Ninh Binh is located about 90km west of Hanoi, so Lauren (fellow volunteer) and I decided to visit there.  We flew up and then headed to the central bus station in Hanoi.  This is not a frequent place for foreigners so very little English is spoken.  We went to about 7 different ticket offices before we got what we were after.  By then we had the whole bus station following our every move.

We then decided we needed some food and there wasn’t much around so we got into a taxi and said “take us to the nearest food place”.  This got a blank stare, he then used his phone to call a friend who could speak English.  After a long conversation the phone got passed to me and we then conversed for a while.  I then hung up and he said it would cost $100,000 VND.  I said “no-way”.  By this time we had slow crawled in the taxi to a Pho (noodle soup) place, so we got out there and paid $20,000 VND, about $1.20 AUD.

We walked back and Lauren and I bought some snack food and waited.  We then walked to where the buses were parked and the same routine that we experienced buying the tickets happened again, but this time we also had to dodge big moving buses.  We made it to our bus and were told no, I then asked why and they took our bags and ushered us onto the bus.

Our seat for the next 2 hrs was to be this.

Yes, in a bus… We were situated where the door was and it was very crowded.

All was going OK until I started to feel a bit sick.  This sometimes happens when I get really tired and I had had a big couple of weeks travelling.  I had bought a snickers and cookies for the bus and they were in a small plastic bag along with my phone.

Now we all know what it is like when you have the urge to throw up.  I tried to stop it, however I had to give in, however, I was having trouble getting my phone out of the plastic bag and some sick went up my nose.  Eventually I got my phone out and I proceeded to throw up.  Now, because it was so packed, I was literally throwing up in someone else’s lap, I had a knee in my back and the bus conductor looking at me.  After I finished I said to Lauren, did she have some tissues?  Unfortunately not.  I had no idea what to do with myself.

The conductor then motioned to give him my bag which I didn’t want to as I would then have nothing else to use, however it was quite full.  He then opened the door while the bus was moving and threw the bag out.  He then handed me a new bag and some tissues which I was so grateful for.  This routine then continued for the next one and half hours where I proceeded to fill about 8 bags.  In the end I was getting a thumbs up from the conductor like he was impressed with my effort.

The strange thing about this whole event was that no-one made a fuss at all about someone throwing up beside them, apparently it is quite a common occurrence as a lot of Vietnamese get motion sickness.

We also stop frequently on the highway to pick up passengers and drop them off and on one of these stops a small boy was passed over the heads of the passengers and the conductor held the boy while he went to the toilet.  Unfortunately he had peed on his shoes which was then transferred to Lauren’s red seat.  This was wiped off and the journey continued.

We finally made it to Ninh Binh, that was one of the longest journeys I have ever had!!!!

 

After a great time in Queenstown we hired a car and headed for Omakau, Central Otago to visit my Gran.  We went over the crown range to Wanaka and had brunch there.  I had forgotten what a great lake front is there.

From there we had a good trip to Omakau.  We had a relaxing afternoon catching up and playing with Lilly, the little sausage dog. The next day we planned to go exploring and we took a picnic which included our gas burner from hiking so we could have a hot cup of tea.

First stop was the Falls Dam.  It was built during the Great Depression of the 1930s for the purpose of ensuring there is water for irrigation but unfortunately we couldn’t go around as the gate was locked.  We back tracked and went to the next valley, Hills Creek Rd.  Gran mentioned that when she was a girl they use to come up this way as her Grandmother would cook for the shearers and they would come to help.  From there we went to the Oteake Conservation Park which starts at the base of the Hawkduns.  We had hired a 4wd so we did a little driving and stopped for some food. We had wonderful views and a beautiful day.

After that we went home and had a bit of a rest.  There was a rugby match on at the Domain, Matakanui vs Roxburgh.  Niels and I wandered down and watched the game.

Matakanui (home time) had the run of the play but were let down with the goal kicking.  With 2 mins to go a conversion would have but them in the lead but the kicked was missed.  Then on the buzzer a penalty was awarded to the home team and I had my doubts because of the distance, but to my surprise and also the rest of the crowd, Matakanui made it.  We finished the day of with fish and chips.  The next day we headed home to Australia.  Always sad to leave.

After the hiking, Niels and I decided to give downhill mountain biking (MTB) a go.  We hired bikes in Queenstown and then went up the Gondola.  They mount your bikes onto the cable car and they go up with you.  From the top are magnificent views.

Neither of us had ridden a downhill bike before so it took us a while to get use to it.  We started off on the easiest track, Hammies.  My body was certainly not use to this type of riding and my quads were burning after only a short while.  This was closely followed by my hands from breaking and holding on.  We got a couple of action shots:

We tried some different trails and found a really steep one where I screamed the whole way down!  We had four hours on the hill and managed to do about 5 runs.  We finished a little bit early as we were getting really tired.  The funniest thing about the whole thing was that afterwards Niels could barely work due to being stiff.  I on the other hand after walking 70 km over the previous 6 days was good.

 

We started the Caples track after the Routeburn so in total we had to carry food for 6 days and fuel (cooking) for 3 days.  The Caples track is part of the Greenstone/Caples track and was established by the Maoris to get Greenstone from the West Coast.  The huts had recently been done up so they were very good.  The first day was only 7km so an easy day.  Some different scenery.

Even though it was only a short day it was not without some excitement.  There was one creek crossing that I decided to cross, however there was a slippery rock, well you can see where this is heading can’t you…  I landed face down in the middle of the creek.  Luckily no harm was done, only a couple of bruises.  After that we made it safely to the hut and relaxed for the rest of the day, drinking wine and eating chocolate.  Yes it does sound very tough.

The next day was 22km with a climb over a pass so we left early.  Weather again was perfect and we make could progress.

The track at the top of the saddle had recently been upgraded so it was a true pleasure.  We didn’t see many people of the track which was great.

We stopped every hour and had fluids and something to eat which worked well.  We made it safely down the mountain and linked up with a river and followed that down the valley.  However, all was about to change.  Another creek crossing! This time it was a little bit more serious, and landed on my left side, so I bruised by shoulder, knee and one of my knuckles took the brunt of the force and there was blood.  My head almost hit a rock so I was very lucky.  Rach was great and we were back going in no time.  This time Rach helped me across the crossings, I was a bit gun shy.  The worst thing about falling is that you have a pack of about 20kg on so you can’t correct yourself and then it is very hard to get up again.

We finally make it to the hut tired, but in one piece.  We again had a great night talking to the fellow trampers and managed to give away most of our uneaten food.

The next day was relatively easy, about 8km and we were getting picked up at 12pm.  We mostly followed the river and it was down hill. So in total we hiked 67km in 6 days with lots of laughs and some great memories.  Thanks Rach for coming along.

We made it back with plenty of time and are ride was there early so we headed back to Glenorchy.  We were going to have to wait for 3 hrs for the next bus but we were kindly offered a ride from a couple back to Queenstown.

The first thing we did when we got back was have a shower, our first in 6 days.  Niels then arrived from Australia and we head to Ferge Burger!

 

My best friend (Rach) and I decided we wanted to do something for our 40th birthdays.  Yes you heard it, how can they be 40, they look so youthful?  Well believe it we are.

We decided we would do a hike or tramp as we call it in New Zealand.  We did our of the 9 great walks in New Zealand, the Routeburn.

It originally started in the early 1900’s as a tourist walk and has gone from strength to strength to where it is fully subscribed for the peak season of December to April.  There are 4 huts along the way and we stayed in three of them.  First hut was Falls Creek and that was near the highest point in the hike.

Our first night in the hut was a great one.  We met a couple of Singaporeans, an American/Canadian couple, an American, an Australian and a British lady. We cooked a gourmet dinner and even had wine (cask).  We were pretty much the envy of everyone as they all had the dehydrated meals.

The hut warden there, John was fantastic, he gets people to write on a large sheet with some type of greeting, this time is was about Christmas.  There was a competition for how many different languages your could recognise.  The prize was a block of chocolate so of course I was in with a grin.  We ended up winning with all the help coming from the American/Canadian couple.

We slept in two large rooms in bunks with a total of 48 people.  Next day we climbed to the top of the saddle, Harris saddle.

However the weather deteriorated therefore we didn’t go up Conical Hill which gives great views and you can see the West Coast.  It was a pity about the weather as we missed seeing the Hollyford Ranges and great views.  It was a long hard day as it ended with a downhill which was quite rocky.  We went through some amazing forest with moss.

We finally ended up at Mackenzie Lake Hut at around 4pm so it had been a big day.  We had another great night talking and laughing.  The hut warden here was like a stand up comic.  He had us laughing for 1 whole hour.  In this hut there was  mix of bunks and a bench of beds which we named the orgie pit. I think you get the picture of what they looked like.

The next day we started off in rain however it cleared up to a great day.  We had a few “creek” crossings which made it interesting.  The highlight of the day was the waterfall and we ended up at the base of it.

We arrived at the hut early, around 12:30pm and had lunch, then a group of us went up a side walk.  It was breathtaking.

We then settled in for dinner and we shared a lot of laughs.  When the warden came in for her hut briefing she said that we were the most joyous group that she had had all summer.  The evening was topped off by Rachel, the Canadian lady, sing opera.  It was one of the most beautiful things that I had ever heard and in one of the most beautiful settings.  It will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Opera in the hut

The next day was a little sad leaving our little newly formed group.  Thank you all for the great memories

Rach and I then set off for the Caples Track.  Story to be continued!

 

 

I arrived safely in Brisbane on Good Friday and I found it very quiet and orderly:).  I cracked a few Easter Eggs and had steak for dinner.  On Sunday Niels and I had our joint 40th birthday party.  Noting however that I am still in my 30s!

It was a great afternoon at the Shady Palms at Stones Corner.  We had between 40-50 people there and the food and drink flowed easily.  I had wanted to have a circus at the party,however, sensible Niels persuaded me against this so I decided to have a Magician.

It was a massive hit for everyone, there were red foam balls that multiplied, cards that were chosen and even a flying table.  I was even the helpful and beautiful assistant.  However there are no photos to prove this and I think this is part of the magic.

Now for me the highlight of the afternoon was the cake

I had such a great time catching up with all my friends and family so thank you for sharing this day with Niels and I.

 

I know you have been wondering what I have been up to and where I have been, well over the next week I will let you know…

I have had a great time in Australia and New Zealand and caught up with lots of friends

I am glad to be back, I have missed my Pho (soup) and Oscar, my motorbike and the general craziness of the place. I have been gone for only 2 weeks and I have already noticed 3 new shops and the local motorbike mechanic on the street has cut his long hair.  What is the world coming to?

Man it is hot here, I had forgotten how humid it was and I was a walking sweat ball when I arrived at work and I gave Easter Eggs out to everyone.

Well I better get back to work.