Shanewilson's travel blogs:
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Two Months of Travel
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Today marks the second month anniversary of my travels RTW. Already, I am beginning to contemplate changes to my itinerary given that I have fallen in love with everything South East Asian. When planning the trip, I was a bit sceptical about Asia and thought that I would rush through the region. But this area of the world has left a very special mark on me. I am having such a fantastic time and can't wait to begin the third month. I'm rather glad that the honeymoon phase of the trip is now over. Speaking to other tourists just goes to show how much there is to be seen here and 1 year in Asia would not be out of the question. It's just a shame that I desperately want to see South America as well. I know workers don't want to read this, but it is rather refreshing not having to worry about my day to day routine of working etc. The freedom attached to travelling is simply awesome. For those people contemplating travelling, just do it!
Day 7 of the tour was simply amazing and I feel so priviledged to have been able to experience the joys of trekking through the Sapan region to the Ta Van Village. My fitness levels seem to be improving given that I found the 6 hour trek through slippery terrain quite easy. I made a point of staying close to the front... from my earlier treks, I have since learnt that if you stay at the front, you have longer breaks:) I was in awe at the stunning scenery around Ta Van and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the locals. I feel totally relaxed and only wish I could spend longer here. The village people are the friendliest people I've come across in Vietnam. The trek took us along buffalo paths and trails. We also had an opportunity to get up nice and close to rice paddies. I found it fascinating to watch the local men use traditional means for ploughing the land (using a buffalo and wooden contraption to plough the soil etc.). Even the irrigation systems are quite primitive.
Tonight we stayed with a local family in the Ta Van village. This was even better than the local tribe in Malaysia that I stayed with. The family were fantastic in that they invited us into the kitchen to watch them cook, and joined us for dinner and after-dinner drinks/entertainment. The meal was very, very satisfying. We enjoyed a combination of Vietnamese food (see the photo!). The lady host definitely put us to shame in downing up to 20 shots of some kind of rice alcohol... very, very strong and definitely nasty on the stomach. I had about 4 and that was definitely enough. Most of the group were quite intoxicated by the end of dinner... probably my favourite night of the tour so far. We drank, talked, and played lots and lots of uno. The motiviating factor was avoiding losing uno because the loser had to down a shot of rice wine. I lost once thank goodness, but the tension and competition amongst the players was awesome. Rob and Sarah introduced a few extra rules including red 3 (alternate your pack of cards) and red 7 is change with anyone... this made me lose once. It was a very special moment having such fun in such a unique environment.
Sleeping in a barn style roof-top room was quite interesting and enjoyable. What sounded like rain was the irrigation trickling down the pipes to the rice paddy fields. I slept quite well next to Bo and Nikki tonight:) A fantastic day... definitely rates as one of the favourite of the whole trip so far. I am loving the tour in that it gives me an opportunity to really experience the country without making any decisions. More thumbnails ...
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