Rotarua - the volcanic lands

Not the official strap line but as you'll see quite enchanting, as there is a lot of geothermal activity going on around town, you can see steam coming up from the drainage vents in the streets, at pools in peoples gardens and in public parks, just to the right of the lake front, is the sulfur pool or flats well take a looks at the pics and see for yourself. they are especially hypnotic with a setting sun in the background.

For those of you who don't have geology degree or similarly minded the whole area smells like rotten eggs, there are also pools of boiling mud. All this energy has been harnessed to heat water and cook, with the local homeless contingency dropping cans of food into the boiling pools to get a hot meat (so I have been told).

Cape Reinga

The most northerly point in New Zealand where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea meet in big a swurly motion. The tree that can bee see clinging to the edge of the rock is sacred to the Maori's; it is believed that when a Maori dies his/ her spirit travels the length of the country to this tree and enter the underworld. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Reinga check out the wiki link if your intrested. There is also a sign pointing to various places around the world with distances as there is at Lands end and John O Groats. Then comes 90 mile beach which we spent an hour or so driving along, see clip attached, and is designated as a highway!!!

Piehia

Said as Pie-here, a small town in the bay of islands on the north east coast of New Zealand, a quiet town easy to walk to anywhere, not a great to do in the town it self, but loads to see around the area, firstly the treaty grounds otherwise known as Waitangi, where in 1840 the British crown & Maori chiefs signed for co-existence on New Zealand to find out more go to http://www.waitangi.net.nz/

It may have gone down in the UK but at least the name lives on in NZ shocking I know but Woolworth's is still kicking!!!

The Carving the hut and doorway are taken in the treaty grounds go to the link above to find out more about it, there is an almost predictable outcome......

Sunrise over the bay of islands as the sea mist is burn off taken about 6:40 in the morning.

Onto New Zealand

It feels like a million hours on the planes to get from Bangkok to Auckland, in fack its only 9hours from Bangkok to Sydney then 2.5 hours from Sydney to New Zealand. The only pic I have when I was in Sydney (confined to the airport) was of this Qantas jet reversing in front of the Cityscape, the other pics are of Auckland city, with the famous or not (the Kiwi's would like to think so) Sky tower featuring in the remaining pics. As I came through into the arrivals area of the airport there was a traditional Maori bad playing, which was cool but unlikely just for me. I soon realised the Springbok's were arriving very soon after me for a tour of NZ the Kiwi's lost the first game 32 to 29. As I was about to take a video clip my battery died; bugger as soon as the Springbok team were together they got a traditional Maori greeting similar to a Hakka.

My Thai island time Koh Tao & Koh Phangan

Ok, so it's not all fun and games, having to walk on a near deserted tropical beach when the water is 29C under overhanging coconut trees, may not be everyone's cup of tea but someone has to do it, like the place in the pic for example, Koh Tao is pretty much diving and or drinking, very closely followed by sun burning; judging by the example of British/ German lobsters lounging on the beach most afternoons. Two pictures here are taken from my dive trips to various sites around the island, and yes those black dot looking things in the water are fish, it was that clear! and the water that blue, no photoshop tweaks here.

The boat with the long boom out the back is a long tail, of which there are dozens moored just off the beach and the final beach pic is on Koh Phangan, where the original Full Moon parties were and are still held.

Phenom Phen

The Khmer Rouge dominates tours in and around this city with the evidence I have seen, visiting places like the killing fields (although there were some 83 sites around the country where killing in the fields took place) The one just outside of the capitol is where most people think of when they hear the term. The pic of the little girl in the middle of the shot shows such profound sadness, taken at Tuong Sleng prison (formally a school before the KR took over) It is quite likely this child was killed shortly after the picture was taken, for being an enemy of the state. If you want to find out more google the 'Khmer Rouge'.

Its not all bad, the temple in the center is by stark contrast beautifully ordered and very well maintained. The vid is me on the way the shooting range on the back of a motorbike, I fired an AK-47 1 full magazine and a half magazine for an MP5...... boys stuff yeh.

Angkor continued

I was so impressed by these temples I thought I'd put some more pics on which includes the guy with the cool t-shirt, and some pics of the people I met around the temples. Also a clip of a tethered balloon ride we took, which gave great views of the area around us.

Siam Reap - The temples of Angkor

Almost sounds like something from a film. However this is one of the the most stunning places I have been on this earth yet!!! The sheer scale of these temples is staggering. just look at the photos and the clip, you have to bear in mind that the first of the Angkor temples was built around 896AD. I spent 2 full days visiting temples, going to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat at 05:30 finishing the same day around 18:00, but a more reasonable start for the following day. Daytime temp was around 38C with now wind but relatively low humidity. The level and volume of the sales kids is impressive, although there is seemingly an invisible barrier they cannot cross on the way into the temples so you get some peace and quiet.

They also have an uncanny knack of remembering names and faces very well. I also seen a t-shirt which I could not leave without taking a picture off, look closely at the slogan on the bottom. The people on the whole are very helpful and friendly, also unforgettably impoverished.

My last day in Vietnam

Well what can I say, although I have spent nearly a month here I have barely scratched the surface as to what Vietnam has to offer. It is very easy to have your whole trip dominated by the "American War" throughout the entire trip. Which makes something like a trip to a floating village so much more appreciable. In peaceful area of the Mekong there was an entire floating village of some 40 odd houses, every one of them having a TV Aeriel. Just off the end of the village was a bamboo pier going onto land through some houses on stilts. Depending on how much rain there is in the wet season these houses on the stilts can sometimes flood, at this point the river was maybe 40meters wide. The pictures show our paddler for the morning. The bamboo bridge/pier, houses on the banks of the Mekong & me sat on the front of the boat going up the Mekong towards Cambodia.