My day to remember

We set off early for the Temples of Angkor, where there are more than one thousand temples, eating fresh croissants on the way in the tuk tuk. We visited just six of them which took us over six hours. The first of temple was Angkor Wat and I was in charge of leading us all around it. Angkor Wat is the main temple at Angkor; it was built between 1113 and 1150 by King Suryavarman II. Next was Bayon which has lots of massive stone faces on it. I got an elephant ride around this temple all by myself and I couldn’t stop smiling all the way around. After a couple of smaller temples we got to the one I was most looking forward to which was Ta Keo, known as the Tomb Raider temple because it is used in the Tomb Raider film. We climbed up the very steep and very narrow steps all the way to the top using our hands as well as our feet. The final, and most spectacular looking, temple we explored was Preah Khan. There is lots of huge tree growing around and over parts of the temple. It looked absolutely amazing, like nothing any of us had ever seen before. At the temples there were lots of children selling things and some begging. We saw a little girl, who was only about four, on her own looking after a tiny baby about 6 months old. It was very sad to see and it really upset Mum. Angkor is the most amazing place I have ever seen and I’m sure I will remember it forever.
On the way back the tuk tuk stopped outside Lucky Mall to let me and Mum out. We got to the top floor of the mall and Mum told me my next surprise was having my nails done. I got to choose whichever nail art I wanted so I had them painted in glittery gold and purple with monkey stickers. Later we went out for a meal and I got to wear my Thai dress and order anything I wanted from the menu. I just wanted cheeseburger and chips, but I did try a little bit of snake which was disgusting. After the meal Mum and Stuart gave me a little gold Buddha to remember my special day by. On the walk back to the hotel I had one last surprise, a 20 minute Dr Fish. I loved the feeling of all the fish nibbling at my feet and toes. It felt really weird and tickly. I had an amazing day; it was my best birthday ever!

Siem Reap

We got the train to Aranyprathet, a tuk tuk to the boarder and then walked across to the Cambodian side, getting our visas along the way. We then got a taxi to our hotel in Siem Reap, which too about 2 hours. Once we arrived we went straight out for tea at Johnny Walkers as all we had eaten all day was sausage on a stick and some horrible rice. The first full day we spent walking around Siem Reap. We went Wat Preah Prom Rath, a small and mostly red and gold temple. Next we called off at a butterfly garden where we saw some big and very pretty butterflies and we saw a lizard eating one of them. We also went to a children’s soft play area which was ace. There was a little battery powered motorbike there that Jack loved. There was also an arcade there which kept the adults entertained. Mum kicked Stuarts butt on the Street Fighter game and he wasn’t impressed at all.

With my birthday coming up I was given a choice, I could either have a present or a day to remember, but because of the weather if I chose the special day it would be the day before my birthday. Straight away I chose the day to remember and I can’t wait!

Back to Koh Samui then Bangkok

After an early morning and a short ferry ride we were back in Koh Samui. We went back to the same resort where we had stayed before and were soon back on Chaweng Beach. We spent the following day on the beach too. It was great. The next morning we set off to get the 7am boat to Don Sak Pier. From there we got a bus to Surat Thani just in time to get the train to Bangkok. It was a very small train with just 2 carriages. The journey took about 10 hours, so when we arrived we got the MRT to Sutthisani and then walked straight to the hotel. The next day we went to the mall for a good walk around. We were going to watch Toy Story 3 at the Cinema until we found out it would cost 350thb (£7) each. We headed back to the hotel early as we had to be up at about 4.30am to catch the 5.55am train to Aranyprathet which is the where the crossing from Thailand to Cambodia is. There were 2 main reasons Mum extended our trip, other than because we were having such an amazing time, those were Vietnam and Cambodia. Unfortunately due to time and cost we are unable to go to Vietnam now, however we are still going to Cambodia. We will be going to Siem Reap and to the Temples of Angkor and I can’t wait!

Koh Phangan

We got a small boat from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan that didn’t take long at all. It was one where you walk in to the sea a little bit to climb onto it. We got off the boat at Haad Rin and walked to the hotel. Within about an hour of getting there it started to pour down with rain and continued on and off for the rest of the day. After a night of little sleep, because of lots of noisy people, we hired a bike to find a quieter part of the island. We ended up at a place called Haad Salad where we stayed for two nights in a little beach hut by the sea, which had a hammock on the porch. The day we arrived it was raining there so we had a meal then an early night to catch up on some sleep.
On the first full day we headed straight for the beach where we soon realised we would need to wear our sandals in the water because of all the broken shells at the shoreline. Even with my sandals on though I sliced my toe open on something sharp in the water so it was decided we would have to find another beach to play on. We found one not far away called Koh Ma, where there is coral reef. I saw so many different fishes of all colours and shapes as well as lots of other creatures in the coral reef like huge slugs, big spiky things and a little creature like Jacques from Finding Nemo. The beach itself was gorgeous, with golden sand and clear water. There was a big swing hanging from a tree which Jack loved.
The next morning we headed back to Haad Rin to spend one night there before getting the boat back to Koh Samui. We spent most of the day on the beach, but we hadn’t been in the sea long before we saw jellyfish so had to get out. Mum even got stung by one. Later we spent a couple of hours in the hotel pool which overlooked the ocean and then in the evening we went out for a meal at a place that shows films on a big screen tv, which we all loved.

Note from Mum
The best way to describe Koh Phangan would be paradise. In Haad Salad we would sit outside the restaurant of our resort in the evening and watch the sunset over the little cove, with Bob Marley tunes playing in the background and the tinkling of wind chimes. There were coconut trees everywhere you turned, ropes covered with shells hanging down all around and two small boats bobbing gently in the water. At the other side of the island, Haad Rin is fantastic too. There are loads of restaurants all in close proximity showing films one after another. After spending so much time travelling, mostly with no tv or with only the odd English channel, it was great to sit and chill out watching a film. Koh Phangan is somewhere we would love to have stayed longer if we hadn’t had the children with us. As beautiful and amazing as the island is, it’s just not a great place for kids. There have been small problems with every beach we have tried in terms of their safety, which is why we made the decision to head back to Chaweng beach, Koh Samui, which is perfect for them.

Koh Samui

Chaweng Beach is the best we have seen on the holiday so far, it’s stunning. The sand is so soft and white; the sea is a beautiful turquoise and is calm and warm. On the first day we hired a jet ski and it was awesome. We got up to 54kmh and Jack and I were screaming with excitement. We spent most of our time in Samui playing on the beach and in the water, even at night we were still out there playing games and watching fireworks go off and lanterns float up into the sky. We still hired a moped again though. I went on a long trip to top of the island and Jack went on a different trip to see a rock which is shaped like a willy, which he found hilarious.

On the second day we decided to do some snorkelling. As my dad had given me some extra money I decided to buy a snorkelling set out of it. It’s fantastic; it’s a professional set, with kid size flippers. . I have seen lots of tropical fish as well as crabs and some jellyfish. I absolutely love it and just want to say a massive thank you to my dad. I love and miss you loads. x

Whilst I was snorkelling, Jack chilled out in the water in his rubber ring which he really loves. He floats about in it for hours, doing s little bit of swimming now and again as well as playing with his inflatable ball and aeroplane. We all had a brilliant time in Koh Samui just relaxing on the beach.

Journey back to Thailand

We set off early to get the first ferry from Langkawi to Satun. From there we got a bus to Hat Yai then a minibus to Surat Thani. Because it was late when we arrived in Surat Thani and we were all tired we got a hotel for the night and went straight to bed. The following morning we continued our journey. We got a pickup bus to the port in Don Sak, then finally a ferry to Koh Samui. The views from the ferry were fantastic, particularly the colour of the water. From the port we got a taxi to our hotel in Chaweng, dropped off our bags and headed to the beach which was right on our doorstep.

Langkawi

We got the ferry from Penang to Butterworth, a bus to Alor Setar, a rickety old public bus to the ferry port and finally a very fast boat to Kuah jetty, Langkawi. As the boat got closer to Langkawi the view of all the islands was amazing and we could see a huge statue of an eagle too. Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 Islands in the Andaman Sea. During the taxi ride to the hotel in Pentai Cenang, we were all captivated by the beauty of the island as well as how empty it seemed. We dropped off our bags, hired a car, and set off to look around. We suddenly saw lots of monkeys in a small parking area at the side of the road and stopped to watch them. The baby ones were sooooo gorgeous. There was an empty car parked up with the window half open and it wasn’t long before we were all giggling as one of the monkeys climbed in whilst another was checking himself out in the wing mirror. Then Mum shouted ‘look!’ and we saw a massive lizard just strolling along at the side of us.
We only had the car for the first couple of days so the next day we set off early to explore as many places as we could. The first stop was the Seven Wells Waterfall, known locally as Telaga Tujuh. We were walking up the very steep road when an Australian man asked us if we wanted to see a scorpion, which we of course did, and it was enormous. We continued walking up the road towards some steps and 367 of them later we reached the top of the waterfall inside the rainforest. We saw the most beautiful monkey ever sitting in a tree by the edge of the waterfall. Mum said it looked like Gizmo off Gremlins. We called at a few more places and then headed for the Crocodile Farm. We hadn’t gone far before Mum and Stuart decided we had seen enough and were leaving. All the crocodiles were badly deformed, some very badly, and it was horrible to see animals in such bad condition. We all felt sad for them. Next we headed for the highest waterfall in Langkawi, where we all had a sip of the fresh mountain water. Then it was Laman Padi, a rice museum, where we learnt about how rice is grown and the history of it. We also got to have a go at grinding some into rice flour. Finally we finished off with a walk round Oriental Village, where we got to go into some enclosures to feed and play with some deer then some rabbits. Then we got to see a tiger really close up, it was great and we all loved it there.
We had intended to spend our last couple of days in Langkawi at the beach; however the weather had other ideas. It is monsoon season here, which has been made clear over the last 2 days, so we have been stuck in the hotel for a lot of the day. This has also meant we have missed out on the island hopping which we were all really looking forward to, especially the eagle feeding part. We have still had some time to play in the white sand though, building some of the volcanoes and things we saw earlier in the trip, and had a few quick paddles in the turquoise water. Tomorrow we leave for Koh Samui where hopefully we’ll be able to spend much more time on the beach.

Penang

We got an overnight bus from Johor Bahru to Butterworth, then the ferry to Penang. Penang is a small island a short distance away from mainland Malaysia which is known for its culture, history and great food. We stayed in Georgetown which is the capital of Penang. When we arrived we were all very tired so spent the day just relaxing and having a walk around. On the second day we caught the local bus to Air Itam to visit the Kek Lok Si Temple, the largest Buddist temple in Southeast Asia. It sits on the side of a mountain and it is a steep walk up to it. It was a very beautiful place and we took our time looking around and climbing up the different parts of it where possible. We got a cable car further up the mountain where there was a 30 meter tall bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, amongst other things. On our last day in Penang we did our own little walking tour. We walked past old British Colonial buildings, past mosques and temples and Catholic churches, through China Town and Little India and then to the harbour front where we climbed a big lighthouse. We finished up at Fort Cornwallis, the oldest standing fort in Malaysia. We climbed on cannons, explored the old buildings and read about the history of the fort. In some of the building were sacks of spices and things, like fennel seeds and star anise, which we tried then had to guess what foods we thought we had tasted with them in.
We have been eating local food in all the places we have visited, but because Penang is known as having the best food in Malaysia, Mum insisted I got more daring with what I ate. On this trip I have discovered that I like lots of foods that I refused to try back in England, I even like spicy foods now.

Extending the Trip

We are supposed to be flying home tomorrow, 10th August, but we are having such an amazing time, and because it is free to change our flights, we have decided to stay longer. I’m so excited, I can’t wait to experience even more amazing places.

Singapore

We stayed in Johor Bahru which is at the southernmost tip of Malaysia so that we could spend our days in Singapore without having to pay Singapore hotel prices. This meant a trip through immigration most days and lots of stamps in our passports. Singapore is a very modern place, as well as being a very safe one. It was strange to see children, some quite a bit younger than me travelling alone on the MRT (railway). On the first day we set off to look around Singapore, starting with Marina Bay Sands which is three 55-storey hotel towers which are connected by a 1 hectare sky terrace on the roof, named Sands SkyPark and is built on reclamation ground. This is new land that has been made in the sea.

Our second and third days in Singapore were spent on the island of Sentosa, which is basically the place you imagine when you think of paradise. At the far

end of the island there is a rope bridge that leads to a tiny islet which is the Southernmost part of mainland Asia and also the closest to the equator in Asia. We had a fantastic time there playing on the beach and in the water.

Our final day in Singapore was spent at the zoo and we all had an amazing time. Singapore Zoo currently holds the title of the best zoo in the world and it’s easy to see why. Never in any other zoo that we have visited in the world, have we been able to get so close to the animals. None of the animals are in cages. Some are behind glass window, but most are just separated from the public areas by simple moats, with some even roaming free. These include Ring-tailed Lemurs, which Jack and I stroked, a few different species primates and even a sloth. As there were animals at Singapore Zoo that are not found in any zoos in the UK, Mum gave me a notebook and pen so I could read the boards and write down interesting facts about them. My favourite animals were the white tigers. They are such beautiful animals, with their off-white fur with light brown stripes and their piercing blue eyes. We managed to catch 2 shows towards the end of the day, the Animal Friends show, where I got picked to throw a frisbee for a huge Alsatian, and our favourite show, Splash Safari, which featured a sea lion called Carlos who was very clever and funny.


Singapore has two big events coming up, the first being its 45th Birthday on the 9th August, it being 45 years since Singapore stopped being under British rule and became an independent republic. The other big event is the Youth Olympic Games which begins on the 14th August. Unfortunately we leave tonight for Penang so will miss both.

Journey back to Malaysia

The train back to Jakarta wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the one from there. We all managed to get some sleep this time and the 10 hour journey went quite quickly. We arrived in darkness at 4.30am and all crammed into a tuk tuk with all ours bags to go in search of a hotel to get some rest and clean up. We set off to the airport that evening to catch our 8.55pm tiger airways flight to Singapore. Stuart moaned like mad all through the airport because we had to pay a departure fee at check in. We arrived in Singapore at about midnight and after a quick stop off at McDonalds we set off to find a hotel. We slept until midday and then headed for Malaysia, to Johor Bahru.

Yogyakarta

We went to Yogyakarta to visit two places, Borobudur and Prambanan. Built in the 9th Century, Borobudur is a Mahayana Buddist monument and is considered one of the best Buddhist religious sites in the world. After an eruption from a nearby volcano, it lay hidden under volcanic ash for thousands of years before being discovered in the 1800s. Prambanan is a collection of Hindu temples, also built in the 9th Century, many of which were unfortunately badly damaged by an earthquake in 2006. We had a driver to take us to both places. On the way we drove through beautiful countryside, past fields of chillies, peanuts and tobacco. The monument at Borobudur has steps up to all the levels, where you can walk all the way around. There are lots of detailed carvings on the walls and at the top are lots of big bell shapes built with stones. As Prambanan was going to cost the same as Borobudur, and since it isn’t considered as highly, as well as being told by our driver that the temples could be seen from the roadside, it was decided that that is what we would do. We stopped outside the temples and could immediately see that damage that had been done to them by the earthquake. Some just look like ruins which is such a shame, as Mum showed me images online of how they used to look. The central building, which appears to have escaped damage, stands at 47 meters high and looks amazing. The driver told us there is a outdoor Ballet performed at night with fire and monkeys, but we couldn’t go to it as we were leaving on the overnight train to Jakarta.

Probolinggo

We left Bali and headed back to Java, this time to Probolinggo to visit Gunung Bromo which is an active Volcano. We got the bus from Denpassar back to Gillimanuk to get the ferry back across the water to Banyuwangi, then the 5 hour bus to Probolinggo. When we arrived it was dark and raining very heavily, like a monsoon. We put on our waterproof jackets and set off to find a hotel. The pavements and roads were flooded and the water was up past our ankles. We went into the first one we saw, which turned out to be lovely, and after some noodles from the hotel restaurant, were soon dry and cosy in bed. Stuart had booked a driver for 4am the next morning to take us to Guning Bromo so we could be there for the sunrise. We got out of the car at the checkpoint and made the rest of the pitch black journey to the base of the volcano in a jeep. From there we walked on the almost black sand up the volcano; Jack went up it on a horse. The final climb was up some very steep steps, and I made it to the top first. At the top it smelt horrible, like rotten eggs, but then looking down into the crater with all the smoke coming out I didn’t care. It is one of the most amazing things we have ever seen, and once the mist had begun to clear the surrounding views were spectacular too. On the way down Jack and I went on a horse together, which I loved loved loved! We were all amazed by Bromo and it will go down as one of our most amazing experiences ever.

Bali

We spent our time in Bali staying in Kuta. Our hotel was only a five minute walk from the beach and it was ace. We could go in much further in this water than we could in Phuket. Stuart even took me out to where there were some waves that were taller than me. I loved it! Whilst in Bali we had a car for 3 days so we could explore the Island. We saw some fantastic scenery and some amazing temples. The first was Pura Besakih, the largest and holiest Hindu temple in Bali. It was raining when we arrived and the temple was surrounded by fog which made it look mystical. Stuart had to hire a sarong to wear to go into the temple which we all found very funny, except for him, especially because he was wearing it with his gortex jacket. On the second day we set off to explore the Bukit Peninsula. The first temple we found was inside a cave on a beach that was practically deserted. The roof of the cave was covered with bats. We visited a couple of other small temples nearby and stopped off at a little hut by the ocean for some noodles, then headed for Uluwatu. The temple itself is small and we had seen better, but it sits on the edge of a high white cliff by the ocean and the view was stunning. There were some very funny monkeys running free around the temple, one baby one had a baseball cap and another monkey was chewing on someone’s glasses. On our last day with the car we went straight to a beach Mum and Stuart had found the day before, Gegger Beach. The water was so calm and crystal clear, it was gorgeous. We hired a snorkel and it was amazing. We saw all sorts of tropical fish that were all different colours as well as an enormous crab.

Whilst in Bali poor Jack got hurt again. He fell in the hotel room and hit the corner of a bed which cut open his forhead. It was very scary. He had to have stitches in it and couldn’t go in the water again for over a week. :(

Note from Mum

Bali is a beautiful island; the beaches are some of the best I have ever seen, particularly Gegger Beach as I have never been to a beach with such calm and clear water before. The countryside is stunning, as are many of the religious sites, and some of the views Bali offers are breathtaking. However, for me, Bali was tainted. As a tourist in places like Indonesia you expect to pay more than the locals for some things, but in Bali it goes so much further than that. Everything in Bali costs much more than in Java anyway and then for tourists they add ridiculous taxes on too. For example when looking at booking a hotel room 8% is added for government tax, then a further 40% tax is added on if you are a tourist. The biggest problem with Bali though is the people. Everyone is out to scam tourists, and when you don’t fall for it they just laugh and talk about you in their language. Not once were we given a reasonable price for anything and the attempts to rip us off were constant throughout our time there which got extremely annoying and exhausting. Even at Besakih, a religious site, there were some men stood at the main gates of the temple, who were nothing to do with it, telling us we couldn’t go in unless we paid for a guide or ‘gave an offering’. We refused and they accused us of disrespecting their religion, which they were blatantly exploiting in their attempt to scam us. As we walked away they stood laughing, until they saw we had found another way in for free. The island of Bali itself cannot be faulted and we did have an amazing time there, but I was glad when it was time to leave.

Journey to Indonesia via Singapore

This was to be the longest and most awful journey of the holiday. We got the 2pm train to Singapore and finally arrived at Changi Airport at around midnight. We had a flight booked the following morning to Jakarta and after looking at the hotel prices and distances, Mum and Stuart decided we would spend the night in the airport. In the morning, all feeling very tired, we got our Tiger Airways flight, which Jack was buzzing with, and arrived in Jakarta at around midday. We had some lunch then made our way to the train station. We got the night train from Jakarta to Surabaya which was terrible. It didn’t have beds, was smoky and hot and wasn’t comfy at all. We arrived in the morning and after some Dunkin Donuts we soon got onto the next train to Banyuwangi, then onto a ferry to Gillimanuk, Bali and then a bus to Denpasar. From the bus station we got a taxi to Legian, but the driver got lost and we ended up in Kuta at about midnight and found a hotel. We were all so glad this journey was finally over.