We were now ready to join the Manta forces and take on a diving course, Dave’s intention was to do some basic pool skills and then a fun dive in the afternoon. Helen needed to do a refresher so we were together learning and remembering the skills needed to dive later on that day.

Our instructor Thomas was an ex school teacher from Germany living the dream on the Gili’s as a dive instructor. At around lunch time Dave was sucked into doing his Open Water, why not? Thomas had explained that he’d already done most of the skills in the pool…a good salesman but we both knew it would be well worth it. For the next few days Dave was fully on board with the diving and loving it!

Helen would mix in yoga and then diving and was equally enjoying being back to a zen place with the tropical fish below. Dave took to it like a pro and was coming up with around 60-70 bar of air after an hour of diving each time, he pretty much had one to one instruction the entire time which made the videos a little more bearable! Our last dive at Mirko’s Point was in our eyes the best, the coral was so colourful and mesmerising and we saw all kinds of fish, the list would be too long to write on here! Diving with Manta was an excellent experience for us, the prices are fair and with waters as warm as in the Gili’s it’s a really great place to start. Big up to Thomas too and congrats to Dave for now being a certified Open Water diver…WOOO!

For our last few days we enjoyed some more snorkeling, reading, chilling out and yoga along with frequent gatherings with our group of Gili Air friends. For us it was like having a one week holiday, we had loads of fun and could have easily stayed another week. After 7 nights our accommodation bill was around $140 with breakfast which at Chill Out Bar was again excellent. One thing we should mention is that the bungalows we rented were owned by Chill Out, they’re not the expensive air-con one’s but they have a lot of charm in their own right.

So after one week we were finally ready to leave, in fact we had to if we were to make our flight out the next day. We said our goodbyes to our lovely group of friends and were ready for the off. The prices with Ocean Star Express was again good (although they need to sort out their baggage situation), and at Padangbai our transfer to Legian was ready and waiting. We were packed into the front of a taxi van with little room to budge and it took around 90 minutes to reach Legian. We decided to stay in Legian mainly because of its location to the airport, and we didn’t want to stay in the heart of touristy Kuta. Once we’d realised that the Three Brother’s Inn was way above our budget we found the Sri Beach Inn, nothing really to recommend here but it was a cheap room for us to get our heads down for the night and the owner helped us out with a taxi pick up at 4am to get us to the airport.

On our last night in Bali we had a stroll along the busy and popular Legian Beach which was packed with surfers, holiday makers and umbrellas! We also found time for a 2 hour massage on JI Padma Utara pretty much opposite the Warung Yogya, where we enjoyed a recommended a foot reflexology and back massage for 150,000 rupees. It was fanastic, although the little paper undies that we had to wear didn’t too much for us other than to make us laugh!

We really enjoyed our time in Bali and think the main reason for this is that we didn’t follow the tourist trail too far into the wrong places. Obviously Ubud and the Gili’s attract tourists but just not as many as in the peak season and as in Kuta and a few of the other busier areas. Perhaps hitting it before peak season is the best time to go, lower rates, less people and it’s still pretty hot!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, Sony DSC-TX5, processed in Lightroom 3)

We left Padangbai at around 9am once we’d checked in and watched several other ferry and boat companies jet off packed to the rim with tourists and their bags. We were hoping that our boat wouldn’t be so rammed tight! We bought our tickets the night before from a guy operating on behalf of the Ocean Star Express who are one of the companies with International standards, we got a good deal with it being off-peak and paid 950,000 rupees for us both return and with a transfer to Legian at the end. This was an open ticket and so we would just need to reconfirm this when we wanted to leave.

The boat journey was smooth and took around 90 minutes, we sat next to Carryn from South Africa who then became one of our buddies for the week. When we got to Gili Air we grabbed our bags and decided to walk from the jetty to the main street, although on Gili there are no paved roads it’s all sand and people with quite a few donkey carts manoeuvring tourists and their goods around. We went straight to Manta Dive as Carryn had already pre-booked 10 dives and we knew we’d be able to leave our bags there whilst looking for accommodation ourselves. Behind Manta is Nina’s which is a good budget option at around 100 rs a night but we wanted a little more luxury for our Island stay. We checked out a few other options and then happened upon a small collection of newly built “Chillout Bungalows” set back from the beach and busy area. We loved them and chose the first on the left with an open bathroom and big thatched roof, we had our own seating area at the front and it was quite peaceful. For 200,000 a night we were happy with this place.

Once we’d settled into our Island life on Gili Air we took advantage of the good food and fresh fish on offer and before long we were booked onto a snorkel trip around the 3 islands to give us a taste of the shallow waters. It was 70,000 each for the snorkel trip  with the gear, although don’t expect anything too new! The trip was good in that we swam with turtles and got to have fun with our underwater camera, plus we saw the other Islands. Some snorkelling points we better than others and the lunch on Gili Meno was disappointing; we waited an hour for noodles and rice with veg and we were constantly pestered by hawkers!

Back on Gili Air we were starting to make friends and met up with Carryn who then introduced us to her new dive buddies, some of whom were related to a few of the people on the snorkelling trip so it was all starting to fall into place, our little Gili Air community. We also frequented the local Muslim Warung in the village which for 10-15,000 rs you’ll get a well packed veggie, squid, or chicken and rice delight topped off with roasted peanuts and coco-nut shavings.

Helen was also pretty excited at the prospect of attending some yoga classes once she’d noticed that there was a yoga school on the Island. H20 Yoga is not too far from where our bungalows were located and so it was a simple hop across the field or 3 minute walk from us. There are two yoga teachers at H20 at the moment, Natasha who is acting manager offers and Anusara approach and Gene a Vini-yoga style. Natasha also offers a free meditation class on Mondays and there is a teacher training program coming up sometime later this year. It’s a lovely yoga circle with some accommodation surrounding the deck and a cute kitten who by now will be nearly fully grown called Surya!

One thing we have failed to mention is that all three Islands are occupied by cats, and for some reason the ginger cat comes up top! There are no dogs on the Islands and so it’s a nice an easy life for them! We walked around the Island in about an hour but had plenty of stops along the way to catch the low golden sun, the east side of the Island is way more developed but its worth exploring the perimeter and the village within.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, Sony DSC-TX5 underwater camera, processed in Lightroom 3)

After a surprisingly good nights sleep on the side of the dual carriageway/motorway/freeway (and no trees crashing down on our tent) we drove down the road to the local McDonald’s and BP service station. Home made breakfast in the car park, followed by a cup of coffee and some free internet at McCafe we were ready to hit the road and make our way to the Great Ocean Road which starts its coastal journey from Torquay.

To swap our defective hire car (to one with a working seat) we had to make our way to Frankston south of Melbourne which was on-route to what we had already planned so it wasn’t a huge detour. Driving through Melbourne would have taken too long, over 200km from one peninsula to the other so we opted for the ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff. Crossing the bay by Searoad ferry cost $69AUD including two adults one way which took 45 minutes.

Driving along the Great Ocean Road we stopped several times to take in the beauty of the coastline and walk along a couple of the beaches. Sand and rock pools lie in wait and are great to explore. The road twists and turns its way along the coast dipping inland every so often through fields and hills. With the sun setting on our long driving day we arrived at the Johanna Beach Campground which is free and a great spot for a night of camping. We watched the sun set over the ocean whilst fishermen reined in their catches before a spot of cosmos viewing and shooting star spotting.

The 12 apostles are a great stop over point whilst on the Great Ocean Road, just make sure that you arrive early enough to avoid the mass of tourist buses that arrive later in the morning. There are plenty of places to pull over and explore the coastal beauty away from the main visitor centre but that is well placed with good boardwalks to see the limestone formations. Other notable features along the way are the “The Arch” and “London Bridge” which true to the nursery rhyme has indeed fallen down!

We wanted to have a few days at one campground located on a beach so decided on the Killarney Beach Camping Reserve which is a short distance from Port Fairy and the larger Warrnambool (both libraries in each town have two hours free internet). It was $17AUD per night per campsite which is great value considering the proximity to the beach and bay, a 30 second walk! The amenities are a little rough around the edges, but the showers located near the beach and BBQ area are much nicer than at the main building.

Port Fairy is a nice town to explore as well as Griffiths Island. A two hour walking track around the island gets you close to the ocean, some nice beaches, sea birds and wallabies. Back to the camping site for a BBQ and a walk along the beach before our last night in a tent for quite a while! Port Fairy will be as far as we will be going on the Great Ocean Road, our plans to drive to Adelaide have changed and tomorrow we will head to Melbourne and a stay in a family home, a comfy bed at last.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0, 18mm f4, 90mm Tele-Elmarit f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

We started out early and drove to Westport to have our breakfast as there were less sand flies and a supermarket for us to stock up. Next we drove to Tauraunga Bay where we went on a 2 hour walk out to the lighthouse and back with a few stops to look at the beautiful newborn seal pups resting on the rocks. There is a historic lighthouse at the furthest point of the trail and it’s a good stop off point to stretch the legs whilst on the road to Punakaiki.

When we got to Punakaiki we decided to park the van at the Punakaiki Motor Park, they’re the only campsite located within walking distance of the rocks and we were cautious about where to park the van. After a quick check with the DOC office located at the I-site we decided to hike along one of the canyon paths for the afternoon and visit the pancake rocks later on for high tide. The hike took us through lush tropical forest along the Pororari River and ended at the swing bridge before turning around and making tracks back again. We came across kayakers on the river enjoying the few and far between rapids.

Back at camp we settled into our routine of cooking (Helen cooked a delicious curry from the Wholemeal Cafe cookbook!) and washing and after chatting to our friendly New Zealand neighbours, who offered us a sample of their whitebait fritters we walked up the road to the rocks. Punakaiki is a small place much to Dave’s surprise but it does hole a lot of charm and the shoreline heading up towards the rocks is really impressive.

At the pancake rocks it was a little on the quiet side in terms of actual blow holes taking place, however the roar of the ocean bellowing through the rocks below was impressive alone. We sat and listened to the waves crashing in whilst taking in the rare rock formations. On our way back we walked alongside the ocean and stopped to take it all in, the sea was pretty wild and we took our time.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)

Up early and out the door with our baggage we headed to the Ocean Tours office. We were able to leave some bags at the tour office to lighten the load whilst on our trip to Halong bay with our new friends Justin, Jules, her brother John and his wife Lisa. The six of us piled into the tour bus with the other adventurers and began our 4 hour journey to the bay. We arrived at midday after a stop at a service area which sold assorts of tourist paraphernalia including huge tapestries which were made in the shop by a bank of ladies at sewing machines.

Once we arrived we boarded the Junk boat and set sail into the bay which had some nice views if a little cloudy. The boats have accommodation for up to fourteen people so they are nice and cosy. Due to the limited space we were staying on Cat Ba Island for the first night and on the boat on the second.

We were served some very good food on the afternoon which included some fresh seafood which we all loved. After some more sailing and relaxing on the top deck we dropped anchor and a boat arrived with some kayaks for us to venture into the bay under our own power. They were double person kayaks so we both jumped in and paddled around into bays and caves. Even though the weather wasn’t the best we loved the kayaking and the water was a decent temperature, there was even talk about going for a dip in the water at some point!

We boarded another junk boat that had docked with the first boat and the six of us headed off to Cat Ba Island for the evening. The sun poked through the clouds and it made the whole area just that little bit more magical. Our tour guide was chatting to us, supplying us with information on the area and answering any questions, he was very knowledgeable and helpful. Upon docking at the island we headed to our evenings accommodation via push bikes for a few km, maybe taking around 20 minutes to get there (our bags were taken onwards via motorbike). The village is very small and quiet with a new custom built area for the tourists to stay in basic but practical bungalows with en-suite bathroom, hot water and a double bed.

To save some money we purchased a little present from Hanoi in the form of a bottle of Rum priced at 90,000 Dong (£3). Justin and Jules had the same idea, so out came two litres of spirits which got the night off to a good start. Dinner was served and again the food was very good, they even catered well for the vegetarians and also wheat intolerance. We were informed in Hanoi that there would be AC heating in the room, but this was not the case, however more blankets were supplied and this kept us all fairly snug.

Breakfast was served at 8am which included some very good apple pancakes and omelettes. After some relaxation time and packing we all got together and headed off for a hike up the nearby karst peak (around 300m in height). Its quite a climb and you will need some good footwear, boots recommended, to manage the rocks and steep assent, apparently the record is around 35 minutes but we managed it in around 45/50 minutes. At the top there are some great views over the whole bay and down to the village below, however it started to rain so we headed down which was made more difficult by the slippery rocks underfoot.

We also ventured out to a nearby cave before heading back to the village for some lunch and then we jumped on the bikes to ride back to the dock to rendezvous with our evenings watery accommodation. The double rooms on the boat were very well presented, clean and comfortable, with hot water from the showers. The temptation to take a plunge in the water was just too much for some and after stripping down and braving the now chilly air, Justin, Jules, John and Dave all jumped in. It was chilly to say the least, but bearable for a few minutes, in the summer it must be lovely. The boat headed off and dinner was served including seafood and a plate of chips which all went down very well.

You can have a go at Squid fishing from the boats edge, however it was a quiet night in the ocean and nothing was caught, good job we weren’t fishing for our food, otherwise we would have been very hungry. After some card games and an offer for Dave to play some Texas Holdem poker with the Vietnamese boat staff, which we declined when we found out they were playing for money, I’m sure we would have got shafted, we headed to our cabin for a night at sea.

After a good sleep in our cabin, breakfast was served on deck and we were informed that due to bad weather we had to move to a safer bay which took us too far away from the Amazing Caves that we were due to visit. This was unfortunate but out of anyones hands, government orders apparently, so we set sail back to port. Upon arrival at the port we had lunch at 11am, so we were all feeling pretty full after two meals in the space of a few hours. The food wasn’t as good as on the boat but it was ok. Generally speaking the food on the trip was very good indeed, often at times we felt like each meal rolled into the next, you certainly wont go hungry if you book with Ocean Tours!

The journey back to Hanoi was uneventful and we arrived safely back at Ocean Tours at around 4.30pm. We had a sleeper bus booked for that evening so we were glad we had the time to get to the hostel pickup point and grab some food before our departure of Hanoi. Street food was a quickest option and we had some rice dishes. Helen’s vegetarian option was sticky rice and pickled cucumber, which was tasty but basic, Dave’s was a type of salami, a fried boiled egg, rice and sauce which was very tasty, almost like a mini full English breakfast.

At 6pm we were picked up from the Rendezvous hostel via mini bus and taken to the sleeper bus for the journey to Hoi An via Hue, a 13 hour journey to Hue and then 4 hours onwards to Hoi An.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

Boxing Day is traditionally a time for eating the left overs from Christmas day, watching some great films and playing games with family and friends. However this year we wanted beach, sand and sea with some lovely sunshine, especially after coming from the north of China! Lamma Island was our choice as it has good reviews a nice walk from one village to the next and has a good reputation for being a million miles away from Hong-Kong’s manic streets. During the morning we sorted out or next tickets for traveling back in China, Shenzhen to Guilin on a 10 hour sleeper bus which would be our first sleeper bus journey!

The boat over to the island takes around 20/25 minutes. If you want to buy a ticket you need change for the entrance barriers, there are change machines if you don’t have enough coins with you. You can walk from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan in around 90 minutes or so and it’s an easy walk along a custom concrete path. There are shops and restaurants in the villages and we found a great little organic shop which even sold flapjacks and wine which was very reasonably priced, even cheaper than on Hong-Kong Island. We found a beach, ate our packed lunch of sardines on Rivita bread and bought an ice cream for dessert. One caveat however, when there is beauty there is quite often some unappealing elements, such as a coal fired power station just across the bay. It’s a pretty big eye sore but you would hope that the waters are safe, people were swimming and everywhere was pretty clean. If you can ignore the beast on the horizon then this is a little gem of a place away from the shops and manic life in the city.

Continuing our walking we headed over the hills and towards the other village. Its a nice little walk with some great views out to sea (when looking away from the power station!) and the sun was slowly turning our skin golden even in December so plenty of suncream is required. Another beach called Lo Shing off the beaten track can be found and we had it all to ourselves pretty much, a nice jetty with a BBQ area was occupied by a family cooking all sorts of fish and meats. We settled onto our towels and Dave dragged, well carried, Helen into the sea against her wishes! Dave got his punishment after slipping on a rock and slicing off some layers of skin on his heal which stung quite a bit, that was the sea fun over with for him!

After some anti-septic wipes and a “little” bit of sympathy from Helen we hobbled off to the village to head back to Hong-Kong Island. Stopping on the way at a restaurant called Shark Fin Seafood Restaurant we had some awesome fresh fish and prawns, the best fresh seafood we’ve enjoyed on the trip so far! We don’t like the name but it was damn good food.

We made our way back to the guest house, bought some essentials for the next part of the trip, toothpaste, earplugs etc and after the first real sun and beach in months we were knackered! We snuggled down in bed and watched a new episode of E4′s MisFits. A great boxing day, one to remember!

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)