Bali was not on our original travel plans but we saw some really cheap flights from Malaysia and couldn’t really miss out on the offer. We were only around 10 days from arriving in Australia and we had, truth be told, spent most of our money, so for the 4 days we had booked in Bali we were on a pretty tight budget. Once we landed in Bali we were greeted to a 3 hour immigration queue – honestly, I have never seen anything quite so bad, and with it being nearly 3am by the time we reached the front of the queue we were tired and just wanted to get some sleep. Once through immigration you are then bombarded with local taxi drivers trying to get you into their taxi. Kyle nearly lost it before we finally found a taxi that would take us for a decent price. Rain had been forecast for the whole of our visit, so we wondered what we might do. The food in Bali is out of this world, they are the masters at breakfast and we took full advantage of this by enjoying some yummy breakfasts, a favourite was at ‘Nebula’ in Kuta.

 

Kyle finally found a good barbers where he went and had a well overdue hair cut and beard shave – he looked very similar to Forest Gump! Luckily on our first day the weather was beautiful so we were able to catch up on sleep sunbathing next to the pool. Everywhere seamed really quiet, with us being the only people sitting in restaurants and bars.

What a difference!!

We took a walk to the nearest beach, passing hundred of market stalls with beautiful things. A storm was brewing. Someone had recommended we get a surfing lesson in Bali, and before you know it, we had booked a surfing lesson for the next day whilst being persuaded by a local man offering us beer and a plastic chair to sit on at his home made make shift bar on the beach. We were really looking forward to the lesson the next morning. During the night a storm had battered the area so when we arrived at the beach the waves were HUGE  and we were both a little scared. After a small introduction on dry land we were took into the sea straight away with an instructor each. Surprisingly, neither of us were THAT bad. Both of us were able to stand up on the surf board for a few second before getting battered and dragged under by the 8ft waves. We had a little break and took ourselves back out to try on our own. It was exhausting and a lot of hard work but we had so much fun and we were so glad we did it!

 

For our final 2 days we travelled to Ubud, around a 40 minute scooter drive. While on our way we were pulled over by local police and fined for not having an international driving licence. But honestly, the police were so dodgy. They started with a fine of £100, once I pleaded with them that we didn’t have that money, they lowered it to £50, then £20. They saw us and targeted us. A pain but something we can laugh about now. I spent our last morning at the Yoga Barn taking part in a meditation session. It was in walking distance of our hotel, so I got up really early and went to the session. Hidden away in the trees, a small barn, with space for about 30 people, slowly filled and the session began. I was a little apprehensive about it as I had never done more than 20-30 minutes of meditation in one go and this session was an hour and half, but honestly, I can’t really describe or remember a lot of the session as I was in a deep meditative state and so relaxed I may have drifted off for a while. The place looked amazing and I wish I could have done some more sessions. If you are ever in Bali I would 100% recommend this place. They run daily classes, from yoga, to meditation, to breathing classes and at a very reasonable price.

The little hut where I took part in the meditation session- bliss! The Yoga Barn

We spent our final night sitting on our balcony watching and listening to  the thunderstorm drinking a local beer.I think the weather definitely put a damper on our trip as we weren’t able to enjoy the beaches and outside to it’s max, but Bali had such a cool vibe and we really liked the place and would love to visit again.

Let’s hope we get some better weather in Singapore before we head to Austrailia.

x

Truth be told, I was not happy to be leaving Thailand. Unfortunately our visa had run out so we kind of had to go or get kicked out. The closest Malaysian land to Thailand was Langkawi so that was our first stop, and only a quick 1.5 hour boat journey to get there. Unlike the other parts of our trip we hadn’t done much planning so the plan was to just go with the flow, we also had quite a bit of time before our flight to Australia so we weren’t in any rush. Kyle had still been feeling unwell so wasn’t up to doing too much. The town was pretty nice and we spent our first night eating the most amazing Nachos at a Mexican Restaurant before having an early night. By now, driving a scooter is like second nature to Kyle and is 100% the most cost effective way to travel. So we rented a scooter and drove, quite far, in the roasting heat to the Langkawi cable car which takes you 708m above sea level and onto the longest free span and curved bridge in the world.

It was pretty expensive but the views were amazing. You could see Thailand in the distance – wishing we could go back we walked across the bridge and then took the cable car, by ourselves back down to land. Stupidly, we had parked our scooter right in the sun so the seat was like a metal stove to sit on, so we had to wait a while for it to cool down before we could sit on it. We saw a recommendation on Instagram to visit the 3D Art Museum and it was relatively close to where we were so we decided to give it a go. It was fun, and we got to take some cool photos. Langkawi has some lovely beaches but I think we were a bit ‘beached out’ so decided we had seen enough and booked our travel to our next destination – Penang.

Penang

 

We had read lots about Penang, George Town and it’s rich history. We were staying in the heart of George Town which has a very historical feel about it. It’s buildings full of history and street art on every corner.

I think all the travelling had taken it’s tole on our bodies, as Kyle still wasn’t feeling great so we decided on a day by the pool, sleeping and chilling. We spent a day just walking and exploring the town, finding new street art on every corner, beautiful houses and delicious food markets. I think the heat hit us harder in the city as we didn’t have the luxury of jumping into the sea to cool off. The wifi in George Town was diabolical, you couldn’t even load a photo on your phone so we were pretty much off social media for a good few days. We visited Penang Hill, travelling to the top in the sky train, which was really cool, and the view at the top spectacular, being able to see the whole of Penang, sitting watching huge ships dock with a beer and some live music.

We did rent a moped but the street in Penang were crazy, and navigating was a little harder. A few nasty words were exchanged during our scooter trips in Penang…. We are friends again now so all is good. The food in George Town was out of this world, with the best local food available just at our feet. We discovered juice in a bag – which was the most refreshing drink in the 30 degree heat and humidity.

 JUICE IN A BAG!!

Kyle was finally feeling better and we decided on a quick over night stop in a place called Ipoh before heading to Kuala Lumpur. There wasn’t much to do there apart from drinking its famous coffee, which we were lucky enough to get a space in a famous cafe spot and tried some local foods and drinks. Our hostel was like something from a horror film and we checked out after our first night (well we snuck out) as it was so bad and checked into somehwere else. The shower was a bowl filled with a hose-pipe. We had stayed in some bad places, but this just topped it! Our bed was snapped in half and the bed bugs haunted us for weeks after. EUCH. We found an irish bar and watched Wales V Scotland over a couple of pints and some natchos.

Kuala Lumpur

Once we had arrived in Kuala Lumpur you were really thrown back into a cosmopolitan busy experience with buildings towering around you and stand still traffic on every corner. The weather-  a tropical thunderstorm. One minute you were greeted with a downpour and the next sweltering sunshine.   I had been bitten by a mysterious insect a few days ago and hadn’t noticed how bad the bit had become on my leg until we ventured out to explore the city and I could barely walk – with a swollen leg and tremendous pain I hopped into the nearest pharmacy and was dossed up on 5 different things. We booked ourselves into a private apartment where I was able to recover and it had cleared within around 3 days. Ready to explore again we ventured into the city and saw the hugely popular Petronas Towers – the tallest twin towers in the world.

They are pretty spectacular at day time and even more amazing at night! We watched the fountain show at night sitting underneath the towers. The city feels very modern and busy but has the tranquility of a huge park right in the middle of the city which gives you that time to not feel so stressed from the city life.  Our apartment had the most amazing infinity pool with views for days over the city. We spent a few days relaxing here whilst admiring the views.

China town hosted us for a night of delicious food and market shopping. We visited the Batu Caves a limestone hill that has a series of caves and cave temples in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. It takes its name from the Sungai Batu, which flows past the hill. While you climbed the hundreds of steps in 30 degree heat, monkeys would climb and run around looking for the next water bottle of packet of crisps to steal. Once inside the cave, the colours and history dripped all around you.

We finished our time in KL watching Wales win the 6 Nations at an Irish bar with many other welsh – we celebrated a bit too much I think….. We could not but help miss home a little watching the celebrations unfold in the capital and at home.

Love to all back home x

We have gotten familiar with the island hopping life. We haven’t travelled in anything other than boats for weeks, onto small remote islands, and beautiful scenery, so the thought of moving back into the bit cities is a scary one.

Our next island stop was the Ko Phi Phi Islands. This island is the one you see in pictures on holiday brochures, so we were without a doubt looking forward to seeing it for ourselves. It could not have been truer. We were told that Ko Phi Phi was wild, and it really did live up to it’s name. Although it was very busy with tourists, you were still able to enjoy the uniqueness and beauty of it’s tiny streets and beautiful beaches. Before leaving on our travels it was recommended to do ‘Bobs Booze Cruise’ around the island. So once we arrived we decided that’s what we would do. The Facebook reviews were amazing and so right ! We had one of the best days of the trip during  Bobs Booze Cruise. Although quite expensive, at £60 each, you were given unlimited alcohol for the whole day, we had the opportunity to swim and snorkel at many beauty spots around the island, including the famous Monkey Beach, food was also included and you spent the day getting to know other people as well as learning about the island from our tour guide, who was a right good laugh! We were on a speed boat so were able to see much more of the surrounding island than if we had been on a normal boat.

We wish we could have stayed longer on the island. We climbed to the highest point in the island, and it nearly killed us off. If you are going to the Phi Phi Islands and want a good laugh, I would definitely recommend doing Bobs Booze Cruise.

We moved onto Ko Lanta, getting closer to the Thai border as our visas were slowly running out, but truth be told it was a waste of time. The island just didn’t feel like Thailand. Although not the most fun we had, we were able to volunteer at the local Animal Welfare Centre and take a dog each out for a walk. The work done at Koh Lanta Animal Welfare is outstanding. That’s all we got from the island was a dodgy stomach….

Our final and last stop in Thailand was Koh Lipe. Whilst on our travels Koh Lipe had been recommended by a few people, so we were looking forward to getting there. One of the smaller island and no transport apart from motorbikes. You could walk from one end of the island to the other in 30 minutes. The speed boat journey to the island was horrendous! We were shoved at the back of the boat, squashed next to other people, holding on for dear life whilst we bounced up and down ferociously for 3 hours. Once we had arrived you could straight away get a feel for this island. A much more relaxed, hippy vibe . With only one road running through the island and no transport we had to carry our huge bags through the sand and to our hostel. We knew there wasn’t much to do on the island but that suited us well as we were looking for some down time and relaxation.

Kyle still hadn’t been feeling well so he spent our last days resting in the hostel whilst I did some meditation on the beach and eat endless smoothie bowls from the coolest little hippy cafes. The beaches were  relativley quiet so I could really switch off and be in the moment.   We also went on an afternoon trip of snorkelling around the island. We got to see some beautiful coral and swim with lots of different fish. We also caught the sun pretty bad as we were outside on a boat all day and not realising the strength of the sun as it was so windy on the boat. Kyle didn’t enjoy it too much as he was still recovering from feeling not very well.  I can’t stress how stunningly beautiful this island was. I think if I ever come back to Thailand I would love to stay here for longer!

I can’t believe our time in Thailand has come to an end. It has surprised us in more ways than we could have imagined, the beaches were more beautiful than I’d have ever thought, and the experiences we have gained have just been amazing! Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been perfect but we really have enjoyed seeing one of the most stunning countries on this planet and learn about it’s culture.

Malaysia is out last destination before we head to Bali and Austrailia. We are slowly running out of money and sometimes missing the comfort of home but we are excited to continue our journey onto our next destination. Looking back at all the photos we have taken, we can’t believe how quickly time is going !

Lots of love back home

Kate and Kyle x

 

 

Krabi

Krabi, on southern Thailand’s west coast, is a province characterized by craggy, sheer limestone cliffs, dense mangrove forests, and more than a hundred offshore islands.

Accommodation in Krabi seamed to be a lot more expensive than the previous islands we had visited so we opted (well I did) for something a little bit different. We booked to stay in a little hut built on someone’s land. We finally found the accommodation after what felt like hours of walking trying to find the place and it was definitely authentic. 3 little huts sat in a garden next to Meekoch (the host) home, all built by him and surrounded by his chicken, cockerels, freshly grown food and herbs and more bugs than in I’m a Celebrity.

Before we’d even put our bags down Kyle was searching on booking.com for somewhere else to stay. The best we could do was ad least stick it out for the night and see how it was. The bed looked super comfy, the shower area was clean and Meekoch had put a mosquito net for us, which looked like a princess net when you lie in it. So we braved it for the night, but had a rude awakening at around 4am by the bloody Cockrill’s ‘cokcadoodallleing’ as if they were in the hut with us. At one point there was one on our roof and I opened the front door and it jumped right in front of me. Thankfully we were able to get some sleep before Meekoch cooked us breakfast at his home for us, which included eggs from his chickens and an edible flower which he insisted we tried in front of him. Watching Kyle’s face pretend he liked it was pretty hilarious. I quite enjoyed it.  Well if this wasn’t the real travelling experience I don’t know what is. We decided to just stick it out for the second night.

We decided to get a long tail boat to the famous Railay Beach and from there we kayaked to a nearby cave – Phra Nang Cave and spent some time relaxing on the beach. The water was a little choppy so trying to stay afloat whilst in the kayak was rather comical. Kyle not having much kayaking experience managed to somehow topple the kayak in about 2 feet of water and land face first in the water in front of hundreds of people on the beach – absolute comedy gold. The cave we visited was rather interesting . The fishermen, who say the cave is the home of a mythical sea princess, believe their offerings will bring them success in their fishing and protect them from danger, but what is more remarkable is that the cave contains a large collection of carved wooden phallic symbols (willies), offerings and other objects believed to help with fertility.Railay beach is beautiful. You are surrounded by huge limestone rocks which feels like you are trapped in a little bubble, and when kayaking past the stones you really did get to appreciate the size of them towering over you.

Krabi had a very much tourist feel about it with its street’s packed with tourists and souvenir shops. We have come to quite enjoy the quiter islands so for us Krabi was a little too touristy but none the less it still had some lovely beaches and places to visit. We spent our final evening enjoying the night life. We discovered if you want to eat cheap in Krabi, you have to eat at an Indian. And there are plenty for you choose from. The 3 nights we were in Krabi we enjoyed an Indian set menu for around 450bhat. (£10)

 

Phuket

Kyle was really looking forward to visiting Phuket. We finally arrived after the longest bus journey and were dropped in the centre. Looking around, you could be in America. Shopping malls, food chains and over the top advertisement in your face. It was so different from the Thailand we had seen on the islands. We had booked ourselves into ‘The Slumber Party Hostel’ which is basically what is says on the tin. At first we were a bit reluctant to book a party hostel, but the reviews and the price made it pretty impossible not to stay there, and I’m so glad we did. We had a great time at the hostel. On the day we arrived in Phuket, they were celebrating a special Buddha holiday which means no alcohol is to be sold or consumed for 24 hours. Makha Bucha: This is a very important holiday in Thailand where more than 1,250 disciples of Lord Buddha gather to hear him preach. This holiday takes place in February or March depending on the lunar cycle. The celebrations start in the morning by Thai Buddhists giving alms to monks. In the evening, they perform a candle ceremony which involves holding incense, flowers and a lighted candle as they walk around the temple. This is a particularly a quiet day as businesses remain closed throughout the day.For once in our lives we were grateful for this as we were both disgustingly hungover.

 

Phuket Elephant Sanctuary.

The sanctuary picked us up from our hostel at around 8.30 and did the hour drive to the sanctuary. Once we arrived we were divided into groups and given a huge selection of food for breakfast. After a welcome talk and presentation we started our tour around the sanctuary. All the elephants were roaming freely and we just fit in with their routine. Every elephant has a Mahout who stays with them throughout the day. A Mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper. Usually, a mahout starts as a boy in the family profession when he is assigned an elephant early in its life. They remain bonded to each other throughout their lives. We got to feed the elephants lots of juicy fruits and veg and got to watch them bathe.

We then took a walk around the jungle where we were told about all the elephants that were living in the sanctuary, watching each of them in their natural habitat, mainly munching on whatever they could eat. Just as we were about to leave, two of the elephants made their way to the mud bath and gave us a right good show. It was truly an amazing thing to see them enjoying and interacting with their Mahout. Before leaving we were given a full unlimited lunch and then taken back to our hostel.

This day was definitely a highlight in our trip and the elephants are more amazing than you can imagine in real life. The sanctuary is an amazing place that homes mostly injured, disabled and old elephants who have spent their lives working illegally in the coal industry and for entertainment reasons. The price of the visit was £130 each, which at first we thought was rather expensive, but it was worth every single penny. If you are ever in Thailand you have to visit a sanctuary. We joined our hostel on the bar crawl which was a fun experience. Both having to wear the most hideous vests and play endless games of beer pong. The bar crawl ended on the famous Bangla Road, which is a real eyeopener. Bars filled with lady dancers and booming music flooding into the street.

Rocking the vests!!

The hostel were great for providing tours run through them and we decided to join the Island Hopping tour for the day. We left at a reasonable time, 12pm and headed to the beach where took a long tail boat to surrounding island with a tour guide. We stopped in the open water to do some snorkelling and visited some private beaches where were played beach games and just chilled. It was a really great day organised by the hostel! If you are ever visiting Thailand we would recommend staying at The Slumber Party Hostel. They have hostels in Krabi, Phuket and Koh Phanang.

We spent our final day exploring Phuket on a moped visiting Monkey Hill, where we saw lots of monkeys up close, some were a little vicious so we didn’t spend much time there. We then went on to visiting the Big Buddha, which sits on top of the mountains in Phuket and is enormous once you eventually get to the top of the climb. It is the third tallest statue in Thailand, still under some construction. That evening we decided to drive to a local night market around 30 minutes away. Once we arrived we noticed that we had left all the money in the hostel – oops! We decided we’d drive back and get the money, but as Kyle got on the moped he noticed that something wasn’t quite right about it. The tyre was completely flat! We were stuck! Luckily, a kind Thai lady could see that something wasn’t right and told us that there was a garage around the corner still open. So Kyle had to push the moped in 30 degree heat around to the nearest garage. We explained to the garage owner and he kindly said he would do it for us, but we had no money! Thankfully, another couple were at the garage with the same problem and overheard our issue and offered to pay for the new tyre! We couldn’t believe our luck! Once the repair had been done we drove back to the hostel to get the wallet and went straight to pay the couple ! Thank goodness for those kind people!

Our time in Thailand is slowly running out and we only have a few other island stops before we head into Malaysia.

Cariad Mawr to all back home and a Good Luck to Wales playing Scotland next week (hehe)

x

 

 

 

 

Thank you for those who read my last blog. The response has been amazing and I hope it has been of help to someone. Time has started to move very fast over the last few weeks and I can’t believe we have been away for 5 weeks already! Although we were gutted to be leaving Cambodia, arriving in Thailand excited us.

Of course, things weren’t able to just run smoothly. We have come to learn this is pretty normal whilst backpacking! We arrived at the Thai border and were literally dumped off the bus, not knowing what to do, we just followed fellow travellers. We spent the next 3 hours standing in a queue at the border. Sweating in the 30 degrees heat and rationing the last drops of like warm water from the bottle. It was actual hell. Once we FINALLY got to the front of the queue, the border officer informed us that we were supposed to get a stamp after getting off the bus that confirmed we had left Cambodia – our hearts sunk at the thought of having to wait in that queue for another 3 hours, but luckily the officer allowed us to leave our bags, run to the Cambodian border office and come back and join the queue at the front. Thank goodness!

Once we finally arrived in Bangkok we were greeted by Joe. A family friend, who is from and lives in Bangkok. He was kind enough to put us up for the night at his flat. The instant modern feel of the city excited us, with sky scrapers, giant shopping malls and queues of traffic. It reminded us a little of Dubai. Undoubtedly we were shattered after travelling all day, so we eat a traditional Thai takeaway and went to bed. Our first day in Thailand was spent at the Amphawa Floating Market.

 

Amphawa is the second most popular floating market near Bangkok. Located 50 km from Bangkok it once was a small village in the mid-Seventeenth Century. It has become such a magnet for Thai weekenders that food stalls have grown from the riverbanks and stretched far into the surrounding streets. Joe and Ploy (Joe’s niece) joined us where we tried lots of different Thai foods and drinks such as the fruit, mangosteen which is absolutely delicious, traditional Thai Ice cream topped with sweetcorn and grass jelly, and sugar candy sticks. The smell of different foods was pretty overwhelming and you couldn’t pass a stall without tasting or having a look! We then took a boat around the village and visited the local temples, all very different, where we took part in traditional Buddha rituals.

Before returning back to Bangkok I had a traditional Thai massage along the riverfront. I wondered weather I should let the lady know that I like a massage quite tough but didn’t get the chance before she had flung me onto the bed and started to chop my back. But OH MY GOODNESS. I am so glad I didn’t slip mention that I like a tough pressure. This lady must have been in her 70’s, maybe even 80’s and she was chopping away, on hands and knees giving me the best massage I have ever had. Even though at times I felt like my body was floating and about to crack . If you are ever in Thailand , you must get a Thai massage ! But remember, if you are a weakling – let them know !

We had a great day at the market, and Joe and Ploy were great tour guides! Of course, that evening, Rangers were playing so we ventured into the city with great directions from Joe, via the Sky train which may I add, was spotless and efficient, not anything like the trains back home. The air pollution in Bangkok is problematic, so we were kindly given masks to wear, by Ploy to wear if we wanted. Of course, as we walked the streets of Bangkok, looking for somewhere to watch the Rangers game we ‘happen’ to bump into the Bangkok Bears Rangers Supporters club to Kyle’s delight – and watched the game with them at a local bar. So masks in hand, we travelled into the city and visited the Grand Palace and the Leaning Buddha.

The crowds and heat were pretty unbearable so just a quick visit to these places before finding some Air Con.  Built in 1782 – and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government – the Grand Palace of Bangkok is a grand old dame. The buildings were pretty spectacular and the leaning Buddha, bigger in life than you could ever imagine. We spent our evening at the Ratchada Rot Fai Train Market, with lots of food and shopping stalls. Bangkok is a  HUGE city, which you can’t quite get your hear around, with an underground and sky train connecting its people. Our final evening was spent with Charlotte and Polly, on the famous Koh San Road, where by day it is a quiet shopping street, and by night it explodes with party goers, insect stalls and plastic garden chairs for tourists to sit and drink at. We had a great night soaking up the crazy atmosphere of the city and may have got a bit carried away with the buckets! We (some how) made our 6am bus, both feeling, just a little fragile and ready for some island life!

Thank you to Joe and Ploy for making us feel so welcome at your home in Bangkok. We had a wonderful time visiting and exploring your city!

x

I was inspired by my amazing friend Christian Webb and the recent Mental Health Awareness through out the country, to finally put pen to paper and talk about this. I don’t want sympathy and I don’t want people to pity me, I’m solely writing this in hope that someone may be inspired by me, like I was by Christian, and are able to get the help needed.

Let’s be honest. 5 or 6 years ago I was probably one of the many individuals who contributed to the stigma that is of Mental Health and just thought people who were suffering were ‘weird’ or needed to just ‘cheer up’. (Please don’t hate me) but having finally spoken to and with people who have been suffering and, experienced it first hand, my attitude changed completely, but I still felt invincible and thought it would never affect me.

Around 18 months ago when I moved to Scotland – things were tough. I’d recently lost my Gramps, of course I missed Wales, was starting a new job, living with Kyle and trying to build a life in Scotland. But I was coping. Overtime, I started to notice a unsettling tightness in my stomach (like a big knot getting tighter and tighter as well as the often heart palpitation. I put it down to starting a new job and being in a new place . “I couldn’t be feeling anxious ?! I loved my job and was starting to make friends and a life for myself in Scotland ” These episodes became more regular, nothing more just more regular. I thought “ok, I’ll do some yoga” – nope that didn’t work. Life got busy and I just brushed it under the carpet before one weekend I was visiting Kyle and out of the blue, and I mean out of the blue, whilst watching him play rugby, that knot returned, the palpitations came, more than before. It would just not shift. Like other times, the symptoms would disappear after a day or so, but this was different ! Trying not to let it ruin my plans I got on with things, but the tightness tightened, my breathing became heavy, my heart beat faster and I was feeling very anxious about flying. (This was a new symptom)

I returned home to Wales and the symptoms still lie there. My mum asked me to take the dog for a walk (something I would do most days ) and for some reason it terrified me. Whilst out walking I became very upset and knew I had to do something about it. So I went home and told my mum I thought I was suffering with anxiety. Now although my Mam wasn’t able to fix it I felt an instant weight lift from the tightness in my stomach and after a good cry felt so so much better. I now didn’t feel alone in this and was going to seek some help.

The following week : the tightness got worse, the palpitations became more regular, I had a severe headache that wouldn’t go unless I slept, and I started to have chest pains. Now I know, that this is my body reacting to ‘fight or flight mode’ but no, I thought I was having a heart attack. The pains in my chest became worse and therefore I spend, with my mum, the next 9 hours waiting in A&E, having blood tests and being examined to be told that there is nothing wrong with my heart and that I had probably suffered with an anxiety attack. I felt terrible that I had wasted the time of the A&E doctors as well as 9 hours of my mam’s time.

Feeling stupidly embarrassed I knew I needed to tackle this head on! I felt stupid for feeling like this ! Why would I be feeling anxious when I have the most amazing trip planned coming up? I have a great support network! I was enjoying my job! I’ve lost all my confidence ! I don’t feel myself !Why ? What was the reason ?

So the following weeks I took it upon myself to really try and sort this. Here are somethings that I felt helped :

– Headspace (meditation) now it’s not for everyone but I feel it is at the tip of my fingers on my phone if I start to feel anxious and after a few failed attempts I began to feel the benefits of taking a few minutes out of my day to focus my mind.

– exercise ! Sweating in the gym really gave me that feel good factor and improved my mood. Even if I only managed 30 minutes !

– talking to family and friends. Opening up to the people you love most and releasing how amazingly supportive everyone is and when sharing your story, realising we have all had our own struggles. I have the most amazing group of friends who are at the end of a what’s app group whenever I need to vent or whatever.

– being honest with yourself . Just admitting and not feeling ashamed of how your feeling. At first I was completely embarrassed about how I feel, and I still today I wonder why I get these feelings, but realising that we are all fighting our own battle and that’s ok.

– podcasts. Listening to podcasts really takes my mind away from the doom and gloom. A favourite of mine is Happy Place by Ferne Cotton.

– CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy ) as time was limited before my trip away, a friend recommended a therapist who had been helping someone close to her. So I just bit the bullet and went for a few sessions. (Which are quite expensive ) Now I’m not sure how much it did help, or weather it did at all, but I was able to just talk, and not be judged and was given some great coping methods .

This has been quite tough for me to write and I am absolutely bricking it to press the ‘publish’ button. As I sit writing this, overlooking the crystal blue sea of Koh Phananag , I worry about having another ‘episode’ of panic, I worry that it will spoil plans, I find it hard to explain to Kyle how I feel when I feel the way I do. And I still get dodgy days, where I wake up and have that tightness in my stomach, where I get the headaches and need to just sleep, where my body feels exhausted from trying not to feel that way, it’s tough!But I know what works for me, and it doesn’t work every time, but even just telling someone (usually Kyle for me) your having a bad day makes things just that little bit better.

Here are some other symptoms I have experienced which might resonate with you :

– Random shooting pains in different parts of the body.

– Not being able to relax or concentrate on anything .

– Earache / migraine

– Feeling unsettled and restless

– Become very thirsty (dry mouth)

Our minds are weird things – and they need to be looked after. And I’ll be honest, I don’t take enough care of it. But I am trying to make things better and I hope that whoever is reading this, if it resonates with you, that maybe like me, you will one day have the confidence to talk and get some help. I thought I was alone in these feelings, but boy was I wrong! I am also here to listen and be there for whoever feels needs that support. We are all human and life is bloody tough sometimes and that’s OK to admit!

Cariad mawr to you all and look after yourselves xx

For the some of you who follow our Instagram travel page you will have already learnt that we had quite an experience on our journey from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh. We departed on the overnight train to Ho Chi Minh to be woken at 1.30am by a big bang and complete darkness. I instantly knew something wasn’t right. The train guards were running up and down the corridors, we could hear people shouting and the trains power had gone off. Truth be told, I thought we were getting hijacked! Kyle, with the ‘break glass’ hammer in hand, ready to pounce on whoever was about to hijack us , and I wondering what valuable goods I should sneak when they usher us off the train. A few minutes passed and we hadn’t been hijacked, but had noticed the train carriage in front of us had come off the tracks!

The carriage in front of ours!

With only a handful of English speakers on the train, we just had to sit and wait to be told what to do. We were in the middle of NOWHERE! Finally after 9 hours of sitting in a corridor they had detached the derailed carriage and separated the rest of the train. We were then taken to the next train station to then have to wait another 2 hours before finally completing the 4 hour journey to HoChi Minh. It was an absolute NIGHTMARE and I honestly don’t know how we managed to stay so calm. Something I’ve learnt since being away – PATIENCE. Now I don’t have any(I get this from my father) but since travelling, we have been in many situations where we don’t have the choice but to be patient. Along with some mindfulness breathing, I can now stand in a queue for 3 hours and it wont phase me (maybe just a little) but we are miles from the Kate that would kick off and get worked up. WINNING!

 

Ho Chi Minh is a loud and lively city. We learnt this the second we checked in to our hotel. The whole bedroom vibrated to the bass of the enormous nightclub across the road. We spent the evening overlooking the spectacular views of the city at a roof top sky bar before braving it down the infamous ‘backpackers strip’ with booming base, nos balloons 4 times the size of a football, fire breathing men sweating from the heat of the flames and overpriced watered down drinks being downed left right and centre. Ho Chi Minh’s answer to Magaluf’s infamous party strip.

As our visit in Ho Chi Minh was only a few days we decided to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. Around a 2 hour drive from Ho Chi Minh. The tunnels of CủChi are an immense network of connecting tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie the district. 

Not only were we able to experience the tunnels themselves, we learnt about the traps that were created and used to capture and kill. Although very gruesome and surreal, you really got to experience the sheer dedication, pain and graft the men, women and children experienced during the civil war. Before leaving Ho Chi Minh, we visited the world famous War Remnants Museum. It contains exhibits relating to the Vietnam War and the first Indochina War involving the French colonialists. 

Since being in Vietnam and learning about the war, it really heightened the devastation and damage caused to the people of Vietnam by the Americans. If you are ever in Ho Chi Minh, you must visit this museum. Ho Chi Minh’s streets were filled with western influences, rich Vietnamese history and beautiful sky line.

 

Cambodia- Siem Reap 

 

A short but sweet visit to Cambodia. The journey from Vietnam to Cambodia took around 12 hours, on a bus and then a sleeper bus costing us around £20 each. The sun was rising as we arrived at our hostel, and thankfully our room was ready for an early check in. We were both exhausted from travelling and took the opportunity to relax at the hostels pool, and boy was it good to just lie and relax in the sun. We had met our friends, Charlotte and Polly, who we had been meeting now and again with since Halong Bay and spent the day drinking local beer and exposing our painfully white skin to the sun. With only 2 days in Siem Reap we spent our final day visiting the famous Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia and one of the largest religious monuments in the world, on a site measuring 162.6 hectares. Originally constructed as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, it was gradually transformed into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century. We hired a tuk tuk to drive us around the temples for around £10. We decided to go for the sun set as the heat was pretty unbearable during the day. The temples were breathtakingly beautiful, with each one sporting a unique shape and architect. The heat was still very much painfully warm, so finding some shade within the temples was paradise. A lot of the temples were under construction  but you were able to look beyond it and see the real beauty of the temples basking in the afternoon sun. We spent our final evening at the local night market, eating frozen yogurt and wading our way through the multiple ‘elephant trouser’ stalls.  We wish we could have spent some more time in Cambodia. It had the busy city vibe, but also leant you to some tranquillity. 

Our time in Vietnam and Cambodia has come to and end and we are heading to Thailand!

Llawer o gariad. Kate & Kyle x

 

 

Undoubtedly we were sad to leave Dubai after such an amazing week with Eileen and Fadi, but here was where the real adventure began. We arrived in Hanoi, which is North Vietnam. We spent a good half hour in the airport trying to figure out how much money we should withdraw. The exchange rates were crazy. 1,000,000 dong is £30, so withdrawing millions of dong seemed a little scary, but we got there in the end. We got the bus from the airport into Hanoi, costing us around £3 for the both of us. We were told to get off and were literally dumped somewhere in Hanoi, with no Wi-Fi to find our hotel. A few cross words were exchanged between myself and Kyle, we eventually gave up and got a taxi to our hotel.  We survived our first argument without physically killing each other. Although, we both were nearly  run over several times by mopeds – there are no rules (supposedly) on the roads so crossing the road is a free for all. We found the best option to be just closing your eyes and hoping for the best. According to official statistics, there are around 4million mopeds driving the streets of Hanoi. Both of us were completely shattered, running on around 3 hours sleep so decided it would be good to get a few hours kip before heading into Hanoi’s Old Quarter. The night market in Hanoi was an experience. The smell of meat engaged with your nostrils, fake North Face clothing hung above your head and 4ft old ladies wearing Vietnamese hats sell deliciously cut fruit.

 

 

 

Kyle having a go at selling the juicy fruit (which he payed for fortune for)

Our second day in the city was spent exploring the tourist locations. We rose early and walked to Ho Chi Minhs moseulum. To our disappointment we arrived and were turned away as Kyle was wearing shorts. Rookie error on our behalf. The Hoan Kiem lake which centred the old quarter was a beautiful sanctuary in the busy city. Hanoi Prison – a sombre experience that opened our eyes to the devastation of captured war prisoners. A first insight of the war here in Vietnam. For a small entrance fee, around £1, we were able to visit the cells where prisoners were held and read of the history. We were able to enjoy a local beer sitting on a rooftop bar, overlooking the train tracks of Hanoi, which runs through the city twice a day.

 

 

Halong Bay

Early on whilst booking our world travels, Halong Bay was something we had looked into. It looked breathtakingly beautiful and seamed a bit of paradise so close to the hustle and bussle of the city. We decided to do an overnight cruise. We were picked up from the centre of Hanoi, which we nearly missed due to us not being able to find the pick up point. It was a close one! The bus journey to Halong Bay was around 4 hours. As you got closer and closer to Halong Bay the moped traffic and busy city became more and more silenced. (Which we were pretty pleased about) We were taken to our cabin on the boat and set sail to Halong Bay. Our day started with a visit to Surpirse Cave, the largest and most beautiful cave in Halong Bay. We then finished our evening with a visit to a small island. We were the only people on the island. Around 15 other people joined us on the cruise. The views of Halong were beautiful, with each limestone rock towering above the waters that left your imagination creating different shapes and creatures within the rocks.  Our evening was spent on board, docked in the middle of nowhere in Halong Bay, surrounded by hundreds of other boats drinking the local Halong Bay beer and chatting with new friends we had made.

 

 

Our morning started super early with a visit  to a pearl oyster farm, where thousands of oysters are collected every day. Included in our trip was the chance to kayak around Halong Bay. We spent 40 minutes kayaking (and not falling in) the beautiful limestone rocks and disappearing into small caves. To my surprise, the waters in Halong Bay were very dirty and polluted with plastic. It really took away from the pure beauty of the place.

 

 

We felt we had seen most things in Hanoi and wanted to start heading south. We met some lovely travellers on the cruise to Halong Bay who helped with deciding our next move. If we are completely honest, Hanoi was not the place we expected it to be. Although we found the city to be very interesting and full of character and delicious food, the stench of urine and gone off chicken haunted us a bit more than we would have liked.

That same evening we boarded the overnight train from Hanoi to Hué. The cabins were small in size but had just the right amount of space. We were joined by a lovely young Canadian couple. We both slept pretty well for the 14 hour journey which cost us around £40. Arriving in Hué we were disappointed to be greeted with torrential rain- neither of us with rain coats and a hotel 20 minute walk from the railway station. After short taxi journey we arrived at our Hostel which was extremely helpful with recommendations for us. Our first priority was to get a rain coat, as the rain was so bad! As much as we tried to not let it dampen (pardon the pun) our mood, it was hard to really enjoy the true beauty of the Imperial City, a walled enclosure within the citadel of the city. Drenched and freezing cold we returned to our hostel to try warm up and dry our clothes. Pretty much impossible when all your warm clothes were either dirty or wet. Since buying the coats its been 30degreed and now they are just taking up valuable room in our bags!

 

 

We spent the evening trying local foods , which neither of us could stomach and ended up getting a burger and chips. It was much needed ! As the weather was so bad, the option of mop-peding to our next destination was off the cards so we headed, the next morning, to the railway station for the 3 hour journey to Da Nang and then onto Hoi An. A local man at the station got chatting to us and recommended some great places for us to visit. I can only describe the train journey to be like something from a movie. We were travelling along the Hoi Van Pass. Famously driven by the Top Gear crew. Soon after leaving Hué, the warmth of the sunshine hit my fingers as I write this post, the waterfalls disappear under the tracks below us and the coastal path to our left reminds me a little of the beauty of Swansea Bay. Lush! Arriving in Hoi An while the sun was setting instantly crowned the beauty of Hoi An. Walking down to the river, you are slowly introduced to the influence of the Chinese and the Japanese, from the colourful lanterns ,the architecture and the food. The city was lit with lanterns while people from everywhere gather and mingle along the river. Finally we had some lovely weather and Kyle finally had the chance to drive a moped. We rented it for the day for around £3 and decided to drive the 50km to the My Son Sanctuary. We stopped for breakfast on the way at a local Vietnam breakfast place and eat Banh Mi – an egg baguette. The Temples were mostly ruins but you could still appreciate the amazing craft and beauty of the stone used to create the temples.

Our afternoon was spent at the beach, only a 5 minute drive from the city. I really feel at home when I’m at the beach, it was lush. Sitting at a beach bar drinking the local beer. This is what it was all about! By chance we had kept bumping into the people we had met during Halong Bay and spent the evening with them celebrating a birthday. The booze is ridiculously cheap, around 40p for a pint, so you can imagine what kind of night we had. Hoi An is famous for it’s foot massage, so I obviously had to give one a go. Having your toes clicked by a random Vietnamese man – was an experience to say the least! Hoi An is beautiful, and our favourite place so far. You must visit this stunning city!

 

Our journey begun on January 10^th, 2019. Goodbyes were hard but our families have been so supportive which was a huge help. We flew from Glasgow to Dubai. Now I will be honest, Dubai was never in our ‘top 10′ destinations we would like to visit list’ but soon after our friend Eileen moved to Dubai last year, she invited us over, and we are so glad we made the decision to visit her. It made sense to stop at Dubai first, and what a start to our adventure it was!

From the minute we arrived at Dubai airport Eileen and her fiancée Fadi treated us like VIP’s. We were greeted with an Arabic traditional breakfast and champagne, which was delicious by the way. Our first evening was spent in the Dubai dessert. Eating traditional Arabic  food. Kebab meat (shaf) and delicious salad and meat kebab rolls.  I wish you could taste through the screen as it was amazing! Fadi lit a fire and we sat, surrounded by the Dubai dessert chatting and drinking. Pure bliss.

Saturday was spent at the world famous beach club – 0gravity. It was our first experience of a brunch in Dubai where you pay a certain amount and have unlimited drink and food for 5 hours. What a great day of partying we had! As well as 0gravity we did brunch at SOHO Beach club. We were treated like VIP’s all day and had the most fun partying with Eileen and Fadi! A more chilled vibe was at Cove Beach club where we spent the day relaxing by the pool and beach.

Most of you will recognise the world famous Burj Khalifa which you will find on most Dubai travel brochures. The building, to look at is spectacular. 829.8m total in height, it is the tallest structure building in the world since it’s opening in 2008. It took a mere, 10 seconds to reach the top in the super-fast lift, which made your ears pop. The doors opened and you were hit with an instant nausea – a good rush but scary. Now don’t get me wrong, you could see the whole of Dubai which at times took your breath away, but for the price you pay (up to 400durahm, around £70) it was not worth it! We were lucky enough to receive a free pair of tickets from Fadi.

Our evening was spent at Cavalli – Inspired by and launched in collaboration with celebrated designer, Roberto Cavalli, Cavalli Club is the distillation of all things fabulous. For 300 duraham each (around £60) we were served a multiple of courses with a variety of foods whilst being entertained by a spectacular show. It really was a VIP experience!A highlight for us was visiting the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi. It is the largest mosque in the country. Abu Dhabi was around an hour and half from where we were staying with Eileen and Fadi . It was breathtakingly beautiful. On arrival all women had to wear an Abaya – a loose over garment, worn by Muslim women. Kyle was given a long sleeve polo shirt to cover his tattoos. The building itself was huge. The blue sky was piercing against the white stone building.

It really was an amazing building with stunning architectural features. Our afternoon was spent at Ferarri World Theme Park. We were able to ride the fastest roller-coaster in the world – 230mph. A must visit is Mr Myagis – an Asian style street food restaurant high up with great views of Dubai. Karaoke every night and girls get unlimited drinks during ladies night for just 99durham (£20) Bargain!! No wonder I was up belting out some Tina Turner….

Our final day was spent exploring different places in Dubai. We started our morning with a breakfast looking over the creek – which was beautiful ! During our desert BBQ,  I lost my thumb ring so Eileen said we should visit the Silver Souk – a traditional silver Arabic market. I bought a stunning new thumb ring which will be a lovely memory of Dubai forever. We then visited the Dubai Mall. The largest destination for shopping entertainment and leisure in the world with over 1,200 retail stores. It’s not just a shopping mall – oh no! They have a Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in the middle of the mall. And so much more which we would have needed another few days to see it all!

Our last afternoon was spent at the Global Village. It was such a unique and integrated destination with the world’s finest shopping, dining and entertainment from across the world. Every country around the world had a pavilion, each representing the richness and culture of the country. For only 15durham (£3) it had the most stunning traditional stalls. Good job it was our last day as I would have spent a fortune! Our last evening was spent at the Marina in Dubai at Asia Asia. A traditional thai food restaurant on the 9^thfloor over looking the Marina’s private yachts and beautiful buildings.

 

Our week in Dubai was made extra special as Eileen and Fadi went above and beyond to make it the best time ever. We can’t thank them enough for this week – memories we will cherish forever. Dubai was so much more than we expected : from the out of this world sky line, to the super extra shopping facilities, to the fun loving diverse people that live here, to the delicious traditional foods,  it really has been a week to remember. If you, like us aren’t sure about visiting Dubai, you really should!

The countdown is well and truly on! Yes, I have the countdown on my phone and like to remind everyone every week how long we have until we go. Just a bit excited that’s all…

Since I posted last, I have finished my job teaching in Scotland and returned back to Wales for the last remaining weeks before we leave. I did this purely due to wanting to spend time with family and friends before leaving. I am so glad I did it as this time spent with my family and friends really has been lush. With little time left before we leave the UK, I thought it would be a good idea to get pen to paper and talk about the planning process of this trip. Now it’s not like either of us have ever done anything like this before, so we are by no means experts and to be quite honest with you, Google and Amazon have been my best friend for the last 6 months.

I’ve had a lot of people ask how we have gone about planning the trip. STA Travel have been amazing! From the second we met with Chris back in January 2018, they have been nothing but helpful.

Myself and Kyle had decided on some countries that we wanted to visit and Chris, our travel agent had done quite a lot of travelling and suggested other countries that we might like to visit. And that was about it. We discussed a few possible routes ( I also compared prices with a few other travel companies and STA were by far the most reasonable) and that was it booked! Since booking back in January we have made some small changes to our route, which again was no issue for STA and they sorted it without us having to do anything! We have since added Japan onto our route as we both wanted to visit during the Rugby World Cup, and being over ‘that’ side of the world it made total sense to do this! Now, it’s not a secret that Japan can be expensive but we have made a conscious effort to save a little more so we are able to afford that extra trip. Most of our flights were booked as ‘dummy dates’ and as soon as the dates came available STA contact  us to change them. They really have been great and I hope they will continue to support us during our travels, which I’m sure they will!

When it comes to planning the details, I was given some great books by my Mam which have been great in helping with planning, what to do and where. Lonely Planet, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos & Northern Thailand. Also – Lonely Planet, Discover Thailand. I would recommend both books to help with planning.

Instagram. WHAT A GEM! We have found accounts that are doing similar things to us. Go have a look at – ittakes2totravel -thetravellingscots – strappedpackers.

Just chatting with people has been really helpful, having recommendations from people who have been to these places has made the planning really exciting. There are amazing itineraries online of trips people have done, which have also been a great help! I think once we are there we will figure out what we want to do, we are going with a rough plan but I’m sure once we get there things will fall into place. (hopefully)

Packing hasn’t started – TBC. I HATE PACKING

I bought a camera! I did some research and decided with the SONY DSC-H300. It wasn’t stupid expensive and had some great reviews. I’ve been having a little practise and love the quality of the pictures. Myself and Kyle have made a deal – I will watch every Rangers game when we are away if he doesn’t moan about taking pictures! DEAL. We are hoping to buy an action camera also before we go.

Well I guess that’s it… I better get onto some packing!(or that can wait for now)