Birthday, anniversary & the last day of our trip

So many wonderful things we have celebrated in the past few days. Henkka turned 27 and we dined in our favourite restaurant. We also got to see the sky tower of Bangkok (from hangover two) and the view from the 64th floor was unreal. Drinks were ridiculously expensive but well worth the view. Got to admit though that looking down was a bit scary to say the least.

Our explores through south east asia has come to an end. The past two months has been an true adventure. We met so many wonderful people, we saw unbelievable things and most of all we have made memories for life. We want to thank everyone who have made our trip so very special!!! Tommorrow it's time to go home which always means that it's time to start planning the next big trip... ;) Xxx

Koh Kong & Koh Samet

Koh Kong was slightly dissapointing. Located right in the Cambodian and Thai border there is supposed to be many things to see; beautiful beaches, mountains and rivers. We were exited about this eco-touristic area but due to the low season (may-september) everything was closed. We wanted to visit Koh Kong Island, closed. We wanted to do some activities, not big enough group. So we ended up renting scooters and went driving around by ourselves which was nice but not really what we had in mind. I'm sure Koh Kong will raise up to its potential in the next few years but perhaps this just wasn't the best time for us to visit.

From Koh Kong we then took a minibus through the Thai border and travelled to Koh Samet. This is the nearest island of Bangkok and it has grown to be extremely popular with the local people, especially in the weekends. Due to this everything from accomodation to food is a bit overpriced. The weather didn't treat us too well either but despite of that we had a good time. Compared to Thailands other islands, i've seen better and i've seen worse. 

We are now back in Bkk. Our last stop before going back home and today we are celebrating Henkkas big 27!!!♥ The time sure keeps flying.

I miss my phone :(

Ofcourse it had to happen at some point. On the first day we arrived at this gorgeous island  we went for some lunch after check-in, ate and headed to the beach. At this point my phone was nowhere to be found. It had been apparently stolen! We searched with sonja the whole strip from the restaurant towards the guesthouse, nothing. Twice i checked my whole luggage, nothing. Tried to call it, but after several attemps it went straight into voicemail. Seems i still had my phonetransfer on, so to my suprise my friend Mikko answered and after a really confusing chat with him, i had to accept the phone was gone. Mikko gladly closed my service, since he works at the operator im using.

Oh well, after an hour at this island i kinda just forgot about the phone and continued my day enjoying the surroundings. Like sonja already posted, koh rong is really out of this world!

- H

Paradise on land

We arrived last week in Sihanoukville and spent there a few days.. I was a bit sick the whole time there and we didn't find much to do besides scouting nice beaches and going out for some partying. Apparently few years back it was a chilled out backpackers mecca but the scenario has changed since then. Today it's filled with young people whose aim is just to party all day long. The whole atmosphere is simply too touristic in the worst possible way. That been said we didn't hate Sihanoukville by any means, the parties were actually pretty decent but other than that it really wasn't the place for us :)

From Sihanoukville we then took a speed boat (45min) to Koh Rong and we fell in love with this island immediately. With crystal clear turquoise water, secluded beaches and the perfect sceneries this was the perfect getaway. A holiday from a holiday so to speak;) We stayed in the main beach, the most developed part of the island. There are quite a few accomodations, restaurants and bars in this strech of the beach. However if you walk about 20 minutes further you will find an extremely secluded beach with cute tree house bungalows. From there on the island gets even more secluded and undeveloped.

The sand flies are the only huge minus in Koh Rong. They are everywhere and even if you protect yourself with oil they manage to make more bites. So basically we were all pretty much eaten and itching all the time which was fairly uncomfortable. Oh, and the whole island has electricity only half day so you really get the feeling of a true island life.

Yesterday we rented kayaks and paddled around Koh Rong. We visited a small island with nothing else except a little temple. Around the island we found good snorkling spots which was amazing because of the perfectly clear water. We also kayaked to the nearby beaches to enjoy complete privacy and beautiful sceneries. During the night time around 1am we went to the water to see the planktons. I'm not quite sure how they work but when it's pitch black and you go swimming you will see these tiny planktons glowing under the water. The more movement you make the more the planktons will glow. We were fascinated with this natures phenomena and spent a long while in the sea. I've never seen anything like it before, so incredible! We tried to snatch a few photos under water but they weren't any good. You will have to see this one for yourself :)

It's quite amazing actually that there are still unspoiled places like this in the world. We heard that Thailand used to be as beautiful 15-20 years ago before the mass tourism took over. Im just glad we got to see Koh Rong before the same thing will happen in here. Definitely one of my Top 3 favourite places in the world!

Can Tho and Mekong Delta

We arrived in Can Tho city a few days ago, mainly to see the floating village & markets and also to see a glimpse of Vietnam outside the Phu quock island. Can Tho is not as big as Ho chi minh city, but it's big enough and there aren't that many tourists in here. The bus we came with was a local one and it was small and packed with people. Due to the bad roads it was a long and bumpy ride, it took us around 7 hours to get here. We found a hotel pretty easily though and took motor bike taxis from the bus station with the price of 1$ each.

Yesterday we booked a boat tour around Mekong Delta and went to see the floating market, noodle making factory and a village nearby. We woke up at around 5 am to see the sunrise from the boat and it was beautiful, waking up early was totally worth it! The floating market was a blast; there were many fruits on sale and we got a taste of fresh mango, pineapple and melon.

Moving around with the boat at the market and canals was fun and exciting, and after a while we made a stop at a noodle factory, where we learned how noodles are actually made. The procedure of making noodles was so different than what I had originally thought; the pictures below will tell it much better than words:) After the noodle experience we visited a little village beside the river. It was a sneak peak to the countryside lifestyle where agriculture is the main livelyhood of the locals. The nature was green and fresh and there was loads of ricefields, fruits & veggies everywhere. The people living in the village seemed so happy, especially the kids. They were waving at us and saying "hello" everytime we passed their house.

We were pretty tired after a fun day out on the boat and the village but it was easy to smile and be grateful for seeing this part of Vietnam. Today we spent our time pretty much just relaxing and walking around Can tho. We had our last dinner with the frenchies in a restaurant called phuong nan. Camille brought rice wine shots for everyone and finally we learned that the liquid was marinated in a bottle filled with dead snakes, birds and their legs.. Shiiiiiit xD

Tomorrow it's time to pack our bags and continue our trip. We are heading back to Cambodia since our plan from the very beginning was also to see the beaches and Islands of Cambodia. Hopefully saving the best to last ;)

Phu Quoc National park

Phu Quoc National park covers over 50% of the island so today we went to explore the jungle. We visited Suoi Da Ban Waterfalls and after climbing a shitty trail all the way to the top we found out that the waterfall was nearly dry, although it's the beginning of rainy season. Fortunately there was just enough water for us make a dip into the cool fresh water. The water wasn't particularly clean but it was a nice reward after the climb. We also met some nice locals who were chilling at the same spot and enjoyed local "medicine" shots with them :D 

After the relaxing swim we then headed back to our scooters and continued our trip. We rode way up to the north to a path called "forest walk". The air was pretty cool in the jungle which was a nice change in this hot climate. The views were pretty awesome aswell and we even saw a few monkeys on the way.

On our way back home we stopped in chez carol resort&restaurant for dinner. The resort was breath takingly beautiful with private beach and a huge pool. Can't say the food was too good even it was quite pricy but the atmosphere and a dip in the pool was a perfect ending for our day trip. Phu Quoc has treated us well but it's time to continue our travels as we are heading tommorrow to Mekong Delta to see the floating markets :)

Snorkling & fishing trip in the south

What a day! I woke up in the night because Henkka was sick. He most likely got some kind of food poisoning from our dinner in Dai beach and was feeling super bad still in the morning. We had booked a snorkling trip in the previous day but sadly we had to cancel the trip for Henkka:( I felt so bad going without him but he reassured me it was fine, poor boy..

So the rest of us packed our gear and we did the trip. A minibus took us to a peer where a small boat was already waiting for us. We were lucky and got the best seats of the boat, right in the deck with sun chairs and a perfect view. After a short drive we stopped to do some fishing a la local style. It was so much fun and I managed to catch a baby octopus inside a sea shell :D The guide told us that he had never seen anything quite like that before, hahah. Later though we let the octopus go because he was just a baby :)

After a sea food lunch we went to few snorkling spots but they really weren't any good. The sea wasn't clear enough and besides the corals there wasn't much to see.. Jumping from the deck of the boat, enjoying the sun and the views was much more fun this time. On our way back home we stopped in Bai Sao beach to do some tanning and enjoyed cool drinks by the sea. Not a bad way to spend the day, not at all!

Ps. Henkka is feeling better now so fingers crossed he will be up and about already tommorrow ♥