My taxi is coming

Well well folks, this is it!
I will probably stop this post abruptly, because I am waiting right now for my taxi to get me to the airport... Yes yes, Im travelling with luxury for the end of my trip!
I will thus see you all soon!
After two months, I am really happy of what I did. Discussing with a girl I met today who starts travelling now, she asked me whether there was something I would have done differently, and thinking about it, I could not fine one thign. Even the tough times are now great stories! I guess I learned a lot and I will hope I will not get too fast into the routine back home!
After eating insects, jumping in I have no idea how high river, sleeping with tigers, loosing my shoe in another river during a two day hike, sharing my iphone with hill tribes, going through 5 degrees foggy trails, going through 35 degrees humid jungle trails, trying to explain my way in the middle of a nowhere village, meeting lots of great people, biking away the fastest I was not able to (30km/h...), producing for my first fire show, shopping like crazy in funky night bazaars, meeting Nemo under water... oh well.. I can continue like that for a looooong time!
After all this, what can I say... 'You SHOULD ALL do it!'

what a great trip.
Wanna join me? I'm coming back soon.. shhhhhut dont say it to my job.. I still have to convince them :)


I'm in Bangkok right now. Spent my last night in a funky funky room (each room are spray tagged in different ways...), I spent all my money.., I guess I am ready to go home.. Although I could have stayed much much longer... oh well...
:)]

Thanks for reading me!
Love, wendy

Island hoping in south Thailand

Alright alright this is my last destination: the islands in south
Thailand!
Island hoping: That's what the backpackers call it here. I arrived on
Phuket last.. Mmmh can't remember when it was, lost track of time here
(thanks by the way to daddy to remind me about my flight!)
So arrived in Phuket: understood straight away I should go further.
Phuket is very very touristy and dirty. It's all about party and
massage here...
Sooo, next: koh phi phi, the well known island where 'the beach' was
taken. Yeah yeah I know, di caprio is no longer here, but the beaches
are still there!
I met Sari there and we shared a room for 4 days. I also met expats
with which I went diving and guess what! I saw a shark!! Aaand
turtles, and Nemo too!
I thus stayed there, resting during day time, a little too hot cause I
got a heat stroke, oh well... It's better than the freezing cold north!
Started considering the reasons to go back home: yes yes my family and
friends! But next time I'm bringing you with me. We rented long tail
boats from locals and toured around. Koh phi phi is really touristy
too. I guess since it's cheap you can't expect it to be the secluded
luxury island.
So you rest, and you bath, and you rest and you party!
Next island koh Lanta! Further and harder to get to, so much more
authentic! I was looking forward to 'survivor' island! I met 2 great
girls also travelling alone, got a room on one of the quite far
beaches: best time ever! People here are very welcoming, chilling out
and taking there time. Another Jamaica! Bading, taking, bading... Oh
and beachvolley. I also considered being hired there as a fire '
jongleur': got to practice with a Thai guy, and no I didnot burn my
hear!!! .... Just my leg! 'Argh Wendy', i could here my mum say..
Anyone wants to join?
I got hit by reality today... Am now in krabi, at the airport, heading
to final destination: Bangkok!
2 days there... And then a great trip for 16 hours to..... Switzerland!

Should I take my flight back home?

Koh phi phi... Too hot to stay under the sun...

Luxury time

After Vang Vieng, I came back to Luang P. to meet my parents! We were
all booked on a 8 days private tour to north Thailand. I was happy to
join them, it's good to be back where you no longer have to think of
what to do next and just follow... Oh and also the fact that I was
allowed into hotels with hot shower!!! And more than that!
We thus visited luang prabang: pretty much the same style as Siem Reap
in Cambodia I must say: comfortable and easy going city, with all what
tourists are looking for, markets, shops, temples, international food
and massages.
It was weird though not to me able to wonder around wherever u wanted:
we had a guide and a very precise path to follow! Oh well...
After that: Mekong river 2 day trip on a boat heading to Thailand
border. The journey was nice, COLD in the morning fog, nothing much to
do apart from resting and watching the great scenery pass by.
Sadly I did not spent enough time in Lao, I defintely have to come
back! People are so nice and easy going: the little Jamaica of Asia I
would say, but tccchut!, no no they don't have opium anymore, no no...
Sooo, the golden triangle now! The corner of Lao, Thai and Myanmar. Up
in the moutains, filled with banana trees, jungle, op'...huuuuhh,
rubber trees... Huuum.
We even went one day in Myanmar! The 8th country on my trip, but it
was just for the fun!
Thailand is one of the most westernalized country of SE Asia, with
highways, cable tv, universities, western clothes and so on. It makes
a huge difference with Lao, Cambodia and Myanmar, who are still
struggling with poverty.
We visited a modern temple, with 'modern' paintings inside: one wall
had even Neo from Matrix movie on it... If THAT does not give a hint
of how modern they are?!!!?
Yesterday I got what most of you heard me talking about before I left:
the Elephant Camp and Tiger Center!!!! Youhou, they were so cute! We
got to see elephants playing around, new borns, and tiny tigers we
could hug. Brave Wendy also went in the big tiger park... I'm still
alive.. Pictures to come...
We are now in Mae Hong Son, close to the tribes of woman with long
necks. They are refugees from Myanmar, and pretty much have no other
choice than to live on tourism, so they sell handicraft stuff. Quite
nice to experience this!
Oh, and guess what? I twisted my ankle, yeah yeah, and not even on a
trek or something, ... But in the bathroom of the very nice luxury
hotel... Oh well, we had to cancel the bike afternoon and sadly spend
the pm by the pool, sipping fruit juice under the sun.. Don't worry I
should be fine, I got to experience a little of the local hospital
just to get a proper bandage, and I just be ready for a run in a few
days.
I just booked a plane to finish my trip in south Thailand in the
islands. I have got to properly finish my tan before I head home!!!
I will probably play survivor on koh lanta, okkkayyy with a cocktail
in one hand, and the foot fingers 'en eventail'.
Cheers!

Want to see the end of that story?

Yes, it's me...I told u it was dysneyland.

Tubing in the Vang Vieng

After Hanoi, I decided to leave the cold weather a little, and go
earlier to Laos. I had not planned much time for Laos, so a few more
days was not a bad idea!
I thus landed in Luang Prabang, center of Laos pretty much. I had to
meet my parents 2 days later, same location, so out of the airport I
left straight to the bus station. They found me a bus leaving for
Vangvieng, 6 hrs from here, leaving in 30 minutes. What a luck!
Right,... The bus actually waited until it was full.. And took 8 hrs.
Oh well, scenery was great, and I loved the pipi stop in the middle of
nowhere.
After a night train, a flight and a bus, 24 hrs travelling, I got there!
I had heard that thebest thing in VV to do was tubing. VV is a
backpackers so called city. Not much of culture here! Just the river
for water sports (tuning, rafting, canyoning).
Here is thus me the next day, tubing: hop on and off whenever you want
on the river with your tube, bars, giant swings and slides. Wendy back
in dysneyland!
I have no idea where I got this hat from...

Meet my new friend from Laos

At the homestay in Sapa

They were making fun of us because we wanted to give a name to their
dog, probably expected to be eaten soon..

Local guide in Sapa

Sapa time, northest you can go in Vietnam

Sapa time, northest you can go in Vietnam
I'm pretty much writing this note in another 'in the middle of nowhere
place', it will probably get uploaded when I'm back to reality, where
traffic, noise are common sense. Just to give a little of a snapshot
where I am: I am about to sleep with about 8 other people, tribal
Vietnamese who have never seen Hanoi in their life, we drank rice wine
to keep us warm, they eat dog when they don't have meat for guests,
they only have electricity since 4 years ago.
I am in Ban Ho commune, close to Sapa, at the Vietnam- Chinese border,
about 12 hrs from Hanoi City.
I took an overnight train with yvonne, an english girl I met, got our
guide in Sapa, and walked up here for one night homestay. Apart from
the winter weather, the fog which probably blocks us from great views,
I had a great evening! We were served with great food, no dog though,
I think... The familly I'm staying have 4 generations living together.
We were able thanks to our guide to discuss local habits and customs.
Which I will list a little below.
In the end I showed them my pictures on iPhone, some western music,
and they loved the monkey ball game! U should have seen them in their
traditional dresses playing with the iPhone!!!! I showed them a little
of my Switzerland too, and even pics of the last month in their
country and in Cambodia! Surprising how I would have seen more than
them.
I'm in my bed right now, a poor little puppy is playing with my
shoestrings...
-
Hello, I'm writting now on the train back to Hanoi. We were lucky
enough to have better weather the second day. The scenery is great!
Rice paddies e-ve-ry-where. I know I know I should put some
pictures... I'm arriving in Hanoi at 5 am, going straight to airport
for a flight I just booked to Laos, luang prabang. I decided to move
earlier to catch better weather! I hope! Apparently Laos is fantastic,
very laid back, green everywhere... Mmmmh like Switzerland? But with
palm trees? Or is it white in CH?

Sent from my iPhone

Beginning of weeks are sooo hard....

Wendy in Halong bay

Storm in Hoi An

Spas, spas,and more spas

I can tell that I got a pretty good pick of the local habits here in Asia: Massages!
After a little more than a month here, I did mmmmh... 5 massages, lots of differences depending of the country! But oh so good!
You get the nice 2 hour massage after the full day in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Great khmer mssage with the masseuse standing up on the bench to fully put their wight when massaging.. Surprising at first!
Then you get the foot massage for an hour in Pnomh Penh, Cambodia again, after a full day walking in the city, oh so good too! Very zen place, with view one the river and oh so cheap, 6$! I should pick up some of their decoration style!
Then a beach massage in Phu Quo0c, vietnamese, hum.. oh so cheap, but this time so bad.. I cant say that Vietnam does the best massages, its rough, hard, pressing everywhere it hurts.. Would not recommand it..
Then of course the spas in Hoi An, when it rains outside like a piing cow.. that is what best suits! Very touristy, and thus oh so expensive (4 times my sleeping budget.. okay but still half price than in europe!), but this time you get all the amenities with it! Jacuzzi( coooold, 'sorry jacu'i no work.... grrrr, and steam bath). This time noooo Vietnamese massage, one swedish, hey.. why not, one thai and one foot reflexology.. don't ask me.. I just picked randomly!

Oh well, what a tough life... I'm still missing the laos massage, and balinese massage.. I still have ont month, dooon't woory...

Hoi An: rain rain and more rain

Happy new year 2009!
We just spent one week around the central of Vietnam, based in Hoi An, an ancient city properly conserved from the ancient populations (chinese, cham and so on). We planned to stay one week, and travel around, since there are a lot of things around. sadly, and with no luck at all, it pretty much rained the whole week! We braved the rain a few times, but once it gets into a huge storm, floading some parts of the city, what can you do!!
Hoi An is a cute town, a little touristy now, but still with a charm.. At least I could recharge myself with international food, I got a enough of rice and so on.. :)
Instead of spending some time on the beach as planned, we went where the rain could permits us to go, we were also clever enough to rent a motorbike.. cheap, but ...wet...
Cham ruins (the small version of Angkor, but nice to see since no one knows about the place, musuems (good, and dry), and spas.. that is pretty much it!
We also had new years eves here, nice restaurant recommanded by people we had met in Phu Quoc island. It ended up being the place to be with lots of people partying around!
Well we are leaving tomorrow, happy, because we are getting a little bored :)
Sadly Nicolas is going home... And I continue to the north, in Hanoi and the Halong Bay, hopefully the sun will be there!