Well, we�re just about at the end of our Asia trip. We are in Bangkok at the moment, and fly to London tonight where we have to go about reinventing ourselves (again). Have spent the last 3 or 4 weeks flitting around Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. We arrived in Bangkok and stayed about 5 days with Mark and Por (Sarah�s cousins) and family. We were absolutely spoilt for attention, and fed copious amounts of incredible thai food. Tastes nothing like the thai that we have at home � that�s sort of pseudo thai. Bangkok itself is totally overwhelming. On one day, we managed to get around by boat, train, tuk-tuk, taxi, truck, car and bus. Without Mark and Por as guides, I think I would still be somewhere in the 10 story mall. We both picked up incredibly cheap tailored suits (genuine armani darling), and way too many shoes. However, surprisingly it was a mall in Medan Sumatra where we cut loose on the shopping. Sare in particular shopped to excess, so if you see a fashionable couple in London in feathers and a penis sheath, there�s are pretty good chance that will be us.

After a week or so in Bangkok we took an overnight train down Thailand, and a ferry across from Malaysia into Sumatra. Apparently Sumatra is in the top 10 in the world for dollar billionaires, which is unbelievable when you see the poverty everywhere. It just goes to show how corrupt the country is. In Sumatra we headed to Bukit Lawang, nestled in the rainforests in the north, where the attraction is an orangutan rehabilitation centre. We spent a few days there, and managed to get out into the jungle for an overnight trip. This tour was definitely Indo style. The �tour operators� stop every hour or so for a joint, so that our progress into the jungle slowed as the afternoon progressed. Admittedly, the camp site was amazing � nestled by a river surrounded by Tolkien-like trees with monkeys overhead. At dusk the fireflies (and tour operators) light up and the bats circle � quite surreal. We did manage to see a few weird animals. One of the English girls was attacked by a leech that fell from a tree, and her unfortunate sister had a cockroach pee in her eye the night before, causing it to swell up. Sarah fell down a steep bank in an attempt to catch another unfortunate English woman, and I�m glad to say that I got it all on camera from a safe platform away from the action. We also saw orangs in the wild, which was incredible.

From Bukit Lawang we made our way to Lake Toba � the largest lake in SE Asia. This was definitely the cheapest place we have ever been. Our double room on the lakeside cost 15,000 rupees per night (~NZ$3), and meals worked out to be about NZ$2 each. The lake was beautiful, but does not compare to Taupo or the lakes in the South Island. After a couple of unfortunate experiences with local food and cockroaches (say no more), we were keen to leave Sumatra pretty quickly and find a beach somewhere. In the end we decided on Koh Pha Ngan, which is an island offshore Thailand�s east coast. Following some friends advice, we found the PERFECT beach off the NE coast, which is a little less crowded due to a hell 4-wheel ride across the island. Ngai Pan Yai was amazing - beautiful sandy beach surrounded by tropical jungle, 30 degree water, amazing food and the perfect combination of local style and tourist facilities. We both managed some serious hammock time, and choosing the restaurants became the drama of the day. Sare and I did get off our butts one day though and went out for a dive on a deep water pinnacle in the Gulf of Thailand. The fish life was spectacular, with massive schools of barracuda, tuna, and 164 other types of fish that I don�t know. Were hoping to see a whale shark which apparently frequent the area, but no luck. However, as this spot used to be a target for the Thai navy, the rock formations were bizarre, and we were able to dive through a the top of a limestone chimney at 6m and pop out a hole at 18m below the surface.

London is now looming and by 10am tomorrow morning I am sure we are in for another culture shock. Photos from this leg of the trip are not on our web page this time, just go to the link below�

http://www.shutterfly.com/my/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b315fd094544

ENJOY! ( p.s if anyone wants a copy of a pic or 2 you can order them from this site!!!)

Love h & s

For us Bali was mainly about surfing and shopping. Cub and I scored some primo waves at Kuta, although very crowded at times. I tried to pick up a free pair of steel testacles at the surf store with the �buy three shirts, get one pair of steel balls free� deal, but they were all out. This was unfortunate, as the one day that I was most hungover a 6 foot swell turned up from nowhere, much to my horror (mock delight!). However, Cub made the most of the big waves, I faked food poisoning, and we were all happy at the end of the day. I�d also like to mention that Cub�s stunts in the surf (ie. Jumping over me with his surfboard when charging down the wave face) were much appreciated, and added to the general terror of surfing on a shallow crowded coral reef break. THANKS CUB.

Liz and Sare managed about 5 days of continual shopping (without breathing), with Bali rip-off vendors (and a small Zen shop in Ubud) coming out the winners on the day.

We have spent the last week or so in Java, mainly in Yogyakarta, which apparently is the cultural center of Indonesia (a role that Hamilton shares in NZ). Java is incredibly different from Bali. With three times the population of UK in half the area, it is impossible to find peace and quiet. We arrived from an 18 hour bus ride from Bali which was a bit of a hangover. We managed to get involved with a few bits and pieces in Yogya. Went to a traditional ballet called the Ramayana � an open air ballet at night, which was spectacular. We had a look around the Sultans� palace (photos on web), and got a traditional massage and a not so traditional haircut. Borobodur, the 1500 year old Buddhist monument in central Java was amazing. We visited the ruins at sunrise and did a quick perusal before all the tourists arrived. By 7am the place was crawling with hundreds of tourists, mainly Indonesian, who seemed to have never seen Europeans before. Consequently, we had to flee from the ruins after about 18 group photos with locals who were giggling like schoolgirls!

We detoured on the way back to Bali via Mount Bromo, in east Java. We traveled 12 hours by the most uncomfortable mini-bus in the world to Bromo. Sarah �baggsed� us the front seat which we though was excellent initially, however after 5 minutes the floor around the seats was so hot we had to jam books and clothes around the seat to prevent major heat burns. The smog was terrible, and a window seat would guarantee a black face within 10 minutes. We reminded ourselves that it is the journey, and not the destination that makes the traveler (bullshit!). We woke at 3am to climb Mt Bromo (photos coming soon), which is an active volcano amongst a volcanic moonscape. Dawn was impressive, with amazing color due to all the sulphur and air pollution (hey, it�s got to be good for something). We continued to Bali later that day on another 12 hour epic on the second most uncomfortable mini-bus in the world (this one reverberated so much that it was still shaking after we returned from our half hour dinner stop).

To date, the food in Indonesia hasn�t been overly spectacular. Sarah�s favourite meal has been McD�s in Kuta (shock horror!!), and we are still to find a meal spicier than the one kindly cooked by Kees and Fi before our departure to help us adjust to Asian cuisine (really, much appreciated guys). All in all though in great health � Sarah still hasn�t found the bug to help her lose weight, and I haven�t found the one to help me gain it.

Having a great time. Wish you were all here (but not all at once because that would be quite difficult to manage and organize meals and day-trips).

Will write soon from Thailand.

Take care

h & s