Footprints in the sand

5 months after flying off into the unknown, we are coming home!

It's been an incredible journey; I've seen amazing places, met wonderful people and learned a lot about myself.

Before I left I could only dream about being on the road and hopefully living somewhere different for a change. I spent my days dreaming, not sure how to make it a reality.

Now, I can honestly say it takes losing everything to find out what you really want, and whilst a life on the road isn't for me, I've still had a wonderful time.

We are about to pack up our tired and worn out belongings for the last time, so I've been thinking about my best memories from our journey. There are a lot, but here is my top ten!

1. Mui Ne, Vietnam

Mui Ne will always be special to me as its where we recharged our batteries after a stressful and emotional start to our trip. In Mui Ne we found good food, cold beers and a very chilled out vibe. It was just what the doctor ordered.

2. Hoi An, Vietnam

Walking into old Hoi An was a magical experience and one I wasn't prepared for. It was quintessential of the orient and had everything I had been craving to see; ancient temples, lanterns and even a tea house.

3. Halong Bay, Vietnam

Sailing through the cliffs of Halong Bay is top of many peoples top ten, I imagine. Travelling by boat is a firm favourite of mine too and I can't imagine a better end to our time in Vietnam.

4. Angkor temples, Cambodia

The hot weather, bugs and incredibly early start didn't dampen our wonderful day at the temples of Angkor one bit. I loved exploring the ruins and seeing the sun rise over Angkor Wat.

5. Songkran, Thailand

Celebrating a festival with the locals from across the street! On Songkran we shared beers, food and laughs with the families opposite our beach bungalows and loved every minute of it! There was also a German man, but I don't know where he came from!

6. Pad Thai on Ko Phangnan, Thailand

Surprisingly the best Pad Thai we has was in a little hut restaurant on a quiet stretch of road near Haad Yeo beach. It was so ridiculously cheap and ridiculously amazing we went back for more!

7. Monkey forest in Ubud, Bali

Real monkeys stealing my bananas and sitting on my shoulder like I'm Captain Barbossa! Enough said!

8. Catching waves in Kuta Bali


I loved getting sporty (and an awesome tan) on the beach in Kuta. The water was deep and clean. There is nothing like the rush of riding a wave all the way to shore.

9. Eating pizza in Naples, Italy

7 days and I-dont-know-how-many pizzas! That was some very good eating and definitely the best thing about Naples.

10. Living like a local in Santo Stefano, Italy

Finding the real Italy after spending so much time in the cities. The life and culture in our corner of Piedmont is traditional and rich. I have always wanted to live in Italy and I'm so proud that I've had the chance to do so in such a wonderful place!







Thank you everyone for sharing the journey with me through this blog! I'll be posting about my future and past adventures as they come up so keep a weather eye on the horizon!

Siem Reap and the Angkor Temples, Cambodia

8 - 10 April

On the 8th April we left Vietnam. So much had changed since we arrived a little over a month ago, but we were excited to be moving on. At the airport we spend the last of our Dong on 2 hamburgers; we didn't quite have enough but the nice lady let us off! Soon we were in the air and on our way to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

I don't know much about Cambodia and need to brush up on my history, but everyone we'd met said the same thing - there's a lot of poverty. This had me a little worried as a have no way of trying to help anyone out of a bad situation at the moment. However, arriving in Siem Reap I thought maybe this town was some sort of exception. Due to the amount of tourism it gets. Everyone comes here (me included) to see the temples at Angkor.

The airport was small and perfectly formed and after visas and baggage claim we were warmly greeted at arrivals by a man holding a sign with my name on it. He was our tuk tuk driver sent by our accommodation to collect us. Mark and I are both getting excited as this is one of the best welcomes we've ever had and we've only just landed.

We had a short ride to our accommodation and get to see the decorations being put up for Khmer New Year in a few days. There were a lot of fancy hotels on the main road and I'm kind of glad to find that our guesthouse is tucked away near the river in a more local feeling part of town. We made our arrangements for our dawn start the next day and headed off for some early dinner. The riverside part of town is cute with its lights and music, giving the illusion of being in a small village! Vibrant, but peaceful.

The next day we were in the tuk tuk shortly after 5 and making our way to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise. Its a popular activity so we are not alone. Perhaps 150 other people crowd round the lily pond that is to still it will perfectly mirror the sunrise behind the iconic temple. Around 6am the sun made an appearance and it was definitely worth getting up for.

Unable to sit still any longer we headed for the temples whilst they were still quiet. They are so detailed its almost unimaginable. Each gateway, wall or ceiling has the face for the Buddha in one form of another. Old ladies guard the large Buddha statues which dominate the alcoves and offer incense and plaited bracelets to those looking to say a prayer.

The site is massive, made up of numerous temples. As we only had a day we opted to do the short route, which would cover the larger temples. Most remind me of temples I've visited in Egypt with grand entrances, columns and paths leading deeper and deeper inside, and Chichen Itza in Mexico with its symmetry and symbolism.

Each temple doesn't fail to impress me in some way. At Baphuon it's the long and narrow entrance flanked by ponds, and at Ta Prohm it's the overgrowth by the trees what are somehow absorbing the temple and creating it at the same time. It really was a scene from a movie that you never thought could possibly be real!

After just over 9 hours of temples and somewhere around 5 litres of water we call it a day and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the courtyard of our accommodation, tired but still marvelling in the days discoveries.

We left Cambodia the following day. At the airport I noticed a tiny propeller plane next to a big jumbo and it suddenly downed on me that that could be ours! Sure enough it was, and I nervously held my breath on the hours flight to Bangkok, Thailand.