OUR SOUTH EAST ASIA TRIP - THE TOP 10

Posted by Pieter in

In Singapore racing 15 minute time-outs on the free internet, and here's the abridged best hits for what was an awesome trip with my super oulike girlfriend... 1. Best spot: Siem Reap. The Cambodians are awesome, the ruins are magical, the countryside is mystically beautiful and the food rocked - we went dry for a week, and it really changed the experience. Best was cycling round ancient ruins as the sun was setting... 2. Best party: Q Bar in Vang Vieng Laos(not the tubing the next day). It's always about the company, and the cool crew of Scandinavians and Brits we met joined us in a debaucherus game of cards that had us all shouting YEEE_HHAAAA.... 3. Best dive: Off Koh Phi Phi... Koh Tao was cool, but Koh Phi Phi was the shit. Dianna went down to 22m for the first tiem for the wreck dive, but the second one to Shark Point was awesome. Cool fish, good vis, what a way to finish out the diving in the Thai islands. 4. Best meal: Dude, this is too hard. Mushroom beef in Siem Reap? Pad Thai in Chiang Mai (or just about anywhere???). Masaman curry on Koh Tao? Peanut Ice Cream at the night market in Sien Reap? The ham pie in Phuket? But the prize has to go to Dianna's pizza in Koh Tao at Farango... so good we did it twice!!! We do know how to eat... 5. Best workout: Cycling round the ruins in Angkor. Man, it was spiritual.Close second is the cycle from the waterfall in Luang Prabang Laos, as the rain set in. Dianna gets an honorable mention for the cycle there.... that's my girl! 6. Best overnight trip: Unanimously, I think the train from Hanoi to Hue takes it. After our nightmare 30 hour oddyssey from Vang Vieng to Hanoi, this seemed like the lap of luxury (even though we shared our four bed cabin with a whole Vietnamese family). Nice bunks, a nightlight for reading, comfy... we were feeling it. Close contender would be the cruise from Koh Tao to Surat Thani... which almost ended in a bitch fight when we were double booked on our beds with some feisty Swedes... 7. Best hotel: As the trip progressed, we got more and more fancy. A case can be made for our luxury resort in Phuket, but that was more of a fuck-it-I'm tired-of-slumming reaction. It was awesome having chilled Sauv Blanc and snacks on our porch, but we also did that in Krabi at the out of town resort, and THERE they threw in a free transfer and a moped. The prize has to go to our guesthouse in Cambodia, though. Super friendly service won us over, we didn't even mind that we had to buy our own DVD player so we could watch some West Wing... 8. Best massage: Special massage? Happy ending? Nope, none of that, traveling with your girlfriend means you have a natural shield from them sinners that want to lure you into wrongdoing. After getting beat up by Thai massage, oiled up on the beach in Koh Tao and baby powdered in Luang Prabang, my vote goes for the fish eating foot massage in Siem Reap, just cause them suckers ate away the ills that were bugging me since Laos. I am a believer! 9. Best dance: I've been promising Di a dance forever, and months of careful planning (that's my story, it wasn't just blind luck) culminated in us dancing to a jazz trio on a hot balmy night in Phuket, after our last Thai dinner together... resort hotel, game of golf, dinner and a dance... thats' how we backpack! 10. Best girlfriend: She's a lady! She's a trooper! And the only thing she doesn't do well is rats. Lady and gentlemans, I present Dianna Moore... whatta woman! Whatta contender! We travelled 5 countries, plained trained and automobiled our way through thousands of miles, survived sickness, bad hotels, dodgy food and random acts of massive stupidity (how do you go kayaking in Krabi, and drop both your camera and cellphone in the ocean while not bringing your waterproof bag??? - we can't answer this one, but I have to buy a new camera) and I'm happy to report we're strong like Russia... before it split into 13 independent republics... I miss her already! Hence the premature blogging in Singapore! Take care true believers... I can't wait to get back to Cape Town, watch the Stormers kick ass, see my best mate off to wedded bliss, urgently train for the Argus and get the PGTOPS roadshow back online!

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