27 January 2017

The Slow Boat 18.01.17 - 20.01.17

The Slow Boat: a series of events 


We crossed the border into Laos just over a week ago and arrived in a small town called Houy Xai, where we boarded the 2 day slow boat along the Mekong River to one of Laos' larger cities named Luang Prabang. Although it sounds like hell, the slow boat was one of my favourite experiences so far. It's an opportunity to meet people and relax in the sun with a few drinks for 2 days straight whilst some of Asia's most incredible scenery passes you by. However, our second afternoon on the boat brought turmoil as we became spectators to a series of events I will never forget. The boat stops at random points along the river to pick up locals from rural villages, as we pulled into one of these stops two men were carrying a seriously ill woman quickly down to the boat. They hoisted her and one of the men (I assume either her brother or husband) onto the boat where she collapsed onto the floor in between the two rows of seats. For the first few minutes nobody really knew what to do, the man didn't seem to want help from anyone as he laid her head on his lap and attempted feeding her bananas. The guys steering the boat tried speaking to him, however he seemed to speak a totally different dialect to them. Suddenly the group nearest to the couple snapped into action. One guy handed him a pen and paper and signaled for him to draw the problem, whilst another went down the boat of 100 passengers shouting for doctors and anyone who could speak Laos and English. Two women came forward as doctors and amazingly one man could speak a small amount of Laos. Between everyone involved they worked out that the woman had eaten rat poison, the two doctors agreed that it had already spread throughout most of her body and she needed medical attention as soon as possible. The man who could speak Laos did an incredible job of translating the situation to the men driving the boat. However, they failed to see the emergency and insisted on continuing to stop the boat at random points,  which would of course lengthen the amount of time it would take to get to the nearest hospital. They explained the only way they could help was to contact a speed boat but it would cost $50. A whip round with a bike helmet and we collected well over the $50 for the couple, hoping that the extra money would help with the hospital fees. 

Whilst all 100 passengers waited in angst for that boat to arrive, we watched as this man desperately tried to keep this woman alive. I can't describe to you the look on his face as he frantically squeezed her shoulders, stroked her hair and pulled her eyelids open over and over again. Perhaps you can imagine. 

It was a team effort from the group at the front of the boat to lift her safely onto the speed boat; as it pulled away we realised we would never know her fate. 





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Dod and I were sat slightly away from where this was happening, however right next to us a sub-story played out that I felt was also important to write about. The woman sat next to me was taking pictures throughout the entire scenario. Several people around her were extremely uncomfortable with this and continually asked her to stop. The woman who was from China pleaded with them shouting "please, the world needs to know so we can help the people of Laos". She slumped down next to me and asked why they were so angry at her for taking photographs, I explained that there were two sides to the argument. On one hand, the woman was in a very serious critical condition and the man was in a highly emotional state and so it could be seen as disrespectful and an encroach on their privacy to photograph those moments. However, from a journalistic point of view a photograph could also be extremely powerful in portraying the reality of poverty in Laos. This man had waited from the previous evening until 2.30pm that day for a boat that would take over 3 hours to get to Luang Prabang because that was all he and the people of is village could afford. There are so many ways an event like this can open people eyes, and as the old saying goes "a picture speaks a thousand words". The woman was beside herself, asking me question after question, "why is Laos so poor?" "Why do they have no signal to call for help?" "Why is there no doctor in their village to help?" She said, "Why is Laos so poor if it is next to China? China is a big rich country that can help poor countries like Laos". She told me she writes a news blog, and that this story would be vital for the people of China to see what is really happening right next to them.

There are so many ways all this can be interpreted, myself and Dod have had many conversations about what happened that day and the questions that arose. No doubt a series of events that will stay with us for a long time to come. 

25 January 2017

Photos 06.01.17-16.01.16

Ten Photographs from Chiang Mai & Pai 









Our wonderful bamboo home for four nights!

Pai Reggae Festival 




Chiang Mai & Pai 06.01.17 - 16.01.17

Three Stories from Chiang Mai & Pai 

Elephant Jungle Sanctuary 

Chiang Mai is the place to be if you want to get up close and personal with Elephants. We also had my best friend from home, the almighty Sophie Keogh visiting us at this point and we felt it was the perfect way to spend one of our few days together. We booked with an organisation called Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, which is 100% ethical and cares only for elephants that have been rescued from tourist riding camps. After an hours drive we parked up in an expansive National Park and trekked down into a valley where eight elephants were grazing on bamboo sticks. They were absolutely gorgeous, and without a doubt the calmest animals I have ever encountered. We first fed them moldy bananas and bamboo sticks (mmm) before walking alongside the peaceful giants for about 20 minutes up into the forest to the 'elephant hotel'. (Which isn't as exciting as it sounds, it's an opening in the forest where the elephants apparently like to sleep). What was really nice at this point was that the elephants were left to make their own way back whilst we walked down for a delicious local lunch. However, one of the elephants had to stay with us, she had very recently been rescued from Bangkok and was prone to running away from the safety of the sanctuary. They actually had to keep a chain tied around one of her legs; it wasn't attached to anything but they explained it kept her grounded because it was something she had been used to for the majority of her life. Eventually they would ween her off it just as they had with most of the other elephants in the camp. A depth of trauma unimaginable. Next we experienced a 'therapeutic mud bath' with elephants. Elephants love mud. They were rolling on their backs with their feet in the air, and I'm 99% sure they were grinning from one giant flappy ear to the other. After the mud spa it was time for a wash. Some of the elephants were happy enough walking down the stream to wash themselves, but for a few the stream was where the party was at. One of them was actually dancing in celebration, moving backwards and forwards whilst nodding her head and waving her trunk in the air. The best part was that they weren't being forced to act in that way. The elephants were able to walk off whenever and wherever they liked, no one was giving orders and their wasn't a whip or hook in sight. Calm, intelligent and majestic creatures with a sense of humour to match.



The Hot Springs 

The weather in Pai this time of year isn't far from a decent British summer, 25 degrees in the day but fairly cold at night. With this in mind we headed for the hot springs early one morning. After a treacherous road in (Soph likened it to wacky races) we parked up and walked down towards the springs. It was the perfect time of day to arrive, barely anyone was there and the sun was just starting to spread its' heat as we stripped down and plunged into the warmth. Ahhh it was goood - I'm staring to realise this was the worst piece to write as I sit here surrounded by a freezing cloudy mist on the balcony of our bamboo hut! There are three separate pools that the clear water runs through surrounded with lush greenery, it's a setting to rival any 5* spa. We lounged there for over an hour, chatting and laughing in the sun; a gorgeous morning with gorgeous people! 



Moped Mishaps 

Our final stop in Thailand with Sophie was Pai, a small but nonetheless vibrant backpacker's town around 3 hours drive from Chiang Mai. Although the town is small there are a plethora of beautiful things to see surrounding it, for which a moped is the best option for travel. After our hot springs experience we decided it was best Sophie and I ride on one moped and Dod on the other, the roads back to the ring road were rather hilly so we needed as little weight as possible on each bike. We just about made it up the first hill travelling at whopping 3 mph but the next was more of a struggle. About half way up the bike slowed to a stop. We slammed our feet down but the bike was too heavy and the hill was too steep, as we started to slide backwards I realised our best option was to throw ourselves into the ditch on the side of the road. I came off lightly but Sophie had baldy cut the back of her foot. Thank fully two Thai men came to help us and the bike up, it then took all four of us to push the bike up to the top of the hill! We tied tissue around Soph's foot using my head scarf and put her into a kind locals car saying we'd meet her at the ring road. Back at the hut we performed our very best first aid on her poor foot but decided she should get a tetanus shot just in case. We also decided it was time to take the bikes back to the hire shop before our mini biker gang had any more mishaps! As we dropped Soph at the pharmacy around 50 meters up the road from the hire shop I followed Dod in performing a U turn, but it seems our gang was about fall to pieces. I revved just a little too much, and headed for the pavement I swerved last minute causing the bike to come down on top of me. The bad part was I had flip flops and so my right foot was pretty much bent in half at the toe. Unable to lift the bike and feeling like my toe was about to snap off I screamed out for help. Dod had at this point dismounted his bike in the middle of the road to run back to help, but a bystander made it over first helping me up and off the bike. I was in total shock, white and shaking uncontrollably. I expected there to be blood and bones all over the floor, and from the way I screamed I think the whole street was expecting the same! But there was nothing except a bloody wonky wing mirror. Soph came out of the pharmacy at this point to find me shaking on the curb, the confusion on her face was hilarious thinking back. Dod then had to drive both the mopeds back to the shop before helping a hobbling me and Sophie down the street. RIP to the Stigglemites (don't ask) biker gang, it was fun while it lasted!

22 January 2017

Bangkok 02.01.17 - 06.01.17

The good, the bad and the just plain crazy.... 



Front Row Seats

If you've ever been to Bangkok you'll know what Khoasan Road has to offer for a night out. Depending on how many buckets you drink, the atmosphere is one you'll never forget. Live music in every bar, the smoky smell and sizzling sound of street food and the warm glow of colourful lanterns and neon billboard signs.  One evening at around 8pm we were sampling some of the areas finest spirits (good old Sangsom) when all of a sudden we had front row seats for a street dancing competition. The contestants were a group of young Thai boys against a selection off older European men; obviously the Thai boys absolutely smashed it! They were all incredible, in particular the youngest boy who I later found out was 12 years old. At one point he was spinning his whole body upside down on one hand. I don't think I've ever seen skills like his as up close and personal before. The whole bar was hooked, roaring and slamming their hands on the tables in excitement; plus nearly everyone walking through at the time had stopped and formed a crowd around the dancers. It was just luck of the draw that we were sat on a table right out on the street where it was all happening. It felt like a true Bangkok experience, Kapon Kah boys!



Sexy Pad Thai

Whilst in Bangkok we decided it was finally time for Matts to learn some cooking skills; sorry bro, but you'd left it far too long. We booked onto a two hour course with a local restaurant called Mai Kaidee. The venue was perfect. We each had an individual fully equipped cooking station, which provided an excellent opportunity to pretend we were contestants on master chef. Over the two hours we learnt to cook Thai chilli paste, peanut sauce, Tom Yum Soup, Massaman curry and Pad Thai. What surprised me most was the minimal amount of time each one took to cook. We'd watch the street venders toss together a Pad Thai in a matter of minutes, but I assumed things had been pre-cooked or weren't fresh. Even the curry, which had an incredibly rich depth of flavour, took under 10 minutes to whip up from scratch. The best part was that we got to eat all the food. Ohhhhh my it was delicious. However, the real reason I felt I wanted to write about this experience was what happened after we made and ate the food. We were commanded to spread out around the room and repeat the words / actions of our head chef, which were pretending to cook a Pad Thai whilst singing "sexy Pad Thai, sexy Pad Thai". We performed this comrade for probably a little longer than anyone felt comfortable with, or could handle through the hysterical laughing. It was worth the £25 for that alone. Cheers Mai Kaidee, for the sexiest Pad Thai in all the land. 


A wild, gluten free goose chase 

Thailand has been very difficult for me to find gluten free food as soy sauce is used in pretty much every dish. What's more my hangover got the better of me in Phi Phi when I ordered a bowl of nachos without checking they were safe; 3 days of a bad stomach, headaches and drowsiness followed. After Matts had left us on our last day in Bangkok Dod was lovely enough to accompany me on what became a very long wild goose chase for a GF restaurant I had read about online. The restaurant had 3 branches, so at random we picked one and headed for it around lunch time. After a 20 minute bus ride we walked for another 20 minutes following a map to the shopping mall it was situated inside. We arrived and were told the restaurant was no longer there. No problem Dod said, we'll try another. So after some deliberation we worked out we could get the sky train to the next one but there would be a bit of a walk either side. About 45 minutes later we arrived at another mall where the reception lady confirmed it existed and directed us to the food court. Another 10 minutes of searching and we found it. As the waitress walked towards us I pretty much pounced on her asking if they had the GF spring rolls in. Then she told us that only one branch offers the GF menu, and of course it was the only one we hadn't tried. I burst into tears at this point, whilst the poor waitress stood there wondering who had died in that split second. It was totally over-dramatic but at the time I was completely drained and lacking any control of my emotions (sorry nice lady!) I said to Dod we might as well give up now, we'd been attempting to find this restaurant for over 2 hours without luck. I was a sniffling mess and Dod was getting hungrier by the second. But he was determined to get me a decent meal despite my resembling a spoilt toddler (or maybe that was why). We took the sky train back to where the first mall was and walked for another half an hour before we realised, and this was not taken lightly at the time, that the restaurant we were looking for was in fact across the road from where we had first stepped off the bus over 3 hours ago. After a hearty bowl of GF pasta, a gigantic bowl of topped fries and a slice of cake the whole thing became hilarious. Thank you Dod, for having the patience I struggle to find xxx 

Photos 02.01.17 - 06.01.17

Bangkok in 10 Photographs 













21 January 2017

Ao Nang & Koh Phi Phi 30.12.16 - 02.01.17

Three Stories from Ao Nang and Koh Phi Phi 

A cave like no other

For one of our days in Ao Nang myself, Dod and Matty decided to take a boat trip around to Railay bay. We snorkelled, climbed up through an incredible cave and lounged in clear blue waters whilst enjoying some beautiful scenery. A stunning day made only more memorable when we stumbled across a cave full of dicks. They were mostly wooden, all different shapes and sizes, in every colour of the rainbow and displayed in a sort of shrine like way. I knew Thailand was a very sexual country but I wasn't expecting to stumble across anything like this! Eventually we found out that the cave is actually dedicated to the spirit princess "Phallus of Shiva"  and people donate their phallic offerings to her in favour of increasing fertility in the area.  I'm assuming it's an ancient tradition, considering there wasn't a scrotum in sight. Whatever the case it was a cave cum shrine (pardon the pun) like no other! 


Monkey Beach

Known for it's nightlife, Phi Phi doesn't have an awful lot to offer during the day aside from a half decent fry up and it's gorgeous stretch of beach to lounge on. One of the few things you can do is hire a kayak and boat around the mountain to Monkey Beach. With me in the middle, and Dod and Matts at either end we set off on the some of the bluest waters I've ever seen. The ride only took about 15 minutes but it was a beautiful way to view the Island from an alternative perspective. We parked our kayak and walked up into the forest to spy some monkeys. As you'd expect from 'Monkey Beach' there were loads of them, and luckily for us a fair few infants who were fascinating to watch play together. I was expecting the beach to be a lot more crowded with people getting too close but it seemed most people were paying plenty of respect to the monkeys and their habitat. But of course there's always one. After taking 100 or more selfies of him and the monkeys this guy began to taunt one of the dominant males. What an idiot is all I can say. He was pretty much acting like a baboon himself bouncing around and shouting at this poor monkey all because it snarled at him when he got too close. It was amazing to watch this monkey warn him off and take total control of the situation. The guy might have been acting tough in front of everyone but you could see who was really in charge. Although it was horrible to watch it was a great example of how important it is to respect animals in their natural habitat. We spent the rest of our time there lounging in a shore so clear I could see the hair on Dod's toes, then rowed back around for another night of Phi Phi madness!


Sunrise for a selfie

Phi Phi Island is one of the smaller islands but none the less crowded and packed full of bars, shops and delicious restaurants. For our last morning on the Island myself and Dod decided to climb to the viewpoint for sunrise (leaving a sleepy Matty in bed). We trekked up a steep muddy pathway for around 15 minutes making it to the top just in time to see the big bright orange thing peeping over the mountain. It was gorgeous to watch, and also made us realise just how tiny the island really is. It's shaped like a bendy version of the letter 'I'; mountainous hills either side of a curved strip lined with beach and bars. Phi Phi was one of the worst hit by the tsunami in 2004, it's crazy to think how quickly it's been built back up in such a short space of time. Every piece of land possible is filled with small touristic businesses. After sitting for a little while we decided to grab a coffee from the cafe and do some good old 'people-watching'. We renamed the view point 'selfie-point' because nobody seemed to actually be viewing anything. One guy was on face-time to someone for the entire time he was up there, another girl was performing yoga moves whilst her friend took about a million photographs of her and the other 10-15 people just stood with their back to the view taking selfies and then left. Fantastic entertainment for 6.30am!


20 January 2017

Photos 20.12.16 - 01.01.17

10 Photos from Southern Thailand 

(Koh Samui, Ao Nang & Koh Phi Phi)












Surat Thani & Krabi 20.12.16 - 16.12.16

Two lessons learned + Christmas Day away 

(Surat Thani & Koh Samui) 


Same same, but different

There are times when travelling Thailand as a backpacker that you feel a bit like hurdled cattle. Tourism here seems to work in a long chain of events, that also feels a bit like an inside joke among those working along the chain. Our first experience of this came when we traveled from Bangkok to Koh Samui, the first leg of the journey being a night bus to Surat Thani. At 5.30am we were woken abruptly by a man screaming "SURAT THANI GET OFF NOW" into our faces. A very sleepy Dod and me gathered our belongings as quickly as possibly and stepped off the bus to find another man shouting at us to get in a taxi for Koh Samui. Unfortunately our wits were not about us at this point in time and so into the taxi we climbed blissfully un-aware of the chain of events beginning to unfold. After paying 200 THB (£5) for a journey that should have cost us no more than £2 (every little counts with our budget!) we were dropped at a booking agents and told to wait there until the shop owner was opened up and we could book our ferry. At this point we came to realise we were playing a part in the inside joke; the bus driver dropped us into the hands of the overpriced taxi man, the taxi man is commissioned to take us too the booking agency and so on and so forth. The joke is that the entire time you are made to feel as though there are no other options. After asking for our money back we decided to look for other options. A minutes walk away we found the actual bus station where we could book the tickets directly at half the price. We also sampled a local Thai breakfast of rice soup, raw egg and a suspicious looking meat from a lovely lady and her husband whilst sat under a tin roof in the pouring rain. Although it sounds grim, these encounters are a huge part of travelling for me. You'll like this one mum - they are the 'what-the-fuck' moments that you tell people about simply because they are so far away from anything you've experienced before. Unlike India where you seem to run into these moments hourly, it seems here you really have to look for them by escaping the clutches of the tourism chain.


Two on the ped, and the rucksack said

Our first Island stop was Koh Samui, a large island off the eastern coast of southern Thailand. Having spent 10 hours on a coach, an hour on a local bus and 2 hours on a ferry to get there we weren't in the best mood. Which worsened when we stepped off the boat to a very dark and over-cast sky. As to be expected we were offered sky-high prices for a taxi to our hostel, considering the 10 hour night bus had cost us 400 THB we weren't  up for paying double that for a half an hour journey. As we began to head for the main road in hope of flagging down a cheaper lift we walked past a scooter hire shop, one look at Dod and I knew he thought it was a good idea! Me, him, two 15kg rucksacks and two small backpacks on one moped. The shop owner was willing to hire it to us for 5 days at a total pice of 750 THB; not even I could argue with that. Our transport to and from the hostel plus a moped for the full stay for less than what one taxi ride would have cost, the deal was done. When I asked the guy if he thought we would be ok he just raised his hands and cocked his head to one side, in other words 'hopefully but I've got your 2000 THB deposit if not'. Somehow we squeezed on with one small bag inside the seat, one by Dod's feet and our big rucksacks on our backs. Almost as soon as we were on our way the rain started to come down. Thunder, lightening and giant drops of rain; I was terrified. The bike felt like it was about to skid out from underneath us any moment, whilst other bikes cars and busses were all around us on the busy island ring road. I couldn't see 3 feet in front of us and I'm not sure I was helping Dod's concentration by screaming "CAN YOU EVEN SEE? COZ I CAN'T SEE" into his ear. The worst part was when we came to a steep hill around half a kilometre long. I gritted my teeth and dug my nails into Dod's rucksack and my knees into the bike as we bounced up the bumpy, slippery hill. The 15kg on my back was doing everything it could to pull me off the back of the bike but somehow we made it to the top. Going down the other side was more comical as I was squished between my rucksack and Dod's with my teeth gritted and cheeks wavering (imagine a dog hanging out of a car window but squashed between two heavy lumps - that was me). Needless to say we got there in one piece, and of course the rain stopped the moment we disembarked. An eventful and very soggy welcome to southern Thailand! 


Christmas Day Away 

Christmas day came all of a sudden for us. As you can imagine the weather didn't really fit the bill and our surroundings were about as festive as a court room. However the one thing we both decided was important was that we found a good group of people to spend the time with, and thank goodness we did. Our hostel was one of the best we've stayed in (US hostel - would recommend highly) and thanks to a great common room and bar area we formed a tight group of around 12 people, including two gert lush Bristolians. Our Christmas morning was spent around the hostel pool, Santa hats installed and the afternoon on the beach before heading to the Irish bar (of course) for Christmas Dinner.  Just like any other day we missed our family and friends enormous amounts, but the day was made when one of our Bristolians shouted "Oi luv, you'll ever guess what? They got thatcherrs ere'!" At me across the table, and just for that moment I was transported back home. There might not have been board games, crackers or mulled wine but we did have the sun, good company and whole lot of fun.




1 January 2017

Goa 08.12.16 - 17.12.16

Three things we won't forget - Goa

Living like a local

Our final destination was Goa, a small state on the western coastline of India. Having started our Journey in the North, before travelling through Kerala in the South, Goa felt nothing like the India we knew. Hippie travellers came to Goa in the 70s to basically take acid and listen to trance music 24/7, and the place has pretty much evolved around this for the last 40+ years. With this in mind we thoroughly enjoyed encountering each and every 'travelling stereotype' you could possible imagine during our 10 day stay. From tattooed and sunburnt middle aged men hard on it every night, to barely 20 year olds claiming taking acid has changed their life and turned them into an experienced philosopher; you name it, we met them. Having said that we also met some great people at our hostel, in particular the owners Druhv and Marie who were completely down to earth and inspiring in much more modest sense. What we enjoyed most about Goa was the chance to really live like a local. We hired a scooter for the duration of our stay, offered a helping hand to the development of a brand new hostel, shopped in the local markets for supplies, cooked more than we ate out (and ate our lunch out of plastic bags!) and became recognised regulars in the local bars and cafes. In other words we integrated ourselves into the local community as best we could in the 10 days, which was a great feeling. Although we found the modern culture more amusing than eye-opening the distraction gave us a chance to find our own place within the network and realise it's not always about city hopping, site-seeing and learning a culture through mimicking the locals. Through finding our own feet within a community we actually experienced how we as individuals would slot in and live our lives somewhere, which I felt resulted in a much more honest encounter. 




Paradise Beach

Many of the beaches we visited whilst in Kerala and Goa didn't turn out to be the most relaxing of places. "Coconut? Sarong? Massage?" Mixed with booming trance music (that never changes beat) is all you can hear as people continue to tower over you, crouch down next to you or do whatever it takes to get your attention even if you have managed to drift off to sleep. In all fairness people are out trying to make a living, but after the 15th time someone has stood shouting 'mam' at you until you look up from the page you've been attempting to read for the last 20 minutes it's pretty hard not to lose your patience. Rant over, we were over the moon to discover an un-commercialised and quite incredibly empty Paradise Beach about 45 minutes drive from our apartment in Arambol. White sands, sparkling clear turquoise waters and amazingly only one small bamboo shack reserved for the local life guard. No coco-cola signs, no awful remixes and no ray-bons in sight; we were in heaven. We spent the entire day there soaking up an atmosphere so totally different to the India we had experienced so far. The contrast was in the vast amounts of 'un-used space'. Druhv from our hostel had been explaining to us only a few days earlier that it's rare to come across what he called 'un-used space' as it's a big part of Indian culture to make the most of what is available; people see space as an opportunity to both offer a service and make a living. He told us a story about how his mother had come across a man selling Jack fruit on the side of the road once, as she hardly ever saw any for sale and loved it so much she offered to buy the whole fruit off him for whatever he expected to make by selling the fruit in individual portions. The man refused her offer explaining that he would have nothing to do for the rest of the day; the space, his time and service would be un-used. Our time on the paradise beach made us truly understand Druhv's point; it really was the first time we had been in a 'un-used' space in India. That said it is hard not to appreciate the work ethic the people of India demonstrate. Almost every corner of every street is used to offer a service, fulfil time and most importantly feed a family. 



Night Bus

Having mostly travelled India by train we decided to book a night bus for our last long journey from Goa to Mumbai. Having heard awful stories of buses racing each other and scarily steep climbs and narrow roads we felt it would be one last crazy experience we had to tick off the list. Even just locating and boarding the bus was stressful. Each coach joins a queue along a busy strip of shops collecting its passengers as it moves through the queue before continuing on its way; the main issue is that there's no telling which coach will be yours. I think I got on just about every coach drivers nerves asking each one several times whether they were the 19:30 to Mumbai whilst waving our ticket in their faces like a mad woman. Eventually our bus came through, but the panic wasn't over. The cabin was actually fairly comfortable aside from it slightly resembling a coffin, which was ironic considering we felt on the verge of death for the next 12 hours. The only thing I can compare it to is the knight bus from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban. Every time we started to drift off we would be thrown aggressively into the window wall or ceiling. It was one of those times in life where all you can do is clutch each other and nervously laugh for the sake of holding back tears - and vomit. We attempted watching a film for the first hour or so which must have been comical to watch, the two of us bouncing around and sliding up and down the cabling whilst trying to keep the iPad still enough to focus on. Somehow we made it to Mumbai sleepless but in one piece and ready for the next adventure; HELLO THAILAND!