Let's face it, I've been crap at keeping up with this blog. Mostly because internet in Indonesia sucked big time and when I was travelling elsewhere I didn't get much time to actually sit down and type up long journal entries.

Actually I tried once, when I was in Korea, before my session ran out just as I was about to click "Publish Post" and I lost everything. That taught me. I never even attempted another entry since.

Anyways, I thought now that I'm back home in Brisvegas (just arrived a couple of nights ago) I should post another entry to finish this off.

After Cambodia, I went back to Bangkok before flying back to Jakarta. After spending nearly a month there doing nothing at my parents', we went to South Korea for a couple of weeks. Boring, boring, boring.

Maybe I shouldn't say that since it was a family holiday and to call it "boring" would be disrespectful to my parents, but yes it was boring. It was a family package holiday with a bunch of snotty rich people who wouldn't even carry their own luggage. Not really my kind of holiday, but it was all paid by my parents (yes, yes, spoiled brat) so I couldn't complain.

Korea was beautiful in winter. And though I didn't have nearly as much fun as when I was in Thailand or Vietnam/Cambodia, at least I did enjoy the sceneries. Oh, and I got to have a white Christmas.

We had a 2-night stopover in Hongkong on the way back to Jakarta, and can't say I did much but shop.

After that was another bugger-all time in Indonesia, with a short trip to Singapore for my mum's medical check-up and another shopping spree for me in mid January.

Spent Chinese New Year's in Indonesia - ohh the red packets! I must say CNY's is a good event to earn some free money (for the unmarried youngsters that is. For the marrieds it means more of losing money). I hadn't spent CNY's with my family in years and it was not bad to catch up with rellies (free money), although I've never enjoyed spending too much time hanging around with my dad's side of the family (again, free money).

Anyway, a couple of days after CNY's we left for China. My brother didn't come with us this time. And no more package holiday - yay! We couldn't spend too much time in China, so we only went to Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an. Weren't even going to Xi'an in the first place, but we made a last-minute change of plan when we were in Shanghai (I *had* to see the Terracotta Warriors).

China is vast, and I know that I can travel there for a year and still not see the whole country, so I've promised myself to come back for at least a month next time, to see more of the main sights.

I quite enjoyed our visit to China actually. The sights and the richness of the historical cultures were amazing. The weather was even colder than in Korea (especially in Beijing), and the climb at the Great Wall left me almost fainted thanks to the lack of exercise since I left home, but overall it was a lot more fun than the package holiday to Korea.

The public toilets could do much better, although they've set up star-rated system now in Beijing in preparation for the Olympics in 2008. I've been to the 4-star one and it was quite, umm.. disappointing. I went to a public toilet in Xi'an once and I almost threw up. According to my parents it has improved A LOT since the last time they were there though.

After China, we stopped over in Jakarta to get my bridesmaid dress fitted. I went back to Semarang for a few days to pack after that before heading back to Jakarta for my cousin's wedding.

I will NEVER be a bridesmaid again. I certainly did NOT think it through when I accepted the offer. The 5-o'clock start for make-up, the tight-fitting long dress that's hard to breathe in, the hair, the standing around all day fixing up the bride's dress.. I don't know why I said yes in the first place. Must've been all the holiday atmosphere in Vietnam that made me all high and happy and forget the consequences of my decision. I mean, I'm not even a dress kind of girl! Let alone thick make-up and big hair. I couldn't remember the last time I had a full make-up and hair done.

It was pretty much an all-day event, from 5.30ish to 9 o'clock at night. The wedding was extravagant and the food was great, but I was just knackered. They had another "session" that started after 9, but I couldn't bear to stand up any longer. All my muscles were sore the next day.

Anyways... that was pretty much the end of my holiday. I stayed for another night in Jakarta and flew back home the next day. To tell you the truth it felt a bit weird to be back home after so long (almost 5 months). I've never been away for so long before. It's funny how quickly you adjust to "normal" life though; as normal as you could be while unemployed. Next it's time to start looking for work, after I fix up my PC that is.

Cambodia rocks! Been here for the past 5 days and it's been great. Wasn't expecting it to be so touristy though. And it's certainly not cheap, compared to Vietnam or Thailand. Had expected Cambodia to be cheap and super dodgy, but noo. The fact that USD is the main currency doesn't help either.

Arrived in Phnom Penh by boat after spending one night in Chau Doc. It was a 4 hour ride with only 1 toilet stop, at the Cambodian border about an hour from where we left. Wasn't too bad at all though. Phnom Penh was, as I said, a lot more touristy and westernised than I had expected. It's even more westernised than Vietnam. And I must say that I felt safer crossing the road here than I was in Vietnam. At least there aren't as many motorbikes here.

The first day we were there we had lunch at a place called The Green Vespa, owned by an Irish guy. The food was pretty good and it was SO good to eat chicken again! Avril and I walked to the bookshop and around the Grand Palace afterwards. We were gonna go in but it was closed.

On the second day, we went to the S21 prison and the Killing Fields. I didn't know much about Cambodian history but man, what a sad country. The excursion was even more disturbing than when I visited Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. It was absolutely inhuman what they did to the people here. And I hadn't expected the Khmer Rouge soldiers to be so young (between 10-20 years old)! It was definitely a very, umm, sobering experience. The worse thing is that a lot of them are still in power today. I don't know how the people here can accept it, but yet that's how things are in this country.

I had THE BEST dinner that night, at this restaurant called "Friends". It's a non-profit restaurant supporting the Cambodian youth and the food was absolutely beautiful. They did a lovely Raspberry and Vanilla shake as well.

Anyways, Siam Reap, where we are at the moment, is a lot more cheerful than Phnom Penh. We had an early start 2 days in a row. We had to leave the hotel in Phnom Penh at 5.30AM to catch the early flight to here, and yesterday we left at 5 to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat.

It's been awesome though. All the temples and ruins are amazing. Can't believe how many temples there are in this area! I found that Ta Phrom (the "Angelina Jolie" temple made famous in Tomb Raider) was particularly impressive, with the trees growing out of the temple.

Angkor Wat is massive. It was worth waking up early for, although I must admit that the sunrise was less dramatic than what I (and most others) had expected. Still, it's something you have to do while you're here!

There are a lot of kids here who always hound you and harass you to buy souvenirs wherever you go, and yesterday as we were walking to the restaurant from Angkor Wat, this little girl siad to Sue to "tell your daughter to buy postcards"- and she was referring to ME as her daughter! Because well, OBVIOUSLY we look alike. *rolls eyes*

Anyway, we went to the land mine museum afterwards (another sad place!), and went for a boat tour in the arvo which was pretty cool as well.

We had a pretty big night out last night. Went to a restaurant called "The Red Piano", followed by drinks at "Angkor What?". They served drinks in buckets and I only had few sips here and there, but still it was a good night. Some of the cocktails didn't even taste like alcohol. I suspect it was almost pure fruit juice.

I left at around 12.30ish (I think!) with Elise and Glen, and the others apparently followed only 5 minutes after because they were shutting the place.

Today has been a very easy day. I slept in until around 10.15 and caught a Tuk Tuk - I've become fond of the public transport, btw! - with Lesley and Avril to town for a massage and lunch. The traditional Khmer massage was really good. It's a bit like a combination between Thai and oil massage really.

We met up with Sue, Brian and Eimar for lunch just across the road afterwards at Blue Pumpkin, and man, what a cool place! It's a very posh restaurant and we could've been anywhere, really. We didn't feel like we were in Cambodia. Actually come to think of it, the "Angkor What?" bar last night also felt very western and packed with westerners that you could easily feel like you're somewhere else.

But anyway, Blue Pumpkin was awesome. All the furnitures are white, and we sat with our legs stretched out on this long, big, white couch with very comfy pillows and had our lunch on a folding table just like breakfast in bed. The food was lovely and they had a pretty big selection of ice cream (hmmm.. ice cream..) for dessert. I don't think they even have a place like that in Brissy!

After lunch we went to the market to have a look around. I ended up buying a scarf and a fridge magnet - had NOT planned to spend anymore money today for anything other than food! We then went back to the Blue Pumpkin and the girls bought some sandwiches for their long bus journey tomorrow. Popped over at the chemist - I LOVE going to chemists and looking at different stuff and buying stuff I don't really need. Anyway, I ended up with an Evian spritz for face and a loofah and a Tiger Balm. I had planned to buy a Tiger Balm in Bangkok anyway so at least it was a justified purchase.

We caught a Tuk Tuk to this internet cafe and are going to walk back to the hotel after this.

Can't believe this trip is almost over! The Thailand trip is beginning to feel like a distant memory and it feels like we've been on this trip for ages, although at the same time it's been really fast.

Can't believe how slack I've been with my journal. Haven't even written much on my paper journal since I got to Vietnam. Mostly because I get too tired by the end of the day and I just can't be arsed.

Vietnam is pretty cool. Have been having a ball here. The group is very different people, but we've been getting along fine. Actually we just lost 4 people and had 4 new people today going on the Cambodia leg of our journey.

My first impression of Hanoi was chaotic. Traffic was worse than Thailand. A lot more bikes and it's a lot more noisy. My cab driver did not stop beeping the horn the whole way from the airport to the hotel. Even at nothing. I was like, shut up I'm trying to get some sleep here!

But yeah, crossing the road in Vietnam is always exciting. Near death experience almost every single time, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. And crossing the big roundabout near our hotel.. oh my god. I was surprised I came out alive.

Well, let me try to put the trip in chronological order.

On second day we went to Halong Bay, which was absolutely gorgeous. Spent the whole afternoon on the boat, having seafood lunch and swimming in the sea. Awesome. We were lucky with the weather too.. it's been raining a lot in Vietnam, but we had one beautiful sunny day.

Spent the night in the town nearby and headed back to Hanoi on the third day. We caught an overnight train to Hue that night. It was pretty good actually, better than I'd expected. Certainly better than the Romanian train! I took a motion sickness pill and was knocked out by 8.30. Had almost 12 hours sleep that night. Bliss!

Hue was interesting. An old pretty town and less bustling than Hanoi. Our hotel was within the citadel. Spent the first day walking to the market, which was pretty dodgy.. had an awesome lunch of pancake and noodle soup at a famous restaurant on the way back to the hotel (apparently listed on Lonely Planet). Had a swim at the hotel pool in the arvo, went for a guided tour of the citadel afterwards. Our guide, Mr. Tam, was a very funny guy although I got a bit annoyed when he thought I was a schoolgirl. It was raining that arvo and everyone bought a raincoat from the lady in front of the hotel. Quite an amusing sight. Went for dinner next door to the hotel that night, which was really good too.

Our second day in Hue was one of the best days I've had on this trip so far. We did the motorbike tour around the city - thank God it did not rain at all that day. We've been lucky with the weather really. Anyway it was awesome. I was scared to get on the bike at first, but soon I was fine. We rode through the countryside and made a lot of stop. Went to the monastery and had a vegetarian lunch (it wasn't all vegetables - phew!) and did a little meditation course from a monk there. The whole trip lasted for about 6 hours, and it was so much fun. We saw little kids everywhere who were very friendly and wanted to give us high fives. It really was the best day. I honestly hadn't expected to enjoy it (being on a bike and all) but I'm so glad I did it.

Next stop was Hoi An. Ohh, Hoi An. I love the ancient little town. It has a really nice feel to it.. very quiet lanes, with old houses.. it was a little like Asian Cesky Krumlov. And the shopping! There were tailors everywhere and we spent the whole time there getting clothes made (and shoes, and bags..). I had not expected to buy so much but now my pack is full and last time I weighed it was over 16 kilos. Damn. I don't know how I'm gonna take all that stuff back to Indonesia as I've already left a pretty big duffel bag in Bangkok.

But how could I resist? Custom made tops for around $8. Pants for just over $10... shoes, jackets... Some of them are not of the best quality, but they're so cheap you can't really complain.

Anyways, moving on. We caught a flight to Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City the next day. It was a pretty short flight - only took about an hour. We had a late lunch at a famous Pho place nearby the hotel (the one Bill Clinton went to when he was here in 2000), then it was free time for the rest of the arvo. I went to the market to buy sunnies (I lost them somewhere in Hoi An!) then headed back for a dip in the hotel pool.

We went for dinner that night at the "backpackers land" - quite a long walk. The restaurant had moved recently, and Huy (our leader) didn't know that. We walked for a good half an hour there, or just about. I wasn't too happy because I had a big laundry bag with me which I had meant to drop off before dinner. Huy told us there was a place closer to our hotel but when we finished dinner it was 10PM and they were closed when we got there (after stepping through the dirty water on the street - gross). Oh, and I had to wait for an hour for my burger that night. Wasn't my best night.

The next morning Nicole and I walked to the laundry place before we went on the tour to Cu Chi, but it was still closed. Duh. Was getting really annoyed. But anyways... the trip to Cu Chi was interesting. I must admit I didn't know much about the history of Vietnam, but I learned quite a bit that day. The underground tunnels were certainly not for the claustrophobic, but it was an interesting experience.

We went back to HCMC in the arvo, and after lunch we went on cyclo tour around the city. Some things to remember were the neon sign in the cathedral (including the halo above Virgin Mary's head). Funky. But the real eye opener was the visit to the War Remnant Museum. Very sad. I began to understand why they hate Americans. Rightly so. The stories about what the US troops did to the people in Vietnam, including women and children, were inhuman. I don't know if I'd want to come here if I was American. The worse thing is that the very same thing is probably going on in Iraq right now and 10 years from now there will be the same museum there. And it's always the bloody Americans isn't it. I mean, no offense to most Americans I know - they're great people. I just can't stand the government.

Anyways. Had our farewell dinner that night. It was a fun night. We went to this restaurant which serves weird stuff (goat's penis, anyone? Or what about scorpions?). We had BBQ and prawns. I mean, live prawns, grilled in front of us. Wasn't the best sight. But in the end, I ate it anyway.

Went to a rooftop bar afterwards for a cocktail (or for me, mocktail) and on to another bar at the backpackers place afterwards. The Austrian girls left early because they had to leave very early the next day. Amanda and I left at around 1.30. Was too tired. The rest of them kept going until 5.30ish, apparently. And most of them stayed in bed until past midday, with bad hangover. I went for lunch with Nicole, Luke and Amanda at an Italian restaurant. The food was beautiful.

Went for our group meeting at 6, and had dinner with Kerryn and Nicole (their last night with us) at backpackers place (again). Had western food again, which was awesome. Early night last night.

Today we had an 8 hour bus ride (well, almost 10 really since we wasted 1.5 hours going back to the hotel because someone had left his passport), including a short ferry ride. It wasn't too bad.

Had dinner at a restaurant nearby, and some of the guys went on cyclo ride around town. I'm here with a couple other girls.

Time for bed. Early start tomorrow. Cambodia, here we come!

I think I must've said it before, but it's still true. I hate goodbyes.

Everyone left today. First was Bonnie, at 2. Then Lou, at 3. The last one was Emma, at 5. Am sad. I was nearly in tears. In fact, no I'm lying, I did have tears in my eyes when Lou left. Didn't really have time to cry for Emma because her cab came straightaway and stopped in the middle of the road blocking everyone else, and she had to rush.

It's funny, because I am used to being alone. I mean, I spent a lot of time in Italy on my own, and I was perfectly fine. I think it's because I've been having others around for the past two weeks and all of the sudden they're taken away from me. I think if I had been on my own the whole time I would've been OK. That's why I don't really like group tours. I hate saying goodbye!

Anyways... spent most of the day shopping. Had a massage with Emma this arvo. Bought a big duffel bag, just like the one Lou had bought last night, to pack up the stuff I'm going to leave at the hotel until end of this month.

I've asked mum to change my flight date for me to 30th Nov. Which means I'm going to have to cancel my hotel reservation on 1st Dec. I don't want to go through this all over again.. watching everyone leave before I do. I'd rather leave first.

Well. I'm heading back to my room soon. Gotta pack.

The trip has pretty much finished. Mollie left this evening, after the last dinner. Lou, Bonnie and I went shopping on Khao San Road afterwards, then Bonnie and I headed off to Shamrock Irish Pub where we were supposed to meet Noot and Emma. Lou went back to the hotel to drop off her newly purchased bag.

We couldn't find everyone else there at first. Bonnie finished one drink, then as we decided to leave, we found them right by the door. Hung out there for a while. Had a few sips of beer, and I don't know why but my stomach started feeling funny so I decided to leave.

I'm pretty much next door to the hotel and after a quick walk I'm feeling better so here I am.

We went shopping this arvo at MBK (I think that's what it's called) - a big shopping mall here in Bangkok. Spent hours there (and thousands of bahts). Were gonna go to Wat Po to check out the reclining Buddha, but when we got out the rain was pouring so we decided to stay inside and go there tomorrow before the market.

I surely had a hell lot of fun bargaining. One of the lines I used was: "I come from Indonesia, a very poor country.. I don't have much money.." LOL. And it actually worked!

Bonnie later on said "I could've said my mum comes from China, the rural area.. and she works in a paddy field. Well, she used to!"

Anyway, we got a lot of good, cheap stuff today. Bangkok is awesome for shopping. Oh, and pizza for lunch. Mmmm.. how I'd missed pizza....

I've been meaning to write more but somehow I'm just not in the mood. My body has been all sore since the bungy jump.. I don't know if it was the bungy jump or the canopy ride earlier that day though. I mean, there was too much excitement in one day...

I've just realised I haven't mentioned the canopy ride on my earlier entry. Everyone except Mollie went that arvo. It was about half an hour from our bungalow, and we had a lift on a song thaew (one of those pickup trucks with no shelter) and the driver was a "maniac, maniac...".

I think everyone would agree that the car ride itself was more exciting than the actual canopy ride. The road to the jungle (or forest, whatever it was) wasn't the best. We nearly fell off the truck on a few occassions. And it was stinking hot. At one point the car couldn't make it up the steep hill, we had to get off and walked. Everyone preferred that anyway.

The canopy ride was fun. I'll post pictures when I get around to. It was an hour, over 6 different treehouses, and the last one was the best. The longest and the fastest. Totally cool.

The bungy jump that night though... it's gotta be one of the craziest things I've done in my entire life. I didn't particularly enjoy bouncing around at the end of the rope after the actual fall - and I think I've mentioned before that I've got a big, horrible bruise on my arm from that - but the adrenaline rush was being up there on the crane, getting ready to jump.

And the free fall. Oh, the free fall. It was awesome. I didn't have much time at all. Mollie spent a hell lot longer up there telling everyone who shouted at her to jump to fuck off. Ha! Well, the guy who was up there basically told me to count to three and jump. Oh and not to look down. I didn't because I knew I would absolutely shit myself if I had. Mollie did though. And she did shit herself.

She actually went first. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go until after she did it and told me how great it was. She actually went for a second time - the rocket. I was already feeling queasy by then no one could persuade me to do anything more.

Anyways. Long travel day yesterday. Bus, another bus, ferry, another bus, and overnight train. What a waste of time. To think that for about 3000 bahts I could've flown from Koh Samui to Bangkok. Oh well.

I'm sad that I'll have to say goodbye to everyone tomorrow. Am flying to Hanoi the day after.

PS: Got a fake student ID from Khao San Road for 250 bahts tonight. That'll come in handy! I was actually thinking of getting a TESL certificate as well. *LOL* What an awesome country!

OK, I've only got time for a short one here.

Arrived in Koh Samui two days ago. This island is definitely more happening than Koh Phangan. I don't know which one I prefer though.

Anyway, I'm proud to say that I finally did bungy jumping last night!!!!!! Yes, that's one thing crossed off my list. It was awesome, although I felt sick for the rest of the night. Motion sickness? I threw up my dinner, and basically felt queasy the whole night. Not to mention the red spots under my eyes (burst blood vessels or something?) and a big bruise on my left arm, where the rope scraped it.

We partied last night, and I was so annoyed because I wasn't feeling up for it at all. Had dinner at The Deck (where I threw up my lasagna), then to the Ark's Bar, a very happening place right by the beach. The girls bought 3 cute guys who were sitting on another table drinks. They turned out to be Australians. It was hilarious.. but anyway, gotta keep this short so will write more when I get a chance.

We went on to another bar across the road afterwards to dance. I only stayed until 12.30.. was too tired to go on.

I have a rash on my tummy (not sure where I got it) and it was so itchy I couldn't sleep last night. Ended up having another shower at 3AM. That's around the same time Isabel got back.

Well I haven't got much time left. Will write more later

The girls just got back today. All been eaten alive by bugs. Molly was the first one who approached me and said "I sort of wish I was you". The other girls seemed to think it was worth it though. I'm still glad I didn't go. Don't think I would've enjoyed it.

But anyways, I've been having a great time these past couple of days. I met this Austrian girl, Verina, who comes from the same town as Renee, the boy I met on the beach. Anyway, she's staying here for a few months and will be flying to Bali next month. She's a regular actually, been coming here for the past three years.

I got a free ride to the Thongsala on the back of her scooter. It was pissing down, and am glad I at least had my raincoat on. I couldn't keep my eyes open because the heavy rain kept getting in them. But still, we had a good chat and been hanging out quite a bit since.

Renee is a poor bugger. This hasn't been the smoothest holiday for him. First he got bitten by the bungalow's dog. Then he got sick for a couple of days. And just last night, he twisted his foot on the slippery floor and now it's all swollen.

Oh and I met a couple of other guys too. Older guys I should say. They're regulars. Barry, a Canadian who runs a fishing resort back in Canada and spends six months in Thailand every year. He's even got a house here down the coast somewhere. What a life. And I briefly met Neil, an Aussie from Byron who's been living here for 7 years.

It's been raining and overcast a lot, which is a good weather for sleeping in and lazing around reading and hanging out. I had a Thai massage yesterday, which was excellent. And it only cost 200 bahts.

I've started to feel at home at Seaflower, and I told them I want to come back here. Boy, the son of one of the girls who runs the restaurant there, has gotten hooked on my O2.

The sun finally came out this morning, and I spent sometime lying on the beach, reading my third book and listening to Jack Johnson. Paradise, I tell ya.

It's rained again since, but I didn't really mind.

Anyway, I came to the internet cafe to find Bonnie and Emma, and they're gone now. So I better go.