Wanganui, New Zealand

Hello and welcome back. After a very early morning flight from Melbourne and some waiting around in Auckland for a second flight down to Palmerston North we finally made it to our next house sit. For both our flights to New Zealand (Jetstar) it cost us £308 for 2 people.

We were greeted at the airport by our house sitters, which was a little strange for us as they were just about to fly out for their holiday so we actually only met them for 30 minutes, but we had been in contact prior to our arrival and it just shows how trusting people can be. We got a ride back to Wanganui where they lived with their daughter and we began our 8 week house sit. Now i know what your thinking '8 weeks is a long time' and we did think this at the start of the sit, as the area was small with no close malls and of course it was coming into winter so a lot of attractions were closing down, but 8 weeks flew by, we don't know where the time went. The saying 'time fly's when your having fun' is really true, it does!

So Wanganui or as it is now spelt Whanganui, it a city on the west coast of the north island, it does have its own airport but flights from here were 3 times the price hence our flight into Palmerston North. Wanganui river which runs direct into the sea was a major European trading settlement, and grew into a military centre during the New Zealand wars. It now hosts Grand Prix motorcycle road race through the streets of downtown Wanganui, this is usually held on Boxing Day, and it is also one of the oldest rugby unions in New Zealand. As it was coming into winter there wasn't very many tourists in the area and the place itself was very quiet.

The house sit was very centralised to all supermarkets and the main street of shops in town. We had the pleasure of looking after Hudson, the miniature poodle who after a few days became inseparable to us and when ever we would leave the room he would follow and when we went out for the day he would cry until we left the house. It is amazing how dogs can adapt to new owners and when he realised we were no threat to him and we would play with him he was our best friend. We also looked after Bella, the cat who slept pretty much most of the day. She was our first cat we looked after and we knew cats slept a lot but didn't think this much, she was 13 I guess. She made the rare appearance if she was cold and came looking to snuggle into you for warmth. The friendship her and Hudson have is funny to watch, Love each other but hate each other at the same time. lol.

Attractions in Wanganui:

• Wellington: The drive to Wellington is long and boring, 3 hour drive with nothing to see along the way. The day we went Wellington definitely lived up to its name 'The windy city' as it was blowing a gale and when we left Wanganui it was a lovely day. Wellington is very easy to navigate round and I found the city to be more boutique shops, of course there were your brand shops there but majority of it was posh boutique shops. The streets were very clean and nice to window shop but as you may have guessed from reading my previous blogs we are not city people so this to us was not very exciting. There is a cable car your can take from the city up to the Botanic gardens but we did not do this due to the weather. Parking is expensive in Wellington and you only get 2 hours free, with car parks not very big. There are many museums dotted around the city we went into a few which we found all to be free. We would have liked to look around the Weta Caves which is a multi-award winning design studio and physical manufacturing facility which has worked on films like Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Amazing Spider-man etc but when we arrived they had sold out so you must book in advance if you want to go.

 

• Empire cinema:

The cinema in Wanganui is very old fashioned and downs need some updating but on a Tuesday you can get cheap tickets at $9 (today's exchange rate £5) each.

• Durie Hill: The look out town which can be found on the opposite side of the river from the city. It is very high and there are lots of steps so if your a little scared there is a smaller tower in front of this one. The views from up here are amazing and you can see for miles 360 degrees. You can follow the river down the the sea mouth and see the path the tradesman took years and years ago.

• Virginia Lake: A beautiful lake just on the outskirts of Wanganui, which is lovely to take a picnic too but be-careful of the duck and geese down steal your food. You can walk all the way around the lake with different paths to take and you can also walk through the wooded area. There are 2 flower gardens to look around an indoor one and an outdoor one. No pets are allowed at the lake though.

 

• Palmerston North: This is probably the closest city with a shopping mall and is only an 1hour drive. It is a small city with a huge grassed area in the middle with a river and large chest board to sit around. The is also plenty of street art to find as your walking through the many streets.

• River Cruises:

Obviously a main attraction in Wanganui is the river so you will find a number of river cruises along the river banks offering different things from 10 minutes to a full day, morning or evening and a night BBQ. Unfortunately for us they had closed for the winter but we did walk along the river as there are boardwalks so we saw what you would see on a cruise.

• Mail Bus Tour: This tour is as it sounds, you take a tour on the mail bus all the way up the Wanganui river to Pipirki. The tour takes about 5 hours as you stop off and deliver post to the locals, there are no shops along the route so you do need to take a packed lunch or purchase the lunch with the tour. In the summer there are many things you can do along the tour from the Flying Fox, kayaking, jet boats, biking but as it was winter there was nothing open. It takes you up the Jerusalem where an old convent was build in 1892 and still houses 2 nuns who used to work there. In my honest opinion this tour was a waste of money and my advice would be to drive it yourself. We paid $63 (today's exchange rate £34) each. I feel they should drop the price through the week as they are going there anyway, but you were in the van for 90% of the day, you didn't see anything you wouldn't see if you came on your own.We didn't feel it was value for money. 

So before we knew it our 8 weeks were up. We did not find another house sit after this one so we decided to head back to.... you guessed it Phuket. Join me next time when we talk about Kata Beach, Phuket. Thanks for reading.

Opononi, New Zealand

After leaving Christchurch we flew up to Auckland and then across to KeriKeri. The flights cost around £550  for 2 people. The plane from Auckland to KeriKeri was very small and noisy. At the airport in KeriKeri there is no border control, they just wheel your baggage off into the arrival lounge. The gentleman waiting to pick us up was pretty much standing on the tarmac. Opononi was about 1 hour drive west through very green countryside and hills. The weather was pleasant, warm clean air.

The house sit we were now at was a restored school with large gardens, a swimming pool, hot tub and vegetable gardens. The closest large supermarket was 45 minutes drive away so we had to do a weeks worth of shop each time. There was a small shop about 10 minutes drive but it was limited to what we could buy.

Opononi, although there was not much to do in the area had the best views on our trip. It was lovely to see and there was hardly any tourists in the area which made it all the better. We did drive 2 and a half hours to the Bay of Islands, but i think the best way to see these is from the sky because looking across the dirty water was nothing special. The area they are in is very tourist and lost anything traditional or historical. On the way to the Bay of Island there were hot springs but as the weather was turning we did not stop off here.

The main attraction (and only attraction) in Opononi was the sand dunes across the bay. You could hire canoes to get across or hop on a boat and slide down the huge dunes at the other side.






As this house sit was pretty much in the middle of know where we used it as more of a relaxing place, where we sat around the pool, enjoyed the countryside and how peaceful it was. Through the day there was no noise other than the cows in the fields.

We stayed here for 3 weeks before heading back to Melbourne Australia to start another house sit. Sorry this blog was not very long but join me next time when we are in Indented Head, Melbourne.

Melbourne - Australia

After spending 7 weeks in the beautiful city of Hobart it was hard to leave but our adventure had not finished yet so we continued on to Melbourne arriving on the 1st Jan flying with JetStar from Hobart which cost us $305 (today's exchange rate £158 for 2 people and 25kg baggage) and took just under 1 hour. We stayed in the suburbs of Melbourne at a place called Glen Waverley where our 5th house sit began.

The house was situated right next to a national park and in high season for bush fires was a little concerning but the there were plenty of walks for the dogs and my main worry was SNAKES! Lisa, the owner of the home gave us the low down on snakes and to keep eyes on the ground at ALL times. I was thankful for the advice because we saw..... 0 snakes. lol.

We were shown round the home and introduced to the animals which were:

A horse called Missy, she was a ex breed mare never been ridden, a donkey called Dobby who was a little shy at first but very inquisitive.




 

2 miniature goats Daisy the white one who was shy but loved to be stroked and Bonnie the brown one, she loves all the attention and cry's out to you when she first sees you or when your walking away. These were a character and always made you laugh, they always found something to cause trouble with, i understand why baby goats are called kids because it was like having 2 kids, you couldn't take your eyes off them.

 



Then there were 4 chickens which we got 3 or 4  fresh eggs from each day and Molly the spoodle (springer and poodle) dog who has to be the cutest little doggy, very well behaved, hardly made a sound and always loving. On the second week of our stay we looked after a family members dog called Oscar. He too was a spoodle a white one but he was very timid and hated loud noises. Sometime naughty when you wanted him to come in he would just look at you through the window and then run off.

While at our house sit we went to the nearby shopping malls, both of which were the same just one was slightly bigger. We looked at Village cinema and Hoyts cinema here but decided against it when we saw it was $21 (today's exchange rate £10.29) for one movie. To us that is expensive as we were paying $12 (today's exchange rate £5.88) in Queensland.

We also went into Melbourne for the day on the train. We had to purchase a MyKi card to use the train but this and our fare for the day only cost $14 (today's exchange rate £6.86) for an hour journey there and back which we thought was good value.

Melbourne Attractions:

• Eureka Tower: This can be seen anywhere in Melbourne city with its 'gold crown'. It has  365 degree views across Melbourne and cost $19.95 each (today's exchange rate £9.77) but you did have to pay extra for the 'Edge' experience $12 (today's exchange rate £6.24) which is not worth the extra money as there is a small section which is outside the building you can go on without paying extra and this was good enough. Within the tower there is dining and The Walk Experience, which is a green screen set which gives you the illusion your walking a tightrope suspended high above the city, this is an additional $15 (today's exchange rate £7.80) .

• The Royal Botanic Gardens: I'm starting to think every city in Australia has Botanic gardens and yes they are very pretty and lovely to walk round but once you've seen one you've seen them all.

 

• St. Patrick's Cathedral: You can not miss this Cathedral and is in the heart of the city. Its architecture is amazing and so detailed, you can look at it for hours. I think this is what makes Melbourne different from the other cities in Australia are the buildings and architecture it has. Not all the buildings are the same. 

 

  

•  Walking Tours: (We just walked on our own as it is a very easy city to walk, one main street and all side streets are parallel.) We walked from Flinders Station straight up to the State Library and then went down side streets on the way back to the station. I guess a girl from the country doesn't see the attraction of a crowded city, we much prefer shopping online. But like i said it to us is the nicest city in Australia as it was so clean and had history. Also what were liked was there were WIFI spots around the city that you could us so you wouldn't get lost.

• Museums: Like every city there are museums and lots of them depending on your interests, from City Gallery which is an Art Museum to the Australian Center of the Moving Image and many more.

• Puffing Billy Steam Train: This was not in Melbourne City, it can be found in the suburbs but an honest opinion is don't go looking for it. The tour cost $51.50 each (today's exchange rate £25.24) and was a total waste of money so my advice is DON'T DO IT!! We traveled from Belgrave to Lakeside and the views from the train were obscured by trees on one side and the other was of run down homes. There was no commentary on the train telling you about its history so the journey was silent. The train stopped at 2 places to let people off and all that was there was a small tuck shop which sold 2 preheated pies and sweets. Moving on to Lakeside we thought it would be a village to look round and a nice pub to eat in, boy were we mistaken. All that was there was a tearoom which sold only preheated pies and crisps, a small souvenior shop, and a cafe which was more like a truck stop cafe with dried sandwiches in. There was a lake secluded behind trees but we were only given 20 mins to look round, not enough time to walk the lake and get back. Even though we arrived back on the train  after our 20 minutes were up we sat for another 40 mins not moving because there was a problem. The advert says leave up to 3 hours for the whole journey but it took us near 4. When we got back we asked for a refund we felt it was that back. 

• St Kilda Beach: There are many activities to do at St Kilda beach which is only 6km from the city. If your interests are bike riding or roller blades, kite boarding, sky diving, fishing or just swimming in the ocean all this can be found at St Kilda. There are many events and festivals held in this area, but unfortunately for us it wasn't the season for it but if your there in May keep a look out. 

After our 2 weeks were up we booked plane tickets to Christchurch, New Zealand for the 19th Jan with Jetstar and cost us $485 for both. (today's exchange rate £237) to start our 6th house sit. Join me next time in our adventure around Christchurch.

Brisbane - Australia

From Kuala Lumpur we looking into ways of flying to Brisbane Australia and it was more expensive to fly direct (around £300 with a stop in Singapore, total trip 13 hours) so instead we booked seperate flights, the first one was to Sydney and we booked our tickets online via Air Asia which was very quick and easy to do. The flight cost about £100 direct 8hours and then we booked another flight through Tigerair from Sydney to Brisbane and this cost about £37 direct 1 hour. These prices do not include baggage but even with the cost of this for 2 seperate flights it was still a lot cheaper than one long flight.
I do search for flights using the Sky Scanner app to see which airlines are the cheapest and to work out times and once I have done this i find it cheaper to book direct with the airline.

Visa: As we are a British Citizen we can get a free 12 month visa for Australia (non-working) but the conditions are you have to leave the country every 3 months. There is no specific time limit in which you have to leave but i would suggest leaving for longer than a day.

On arriving in Brisbane we were picked up by my Auntie and Uncle whom we stayed with in Redcliffe, a half hour drive north from Brisbane. It is a quiet place not a lot to do but does have good bus services and you can easily catch the train from Sandgate into Brisbane city.

Attractions in Brisbane:

 

• Brisbane South Bank - This is a man made lagoon which anyone can use and has slides for the children. In May when we were there it was getting into their winter so the water was a bit cold. They have a lovely botanic garden which surrounds the lagoon which you can follow and walk all the way along the river bank.

• Wheel of Brisbane - As you can guess the wheel is the same in most cities, revolving pods which your in to experience different views of the city. Adults cost $17.10 each (today's exchange rate £9)

 

• Mount Coot-tha -Here you will have panoramic views of Brisbane city skyline from the observation deck. On clear days you can see right out to Moreton Bay and at night the city will light up the sky. There is a cafe and restaurant at the top so you can enjoy coffee, cake and the views.

• Queen Street Mall - You will find all the shops you want along this open aired mall. There are many side streets full of shops which sprout off the main street. 

 

• River Cruises - There are many different cruises to view Brisbane from different angles and there can all be found on the river banks around Brisbane. The prices vary depending on what the cruise offers so check out the local tourist information center for more info. 

 

• Eat Street Markets - These are open every Friday and Saturday night and Sunday through winter and offer a wide range of food from Indian, Chinese, Pizza, Burgers, Kebabs, Donuts, Cupcakes, Fudge etc. There is live music and entertainment offered with a small entry fee of $2. It can be found next to the ferry port (Hamilton Wharf) and definitely worth a trip.

Attractions in Redcliffe:

• Whale watching - Brisbane whale watching is the main company in  Redcliffe to offer whale watching. (This company can also be found at The Gold Coast). You board the boat at 9:30am and returns 2:30pm. The boat doesn't travel far out to see, just past Moreton Bay and although the sea looks calm at the jetty it is not out at sea. We paid $135 (today's exchange rate £72 each), we chose the deal with the buffet lunch, DO NOT get this. It really wasn't worth the extra money, mostly salad with a bit of chicken, but most of all you probably wont want to eat anything as it is very choppy. We have never been see sick but this company turn their engines off while around the whales so you go which ever way the sea goes and with huge whales splashing around it can go up/down, side to side. I think at least 70% of the people on board were sick. Saying that we did see about 7 humpback whales, 3 dolphins and a hammer head shark which was very lucky. There was live commentary all the time so if something was happening at one side of the boat you would know.

 

• Jump the beach - Sky diving can be done all over Australia (and the world) so I'm not going to say Queensland is the best place to do it, you have to pick the place you want to see from up above while you fall out the sky......with a parachute of course.

The main attractions in Queensland:

•  Australia Zoo - Of course everyone knows about Australia Zoo and if you don't where have you been?? The famous Steve Irwin and his family own the zoo which is filled with any animal you can think of. It spans over a huge area so allow yourself a full day to explore and see the animals. They have many different shows on from Crocodile shows, bird show, snake shows to Koala shows. They offer zoo tours kind of like a jeep safari, you can have your pictures taken holding or touching some of the animals, but I think the best part of this zoo is the open Kangaroo enclosure which you walk through and can feed and stroke the kangaroos. The Koala's are also in the open so when you walk through there area you can stroke them and have your picture taken with them. It allows you to get close to animal you would not usually see.

• Movie World - Found on the Gold Coast and basically a movie themed theme park. They have 4D experiences as well as a variety of thrill rides. It isn't the biggest theme park I've been too but offers the same things.

• Sea World - I think everyone knows what to expect from a sea world, they offer different animals shows, swimming with dolphins, trainer for the day and touching of sting rays/turtles etc. They also offer a helicopter ride over the Gold Coast but I personally think this is very over priced.

• Wet'n'Wild - Everyone's favourite holiday activity the water park. Again isn't not the biggest I've been too but offers different level of slides, a large swimming pool with the wave machine and heated pools. They have a selection of places to eat, all fast food of course so you might want to take a picnic and sit on the grassed areas.

With movie world, sea world and wet'n'wild we purchased a combination pass which gives you access to all three parks and valid for 3 months. it cost $99 (today's exchange rate £53) which is so much cheaper than buying the passes individually. Each park cost $79 each (today's exchange rate £42)

• Dream World - A combination of theme park rides, dream works, and a zoo. We did not go to this as it was not included in the pass we bought but is in the same area as movie world. Tickets cost $85 each (today's exchange rate £46) but they do offer 21 day and annual passes. 

 

• Fraser Island - The worlds largest sand island which is just off the coast of Hervey Bay. There is lots to do on the island whether your there for a day or stay at the hotel, depending on what you like there is something for everyone.

 

• Great Barrier Reef - The great barrier reef stretches from the top of Queensland (Cairns) right down past Brisbane. The main attraction here is snorkeling. We never did this as I am scared of the sea and don't fancy being eaten by sharks which do swim in the shallow waters no matter what they tell you.

There are so many attractions to do in Queensland these are just a few of them. The best thing to do is visit the tourist information center in the area your in to find out what they offer.

While in Redcliffe we accepted our first house sit, YAY!! I spoke about this in my first blog but for those of you who have forgotten or just didn't read it I shall explain again:

Trustedhousesitters.com is a website where people advertise their house and or pets to be looked after while they take their own adventure. As a person looking for a house sit we search the location we are in (currently New Zealand) and any house-sit we find interesting or in the place we want to go to, and we apply to the home owner with a simple email telling them who we are and what we have previously done. With each house-sit you do you are given references and the more your profile builds the better and bigger chance of securing a house sit. What to do? You subscribe to the site for as little at £6.60 per month or £79.20 for a year and create a profile about yourself and who ever your travelling with. Make it an honest profile and let people know who you are, likes/dislikes, job etc. Add pictures, a friendly face can go along way and you can add videos of yourself if you wish, we haven't because I'm rubbish in front of a camera. We have so far done 4 house-sits currently on our 5th and it has been amazing. We have met some great people and made friends for life and looked after some great cuddly animals along the way. We will never stay in hotels again with this website available i can not stress enough how great it is. If you do decided to join this site before your travels please let them know who recommended you as we both might get some discounts. Our name is Travelers2015.
For us this has been the best decision we made on our trip, not only has it saved us money but given us more opportunities to see things and experience living in a new place. Also as animal lovers we were missing our pets back home so its nice to have that company back again. Not all house sits have animals so don't think you will be tied down to a place, its up to you which sits you apply for and accept.

So at our first house sit we looked after 3 lovely King Charles dogs in the first week then only 1 in weeks 2 and 3. She was very easy to care for and the home we stayed in was also lovely and offered us the space a hotel could not. (after spending 8 months together 24/7 its nice to have another room to escape too) lol. Although we didn't have a car at this sit the public transport was close by. Not only did we save money on hotels but it allowed us to cook our own food and save money on eating out, because to be honest in Redcliffe there isn't many nice places to eat unless you like your meat and veg or pub grub. I can however recommend a great little cafe called 'Over There Cafe' next to the Dolphins Oval sports club and it has fresh homemade products that are packed with flavour so support local businesses and head over there!!!!

After our 3 weeks in Redcliffe we secured another house sit for 5 weeks in Sandgate which was about 20 minutes from Redcliffe where you can catch the training to Brisbane. Here we looked after 2 golden Labradors which had been rescued by the home owners. They were very quiet dogs who loved attention but also like to be outside on their own. The house had pool and in the hotter days the dogs liked to join us for a swim. There were great places to walk in the area and although the beach wasn't great to sunbath on it was great for walking the dogs. (Australia doesn't like dogs on the beaches so it great when you find somewhere you can take them on). The dogs and us lovely splashing in the sea and running along the beach. The home was a traditional Queensland cottage, small but very cute and cosy inside and we really appreciated having the opportunity to stay. The home owners themselves were very welcoming and offered us to stay longer or if we were back in the area to visit them.

While we were at our second house sit we took a trip about 2 hours inland to a place called Montville and it was such a pretty little town with quirky buildings, old clock shops, sweet shops and cafes with amazing views. Worth a visit.

Wow this is a long blog so I shall sign off for now. Tune in next week for our experiences in Sydney, Australia.

Thanks for reading.

Siem Reap Cambodia

So where we got off the bus in Sihanoukville, was a travel agents where we booked another DAY bus to Siem Reap. We used Giant Ibis, which only runs from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh and Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. There is only one direct bus to Siem Reap and that is a night bus with Virak Buntham but this is rated the worst bus in Cambodia so you have been warned. The bus took in between 12/13 hours and left at 7:45am and arrived in Siem Reap at around 8:30pm with stops along the way. It cost $23 US Dollars (today's exchange rate £16.

We arrive late in to Siem Reap but our hotel pick up was just sat waiting for us and took us straight to the hotel. We were welcomed with towels and drinks and shown to our room. The room was very spacious with a bath and shower, although a little dated it was still usable and clean.

The hotel was about a 15-20 minute walk into the centre of Siem Reap which was fine, there were places to eat along the way and a couple of hotels, the lane was well light at night so we didn't have a problem walking around after dark. (We don't like to use tuk tuks if things are within walking distance). The main square is packed with market stalls, restaurants and travel agents so there isn't a short of things to look at. The markets are all light up at night and there is a lot of hustle and bustle around. In the centre of the main square there is a pub street which has all the bars and restaurants with promoters trying to entice you into their bar or bar crawl.

The main attractions:
Of course the main attraction in Siem Reap is Angkor Wat. We arranged a tour through our hotel and there are so many temples you will need a tuk tuk to take you round them all.

• Angkor Wat: A World Heritage Temple.

Cambodia is very proud of the temple as it is classed the heart and soul of the country and many thousands of traveler flock here each year. As you will see a lot of the other temples are more ruins and not what they used to be but the Angkor Wat temple has never been abandoned and is still in continuous use. It will take you about 3 hours to look round the whole grounds but go on a cool day. When we went is was nearly 40 degrees centigrade and was just too hot to enjoy anything, and all we wanted to do what
 get in an air conditioned room. You can buy a multi
 day pass so you don't need to see it all in one day. The costs are : 1 day $20 US Dollars (today's exchange rate £14), 3 days $40 US Dollars (today's exchange rate £28) and for 1 week $60 US Dollars (today's exchange rate £42).
 
 


Note: There are a lot of steep steps and uneven surfaces within the temple so please be careful when walking around.

Kickboxing:
There is an arena just on the outskirts of the main square which hold kickboxing 2/3 times a week. Some of the matches are televised but cost $15 US Dollars (today's exchange rate £10) for foreigners to watch. If you get a tuk tuk there the driver can get in for free to watch as well. We did this and it was our drivers first time at the arena and he loved it. Drinks are available at the venue and can last anywhere from 1-3 hours.

• Markets:

There are many markets to choose from, most selling the similar things you just have to barter them down. There is also a food market which has a variety of things including smelly dried fish so hold your nose when your in there.

• Cinema:

There is a cinema which is on the second floor of the Angkor Trade Center. It is very basic with private viewing rooms but the movies are not of the best quality. The staff are very helpful and bring your drinks/popcorn to the room for you.

After our stay in Siem Reap we looked at the next place to go to and this ended up being Krabi in Thailand. This was because it was the cheapest place to fly to.

Remember: If you fly into Thailand you will get a 30 day free visa but if you go over land borders you will only get a 15 day visa.

Hotel we stayed in was booked through booking.com
Landing Point Hotel, $283 US Dollars (today's exchange rate £198) for 7 nights including breakfast. This was a lovely hotel and great fresh breakfast. The pool was small but deep and just what you needed after a day in the heat. There were only 3 sunbeds but this was ok as the hotel was very quiet.  a good size and quiet. The staff were very good and polite in this hotel.

Laos to Hanoi (Vietnam).

There are only two ways to leave Laos, by bus or by plane. The bus is a sleeping bus and can take between 24-26 hours, so we decided on an hour plane ride.

We flew with Lao airlines $130 (Us dollars) each. (Todays exchange rate £86) and although it was a small plane and short ride we were well looked after. We were given free meals which included a sandwich, water and a desert, for the price we paid was brilliant.






Vietnam Visa:
You must apply for a visa before arriving in Vietnam, as you MUST print out your confirmation details to hand over at the Vietnamese boarder control. The application can take 2 or more days to process. For single entry for 1 month costs $16 (Us dollars). (Today's exchange rate £10) per person for the online application. There is an additional $25 (Us dollars). (Today's exchange rate £16) per person to be paid to the immigration office on arrival in Vietnam.

We landed in Hanoi and we had arranged a taxi through the hotel which was waiting outside. We had heard stories of people arriving and picking up a local taxi outside the airport, but the driver not taking them to their hotel until they paid a ridculous fair so would strongly advise you to pre-arrange a taxi through your hotel.

We thought we had found a bargain with this hotel at £85 for a week including breakfast but upon arrival we realised why it was so cheap. Dirty sheets, stains on the walls, never been dusted and hard very old mattrasses, but its only somewhere to sleep right?!

The city of Hanoi is crazy, full of mopeds and people, I have never seen anything like it before. We walked to the centre of town which only took 10 minutes when we worked out where we were.

In the centre there is a huge lake called Hoan Kiem lake and this is a historical feature in Hanoi. The Lake is full of turtles and is a lovely walk with a Turtle Tower in the centre of the lake which you can get to by walking over the bright red Huc Bridge. You don't have to pay to walk on the bridge but you do have to pay to enter the tower, which we didn't do so I'm not sure how much it costs. The lake is surrounded by coffee shops and restaurants and at night when the lake is all light up its lovely to see from one of the restaurants at the top of the shopping mall.
While we were sat at the lake we were approached but local teenagers studying English at school and they wanted to ask us some questions so they could practise their English, which we did with a young lady, my partner became the camera man while she asked me questions and she was very excited that someone was helping her.

The traffic in Hanoi is an eye opener, everywhere you look there are mopeds and we were told by a local that if the traffic lights are on green it means go and if they are on red it means whatever they want. Go or Stop. So when crossing the road just make sure your always looking but they will slow down or weave round you if you do make a run for it and not wait for the crossing.

Things to do in Hanoi:
There are loads of travel agencies around all wanting to find you that prefect trip, so just ask around for prices. With us only staying a week we only went on one trip which was to Halong Bay.

Halong Bay: It was a 1 night 2 day boat trip to Halong bay and I would definitely recommend it. It took roughly 3 hours from the city to reach the bay, where you will be put on a tug boat to reach your bigger boat anchored a little off shore. There are loads of tours and companies to choice from and you will see this by the amount of boats waiting to start their tour. We chose the Halong Bay Cruise Company which was a superior cruise but you can choose from superior, deluxe and luxury cruises.

Once on board the boat you are seated in the dining area for an induction on what we will be doing. You are introduced to the other members of the group then shown to your room to freshen up. 

The cabin was much nicer than i thought it would be and very spacious. As we made our way to the Hang Sung Sot Cave we were served lunch, salad, fish, rice, a very large feast for everyone to enjoy.

The Hang Sung Sot Cave is called a "surprise cave" in Halong, there are a few steep steps up to the cave and obviously what goes up must come down so there are steep steps down side the cave. You are guided round the 3 chambers covered in thousands of stalactites and stalagmites. The views over Halong bay when you reach the mouth of the cave are very beautiful.





After the tour of the cave we were given the option of kayaking, which we did. This was the best part of the trip for us we thoroughly enjoyed it. The guide takes you around various islands in the bay and it took around an hour. It is hard work especially when your partner is very competitive and even wants to beat the guide back to the boat.

Once back on the boat you had a few hours to freshen up, sunbath and enjoy the views before dinner was served. There was a huge variety of food and more than enough to feed us all. After dinner you were invited to join the team in drinks or if you didn't want to do that a spot of night fishing. This was fishing for squid and you have to be very patient. We stood for about an hour and caught nothing and a guy came over, he was there for 10 minutes and caught two so he must have had the right touch of the job.

One the second day we were taken to a pearl farm. These were floating houses and jewellery shops in the bay. We were put on some very rocky rowing boats by the locals and shown these floating villages where people used to live in houses floating on the water. Unfortunately no one lives in the houses any longer but there are other villages where people like and go to school. It is suggested you tip the person who rowed your boat as they don't have much.
 

We were then shown how pearls are made and the cleaning process that is involved which was interesting. You are then invited to look round the finished jewellery and purchase some if you wish.







Back on the boat and on our way home we were given a lesson on making traditional spring rolls which was fun, and then time to relax and say your goodbyes to the people you met before getting back on the bus to the city.

Another attraction:

Lotus Water Puppet: This is popular in Vietnam and there are a few around the city. You can buy tickets on the door and it costs 100,000VND. (Today's exchange rate £3). A traditional Vietnamese puppet show in water, with Vietnamese singing. It was funny to watch, didn't really understand what was happening as it was in Vietnamese but we enjoyed it.

 


Hoa Lo Prison: The prison was used by North Vietnam to house prisoners of the Vietnam war. It was demolished in 1990s but the gatehouse remains open as the museum. There are many different rooms with plaques on the wall giving information about what the room was used for and who died within the room, and the names of everyone who died are listed in each. The prisoners here endured poor food and unsanitary conditions often chained by their ankles for weeks. It was used to torture and interrogate prisoners and in glass cases throughout the prisons the instruments used for the torture are on display. Walking round the prison you really get a sense of sadness and pain within the walls and its hard to imagine what the people captured here went through. I would definitely recommend anyone to visit. It cost 20,000VND (Today's exchange rate £0.60).


 

Women's Museum: This is about Vietnamese women through time. Samples of clothing that was worn, giving birth and their children and marriage. To be honest it wasn't very interesting to us it was over 4 levels and most of the levels were the same. I wouldn't go again but it did only cost 30,000VND. (Today's exchange rate £0.90) which is very cheap.

• We also went to the cinema a few times, it is about 30 minute walk from the city centre. (The lake). The cinema is modern, clean and cheap as it only cost 70,000VND (Today's exchange rate £2). The popcorn and drinks however I felt were over priced.

We booked a flight from Hanoi to Da Nang to stay in Hoi An. This was the cheapest and quickest way to Hoi An but you can get a bus there if you wish. The flight cost us around £25 each with Vietnam airlines.

Note: The women walking the streets with baskets of fruit will offer you to take pictures holding the baskets of fruit which most tourist will do, well they will charge you to do this or ask you to buy some fruit. Just make sure you take the fruit BEFORE giving over the money. We gave the money first and the lady decided that the bunch of bananas in the bag weren't included. Not that we minded as it wasn't much just more about principles of it.



The hotel we stayed in booked through Booking.com:

• Paramount Hotel, $126 (Us dollars). (Today's exchange rate £85) for one week. Breakfast was included within the price and it was either a buffet or the chef would make you something fresh if you asked. However the rooms were very run down and neglected. Very dusty, wires coming out of walls, mattress was very hard and dusty. You can see that this hotel was once lovely but unfortunately has been left. I wouldn't stay here again if i was to return. 

Getting started for your travels.

Tips and planning: 
For us we didn't have a time limit on our travels so we probably spent a lot longer in places than some backpackers usually would. When we started looking into travelling we had a rough idea where we wanted to go and in which direction. Thailand - Laos - Vietnam- Cambodia, but we never had set plans, we just made it up as we went along. I think spending long lengths of times in places helps as you can research and bargain hunt on where you want to go next and how you want to get there. We also didn't know what we wanted to see in each place which is fine you don't have to have it all written down, that's the great thing about travelling you learn new things and plans change. We took the Lonely Planet book on Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia with us which we used on occasion to get an idea of what is going to be in the different places but you don't really need one as WIFI is readily available, even in Laos. Google is a great thing and hotels will provide you with information and leaflets. Talk to other travellers they are in the same boat as you, new exciting environment so you can help each other.

Packing:
Do you need a backpack? Like most people when you decide to go travelling you think about the type of backpack you want to get, and you rush out to the shops to purchase one. There are various sizes to choose and we went for the mid range 65 litre, which is pretty big when you open it up. This was our first mistake! They were very heavy, awkward and unnecessary.If you are only staying in one place for a couple of days you have to either pack strategically or pull everything out and repack. We would strongly recommend buying a suitcase, you will be much happier. Some people we met on the way agreed you didn’t need a backpack. Most people will say they are easier but even changing boats in the middle of the sea with a suitcase was easy and the staff on board will help move them for you.
Don't take too much. We definitely over packed. If we were to start again we would take 2 pair of shorts, and 5 t-shirts and that would be all. Also when your leaving home wear what you want to take, we wore thick jeans and hoodies because it was cold in England but have never worn them since so they are kind of a dead weight and costing us in luggage prices. You can wear an outfit for 2 days before it needs changing. We did our washing every 2 weeks, and you will find yourself wearing the same things over and over as they are comfy, and remember you can buy things while your travelling especially around South East Asia you can pick up some great bargains.

Important things to pack are:

• Microfiber Towels - They are light weight and fast drying.

• A pair of good walk shoes. - Although we only wore them on moving days you need something sturdy when carrying your backpack (unless you are brilliant and bought a suitcase) but a lot of activities do require enclosed shoes.

• Rain Coats - You will need these on your travels as you can not predict the weather, make sure you can roll them up small. 

•  Combination locks - We've all heard about peoples cases being tampered with and being pulled up at customs so don't take the risk. Get a TSA (Transport Security Administration) approved lock which can be opened by security with a master key. Other locks will just be broken open. We only put these on our hand luggage where our laptops were kept. 

•  First aid kit - I'm not going to list the thing to take as everyone is different but we took plasters, bandage, safety pins, antibiotics, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, (but Aspirin is a good substitute for both these painkillers), anti-diarrhea pills, latex free gloves and ladies don't forget your contraceptive pills. These will need to be declared as the limit varies for each country. You can buy them in Australia but it can be a little expensive $80 for a doctors appointment and then $60 upwards for the pill. We didn't think we would need sickness tablets but you never know so take some with you. There are loads of chemists/pharmacies in each country that sell western brands so don't panic if you forget anything.

• Sewing Kit - Everyone laughed at me when I was looking for a sewing kit but it has played a very important roll as some washing machine eat your clothes so repairs need to be made. 

• Mosquito repellent - DO NOT FORGET THIS. Mosquitoes and flies (which are the worst), love us and even though the repellent helps it doesn't stop but we have seen people with terrible bites on their legs and you can tell they have never used a repellent.
• Sun Glasses - The sun is a lot more intense than in England so these are an essential when travelling.

• Sun Cream - A BIG MUST - The best sun cream we found is Calypso once a day. You put it on 15 minutes before going outside and you do not need to re-apply it again. (unless of course your swimming). They sell this in Wilkinsons in England but we found it for cheaper in Aldi so shop around.

• Electronics - We each took laptops with us, maybe download music and movies to put on before you leave on your trip as the TV is not great in some countries. 
• External Hard Drive - Back up your photo's, the last thing you want to find when you get home is you've lost all your pictures. 
• MP3 player - Trains and Bus journeys can be quiet long and usually through the night so take some entertainment.
• PS Vita - My partner took a PS Vita to play on bus/train journeys, but i got jealous so ended up buying one myself in Australia.
• Camera - We took a Samsung camera and our Iphone's for pictures as we didn't want to carry around heavy cameras and the camera is pretty good quality. Most of our picture are taken on the Iphone though. We would have liked a Go Pro on our travels as the seem light weight, small and easy to us, but we did not look into this before we left.

Remember you can buy anything while on your travels. If your very adventurous and plan on trekking or tenting please look further into the right things to take. We did not do this so i have not included it in our packing.

Travel Insurance:
Make sure you research your travel insurance and read the small print as we noticed a lot said they were for 365 days but you could only be out the country for 3 months at a time. There are specialised insurance companies for backpackers but we found these to be expensive so compare different ones. We went with Alpha Insurance which ticked all the boxes we needed.

Accommodation:
As a couple we wanted privacy while travelling and felt hostels would not give us this, so we stayed in hotels. I know what your thinking expensive, but you will be surprised some of the hotels we stayed in have been cheaper than hostels and they have offered us breakfast, swimming pools and privacy. We used Booking.com and just booked as we went along. We found this website to be reliable and secure and if we had any problems one phone call to them sorted it all out. Most hotels will provide a laundry service but these at times can be expensive so look around and see what the locals offer. (I will mention where we washed our clothes in each country as I go along). If you staying in one place for a while and want to change hotels walk around and ask to see rooms before booking and even ask if the hotel will do better deals than what is online many will. I will name the hotels we stayed in as we go along.

Visa's:
Check what visas and how to apply for the countries your visiting as they are all different and some require you to apply in advance and others let you get your visa from the border. In each country as we go along in the blog we have talked about the visa for that country.

Airlines and booking flights:
We found the app Sky Scanner to be very helpful to find which airlines are the cheapest and what dates. Booking through airlines own sites seems to be cheaper but CHECK the add on's. Many will automatically add extras on so you need to read everything. We found baggage to be expensive but I guess it is needed otherwise you wont have any luggage. What shocked us the most is the size of hand luggage people take on, we saw a lot of people taking 65 litre backpacks on as hand luggage. We just don't know how they got away with it and it was also frustrating because we paid for our luggage and they hadn't. Its a big thing we think needs to reviewed. We also found airlines don't space you out even though there are empty seats so don't be afraid to ask to move. As we go along we will let you know which airlines we used.

Apps:
We would recommend to download before you go (it is on iTunes and android) are:

•  XE Currency. This is great as you can use multiple currencies at once. 
• Sky Scanner. Checking and comparing flights 
• Booking.com. Easy to find hotels on the move.
• Skype. A way to make everyone back home jealous.
• Google Maps. Handy to see where you are on those night buses or trains. 
• Navmii. A Sat Nav for Australia and New Zealand which works off line. 
• TripAdvisor. If your like me and love writing reviews this is brilliant. 

Money:
Before you travel make sure you tell your bank otherwise they might cut you off. We are with HSBC and it is very easy to navigate online banking and you can also update your travel plans as you go along. There are several HSBC banks around Asia so if there is any problems you can speak to someone face to face. We will say which banks we used in each country as we go along so you know which banks charge to withdrawal. HSBC does charge a non-sterling transaction fee on withdrawals so check your bank.

DON'T be afraid to complain:
If the service you are getting is not what they advertise or what you expected then let them know. We have had numbers of discounts on hotels because of this. Remember its more money in your pocket to travel for longer or to do more activities.

Barter, Barter, Barter:
The locals obviously want to make the most they can when selling their products but these can sometimes be too pricey so always offer them a lower price. You will usually find that if they don’t accept your offer and you walk away they will come after you agreeing. So no harm trying to get things for cheap, again more money in your pocket.

The best kept secrets are kept to last, although I guess its no longer a secret but the best way in which we have saved money is joined Trustedhousesitters.com For those of you who don't know about this website, it is a MUST for you to join before you leave. We have saved hundreds of pounds joining this website and our only regret is that we didn't join it sooner.
So what is it? Trustedhousesitters.com is a website where people advertise their house and or pets to be looked after while they take their own adventure. As a person looking for a house sit we search the location we are in (currently Australia) and any house sit we find interesting or in the place we want to go to, and we apply to the home owner with a simple email telling them who we are and what we have previously done. With each house sit you do you are given references and the more your profile builds the better and bigger chance of securing a house sit.
What to do? You subscribe to the site for as little at £6.60 per month or £79.20 for a year and create a profile about yourself and who ever your travelling with. Make it an honest profile and let people know who you are, likes/dislikes, job etc. Add pictures, a friendly face can go along way and you can add videos of yourself if you wish, we haven't because I'm rubbish in front of a camera.
We have so far done 4 house sits currently on our 5th and it has been amazing. We have met some great people and made friends for life and looked after some great cuddly animals along the way. We will never stay in hotels again with this website available i can not stress enough how great it is. If you do decided to join this site before your travels please let them know who recommended you as we both might get some discounts. Our name is Travelers2015.

If you have any questions please leave a comment below.

Thank you for reading and please stay tuned as my next blog will start off in Bangkok.