Jo Herrings Adventures

The following are the temples I visited while on my tour of Angkor Wat in the northern Cambodian tourist town of Siem Reap. Angkor Wat Day One - the "Small Tour" Oh Scaffoldious I pray to you Angkor Wat – the main temple with the lake around it. Within the inner Temple you must wear a tee shirt and clothing to below the knees for entrance. The inner temple is stunning and despite being graced with the great God of Scaffoldious (that’s scaffolding to those not familiar with my constant encounters with scaffolding around the world, first named at the Acropolis hence the Godly name) it is a sight to behold. The intricacy of the building including amazing 12 th century patterned “wallpaper” leaves you rather in awe of the craftsmanship. The stairs are a taster of what is to come so if your in a wheel chair or like my Mum would prefer the lift Angkor Wat is not for you! Ta Prohm – One of the Temples over run by trees causing massive des

I arrived in Siem Reap in the late afternoon after a hair raising journey from Phnom Penh, listening to Calvin Harris and reminiscing about LED Festival in July sharing time with friends. I guess its life threatening moments that make you think of good times or perhaps it’s the music of these moments. Either way I was the git laughing out loud at the memories of some serious dancing when the world of extreme poverty was smiling before me from their rice paddy fields. Angkor Wat - a UNESCO site for good reason I had decided to go to the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat for three days and wanted to secure a good tuk tuk driver for the next day but my tummy rumbled and with the guidance or nuisance of Lonely Planet I ate hands down my worst meal of the famous Cambodian dish of Amok. Note to self don’t use the “Highly Recommended” section EVER! Alas it cost me less than USD$6 including a fresh pineapple juice and afforded me a wicker chaired view of the tourist mecca to the temples o

I arrived in Phnom Penh in the afternoon and took a moto - standard 50cc Motorbike to the British run Mad Monkey hostel. The hostel was a great place to start my experience with really helpful staff and exceptionally tasty food both local and British. I'm fast learning I don't need to tick all the boxes in a frenzy and broke my visit into two day events. Day One - I set off to the Royal Palace to see what all the fuss was about. The Palace is a delight of clean lines and colour. Manicured gardens and Buddist Pagodas which remind you you're in Asia...ok so I am new to this forgive me! You can walk through many of the Palace buildings and see the throne including the many mirrors in the ceremonial hall. I had no guide to advise me on what this was all about, so lets just assume vanity! The Silver Pagoda's are within the Palace grounds and are featured by the silver flooring in the two pagodas to the left of the Palace quarters. Each silver panel is made of 5kg of sil

So my first impressions of KL changed very little during the next 48 hours I bothered to stay. I hoped in a cab after getting a little lost (not something I am used to but without a map I was in the lap of the locals). After trying to find a famous street market the taxi driver convinced me to go to a Malay market instead and subsequently took me on a tiki tour around the city in dense traffic whilst we were running a meter....I was very hungangry by the time we reached the market. And my driver seemed to be disappointed when it was clear I was not going to pay for his dinner. The joy of whipping out your camera to gaze at the Petronus towers for the first time was enough to send him on his way.  I ate a local fish curry dish with rice and green beans in a little street cafe where the locals were watching badminton or football and I gazed in wonder at the towers in their back yard. Suddenly a little anxious that the food I was consuming was not cranking hot and I hadn't wa

Its striking how different Muslim countries are to all others.  I’ve arrived in Kuala Lumpar and been struck by my near nakedness - all be it with a sleeveless loose shirt and my Zara shorts  as a female not robed I definitely stick out. The openness of men holding hands also makes me aware of the religious influence on the people and their humanisation with each other. The complete disparity of city dwellers sets them apart from the west but never really anyone else and even then many of my fellow westeners would argue Urban life has its own very peculiar differences . The first man I saw was in a paddy field in his orange  jocks whilst all those on the train had iphones and seem to live in tall towers that dot the city.  And then there is the hostel. I should have really refused the room but with my big bag on my back and humidity through the roof I took shelter in a private room. Lets just hope the sights of KL are redeeming.  Afterall the £35 flight from Singapore has made it ve

I arrived late on the eve of the unlucky day and found myself a pod in the Wink Hostel in Chinatown. I was chuffed to be staying in the hostel of my Mums maiden name as we had joked I might settle there  before I left. Its a concept hostel with pods and all the latest technology - and complimentary Cocoa Pops so it made me very happy. The next morning I woke early to start the Big Adventure off on a good start. It was Friday 13th what possibly could go wrong. Equiped with my camera and beaming rays of sun I started to get trigger happy at the local construction as I walked towards the river. And low and behold 4 blocks from the hostel my jandal broke  (thats flip flop for all you Brits)....so I had to reverse back to get the travel sandals I had reluctantly bought in Melbourne. Round two of departure and not short of emotion...these jandals have taken me everywhere. From London to Ibiza, Israel, Canada, USA, NZ twice, Italy, France,Turkey, Albania, Macedonia, Germany, Austria, B

 The main aim of my visit to Melbourne was to see friends and eat good food and drink some lush wine before I start to live on rice, soy sauce, curry, tropical fruit and bottled water. Staying with my old school friend Amy held me in good stead. We started at Soul Mama in St Kilda with a familiar feast – one I had enjoyed 9 years ago on my last visit. The following day I searched high and low for the internet and ended up in the McD’s – now the home of wifi not just clean toilets! I enjoyed Pimms & Lemonade and some supermarket treats on the beach whilst a young North Eastern English couple bickered beside me….I don’t think their holiday was going so well, although it did make me all the more grateful I was flying solo! Friday night saw an Italian feast at another St Kilda restaurant with delicious food and wine at I Carusi II . It  turns out the ex-pat Itai’s have mastered it in their southern hemisphere home. Eating was starting to become awesome on the big adventure –

Its hard to say good bye to all your family and friends when the next seven months are simply unknown and the next time I will see them again an uncertainty. Today I have a flight booked to Singapore via Melbourne and no formal itinerary – I’ve been meaning to make a plan but the comforts of home and the entertainment of my nephew and nieces has been more than enough to distract me over the past couple of months. I have neglected to blog much during this time as I wanted to spend time with my family and enjoying their company. And I have been fortunate to achieve this thanks to my sisters Stephanie and Fiona and their other halves sharing so kindly and Mum being generous with her time as well. The highlights of my visit to the South have been with the bride Megan at her wedding Chris & Jodie's wedding catching up with several friends from school and abroad and finally travelling through  Southern Lakes district home to Gore with my old school chum. My be