Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well and enjoying the sunshine!From what I've heard it sounds like I'm missing a fabulous summer!

Well it has been almost 2 months since my last blog and so much has happened since than. I arrived in New Zealand a week ago and it is so cold!It is a refreshing change after being in the heat for the last 4 months and having to deal with mosquitos!

Laos

I'm casting my mind back to Laos...the highlights for me were spending 2 days floating along the Mekong River on a riverboat to Pakbeng and Luang Prabang.It was so peaceful and the scenery was breathtaking, on the boat I indulged in tiny sweet bananas and juicy lycees.We stopped off at a local village along the way and had the opportunity to play with the local children and take photos, there were a group of boys playing football with fruit that had fallen from a tree, it was fascinating watching them…laughing, smiling and happy.I also visited the Pak Ou caves which has become a Buddhist shrine with thousands of statues of the Buddha.My favourite place in Laos has to be Luang Prabang, I stayed in a lovely guesthouse (Thong Bay GH) owned by a family who were very friendly, on my first night I walked around the night market and the followingtwo days I visited the Ethnology Museum learning all about Laos culture and the Kuang Si waterfalls which were absolutely beautiful.The water was crystal clear and I had a little swim too!LP has some wonderful food and I spent a lot of time exploring the local restaurants and indulging in cakes, laos coffee and salads.Laos coffee is a must, after tasting it in Vietnam and Cambodia, the coffee in Laos is my favourite. Thong Bay GH overlooked the river so I spent many hours reading and enjoying the wonderful view and cool breeze…

It was the start of the monsoon season during my time in Asia…I'd be walking along the night market and the heavens would open, it would pour down for 5-10 minutes and then a blue sky would miraculously emerge…I got drenched on plenty of occasions because I never had my raincoat with me but I loved it!I woke up very early on my last day in LP and managed to see the monks walking along the streets receiving offerings (sticky rice and fruit) from the locals.Seeing a line of monks dressed in orange walking in unison is a wonderful sight…

Later that day, I took a short flight to Vientiane (the capital of Laos) which is more developed than LP and has many more wats (temples) dotted around for people to explore.Whilst travelling I have started taking mornings walks, waking up early and just wandering in a new place and discovering weird and wonderful things that you wouldn't normally find following a guide book…

On my first day in the capital, me and Kath (a wonderful lady from Australia) took a long walk and visited several wats, sneaked into the Presidential Palace while the guard was sleeping, wondered into a college with monks sitting around chatting and waving to us.We ended our lovely 3 hour walk by going into the first skyrise in Laos, which happens to be a hotel…

I spent my last few days in a little village called Hin Boun, we stayed with a family who cooked a delicious feast of traditional Laos food for us.The fresh mango and pineapple was particularly yummy and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.After playing tag with the local children, I was exhausted and it was an interesting night sleeping on the floor in a wooden hut with various insects flying around the room and having a thunder storm going on outside.

Vietnam

The next day I crossed the Laos/Vietnam border and made my way to Ninh Binh for a night after a very long day of travelling.The next day we boarded a lovely boat, having a gourmet lunch onboard and I tasted squid for the first time!Halong Bay is absolutely amazing, I have never seen anything like it…truly one of the wonder s of the world.After a little swim and visiting caves, I relaxed on the deck watching the sunset and looked forward to dinner which included crabs, fishcakes, carp, prawns and juicy watermelon for dessert.I spent the night on the boat, I slept really well and woke the next morning to a phenomenal view.We then made our way to Hanoi and stopped off at a workshop where disabled people make handicrafts.The work they do is truly a work of art and they are so skillful in what they do.Hanoi is a bustling city with cars, scooters and people on every corner, in the evening we went to see the water puppets.The show was full of colour and the music was infectious!The next day I went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, where the body of Ho Chi Minh is preserved in the cool, central hall of the mausoleum.There is a military honour guard and the body lies in a glass case with dim lights, it is in immaculate condition. It almost looks like he is sleeping…

In his will, Ho Chi Minh stated his wish to be cremated and to have his ashes scattered in the hills of north, central, and southern Viet Nam.He said that he preferred cremation because it would be "more hygienic than burial and would also save land for agricultural purposes".By building this mausoleum, the succeeding Communist government violated his wishes.I also visited his home and a museum dedicated to him, featuring lots of his famous quotes…"The Vietnamese people deeply love independence, freedom and peace. But in the face of United States aggression they have risen up, united as one man".

I spent a few days exploring Hanoi and then took an overnight train to Hue and visited the Citdatel, the Tu Doc Tomb and took a boatride along the Perfume River.We had lunch at a wonderful restaurant called Lac Thanh, making my own fresh spring rolls with rice paper and peanut sauce and writing on the walls!The restaurant owner Hue made me a bottle opener from a piece of wood, it was amazing…one of the coolest gifts I've been given so far on this trip.We went to DMZ bar in the evening and I had penne arrabiata and banana pancakes for dinner and dessert…sooo yummy!We played pool and nibbled on spicy peanuts all night long…

The next day I made my way to Hoi An stopping off at Hai Van Pass (a lovely beach) to take photos and walk along the shore…the tranquility I felt in those 30minutes or so is indescribable…it was so peaceful!Hoi An has to be my favourite place in Vietnam after Halong Bay, it is known for the numerous tailoring shops found all over the town, you can have anything made to measure at half the price of what it would cost back home.A great place to come for suits, dresses, shirts and skirts!I was good and refrained from having anything made even though I was very tempted!After travelling for almost 5 months now all I can say is…travelling lighter is better.I discovered a fabulous café called Cargo which has the most wonderful food I have ever had…from desserts such as chocolate passion fruit mousse to cinnamon toast and pizzas.I spent a few days relaxing in Hoi An walking around, reading and enjoying the food…just perfect!The next day I flew to the capital Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City) and enjoyed a cyclo ride around the city, we stopped off at the War Remnants Museum, I had goosebumps throughout and it was very upsetting discovering what happened in the war with the millions that lost their lives from WMD and Agent Orange.While I was walking around taking it all in, it made me realise just how lucky I am to have been born in the year that I was born, to have missed all the horrific wars that happened before my lifetime and it comes down to longitude and latitude and the fact that I am lucky to have been born in the UK.As we continued onto the Reunification Palace in the cyclo, it started to pour down with rain and I got completely drenched yet again…the Palace commemorates Vietnam's independence.It is also where North Vietnamese troops and T-54 tank number 834 famously broke through the gates and remains a symbol of the American failure to stop Communism in Vietnam.The next day me and Kath took a walk around the city visitingthe Opera House, Notre Dame, the Post Office and ended the day at the infamous Gogo Bar, a popular spot for the American troops during the war.

Cambodia

The following day we boarded a bus to the Vietnam/Cambodia border and arrived in Phom Penh (the capital), we went for lunch at Friends which is a restaurant that helps to train and educate young people off the streets, as well as giving them work.Later that day, I walked to Phnom Wat and had an interesting chat about Buddhism with a monk I bumped into…

The Tuol Sleng prison and the Killing Fields were very upsetting and needless to say I was crying for most of the day.It is hard to believe the atrocities that occurred during the Pol Pot regime and I am horrified at the way in which innocent people were brutally tortured and killed.I had read the book 'The Killing Fields' a week beforehand and our local guide had had most of his family killed by the Khmer Rouge.We spent the evening at the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club), a popular spot for journalists during the genocide.It is a very cool bar and after a very upsetting day we were all feeling considerably sombre, it was nice to relax and we enjoyed strawberry mojitos (with real strawberries!), pizza, garlic bread, fries and chocolate fudge cake with icecream…yummy!Walking back to the hotel we met a young boy selling books on the street, he had a large tuma on his chest and we walked along with him chatting about his life, further along the same street we stopped to speak to a young mum sitting on the street with her 3 children sleeping around her.Her youngest little boy was sleeping in her lap, we couldn't understand everything she was saying but from what we gathered he was very ill.It was very sad to see so many people living on the streets and compared to Vietnam and Laos…Cambodia needs help.There are so many people in Phnom Penh who have lost limbs from stepping on landmines, several have been removed but thousands still remain…

Siem Reap was our next stop, visiting ancient temples and experiencing Cambodian cuisine such as Fish Amok (a fish curry in an actual coconut)…delicious!Me and Kath had a tour of the city in a tuktuk and watched the sunrise at Angkor Wat.The temple is the epitome of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on its national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors.We also visited Ta Prohm temple, the set for the Tomb Raider film, I had fun acting as Lara Croft, even though I was nowhere near as fabulous as the Angelina Jolie!

Now I come to my final day in Cambodia which has to be one of my most memorable moments so far on this trip.Me and Kath decided to visit a hospital which gives free treatment to children from poor families who can not afford healthcare.Seeing parents with their children queuing outside waiting for their turn in the excruciating heat will remain with me forever.There was a large sign outside stating the presence of a Dengue Fever pandemic and as a result the hospital was desperately in need of blood, especially AB and B blood.Kath had given blood several times but this was my first time and I didn't know my blood type.While I was waiting for the nurse to find a vein I looked over to the board detailing the amount of blood they had in each group and it was clear that they had no B blood.I gave blood after Kath and they tested it to reveal it was B+!A wonderful moment for me and Kath and there are no words to describe how I felt, knowing that I may have saved a child's life suffering from Dengue Fever.It was one of the most amazing moments of my life…Kath has been calling me Miss B+ ever since!To celebrate, we went to Raffles Hotel in the evening and had a drink in the Elephant Bar…luckily it was happy hour so the drinks that would have been very expensive were half price!

The next day we made our way back to Bangkok…

Well that brings me to the end of May and a wonderful month experiencing so many new places, food and learning so much about the history of these wonderful countries.We really do live in a beautiful world but human beings are responsible for most if not all of the horrific events that have taken place in the past...killing millions of innocent people for meaningless things such as money, power and greed. If there is one person that has inspired me and made me see the world differently, it's Kath…I have her to thank for opening up my mind and showing me what is truly important.She spent two months in Africa before she came to Asia and listening to her stories has really touched me…she is truly inspirational.

Elephant Nature Park

I spent my next week in Chaing Mai (north Thailand) looking after rescued elephants at the Elephant Nature Park.It was the most amazing week…there are 34 Asian elephants at the park that have been brutally abused by their owners in the past.Lek, the founder of the park has devoted her life to rescuing these beautiful animals and providing a sanctuary for them.There are so many sad stories but one in particular that tugged at my heartstrings is that of Jokia, she was a trekking elephant that lost her baby and consequently refused to work.As a result, her owner punished her by blinding her for life, when you look into what should be her eyes, only holes remain…just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.The park itself is 50 acres and some of the work I did included shovelling poo, preparing food, bathing the ele's, shovelling sand and shoveling more poo! I was pretty dirty for the entire week but it was so much fun

I spent time with the vet and treated 2 elephants with injuries, I visited a trekking camp near the park and it was infuriating seeing the mahouts using hooks on the elephants.The phrase right place at the right time springs to mind as I remember seeing two elephants mating…it was a wonderful sight!

Me and the other volunteers trekked to 'elephant haven' led by a family of 5 elephants including Jokia, she was amazing.We spent the night in a hut in the hills, while the ele's had the opportunity to explore the forest and spend the night wherever they wished…hence the name 'elephant haven'.We sat around a campfire under the stars, eating food and listening to Pom (a lady that has helped Lek build the park from the very beginning in the 1990s) tell us stories about the lives of the elephants.During the week we visited a local school and I had lots of fun playing with the children.I had the opportunity to speak to Lek and play with a 6 week old baby ele called Faa Mai…it was one of the most amazing moments of my life…

The food was out of this world (especially the egg plant curry and juicy fruit), the amount of bananas that are delivered to the park for the elephants is mind boggling…the really do love them!The day to day running of the park is a huge operation and being a part of it was wonderful.I had my first injury of the trip at the park…a one year old elephant that is very naughty and always trying to escape, ran into the bamboo fence of the shelter in an attempt to escape yet again and split it in two, unfortunately I was standing on the other side and the broken fence went straight into my leg…I'velooked after it well and it is healing well.I really miss the ENP and I want to go back…it is a wonderful place and I could live there! :o)

As volunteers we were shown documentaries on elephants being abused, it was truly horrific and very difficult to watch…one thing I will never do is have an elephant ride.Spending a week at the park has given me a true insight into how elephants are treated and many die in the process of training that owners inflict on them.As a result there are less than 30,000 Asian elephants left in the world and under 4,000 in Thailand.Many tourists are unaware of this and have elephant rides, give into elephant begging on the streets and fuel this unacceptable and very sad situation.

On a lighter note, I am now in Auckland and will be exploring North/South Island in the coming weeks…it is snowing in the South Island which I'm sure will make my trip even more interesting!I still have to tell you about my time in South Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore but I will leave you with this very long blog for now…I hope you enjoy reading it and I apologise if it takes you as long as it took me to write it!

I hope you are all well

Missing you

Take care

Love Poonam