The One with the Zip Lines

After two days full travel via Bangkok, I finally find myself in Laos, and become an instant multi millionaire (there are 20,000 kip to the pound!)

Having not had quite enough jungle time already, Sam and I head off to the highly recommended Gibbon Experience for 3 days zipping in the jungle.

We climb in a hardy land rover which takes us over a muddy river and promptly gets stuck in the mud. If we can not get it out we face a 7 hour muddy hike over the hills to get to the jungle. With this incentive, the team pitches together, and after nearly an hour of retrieving stones from the river to fill the muddy ruts, the van eventually makes it up the first incline. We are already covered in thick red mud and dripping with sweat... this makes Map's hiking in Chiang Mai child's play!

After stopping to push our van a couple more times, we eventually reach the village and begin our 1 hour hike into the jungle, over rivers and up through Bamboo Groves, to where we receive our harnesses and marvel at a little black Asiatic Bear nosing in the undergrowth. (He's an orphan who's been rescued).


The Gibbon Experience is only 2 years old, although the french owner Geoff has been doing conservation work in the Laos National parks for 10 years - and it works totally on word of mouth. Geoff has asked for it not to be put in the guidebooks. It's success speaks for itself... it's full everyday and you have to book in advance. We were very jammy to get a last minute cancellation.

They help the local communities by doing things like ploughing their fields, and hence stop the Slash and Burn practices in the area. The Treehouses and zip lines themselves are unbelievable. It's one thing to even imagine such a place, but a total other to try and put it into practice, and the result just takes your breath away... even more so as it would seem so impossible to achieve.

We walk the 10 minutes or so up to Treehouse One (our home for the night) and attach our zip lines for the first time. It's a whole world of trust stepping into the void for the first time, but an exhilariting feeling, and the view from our treehouse is magnificient (as is the construction itself!)

Four of our party will be staying inTreehouse 3, so along with our guides we zip out over 4 or 5 more ziplines. Some 100-150m high above the canopy. I did have a wobbly tummy and legs on several occasions, but the feeling, the view, and everything about it is totally indescribable.

At Treehouse 2 we leave the guys to make their way down to their home for the night, and we head back, and have a cold shower (with views down to the ground below!) and then dinner which is prepared for us.

I don't like talking about toilet activities, but there is something very rewarding about doing a number 2 from such a height. That's all i'm going to say!

The next day we awake early to the most amazing sound - the gibbons singing. We Zip off in search of them but they do a runner (probably because we have the loudest dutch guy in the world in our party "WHERE ARE THE GIBBONS... WHY DO THEY GO AWAY?!")

We chill until 10am, have a second breakfast (mmm sticky rice and cabbage for breakfast), and then head off for a mammoth walk - zip - walk to treehouse 5 the most isolated treehouse. The view as we come through the undergrowth on the zip line and see treehouse 5 for the first time will take some beating! Luckily Sam got a little video of it!. Check out the view from the Number 5 loo (above!)


We have lunch here (I feel a bit bad relaxing while our guide dashes off to retrieve a big kettle of hot water and a fully cooked dinner from somewhere!) and then we have a 2 -3 hour hike back. which is mainly "up up up" is totally muddy, and very precarious. I am a whole new colour of muddy brown by the time we get home, and have had to remove a few leeches (Tiger Balm is wonderful stuff) on the way.

This evening, completely shattered, we concoct a chocolate fondue by mixing ovaltine with condensed milk and heating it over a candle before dipping fresh pineapple in it. Ingenious (and a welcome change from the sticky rice!)

Day three, and I'm awoken by the little guide say "you wanna go walk?" - the gibbons are singing again, and today we can see them from our treehouse in the trees in the distance. Fabulous.

We zip closer, but they move on again, but we are happy that we've seen them.

Rather then rest up for our potential 7 hour hike, Carrie, Vicky Sam and I decide to go on one last 40 minute circuit on the zip lines, and come back covered in mud and oil from the lines, but totally exhilarated, and disappointed about leaving. Every inch of my body aches... especially my stomach muscles (which i worked out was caused trying to stop myself falling every five seconds!), but every bit of the pain is worth it.

We head out back to the road and start the walk. I am slow, full of cold, and not 100% sure that I would make the 7 hour hike, so imagine my pleasure at the sound of upcoming engines!!! The jeeps had made it through! So now we could enjoy the adventure of jeeps on off roading style mud all the way back to Houay Xai.

Possibly the best experience of my trip so far.

The One on the Elephant

We head back to Chiang Mai, and book ourselves on a three day trek in the jungle. We've opted for a more remote area - despite being a tourist myself, it's really nice not to feel like you're on the same tourist trail as everyone else!


Day one and eleven of us set off, rather cramped in the back of a songtheow. Our guide is a little Thai guy called Map, and he has a fabulous laugh, and his English is fantastic. Our first stop is a market where Map buys our food, and where we get accosted by local women trying to sell us embroidered water bottle holders (flash back to Peru) which I buy as they are generally very useful, and also assorted hats, shaped like witches hats and multi coloured, which I do not buy... although was tempted for mere comedy value!


We head on, through fields of corn, past little villages, and pull up at a hill tribe Karen Village, which is both our lunch stop and the start of our trekking.


The village is very basic, bamboo huts which house up to three families. Work on the farms here is collective, for the good of the village, and each family works in rotation - two from every house work each day with the remainder staying behind to look after the children and do the cooking. They call these families "chocolate families" as they are all mixed together.


The young people here are expected to marry aged 13-15, and they all have children young, and lots of them. The marriages are arranged by the families, and before marriage the medicine man kills a chicken to see whether the marriage will be a successful one.


It's funny, however, that these very basic houses, still have massive aerials outside. I saw at least one with a TV - the essentials seem to be all wrong - a TV, when you don't have plumbing into the house!


Animals roam free: ducks with ducklings, Chickens and chicks, Pigs and piglets, and dozens of dogs walk through the muddy yards.


We set off on the trek, see another hill tribe village with an older style of house, and watch the boys play a version of Volleyball, where the ball can be put over the net by everything but the hand. This seems to be an exhausting and very skilled game!


Now we move through the fields of corn, and start to ascend. The air is warm and humid, and we're all soon dripping. By now we've left the fields behind and seem to be in a forest of bamboo. This seems to be a real utility here - probably aided by the fact it grows at a rate of about 15cm a day! It's used for building, cooking, and lots more besides.


Some of the walking is a little hairy. The drops to the right of the path are steep with only trees to break your fall, and I certainly did not want to become the ball in a downhill, tree version of pinball.


The rain starts, but thankfully we arrive at our basic bamboo lodgings before the downpour. The washing facilities are the stream outside, where some members of our group catch some crabs, which Map then cooks and eats. We spend a pleasant evening relaxing and playing cards and getting to know one another.

Day Two: Last night we slept on a bamboo "stage" with mosquito nets, which sadly did not seem to stop the infestation of ants which bit us, and seemed to take up lodging in our hair. I have a quick wash in the stream, and after breakfast we set off once more. Luckily the sun is shining, and we have a pretty walk through woodland zig zagging constantly through streams, and warned constantly by Map "be careful, velly slippy".


To this end I have a bamboo can to support me, and I'm very glad of it, as the rain last night has indeed made the muddy track treacherously slippery, and we still have drops to our side. At one point we even have to head down a bamboo ladder, to carry on the journey, and we then end up at our showering facilities... a waterfall.


It was very cold, but very refreshing - a massage and shower in one, and it least I was able to get the ants out of my hair!


Pressing on, the walk sees a series of ups and downs, and the legs are beginning to tire, but every so often you get a glimpse of the jungle from a high point.... tree covered hills as far as the eye can see, and everything seems worthwhile.


I forgot to mention, that after the second village yesterday, we gained a member, a stray white dog, who I have called Bob. He followed us religiously for the rest of the trip, and got a lot of attention from everyone.


Finally, after a particularly slippery "down" section, we get the chance to rest our feet for the rest of the day when we board our transportation to the Darang village... ELEPHANTS!


Ours is called Ting and is 10 years old. We start on the seat (our Mahout on his mobile phone sat on the head of Ting!) and then he gets down and lets me ride on her head with my legs behind her ears! Their hair is quite scratchy!


We had some very naughty nelly's. The one in front kept pulling up the corn from the field and sucking up muddy puddles to squirt the people on their backs!

We arrived at the Darang Village and headed out almost immediately for a Farang and Local Children mixed team footie game. Knowing my sporting prowess I thought it only fair on the others that I was team photographer... the kids were so cute!

That night we were treated to dancing and singing from the girls of the village (and had to join in a dance), and were then invited to sing them a song back. Visions of Peru come flooding back and I lead the group in the Hokey Cokey. A safe bet when lots of different nations are present. (Even if the American girl I've nicknamed Sour puss on account of her happy smiley face would insist on singing Hokey pokey!)

Day Three: Woken by the cockerels, and set off on a tour of the village before walking for about an hour down the road. We were then picked up and taken to the river for our bamboo rafting.

The river was less than inviting, muddy coloured and scummy surfaced, and the bamboo rafts were less than water tight, but that did not stop a bit of a competitive water fight between our raft and sour puss's. so we arrived at the other end a little soggy for our journey back to Chiang Mai, and my uninviting prospect of a night on a bus to Bangkok to pick up my new passport tomorrow.

The One with the Scooter and the Long Necks

We set off once more on an adventure to a little town called Pai in North West Thailand. The bus journey was 4 hours on little windy roads, and Sam's long legs seemed not to deal too well with the amount of leg room!

On arriving, we knew that chilling here for a few days was definately on the cards. It's so beautiful. Our guest house was on this river which came complete with very ricketty bambo bridges. We sat here one afternoon marvelling at the scooters that tried (and succeeded) to traverse these bridges, and to watch cows wander down the road. In the morning the clouds graze the tops of the surrounding hills.

There is not much to do in Pai itself, and if you do want to see some of the surrounding countryside you need to hire a scooter. I was very wary about this. I have seen way too many tourists with injuries from these things, and personally don't agree about getting on one of these things in anything less than full leathers, but there was no alternative. There are no cars to hire here, and thankfully, not much traffic other than the odd elephant or goat, so we set off carefully, to view the beautiful surroundings of Rice Paddies, Mountains and waterfalls.

After a hard day scooting we relaxed in a swimming pool, in a farmers garden, surrounded by Rice Paddies... surreal, but pure bliss.

Relaxation is the key in Pai. I had my second Thai massage (the first in Phuket!). These seem to be a mixture of pain and pleasure. You bend in ways you just didn't know were possible, and at one point the little Thai lady stood on the backs of my legs and walked her hands up my back! But you certainly feel good afterwards and for about 2 quid you really can't complain!

Pai even has it's own cinema - the Cinema Pairadiso (everything here plays on the name Pai - there's Apple Pai, Pai in teh Sky... etc) This "cinema" is literally a house of rooms with comfy sofas and you hire a dvd to watch! A great way to spend a lazy evening.

Yesterday, we took a trip to Mae Hong Son near the Burmese border. Our driver stopped us off at lots of places on the way including a rather unimpressive fish cave, more Wats, and a very poor market, but the reason for the trip was to see the Long Neck Women and the Big Ear Women.

It's hard to know where I stand on this. These women obviously make their money from the tourist trade, and you buy things from their stalls to make yourself feel better about wanting to take photographs, but I still felt really guilty about it!

I got to hold some of the brass rings and they are REALLY heavy!

The big earred women put larger and larger rings in their ears (like some punk influenced teenagers back home!)

Anyway... it was a bit touristy, but I am so gald I got to see it.

The One with Adventure Cooking

I decide to cut my losses and head "up Norf" to Chiang Mai to see Sam before he heads off on his journey. It'll be good to chill out with a friendly face for a bit.

This involves a really funky night train, where I get a really decent night's sleep in a top bunk. So I arrive refreshed and excited about seeing a different part of Thailand.

Sam's been here for a few days already, and is settled in a really laid back guest house called Julie's . We chill and catch up and then head around the Wat's of Chiang mai... of which there are many. The main one, Wat Bupharim, was slightly unusual.... do you see anyone familiar other than Buddha?!

That night we check out the large Night Bazaar for some more cheap shopping.

The next day and we're up early to go on our cooking course. Our chef, perm, takes us around the market, teaching us about the thai ingredients, what we can use at home, and how to choose the best things. It's great to finally ahve a name for all the weird and wonderful things that i've been seeing in the markets.

Back at Perm's house, come large kitchen we begin our days cooking. Which goes a bit like, cook, eat cook, eat some more, cook, force some more fod in the spaces in between.... you get the idea! Sam and I choose different things to cook so we get to try twice as much food, but I cook Tom Yam Soup with prawns, Sweet and Sour Vegetables, Thai Green Curry, and Drunker Noodles. We also learn how to make spring rolls, make a rose out of mango skin, and make sticky rice and mango. Needless to say we need to be rolled out of there at the end of the day (and that I will be boring you all at home with thai food for the next millenia!)

At one point Perm offers to teach us "adventure cooking". the type of cooking that at home would bring the fire brigade with it, but here in a semi open air kitchen, the fire ball is quite exciting. That said, we were not insured for it, so I was the only one to wimp out. This did not stop me getting almost singed eyebrows courtesy of Sam and Hannah either side of me... and to be honest from the photos, the look on my face suggests that they may be trying to set me alight!

Next day, we head out to yet another temple. Wat Doi Suthep is sat on top of a hill which overlooks Chiang Mai. To reach it, however, you need to walk up over 300 steps (and this time there are no monkeys to keep you entertained as you gasp for breath!)

Despite the amount of wats we are visiting, each one is different, although all do contain rather a lot of gold....

But we had even more exciting things in store... a trip to the cinema to watch the new Harry Potter film. This in itself was a cultural experience. The Thai national anthem is played before the film witha a video promoting the natural wonders of this fabulous country.

To be honest the cinema in Chiang Mai puts Vue in Watford to shame. You don't stick to the floor, the seats recline, are large and comfy, and the tickets are the equivalent of one pound. But... best of all... if you feel like

splurging you can pay a whopping fiver, and get the Emperor seat. Like a lazyboy chair with waitress service!!! In perspective though that is about 4 -5 nights accommodation!

Another evening venture sees us go to "Monk Chat" - an opportunity for the Thai monks to improve their english and for us to understand a bit about Buddhism. It's a little strange to walk into a room full of tables with 2-3 monks sat at each, chatting to foreigners, and laughter filling the air.

It was fascinating... our monk was a novice, and will become a full monk when he's 19. This did mean, however, that we did not always get answers that we understood, and in regards to all the string that is tied up in each temple... we got a vague answer of "holy string" which, from the furtive glances to his mate, I think may have been a "I'm sure these farangs will buy that, as I don't know the answer". That said, it has certainly made me want to find out more, so that I understand what I am seeing in the Wats, and some of the questions have already been cleared up.

After just a couple of days I feel totally relaxed, and unable to make decisions, just going with the flow.... and you know what... I really like it!

The One in with the Tuk Tuks

Feeling invigorated after my week in Phuket, I fly to Bangkok, feeling more positive about spending quality time with myself.

I manage to get from the airport to the travellers mecca of Khao San Road, and after several recommendations, get settled in at a really nice place, which is also very cheap, just around the corner.

As I sit chatting to some people at dinner, I manage to invite myself out with them, adn we head to the seedy heights of Patpong... the home of a night market full of fakes, and certain less savoury things, which i will not go into but describe simply as "eye opening"

The next morning, and it's off to do business with the British Consulate. As I have extended my trip, I need a new passport (mine is running out). The disappointing news is that it will take 2 weeks which means that my plans of meeting up with my mate Sam (that i met in NZ) are well and truly scuppered.

Chin up Kate, and deal with it.

So, I head to Jim Thompsons House - an ex CIA guy who did great work for the thai silk trade,a dn who mysteriously disappeared in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.

Next up, a trip down the river on a boat, and a visit to the temple of Wat Arun. The temple is beautiful, and decorated with broken donated pottery.

Over the river I head to Wat Po, home of the fantastic reclining Gold Buddha. It's so big you can hardly get it all in a picture. It's feet are inlaid with mother of pearl, and it's just breathtaking.


With enough culture for one night, I wander down the neon lit Khao San Road and do a bit of cheap shopping - fake crocs for two pounds... you can't go wrong (although sadly you can, as it turns out my feet are allergic to them!!)

The next day, and I head off to the Grand Palace - home of the Emerald Buddha. This is simply breathtaking, and covered in gold, with huge statues of monster looking men guarding the doorways. What I can't seem to understand is that if Buddhism is about peace, and living serenely and simple lives with few possessions, then why are the temples so ornate???

I set off in the rain, to find the Golden Mount, and turn down several tuk tuks en route, arriving drenched. But it did mean I passed a wonderful scene of monks in their saffron robes escaping the rain and standing having a chat in an alley all holding umbrellas! One for the memory bank.

What stands out for me most about Bangkok, however, are the tuk tuks.

These are like motorbike tricycles and they all drive like nutters. They're also a fairly cheap way of getting about, but this does involve haggling, and remembering to specify that you don't, under any circumstances, want to go to their brothers sisters aunts shop. At one point this involved me being fobbed off into 4 tuk tuks before one agreed to take me where I actually wanted to go.

To be honest. Driving in a tuk tuk is exhilarting, but I must say that I did fear for my life on more than one occasion!!!

The One in Phuket

I make it safely into Thailand, and befriend some 19 year olds who keep me company to Krabi, adn the next day i'm picked up by Tony (aka Mr K) who takes me back to Phuket.

Tony had said he'd pick me up, as it's "not far"... it's over 2 hours... the equivalent of picking someone up from Cardiff and taking them back to Watford, and yet out here, distances seem different. It really isn't far at all!

Tony and his wife Liisa kindly put me up, and encouraging me to stay I find that I'm there for almost a week! It's pure bliss. My first night, I chill out in a local bar, and listen to Tony play with his band.... a far cry from langkawi that's for sure!

But it's not all pure laziness... I go back to school and try and remember a bit of physics and maths in order to complete my PADI - Open Water Certificate - ie qualify as a scuba diver.

I do struggle a bit with the physics... but lucky Tony was a physics teacher!

As usual... I also manage to make a fool of myself in the pool a bit. Trying to inflate my BCD on a button... and rolling over backwards every time I try and hover in the water. But as luck would have it it's only me and Chris my teacher in the pool, so I don't have any other students to embarrass myself in front of.

On day 2 of the course I have my first trip out to sea! We go to an island called Racha Yai and do 3 dives off it's coast.

The world underneath the water is AMAZING. It's such an honour and priveledge to be able to get so close to so many fish, and on my first dive I even see an Octopus, which drains of colour as we go nearer.

I see Moray eels, pufferfish, porcupine fish, Moorish idols, boxfish, and to be honest too many to mention. I come to the surface exhilarated, adn I still ahve 2 more dives today. I don't think i'll ever go to an aquarium again. Diving looks like it's going to be a very addictive hobby!

Day 3 and I'm back in the classroom, pass my exam (whoop!) and finish my training. I am now theoretically a diver, and just 2 open water dives stand between me and qualification.

The next day Tony and Liisa join me on the Excaliber II and we head back to Racha Yai. The weather is not so good and the water is a bit choppy. My first dive is not so great. My bouancy is a bit skew whiff, adn when my tank gets lighter my legs float up to the surface.

That said... I did see a cuttlefish. Which was sooooooo cool. I am never having a budgie.

My last dive is infinately better, and to top is all off I see a Stone fish. I wish I could describe him, but take my word for it, they are fab!

And then, it's back to shore, and I sign the paperwork and join the club!


The next day, Tony and I do a tour of the island. We go up to the Big Buddha on the hill... it's still being finished, but will be immense when it's done. What's more, it'll be visible from all over the island (and probably space!)

Next up is Wat Chalong - a buddhist temple. In one of the shrines people knelt and shook a box of what looked like pick up sticks until one fell out. they look at the number on the stick and then go and get the corressponding bit of paper that tellsthem a fortune. Here they also stick gold leaf on some monk statues. Standing as an outsider looking into other religions is fascinating.

We pop to Tesco's (I kid you not), and then on to Phuket town, and a trip to the On On Hotel which was used in the film the Beach.

As we drive around Tony and I talk about the differences between home and Thailand. The utes that zip about with 15 or so people in the back, headscarves blowing in the wind. The mobile food sellers, who drive a motorbike with a cooking area attached (Stop me and Fry One), the fact that Coke in Thai looks like the word Ian, and the bottled gasoline lit up by the side of the road at night as the service stations have shut, and which look like bottles of white wine or Rose.... could be a nsaty mistake!

We head round the island, taking in the beaches of Kata, Karon and the rather more gourdy Patong - which looks a bit like the equivalent of Magaluf.

The next day, Tony and Liisa take me to see an elephant shrine. I'm not sure if it's buddhist or hindu but it was full of elephants. all around the circle of the shrine, people had left elephants. Dressed up ones like the one below, wooden ones, stone ones, trunks up or down. It was quite a sight!

Sadly, this also marked the end of my time in Phuket. at this time of year the water is a bit choppy to get from Phi Phi to "The Beach" beach, so that will have to wait until next time.... as, in the words of Arnie "i'll be back".

Tony and Liisa... thank you so much for having me, and for all the trouble you went to organising my Padi and ferrying me about. I had a wonderful time. Please stay in contact. x

The One "All by Myself!"

So, back in Kota Bharu with the beginnings of a cold, and Rod has just left to go home. For the first time in 9 months I find myself totally alone.... and it sucks.

I read, and dabble in the interent and even venture into town to potter around the market, returning to put on my kaftan as it's a very muslim area and I felt a bit uncomfortable with a vest top on. I even manage to eat dinner at the night market, and marking my first afternoon flying solo as a relative success, catch a taxi to the bus stop, and then join a bus over to the west coast.

It's a nine hour bus ride, and I even manage to sleep pretty well in the large comfortable seats, but it means I arrive at 6am in the morning, and still have to catch another taxi and a ferry before I arrive in my destination of Langkawi.

I arrive in Langkawi about 7.30am, and already feel a bit down. It's much bigger than I expected, and no where near as lovely as the Perhentian Kecil that I had left behind the previous day. I catch yet another taxi, for the 20 minute ride to the beach and then spend a dispiriting half hour trying to find accommodation that isn't really pricey.

It's not that it's particularly expensive, but whereas in Oz you pay for a bed, here you pay for a room, and I was now paying the same price that yesterday I was paying for 2!

I finally find a reasonably priced room, and bathroom, but it's only once I move in that I realise there is no sink... cue brushing my teeth over an open drain on the floor. mmmm!

I was that close to going straight back to the ferry and going straight to Thailand. I had limited ringots left, and did not want to get out more moeny only to have to change it tomorrow.Plus my recent words to Rod of " no, please take my driving license home, why would I possibly drive in Asia", come back to bite me in the bum, when I realise that Langkawi is too big to traverse by foot.

The only thing I really wanted to do today was to go to the cable cars, and the price by taxi seemed a bit on the high side.

I decide to do something positive... and in a moment of maddness hired a bicycle.

Those of you who know me well, know that I am not a born cyclist. Worse than that... I'm not even a very good cyclist. Joggers have been known to overtake me, and the last time I got on a bike at home I ended up face first in a gorse bush. So I have no idea what possessed me to cycle, other than the fact that "it doesn't look far on the map"

I set off, and straight away feel fantastic. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and water buffalo wander aimlessly accross the rice paddy's, plus I'm getting the all over ready brek glow, that comes with doing something which is good for your body like exercise.

I soon come to the bend around the airport and reckon I must be about half way there, and then comes an amazing bridge over a laggoon, where I stop to take some pictures.

I press on, children are waving to me from their gardens, and cars and scooters beep me in acknowledgement as they rush past, but to be honest, the thought is dawning on me that it's strange to see a cyclist on these roads. A beetroot faced, sweaty cyclist at that, whereas the scooter riders look cool calm and collected.

Feeling a bit dispirited, I then see a sign that says there are 14km left to the Cable Cars.... and if matters aren't bad enough, now the road starts to go up hill.

I walk up and ride down a couple of hills, until I feel I can't possibly go any further, and then see a sign which means I have only gone 1km since the last one. No way... I can't possibly cycle 13km more to the wretched cable cars, but I've also come so far, that turning back may well kill me.

I push on, passing some monkeys at the side of the road, that I am way too hot to appreciate, and then finally find a cafe to have a drink.

The woman here says it should only be a 10 minute ride to the cable cars from here, and with sweat literally pouring off me, I just pray that she's right.

I set off and sure enough, and with a whoop of joy I reach the cable cars.

I am literally shattered. I am soaked front and back with sweat, and it is totally obviously to everyone else who gives me weird looks.... although, that may also be to do with the way I smell.

I get into a cable car and set off to the top of the mountain which is about 700 m above sea level. I thought I was over my fear of heights, but it turns out that when you're on your own, things seem a lot scarier. The wind howled around the cab, which swung like a pirate ship ride, and then the oncoming cab dropped something out of the window, which dropped in slow motion taking about 10 minutes to reach the tree canopy below. It was then that I grabbed on to whatever I could that seemed secure in the cab.

This photo pretty much sums up all the emotions I was feeling at that moment!

At the top, the view was wonderful, although I couldn't help but feel it would have been more wonderful if i'd taken a taxi, and had arrived cool calm and collected.

Back at the bottom, my bike and I take a taxi ride over the hilly part, and i cycle the rest of the way home (to save face!)

It turns out it's 22km THERE, so i had done at least 32km today, in the heat of the sun.

NEVER AGAIN!