altiplano further south from the salt flats of Bolivia.

Sunday evening, a fiesta was being held in the central plaza of Pisco and crowds of people gatherd to enjoy the proceedings. The highlight of the evening was a bamboo tower some 30´ high rigged cleverly with fireworks. On the stroke of midnight the lower levels of the tower were ignited, in time large bamboo Catherine wheels spun into action throwing sparks and hot debris into the crowd. All in all a very impressive display lasting some twenty minutes.

Monday was to be our chance to visit the Ballestas Islands some 20km off the coast. We were bussed to Paracas and then transfered to a large speed-boat along with ten or more tourists. A fast boat and we zoomed off for a trip around Paracas bay. We passed San Martin an international cargo port, then off out to sea to the islands. These islands are uninhabited but for three wardens and guano collectors. The sea bird excrement is gathered and sold for ten dollars a kg. which is then used commercially as a fertiliser.

We experienced a banquet of wildlife sightings including Inca Tern, Peruvian Booby, Guanay Cormorant and three rather lonely Humbolt Penguins. Around the rocky shores were scores of South American sea lions singing out of tune. Near the islands the sea had a heavy swell and we were thankful for an experienced captain.

Tuesday we spent at the port of Pisco and enjoyed the sights and smells of the local fish market. This part of the Peruvian coast is immensely rich in plankton, which has the knock on effect of supporting the whole chain of sea creatures - fish being one of them. The ladies of the fish market were responsible for the selling and bartering whilst the men folk looked on - a bit like home really! All this activity made us hungry, so we visited a local fish eating house and downed a rather tasty dish of fish and potatoes, needless to say the odd bottle of Cusquena.

Wednesday - another tour, this time on dry land to visit Paracas National Park, very educational and we enjoyed spectacular views of the coast and sand dunes. Lunch was taken beside a small sandy beach, too much for Ian to ignore, so in for a swim and managed to get multiple spikes from sea urchins. The Peruvians take the ecology of this area very seriously and it is reflected in this pristine land.

Thursday & it was time to travel on via Lima to Huaraz.

Huaraz is a large town nestling between two ranges of mountains - the Cordilleras Blanco & the Cordilleras Negro. Peru’s highest mountain Huasaran 22,205´ is the main feature of the Cordilleras Blanco range.

Friday we took a local bus north east up the Rio Sania valley to Yungay. In 1970 old Yungay was sited some 2-3kms south of where it is today, a tremendous earthquake hit the area and a resultant avalanche from Huasaran engulfed the town killing 18,000 people. Now on the site of the old town is very tasteful memorial park with roses and well kept gardens.

A TRIP INTO THE SHADOW OF HUASARARY 22,205' - PERU’S HIGHEST MOUNTAIN

Week ending 07.11.03.

Saturday - Today we wanted to visit Llanganaco, nothing planned just a trip left to chance. We left the hostel at 11am. with one pack with essentials for a trip into the mountains. Breakfast on the way to the local bus terminal, we bought two pork rolls for lunch. Boarded the local bus to Yungay at 7:45am. and were soon on our way. Some of these bus drivers are a little erratic to say the least - time is money! Arrived Yungay at 9am. the sun very hot. The plan was to set off walking along the dusty unmade road & see what fate brought. About 3km. along the 25km. road we caught sight of Huasarary (Peru’s highest mountain at 22,205’) the snow on its cap bright in the morning sun. In another km. or so a collectivo (mini bus) stopped, it was packed to the gunnels with passengers & their wares, as ever there was no question of leaving a fare paying customer so we squeezed on & had to stand or squat. The road or should I say track zig-zagged its way up & at every bend we had to steady ourselves. Twenty minutes into the ride passengers slowly alighted affording us a seat. We passed through three small villages & sporadic settlements along the way. We had gone about half of the 25km. when the bus turned off, the driver pointed the way we had to continue.

In still blistering hot sun we set off once again drinking in the fabulous views of the snow capped mountains all around. Another 3kms. & a coach pulled up full of school children on an outing from Lima. Kindly we were offered a lift and gratefully climbed aboard, the children made room for us & Caroline quickly struck up conversation - the children had quite a good command of English. Soon we had reached the National Park gate where we had to pay 70p each in order to visit, the adults on the bus also paid for their party.

All aboard & we climbed steadily through the sheer sided canyon, the walls of which were thousands of feet high. At 11:30am. we arrived at the lower of three emerald green lagoons & a gasp from the children at the sight of this magnificent natural feature. We all alighted and the children wanted a photo with us, don't ask me why - but they always do.

At last we were left to our own devices, we set off along the track NE overlooking the lagoon. To the SE we had views of the north summit of the highest mountain Huasarary, its jagged top snow capped and brilliant in the sun. To the north we could see the south summit of Huandoy 20,224' its summit also glistening in the bright sun. To the head of the valley east stood the magnificent Yanapaccha 17,689' - a mere hill!

We made our way along the track to the east end of the first lagoon, here a rock fall had spewed down the mountain side & at one time had blocked the track but now it was clear. Between the two large lagoons is a smaller one & before long we were walking beside the upper lake, this too was emerald green in colour. As we walked we spotted lone blue billed ducks, a goose type bird white with a black rear, known locally as a Huuchuu. Our walk terminated at the east end of all the lagoons, here was a refuge & an area for camping. We had our lunch in the lea of the shack out of the strong chill wind blowing up the valley. Whilst eating we saw many more interesting birds - swifts with black & white wings, blue birds, and a beautiful honey brown buzzard, a curlew type bird but oily blue in colour & lastly a lapwing type bird with striped wings & a red bill. After an hour here enjoying the solitude it was time to return over our outward route to the west end of the first lagoon. By now this area was full of visitors with boat trips & snacks available. We sat a while watching the activity, at 3:30pm. we decided to start our return. We walked between the gigantic vertical canyon walls, the valley floor held the torrent of the Rio Ronlchirio, we had gone some 5km. and had been passed by only a few tourist coaches when one stopped & offered us a lift back to Yungay. Along the way the driver got excited & pointed at a young male deer beside the road.

Monday - Today we set off for the foothills around Huaraz visiting the villages of Wilkawain & Marian. A long & dusty road to the first village Wilkawain, where an ancient Wari temple is sited. The Wari people were pre Inca 600-1000 AD & were the first settlers of the Peruvian highlands. The highlight of the day was a visit to a very busy graveyard, here stalls selling crosses & food were at the gate. The graveyard nestles in a small natural valley & the grounds were lovingly cared for. Almost every grave was being attended by caring, respectful relatives dressed in their best traditional clothes. The sun was hot and we sat an hour, high above overlooking this tender scene, our time here was a real treat for us - to whiteness such a tender & reverent people caring for their deceased relatives - this was possibly the most emotional area we had ever visited.

From here we set off along tiny grassy footpaths to the village of Marian, a most enjoyable stroll enjoying a festival of views & chatting to friendly & contented farm folk. In this area there were no trappings of modern life - not a car in sight or anywhere to drive it. In Marian we enjoyed a couple of beers in the local shop. Back to Huaraz & we experienced the second shower of our travels.

Tuesday - we travelled on over the Cordillera Negro mountains, the dusty road zig-zagging precariously to the coast, every possible piece of arable land had been worked. At times the bus swung out over thousands of feet of sheer drop. The bus was full to over capacity and some passengers had to stand the full seven hours to our destination.

We arrived at Trujillo on Wednesday after staying overnight at Chambote. Trujillo has many pre Inca remains of the Chimu people, the most impressive of which is the ancient city of Chan Chan - a city of 10,000 dwellings and ornately decorated.

The ruins here have been tastefully renovated & we spent most of Friday morning exploring them. In the afternoon we visited two more sites Huaca Esmeralda & Huacu Arco Iris, the later, the best preserved having been excavated from the sand in 1963. The walls have many ancient murals in relief - rainbows, pelicans & fishes.

We had a chance to meet Peruvian Dogs here - a strange breed with no fur, their ears stand upright resembling the dogs of the Pharoes, we stroked them & were surprised how hot they felt, their metabolism is 10 degrees centigrade warmer than our own.

THIS AND THAT AND BACK TO THE MOUNTAINS.

Week ending 14.11.03.

Saturday - We spent a very pleasant afternoon on Huarnchaco beach and were treated to an excellent surfing competition, the competitors were all very accomplished.

We had bought tickets to see an international ballet performance on Saturday evening so after an early dinner we set off for the theatre. A visit to the ballet was a first for us and we both thoroughly enjoyed a festival of traditional and modern dance. In particular I enjoyed the male members!

Sunday - nothing planned for today until 4pm when we were due to visit a bullfight. We spent the morning at the central Plaza of Trujillo and were treated to a march past by all the educational departments in the city, along with a very accomplished brass band. At the same time runners set off on their local marathon, we were too late to apply!

We arrived early at the bullring and sat in the sun and watched as the stadium filled to capacity. At 4.45pm the band struck up and an atmosphere of expectation filled the air. We were to see four bulls killed in a ritualistic manner, the first was a bit of a hash and unfortunately the bull died slowly. The horse trained to remove the carcasses took a huff and refused, so the body had to be manhandled unceremoniously out of the ring. Throughout the afternoon the level of skill improved, the last matador started his performance by kneeling in the centre of the ring facing the entering bull. A combination of skill and bravery, and he only just managed to parry the charging bull with a flurry of his cape over his head.

Although bullfighting is cruel there is no mistaking the excitement of the whole event. It was a true family event even grandparents bringing their grandchildren.

Monday - We travel on to Cajamarca into the northern highlands of Peru. The journey took us seven hours.

A few interesting things to see in this area, first we had to take a tour to a community 25kms north called Granje Porcon, here we enjoyed our time - all be it swift. Porcon is a self-contained community relaying on weaving, carpentry, dairy farming and tourism. We enjoyed an hour or two wandering around the idealistic grounds and enjoyed a wildlife-park with vicuna, ostriches, puma, leopard and some energetic black bears.

Tuesday - A visit to the thermal baths just east of Cajamarca which date back to Inca times. An enjoyable visit and we both relaxed in the hot private baths, and emerged looking like a couple of lobsters.

Unfortunately it is impossible to see most of the local interests without the assistance of an organised tour, so on Thursday we set off for a trip to Cumbe Mayo 32kms along a very rough track. We arrived and in a line filed neatly behind our guide. Cumbe Mayo is a large canyon sided by strangely eroded volcanic rocks and with a very good imagination figures and animals could be recognised. At the bottom of the valley we were shown a series of aqueducts carved in and through the soft volcanic rock, engineered by the good old Inca's. Too soon we were ushered back to the bus - we would have loved to spend the rest of the day here to wander alone.

Another day we were able to visit on a local bus the village of Otuzco and the Ventanillas of Otuzco which is a pre Inca grave yard, there are hundreds of funerary niches built into the hillside. As ever there are vendors selling trinkets and miscellany, Ian bought a fossil from a young farmworker. 37kms north of Cajamarca is South America's largest open cast gold mine, we inquired about a visit but we would have had to apply some two weeks prior. The gold is leached from the tailings using cyanide, then the gold is recovered by baking. This would explain the convoys of very large lorries with safety escorts we encountered on the road to Cajamarca.

We spent a very pleasant week in the northern highlands even though Caroline had some adverse effects to the altitude.

THE END GAME

Weeks ending 01.12.03.

Saturday 15th. - A visit to La Collpa, a very large & in its time a luxurious homestead. The journey was on a rather tatty local bus & as ever, we were the only tourists. The last 4km we had to walk along a dusty unmade road, pigs were tethered along the way feeding in the damp irrigation channels. A pick-up truck offered us a lift & we were soon at the gates of the estate, an entry fee of 2sols & we were in - & free to wander. This estate was once a fine cattle ranch but now diversification had forced a sort of leisure-park with a ornamental lake. We enjoyed a very pleasant morning here, wandering to our hearts content. The hinterland is now being farmed & there is a church at the centre of the grounds. We saw many interesting birds & insects here.

The afternoon was spent relaxing at the Inca Baths near Cajamarca.

Sunday - Another hair raising bus ride today to our next port of call Chiclayo, near the coast. Fellow travellers were using pure alcohol in order to combat the variations in altitude.

Monday - Heavy rain most of the night - rain here is very unusual. We emerged from our room as the rain was easing, the roads were awash & it was apparent the locals were not prepared for such an event. The rest of the day was spent on the coast at Pimentel. There is a rather dilapidated pier here where fishing boats unload their catch. We watched as bags of fish were swung ashore.

In the afternoon we chatted to a group of young boys who were fascinated with us, their ages ranged from 5-11years, all were accomplished swimmers & using home-made reed surf boards spent most of the time like sea-lions in & out of the sea. The waters along the Pacific coast can be very rough with undercurrents but these young lads had no fear or supervision.

Tuesday - A visit to Lord Sipan's Tomb, some 28km east of Chiclayo. Hundreds of dazzling & priceless artefacts have been recovered from this site. This royal Moche burial site was only discovered in 1987 & excavation continues today. We enjoyed a stroll around the site & views of the reconstructed tombs.

Thursday - Many of the recovered treasures from Sipan are housed in a new purpose built museum at Lambayeque some 12km north of Chiclayo. So today we had planned to view them. We arrived at the site to find an elaborate modern building with evidence of tight security - guards with weapons at every corner. We had to leave our bag & cameras at the gates.

The entire building was temperature controlled to preserve the treasures. Many of the artefacts were recovered from Lord Sipan's Tomb & consists of much gold - nose protectors, large elaborate ear decorations encrusted with turquoise, large sheets of gold which hung from the warriors belt to protect their rear ends. One very interesting exhibit was a selection of raw metals, which included gold, silver & copper which were buried with the ruler for the after-life. We both very much enjoyed our visit & found it fascinating.

Tucume is another burial site of the principal Senor of Sican & we visited here in the afternoon. This area is known as the valley of the pyramids & we wandered around the site. Artefacts from this site are housed in another new museum in Ferrenafe some 18km north east of Chiclayo.

Saturday - A visit to Ferrenafe museum, more priceless gold silver & copper objects. One disappointing aspect for us was the lack of any English translations.

The most outstanding legacy from Sican society was their technology to make pottery & craft metals. They produced arsenical copper in large amounts (a type of bronze made of bronze alloy & arsenic). Tumbaga was produced - a low carret gold, silver, copper & arsenic alloy. This technology did not have any precedent & it represented the coming of the Bronze Age to the north of Peru.

Sunday - The morning was spent witnessing a military march past around the central plaza of Chiclayo & an ab-sailing display from the roof of the Cathederal. The army in Peru march with a goose step similar to that of Nazi Germany.

An afternoon on the beach at Port Eten, here there is another dilapidated pier still in constant use. One section of the pier is missing & is spanned with a couple of steel cables which locals use to gain access to the distant end.

We now have a week to relax & slowly make our way back to Lima for our flight home.

A DIARY OF OUR TRAVELS IN MALAYSIA & THAILAND

22.02.00 - 23.04.00

Monday 22.02.00 - Left home at 9.30pm and caught the bus to Plymouth arriving at 10.30pm. Had a pint in the Breton Arms - a bit void of customers. Left to catch the overnight bus to Heathrow. As the journey proceeded the bus filled to almost capacity, we had started off with two seats each but had to team up come the end. Bleary eyed we alighted at 5.30am.

Tuesday 23.02.00 - Had to sit it out for five hours before our scheduled flight –we had breakfast in the cafe.

Eventually our flight was called and together with a combination of Arabs and Indians we boarded and took off on time - our destination Kuwait. In flight meals were good and video recorders positioned at the rear of the seat in front made the journey bearable. Five and half-hours later we were in the transit lounge of Kuwait airport. There was some confusion as to what gate our flight was to leave from, eventually however all was revealed. In the airport we noticed many signs appertaining to underground air raid shelters! We were now in the presence of about 100 young noisy women all waiting for the same flight. When eventually the gate doors were opened and we were told to get in an orderly line. Which was not possible for some of these young women - we were jostled all the way. In the confusion one of the money wallets on my belt (containing about £1000 burst open depositing the contents on the floor) .If it had not been for Caroline’s ever watchful eye we would probably have been none the wiser until it was too late. Frantically we gathered up the traveller’s cheques with crowds of women passing over.

We put our bags through the x-ray machines which were unmanned, therefore there was no real point, having collected our thoughts we sat and checked the money numbers to see if any were missing, thankfully all was well. When eventually it was time to board we decided to stand back and let the hoards go first. Midnight and we were at last on board.

Wednesday 24.02.00 - The flight went off OK although the video machines were not on - this was not a problem for we slept for most of the way. Had two meals on board the flight, which lasted seven and half-hours. Arrived Singapore airport at midday and left the airport complex at 1.00pm on a local air-conditioned bus (No36) for the ride to Raffles Hotel. However the hotel Caroline had planned for us to stay in was a little more down market. This being said however it was clean and comfortable. After a short sleep to shake off the flight we were out on the town showered and shaved.

Visited the Raffles Hotel complex - stepping back in Colonial time we visited the museum and various high-class retail outlets there. The toilets were finished in Victoria decor very select - took a photo. We ate in a Chinese fast food hall and had pork noodle soup. On our walk back to our hotel we stopped off at a bar for a jug of Tiger beer. After a very eventful day we were both in bed at 8.45pm.

Thursday 25.02.00 - Awoke about 8 o’clock and packed what we would need for the day. Before leaving the hotel booked in for another night. Set off to have some breakfast - found a very popular spot and we both had a cheese sandwich and a couple of teas. A little disoriented we found ourselves back at Raffles. Whilst having breakfast we had decided we would go west to Lakeside and the Chinese Gardens - found out we could catch the MRT (fast train). Bought our tickets and off we go. The service was very clean and efficient and was full of locals all off somewhere. We at some points travelled well above the blocks of flats and low housing which made up the outskirts of Singapore City. Arrived at Lakeside and set off to try and find the Lake, passing many strange birds on the side of our path. The sides of the paths were very soft under foot. Eventually found the lake and sat for a while watching the bird life

Our path took us around the Lake and we saw many turtles coming in and out of the water, water dragon lizards, a little squirrel and all classes of birds. By now it was quite hot - we were able to use Ian’s umbrella for shelter.

Ian noticed a coconut in the grass, which had fallen from one of the numerous trees that were about - it was quite a feat to open it - enjoyed the coconut therein. Found we had to leave the park to carry on our trip around the lake - where we encountered a number of obstacles - but as everywhere able to overcome them. Watched a lizard caught in one of the channels swim and climb up the side of the wall so easily.

Still proceeding around the lake - mostly on paths next to a busy road we came across a science park. Spent the rest of the afternoon (till 6pm) here, found many interesting exhibits to look at and try out.

All we had to do now was to catch the train back to the centre - all went Ok - very efficient system.

Tried to go up the Raffles tower - first we were stopped by two security guards - wrong building! Second time wrong dress code and quite expensive - we only wanted to have a look - not eat there.

Back to our hotel for a wash and brush up before going out for our meal at about 8.30pm. Went to find out where to catch bus in the evening and Burgis (which was once the red light area of Singapore - now an underground station).

Friday 26.02.00 - Awoke at 7.15am packed our bags and set off for the walk to Queen Street Bus Station, en route we stopped for coffee and toast at a kerbside cafe, morning commuters were taking their first meal of the day - many of whom were having savoury soup.

The past two mornings I had felt a little nausea and only just now have worked out the reason - Malaria tablets. Must remember to take them next time with a meal.

Arrived at the bus terminal at 8.30hrs and purchased a ticket for Johor Bahru – we were whisked away at 9am on an express. En route we had to cross the Malaysian border which meant us alighting the bus to pass through customs twice -once to leave Singapore and a second time to enter Malaysia. We had to fill in two forms which delayed our return to the bus, however we just made it. Our tickets were checked on the bus and we were off again. Caroline started to panic thinking we were on our way to Kuala Lumpur. We were only on our way to the bus station! Changed some money and bought ticket to Mersing (about £3.50)- another air-conditioned express and we were at our destination at 12.30hrs. We checked in at the Embassy Hotel then we went off out for the afternoon to explore.

Mersing is a fishing town and embarkation point for various islands off the East Coast. The beach was rather dirty littered with flotsam and jetsam; we took a walk for a couple of miles SE. Washed up on the beach were coconuts, many strange seeds and various exotic shells. At the walk end we had to walk some distance through jungle and heard something scurry into the bushes. Back to the beach again and cracked open a coconut and enjoyed a refreshing drink and snack.

Found a beachside cafe for a drink, Caroline noticed some bad weather approaching from the east and soon we were in the thick of a tropical storm.

Back to the Hotel for a shower. After a short rest it was off out again. Most of the retail outlets were open and we were surprised at how cheap everything was - T-shirts for £1.00 child’s clothes from 50p.

Found a place for a meal and feasted on the dearest dish on the menu, which didn’t even come to a £1.00 each. I had sweet and sour prawns with chicken fried rice - very nice. A further stroll into the town and we found a cinema showing ‘The Beach’ - so decided to go (85p to get in). Back to the hotel at 11.15pm to dream about the visit to an island of our own tomorrow.

Saturday 27.02.00 - Awoke about 8.15a.m. Packed our bags and set off for our breakfast - pancake with a curry sauce and a cup of coffee.

We then went to purchase our ticket for Pulau Tioman - an island off the main coast of Malaysia in the South China Sea. Had to sit out another rain shower - which was quite a heavy one.

We then went to join our fellow passengers awaiting the departure of the ferry. Time to board we picked to sit on top for our trip - leaving eventually at 12.10. The water was quite rough as we ploughed away, passing other smaller islands on the way. All our fellow passengers were happy to be going over to the island except one (sty!). As we came closer we could see the two large towers on the south side of the island. The sea was now quite choppy as we made our approach at the jetty of Genting. A couple of people departed here and we were off again making a couple more stops on the way. Most of our fellow passengers disembarked at Tekek - the largest resort of the island. We had decided on Air Batang - which was gorgeous - very low key. We were able to find accommodation quite easily in a chalet right on the beach. Guess what we did next? Yes - the water was just right. Found a couple of hammocks at the edge of the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing here. Ian went to have a look at some fruit bats, which we had seen as we approached the island. Back to the chalet for a shower at about 6 o’clock. We both then walked over to see the fruit bats - a whole colony collected in one of the trees - what a noise they made.

Found a place to have our meal - sweet and sour chicken - we were the first to arrive - by the time we left the place was quite full. Called in at another place for a beer on the way back to our chalet before going to bed at about 9.45p.m.

Sunday 28.02.00 - Our accomodation on TIOMAN ISLAND

Eyes open 10.27a.m. -Oh dear- we both had a cold (warm) shower, then off to the restaurant for a bowl of porridge, honey and banana with a cup of coffee. Our plan for today was to hike the 3-4km through the jungle to Monkey Beach. Set off at about 11.30a.m. Over a freshwater inlet and climbed into the jungle, not knowing what lay ahead. About a half a km along the track was another collection of chalets; on one of the slopes was a large Mekak monkey. We took a photo as he was collecting and eating seeds, which had fallen from the trees. We continued into the jungle finding a troop of monkeys high in the trees, as we passed alarm calls were sounded.

This was our first experience of trekking in the jungle and around every turn was something new to see and experience. Butterflies hovered below the canopy. We saw colonies of ants marching in convoy up and down the large hardwood trees. A leech made its way over a fallen tree.

In an hour or so we reached Monkey Beach - a perfect oasis for a days R & R. The water was at the right temperature and we used the snorkel to investigate a coral reef. Fishes of all types, shapes, colours and sizes moved about the array of coral reef. We saw sea slugs, anemones and shoals of large mullet type fish - a real experience. The day was overcast but never the less the suns heat found its way through to us. This little bay was a gem with its golden sand festooned with broken fragments of coral and shells. We spent the rest of the day here in and out of the water, abandoning our swimmers at one point.

We started back at 17.00hrs and arrived back at chalet at 18.00 for a shower and freshen up.

Decided to walk to the other side of the jetty for our meal that evening. We were shown some monitor lizards feeding on the rubbish pile for the village by some fellow travellers. Shame they do not burn it. Our meal was taken at a very nice place - we were the first to arrive again. We picked a whole fist - which we were going to have with egg fried rice. The fish was barbecued - occasionally we would get a whiff of it being cooked - plenty of care was taken with its preparation. The meal was well worth it - by the time we left the place was quite full with fellow tourists. Back to our chalet for the night.

Monday 29.02.00 - Awoke about 7.30am. and packed our bags before going out for breakfast - not a lot of activity at our place - so moved further along the beach for the usual porridge, honey and banana followed by coffee. We checked out and set off for our trip across the island at 8.30a.m. - Passing all the sleepy chalets on the way - not a lot of movement as yet. The concrete pathway abruptly came to an end and we have to climb some steep steps and descent again at the other side. We passed a Marine Centre on our way - a couple of false starts before we were eventually on our way to Juara - the village on the East Coast of the island.

As we started to climb we passed a mosque on our left. It was here the path came to an end and we were now in the jungle. It was very humid and all up hill - occasionally the rough path would become concrete steps. Generally we followed the line of the electric cables and water pipes - until we arrived at an enclosed area - supposedly where the waterfall had been. At this point we passed two fellow walkers taking five. The noise at times was electrifying and then all of a sudden it would all go quiet. We felt there were animals up there - but they did not want to be seen. There was a collection of different snails to be seen. As we reached the brow of the hill I noticed a very large scorpion on the side of the path. Ian had to have a closer look and annoy it. We also saw some large bugs that curled into a perfect ball when touched. The trees here were enormous - some of them being taken over completely by ivy. Then just around the next corner we came across a drink stand and a youngster painting pieces of wood - pink.

The rough track now became a paved path - which at times was very slippery - and we had to pick our way to the side of the path on the leaves with the help of a couple of sticks.

As we approached the village a few houses could be seen - the owners had plantations of coconuts and bananas to tend to. Arrived at Jura at about 12.15 - another lovely spot - but very quiet. Found accommodation quickly - ours was just at the side of the beach - with palm trees as well. We were quick to change into our swimmers after the hot and sticky trip over and plunge into the water. Large waves made it not the best of places to swim. Spent the rest of the afternoon leisurely enjoying the surroundings and going in and out of the sea.

Not so much choice here on this side of the island for restaurants, we chose a prawn curry with coconut – delicious! Had to walk back to the chalet in the dark - no street lights.

Tuesday 29.02.00 (Millennium Day) - Up at 8.30am. and a short walk along the beach to the restaurant for breakfast - porridge and Caroline had a banana pancake. Our chalet is on the beach so we relaxed here for most of the morning. Itchy feet however took us off for a walk S along the track to Jura’s S beach. We had to cross a number of rivers, which were very clear, and clean, we saw an eagle with a red back circling overhead. Beside the track at one point a large monitor lizard startled us. Bananas were being grown along with coconuts in the numerous plantations. Eventually we arrived at the S beach. We were both sore after yesterdays sun so we stayed covered up. Large breakers were still crashing in which made swimming quite difficult. A few beach-combing trips resulted in a fine collection of shells and coral. Lunch was a packet of crisps and water! In the afternoon we tried to continue the track but it ended the other side of a broken bridge, beyond was virgin jungle and all that it holds. Had a heavy shower and we had to shelter in a new building, which was being constructed the far end of the beach. Back to the chalet for a shower and more R & R. I selected one of the many coconuts outside our residence and we enjoyed our afternoon snack.

After a short sleep it was out for our evening meal of curried chicken - a dark walk back to the sound of frogs and the sight of the odd firefly.

Wednesday 01.03.00 - Today it was our plan to return through the jungle to the W side of the island. Awoke at 8.30am and set off to look for breakfast - much quieter this side of the island and not many tourists - we were lucky with our second call we both had porridge. Whilst eating we had a heavy downpour - hopefully this would clear the air - did not fancy the long walk back with waterproofs on.

Eventually we set off with walking sticks in hand thinking of that slippery jungle path ahead. The track firstly passes through a banana plantation - a bunch of green ones lay beside the way - too green to eat. The bananas over here are a lot smaller and a lot sweeter than the ones we are used to.

A small heard of cattle browsed the edge of the jungle. We started to climb and just ahead of us were a farmer armed with a bush knife and a length of pipe, we said hello and gave him a wide berth. The climb was a long and slippery one, Caroline spotted a centipede on the path about 3" long and about 1" wide. We met a group of three Americans, one gent and two ladies, gingerly making their way over every step. They said they had seen two snakes on their trip over from the other side. We continued to climb till we reached the shack on the brow of the hill. In a tree nearby was a noisy troop of monkeys disagreeing. Into the dank and dark jungle we went on the rough track, the ground underfoot was very wet. There was no chance of deviating off the track the surrounding undergrowth was too thick. At midday we reached our destination on west coast and the village of Takek - we made a wrong decision here and turned left to see what the centre had in store. We found out to our cost prices of everything here were a lot higher and the facilities were worse. So after a cold drink and an orange we took a look around the islands museum - a good many fragments and whole ones left by various visitors throughout the ages including China, Thailand and the West. Our decision now was to walk to Air Butan - our original port of call - on the way we called in at the Maritime museum.

Arrived at the resort at 16.00hrs and settled in with long cool swim.

The people at this end of the island are very friendly and kind, one chap showed us a game he and his pal played when they were young. He showed us two tiny spiders on the palm of his hand, when put together a fight resulted, which only lasted a couple of seconds - at which point one backed down - after this the two avoided each other.

Had a wash and brush-up and also managed to freshen up some of our clothes after the trip through the jungle. Our meal was taken in the restaurant belonging to where we were staying - just vegetables tonight. We then walked down to one of the bars for a beer before retiring at 10ish. Set the clock for tomorrow morning.

Thursday 02.03.00 - Awoke after a very restless night at about 6 o’clock - also alarm going off. We had to catch the boat early this morning back to the mainland. Packed up our packs, left key on the desk of the resort and made our way to the jetty to have breakfast in the only place that was open. The boat came in and then left again to go further around the bay first coming back about 7.15a.m. by which time there was quite a crowd to board.

It was a lovely morning as we said our farewell to our island paradise - mist still hovered over the tops of the trees. The sun over was very warm on our backs. The manoeuvre into the harbour took some time because of the sandbanks. We found our way to the bus stop and did not have to wait very long before we were on the road again. Had to make one change with a two-hour wait in a large city, we were able to find an air-conditioned department store to walk around. The bus arrived half an hour late - better late than never. We were off again - with two fellow travellers for Melaka. The road was quite windy in places - with all manner of fruits being grown on the sides of the road- where the jungle had once been and had now been cleared. The towns which we passed through were all much the same - we did however pass one really spectacular mosque.

Arrived at 6.30 and purchased ticket for tomorrow morning before going to find a room for the night. Not a lot of suitable places to stay - had to resort to the guidebook - very nice and clean. We showered before going out for the evening for a meal. Retired at 10 o’clock.

Friday 03.03.00. - After a very cool night (with air conditioning) - we awoke to alarm and packed packs and set off to find somewhere for breakfast. Found a little spot, which was quite busy and had a coffee and a honey roll (plus extra honey as we thought the rolls were plain!). After a little wait in the bus station it was time to board the bus for the Cameron Highlands. Not a lot of other people on this bus - very pleasant, as it was air-conditioned. Had to alight from this bus for the next connection at 2.15pm and were told the next bus would leave at 3pm. Went on a little exploration of this rather dusty and very hot town, bought a few bananas, some pieces of fresh pineapple and a couple of yogurts for our late lunch. Made our way back to bus station to find the bus was in and it was packed! We had to stand, for how long? Ate our lunch much to the amusement of our fellow passengers - mostly young people returning from school. Had a slight problem with the wheel which was quickly sorted - everyone was sweating profusely - why were we on the bus whilst the problem was being sorted? The bus was a bit rough to say the least - no air conditioning just open windows!

We left on time and made our way up to the highlands. People alighting all the way and these being replaced by other passengers. Some of the houses on the side of the road looked rather basic - just woven palm leaves. As we climbed higher the air seemed cooler and we were able to see the tea plantations on the sides of the hillside. We also noticed other plants being grown and irrigated by channels and different watering systems.

Eventually we arrived at about 5.30 and decided we needed a beer to clear our throats from the dust. Accommodation was soon found in a small Chinese Hotel overlooking the main street at 56 Ringets for 3 nights.

Saturday 04.03.00 - Awoke at 7.30am and leisurely mustered for breakfast and enjoyed poached egg, fruit juice, toast and coffee.

After purchasing a pictorial map of the area from the now non-existent tourist information point we set off for our days exploration. Our decision today was to go off west of the town of Tanah Rata to intersect a marked trail number 10 to the top of Gunning Jasar 1670m. All went well - the path was very easy to follow, we say a huge fly some 4" long and 1 1/2" wide resting on a bush. I picked it up by its folded wings and it showed a dislike to this and made a sound like a wounded bird. Our path took us through a well-kept garden full of fauna normally seen indoors in pots in England. The climb through the jungle was good and the path well-defined, sounds of unusual birds filled the air, along with the now familiar screech of crickets. The final ascent was arduous and we eventually arrived at the summit at 11.15hrs - and were greeted with no views! The only way to obtain a view was to climb a makeshift ladder of a nearby tree, which took you to a platform. The sun beat down on us. Our plan from the top was to return by a path marked 11 on our map.

Whilst at the summit a group arrived being led by an Irish/Australian, they left on a little known path number 6. Our route took us without too much trouble to the summit of Gunning Rerdali 1551m. At this summit we had all round panoramic views and we had chance to orienteer our map to the terrain.

A small squirrel type creature dived into the bushes which frightened us both. At this point we made a change to our plan after seeing a small village nestling in the valley to our north. From the summit there was a well-defined path to this village - Orang Asni - which we were able to follow quite easily. The sun by now was very hot so we sat down for lunch overlooking the village at 12.30p.m. We had a roll and bananas - for over an hour we sat and watched the daily activities taking place and all seemed idyllic. The houses were all built of timber on stilts with corrugated iron roofs - more primitive than villages encountered previously. A school took prime position at the centre and children were eating their midday meal outside. Dwellings were dotted around the cleared hillside inter-linked with only worn muddy paths. It must have been washday for every household had clothes drying on their lines and their residents were scantily dressed. The community seemed at one with itself. These people had in actual fact been brought out of the jungle and placed in this village and were all Asni descendants (jungle people).

We continued our descent through the huts to the access road and made our way via a strawberry farm to the town of Brinchang - here we had a beer and a packet of crisps.

Checking our newly acquired map we decided to pick up a jungle track (route 2) to the east of the town passing a Chinese temple on the way. We found the start of the path and set off in high spirits south. The initial climb was a shock - 1 in 2 - we had only gone a few hundred yards when we met a group trekking in the opposite direction. We had to give way, as the path was too narrow for both to pass. A little banter ensued and one of the members remarked on my West Country accent we chatted and found out this chap was from Plymouth.

The track was very overgrown and steep making our way up very difficult. We zigzagged our way up to the ridge and using the compass generally proceeded south - at one point we went east then west. It is not possible to wander from the track for the jungle will not let you pass. Still on the path we found ourselves dropping quite steeply west - which seemed favourable for the main road was somewhere west. Eventually however the track set off back north and the path was undefined. We now had to make a decision either to try to continue or return to look for a track south. An unpopular decision to return was made and during this climb we noticed on the trees in red "No3" - we wanted path No2. A lengthy scramble to the top of the ridge and we found a path south and fairly well defined. In slightly better spirits we set off. We then dropped into a deeply overgrown valley - creepers and palms barred our way - sliding and slipping we arrived at the valley floor - which contained a small stream. Which way were we to go now? First downstream then up but no path at this stage - returning was a possibility but would be unwelcome. Eventually Caroline spotted a faint track directly up the steep valley side, so up we clambered having to grasp the undergrowth with our hands - giving little thought to what lay beneath. By now a certain amount of uncertainty worried me and to achieve a result I speeded up much to Caroline distress - for at times she lost sight of me.

At the top of the ridge we set off on another path this time west - now returning wasn’t an option - so we hoped that this path would lead us to safety. At this inappropriate moment Caroline related the story of how a backpacker not so long ago, left for one of these walk in the jungle and never returned!

The path dropped and became more overgrown and strewn with fallen trees; occasionally a ripping vine would tare into our flesh making us bleed. We both thought what if this path should come to an abrupt end, what would we do then - the track did then just do that. On the steep valley side we thrashed about looking for the resemblance of a path. The light was still good, what would happen if it started to get dark, the thought of spending a night out here was not comforting. We ripped our way down through the trees - something blue caught our eye, could this be evidence of civilization. We arrived to find a water pump in a shed with a pipe running away up the hill - the way we were heading with a track alongside which was quite well defined, so we set off in a little panic to follow this pipe. Orienteering in the jungle as we discovered is unlike anything we had ever encountered, because distant sounds are muffled by the vegetation, there is no way to vary direction from the path (when there is one) and no way to establish whereabouts you are using bearings. It was a complete nightmare. We climbed very tired and blooded to yet another ridge and a motorcycle was heard. Hurriedly we emerged from the jungle onto an unmade road. Nearby a farmer was tending his crops, we wanted to go over and check with him as to where we were, but decided against it as by now we could get some of our bearings and check them against our insufficient map. We set off west along the unmade road less than a few hundred yards further on two large dogs emerged from the jungle unaccompanied - we both picked up a couple of large rocks. But just the sight of this made them return to the undergrowth. What if we had encountered these close to in the jungle? We had heard them and had thought they were coming from a nearby farm.

We followed this unmade road till it met more major roads for 3km and then followed this until we were back at out hotel safely (but in the dark) to lick our wounds.

As you can imagine we enjoyed our meal that evening - both thinking what could have happened!

Sunday 05.03.00 - Today was to be a rest day after our expedition of yesterday. A leisurely breakfast was taken at the same place as before. We then went to purchase our bus tickets for the trip to Butterworth tomorrow.

Back to the hotel to pick up our pack for the day. We decided to go north out of the village to a lovely park with plenty of pathways and flowers and all sorts of play equipment for the children. We watched a flycatcher catching a spider and seem to play with it for sometime before eating it.

We then came to a large sports field with a sort of moat around it. Took a path off to the left to have a look at a mosque - which looked very impressive from the outside but was very plain inside.

Then we returned to the main drag and crossed over the sports field and a bridge over the large river - which was badly polluted, on one side. After a while we picked up a jungle path (9 on our map) this was paved for a while. We walked high above the river on a kind of walkway path, passing Robinson Waterfall- which was quite spectacular. This walk was very tame after yesterdays episode - soon our path split at a little gate - we took the 9a route - through the leafy jungle - only occasionally getting glimpses of the sun. In places we had to negotiate large trees which were across the track. All the time we were gradually dropping down until we came to a clearing where all manner of vegetables were being grown on terraces.

Caroline checking quality of Boh Tea Plantation

A little later we hit the road and made the decision to walk towards the Boh Tea Plantation. It was a hard hot work walking along the road - but the ever number of vegetable plantations seem to take our minds off this. Plenty of cars passed us going also up the hill.

We had our lunch just as we entered the tea plantation, sheltering under a large tree. All around us were tea bushes, very neat and tidy, with little pathways between them. In this situation you could see what the hillside would look like without the jungle.

On arriving at the Tea Plantation Visitor Center our first job was to have a cup of tea - very nice too. We then watched a video of how the process took place from start to finish. A guide then took us around the factory - where we were able to see it all for ourselves. Very antiquated machinery seemed to be carrying out the work - not a lot of changes since the opening of the plantation many years ago.

Another cup of tea to finish with before going back - we did not fancy the walk all the way back on the road so we hitched. The first car stopped and took us all the way back to Tanah Rata!

Back to our hotel for a wash and a siesta for couple of hours. It rained a little in the evening when we went out for our meal - so we had to eat inside the restaurant instead of our usual outside meal.

Monday 06.03.00 - Awoke about 6.30am after a restful and cool night. Packed our bags. Our usual spot for breakfast was not open so had to have a pancake somewhere else. Went for the bus at 8.30am with a few other Europeans whom we had met over the last few days in our stay here. There seemed to be a problem with the starter motor of the bus being stuck or the battery being flat - a lot of looking but no action - and nobody being in any hurry to do anything. At 9.30am a mechanic came and bump started it - we all piled on for our trip to Butterworth. It was like being on a slow boat to China - with oppressive heat - air conditioning not functioning!

We passed many palm oil and rubber plantations on our way. The road after Tapah was very good - motorway most of the way - but the going was very slow. We seemed to be following the mountain range all the way.

We arrived in Butterworth at 2.30p.m. Ian decided we would go on to Kota Bharu this evening - so we had a few hours to spare. Our first port of call was a rather posh hotel for a milkshake - to clear our throats and enjoy the air conditioning. Ian then went and bought himself a new shirt - the toll of the jungle was showing. A Kentucky fried chicken and chips for tea - before catching a bus back to the jetty (which was where we had started from). We were informed by a local that we could catch a ferry over to Georgetown (Penang) quite easily - and that they also ran very frequently. It seemed a strange state of affairs that all the high-rise was in Georgetown and that most of the people from Butterworth worked over there. The ferry was in two levels - the cars underneath and the people above. Had about three-quarters of an hour over there before catching another ferry back.

We had a little time before the bus arrived - quite a plush affair with air conditioning. This looked good! After about an hour of travelling we came to Taping when we had to change buses - this bus had very powerful air conditioning - we soon wished we had our jumpers on.

Tuesday 07.03.00 - It was a long night – we both slept intermittently. Arrived in Kota Bharu at 5.15.a.m. After looking at our 'Rough Guide' – which said the bus station was 2kms from the center of the town – we set out to wait for a bus. Ian explored and found that we were in the centre!

After walking around for sometime we found a hotel, had a shower and crashed out for a while. Suitably refreshed but by no means 100% we set off to explore Kota Bharu. A 400m walk west found us in the centre – we stopped off at various intervals to take advantage of the different shops, which all had air conditioning.

An interesting stall at Kota Baru market.

At the centre found the central market and what a market! There was a central hall with two floors rising at its perimeter. All matter of produce on sale – most of the fruit was being sold by ladies – who sat amidst their wares on the stall – fruit some of which we had never seen before – all in tiptop condition. Plenty of meat also for sale ranging from beef to goat's heads. There were hoards of dried salted fish and plenty of fresh fish also. To enter the atmosphere fully we decided to climb the two floors and view below – the colours were spectacular. It seems to us that sellers far outnumbered their customers. We bought some fresh pineapple and oranges.

Eventually we left the market and entered the oppressive heat of the streets again. Decided to have a cup of tea, afterwards set off again with the aid of a compass to find the cultural centre – where we hoped to view local customs. We arrived to find that performances were on Monday, Wednesday and Friday – planned to come back tomorrow.

From our guide book we next set off to try and find a local kite maker who resides some 5kms from the town – so caught a local bus and set off. Most of our fellow passengers were young women travelling to and from college – all dressed in typical Moslem fashion – Caroline was certainly different. We alighted at Kampung Karian – the heat had not abated – quickly we found the premises where the kites were made. There were wonderful selections of kites for sale – all made from tissue paper and decorated with hand cut stencils. After browsing in the shop we were invited to meet an old gent in the adjoining building to see the kites being made. At the foot of a blue marble staircase we took off our sandals and made our way to the verandah, here we met the old gentleman who knew no English. However his son-in-law arrived and could translate for us – we spent a wonderful one and half-hours in their company chatting and laughing. The old man is still a keen kite maker and is as dexterous as ever – he needs to wear no glasses for the very intricate work. He produced much for us to see including his pride of possession – a Queen Elizabeth II crown. Eventually we said our farewells and walked a short distance until we came upon a Batik printing workshop. We were invited to have a look around and were able to watch the workers busy with their craft.

Caught bus back to centre – where we were able to purchase a beer – before returning to hotel for shower and rest.

Our evening meal was taken in the night market – what an array of foods was on sale. The smells were overpowering. It was all a take away sort of affair – wrapped in a piece of oiled paper. Had coconut rice with chicken – very nice – Ian went for turmeric rice and chicken. We then had a couple of sweetmeats for desert. As it was still warm we stopped and sat for a while in the centre and watched the coming and goings before returning to our room.

Wednesday 08.03.00. - Surprisingly we slept quite well seeing the road outside was very noisy.

Decided we would go to the beach today. But first we took some breakfast – which ended up being noodles with a little sauce in a piece of paper and a Milo (chocolate drink). Picked up a bag of fresh pineapple for lunch and set off to catch the bus – which came quite quickly.

When we arrived at Pantai Cinta Berahni (PCB) we found we were the only ones of the beach. As this is a strict Muslim area had to be a restrictive – Ian did however spend the time in and out of the water. There were a number of women looking for cockles in the sand – fully clothed they shuffled along – and showed us the small cockles they had found. We were able to shelter from the sun beside the very colourful fishing boats that were pulled up on the beach. We enjoyed our fresh pineapple for lunch.

At about 2.15am caught the bus back to the centre and made our to the cultural centre Here we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours listening to the music, watching their type of martial arts and also watching the traditional games of Malaysia. We were also given the opportunity to join in the activities if we wished. A tourist officer told us that there would be a Shadow Play performance that evening at 9 o’clock – open to all if we wished to come.

Back to hotel for shower and relax!

Our evening meal was again taken in the night market – this evening we went for fish. Afterwards we again set of for the cultural centre - when we arrived we found they were already playing music – no seats! So everybody was sitting on the ground – which after a while became very uncomfortable. When the actual show play began – it was very good. We were also able to go back scene and watch how it was all done. The puppets they used were the very colourful ones, which we had seen in the shops, and the play took place between a white background and a bulb.

Arrived back at hotel about 10.15pm – shattered – after a very busy day.

Thursday 09.03.00. - A leisurely awakening to the sound of the now familiar racetrack outside. Packed our bag for a day on the beach. Walked to the centre and changed some money. Bought breakfast in the local supermarket "THE STORE" – ate some on a shaded bench outside.

Today we had decided to catch the No39 bus to Bachook – a 45mins ride costing just 20p. The ride took us through the local community –rice fields, cattle grazing, goats and the every present coconut plantations. The bus dropped us at the end of the journey Bachook beach. We made our way the short distance to the beach through bordering coconut trees. The beach was littered with natural and unnatural litter – we walked for a while along the beach. Crab casts were numerous and the sea crashed in from the east. Many fishing boats trawled offshore for the local delicacy. We settled beneath a coconut tree and spent an hour or two doing beach things and swimming in the warm China Sea. Lunch consisted of grapes and pecan nuts.

After our meal we walked south along the never-ending sandy beach. In a while we selected another coconut tree to laze under and have a couple more swims.

We decided to explore the village of Bachook – the heat was oppressive. Dwellings all on stilts lined the one-track road; eventually we spotted a teashop and decided to call in. A group of four men sat around a vinyl topped table supping sweet tea. We joined them and were able to converse with one of them – we had a very enjoyable hour chatting.

All along this coast are concrete pill boxes sited one mile apart, for in 1941 these were to deter the Japanese invasion.

Caught the bus back at 17.30hrs and finished the afternoon with two large beers in a local Chinese restaurant.

Back to room for the usual shower and rest, before going out for our meal. Tonight we had a steamed fish with lemon and chili sauce and fried rice and a few beers! Some of us far more than others. A little walk around the town before returning to hotel at 10 o’clock.

Friday 10.03.00. - No alarm clock needed we were awake at 7.15a.m. – our bags packed and set off on our travels again. We were soon on our way south to the little village of Pasir Putec – the journey took about ¾ hr. Decided to have breakfast in this little village – some sort of dough filled with honey – Ian had coffee and I had a chocolate drink. Soon we were off again to Kuala Besut – with a little boy and his mother – who to start with was very shy. But he soon overcame this and he was soon copying all our antics.

At Kuals Besut we had to arrange our boat to the island of Pertiertian Kecil – which seemed to go OK – we were ready to go at 11 o’clock. As we were waiting a couple started to talk to us .He told us he had chipped one of his vertebrae bones in a boating accident on the island. He had had to go to Kota Bharu for an x-ray. He was now returning to the island where he was a diving instructor.

We landed at Coral Bay, which was an idyllic beach – white sands and palm trees. We soon sussed out that the accommodation was going to be expensive – so we walked over to the East Side of the island to Long Beach. Lodgings were at a premium and we had to stay in a very simple A frame – no water, no fan, and no toilet – Ian thought it was fine.

It wasn’t long before we were on the beach having a swim. There were plenty of mostly young people on the beach. We were both hungry so had a meal in one of the restaurants.

We then had another swim before relaxing on the beach at the quieter end. We had a joint shower at the entrance to our site before returning to our chalet for a rest. No rest for the wicked - off out at 18.45 p.m. for a leisurely walk along the beach to the N end for our evening meal. Our meal was chicken, rice and vegetables followed by melon – very nice. Back to the A-frame and sweated a good hour before sleep found us.

Saturday 11.03.00. - Up at 7.30am and packed a daypack to set off for a beachside breakfast of scrambled eggs and coffee. Our plan for the day was to walk the short track over the island to Coral Beach – a quiet cove with a few chalets and shops. It was not long before we were both in the water. The floor of the bay was lined with coral. We were in and out of the water all day. We hired a double seater canoe for an hour – Caroline was a little reluctant but soon we were paddling like professionals. Three or four times across the bay and we pulled in. A drink was in order so we retired to a local café; here we sat and chatted to a Canadian girl about her and our travels. She gave us some pointers for things to see in Thailand. At 2 o’clock we said our farewells and set off for yet another swim and snorkel. Whilst out there I saw a brightly coloured water snake coiled on the seabed only a few feet below as I passed over it. Not as much as by your ass I made a quick retreat. Later on we decided to walk along the coastal rocks to the next tiny cove having our lunch on the way – bananas and pineapple – overlooking the turquoise water. Swimming off the small beach was wonderful with so much to see – small and large fish feeding off the coral. Spent most of the afternoon in the water and we eventually returned to our quarters at 18.00hrs.

Sunday 12.03.00. - Up again today 7.30am and packed a daypack – I put together swim gear and snorkel. Scrambled egg and toast for breakfast then a wait for the 10.30a.m. snorkel trip – Caroline elected not to go. At 10.45a.m. ten of us armed with snorkels boarded a rather smart speedboat – seven young women and three men. At speed we set off north to our first port of call – Shark point. I was first in and away, the boatman rode off about ½ mile – the plan was for us to swim over to him. The water was 15’ to 20’deep and clear as glass. In a short while I spotted the first of why its called Shark Point – a beast of about 5’ long cruising the sea bed unconcerned by my presence overhead – thank goodness! In all I saw about 30 in all sizes. I thought I’d stand little chance if they all ganged up on me. At the boat the captain was feeding multitudes of brightly coloured fish – we swam amongst the ravaging hoards, feeling at times them nibbling at our fingers, they swam right up to our goggles – a fine experience. At speed we skimmed off to the second venue, across the strait to the Big Island. All in the water again and soon some of the girls complained of jellyfish stings – but I had assumed it was just I! The stings weren’t lasting and soon forgot. At this point we enjoyed views of spectacular coral trees of all shapes, sizes and colours – wonderful. Off again to another spot this time a real treat to see the turtles. Between the two islands is a narrow strait here we stopped and soon the captain pointed out something dark on the sea bottom, as ever I was the first one in and there below was a magnificent fully grown turtle some 3’ across. I cruised above it and watched as it pulled away at the meager grazing on the bottom, in a while it raised its head and started up towards me and broke the sea surface only 3’ away. I was able to see the whites of its eye. It took two gulps of air and returned to be seabed to continue feeding. I followed this same animal for ½ hour and saw it take another air break. Lunch was taken at the village settlement on the south end of the small island. Whilst the rest of the boat trip members ate I wandered around the village. A shabby site but the residents ever happy. A new school was in the process of construction. Lunch over it was off for one last dive near Long Beach and this dive was as good as the rest bringing my snorkeling trip to a conclusion – I had enjoyed all the experiences immensely

On my return met Caroline on the beach and together we had refreshment, another swim, a shower before our evening excursions.

Long Beach babe!

Monday 13.03.00. - Awoke about 7.30am packed up all our bits and pieces - we were going to leave for the big island today. Had our usual breakfast and took a speedboat over to the island. The initial start off as we left the island was rather choppy but it soon calmed out and we both enjoyed the trip over. We arrived at Mama’s place - which looked a little plush for us - so moved along the bay - which proved to be more difficult than we had thought. We started to wade with our sandals on which was OK at the beginning - but then we had to climb up over the rocks - so walking boots were needed - then later it was change again for the rocks became too steep for us. This time it was a change to our swimmers and again to wade in the water. After a little while we arrived at Cozy Chalets. We easily found a chalet to stay in and only then found out we could have come direct on a path!

More first class accomodation - location location location

After settling in we set off to explore the island, around the bay coming across one jetty then another. The second one had a number of people fishing so off we went to investigate - they were catching all number of fish. Some of these fishermen were more proficient than others - we found out from them that they were on holiday from somewhere near the Thai border. Large fishing boats were also moored here with all number of fishing devices on board. Looking into the water it was crystal clear with a vast quantity of fish - the types we had seen whilst snorkeling - including a large number of garfish.

Carrying on with our walk around the coastline we came to a small cafe - so we stopped for fried rice and coke - the fried fish was squid, which was very tasty. A number of youngsters were camping here and playing football.

It was now time to find a trail through the jungle to Flora Bay - which as it happened was not too difficult. As soon as we had entered the forest the incessant crone of the insects began. I noticed what looked like a cocoon on one of the trees but with the help of the binoculars it proved to be an animal with a baby attached. We watched for sometime but no movement.

Carried on up through the jungle climbing over boulders until we came to the top - it was now all downhill to the bay and what a bay! Couldn’t wait to dive in the water yet again. Eventually we had to leave this very quiet bay with only a few tourists on it to find the track back to the other side. Thankfully it was very well marked and we were soon on our way again; first on a track and then over rough ground, crossing a wooden bridge. We were gradually climbing to the top again following the rough track - it was here that we found a large water tank, collecting and carrying fresh water to the coast. From here it was all downhill again to the other side.

We now came across Perthian Island Resort - complete with swimming pool, bar on the beach and very plush chalets with air conditioning - how the other half live! We had an ice cream!

Carried on along the coast till we arrived back at our little bay and had a few beers before returning for a shower. After a very tiring day crashed out for a while. Our evening meal was taken on the seafront cafe - we both choose fish but with different sauces. Returned to chalet at 9.30p.m. for an early night.

Tuesday 14.03.00. - Today we were leaving these lovely islands but our boat was not due until 12 o’clock. Had our breakfast in Cozy Chalets - which overlooked the bay and the village of Juara on little island. As a little exercise for the day we walked over the same jetty as we had visited yesterday. Could not resist a skinny dip - as there was nobody around - all the youngsters who were here yesterday had gone. Walked slowly back to chalet for shower and packed our bags ready for the boat trip. One actually arrived at 11.30am so off we set - we were both very sorry to leave these lovely islands. As a final farewell we sailed past Juara and all the little bays on the east coast before coming to where we landed - Coral Bay.

The trip back to the mainland was very smooth. We were surprised to see quite large patches of pollution on the top of the water.

As we approached the mainland jetty it was difficult to find somewhere to moor - so we had to climb over four boats before we could reach the shore. We now had to retrace our tracks or so we thought but we got on a bus going in the other direction.

Unfortunately we were caught in a traffic jam going into Kota Bharu and eventually arrived about 4 o’clock. A young lad accosted us at the bus station and took us to his guesthouse that as it happened was like an oasis in the city, complete with covered lounge area. Whilst here we were able to relax and wind away a couple of hours, we had a long chat with a couple from Watford who are travelling for about 12 months.

Once again our evening meal was taken at the market - the same stall as we had eaten before. Returned to our room for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Wednesday 15.03.00. - Up at 6.00am and we had to be let out by the landlady through the big iron gates. On arriving at the bus station we found it to be alive with hundreds of people waiting and jockeying for position to catch various buses. Eventually we found out where we were supposed to catch our bus (No29) for the Thai border. At 6.45am our bus arrived and a survival of the fittest battle commenced - we both were able to obtain a seat. The bus pulled out with no room even for standing, 45mins later we were at the border and off the bus. Customs procedures were uneventful and we walked the 1km across the border river with Thailand.

The immediate difference was the amount of stray dogs roaming - we had seen very few in Malaysia.

What Malaysian money we had left we were able to change in a local hotel. Thai time if one hour behind Malay time so now it was 7.00am. Our means of transport out of here was to be a train and it was to leave at 9.00am. We found a small cafe for breakfast. We boarded the train with what appeared to be the entire population of Thailand! The morning got hotter and slowly passengers who were standing and hanging off the sides managed to squeeze themselves onto seats. A long and sweaty ride through rice fields, rubber plantations and jungle arriving at 14.00hrs.

A slight misunderstanding with the bus driver as to the correct price for the fare to the bus station from the train terminal but eventually we won through and arrived there for 10bhat each. It was here we found out there would be no bus to Krabi until 21.30hrs and the 4hour ride would have made it impossible to find accommodation at our destination at that late hour. Caroline found an alternative mini bus leaving at 16.30hrs for a few more bhats.

We arrived at Krabi at 21.00hrs and slotted into a clean and good guesthouse. After nipping out for our evening’s meal we were in bed by 22.45hrs.

Thursday 16.03.00. - Today was to be spent getting orientated with Krabi itself. We firstly went out for breakfast - found a rather nice French cafe where we both had porridge and a few cups of rather nice coffee.

We now set off to find the immigration office to sort out our visa details. Not too complicated - they were all very helpful. We just now had to sort out drawing some money out - which once again this was quite painless. Went back to guesthouse to fill forms up and sort out all we needed for the visa extension. Took a pile of washing to be done for 80baht.

We now returned to the immigration office and sorted all the details OK.

We walked west of the harbour until we came to a lovely little park - where plenty of people were have picnics and playing games. We stopped for a couple of drinks as it was by now quite warm and later ordered some lunch of minced lamb fried with spices and herbs, served with salad and sticky rice.

We explored further along the coast but because of the heat had to take the occasional rest - dropping off once in a sheltered park for an hour or so. Ever onwards we walked west watching all the boats ferrying people here and there. We were stopped in our tracks eventually by a murky channel that divided the harbour and the side we were on. It was here we were able to watch mud skippers on the banks. Ian crossed by a very precarious bridge; I as usual had to go around - which was a very long hot way. After a while we met up again and walked till we came to some new houses which were being built for rent or for sale.

Sorted out journey back - stopping every so often for a rest - the heat was overpowering - we were both sweating profusely. Had a beer on the outskirts of the town - it was well received. Booked a little trip for tomorrow before returning to guesthouse for a shower.

Our evening meal was taken in the company of a young chap from Weymouth and young girl from Cardiff - a pleasant evening and home to bed at 10.30p.m.

Friday 17.03.00. - Arose from our slumbers at 7.30am.and set off for breakfast at our now favoured spot - porridge and coffee. Today we had planned to join a trip to the James Bond - A man with the golden eye - island. We boarded our mini buses at 8.50a.m. and set off to collect a bus full from various sites around the town. In a half an hour we were at the service station and transferred to a forty-two seater coach - things were getting worse. Unused to travelling in a mob we were uneasy. An hours bus ride found us at the boat pier - very near Pukket. We were told to collect a life jacket and board a long boat with a long shafted engine. Noisily but quickly we started out through the avenues of mangroves. The boat trip was refreshing and we started to enjoy the experience - thirty-five minutes passed and views of high rock formations projecting from the sea were enjoyed. Eagles flew overhead looking for prey. In a little while we were landed of the island of Khoa Pink Gan (meaning leaning rock) - the island on which scenes from the James Bond film were shot. Commercialism was rife - stalls selling trinkets and boats continually coming and going. In the bay stands a rock pinnacle and we like thousands more photographed it. Only 20mins here then back on the boat to steam off for lunch - which was to be taken in a village on stilts (KoPanyi). This village was also geared up for the tourists - we dined on squid, fish, rice and pineapple - quite pleasant. 50mins here to the second then it was off back to the jetty to be directed onto the bus and a ride to see a reclining Buddha.

Many years ago a family discovered a large cave in which was to be created a temple known as Thani Seua. Within is one of the largest reclining Buddha’s in Thailand. At the entrance to the cave was a troop of monkeys waiting to be fed by the visitors. Bats hung in the cave and a lone monk sad meditating with one eye on the tourists for a handout.

Back on the bus again for half-hours drive to a marine waterpark. All off the bus again in single file we walked to a magnificent natural lake being fed from a water source within huge limestone cave. Only five of us took the plunge along with many locals. The swim was refreshing in the cloudy water. Whilst I was drying a chap dived in and unfortunately cracked his head on a rock. He had to retire with a nasty cut to his forehead. This was our last excursion before we all returned to the bus for the drive back to Krabi. We were both hungry so we stopped for a couple of beers and a chicken baguette before returning to guesthouse for a shower.

In the evening - as it was St.Patrick’s Day - we went in search of a Bar that advertised that it was putting on a special evening.

It was quite easy to find and we relaxed over a couple of beers and Caroline had an Irish Kiss (special cocktail for the night - whiskey, martini and pineapple juice) very nice. Back for an early night.

Saturday 18.03.00. - Off to our usual spot for breakfast – we then caught the bus to Au Nanywith with a few other people. It was a lovely setting with the limestone pinnacles just off shore. The beach was lined with palm & other trees for protection from the sun. The foreshore waters were cordoned off to keep boats away from swimmers. We spent the morning enjoying the warm water. At about 1.20pm we set off to phone Andrew, not realising it was quite so early; our phone call woke them up. It was lovely to speak them all. Next we set out to find the Thai boxing stadium as Ian would have liked to take a look. We found the stadium but boxing was programmed for tonight 8pm. We returned to the beach to spend the afternoon there. At 4.45pm we started our return to Krabi. The noise of many long boat engines was a little annoying; they were continually collecting and dropping off people. We eventually arrived at Krabi and settled down to a cold beer & chicken baguette before returning to our guesthouse. After a few hours rest we set off out again for more beer & baguettes.

Sunday 19.03.00. - Up at 6am and reassembled fan, found a local bus to the bus terminal which was 3km from the centre of Krabi – 10bhat. A long distant bus was there waiting to fill up – we did have a chance to grab a small breakfast in a nearby café. At 8am we were off to Takua Pa a town 4hrs.north. This turned out to be an interesting ride with the now usual sights of palm oil nut collecting, rubber plantations. We passed through many small communities, always a feature was laden food stalls, and one wonders who buys it all.

Arrived at our destination at 12 noon, our next bus connection was waiting and set off immediately all be it at a snails pace for 2km. In an hour and after climbing slowly we were at the roadside entrance to Khao Sok National Park. As soon as we alighted touts requesting us to stay at their accommodation offering a free ride to the centre swarmed us upon. Ignoring them all we retreated to a nearby shop for a drink and a bun. With little let up the pestering we decided to leave and walk the couple of miles to the centre. In no time we sorted out suitable accommodation – a jungle hut – we rested a while in a sweat.

An unspoiled complex with swimming available in the nearby jungle river Sok. We took advantage of the swimming arrangements and gingerly entered the murky waters after asking of any dangers. We swam most of the afternoon; sounds of the jungle were all around – monkey’s in particular, large brightly coloured butterflies fluttered by. Our swim over we decided to take a walk to the National Park office to gather information for tomorrows’ trek. Found a good place to eat and enjoy a few beers. Returned to our bamboo hut for another drink and early to bed.

Monday 20.03.00. - Awoke early as usual – packed up a few thinks for the day and set off up to the entrance to the park (10Baht entrance fee). Our first port of call was the Park Head Office to pick up the leaflet with the trails on it. We then stopped at the same restaurant as last night to have some breakfast before setting off at 9 o’clock. We were hoping to go as far as Tang Nam on the map, which we had. The track was easy to follow we could hear a number of monkey calls but we were unable to see any. Guess who forgot the water for the day? Caroline returned to pick up a couple of bottles from the restaurant. The only form of life we saw in profusion were sand lizards with the occasional horned type. A few very colourful birds darted between the sides of the path. As we proceeded we were able to catch glimpses of the River Sok below us. Some of the trees which lined the path were large specimen ones and had nametags attached.

After following the main track for about 1 1/2hrs it abruptly came to an end and we now had to cross a bamboo bridge and begin to weave our way through the jungle on quite a defined path.

After about 3hrs we arrived at our destination – a deep gorge with the river running through the middle. It did not take us long to plunge into this cool clear water. There were plenty of fish in the river – it was very refreshing after the long hot walk here. A fellow walker who also enjoyed the cool water joined us. We had a colourful towel, which attracted many butterflies and flies – they appeared to be collecting salts or something.

We remained here for about 1½ hrs but sadly had to leave and make our way back – stopping once for a swim. At this stop there were even more orange and yellow butterflies on the sand at the edge of water.

On the return trip we passed many people just beginning their trek up the valley – we were glad to be returning for by now the heat was incessant. The track however did now offer quite good protection from the sun. We arrived back at the park entrance at 5ish – time for a couple of beers and some food. (Malacka fruit salad – Papaya). We met a couple from South Africa who we talked to for sometime also the German couple we had met yesterday. They told us they had been to another waterfall in this area. Left there a little worse for wear.

I returned to the hut for a shower whilst Ian wandered off to look for monkeys! Had a shower and went off to sleep and was awoken by thunder and lightening – where was Ian? The electric was off so could not investigate. Eventually the light came on and opened the front door and Ian was sat there – he told me of his experiences (bamboo man that is!) Went to have a cup of tea before retiring to a very hot night with the incessant noise of insects in the background. It also rained heavily overnight.

Tuesday 21.03.00. - Awoke at 7a.m. and relaxed awhile before eventually emerging from our bamboo hut, just outside the hut was a new immigrant – the biggest spider either of us had ever seen. It was sat surveying at the centre of a 4ft. web. We would like to have watched it for the day – trapping and eating its prey.

We sat off for a short walk across the river for breakfast in the garden in the company of a fishpond full of large goldfish.

On the way back to our hut we were lucky enough to spot a group of locals collecting and preparing rubber. We chatted and learned they had cut the downward sloping incision in the bark of the tree at 2am and at 8am.The pint cups were full of white resin. Then all the cups were emptied into buckets and taken to a central shed, here the solution was transferred to aluminum trays for solidifying. In the afternoon when all the trays were like jelly the rubber was rolled out into sheets. Eventually this was sold in Bangkok for 75baht per kilo.

We were now ready to set off to try and find the monkeys we were told about yesterday who hung out near the river further downstream. We arrived at the river and crossed a rather rickety bamboo bridge. We were able to sit here for some time and watch a troop of monkeys in the trees downstream feeding. Whilst we enjoying this a group of Germans came along and we had to retreat from the rickety bridge whilst they crossed!

Above us was a large rock/mountain – our intention was to walk around it in a clockwise direction. A small path wound its way through the undergrowth – the large rock had very large limestone caves in its side where we were able to see bird’s nests attached to the roof – they were also many bats.

Further on the German group showed us a strange plant known as Mimosa which had the property of folding its leaves when touched. We then came to a temple in a cave with a Buddha, nearby was an old gent with a gibbon on a string. We met both Caroline was less than enthusiastic and the monkey sensed this. The gibbon was a cute creature with thick fur. Our walk now took us on to the main road for a short distance – before we stopped for a drink in a café and chatted to a fellow traveller.

We wandered back to our bamboo hut and spent the rest of the day relaxing and swimming in the river.

Decided to have our evening meal in the same place as we had had our breakfast. It proved to be a very popular spot and many others joined us. After our meal a couple from Canada joined us to while away the evening,we both told tales of our travels. We really didn’t notice that the electric was off until we arrived back at our hut –all was in darkness – retired at 10 o’clock.

Wednesday 22.03.00. - Today we were moving on awoke about 7 o’clock, packed bags and settled our tab at the guesthouse, before we set off to walk up the valley to the main road. Today everywhere was shrouded in mist – which I am sure, will be burnt off when the sun gets up. We had a coffee and a couple of sweet buns in the little shop near the main road. Ian had some fun with a pet monkey, which belonged to the owner. Spot on 8’oclock the bus arrived and we were off again. A fellow French traveller informed us that the views would have been magnificent if there had been no mist on the top of the mountains!

Arrived in Surat Thani railway station at 10.30a.m. and booked train for this evening at 6.20p.m. We were able to leave our bags in the left luggage for a few bhats and we set off to explore the town. We took a bus to the port of Surat Thani and walked down to have a look at the river. At this point it was a very busy fishing port – women were busy cleaning squid and others packing fish with ice. We watched the long tailed boats taking their customers here and there with all number of packages and commodities.

As a short cut we took a walk through one of the walled temples and came across a very strange sight. Four wax figures sitting on a raised area – it took us sometime to realise they were statues as they were very well made and so realistic.

We had some lunch in a very cool restaurant – and in fact stayed for a couple of hours here.

Ian once again made an exhibition of himself whilst purchasing a light – he was entice to have a go on a microphone – which was connected to the outside of the shop!

Made our way back to railway station retrieved our bags and joined the many other Europeans waiting for the train to Bangkok.

What an experience this turned out to be – we were given seats, which eventually were turned into beds by an attendant. Most of our fellow passengers turned in early – we set our clock for 5 o’clock, as we were not going all the way to Bangkok. Ian slept of the top bunk and I slept on the bottom.

Thursday 23.03.00. - At about 4.45a.m. an attendant came around and woke us to say we were nearly at Ban Bang – our departure point – everyone else was still sleeping. We were now in another town early in the morning. It very soon become apparent that the residents of this town were less used to Westerners and none we met could speak English. Nevertheless as intrepid as ever we made our way to the correct bus station to Kanchaburi at 6.a.m. Along came our air conditioned bus to ferry us to our destination in two hours. Had breakfast at a local market – chicken noodles and coffee, then off to find some accommodation. With the aid of our Rough Guide we found Apple guesthouse – cheap and cheerful. Farmed out our washing and proceeded to clean ourselves after 24hrs of travelling.

We had a rest of about an hour then it was off to explore – first quenching our thirst with a beer. We came across a memorial park for the POW’s who died in 1943-1945 era when the Japanese forced them to construct a railway linking Burma & Thailand -–6500 brave men died and the park is tastefully maintained to their memory. We sat and reflected as many Japanese tourists came and went.

Afterwards we came across a Buddhist temple adorned with flowers and decoration and people were erecting sun canopies. Not knowing what was going on we set off for a sandwich and a drink. The heat was sapping us dry so we sat beside the River Kwai watching the day’s proceedings. Another walk around somewhat shabby back streets but full of interest. As we were returning we came back via the temple and this time the whole courtyard was full of neatly dressed folk. In a while we worked out the meaning of the gathering – a funeral of a very important person - perhaps a monk. The body was laid in rest in an adjoining room whilst mourners paid their respects. We sat and watched as first monks filed past the temple and then the other mourners. We were given two small bottles of some sort of incense.

Back to the guesthouse for another shower and rest.

We walked in the other direction tonight – more choices of places to eat. Found a place where we were able to watch a football match (Chelsea v Italy) and have a meal.

Friday 24.04.00. - Today we had planned to take the train "over the Bridge of the River Kwai - we first however had to wait for our clean clothes to arrive one disadvantage of travelling light! Dead on 10am as promised our clothes arrived duly washed and dried.we were now ready to go to the railway station. With a tip off from the Canadian girl we had met yesterday we knew we could obtain a 17baht ticket instead of the tourist 145baht ticket. As we awaited the arrival of the train more and more people arrived most of them with their tour leader only a few independent travellers. Whilst there we were able to have a look at the Singapore/Bangkok Orient Express parked up on the other track. This train looked the height of luxury.

The train arrived at 10.55am and we were off at 11a.m.As we chugged along over the bridge very slowly many people were on the railway line taking photos, the whole area was thronging with people.

Slowly we made our way along the very fertile valley with all sorts of crops being grown. The train windows were open and everybody was enjoying the scenery. When all at once we noticed a large area of darkness coming along in our wake. It was a very strange sensation for all of a sudden the wind was blowing the trees and picking up leaves and anything else that was loose on the ground. The red dust of the fields and roads was also blown into the sky, just like a hurricane. As we passed the houses everybody was battening down the hatches and taking shelter. Then the rain came our open windows were soon closed and the rain lashed against them.

Some of our fellow passengers disembarked whilst this storm was in full swing, they were drenched. We carried on until Nam Tok, the end of the line. At this point the rest of the passengers left the train except us, we were waiting for the return journey. All the other passengers were on a tour and they had coaches waiting here to pick them up and wisk them off somewhere else.

A few new passengers joined us here, the train sellers selling drinks and food – which had done so well on the upward journey now had meager pickings.

We had decided to disembark at the stop just past the bridge and walk back. As it was now 3.15p.m. We decided to have a late lunch in a local café. Afterward as we were here at the bridge we went with the flow and crossed the bridge with the masses.

From here it did not take us long to walk back to the guesthouse for a shower and a rest. In the evening out for more fodder in a local bar obviously owned and run by an Englishman. On the video was showing Bridge over the River Kwai – we watched the last hour or so. At 20.30hrs Karoke discs were being played but no one seemed very interested. Caroline & I had a game of pool. A couple of young British introduced themselves to us – Paul & Jamie – we chatted about our mutual travel experiences. One beer let to another and yet another (Black Tiger) until 2.a.m. We staggered home to bed.

Saturday 25.03.00. - Waking up this morning was a problem, both Caroline & myself feeling fragile (self abuse last night). Eventually we emerged into the outside world at 9.45am and set off for the 4km walk to the famous Bridge and a planned walk around the World War II museum. We spent 2 1/2hrs ambling around first a local Thai museum then a museum with its theme on the building of the 411km railway by the allied forces by the Japanese Imperial Army. The POW’s worked 16hrs a day for 17 months to complete this rail link into Burma. One in five men died from various ailment and mistreatment.

Lunch was taken in the local soup kitchen Caroline was only interested in a snack.

Nothing planned for the afternoon so we slowly ambled back – stopping off at a road bridge further down stream. We crossed and watched a diver with a homemade speargun successfully spear four fish. There was another fisherman working the area in a small wooden boat with a net – he only had one leg. A stroll back and an earlier that usual rest and shower at 16.00hrs.

Decided to walk east from the guesthouse past the war cemetery and watched a group of locals taking part in aerobics in the open. We then walked towards the main part of town and had our evening meal in a very pleasant restaurant. We were offered a typical Thai sweet but we were full – said we would call again. The owner told us he was in the Thai army and he had served in Sweden and Norway.

The new bridge over the famous River Kwai

We went for a quick look at the River Kwai Hotel which was opposite – able to have a look at an English paper in the foyer before we returned to our room for the night.

Sunday 26.03.00. - On the move today packed our bags and set off about 8.30a.m. We called in where we had eaten last night for our breakfast. The owner offered us the sweet from last night – sticky rice, banana & coconut milk steamed in a palm leaf. Rather sweet! Said our farewells and made our way to the bus station.

It was a large bus station but as luck would have it the first bus we came to was ours. We would now be travelling north over the central plains of Thailand. It indeed was a flat area; a lot of rice was being grown. This was an area that was very rich in bird life especially on the sides of the many pools and small lakes. These were in turn being fished by the locals. We also saw ducks, which were being kept in deep litter houses over these lakes.

We had one change of bus which went very smoothly – plenty of helpful people around – right off one and right on the next.

After about 3 1/2hrs we arrived in Ayutthaya – the original capital of Siam (Thailand)- now to find somewhere to stay. We did not seem to do so well this time – very neat room but the walls were made of slats. (Had to fill in with paper!). Took our guide and went off to explore – had not gone far before we were waylaid by a beer and a noodle soup.

We walked west along the main road and after a false start we same across Wat Phrs Mahatat – as it was well past the closing times – Ian bunked over the wall – I walked around for a little while before I found a more appropriate place. We explored the ruins for a while – admired the brickwork that had been involved in the original building. Were also able to find the Buddha growing in the tree. We climbed to the very top of these towers to get a better perspective of the layout. Just as we were making our way through the park I noticed elephants (about 20 in number) being ridden down the main street. Nobody seemed to take any notice except us. They were not quite as big as I had imaged them to be their skin was mottled in places. There was one baby being let along by his handler.

Back to room for a shower and rest. Having taken a snack late in the afternoon we went out later for our meal. The streets were almost deserted only a few stray mangy dogs.

We walked some distance along the main road until we ended up at a market with food cubicles – we elected to eat here – the turnover was rapid – the two wok cooks showed their expertise. We had two lovely meals and were entertained by the staff, who were dispensing meals both eat in and take away at a most efficient rate. Had a drink in a bar on the way back and played a new game. The game consisted of 54 tiles (wood) which were arranged in levels of three alternating the lay direction – the object of the game was to remove tiles individually with one hand until the fateful moment when the tower falls. Back to our room at 10.30pm.

Monday 27.03.00. - Today the plan was to hire a couple of bikes for the day. The bikes cost us 50baht each and we set off to practice around the block and found a Korean restaurant for breakfast. Afterwards we returned to our digs and paid for another night. Having discovered the whereabouts of the elephant corral we set off in a northerly direction passing a ram shackled city with many ruined temples. It would have been great to have seen it in all its glory.

In a while we were at the corral – a stronghold constructed from very large treated tree trunks. As ever alert Caroline spotted an elephant far off in the corner, so we cycled round to find huts and one or two elephants. A local guy told Caroline that this site at present was to be used as an elephant hospital and the animals here were too young, too old or sick. We spent an hour or so just wandering about enjoying the elephants. One old girl was over 80years and at the other end of the scale was a baby of just one-year (who was into everything). The elephant keepers live on site with their families and were very friendly and non-assuming. Piles of sugar cane were left for the elephants to feed on.

Back on our mean machines and retraced our tracks south. We had not gone far when Caroline spotted an archeological dig, we stopped to take a look and chat to the boss. He informed us that they had been digging for two months and had another two to go. They were uncertain of the brick structure, which then had unearthed.

We resumed our bike ride and happened upon one of the many Wats (remains of temples used to worship Buddha). We saw a couple of elephants with their riders in the distance and went off to investigate. We found a steady stream of them carrying visitors on a short ride – we were both keen to have a go – so we followed the train. It led to the central point – where some 20 animals were enjoying a snack of bananas and sugar cane. To ride these elephants cost us the equivalent of £16.00 for 20mins! Our turn came and we climbed the platform to board our chosen Jumbo No10 – she was 15 years old. We sat on a seat high above the ground and set off bounding along. The sun beat down and we felt a little sorry for our taxi. We enjoyed every minute and were soon back at the staging point. Some of the keepers were cooling their animals off in the nearby pond and making sure they were well fed and watered.

Back to the bikes and a cycle round checking out the many ruined temples, eventually Caroline complained of a sore posterior, so we returned the bikes after a meal in a café. Back to the digs for a shower and a rest.

At about 7.30pm we were ready to go again – we firstly needed to purchase another film. We had decided to eat at the same place as yesterday, I had what Caroline had the previous night and Caroline had soup (hot, hot, hot). Even thought it was dark it was still very warm so we decided to cool down in an ice cream parlour (with air conditioning).

It was still early when we arrived back so we watched a film with fellow guests in the under cover lounge for a while before retiring at 10.30pm.

Tuesday 28.03.00. - After packing our bags we went to suss out the buses – it didn’t seem that clear as to where we were supposed to catch it. Tried a new place for breakfast – they were not too friendly. We also needed to cash some cheques – which all went smoothly. As it didn’t appear it would take us long to get to our next destination we decided we would take a tuc-tuc to see a museum. But on arriving found it to be closed – our driver wanted 150baht to take us back – so we walked. Went back to guesthouse to pick up bags. It was here that it went wrong – we caught a bus – which we should have got off of after 5 mins (we later realised)- instead we went on for about 20kms. We were dropped off at a large intersection – took us some time and a few rows before we were able to work our which way we should be travelling. The joys of independent travel!

A bus took us to a place called Lopburi – from here we would be able to pick up a train – but that would not leave until 5.56p.m. As we had a few hours to spare we decide to leave our packs with the Train Company and then set off to explore. Found somewhere cool to eat. It wasn’t until we had left here that we began to notice monkeys – they were everywhere – just as the guidebook said. Found a lovely market to have a look around – all manner of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and meat, plus all kinds of dried fish and other food stuffs. As we were leaving we were accosted by a young half European boy and later his father came for a word. On his instruction we went to have a look at three large Cambodian design wats – trying to avoid the monkeys on the way. Just as we were returning to the bus station we came across the place where they fed the monkeys. Although we warned about these creatures – Ian did manage to have his peanuts taken!

The train arrived about 15mins late. We boarded and Ian managed to upset the whole carriage, first he nearly had a passenger’s eye out with his stick, secondly water started to drip from his pack in the luggage rack onto another passenger. Lastly he was sat beside a Buddhist nun (dressed all in white) with his shorts on. We were informed by other passenger that it would be better if I sat beside her then all was OK.

Our next port of call was Phitsanulok – which was supposed to be a four-hour journey – but it ended up being six hours – we arrived at 11.45p.m. Both very tired to set out to find somewhere to sleep – the first place was a bit of a hovel. We ended up in the Asia Hotel – where we were given a bottle of fresh water and went to our room and crashed out.

Wednesday 29.03.00. - We both had a good nights sleep – very quiet hotel. Set off in the morning to have some food in a local market. Navigated the spot as to where we were to catch the bus to our next destination Sukhothai. The city was bustling with everyone setting off about their business. It was 60kms to Sukhothai through endless rice fields. At the end of the ride we were accosted by a friendly tout to lure us into his guesthouse. We declined and found a café for a drink and compose our thoughts.

With the aid of our compass and guidebook we set off west over the river for a short distance and found the guesthouse Samprasong and checked in.

A shower to cool off then out for an amble around this new city. The market was a hive of industry – all manner of good-looking vegetables, meats – whole pigs heads, fish – barbells and eels. These markets are always a wonder and sense of excitement for us. All our senses tuned to the different smells and sights. We set off north for a mile of two then west along the river back. We must learn that walking around in the middle of the day in temperatures of 95deg. is not good for us. Soon we were both gasping for a drink – so into a café and downed bottles of ice cold water and a couple of beers. Back to the digs for yet another shower and a rest.

In the evening we wandered around for a while before we settled down for a meal at a night market – we had shark, which was very nice. On the way back we found a bit of a "girly" bar – the hostesses were dressed immaculately – and in turn went on stage and did a turn. We stayed for a while and enjoyed the coolness (air conditioning).

On arriving back at the guesthouse – a girl who we had spoken to earlier – was waiting to talk to us. She had been able to organise a trip to a National Park in the area for tomorrow. We had to be up at 6.30a.m. in the morning,we would need to set alarm.

Thursday 30.03.00. - Awoke before the clock went off and packed ready for the day. Had our breakfast with fellow potential walkers. We left with the owner’s daughter in a truck – all sitting on a mattress in the back. After about an hour we were dropped off at the Ramkhamaeng National Park. Our first objective was to have a look at the visitor centre – but most of the information was in Thai.

We set off apprehensively up the Mountain Trail – our fellow walkers went on the Nature Trail.It appears to be all up hill – walking through the hot and clammy jungle. Along the way was the occasional bench to sit on – to catch our breath. A couple of viewpoints were also enjoyed – gosh we seemed to be loosing a lot of liquid. The noises of the jungle were much the same - with a few birds fluttering around. The way was getting increasingly steeper – a hardwood or bamboo banister was sometimes to be found on the side of the path to help you on your way. There appeared to be confusion about the mileage on the posts – at least I didn’t understand them. When we eventually arrived at a tap I decided enough was enough – I would return to the viewpoint and enjoy the cool and Ian would carry on.

Going our separate ways due to Caroline buckling in the heat I continued onward and upward with the dog (who had joined us further down the trail) as my only companion. Only 1/2hr of steep climbing and I was at a very large tree with roots/trunks draping over huge boulders. A little further on were two of three caves. The climb continues but a handrail assisted me at this point. Sweat dripped from every orifice. In a while I arrived at a flat area with four well constructed huts with electricity and an opportunity to purchase a drink – but Caroline had returned with the money. Washed my T-shirt in a bowl beneath a tap and washed myself of the sweat from the climb. Only 300 more metres and my companion still in tow we arrived at the peak of Pha Na Rai (1610m). It only seemed fair to share my lunch with the dog – but he turned his nose up at the banana. An hour was spent here enjoying hazy views of all of the four highest peaks of the KumLung range. After our rest we started our return which took an hour or so. On return my clothes were awash with perspiration – it took about 1/2hr to recover.

I (Caroline) made my way slowly back to the viewpoint and was joined by two fellow walkers for lunch. This had been packed by the guest house daughter in the morning – it consisted of fried chicken, sticky rice and bananas. I then carried on down the trail – sweating profusely – until I reached the point where the trails met. I now carried on the Nature Trail and was met by another walker (who I walked with for a while. We noticed two vivid blue lizards. At this point I decided to follow one trail and he went another way. Arrived back at the visitor center to find Ian already there, we had a couple of refreshing cokes and whiled away a couple of hours before our lift returned to pick us up. She informed us that a tourist (the chap I had walked with in the afternoon) had been involved in a bike accident and could possibly have broken his leg.

Relaxing evening after a very hectic day.

Friday 31.03.00. - Today we planned to visit the ancient city of Sukhothai - for a short period in the 13^th century it was the capital of Thailand. The Cambodians once ruled this area of Thailand and their worshiping influence created the structure of the ancient city. We caught a bus just outside our digs and went for about 1/2hr trip west.

As we alighted we decided to hire a couple of bicycles – still with some of their wrappings on them. All was well we cycled to the entrance to the central part of the old city and purchased a couple of 150baht tickets to enable us free access to all the sights.

At the centre of the complex is a conglomerate of Buddha’s and temples, we parked our bikes and set off in 95deg.F. When you have seen one wat you have seen them all – nevertheless a spectacular arrangement of worshiping hardware. We had a map in our guidebook so our next port of call was a cycle to the multitude of lakes and parkland. We left the central city and cycled a couple of klms to the wat of Si Cnum – only a small ruin but with a massive enclosed Buddha at its rear – the right hand of which is depicted in the many postcards to be seen in Thailand of this city. Back to our bikes for the cycle back to the central area. Caroline had complained of loose handlebars on her bike! We stopped a short while to check the map and when we set off again Caroline careered across the road and crashed into a tree. All I could do was watch helplessly her collision seemed all in slow motion. She got to her feet with a good deal of blood coming from a cut to her eye!

I helped her to a nearby residence and the occupants offered a dirty old rag dipped in water to hold to her head! In a while we had gathered our thoughts and I used toilet paper to ease the bleeding and clean up her face. We sat for a while to calm the shock then it was off to find a spanner to secure the loose handlebars. We had to visit three homes before someone could find a spanner. Gingerly we cycled back to the centre for a drink. Only grazed and cut Caroline elected to soldier on.

Bananas for lunch in the park and a visit to the Ram Khanhaeng Museum for a glimpse at even more Buddha’s. We did however enjoy this museum as we were were able to see all the things, which had been found during excavation of the site. Before we could enter the museum however we had to produce our tickets – but I had lost them in all the confusion. I had to cycle back, retracing my steps until they were found at the place that we had had a drink.

At 15.30p.m. Caroline had had enough of the bikes so we returned them to the stall – not mentioning the accident.

From a nearby market we could hear amplified voices so decided to explore. The market was a hive of industry as ever and at the rear of the stalls erected against a temple was a makeshift theatre. The performers were about to act out a traditional Thai play. All the males were dressed gaily and had very large amounts of girlish makeup. We watched this spectacle for sometime – wishing that we could understand some Thai.

Caught the bus back to the digs to attend to Caroline’s injuries – good job we carry a small first aid kit.

After a bit of a rest and time for Caroline to recover we went out for an evening meal. Tried to find the place we had had a drink in a couple of night ago – but no luck – we ended up in a place we had called at last night for a look. We both enjoyed our meals. After a little relaxation in the cool breeze by the bridge we made our way back to the guesthouse.

Saturday 01.04.00. - Ian was the first to awake as usual – he was out and packed and ready to go. I took a little longer but we were still down for breakfast at 7.20a.m. Said our farewells and left for the bus stop. My face was rather bruised today – Ian insisted I wore my sunglasses. There were four other Europeans at the bus stop also; the bus arrived about 15 mins late. We were on our way to Chiang Mai passing on the way the spot of the accident yesterday!

We were now travelling north through very arid countryside – passing through various towns. En route we had one stop where we all disembarked. Ian was hungry and had a meal I just decided to have a packet of crisps. There was a lot of roadwork’s going on in the area – once again as we had seen all over Thailand – using cheap labour rather than machinery to do the menial jobs.

We arrived in Chiang Mai at about 2 o’clock. Stopped to have a coke to see which area we should be making for – we needed to be in the Tae Pae Gate area. So we took a local bus to get us to the centre of the city. Had to wander around for a while before we were able to find a nice guesthouse. Relaxed in a cold bath for a while!

Off out again on our wanderings – we decided with the help of the guidebook to try and find the night bazaar – after a few false starts we eventually found it. Our priority was to find a spot to eat – after a couple of non-starters we hit on a very well organised eating hall. Sited around the perimeter were a number of counters with various menus displayed. We first had to purchase tokens from a central desk then select our meal, which we exchanged for the tokens. We both had fried fish in batter on a bed of rice and a large bowl of fresh fruit and to finish off the meal the inevitable large Chang beer.

The night bazaar was a mass of action stalls selling all kinds of hardware from woodcarvings to pencil drawings of actual photographs (these were very lifelike). After having our fill of the action we strolled back and had a beer in a local Irish pub. This pub had the live Ireland/Wales rugby match on its screen. Back to bed at 11.30p.m.

Sunday 02.04.00. - We had a lazy start to the day taking advantage of our very comfortable hotel. We took breakfast in a nearby café – I ordered steamed eggs and was surprised when a dish of pork, onion and custard arrived.

We set off south west along the city streets and bumped into a talkative local who chatted a good while to us – we learnt the Thai New Years Day is on the 17^th April.

We continued on our way and took a look at the inevitable temple. This ancient wat was being restored after damage in the 15^th century. Huge stone elephants adorned the upper levels. The monks quarters nearby looked very comfortable and a television flickered behind the shutters.

Our walk continued south west to Chiang Mai Gate (a gate in the old city wall) – we had an objective to try and locate the Scam silver factory – which we did. As it was a Sunday activity was quiet only one lady panel beating a silver pot. We had a look around the showroom before setting off for another workshop nearby. This one had more going on – a huge 48kgm bowl from a local temple was being repaired and another huge bowl was painstakingly being beaten into an intricate design.

We then wanted to find the centre for local crafts of the hilltribes near the Golden Triangle. When we arrived all was quiet we thought it may have been closed, but then along came three elderly women who let us in and showed us their shop. We had a very interesting hour here looking over some of the everyday objects used by the hill tribes. Caroline bought one of their bags. The owner of the shop was an Indian who could speak good English. Her husband (76years old) had only just taken off to their village and said that if we had visited yesterday we could have gone along with him.

A look around a woodcarving shop before spotting a large departmental store. We entered this to enjoy the cool refreshing air conditioning – so much so we had lunch tokens again – and spent the afternoon browsing - most of the wares were no cheaper that home. Back to the hotel to freshen up.

It was about 8o’clock when we went out, found our way to the night market and decided to eat in the same place as last night. Tonight there was a Thai dancing demonstration going on. After leaving here by a different route we just happened up a Thai Boxing demonstration – which Ian found most interesting. Some of which we thought may have been set up. Arrived back at hotel at 11.30p.m.

Monday 03.04.00. - Had our breakfast at the Hotel this morning – Ian was not too happy with his boiled egg – just a little too soft.

Today we planned to visit Doi Suthep – a mountain to the east of Chiang Mai. First of all we had to find out where the bus left from. As we made our way we negotiated to buy a haversack (which we arranged to pick up in the evening). A little problem with a songthaeus (local bus) six people were needed to make it viable – so we wandered around for 3/4hr before the number was right. We set off with our fellow passengers for the 16kilometer drive – out of the city and then all of a sudden it became very steep and windy – I was not too keen on this – glad when we arrived at the top. What a surprise – many tourists here – and sellers of all manner of goods. We climbed the 300 steps to the Wat – the side of the pathway was lined with a long dragon (naga). Had a wander round the lower terrace of the wat that had many bells (which were too big a temptation for Ian not to pull!).

We came across a very talented woodcarver – working on a pillar – we sat and watched him for sometime. As we walked around to the East Side we were able to have a fine view of Chiang Mai City. I then went up to the upper terrace (which was like a suntrap) to have a look at the restored chedia. Ian went later with the addition of a borrowed pair of trousers.

As we returned we were able to have a look around a Jade Factory – which we both found very interesting.

As it was now all-downhill decided we would walk down but this turned out not to be a good idea – very hot. We were able to pick up a small bus that dropped us off at the same place as we started off from.

Both of us were very hungry so stopped off for a fried rice with chicken on our way back to the hotel.

A couple of hours rest after a relaxing cold bath. At 8p.m. We were off out again, bought a bottle of cold water and set off for the food & night bazaar again. We stopped to inquire about the possibility of purchasing an air ticket to Mae Hong Son - a town near the Burmese border. Had a good mooch around before returning to Hotel.

Tuesday 04.04.00. - We were up at 7a.m. and set off to purchase an air ticket for the afternoon flight for Mae Hong Son at 15.55hrs. This flight would save us the eight-hour bus journey over very bad roads. We then had our breakfast and afterwards set off for a walk down town east to the River Ping. The city was in full flow with endless traffic rushing about. Arrived near the river and set about looking to buy a gold bangle, but although there were many gold shops none had anything suitable except one; but in this one the price was a little too high. There was a market nearby with hundreds of stalls selling their wares – dried fish, fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices.

We found a shop selling minerals and had a browse around before buying a resin stone for 50bhat.

It was now back to the air ticket office to collect our packs and set off in a tuc-tuc to the airport – Caroline warned the driver not to drive too fast!

Arrived safely and wasted sometime before our flight took off at 16.00hrs. and arrived at our destination some 25mins later. The airport nestles in a steep wooded valley and ours was the only plane on the airstrip. We landed OK and set off for the walk to the town and arrived about ½ hour later. Were able to find a clean guesthouse and settled in.

For our evening meal we ate at the local market, finishing off with a beer and a fruit salad at another restaurant. As we were the only tourists around we had plenty of choice as to where to eat and all the people were glad of our custom.

As we approached our guesthouse we were met with a rather loud sound of music – we were invited to join some form of celebration. The food and whiskey flowed with ease and went on for most of the night! We were sure there would be a few thick heads the next day.

Wednesday 05.04.00. - After not a lot of sleep during the night we arose at 6.45am to go out and try and find the local market. According to our guidebook it is supposed to be one of the best in Thailand. It was a nice cool morning as we climbed the hill to the market, which was already in full swing, with all manner of people selling their wares. Once again plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables to be had. But it is amazing that every market, which we visit, has a slightly different array of stock.

Ian was cajoled into trying some strange food by one of the stallholders – they looked like grubs! It was here that we also saw a few Europeans taking pictures of the stalls – the first we had seen for sometime, but they were being hurried through with the leader in front.

Back to a little restaurant near our guesthouse for breakfast.

Today was the colourful festival of Poy Sang Loong, which celebrates the ordination into manhood of young boys from the ages of seven to fourteen. We followed the procession all the way around the town for a couple hours, some of the procession still suffering from the after effects of the previous night. The young lads were dressed up like girls and had plenty of makeup on; they were being carried on the shoulders of older men. The families of the young men also brought gifts to the temples.

The procession eventually ended up at a Wat where a meal had been prepared for everyone; I sat on the edge and watched Ian was invited in to join them.

Poy Sang Loong Festival - Mae Hong Son

The heat of the day was rather overpowering so I returned to the guesthouse after a while Ian returned and we then went out for a drink.

In the afternoon we climbed up to the Wat Doi Kong Mu at the top of the nearby mountain. It was well worth the climb and the views of surrounding areas were fantastic. At this point we could also see the airport and a plane took off for the return to Chiang Mai. To the north of the town was a complex, which looked like a prison – quite a new building but not mentioned in our guide. On inquiring we found out it was a prison and there was a European being held here for drug smuggling.

As usual back to the digs for a shower and a rest then off out for fodder. We found a good local eating-house and enjoyed a traditional Thai meal, finishing off the evening with a beer alongside the town lake.

Thursday 06.04.00. - A comparative peaceful night, celebrations had quietened down a little. We were up at 7.30am and after a cooling shower we ate breakfast in the restaurant next door.

With a daypack we set off for the day with no plan only to set off south. We walked along a busy main highway through the municipal part of town. A sign depicting a craft workshop lured us into a well-kept complex. It was an open plan place housing a dozen or so cotton looms at each station a lady working intricately on patterned cloth. Some of these ladies had children with them as well – having to cope with child minding as well as work. Although some of the older children helped out with their siblings, none were unruly. Also incorporated in this workshop were bamboo weavers and silver smiths. Ian took particular interest in the men working with silver. Soldering was carried out by the use of a petrol blowtorch. A foot worked bellows fed into a jar, which in turn fed into another jar with petrol; the resultant combustible mixture was fed to a blowtorch with a regulator. The resultant flame was clear and hot. Minute intricate work was routinely being carried out we watched in awe.

In an hour we were on our way and trekking off south until a fork right onto a less busy road found a place for a coke. Off again trying our hand at hitching but no luck. Caroline spotted a boat pier just west of the road and we went to investigate. The river was a big one – some 75 yards across and running fairly deep. Many long tailed boats were moored nearby. On our very sketchy map we had noted an elephant camp nearby, we asked a local boatman and learned it was further downstream. Off again in a while we were given a lift from a young Thai chap who could speak a little English – with his help we were dropped off at the next village and at the shop we could inquire about the elephants. We had another drink here – this was obviously a very well to do Thai household - the furniture was solid teak, the tabletop was four inches thick. After inquiring here about the elephants we were directed some 50yards south to a riverside pagoda and elephant riding saddles in view. After conversing best as we could with the locals we learnt the elephants were 4km further downstream. So off we set again this time finding a boat pier with an advertisement to visit a Long Necked Tribal village by long tailed boat. Caroline inquired as to the cost and learned it would be 300bhat each to get there and 250bhat to enter the village. We declined as obviously these trips are engineered to pacify tourists.

Just outside the village we were given another lift to the next village (Pha Bong) – no tourists. Here we selected a roadside-eating house and enjoyed noodles with pork and vegetables (Rather hot). Sat a while to allow our lips to cool! We wandered to the south of this village and on returning passed a home with a young chap having a snack of sweetcorn; he invited us in for a cool off and a drink. We chatted with him for over an hour and learned he was 40years old, had a wife and baby who live in Chiang Mai some of the time. He made a meager living repairing all kinds of electrical appliances. He had done his training in the Bangkok Television School. He told us also he had been a monk for 20 years –from the ago of seven to twenty-seven. Ian asked him why he had returned to a more conventional way of life he said girls! After numerous mugs of cold water he asked if we could correspond with him when we returned to England as he was studying English - Caroline accepted – addresses were exchanged. We said goodbye and continued our return north. At the edge of the town was a hot spring, we took a look around - nobody was around so we had the place to ourselves. The springs had been encased in a concrete ring and evidence of egg boiling (as we had seen in China) could be seen. The sulphur ridden waters resembling the smell of rotten eggs. A pool – swimming pool size – had warnings NOT TO SWIM – testing the temperature we could see why (very hot). Had a wander around a nearby paddy field before hitching a ride back all the way to Mae Hong Son. Back in town we had a well-earned drink before returning to digs. Caught up with some washing and a well-earned rest before it was time to go out for evening meal. All was very quiet at the guesthouse tonight – early night at 9.30p.m.

Friday 07.04.00. - Warm and Sunny! - Firstly we had breakfast and then returned to guesthouse and we got talking to an English girl who was returning to Watford today. She informed us she had been bitten by a dog yesterday and was starting a course of injections. We said our farewells to her and wished her luck before we set off to book up our return flight tomorrow to Chiang Mai and then on to Chiang Rai (about 14000 Bat in total).

Today we were setting off north out of town – it was very hot already. We passed the prison on our left – which we had seen from the mountain. After a couple of klms of walking we took a bus to the next village (Pang Moo). This was a very sleepy village – we watched an old man chopping straw for his cattle – a pair of very docile looking bulls. Came across a monastery with young monks – all was quiet here also. Ian negotiated a price for a belt – but found out is was made of vinyl – so he had to get his 30baht back!

We carried on out of the village across the Pai River and walked for sometime before we were given a lift by a chap going to Mogiumpas Village. It was at this point that Ian realised we were near the Burmese border – after lunch we waited unsuccessfully for a lift – no traffic. We then walked what was supposed to be 3klms towards Pia to a fish cave. This was a very spectacular place with many blue/pink carp/dench like fish swimming in the cool water which came directly from the mountain. Some of these fish were as big as 10lbs. The area in the cave itself was very cool. After leaving this we walked back through the park with a lot of other people before trying for a lift back to Mae Hong Song.

Within the half an hour we were back in the town and back at our guesthouse for a wash and a brushup.

Out for our meal at now our usual eating house and finished the evening off with pancakes and whiskey.

Saturday 08.04.00. - Up and had breakfast by 8.30a.m. Stayed chatting to a local guide for an hour learnt a good deal about the area and the Long Neck people. Only women born on a Wednesday when there is a full moon are to wear the coil around their necks. The coil is changed throughout their lives. Once upon a time these coils were made of gold now however brass is uses – green necks!

What to do today we have explored north, southwest all that remained was to set off east?

We left the town on a metalled road and I selected a suitable stick to ward off unfriendly dogs. We walked beside the town pond and soon the road turned into a dirt track – single file – the inevitable dog made an appearance – but the sight of our stick dissuaded any attack attempt.

Approaching from behind was the lone figure of a Buddhist monk dressed in the all-familiar orange robes. In a little while at a track junction the monk caught us up and we asked where the two ways went. We decided to take the left – he also set off this way – but now he led. High on the hill to the east we could just make out the telltale shape of a temple and in this direction the monk travelled, we decided to follow him. Across overgrown rice fields to the entrance to a hill village, three of four dogs roamed here but allowed the monk to pass without incident. However when it was our turn noisy barking and snapping at our heels – as every in these instances sweat poured from every orifice. The village was in full swing with people involved in day to day routine – all the dwellings were stilted for coolness. By now we had lost sight of our orange guide so we had to ask the way from a young woman washing clothes in an irrigation channel. Uphill we passed more houses; pineapples grew along the way. In a while as we climbed we caught sight of the monk, I decided to speed up so as not to loose him again. Large crisp leaves from the teak tree lines the way – I trod on one which gave out a loud crunch – the monk turned and now was aware of our following. He waited for us to catch up and offered to show us a secret well some 1500 years old in the jungle. Together the three of us set off through the trees descending steeply, the ground all around was charred from recent fires. In a while we came upon a stone boat shaped structure sited in a dry riverbed. We were told that this was the only water for some distance – the bow of the boat pointed to the centre of Buddhism – India NW. The water in the well looked very dirty and orange – our guide took a nearby container to dip some out luckily the rope which was attached had burnt making the task impossible. The monk asked us not to disclose the site to anyone.

We returned with him at a good pace in 38deg.C to his temple and stayed a while enjoying the tranquility. A large Buddha stands on one leg overlooking Mae Hong Son. It was time for us to leave and he could sense our apprehension of dogs so he accompanied us back to the road. We said thankyou for his time- I went to shake his hand – but this is not possible for monks are not allowed to touch us mere mortals.

By now we were gasping for a drink so called in at a nearby shop and sank 2 litres of liquid. Our walk continued past the airport then lunch at an eating house – Ian succumbed to two large beers and watched a couple of hours of Thai Boxing on the TV. Back to the guesthouse for a shower then at 4pm. we set off to catch two planes, one to Chaing Mai and then in a little while a connection to Chiang Rai. We arrived at 19.00p.m.and were able to negotiate a ride to the centre. Found a guesthouse and were soon out looking for something to eat in a local night bazaar – singers and dancers entertained us. After a nose around it was back to bed at 11.00p.m.

Sunday 09.04.00. - After a very peaceful night we got up about 8o’clock, had our breakfast in guesthouse and then we set off to explore the town.

We first of all took a walk to the statue of King Mengrae. Afterwards we went to the Hilltribe Museum and Shop. This we both found very interesting – watched a video which told us about the actual differences between the various hill tribes. We were then able to examine the various implements and contraptions used by the different tribes. A very knowledgeable youngster was able to explain to Ian the workings of the various types of traps etc. We inquired about and booked up to go on a three-day trek to see the villages and the life of the people!

Afterwards we walked to the high point of the city – avoiding the many youngsters with water pistols (we were now nearing the Thai New Year celebration time).

We had a curry and rice for lunch before returning via yet another market (Ian was able to purchase a new T-shirt – his other was looking rather worse for wear) to guest house for a shower/rest and prepare bags for our trip tomorrow.

Monday 10.04.00. - The big day we were up early packed our light sacks and had a hearty breakfast. We were able to leave the rest of our gear at the guesthouse rather than carrying all with us.

At the prearranged time 9.30a.m.we rendezvous with our guide Appe. We filled up the appropriate forms and Appe set off to register our trip with the tourist police. At 10.10a.m. we set off in a local bus for an hour’s drive to Maisuaw where we had some lunch in an eating house and stocked up with supplies for our trip. It was now on another local bus being sprayed with water occasionally (Thai New Year tradition). This bus took us way out into the countryside, people leaving the bus at their homesteads, we eventually were dropped off beside a dirt track. We set off along this pretty but scorched track with was lined by hayricks – made as they used to be in England. Appe pointed out numerous plants with medicinal uses.

We arrived at a point where a stream had taken over the track so we changed into sandals and splashed our way on – beautiful butterflies were taking minerals from the stream bank. Appe sang many songs as we went. In a couple of hours we arrived at a shaded spot near the stream where a lady sat taking a drink, we stopped to chat, her mouth stained red from beetle nut chewing.

A steep hot long climb found us at an intersection where a hunter with a rifle appeared out of the jungle. He showed us his quarry – large brightly coloured bird.

A hilltribe huntsman with quarry.

Onward and upward to the village proper and we were greeted by two families. We gave sweets to the children and took tea with an 80-year-old lady who showed us how to prepare the beetle nut. First take the beetle nut leaf and wipe with lime then add the bark of another tree (some add tobacco at this stage). Then the concoction is folded and chewed – soon the red dye seeps to the lips.

We purchased a gourd (drinking vessel) from the old lady for 20 bhat and said our farewells and set off again. Through more stilted dwellings all the inhabitants friendly and welcoming. Pigs roamed free along the dirt track roads.

We were made very welcome by a village elder.

At the second village centre we collected our supplies (which had been brought here by motorcycle) and set off for our home for the night. A slatted bamboo house, the door was locked (very unusual said Appe) but I managed to open it only to find a young chap sleeping inside. No problem! Appe started to prepare a traditional Thai Chilli. Caroline had a shower outside with a bucket.

We now wait for our meal and the return of the family who were in the fields tending to their vegetables. In due course a wonderful prepared meal appears and was served on a bamboo table on the verandah. Pumpkin soup, pork chilli and rice with freshly fried peanuts. The whole family ate heartily. After the meal we tried their home produced corn whiskey and some which I had brought.

We retired to the living area where the two men of the house were preparing their opium for the evenings smoke! We were asked to watch but not to take any photos. The manufacture of the substance was complicated. The opium was only fingernail size. Ash from previous smokes and aspirin were ground up in a pestle and mortar then a little water was added along with the opium. The resultant paste was warmed over a flame then a long cigarette length sausage was molded and left in a dish. Now the smoking - a small medicine bottle with a hole drilled in the side mounted on a bamboo pipe was used as the pipe. Then a small amount of the prepared mixture was offered to the hole in the bottle and lit and the subsequent smoke inhaled along with a cigarette. Copious water was taken after each smoke (to keep the smoke in the body longer). This carried on into the early hours. We were offered to have a go - but both declined.

Bedtime - our room was prepared with a couple of mattresses and what felt like breezeblock pillows. We hung our mosquito nets up to be sure! Our room was only feet away from where they were smoking the opium and only a thin bamboo wall divided us from them.

In the early hours the rain started and continued into the morning – none came in.

As it slightly brightened cockerel cries were heard down the valley and the resident one crowed from below our beds. Daybreak and the lady of the house donned here ceremonial dress to collect spring water – we were asked to accompany her but the heavy rain dissuaded us. She set off covered only in a large black plastic bag over her shoulders and an umbrella.

Traditional dress - Akha Tribe

Tuesday 11.04.00. - We returned to sleep and woke again at 7a.m. to the sound of thunder, lightening, chickens under the house squawking and pigs snorting! When we were able to look out we could see a lot of red earth running down the hillside under the house

We laid there for sometime waiting for our guide to wake up. Our host made our breakfast (how he was able to do this after his session last night?)

The lady of the house returned at about 8.30am for breakfast.

It was still raining very hard so we had to sit tight and ride it out.

Eventually it stopped raining so we were able to go with another member of the hilltrbe to have a look at the gates to the village. There was one gate at the north and one at the south. We were told we were allowed to look but not to touch. Different pieces of wood decorated the gateway resembling male and female. He spoke a little English and gradually took us all around the village. We were able to see the Swing which was part of a ceremony, which took place when, the rice was planted. The ladies of the tribe use it and swing high above the village.

As we walked back to the village we were invited to watch the making of the rice cake. Rice was pounded in a large pestle and mortar until it becomes sticky when it was taken out and rolled in ground black pepper. The headman (whose house we had stayed in last night) had the job of pounding the first few batches of rice. Then the rest of the village would come and take it in turns to pound their rice for the ceremony tomorrow. We were able to have a go as well.

We then returned to the headmans house where another ritual took place. A young chicken was killed, defeathered, cleaned and cooked in soup. This was put into a bowl with the sticky rice, ginger, corn whiskey and "ancestors". All this was now taken into a little room, which had been divided up into mens/womans sides. The headman then gave us all a small portion of the sticky rice rolled in the other ingredients!

Ian at this time became involved with the making of several traps with the help of the other menfolk. The lady of the house had gone off to sew some corn in the fields.

Appe (our guide) took a little time to come around this morning. Time was going on and not a lot was being said about what our plans were. I did not fancy being told we were leaving and then would have to rush to get to the next village before dark. So we approached Appe and had a discussion with him – we decided to walk for about one and a half-hours to another village.

The person who had showed us around the village prepared delicious noodle soup for lunch, and just afterwards we said our farewells. We then set off passing through another part of the village we hadn’t seen before. It was at this time we learnt that we had in fact been staying in the village we had been recommended to visit whilst in Chiang Mai.

The path leaving the village was easy to follow – the smell of pine was apparent for most of the time. It was at this time that I stumbled and cut my leg! Out with the first aid kit once again. Appe was into the jungle to find herbal remedies for me!

After a little while to came to a road with a village – we now had to find somewhere to stay. We were able to get a lift to the next village where Appe knew most of the people. It was once again open house we were given a house to ourselves (the headman’s house yet again). Appe set to once again to prepare our meal as the rest of the family had already eaten. A welcome shower was taken (soap and shampoo wwere laid out for me).

Sat for a little while with Appe before retiring at about 9.30p.m. for a well deserved rest.

Wednesday 12.04.00. - During the night strange sounds were heard around the large room, I investigate but found nothing untoward – only friendly rats! We rose at 7.30pm when our room was opened (good job we were dressed because everyone was looking in)! Enjoyed breakfast on a table outside the village general store. Appe cooked eggs and we had toast and coffee. He was a little worried about the number of flies that were around the table and inquired of the headman how long it had been like this. He told us it was part of his job to keep an eye on this sort of thing and report to his office so it could be sorted if it got worse. Part of the Hilltribe museum’s job was also keeping an eye on the welfare of the villages and the providing clean water and schooling for the children.

We were invited to stroll around the village on our own whilst Appe went to have discussions with various village folk. Many families already busy with the day’s chores. We handed out sweets to all the children who were grateful and thanked us in their usual way of bowing to us. The villagers are still quite primitive but what they lack in material effects they more than make up for in kindness.

We returned to rendezvous with Appe whilst waiting to set off were five hunters with homemade flintlock rifles. They were on their way into the jungle to hunt wild pig and fowl.

It was time to leave we thanked our hosts and made our way gingerly down the slippery path to the river. It was here that we had to change into our sandals to cross the swollen river (swollen by yesterday’s rain).

All over safely we trekked on with Appe singing heartily from the rear – always concerned for our well being. We walked through rice fields and climbed steeply to a ridge. Workers toiled in the fields – digging and weeding the very steep hillside. Always as we approached a working area Appe started singing traditional work songs and more over than not gets a reply from a worker in the surrounding area. Appe also pointed out to us some newly planted ginger bushes and peanut plants, which were beginning to flower. He also told us that farmers were being encouraged to grow these catch crops rather than the opium.

As we approached the next remote Akha village the skies darkened and we were treated to a monsoon type shower. We sought shelter in a house of yet another cousin of Appe and were treated to tea. Appe had to sort out a few village matters. We were left with the children who soon gathered around us. The lady of the house sat also on the verandah and fed her baby – just above our heads was a nest with babies also being fed by both parents – not taking any notice of all the commotion below.

Some young men in the central shelter were playing a noisy game of dominoes; the dominoes were large and homemade.

More farewells and we set off to find a waterfall meandering through steep fields growing more peanuts and ginger. At a small stream we followed it up until we were at a 200ft waterfall spilling into a pool. Appe took a drink from a nearby spring making a cup from a palm leaf.

We walked on and came to a pretty flower strewn garden we were given a white flower each to smell along the way – the smell was wonderful. We now meandered through beautiful hills and crossed a suspension bridge to emerge onto a dirt road and walked 1km to where the PDA vehicle was waiting. Had noodle soup in an eating house and much needed Chang beer.

After lunch we were to driven to one last village – a Lahu Village. Apee walked us around the dwellings, which were slightly different from the Akha. Chatted with a couple of the residents one elderly lady complained of a griping pain under the right side of her ribs.

It was then time to return to our vehicle and the drive back to Chiang Mai. We were dropped off at the Museum and we both thanked Appe for his efforts and wished him all the best.

The last three days were packed with a tremendous amount of new experiences, led by a true gentleman. We will deliver a bottle of whiskey to Appe tomorrow as a thank you.

After a shower and a bit of a rest we ventured out again for our evening meal - a little shell shocked after our trip. We took our meal again in the night bazaar followed by an ice cream for Ian and a cake and a cup of chocolate for me. After this we had to sit out another thunderstorm for about 1/2hr before returning to our guesthouse for a well-deserved sleep.

Thursday 13.04.00. - Awoke late this morning after a very restful night. We first of all went over to the PDA office in the hope of seeing Appe and having some breakfast at the Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant, but only coffee available. We waited around for the office to open to be told that Appe would not be in till about 11.00a.m.

Walked back to our guesthouse for breakfast before going out to face the world. The Thai New Year celebrations were now in full swing, we had to avoid the water at many spots.

Whilst near the bus station we checked out the availability of a bus for Sunday – at one point it looked as if it would be a problem to leave Chiang Rai. All buses appeared full – everyone was travelling home to be with family for the New Year.

We wandered around a market where Ian was able to but a couple of pairs of glasses. We also bought a bit of lunch for ourselves before going back to guesthouse to pick up map of area so we could arrange for Appe to put of our trip on it.

We returned to the office to be told he had gone out – we waited around for his return. Ian got involved in the celebrations with the help of a few beers and some Thai whiskey. This involved pouring or throwing water over everything or everyone who passed by. All excepted gratefully – some of the people reciprocated with all manners of water pistol contraptions. Ian was drenched! Appe returned at about 5.15pm by which time Ian was a little worse for wear. At this point I also joined in for a little time before we both returned to guesthouse for a shower and a good rest. Ian slept for sometime so I nipped downstairs for a bite to eat.

Friday 14.04.00. - It was an early rise today and down for breakfast in the guesthouse for our plan was to take the local bus north to the Burmese border to Mae Sai; the bus trip took 1 1/2hrs. Mae Sai bus station was 4km south of the town so we took another smaller bus. At the passport and immigration office the bus stopped to allow us off. We registered our request for a day trip to Burma or Myanmar then hopped on another bus to the border gate. Both sides of the main street were thronging with kerbside stalls for about 1km. Water pistols were also in good use much to Caroline’s annoyance. We wandered into the old section where bamboo houses clung to the rock precipices; all jammed together like sardines in a tin.

It was time to join the procession over the Burmese border, first we checked out of Thailand and then in at Burma to learn it would cost us £5.00 each for the experience, so we backtracked and spent the rest of the day enjoying Mae Sai. Most of the travellers who come here do so to extend their visa by going out of Thailand and then returning the same day.

On the bus back to Chiang Rai we met the Danish couple we had met in Malaysia and chatted with them all the way exchanging travellers tales. At our destination we took them along to our guesthouse so they could stay overnight. The streets were awash with water after the day’s celebrations. Down to a quieter than normal night market for our meal.

Saturday 16.04.00. - This was to be our last day in Chiang Rai – so first of all we went to book a bus for our evening trip to Bangkok. Then we went back to guesthouse for breakfast. Ian wanted to go to see the elephants up river at Ruammid. The owner arranged to take us to the boat pier for the 10.30am boat. With our fellow passengers we left on time meandering up the river Kok. Our driver occasionally had to take the engine out of the water to avoid sandbanks. The 20kms upstream took about one hour and when we arrived there were numerous elephants waiting to take people on trips. We watched for sometime before setting off to explore the village passing first the stalls selling the usual tat. We did however come across one lady who had numerous quilts for sale – made she told me by 10 local ladies in the village – they were selling for about £30 to £40. We were then met by a number of young sellers who persuaded me to buy a bracelet, which they said, was made by the Karen tribe. We spent about a half an hour with the children in a small park. They thoroughly enjoyed Ian pushing them and were singing away in French!

We returned to the river to watch the elephants being led across to the other side to browse off the grass and shrubs on the riverbank. We decided to have our lunch here and a couple of beers. Our return boat was supposed to come at 3p.m. but nothing came. As time was of the essence we had to arrange an alternative ride with a group of Japanese. This trip was much smoother – as we approached Chiang Rai Beach, we were overwhelmed with people in the river. Some on tubes, some picnickers on the other side of the river on small benches out of the water, some just paddling, all having a good time. We got a little wet at times from boats that passed. Our fellow passengers disembarked here to join in the fun – we carried on with our driver to the pier. Our taxi from the guesthouse was there to pick us up! Soon we were back at the guesthouse for something quick to eat. Said our farewells to fellow guests and we were whisked away to the bus station. Left Chiang Mai at 5.30pm which was on time with a full busload of people for the 12-hour trip to Bangkok. A few stops were made on the way.

Sunday 16.04.00. - Tired and weary we arrived at the very busy & noisy South Bangkok Bus Station. In the hustle & bustle we ran around like headless chickens looking for a connection to Bangkok’s east bus station – but nobody understood the word east. Picked up an unwanted guide along the way and was more hindrance than help. Eventually after much fretting a charming girl pointed the way we needed to go to purchase a bus ticket. We did not need to go to the east bus station as our guide book said we could get a bus direct from here to Ranong and from there on to Banphe. Our bus left at 7am – We waited at the appropriate bus stop with throngs of people. At 7.15am we were driving in a comfortable bus – mind you our driver wasn’t going to break any speed limit. The journey took us three hours. Had a bite to eat when we arrived – pork noodle soup then off to find the connection to Banphe. All went OK but by now we were both beginning to feel the strain of travelling and when we eventually arrived at our destination we were greeted by over enthusiastic water revelers and ended up quite wet. Had a cup of coffee in a side street and bought our ticket for the boat to Ko Sumet, which would be leaving at 13.00hrs. At the prescribed time we made our way to the pier and boarded our craft – noises of heavy engine maintenance came from the engine room – on investigation we learned the Captain was trying to plug a leak around the prop shaft. Already ½ hour late we decided to pay another 50baht each and change boats. As it happened the first boat left at the same time as we did. We were dropped off at the south end of the east side of the island and had to pay a landing fee! We walked 1km north looking for suitable accommodation and succeeded at 16.00hrs and settled down for a well-earned rest.

Monday 17.04.00. - A good nights rest – however we both had troubled dreams after yesterdays hectic travelling. We packed a day pack and set off north along the beech road finding a café for breakfast – although we were given nothing like we had ordered! After breakfast we set off on a stroll north to the end of the island, here Caroline decided to inquire if there was bungalow available. As it happened there were and appeared to be a better deal – said we would return later with our packs. From here we continued inland and picked up a metalled road, which brought us to the main street where the locals lived. Here everybody was carrying on his or her daily chores. In a while we were at the boat pier at the West End of the island – plenty of boats were waiting to take people back to the mainland - which looked a stones throw away.

Having decided to move guesthouses we made our way back and picked up our bits and pieces (very hot), handed in the key and made our way north to our new digs. We soon had settled in and spent the rest of the day relaxing on the powder white beach and lolled in the warm Thai ocean. Luncheon on the beach – boiled eggs and bananas – which we bought from a local beach seller. Back to the room at 4.30pm for a shower.

We decided to go into the town for our evening meal – Ian took his bottle of whiskey with him. A little worse for wear we made our way back to the beach where we sat for a while and watched a fire show. Some of us could have gone to sleep.

Back to the bungalow about 10pm.

Tuesday 18.04.00. - Our neighbours were up early – we remained in bed until 8am Once again into the old town for breakfast – ordered scrambled eggs but a type of omelet arrived. Ian was not too pleased about this.

Afterwards we set off to walk across to the West Coast of the island. The path was easy to follow – on our way we passed the island's water supply (a large reservoir). Although the track was very rough many trucks passed us with people in them. When we eventually arrived at Au Pharo it was another white sand beach with crystal clear water and very calm. We found a lovely spot under the trees with a couple of seats. We spent the rest of the time in and out of the water – which was very warm.

Whilst here we were able to watch a large flock of herons taking off from the headland trees and circling part of the bay and returning again to the trees. Just after lunch we left the beach and made our way south. The way was hot but quite easy to follow. We met the coast at Vong Deunan – yet another bay – this one was a lot busier. This was the bay we had landed on a couple of days ago. Time for yet another swim to cool off before making our way back to our resort, where it was time for some food (sweet & sour pork) and a Chaing Beer.

Back to bungalow for a shower and rest. Later it was out again for a coconut curry at a food stall at which we were the last customers.

Wednesday 19.04.00. - A leisurely start to the day rising at 8.30am and breakfasting at the nearest café – boiled eggs seem to be a problem they either arrive hardboiled or very runny. Back to the bungalow for a relaxing hour reading and filling in the crossword in the Bangkok Post.

At 10am we made our way down to the beach to a telephone and contacted the homebound airline to confirm our return flight, the young assistant did the job confidently and without fuss. With this weight off our shoulders we returned to the bungalow and changed into our swimmers. The skies were heavy with cloud and thunder bellowed in the distance. We walked the 50m or so to the beach and enjoyed an hour’s swim in near perfect temperatures for us – playing ball also.

Back for a shower before setting off again for a walk to the pier – we bought pineapple and salted peanuts for our lunch and set off north along a well made up concerte road. At first we passed on the way many holiday bungalows in bad repair – although they were not that old. We then passed through another settlement, which was in better condition. Finally we arrived at Mookanlulay Resort, all looked dandy; well-equipped bungalows with lawns well managed. There were individual hammocks and deckchairs on the beach – which of course we took advantage of. Only one or two visitors around using the facilities. Onward to the very north of the beach where we were able to take a swim in the nude. Back to the deckchairs for a relaxing afternoon in the sun and swimming in the calm blue sea. Shells were strewn on the tide line, something not found on the more popular East Side of the island. At 5o’clock we set off back and called in at the restaurant of this resort to check out the prices – 4300 bhat a night for a beach bungalow – which is £86.00. We nearly had a drink but reeled at the price. An amble across the beach, and at a step up, Caroline slipped and banged her leg, blood poured out and shock set in. We bathed the wound in the sea and in a while things became calm. We limped back for a shower and a rest. Well some of us did!

Change of venue again for our evening meal – tonight we took it on the beach. We were able to add our bought whiskey to a couple of 7 ups for our meal. Back to bungalow about 10o’clock.

Thursday 21.04.00 - We awoke to yet another sunny day – by the time we reached the beach there were already people swimming. Found yet another new place for breakfast. As this was to be our last day on Ko Samut we decided to take is easy. We walked to the far end of the beach to find a little shelter from the sun. Spent the rest of the day in and out of the water. We also were able to do some snorkeling around the rocks off the headland.

It was now time for lunch we walked up to the village thinking we might have found somewhere to eat, but most places were closed (maybe only open in the evenings), so we returned to the beachfront for a fried rice each.

We planned to go on a little trail in the afternoon to the centre of the island but as we set off we were engulfed in biting mosquitoes so we retreated to the main drag.

Later we walked around the headland and sat and watched the boats coming and going. There was no place to swim here so we carried on around the coastal path. It was here we came across a chap sweeping the leaves from his patch – this all seemed such a waste of energy. Dropped down on to the beach and changed again into our swimmers and whiled away an hour or so in the warm water. A mother joined us with a couple of children who seemed to be proper water babies.

This part of the coastline was a little shabbier than where we were staying – we felt that maybe this was the original development on the island. A few old surfboards decked the shoreline. We ended our afternoon at the beachside of our resort with a beer and an iced tea.

After a rest we were off our again and made for the most popular eating house with tables on the beach. There was a full moon and a high tide. On the horizon were many brightly lit fishing vessels. For our meal we had kebabs and a cold beer and were entertained for fire dancers. Two performers swung fireballs on the ends of chains very fast and in all directions – the effect was amazing. Bed at 10.15p.m.

Friday 22.04.00. - Today we prepare for our homeward journey. We rose at 8am and strolled off to have breakfast in the already hot sun. Spent a leisurely hour enjoying the early mornings beach sights.

We nipped back to the bungalow and donned our swimmers to enjoy a last morning on the beach. The water as usual was still warm. Caroline sat beneath an umbrella whilst I set off for a mile walk along the beach. Much to see – dogs chasing tiny fish, topless foreigners and many people involved in watersports. I found an abandoned crabpot marker and set about to recover the 30 or so feet of rope attached to it. At the far end of the beach the sand was puree white and when walked on squeaked apparently because of the high content of silicone in it. I made my way back to Caroline and we had a swim together before returning to the bungalow to pack our sacks. We left at 11.50am for the 2km walk to the pier – the sun was hot and extra weight made up sweaty. As we arrived a boat was just leaving for the mainland so we hopped aboard. The voyage took up 1/2hr. In the water we were able to see many large jellyfish – did they sting we wondered.

At Bamphae we bought a bus ticket for Bangkok, which we found out, would leave at 15.00hrs.

To waste a couple of hours we browsed the shops and had lunch in a local café overlooking the pier. We ate crab-fried rice and a free beer. Back to the bus station where we had left our bags. Spot on time the bus left – this was a well-equipped vehicle – refreshments were freely handed out. We arrived in Bangkok at 19.30 hrs and promptly found where to catch the airport bus. This bus did the rounds of all the big hotels in Bangkok – we were on there for 2hrs. Arrived at the airport at 9.30pm had a bite to eat and waited for our 3am flight in the morning.

Saturday 23.04.00. - Our takeoff was on time and we were able to catch up with a few hours sleep in between the meals, which were served. We had couple of hours' stopover in Singapore airport before boarding our final flight to London. We were glad of our jumpers when we waited for our National Express Coach back to Plymouth. Temperature here 10° C we had left in Thailand 30° C.

A DIARY OF OUR TRAVELS IN CHINA

01.10.97 - 30.10.97

Wednesday 01.10.97 - Left home at 07.15hrs. to catch the bus to Plymouth, arrived a little early so took a stroll around town before making our way to the bus station. The bus was a little late - eventually left Plymouth at 09.15hrs. An uneventful trip to London arriving Heathrow at 13.30hrs.

Check in was problematic Ian had his lock knife taken away for return at Bangkok. Take off for Sofia was on time, arrived at 18.00hrs. A long wait now at the airport for the connection to Bangkok. Plenty of fellow passengers also waiting for the connection we were given a packed meal. No problem with the check in.

Thursday 02.10.97 -Took off on time at 00.45hrs. for flight to Bangkok in a jumbo jet - not many spare seats. A meal was served not long after take off; we were able to snatch a few hours sleep between listening to the radio. Seventeen hours later we were served breakfast and landed in Bangkok local time 14.30hrs. Ian was able to retrieve his knife from the ground staff.

Trying to follow Peter's instructions to leave the airport, we eventually caught the local bus for the monument. Traffic was horrendous & the humidity breathtaking. Not only did we have to endure the heat but the carbon monoxide emitted from the five lanes of crawling traffic.

Eventually hot & sticky we arrived at Khoa San Road an area known for accommodating travellers.

Plenty of rooms available, we acquired a room for 180bhat (£3.50 for a double). We were both exhausted but sleep was evasive, the heat was uncomfortable. At long last we fell asleep - until the arrival of the local merrymakers (Australians). Some problem developed which resulted in one individual banging on our room door for assistance shouting "I have a serious problem & need help" to this request I replied "piss off I can't get to the door I use a wheelchair"! Eventually all went quiet and we catnapped until 09.30hrs.

Friday 03.10.97 - Breakfast was enjoyed in a local bar after which we set off for the day. First stop the Grand Palace, we walked, had to pay an entry fee where upon I was informed that shorts were not acceptable so a pair of long pants had to be hired from the gate staff they were worn over my shorts - in 95°F of heat not good!

A wander around magnificent temples & galleries all heavily decorated with gold and mosaics. The main temple was open to visitors, all of whom paid their respects to the Emerald Buddha which was sited high on the alter. We enjoyed a tranquil time here drinking the atmosphere of humans paying respect to their religion. Outside the suns heat poured down and we continued our tour visiting the many exhibits and museums.

We left the Grand Palace at 14.00hrs. to make our way to the river - the water was rougher than expected. Whilst viewing the river scene, we chatted to a local man who had a good command of English about river trips, he eventually offered us a lift in his car to China Town. During our ride we chatted and learnt he was married with one son and one daughter by different wives whom he seems to change every year or when he tires - lucky old boy!

China Town was an experience with many market stalls under cover. Many varieties of vegetables were on sale some of which were new to us. We stopped to observe a fishmonger cutting up the most gigantic fish with a meat cleaver, a gold medallion swung from his neck.

China Town proper was an underground labyrinth of stalls most of which were selling electrical consumables.

Our main meal of the day was taken on the top floor of Merry King which is a large departmental store on a par to Dingles in Plymouth. We chose vegetable soup spiced with a good helping of chillies. We left the store in a heavy thunderstorm and wandered about the streets of Bangkok to locate an advertised fireworks display, we never actually found it. We walked back to Khoa San Road for a beer then bed.

Saturday 04.10.97 - After a cooler night we awoke quite early & had another shower before setting off for breakfast. Ian had porridge and bananas; I had toast and jam. After a quick return to the guesthouse we set off for the Vimanmek Teak Museum. Had no trouble with the bus ride, but on arrival learnt Ian had to cover his legs once again and was provided this time with a wrap around skirt! We arrived in time to watch the Thai Dancing and boxing. Afterwards we went with a guide for a walk around the various rooms of the Palace of Rame V. A very luxurious building with much ornate furniture and fittings. Plenty of fine silver, porcelain and paintings. The gardens were immaculately kept, plenty of staff on hand to help. Next we went to have a look around the support group museum - which was full of exquisitely produced products made of gold, silver, wood, beetle wings and a special fern. All exhibits were tabulated with exact areas from whence they came. Had a quick lunch in shop before setting off to find the "weekend market". En route passed a zoo so spent a couple of hours wandering around - bargain at 20bhat. Saw every imaginable animal, bird and reptile. Most enjoyable watching the elephants, hippos, monkeys and snakes. A very well run zoo with the animals looking in good condition.

Back to the planned excursion to the "weekend market" As we alighted from the bus we were helped by a local who gave us a lift in his car to said market, as we parted he warned us to be watchful for pickpockets. The market was the largest yet seen with all manner of produce for sale, had a drink from a chilled young coconut, very refreshing! For our main meal we joined locals at an open-air street kitchen for noodles in fish soup. By now it was dark and we were a long way from our guest house, so it was time to make it back, had to use a compass and map with a combination of two bus rides, arrived back Khoa San Road in good time for a snack and a beer before bed.

Sunday 05.10.97 - A leisurely awakening and a stroll along Khoa San Road to the west end. Our plan for today was to catch a bus north some 20km & return by way of the river taxi. The bus journey was uneventful until we alighted at the wrong stop. To confirm the way to the water taxi pier we inquired in a newly erected high rise hotel, very select. The girl at reception couldn't speak English so she escorted us to the sixth floor, where an English speaking girl helped. From here we hopped on another bus for a kilometre, this time we got off at the side of a street market which turned out to be the most interesting & unusual yet. On sale were such things as live toads, skinned toads & all types of butchered meat but not beef!! A large variety of strange vegetables kept us intrigued all morning. One lady was selling deep fried insects and large beetles. We sampled some fruit resembling new potatoes which turned out to be lynches. Eventually we left the market for the water taxi pier, but took yet another wrong turning and ended up being helped with a lift from a rickshaw operative. At the pier the heavens opened and we were treated to a sample monsoon. The river Kloang Beang Waek at this point was a half a mile wide and by the end of the downfall great rafts of vegetation floated its way towards the sea.

For a few bhat we started our ferry ride, as we boarded an elderly gent slipped on the wet wooden steps, only I and one other stopped to help him to his feet, he was in considerable discomfort. A number of young Buddhist monks just stood by and watched - get a life I thought! The boat ride was good our attention kept alert the whole way by all the strange sites - people living in houses on stilts. The boat kept zig zagging to and fro across the river. Eventually we arrived at Thai Saphan Phud with another walk around yet another market, stopping on the way for lunch of soup stuff and rice, quite good and hot!

Caroline had ideas of another boat ride this time on a smaller vessel along one of the numerous canals. After finding the right boat, we were off at a good speed; the craft was similar in shape to a Venetian gondola with a powerful diesel engine propelling a long shaft. The boat trip was immensely interesting, passing local Thai people going about their daily duties in their stilted houses. The trip to the terminus took some 50 minutes, we disembarked and took tea in a riverside shop, only to be told we would have to return on the same boat, today being Sunday and this was the last boat. We re-boarded and started off back passing temples and coconut plantations. At intervals we noticed the odd coconut bobbing in the brown water, we arrived back at 17.00hrs. Next we caught another water taxi down river two or three stops to set off for a walk along the famous Silom Road this area was in complete contrast to the rural Bangkok we had been used to. The centre of the city monopolised by high rise office blocks and hotels. The rich and well to do were wandering the streets. My target for the evening was Patpon Road famous world wide for its red light district. We arrived to find yet another street market with girlie dance clubs lining each side of the road. Caroline not too comfortable with this area and kept urging me to walk along and not linger. I managed to snatch a look into one bar and saw numerous Asian beauties dressed only in sloggies dancing provocatively on the tables luring westerners into their clutches or was it crutches!

The ride home was unexpectedly uneventful and we arrived back at Kho San Road at 20.00hrs. for a beer and early bed. Heavy rain fell during the night.

Monday 06.10.97 - OFF TO CHINA - Awoke about 05.30hrs. before the alarm sounded, finished packing then set off to catch the airport mini bus. We had time to eat breakfast of porridge and bananas before boarding. We were the first passengers to be picked up. Rain was falling heavily and it had been doing so most of the night. For the next half-hour we collected more passengers from various guesthouses. A large amount of luggage resulted in the driver having to arrange baggage on the roof. The traffic to the airport was horrendous, and we had on board a neurotic French woman who had a flap every so often about the heat etc. We eventually arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare.

We confirmed our return flights with Balkan Air on a free phone. Take off was on time with Thai Air. The aircraft was almost empty and we were afforded excellent service from the aircrew. We had wine with our meal and Ian had a brandy to finish. Arrived Kunming China in rain. Our first objective was to change currency; we visited the Bank Of China, close to the airport. Plenty of locals in the bank - the sight of a small child with open front and back to his trousers was of interest. Back to the airport to book flight to Lijang, all went OK with the help of a helpful English-speaking assistant. Ian nearly had major heart attack when he was told we would be staying in a hotel. We took the airport bus to the Camillia Hotel. The city of Kunming not as congested as Bangkok but there were many more cycles. The hotel looked quite luxurious with palm court, music & doormen! We were offered a double room with extra bed for 60yuan. After settling in we went for a walk to find out where the bus station was in order to take us to the Stone Forest in the morning. We ended up on a hike along the sidewalk - crossing occasionally from side to side. Stopped for a take away meal - very tasty although small animal bones therein caused us concern. Back to the hotel for a beer and bed.

Tuesday 07.10.97 - We spent the night with a Korean man who insisted on reading Caroline's guide to China into the early hours.

As usual I was awake first at 07.00hrs. much to Caroline's disgust for she had only just fallen to sleep, nevertheless we had to get up for the journey to the Stone Forest, which is a 2hr. bus ride away. Deciding to eat breakfast en route we set off in pouring rain at 07.45hrs. Crossing the main city roads we had to be aware of first the wide cycle lane then the motor vehicle lane.

We had to catch two buses to the mini bus terminus from where the journey to the Stone Forest started. A number 5 bus arrived with about a million Chinese on board; we had a short confab with the driver, which left us all confused. He insisted we were travelling in the wrong direction, but we stayed on board to eventually learn the driver was right and we alighted at the terminus. We re-boarded the same bus and returned through the busy streets. In a quarter of an hour we were passing our starting point, with an awareness and a map we were soon at the King World Hotel where we boarded a mini bus for the days destination. Chase the potential passenger now followed until the bus was full this procedure took an hour.

We were on our way at last and soon leaving the confines of the busy city. Every kilometre there was something new to see. Paddy fields with stooks of rice drying, water buffalo feeding by the road. The rain hadn't heeded for some 13hrs. and it was still falling heavily, at one point we had to drive through 2' of floodwater.

Two stops on the way the second of which was a lunch stop, we were aware of this fact too late, however we were entertained by the chef and a fast moving wok. Ducks were being prepared for the local hotel - chopped with an axe into small pieces.

Only a kilometre further on we were at the gates of the Stone Forest. We secured a room for 70yuan and took a two-hour sleep. Refreshed we set off at 17.00hrs. for a stroll into the nearby countryside, picking our way on narrow grassy paths between towering limestone pillars. A secluded spot was chosen to sit a while, watching pied flycatchers and butterflies, by now the rain had stopped.

At 18.30hrs. we were able to enter the official Stone Forest free, and were able to enjoy a quick browse; quite spectacular the massive limestone pillars here had walkways built around them.

A good tasty meal was had in a nearby restaurant if not a little pricey 120yuan (£10.50), a beer and home to bed.

Wednesday 08.10.97 - Awoke to the sound of rain. Had decided we would go to a village called Lunar today - about 10km from Shilin. Packed packs and left in room for the day. Walked to the top road and within a few minutes we were in a minibus on the way to the market town - passing rice fields on the way. As we drove the twenty minutes the weather started to clear up - we were shown where the market was being held by a fellow passenger, and also told where we could pick up a return bus. What an eye-opener it was - every manner of commodity was being sold. Herbs, fruit, vegetables, meat and cereals. Watched a chicken being cleaned - in a sort of spin drier to remove the feathers - similar to ones we had seen in the markets in Morocco. Bought some very small bananas for breakfast - which were very sweet. Spent a couple of hours just wandering around - guess who was the centre of attraction!

Found a Post Office - but to actually post the cards were a problem - took about 15minutes - and a couple of phone calls - before the clerk had dealt with them. Would they ever arrive in England?

Ian bought a set of scales - similar to the ones which were being used everywhere. We found another market on the way back - people were repairing shoes, umbrellas etc., others were having a shampoo and set - having to wash their own hair from a shower-like contraption outside the shop. There were many herbalist’s selling their wares with anatomical drawings (!) behind them. On the main street we saw a woman extracting blood from an elderly man with bamboo tubes stuck to his body under pressure - looked very painful. This process intrigued plenty of onlookers. We stopped in a small cafe for a beer (and a tea of course) and watched the throngs go by. After leaving we watched a man making things with play-dough for the numerous children that were around. They paid a sum of money and took a ticket from the bag and he made whatever it said. He was a very talented man and the children loved it.

A man smoking some of his tobacco stock at Lunar market

Gradually made our way back to the bus station and caught a bus back to Shilin quite quickly. Picked up bags from hotel and right out the door onto a bus to Kunming. No stops on way back until we arrived in city. We passed many landfalls as we returned - which was being cleared by people using shovels, men and women working alongside. Nightmare getting into Kunming - had to change buses - the traffic was endless - fumes were also terrible. Eventually arrived back at the bus station and made our way back to the Camelia Hotel, after stopping at a cafe for coffee (Nescafe - lovely) and a meal (60 yuan). A promenade in the evening and we saw an elderly group dancing and using finger drums.

Thursday 09.10.97 - An early call 5.30hrs - packed our bags in dim light - so as not to disturb dormitory residents. The only way to airport at this time of day was a taxi - which conveniently was waiting at the hotel entrance. Arrived Kunming airport 6 o'clock - all went to plan and we were in the air at 8.05hrs. Views of the ground were generally good - away from the city small hillocks with very little inhabitancy. The flight lasted 45mins and we were treated to a baseball cap - a bit naff!

A bus was waiting to ferry us to Lijang - the road was unmade for most of the way and it snaking in and out of the valleys, it was a nightmare. We were left in the town centre to fend for ourselves - inquired at the Lijang Hotel as to the whereabouts of the bus station - and were able to find it eventually - and bought a ticket for Qiatou (pronounced Shoto). Slight confusion as to the departure time, which meant us returning first at 12.00hrs. and then at 13.00hrs. Our spare time was spent visiting the old town and yet another thronging market.

At 13.00hrs our bus croaked into the yard. the oldest and most bone-shaken vehicle here. Inside, the seats were all ripped and the roof hung in ribbons, however the driver was smiling and happy! The journey took 3hrs over roads resembling the worst sections of the Okehampton army road. Tired and weary we found a room for 50yuan (£4.00) for a double. We were supplied with a flask of boiling water, which we used to add to a pot noodle, and ate with relish in our rooms. Had a short walk to make clear tomorrow’s route and then returned to a local cafe for a beer. Here we were informed our planned route was impassable due to a landslide. As fate would have it a very pleasant chap sat with us and explained the route to be OK. We chatted the evening away and found we had a lot in common. We may meet up again tomorrow as he is taking the same route; he lives at Walnut Grove.

Friday 10.10.97 - Awoke to the alarm about 6o'clock, packed up and set off out of the village in darkness. Through the unmanned toll gate (20yuan) and we were away. As we walked the light became brighter and we were able to see the river below us. Trucks were passing us on their way up the gorge. The view was fabulous - the snow capped Jade Dragon mountain above us and the river below pounding ever onwards. We passed many people working on the roads. Ian went up to explore a mine on the side of the hillside.

The magnificent river Yangtse coursing its way down Tiger Leaping Gorge

We came upon a teahouse with a young Australian already there. Had a long talk with him about his travels - he had flown to Delhi and cycled through India, Tibet and was now making his way through China. Did feel a little apprehensive when I saw the cuts on his legs - which he said he had obtained that morning crossing the waterfall landslide! Sean - who we had met the previous evening - caught up with us here and stayed with us for the rest of the journey to Walnut Grove. The waterfall was a washout - there had been a lot of blasting and it was not possible to cross safely. Stones were falling down all the time!! We then had a little lunch before setting off on a high level bypass. This track was a nightmare - pulling ourselves up over the rocks. At one point our guide appeared to be going a different direction to us! We eventually came to a wonderful pool area. Numerous very colourful birds were feeding at the water. Here we were joined by Sean - who told us he had been marking the route for other walkers. We way-marked a large rock here, before we shared a pear with Sean. We set off again crossing the river on a bamboo bridge. The next part I found the most difficult - pulling myself up through the undergrowth on the conveniently placed bamboo's - with plenty of rests. Ian suggested that Sean carried on - as I could be sometime. He did however call every so often to give us the general direction we should be walking in - the path was a little indistinct at times. Eventually we reached the ridge - we could now see how near to Walnut Grove we had been at the Waterfall below. What a lot of time we had wasted in the climb up. Ian had enjoyed this part the best. We rejoined Sean at this point and he showed how to strip the stalk of the corn to then chew it and produce a sweet juice.

As we approached the village (500 people) we passed a few houses and the school. Plenty of small fields with different kinds of vegetables growing. Arrived at Walnut Grove and Sean's GuestHouse. What a lovely setting. High up on the hillside looking down the valley - with the head of Jade Dragon Mountain on the opposite hillside some three and a half thousand metres above us. We enjoyed a cool Coke before having a shower. Our room had a gorgeous view!! Electric blankets!! Supper was an experience - with the family - all mucking in together. Sean's three daughters were very helpful, making sure our dishes were full. We ate spinach soup, corn and onions, tomatoes and onions, and reconstituted salted beef. Finishing off with doughnuts and coffee (Yunnan style). We spent the evening with the family and many people from the village engrossed in tying up corn - which would be dried and stored for winter use. Ian soon picked up the way in which this was done. We both retired to bed quite exhausted after a really exhilarating day.

Saturday 11.10.97 - A day of rest today, a lying in a very comfortable bed with an electric blanket. A leisurely morning spent chatting to Margo the landlady; we drank coffee and enjoyed the beautiful vista from the patio. At about 14.00hrs. I set off for an expedition to the river Yangtse picking my way down the mountainside through cornfields, until the path stopped. Strung from bushes were net curtain size spiders webs, their residents very large and very colourful, the thought did cross my mind whether they were harmful. After having one or two draped in my face, I decided to arm myself with a stick to break down future barriers.

Tied to a rope I came face to face with a tethered bull, grazing in rough terrain, a bamboo rod was inserted through its nose secured to this rope. Throughout the walk numerous large brightly coloured butterflies fluttered by, it was like wandering through a butterfly farm. The ground fell away steeply to the raging river below. I picked my way down towards the riverbank, the way getting increasingly more difficult but the lure of such an epic force of nature was too great. I battled on eventually reaching the rivers edge; huge boulders lay strewn on the bank, results of previous landslides. I selected the largest boulder some 100tones, which projected into the river's flow; I sat here for a long time drinking in the unique atmosphere of this special place. The river here would be impossible to cross, the flow some 20-25mph. obvious eddies foaming at the centre. Upstream a rapid dropping 10-15' over 100m, the noise was deafening. Every so often rocks and dust fell from the road above under construction. One hour here was worth two weeks holiday. I selected two pebbles from the riverbed for a keepsake. Eventually it was time to make it back, the route up was easier to follow and I enjoyed the walk - the sun was hot and I was able to cool off in small tumbling waterfalls. At the top of the path I spotted two Europeans resting at Woodies (the opposition village guesthouse), I stopped to chat for an hour and enjoyed a beer with them. By the time I returned to Caroline she looked a little concerned - I had with me, all the holiday money - was this the only reason for her concern?

The evening was spent relaxing and eating a good meal, bed at 10.00hrs.

Sunday 12.10.97 - Awoke to the sound of blasting of the road again this morning. We packed our bags and went down to breakfast of porridge honey & sultanas. As we were eating a woman arrived looking a little shocked - she had crossed the landslide at the waterfall this morning - a very hair raising experience. Said our farewells to all at Sean's before setting off at about 09.45hrs. Passed Woodies and stopped to chat to some fellow travellers. We were given a map of the gorge showing two ferry crossings. We set off on the trail the sun began to warm us, we passed numerous groups of local people going about their daily chores. Arrived at ferry crossing about 11.15hrs. and snaked our way down the mountainside through trees on a small path. Two boatmen were waiting to ferry us across the fast flowing Yangtse. The crossing was very quick and uneventful. On the far side we rested and watched the boatman return. We climbed the track towards the village of Daju, many birds and butterflies were seen. En route we passed a large cave cut into the hillside, it was fenced with cut bamboo & resembled a bear pit.

It was now very warm; Caroline needed many rests on the upward climb. The path was easy to follow. At the top we stopped for lunch sheltering from the hot sun. The afternoon walk was less strenuous passing through meadows festooned in autumnal flora and fauna, butterflies were in abundance with large grasshoppers noisily screeching from their hideaways. Soon we caught sight of Daju; we passed through the outskirts, all the residents busy hard at work - milling corn - ploughing fields with water buffalo - spreading manure by hand. A leat system was used to irrigate the fields; we had our first feel of a rice crop. A very enjoyable walk eventually arriving at the town centre, here a collection of traders were busy trading tobacco. Liquid refreshment was now needed; Ian had a large beer and Caroline a coke. The main street was not made up and tumbleweed rolled its way propelled by the warm breeze resembling a scene from a western. Fellow travellers passed us whilst we were enjoying our refreshment on their way to the only hotel in town, The Tiger Leaping Hotel. At the hotel we all partook of a wash down in the yard.

Paddy fields near the community of Daju

From the balcony we enjoyed views of surrounding mountains, some snow capped. Nestling in hidden far distant valleys were small village communities carrying on their own lives.

Blasting could still be heard echoing from the distant gorge. A good wholesome meal was enjoyed before settling down to a warm good sleep.

Monday 13.10.97 - The alarm sounded at 06.30hrs. the towns electric was off, so had to pack our bags in the dark. Breakfast at 07.10hrs. - Porridge and coffee. Between 07.30hrs. and 08.00hrs. the bus to Lijang filled with eager passengers mostly Chinese and four Europeans. We bumped our way out of town and climbed steadily for 2hrs. the road/track was very uneven, the driver was very skilled to avoid tipping us all into deep ravines. The roughness of the trail sometimes lurched us towards 500-foot drops - Caroline found this quite disconcerting. Eventually we started the descent with the road getting increasingly more clogged, it wasn't long before the bus ground to halt, stuck in deep mud. A mechanical digger was parked nearby, its driver sleeping in the cab, unconcerned as to our predicament. Our driver tried in vain to get free, until at last the digger driver showed some compassion and tried to start his machine, it had run out of fuel. A good while was spent priming the digger's engine until it spluttered into action. Pulling our bus free was then just a formality. The resulting hold up caused a vehicle bottleneck, which took more time to clear, the total wasted time was an hour. Eventually we were off again but hadn't gone far when we got stuck again, another tow from a digger and we continued the bumpy ride to Lijang. I wondered how the vehicles suspension units coped? At Lijang we were escorted to our accommodation for the night by fellow travellers. After settling in we set off for a stroll around the town.

Bogged down on our way to Lijang

At the local market we located a shoe repairer who expertly repaired my now sick boots, the cost of his work had to be negotiated from 100yuan to 30yuan. Back to the guesthouse for a rest and a wash. Suitably refreshed we strolled around the old town and enjoyed a meal of mushrooms and rice accompanied with the inevitable green weak tea.

Tuesday 14.10.97 - Monday nights sleep was disturbed with the sound of rats scurrying in the roof space.

We awoke at 07.30hrs. to the sound of locals in the courtyard below carrying out their ablutions and preparing breakfast.

We sought out the local bus station to arrange a bus for the following day to Dali.

A local attraction was Black Dragon Pool Park; an entry fee was needed so decided to give it a miss. At the gates three craftsmen were busy chiselling stone carvings of lions.

Ma Ma Fues cafe is a well known travellers meeting place so we set off to seek it out, only to find it had moved into the old town. The morning was spent walking around the new town in warm sun. I needed a toilet so we spent the next hour searching one out, with little success. Finding a toilet in a Chinese town is near impossible, what do the locals do? My relief was to be had at the south bus station, having to pay to use a disgusting communal shit pit! With the panic over we made our way to a hill at the town centre, accommodating a graveyard on its slopes. At the summit was a brand new pavilion, brightly painted and crafted, we climbed to the top from where we were afforded distant vistas of the surrounding countryside. A Chinese girl with a command of English told us that the government had funded the pavilion. After a restful time here we set off for the old town and found a market, bought a set of chisels and a so-called bone carving.

Old town Lijang market

Found Ma Ma Fues cafe and enjoyed a beer and a bite to eat, kept here is a visitors book, we spent a good while studying the text.

Back to the guesthouse for a rest before setting off for an evening's entertainment at the Naxi Theatre. We were ushered into a large hall decorated in old Chinese; lanterns hung from every corner. The stage was a clutter of seats and strange stringed instruments standing waiting for their musicians to arrive. At last the lights dimmed and we were treated to an evening of traditional Naxi music, the scores being handed down from 517 years AD. The musicians were all of great age six of whom were over 80 years old. The sound was good, during the translated commentaries between tunes; many of the musicians were asleep. We enjoyed a good evening. During the entertainment a rat yes a rat joined the performers on the stage, only leaving when the performance ended.

Bed at 22.00hrs.

Wednesday 15.10.97 - An early rise to catch the bus to Dali. We had chance to try a typical Chinese breakfast - rice porridge (sweet white water) & a hard-boiled egg.

The bus pulled out of the north bus station on time and quite full. The nearside rear window was broken with jagged glass a danger, a constant wind blew through the window and we all felt cold. Cigarette smoking on these trips is always a problem for us. At 09:30hrs. a toilet stop was called for - muck the most disgusting experience Caroline has ever had - human waste covered in flies & maggots lay in piles. All aboard and off to the Dali valley over hills. A large fresh water lake sits within the hills and the surrounding plains put to the production of China’s main crop rice. Many workers with traditional san pan hats were busy harvesting their crop. Once the rice is cut it is laid for a week to dry after this period bundles are gathered and the ears are beaten into huge hand made baskets, once the baskets are full then the grain is winnowed with the aid in some instances of electric fans.

We arrived at Dali town at 14:00hrs. & had to walk the dusty roads for a mile or two until we reached the MCA hotel. The hotel was geared for western tastes even sporting a swimming pool, which I soon took, advantage of - colder than expected. With some of the afternoon remaining we strolled into the town soaking up all the unusual sights, woodcarving was a prime industry and many workshops busy churning out furniture. We returned to the hotel and took advantage of an organised Bar B’Q for our evening meal. After our meal the evening became quite chilly so we took another walk into the town. A few beers we came upon a teashop with a group playing classical music their instruments were all strange stringed affairs.

Thursday 16.10.97 - Awoke about 7.30a.m. to the sound of the Chinese army marching! Found out later it was in the nearby army camp. Out for our breakfast of porridge and boiled eggs. Ian decided we would hire bikes for the day. After trying a few we set off. After a little while we were out of the town cycling between the paddy fields - it was their harvest season and they were busy cutting and separating the rice from the chaff. We eventually arrived at the lake and we were accosted by the local boatmen to hire a boat. Spent the lunch hour watching the local women washing and rinsing their clothes in the lake. After they left others came to wash their large trays (woven out of straw).

The roads on the way back were spread with rice drying - which made cycling difficult at times. Stopped at a shop for a drink of beer - all went quiet for a while - but eventually things carried on as if we weren’t there - even to a very small girl going to the toilet in front of us.

A couple of local tots

Back to the hotel for shower and talk with fellow travellers. The evening meal was taken with other travellers in the centre of Dali. Spent sometime at a classical music evening before returning very tired and sore - from our bike ride at 10o’clock.

Friday 17.10.97 - Awoke at 7.00a.m. and listened to the radio for half an hour. Down for breakfast and afterwards packed our bag for a night out. Left the rest of our belongings at reception before setting off for the walk to the pier. Lonely Plant estimates the walk from Dali to the boat pier as being 40mins, we made it 1hr.30mins. A pleasant walk through the paddy fields with workers already hard at it. A "guide" intercepted us at the top of the long road to the boat - we negotiated a price. Arrived at the pier with a dozen or so boats tied up. Ticket touts made us their target and a half an hour bargaining secured us a ride for 50yuan for two. Only us on board! We crossed Dali Lake SE enjoying the morning ride. We disembarked at a point near Haidong and a Chinese Temple. We arrived just as a large tourist boat docked. Mayhem ensued and we fought our way up steep stairs, being accosted on the way to pay 5yuan - we refused much to the annoyance of the ticket man. This was a charge to visit the temple - which we did not intend visiting - eventually he realised this and let us go on our way.

A road hugged the lakeside in a north direction - a dusty way and mot made up. The first workers we saw were quarry people chiselling out great boulders from the hillside and transporting them across our track to a crusher - which spewed small stones in a heap for a barge to collect.

Around the first bent and observant as always Carole spotted captive cormorants resting after a fishing trip with their owner. We sat here a good while in the company of the fisherman who enjoyed a smoke.

We continued passing many quarry workers about their employ. Butterflies were in profusion - large and brightly coloured. Birds also were a treat - we saw a kingfisher, pied wagtails, pied flycatchers and many small brightly coloured birds. Ahead of us was a 15km walk - but every km had something of interest. Lunch was spent in the only village on the way; we climbed down to the water edge and watched a family pulling in fishing nets. They gave us juicy pears we in turn gave the children some of our biscuits.

The afternoon was hot and we passed many shrimp fisherman hauling in their nets. Along the edge of the lake cannabis was also found to be growing - once again not picked by the locals. At 15.00hrs the temptation for a swim was too great - so off with our clothes and in we went - absolutely gorgeous. We eventually arrived at our destination Wase - a sleepy fishing village. We stopped at a roadside shop for a beer and enjoyed the tranquil views of the lake and harbour.

After much searching we eventually found somewhere to stay - very grubby! Pigs roamed the streets waffling waste vegetables. Found a goof place to eat and enjoyed vegetables and rice (avoided meat here as the guidebook mentioned that the people of Wase eat dog!). Bed at 21.00 hrs for we had to rise at 5.15a.m. for the only boat out of Wase for the day.

Saturday 18.10.97 - Made our getaway from the hellhole - all was quiet in the village - one or two lights behind the doors - of other early risers. On arriving at the boat we found people were already on boards - some sleeping - some wandering around. It wasn’t long before we set off in the dark. Most of the journey was taken on deck - quite cold. The lake was very calm as we ploughed along - the odd fisherman was passed en route - some had lights others not. As the sun came up Ian realised we were passing Dali altogether - where were we going? After about one and half-hours we eventually arrived in Old Dali - bit of a dirty city especially early in the morning. Spent sometime walking around trying to find a breakfast spot. It was really a cold morning. Breakfast was taken in and office canteen - a sort of noodle mixture and Ian had eggs.

Now to find our way back to Dali - a few false starts - can anybody read a map? OK we were on our way back to the MCA. Were given the room next door to our last visit. A while was taken unwinding, doing a pile of washing and having a shower. We then relaxed by the pool with a beer and a steak sandwich.

In the afternoon went to have a look at the three pagodas, passing many marble cutters on the way - most of the machinery was being run by beam engines. Plenty of our tourists were also visiting the pagodas. Ian bought a crystal ball. As we were a long way from the centre of the town we decided to take a horse and cart back and had a rest for a while.

As we went out from our meal in the evening we bumped into Margo and Sean from Tiger Leaping Gorge, in Dali for shopping and business. Had our meal with them in a Tibetan Restaurant - a very enjoyable evening was had. Returned to guesthouse at 10o’clock. A comfortable night and very peaceful.

Sunday 19.10.97. - A leisurely start today with a wholesome breakfast of porridge, fruit and eggs. We ate in the sun beside the swimming pool - very up market! I had a game of snooker with the hotel's owner.

At 11.00hrs we left to walk the road S towards Old Dali for 3-4km - not a very nice experience - cars, buses and trucks spilling diesel fumes along with road dust us, with the constant hoot of loud horns. Rivers flow from the mountains to the W, we crossed the first and made our way up the second along a mule track - it wasn’t long before me met four mules laden with farm produce. We made our way up towards the high peaks walking through productive farmland with workers as usual tending them. We followed the steam criss-crossing as we went. Buzzards soared overhead. We took a rest in a rock-cave and watched the butterflies. Onwards and upwards into a pretty meadow adorned with wild flowers and bird song. We continued upstream hoping to find three pools mentioned in the Lonely Planet book. High on the hill were tombs facing the lake. The river was clear as it tumbled over large boulders - it was so good to be out of the pollution of the town and breathe fresh air again. We arrived at the end of the path below huge overhanging cliffs, now it was time to return taking frequent rests to enjoy our surrounds. We watched a group of elderly matriarchs picking tea and had a "chat" not that any of us understood but contact was good. We were able to find an unpolluted track back to Dali through farm fields growing corn, beans, onions, greens, tomatoes and many more selections. Arrived back at the hotel and enjoyed a beer.

Our evening meal was spent with a "couple" of Americans; the conversation made the evening pass very quickly. A nightcap of Chinese brandy was taken at Pete's Peace Place before turning in for the night at 23.15hrs.

Monday 20.10.97 - Awoke at 7.30a.m. just as the sun was coming up. Today we were off to a shopping market. It was a little colder outside today so had breakfast inside - Ian his usual porridge and fruit, I muesli, yoghurt and fruit followed by freshly squeezed orange juice. Everyone else appeared to be waiting for the bus arranged by the Hotel. We made our way up the main road to catch the local bus. We were only there a couple of minutes and away we went, with all manner of produce!. After a little while we called in at another village and had to change buses - everybody was really helpful to make sure we were on the right bus. Arrived at market at about 9.45a.m. already it was in full throngs.

The street up to the main market was lined with tourist paraphernalia-batik work, embroidery, silver trinkets and old coins, etc. We then came upon the noodle sellers - as in most markets we have been to all certain trades/sellers seem to keep together. The next thing, which caught our eye, were the dentists! Working at the side of the market, their drills operated by their feet and no anaesthetic! The patients did not seem in too much pain.

We wandered up to the top of the market first every spot taken up by some stallholder, in the quarry traders were selling seeds for growing, weighing out meticulously with their weights. Customers always trying to add a few more seeds at the final point. I can imagine what would happen if this was tried in England.

Street dentist, NHS cuts!

We then cut down lower to watch the pigs being sold, they were tethered by ropes to their back feet whilst prospective purchases inspected them. Most of the goods except for the foodstuffs seemed to be of poor quality - I was not tempted to buy anything. Ian however bought an implement for mending shoes. We left about 1o’clock and arrived back at the Hotel about 2ish. Relaxed around the pool with a steak sandwich and a beer, before having a couple of hour's rest.

Our last meal in Dali was a lovely sweet and sour pork.

Tuesday 21.10.97 - An early rise and off to Old Dali on the bus, as luck would have is we bought a ticket to Boashan which left us where we were to catch our outward bus at 9.30hrs. Spot on 9.30 our bus arrived and that’s where punctuality ran out. With a few passengers on board we made our way to the garage end of town searching for a bolt! Eventually we ended up at a garage who set about dismantling the rear suspension wishbone. Two and half-hours later we were back on the road only to run our of diesel three miles down the road! The old bus conductor ran with a bucket to collect some from a local garage a mile or so down the road.

The bus ride from hell now commenced with a bumpy ride over unmade roads and surface dust everywhere, fortunately we had bought face masks the evening before and these helped out congestion. Much roadworks were taking place on the far bank of a very polluted fairly big river. The unmade road was with us for 2hrs. then relief a made up road, we passed into mountainous terrain, which resulted in us zigzagging up and down mountains with precarious drops at one side, the driver had to overtake frequently on bends. We arrived at our destination at 18.30hrs eight and a half hours after our start. We both were physically and mentally exhausted. Found a hotel (Alien and tourist hotel!) and popped out for a meal which was OK excepting for a fellow customer hawking the contents of his throat onto the floor of the cafe. Bed 21.00hrs.

Wednesday 22.10.97. - Our first job of the morning was to check out the times of the bus to Tengchong. The traffic was not as bad as we expected. Made our way up to the CACC office (Airline) en route stopped to have a breakfast of noodles at one of the street traders - it went down very well. It took sometime to be seen at the airline office but eventually booked our flight back to Kunming. We were not able to change traveller's cheques at the first bank we called at. The streets became a little quieter as we wound our way up to the Pagoda. A very remote pagoda but the view from the top was fine over Boashan City and beyond to the mountains surrounding the plateau.

Made our way towards the Taibou Park (2yaun) and walked up the winding road. Plenty of butterflies in profusion again. Called in at the Zoo en route, only a few animals: -antelope, deer, bears, monkeys, feral cats. One of the monkeys frightened me by grabbing a biscuit from my hand. All in all the animals looked quite healthy - although we felt some could have had more to keep them amused. We carried on up the road and come across a restaurant - time for a cold beer.

On the top of the hill was a shrine which was very colourful, set in a well-tended garden with many bonsai trees and colourful plants including hibiscus. A park was set up also here with many ancient rides for children!! Spent a little while relaxing in a pavilion - until Ian decided it was time to move on. It was here that we saw for the only time an elderly lady with her feet tied - something which used to be done an awful lot in China. The lady had to be helped to walk by her two also elderly companions.

As we returned to the City found the Bank of China and were able to change the traveller's cheques this time. Had a wander around the shops - I bought a paid of boots for the winter for £10 and Ian bought a bamboo stick and a sampan!! It was still very warm as we walked around the markets. Had another check at the bus station and bought the tickets for tomorrow morning. Back to Hotel to box up the things we were leaving behind in Boashan.

Thursday 23.10.97. - Yet another early start, set the alarm for 6.10hrs. packed and left for the bus station - our destination today was to be hopefully Tengchong. As usual the bus left on time, a large one fully occupied. We donned our face masked; an absolute must in China. Everyone apart from us deposited sputum after wrenching it up from their lungs out of the window, and in many cases on the floor of the bus. We hadn’t gone far when a gang of six men boarded the bus and promptly tried to involve passengers in a game of "pea under the cup" - they worked as a team betting their own money until some unsuspecting player joined in. Needless to say the stranger never won. With little enthusiasm from the passengers they alighted in five miles or so.

So the start of another bus ride to hell this time the expected duration 8hrs. The seating arrangements were very cramped and the prospect of a day confined with heavy smokers and sputum wrenches was formidable. Lunch was taken high in the mountains in a one-horse town only surviving on bus passengers having to eat. Residents were picking grubs from a honeycomb to fry later. Yummy yummy!!

Onward and the inevitable breakdown - the fuel pipe snapped. All passengers alighted and left the driver to his repair. Only 15mins past and we were again on our way bumping along unmade roads arriving at our destination at 15.05hrs - it did indeed take 8hrs. Surprise surprise!

Found our hotel and had a well deserved shower and freshened up some of our clothing. Went in search of some food but ended up going as far as the bus station, so booked tickets for return trip to Boashan.

On the way back Ian was able to purchase the carrying pieces for his stick. Found a place to eat and ordered a bit too much - food kept arriving. Most went down with a Dali Beer.

Walked as far as the Tengchong Restaurant and found out about the bus for the Hot Springs tomorrow. Back to bed but Karoke kept us awake for a little while.

Friday 24.10.97. - Awoke at 6.45am dressed and set off for the bus, which was supposed to leave at 7.30. We had to get a few extra instructions but eventually at 8.05 set off for the springs. For a little while the track was a little rough and then we turned onto a tarmac road. It was not long before we arrived at the springs - for 5yuan each we entered with the rest of our fellow passengers on the mini bus. Made our way up to the main attraction - the big boiler - what a sight! A circular pond of bubbling water, giving off a lot of steam and smelling like rotten eggs. The sun was not up yet but it was still warm, we were joined by other tourists who also enjoyed the warm (hot) springs. We cooked a couple of eggs - which we purchased from one of the locals - in one of the pools. Ian soft boiled his - I had mine hard-boiled. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the phenomena - before setting off on a side-track.

We boiled eggs in the hot natural springs

We gradually climbed higher, through meadows, along the side of the water pipe, through pine forests and finally fields bordering the track. Met a few people bringing their cows down to the meadows for the day. Once again the number of butterflies - especially red ones with their wings tinged with black overwhelmed us. Many dragonflies were also seen. We eventually arrived at a village just as children were coming home from school. We could not make a lot of contact with the children until a village elder came to join us. Then children surrounded us - some even trying out their English. They were very interested in Ian’s compass. A number of the boys had whoops, which they ran, along the ground with another piece of wire. We were then invited into one of the houses for tea. The ladies carried on with their work as if we were not there, one feeding the pigs, another carrying pig manure (complete with baby on her back) to the nearby field and an older lady removing some chaff from the husked rice. Said our farewells and made our way back down the track and came our near the big boiler again. Nobody was around now.

Made our way down another route past different smaller thermal active pools - all having different names - until we came to the swimming pool. Nobody was using this. We quickly changed in the small huts provided before trying out the pool - it was like bath water - the top layer being slightly warmer than the rest. The only other takers were a large number of dragonflies. We whiled away another hour or so in this tranquil spot before we made our way back up the track beside the river. We passed many bubbling pools had been bricked up, eventually we arrived at a large waterfall with more springs coming from the rock-face - this one was walled Toad Mouth Fountain. We were able to pick up a mini bus back to Tengchong quite quickly.

The house where our hosts served us tea in jam jars.

Time for a Dali beer to quench our thirst. as we watched life go on in this quiet layback city.

Out in the evening to find somewhere to eat. found a reasonable spot but unfortunately again we ordered far too much - we haven’t quite got the hang of ordering meals as yet!

As we ambled back and had just reached a busy crossroads the city’s lights went out and everywhere was plunged into darkness. Emergency procedures came quickly into force and candles appeared along with Tilly lamps. We were sent to bed with a candle.

Saturday 25.10.97. - A lay-in today - we rose at 8.30hrs. Prepared and ate our breakfast in our room - a chocolate roll with sliced bananas. We left our hotel and ambled westward and found yet another produce market - we never tire of the amount of interesting products on sale.

We eventually found the road out of Tengchong for Heshun Village - renowned for housing Chinese who have spent time working abroad. The road was not too dusty and in 4km or so we were at the junction to the village - a long straight cobbled road lay ahead with paddy fields on both sides. We stopped and watched a farmer ploughing his fields with a water buffalo for about an hour, in the warm sunshine, egrets fed nearby.

The actual village entrance is over a typical Chinese Bridge and ducks swan downstream. We strolled through this sleepy little village acknowledged by the odd resident. We sat a while and in no time had attracted the attentions of a group of children keen to try their English. We set off again with three boys in tow, they guided us to three temples on a hill - where we sat for a quiet moment with the curate who offered us a jar (!) of tea. Lunch was taken in the local kitchen; we had noodles, pork broth and spices, quite good. (3yuan-21p).

We decided to spend the afternoon hiking high above the village sweeping E through intensely farmed fields. A pleasant stroll with many interesting birds and plants to see. The walk culminated at the village lake where boys were busy fishing and farmers tending their rice crop. Had the inevitable Dale beer in a local shop and then made our way back along the straight road. Along the way I decided to lend a hand to a group of women thrashing rice into a wooden trough - this caused a hilarious response. Back to the hotel for a shower.

As we were going to look for somewhere to eat in the evening a Chinese girl - who turned out to be a teacher, approached us. After a little while talking she invited us back to her house for a cup of tea and some fruit. We met her husband, her little boy and her father-in-law. It was a most enjoyable couple of hours she asked if I could write to her - so we exchanged addresses. Our stomachs were a little hungry by now, so we said our farewells. Back to the bustling centre for a meal. Another short power cut at the hotel - which we had earlier found out from our host happened quite often at this time of the year when the rivers were low. They turned off the whole system!!

Sunday 26.10.97. - After another disturbed night cue to Karoke we got up about 8o’clock to the sound of rain! Ian went out to get some buns for breakfast - neither of us could face the spice soup for breakfast! First thing in the morning we went to have a look at the Free Trade Bazaar in the town and then gradually wound our way along the narrow streets, until we picked up the main road. Walked the same route at yesterday - less dustier due to the overnight rain. Took a right fork today and walked towards the village of Yingjiang. People were already in their paddy fields - the lucky ones who had covered their rice yesterday were able to carry on. We passed a pond where a couple of people were fishing with nets.

Entered the village and made our way to where I had seen somebody walking along a track earlier - it ended out being a leat which ran around the side of the hillside feeding the field systems. Very gradually at first we climbed up the slopes of the volcano - already able to pick up pieces of lava. A local with flip-flops passed us on! Reached a plateau at the top where a large crop of tobacco was planted, with the help of the local we made our way around the mountain - as no obvious path was on this side. Eventually we reached the summit of Mt.Ma’ and walked the full circumference of the volcano - through the different types of trees, to the singing of the crickets and again past numerous colourful butterflies. After a break on the top we made our way down the West Side of the volcano passing people going up to tend to their crops. Back in the village time for a quick beer in the local shop, where we were again the centre of attraction. We then walked on a little further and came upon a very neglected pagoda set amongst some quarries. As we took a rest in the afternoon sun we could hear in the distance the sound of chipping away at the volcanic rock. A local joined us for a little while. Back to the main road where we were able to pick up a bus which took us back to the town and our hotel.

A dog in a basket destined for the pot

In the evening we set off to find a suitable eating house - always a problem in China. We made our way to an eating house opposite the Tengchong Guest House. As usual the fun starts when we need to order. Caroline has an attempt first to explain sweet and sour chicken - no luck. Then it was my turn and managed to locate a blue looking chicken so I said do to it what you may, I was feeling rotten with a heavy head cold, we drank tea watching fellow customers until our meal arrived. A steaming pot with a soup mix, yummy we thought - chicken soup. By now we were both quite adept at using chop sticks and delved into the mixture - the lucky dip brought forth chopped complete bits of the chosen chicken: - feet, head, backside and intestines. I couldn’t face much of it however Caroline made a good attempt; the soup mixture was spiced with too much ginger. Back to bed to be serenaded by two local Karoke bars late into the night.

Monday 27.10.97. - Yet another early rise at 6.15a.m. to catch the bus to Baoshan. Had to wake the hotel gate keeper and then we had to walk through darkened streets to the bus station. School children were making their way to school fearless of the dark. The bus pulled out on time at 7.30a.m. - we on this occasion had secured two front seats with plenty of air. Fortunately the road was damp from the recent rain which laid the dust. A bumpy ride through the mountains and over a border and we arrived at our destination at 14.15hrs. Secured a room at the local hotel and wandered around the town in the early evening, selected a takeaway meal - simple and cheap - back for an early night.

Tuesday 28.10.97. - Awoke to the sound of the alarm at 6o’clock. Once again on the move, packed our bags and made our way towards bus station. Just when we wanted a taxi none were to be seen - so we had to go the four miles to the airport in a kind of tut-tut - which at this time of the morning was very cold. Paid our 20yuan at the gate of the Airport and walked the 300metres to the terminal building. We were one of the first to arrive - so much for the check-in time! More and more people gradually arrived - but still no aeroplane. At about 8.10a.m. the plane landed and passengers disembarked - we were now ready to board. After a 40mins. flight we landed in Kunming - had to wait this time for our baggage - which we then left in Left Luggage for the day. Caught Airport bus to Hotel, checked in and went to change some money - which turned out to be more of a challenge than we thought. When we arrived the bank was closed, so we thought we would take a walk towards the lake - few navigational problems - never arrived at the lake - but we did find a park with a boating lake. Were able to while away a couple of hours here. Whilst here found there was another Bank near our Hotel mentioned in the Lonely Planet. Stopped on the way back for a snack, which included some yoghurt in a small bottle, which was delicious. Guess who didn’t have a towel? Ian had left it in the other bag - no problem - we improvised! The evening meal was taken with other Europeans in a nearby cafe. Had a long talk with a couple from the lakes. Back to Hotel for a good nights sleep - too much snoring!

Wednesday 29.10.97. - Our last day in the Peoples Republic of China. Awoke and rose at 8.00a.m. Made it to the cafe, which caters for westerners and had egg and ham sandwiches and glass of hot chocolate. With spare Chinese currency in our pockets we set off for the city to hunt for a few presents. Not much luck China seems very poor in consumables - and what they do provide is tatty. Back to the Hotel to collect our packs then off again for a stroll towards the airport stopped off for a beer and porridge! Eventually hailed a taxi, which took us to the Airport. Here the fun started firstly we entered unknowingly the internal flight section and I was alarmed not to see our flight on the display board. We inquired and learnt the international terminal was next door. Having moved to the correct terminal more anguish - Flight 613(our flight) was not mentioned but flight 612 was leaving at 14.10hrs. - it was now 13.50hrs. Panic-struck deep into our stomachs not only was the flight not mentioned but we had insufficient funds to pay the 90yuan each airport tax. In haste I jumped the barrier and changed Thailand Bat into the required Yuan and Caroline purchased the tax vouchers. With little hope of catching the 612 flight we queued to x-ray our baggage - by the time we were through our flight 613 flashed with the correct time on the board - we were saved and slowly we calmed down. Thai airways always put on a good show and we enjoyed the 1hr.50mins flight arriving in Bangkok at 16.00hrs. To save anymore anguish we decided to take the airport bus - which was a good move for instead of enduring the pollution and confusion of local buses - we rode in style on the toll road which cut the travelling time by more than half. We arrived at the same guesthouse as before at 18.00hrs. - We even had the same room. As we walked down KaoSan Road we noticed many more Europeans here now than there were a month ago - cafes and bars were humming with people.

Thursday 30.10.97. - The last day of our holidays - we had planned to do some shopping. First we had to change some money and book the mini bus for this evening trip to the airport. After breakfast made our way down to the river to catch the river taxi to the Silom Road area. Spent most of the day wandering around the different shops. Found a large departmental store which sold everything, had a few bargains here. Made our way back to river and watched for a while the unloading and loading of the boats as they came into the pier. Eventually caught a boat ourselves and made our way back up river. Trust us - our boat stopped on the wrong side of the river - no problem- crosses over the bridge and within a little while found ourselves back at the guesthouse. I went in the have my hair done in a local hairdressers whilst Ian went off to do final shopping. Back for a shower before saying our farewells to the mother and daughter.

The trip to the airport went off smoothly, checking in and all other ancillaries went OK too. Left Bangkok on time in a near full plane. I must confess Balkan Air is not one of my favourite airlines. Drifted in and out of sleep for most of the night.

Friday 31.10.97. - A ten-hour flight and we arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria at 5.30a.m. Bulgarian time. We were ferried to the transit flight corridor and awaited the arrival of a rather miserable looking Bulgarian customs woman. Who started ploughing through the 300 or so passports as ever I fought my way to the front and was told to report to the hotel accommodation desk! We were aware we had to wait six hours here but an overnight stop was a little startling. Obediently we made our way to the said desk and were told a courtesy bus would ferry us to a hotel to rest after breakfast while waiting out the six hours. About six of us boarded the dark blue mini bus and were speedily transferred to the Cosmos Hotel Pliska. Our last port of call Bangkok was 91deg.F here it was -1degC and snow lay alongside the road. We were ushered to our room, enjoyed a hot shower and laid down awhile. A little disconcerted we awoke in a panic wondering what the time was - had we slept through the planned bus ride back to the airport. No it was 7.30hrs. Down to an East European breakfast: - Spam, cheese, roll and jam. We were only allowed one cup of coffee - a second had to be paid for. We had no Bulgarian currency so had to make do with a glass of water. Caroline went back to the room and I took a stroll in the immediate area of the hotel. Locals were milling about wrapped up warmly against the winter conditions, catching trams to the centre of the city. I walked around the block taking in the difference between this scene and our own. Too cold to wander far so back to the room to view the scene from there.

Back to the airport at 10.00hrs and waited for the plane to Heathrow which took off at 12.15hrs. We were fed for the last time but both of us suffered with decompression and blocked sinuses on our final flight. A half an hour wait for a late bus to Plymouth where we managed to secure one of the only ten seats available. Arrived Bretonside 19.010hrs and caught bus to Horrabridge 1t 19.30hrs arriving home at 20.30hrs. After contacting family we went to bed for a disturbed night, our colds taking their tolls.

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