25 Things To Do Before You Die...

- Ride the Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls, Canada
- Marvel at downtown Manhattan from the Empire State Building, New York, USA
- Trek in the Canadian Rockies, Canada
- Tandem cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, USA
- Stay up all night in the casinos, Las Vegas, USA
- Visit the spectacular Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
- Sail the Floating Islands and overnight on Isla Amantani, Lake Titicaca, Peru
- Complete a four day trek to the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu, Peru
- Stare in wonder at the Iguassu Falls, Argentina/Brazil
- Sing with the locals at a Boca Juniors football match, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Sample the amazing bife de lomo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Cycle the Ruta de Siete Lagos, Northern Patagonia, Argentina
- Make an overnight stop in a mountain refugio, Bariloche, Argentina
- Jump from a plane at 15,000 feet, Lake Taupo, New Zealand
- Climb the volcanic Mount Tongariro, Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
- Don crampons and trek up a glacier, Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand
- Kayak through the tranquil waters of Doubtful Sound, New Zealand
- Drive the 243km of the Great Ocean Road, Australia
- Surf and swim with dolphins, Noosa Heads, Australia
- Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
- Qualify as an advanced open water diver, Perhentian Islands, Malaysia
- Ride on the back of an elephant, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Spend a night in a traditional Hmong village, Luang Prabang, Laos
- Sail a junk ship through the limestone karsts of Halong Bay, Vietnam
- Explore the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat, Cambodia

NOT A BAD YEAR THEN!

Bangkok

The journey to Bangkok from Siem Reap was the last and one of the worst bus trips of the year! However, we had booked a really nice guest house and were soon clean, well fed, and relaxed.

We spent five days in Bangkok in all, and tried to keep ourselves busy with comforts such as great Thai food, luxury shopping, Thai massages, and trips to the cinema! By this stage of our trip (the last five days of 365) we weren't too interested in any more sightseeing, such as visits to palaces or temples!

We are now really looking forward to coming home and seeing all of our friends and family... just one more twelve hour flight and we will be home!

Siem Reap & Angkor Wat

On our journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh we travelled through lots of interesting small villages and lush countryside, a nice distraction on yet another six hour bus ride. We were feeling pretty exhausted from a hectic last week, so we decided on an early night and a long lie in the next morning.

After a reasonably lazy start to our first day in Siem Reap (sleeping and eating), we organised for a tuk-tuk driver to take us to Bakheng Hill so that we could watch the sunset over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately, a heavy rainstorm denied us of a good sunset, but the lack of crowds did ensure that we got a peaceful first glimpse of Angkor Wat. We were both looking forward to fully exploring the temples the next day.

It was a 4am wake up call the next day in order to make it to Angkor Wat in time for sunrise. Bleary eyed and a little groggy, we stumbled through the temple grounds in the dark and ordered a coffee and a chair in prime position for the famous sunrise. Unfortunately the sunrise didn't quite deliver, but we still managed to shoot over fifty pictures - see above for the pick of the bunch.

At around 7am we began to explore inside the huge temple itself. It was at this point that we realised just how incredible this place was - it is definitely up there with Machu Picchu, Iguassu Falls, and the Grand Canyon! It took us over two hours to have a good look around the grounds and marvel at the incredible architecture and detailed carvings. It is amazing to think that this place was built in the early 12th century!

After a much needed breakfast it was time to move on to Bayon Temple, which is situated just inside the ancient city walls of Angkor Thom. We both really liked this temple; it has over 200 massive faces sculpted into it's towers (see above).

It was a day of many temples, which also included Chao Say, Thommanon, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, and Srah Srang. Of these smaller temples the overgrown jungle temple of Ta Prohm was our favourite. There were many huge trees and roots entangled within the ruins - it was really spectacular and quite different from the other temples!

It was only midday when we arrived back to our hotel in Siem Reap, but after eight hours at the temples it was definitely time to go back to bed! Overall, we had had a great day at the temples, which lived up to our high expectations and will certainly feature in our 'top five of the year'!

We had one more day in Siem Reap so we took the opportunity to relax, visit the night market, and go for some good food. Next stop...Bangkok - our final stop of the year!

Phnom Penh

Two more bus journeys left! Another really long bus journey and a relatively successful border crossing brought us into the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. This was to be a short stop before making our way north to Siem Reap, but we wanted at least a day to sample the notoriously good food and see the sights.

On our first evening we had our first of two brilliant meals in Phnom Penh. We ate at Friends, a charity restaurant run by former street kids. The food was served tapas style, but was Asian in nature and included curry, sti-fry, meat balls, sweet potato chips, and rice - it was so good we were forced into having one of their brilliant desserts too!

On our one and only day in Phnom Penh we decided to learn a bit more about the communist Pol Pot regime and the Cambodian Genocide of the late 70's. We hired a tuk tuk driver for the day and set out for S-21, the Genocide Museum. Visiting the former prison wasn't a very nice experience, but the museum was excellent in it's ability to explain the atrocities that happened, right down to the horrific gory details.

Visiting the Choeung Ek Killing Fields (where over 17,000 people were executed) was even harder to stomach. It was quite an upsetting experience, but we were glad that we visited and were able to learn so much about these devastating events that took place only thirty years ago.

Back in Phnom Penh we ended our brief stop with another great meal. Next stop...Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor!

Mekong Delta

It was a four hour bus journey from Ho Chi Minh City to My Tho, where we boarded a boat and began our tour of the Mekong Delta. A few facts about the Mekong River; it is 4,350km in length, it's the 10th longest river in the world, and it flows through six countries including China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, where it meets the South China Sea.

After changing to a smaller boat and rafting through the mangroves, we stopped at a coconut candy mill where we learnt how the locals made the delicious sweets. We then had the chance to sample a fresh batch of coconut and peanut candy. We couldn't help but buy some - it was seriously good stuff!

After lunch we made another stop at a different island, where we enjoyed some exotic local fruits whilst listening to the (terrible) performance of traditional Mekong music - think cats in a sack! Our next stop was for a lovely cup of honey tea at a bee farm, where we also had the opportunity to taste some of the local spirits and bar snacks - the lotus seeds were our favourite!

We then made our way back to My Tho before boarding the bus to Can Tho, where we would be staying overnight. The following day we were up at 6am in order to be on the river and get to the famous floating markets whilst they were still in full flow. We still probably arrived a little late. However, it was still quite a sight to see so many different goods all being traded boat to boat.

We thought we should contribute so we bought a 'donut' from the lady pictured below.

After visiting two floating markets, we made a brief stop at the house of a family who are famous in the area for their excellent vermicelli noodles made from rice. We then turned around and made the very long journey back to Ho Chi Minh City.

Overall, we had a great experience and gained a real insight into the way of life in the Mekong Delta. Next stop Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and another early morning!

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City late afternoon after an eight hour bus journey from Dalat. As with Hanoi, the first thing that you notice is the sheer amount of motorbikes on the roads - it's absolutely crazy and has to be seen to be believed!

On our first full day we planned a route that included all the major points of interest, and set out to explore the city on foot. The most notable stop was the War Remnants Museum. We spent a couple of hours here and received a lot of information about the Vietnam War; we would highly recommend it, although it is certainly not for the faint hearted. It was in fact totally horrific, especially the information and images regarding the victims of Agent Orange.

We continued our history lesson on our second day in Ho Chi Minh City with a tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels; a network of underground tunnels built and used by the guerrilla soldiers of the Viet Cong. The tour itself was a little disappointing (too touristy), but the tunnels themselves and the first hand information from a war veteran was quite insightful.

We were up nice and early the following day to begin a 2D/1N Mekong Delta tour...

Dalat - Moped Madness

On our last day in Dalat we hired a moped and headed out to explore the countryside. It was another 'cold day' so we donned our jumpers (first time in 8 weeks!), and built up the courage to join the mayhem on the Vietnamese roads. The city traffic was very daunting but thankfully it was Joe who was driving - Jen wouldn't have been much use as she had her eyes closed and fingers crossed!

Once out of the city we headed north through the Lat minority villages to Lang Bian Mountain. Unfortunately it was a bit foggy, but we still got great views of the surrounding forest and terraced farmland. After enjoying a quick drink as we took shelter from a rain shower, we headed south to an impressive pagoda perched spectacularly above Tuyen Lam Lake. We enjoyed the views over the lake as we walked through the impressive grounds of the pagoda.

After a quick bite to eat we headed down to the shores of the lake for a closer look and to take a few photos. Having been out on the bike for the majority of the day, we decided to make our way back to the Hotel. En-route we stopped at the impressive old train station and also circled Xuan Huong Lake, the central point of the city.

We were pleased to make it back to the hotel in one piece, so decided to celebrate with a luxurious three course meal! We enjoyed one of the best meals we have had in Vietnam, along with beers and coffee - all for the outrageous price of seven pounds!

This was a great end to a good few days in Dalat... next stop Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dalat - Canyoning

The relatively short journey from Nha Trang was one of our better journeys in Vietnam, and so we arrived in the mountainous city of Dalat at around 2pm. The first thing we noticed was the weather, a 'chilly' 25 degrees - how are we going to cope in England?!

In the afternoon we explored the small city and also booked to go canyoning the following day. That evening we had a really nice meal, a few beers and an early night.

We were picked up at 8.30am and made the short journey to the start of the canyoning. Over the course of the next seven hours, and after being kitted out with helmet, harness and life jacket, we faced several different and exciting challenges as we made our way through the canyon. Firstly, we abseiled down two dry cliffs of approximately 20m. We then trekked through the canyon until we reached a natural water slide, which looked uncomfortably dangerous. However, after watching our guide go down backwards without a helmet, we convinced ourselves that it couldn't do any harm to give it a go. It was great fun and we tried loads of different variations, including backwards and a train (see video end of post)!

Next up was the biggest challenge of the day; abseiling down a 25m high waterfall into a plunge pool. The rock was really slippery so every step had to be carefully placed to avoid a nasty fall. The task was made even more difficult by the fact that the water was gushing onto our legs and into our eyes. As we reached the bottom of the cliff we took a large jump as the rope ran out and we fell backwards into the plunge pool.

By now our adrenaline was pumping, and after a short lunch break we moved on to our last two activities of the day. First up was a 7m free jump, before abseiling into the 'washing machine'. The free jump tested Jen's nerves but she plucked up the courage and followed Joe off the cliff and into the water. The 'washing machine' was a great way to end a brilliant trip through the canyon. It involved abseiling straight underneath a huge waterfall, which spun you around and smashed straight onto your head - by the end you didn't know which way was up or where to go next!

Overall, we had a great time and it was certainly one of the highlights of Vietnam so far.

Nha Trang

We were pleased to arrive in one piece when we turned up in Nha Trang after a night bus from Hoi An. Again, we didn't get much sleep - it might have something to do with the neon lights inside the bus, the terrible air conditioning, and the absolutely crazy driving!

At least we had a nice hotel to relax in and catch up on some much needed sleep. Hence, on our first day we were pretty lazy and only ventured out for a glimpse of the beach and some good food.

We had a brilliant time on our second day in Nha Trang. The day before we had booked to go out scuba diving, and it certainly didn't disappoint! We were up early and on the boat to the dive site for 7:30am. We did two fun dives at two different sites during the day; the sites were really interesting and we were able to see a lot of new underwater sea life that we hadn't seen before, such as nudibranches, bumphead parrotfish, and a red seahorse!

We came to Nha Trang for the diving, and so once we had had our fix we were ready to move on to the adventure capital of Vietnam...Dalat!

Hoi An

Four foot beds and a six foot four inch Joe do not mix very well, hence we didn't get much sleep on our overnight 'soft-sleeper' from Hanoi to Hoi An! Luckily, we had booked a nice hotel to stay in for three nights, and we were soon showered, rested, and under the air-conditioning!

Over the next three days we had a great time which included many visits to the tailor, a day cycling to the beach, and lots of ice cream and 'fresh beer'!

We used a highly recommended tailor and got loads of great clothes made-to-measure. Joe got a lovely suit, four shirts, a tie, casual trousers, and a smart jacket. Jen (who struggles to pick a sandwich from a menu) finally decided on a smart jacket and two pairs of casual trousers. The process involved lots of fitting and re-fitting, but it was amazing how quickly the clothes were made and how great they feel when they fit you perfectly. We were both really pleased with the outcome and the whole experience was a lot of fun!

After the craziness of Hanoi we found the quaint streets of Hoi An very relaxing and a lot less intrusive. However, despite there being far fewer mopeds, Joe did manage to get run over by one! The guy was going far too fast down a pedestrianised street, swerved to avoid a bicycle, and ended up hitting Joe before flying in the air and lying in a heap, petrol leaking everywhere. The driver came off far worse, and Joe was only bruised and shaken up a bit. Looking back, it was quite funny and certainly not surprising!

When we weren't at the tailors or being hit by mopeds we manged to hire a couple of bikes for the day (50p each!), get out of town, and cycle to the beach. We had a brilliant time relaxing in the shade of the palm trees on the beach and cycling through some lovely countryside. Not sure about the granny basket on the front though!

The final factor that has cemented Hoi An as a favourite in our eyes was the unbelievably good home-made ice-cream (three nights in a row) and the cheapest beer to date. It was so cheap we though it would be rude not to drink two quid's worth - so that's 16 beers and an interesting bike ride home!

Next stop...Nha Trang and another dreaded bus journey...

Halong Bay

We started our three day tour of Halong Bay with a four hour minibus ride from Hanoi to Halong City. We then had an hour wait before boarding our junk ship for lunch, and sailing the short distance to our first stop of the afternoon, a huge cave. The cave was massive and really impressive, with some of the best cave structures we have ever seen. However, the experience was tainted slightly due to the sheer volume of tourists and the neon lighting they consider appropriate for lighting up the cave - tacky!

Back on the junk ship, we had a fantastic afternoon sailing peacefully through the spectacular limestone formations and islands of the bay. We sailed through to Cat Ba Island to pick up a couple of passengers before doing a U-turn for a small floating fishing village that rented out kayaks to tourists. We enjoyed getting a closer look at the islands from our kayak and were particularly surprised to come across the most remote ATM we have ever seen! After watching sunset from the kayak, we (or rather just Jen) was treated to fresh crab and beer by the locals who understood no English but were happy to share and smile a lot!

After a sound night's sleep in our luxury cabin aboard the junk ship we were dropped off at Cat Ba Island for day two of the tour. The first activity of the day was a hot and sweaty hike to the top of a dodgy old tower in the heart of Cat Ba National Park. The views from the top were amazing but we were reluctant to stay at the top of the rusting tower for too long - it looked like it would break at any moment!

We were then transferred to our hotel in Cat Ba town, where we used our free afternoon to explore the beaches. Unfortunately, it is a very popular destination for Vietnamese holiday makers as well as Western tourists, and we can quite easily say that we have never seen so many people on a beach at the same time! However, we found a peaceful corner and relaxed with a couple of legendary Vietnamese ice coffees.

The next day was just a traveling day, but we got to sail back through the beautiful Halong Bay again, and the high winds and raging storm made it quite a different experience! During our final lunch in Halong Bay City we randomly met a Malaysian couple from Kuala Lumpur who had lived in Bradford for a while. They had been to Ilkley Moor, Chellow Dene, Haworth, Thornton and more - bizarre!

We were back in Hanoi by 5pm, and in time for a shower and takeaway pizza before boarding the nightbus at 6pm to Hoi An...

Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi in style; a 40 minute plane ride from Luang Prabang! After getting through customs, just, we had a smooth transfer (we managed to swerve past the oxen in the airport car park) to our hotel in the Old Quarter. That evening, we had a little explore around the Old Quarter and went for a nice meal in what turned out to be a fake copycat restaurant of the 'Little Hanoi' restaurant that was recommended to us! - This happens an awful lot in Vietnam.

The next day the heavens opened and stayed open for two days solid. However, we still managed to explore the area south of the Old Quarter and enjoyed great views of the lake and city from the City View Bar. That evening we went to a water puppetry show (an old traditional form of entertainment in Hanoi). It certainly was an experience! Despite the fact that we had absolutely no idea of what was going on, it was all quite funny and, at times, really impressive to watch. The hour of entertainment cost us around two pounds for the two of us; Vietnam is certainly the cheapest country so far!

On our final day in Hanoi we were just about starting to get used to the crazy traffic; 3 million mopeds in such a small city makes crossing the road a somewhat interesting experience. The best tactic is to close your eyes, walk straight, cross your fingers, and hope for the best!

Having seen the best parts of the Old Quarter we used our last day to venture further afield and visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology. It was well worth a visit, and we were particularly impressed with the temporary exhibit which focused on Highway No.9, the road that bisects north and south Vietnam and continues through Laos, Thailand, and Burma.

Overall, we enjoyed Hanoi and it's 10p beers, but in a way it's appeal is it's craziness, and it grates on you after a while!

From here we take a three day tour to Halong Bay and return to Hanoi to get the bus south to Hoi An...

Luang Prabang

We arrived in Luang Prabang after another bus ride that snaked through the gorgeous Laos countryside. We knew we had exactly five nights before our flight to Hanoi so we set about making the most of our time. On our first full day we spent our time exploring the town, walking around the Old Quarter, and browsing through the stalls at the night market.

The next morning we set off on a two day adventure tour which included trekking, a village stay, and kayaking. Due to the heavy rain we had had the night before, we quickly found ourselves wading through knee deep rivers at regular intervals and scaling around rice paddies. It was hard work in the hot and humid conditions, but we were rewarded with some great views and an amazing lunch including an endless supply of exotic fruit.

We arrived at a typical Hmong village shortly after midday and had the opportunity to have a good look around and ask loads of questions about the life of the villagers. By the evening we had made it to the second Hmong village where we spent the night. After an interesting 'shower' under a bamboo pipe we enjoyed watching the endless games played by the kids in the village; considering how little they had, it was great to see how unbelievably happy they all were. To round off a fantastic day, our guide then cooked us a traditional meal and served us some home-brewed Lao Lao (rice whiskey).

The next morning we trekked back down to the road, where we were picked up and taken to the start of the kayaking. We enjoyed kayaking down the river back towards Luang Prabang for around three hours (including a lunch stop). In general we were pretty successful at steering through the rapids, but we did manage to topple out on a couple of occasions!

On our last full day we hired a tuk tuk driver with a couple of friends and set out to visit the popular waterfalls around Luang Prabang. We were really impressed with how clean and clear the waterfalls were, so we spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing - it was a great end to a fantastic eleven days in Laos.

Next stop...Vietnam (and not sat in the aisle of a horrible bus with chickens for 30 hours, but flashpacking on a comfy 40 minute plane ride!)

Vang Vieng

We took the ‘V.I.P.’ minibus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, and it was anything but V.I.P.! The one saving grace was that the views along the way were stunning; lush green jungle and jagged limestone cliffs lined the meandering road as we made our way north.

Once in Vang Vieng we booked into our hostel and went out to explore. It was clear that you only come to Vang Vieng for one thing and one thing only – to party! The next day we got our first taste of the phenomenon that is tubing on the Nam Song! Basically, this is a pub crawl on a river with tractor tyre inner tubes for transport and Tarzan swings for entertainment!

Overall, we spent two days tubing and managed to get to most of the bars, swings, slides, and mud-baths along the way. The first bar was the pick of the bunch as it had the best entertainment, the best Tarzan swing, and it seemed to be the best place to get drunk before jumping in the river! Once in the river, if you wanted to go to another bar you had to signal for one of the kids to throw in a ring and hook you out! As you can imagine, this became a serious struggle after a few beers and with a raging current!

On the second day of tubing we experienced the great atmosphere of Bar 3 in the pouring rain. There was plenty of beer and free tequila shots, which led to a lot of singing and dancing! We then missed out the mud bath tug-o-war at Smile Bar (which we experienced on the first day), and moved onto the last bar for mud wrestling and more Tarzan swings!

At the end of each day we were very drunk, very muddy, and very tired by the time we made our way along the last 3km stretch of the river before arriving back in Vang Vieng. It was one of the most random experiences on our trip to date, and although not in-keeping with real Laos culture, it was great fun and had to be done!

Next stop...detox in Luang Prabang and a two day jungle trek!

Vientiane

We arrived in Vientiane around 12pm having taken the overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani, a tuk tuk from Udon Thani Station to another bus stop in Udon Thani, a public bus from Udon Thani to Nong Khai, another tuk tuk to the border crossing at Friendship Bridge, a bus across the bridge after passing immigration, and finally a very overloaded tuk tuk to our hostel in Vientiane - it goes without saying that we were pretty tired!

We spent two days in Vientiane and it rained non-stop (it is the rainy season). However, we had a lot of sleep to catch up on and quite a lot of errands to run (Vietnam visas, flights to Hanoi, bus tickets to Vang Vieng etc.), so we were kept quite busy.

There wasn't a great deal to do here except eat and drink - and we did this in abundance! Laos has some great French bakeries, cafes, and cool bars serving some much loved home comforts!

Next stop...Tubing in Vang Vieng!

Chiang Mai - Eco-Adventure Trek

After the fantastic day we had on the cookery course, we booked onto a two day one night 'Eco-Adventure' trek which involved an elephant ride, trekking through the jungle, white-water rafting, and bamboo rafting.

The first day involved a two hour journey into the jungle where we jumped onto the back of an elephant (as you do) and were taken for a ride! Along the way we took plenty of photos and, at times, held on for dear life as the elephants ascended and descended some pretty steep and slippery slopes! We then had lunch and completed a three hour uphill climb to the hilltop village that was our home for the night.

Our little bamboo lodge was perched spectacularly overlooking the surrounding hills and valleys - it was a perfect setting for a great evening. Our tour guide cooked us an amazing curry and then provided the entertainment with some interesting 'Thai' covers of The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Oasis, and many more!

On the second day we descended the 1000m we had climbed the previous day, and made our way along the river to the waterfall (see below). With searing temperatures and humidity it was great to jump in the river and stand under the waterfalls. We then made our way to the start of the white-water rafting, and after a five minute demonstration we were hauled into the 'raging' river! We rafted for about half an hour (it was actually quite good) and then took a ten minute bamboo raft to the pick up point.

After some Pad Thai noodles we squeezed into the van and made the hour and a half journey back to Chiang Mai. Smelly, wet, and dirty, we were glad to send our clothes to the laundry and have a nice shower!

Chiang Mai - Thai Cookery Course

On our first full day in Chiang Mai we decided to put our culinary skills to the test and do a Thai cookery course! It was a great day, which involved a trip to the market to buy and learn all about the different ingredients that are used, preparing and cooking six courses, attempting to carve vegetables, and eating mountains of exceptionally good food!

Between us we made spring rolls, Thai soup, papaya salad, chicken salad, chicken and cashew nut stir-fry, spicy red Thai curry, and sticky mango rice. We were surprised at how quick and easy the dishes were to make - even making fresh curry paste from scratch took less than ten minutes!

We promise to cook for the Pooles and Nuttalls when we get back so you can find out for yourself how good the food really is!

Kuala Lumpur

We finally made it back to Kuala Lumpur after a nine hour bumpy bus ride from Kuala Besut, and headed straight back to the comfort of Louise and Iain's apartment! Again, we were made to feel really welcome and they continued to spoil us with great food (see photos) - including the biggest English breakfast you could ever imagine, a lovely banana leaf, and plenty of beer served in a proper pint glass - we'd forgotten what they looked like!

Thanks again guys, we had a fantastic time, and we're now looking forward to Thailand...

The Perhentian Islands

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur early after catching the horrendous overnight train from Singapore, and made our way to Louise and Iain's house (Louise is an old friend of Jen's sister). They were extremely welcoming and we spent two days catching up over good food and proper English tea!

We then took another night bus from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Besut, where we boarded the speed boat at 7.30am and made the short trip to Perhentian Besar. We had booked four nights at the Watercolours resort and planned to eat well, sleep well, and do our Advanced Open Water dive course.

The first day was spent recovering from lack of sleep (the night bus was just as bad as the night train) and swotting up on all the dive theory ready for the course. On day two we completed the navigation dive and the night dive. The navigation wasn't anything spectacular but taught us some key skills for finding our way around underwater (Jen is actually a better navigator underwater than she is on land!) In the evening we waited until dark and then ventured out for the night dive. It was an unreal experience and we managed to see loads of sea life that you struggle to see during the day - including the fish having a kip on the rocks! Our favourite sightings were the boxer shrimp, the coral catshark, the Jenkins stingray, and the plankton that illuminated when we turned off our torches!

On the third day we did the deep dive and the underwater photography dive. The deep dive was a great experience. We went down as far as 30m and it was again a completely different world. A lot more of the colours were lost at this depth and it was a lot cooler than on the surface. Here, we saw at least five bamboo sharks, a moray eel, two Jenkins stingrays, some porcupine fish, and many more. The photography dive was really cool too, as the visibility was perfect and it was a superb dive site. As we swam around we practised taking pictures of the fish, each other, and the coral. We soon found that underwater photography is a fine art and requires excellent buoyancy control to get the best results. However, we did get some really nice photos!

On our fourth and final day we completed the course with a wreck dive - a 92m cargo ship carrying sugar that sank in December 2002 called the Union Star - the dive site is known as the Sugar Shipwreck! Again, it was completely different to all the other dives, and it was really exciting and challenging to manoeuvre through the fallen masts and ropes whilst marvelling at the sheer abundance of fish. The pick of the bunch on this dive were the huge pufferfish, the giant blue trevally, the scorpionfish, and the lionfish.

After successfully completing the course (we are now Advanced Divers!) we went snorkeling for one last look at the fish. We realised that the island is fantastic for snorkeling as well as diving, and our whole experience of the Perhentians was topped off when we saw a 1.5m blacktip reef shark!

We now make our way back to Kuala Lumpur before flying to Chiang Mai...

Singapore

After a two and a half hour flight from Denpasar we arrived in Singapore airport at around 7pm. We took the shuttle bus to our hostel, which was situated in Little India, and went straight out for a curry. It was a long day of travel so we were pleased to get an early night.

The next day we planned to see all of the sights, but due to a tropical rainstorm, we ended up doing the two most popular things in Singapore; shopping and eating! The size of the shopping centres was incredible and they had everything on offer that you could imagine. We ended up coming away with a laptop for half the price you would get in in England... oops! After a brief stroll through Chinatown we headed back to Little India, where we had another fantastic curry (the nearest to a Bradford curry we've had all year!)

On our final day in Singapore we went for lunch at, and explored, Clarke Quay. After lunch we took a stroll through Fort Canning Park before meeting Alex (our Swiss friend from Indonesia) for a coffee. We then made our final trip back to Little India in order to collect our bags and make our way to the train station to catch the overnight train to Kuala Lumpur...

Open Water Dive Course

The dive course was over four days and included two theory sessions, two pool sessions, and five dives.

On the first day we watched a couple of videos, did some theory work and then climbed into our SCUBA gear for the first time. Once in the pool, we both found it really hard to get used to breathing underwater - it was a very strange and unnatural sensation! However, after persevering we became more and more comfortable, and were able to complete all the essential skills in the pool before our first dive.

We were now onto the fun part of the course! We did five dive sites in total including Manta Point, Meno Bounty, Hanns Reef, Shark Point, and Halik. Each dive site was very different and added to our experience every time. We started with our first dive at 12m, and by the end of the week we were going as deep as 23m.

As we became more comfortable in the water, we were able to really relax and take in the sheer beauty of the coral reefs and shipwrecks, not to mention the fish! Over the five dives we saw loads of weird and wonderful types of fish including trigger fish, cuttle fish, angel fish, spade fish, sweet lips, lion fish etc. etc. We were also lucky enough to see many hawks bill and green turtles as well as a white tip reef shark and an eagle ray.

It was absolutely incredible and we've definitely got the taste for it! Maybe our advanced course in Malaysia???