London!

So, here comes the first of my Europe photos.... from my stay at Le Chateau Bermondsey!

As usual, many cups of tea were drunk, with lots of gossip (Kylie and I are going to make great old ladies some day!!) and a few little jaunts into town for good measure. Guus took me on a pinball tour of Soho (zooming through streets and shops and little shortcuts, pow pow) and out for yummy japanese, I got my dodgy iPod exchanged by the nice man at the HUGE Apple Store on Regent Street, picked up lots of goodies at Muji and Le Petit Bateau. I managed to finally find those shaggy hills boys in 'The Lock' in Camden (there are several 'Lock' pubs there.... well organised boys!) and I had the pleasure of seeing 'Tango Siempre' - a band Kylie used to play with- at Pizza Express in Soho on my last night.

Bermondsey BBQ! Looooovly

All in all, a lovely weekend of catch ups and rain... all much needed relief from Cambodia!!

Kylie and Guus again let me stay with them, and provided me with house keys, bus tickets, a bed, hugs, family etc.... They are always there for me while I run around the world and for that I am very grateful.

A long way from Sassy Kinda!

The 'shaggy hills boys' as Kylie dubbed Alex, Jon and Nick! (Sorry everyone, Nick A was bouncing around to much to get a photo of him, but he was there, is fine Nick form as usual)

Mmmmmwwwwaaah! Happy Mother's Day Mums! On London Bridge!

Big people!

arrived in London this morning, two week holiday in London, SveRigE and Belgium yay yay!

was amazed by all the 'order' of the city as we flew in, everything in neat rows and specific sides of roads.... not what i am used to...

had a strange moment on the tube when I realised everyone looked so huge to me, especially women, I kept thinking 'my gosh, she's tall, big, over dressed' ..... took a moment to dawn on me that i haven't seen a mass of 'barang' in quite a while - we are fuNuY looking!

Kyles and Guus' little house is lovely, and you can see all the work are putting into it. But more about all that later..... time for me to get some sleep and try to stay warm (i'm frEeZing!!)

Hills Gals

Beth and I at Friends Restaurant, some time in April....

We met at a cooking school in Viet Nam, and ended up spending many nice hours drinking cocktails and eating yummy food in Phnom Penh during her visit.

Good to meet someone from 'home' and even have a good bitch about local high school days in the Dandenongs! Good fun! And a nice reminder that this world really is small, and friendly!

ANZAC Day, Phnom Penh

Of course, the first time in my life that I attend an ANZAC Day memorial service, I would need to be living so close to the equator that it starts at 4:40am....

This morning I joined the Australian and New Zealand residents in Phnom Penh for a Dawn Service, held at the truly stunning Australian Ambassador's Residence near Wat Phnom. The scene was quite surreal on arrival, as we walked in darkness past this grand old colonial building into a tropical garden, to be confronted with a circular crowd all holding candles in the early morning rain.

By the time the Last Post was played, a true tropical downpour began. It was a moving experience, to be standing in this jungle garden, with rain beating through a humid sky, far from home.

Unexpected morning downpour floods Phnom Penh streets after ANZAC Dawn Service.

New Website, New Wheels!

It's blue, it's 41 years old, it is horridly difficult to drive..... It's my very own temperamental, yet super cool, Vespa!

Yes, the roads of Phnom Penh have just become that bit more dangerous, as I try to master the left hand gears and clutch, right hand accelerator, right foot break... argh.... it is all too much!

As I spend every evening for the next month puttering around my neighborhood trying to figure out how the hell to drive this thing, you are welcome to spend your evenings in a much safer environment, checking out the links and a number of well overdue posts about to go up on this new, improved, website!

Enjoy! Rhianna x

Halong Bay

While staying in Hanoi, mum and I took advantage of the overnight trips available to Halong Bay, an archipelago of 3,000 islands in the Gulf of Tonkin, near China.

We took a four hour bus to the city of Halong (where the dragon descends into the sea), where we boarded a traditional style 'junk' boat to tour the bay for two days. Although it was very cold, we stayed upstairs in the open air for as long as possible enjoying the stunning views. There were about 12 people on our boat tour, and we all seemed to get on very well. There were a few swedish guys my age, a couple who had spent five years touring the world as dancers and acrobats in the musical Notre Dame de Paris, and a few others from Italy, South Africa and the US. I think the memory I will take from this trip is not only the stunning Halong Bay, but also how you can have such a wonderful time with a group of total strangers, with varied languages and backgrounds... We all sat up playing cards, drinking wine and eating seafood late into the night, in the middle of the clear, dark, peaceful bay. It was a very very special few days.

Shopping boats... Modern Viet Nam... Beer and Pepsi for US dollars on Halong Bay.....

View from the top of the 90 steps which lead to the Hang Dau Go caves

Hang Dau Go & Hang Sung Sot Caves

Floating fishing villages

Cccccold Rhonda...

One of my favorite moments from our trip, kayaking around some of the islands with one of our fellow travelers Zuban. It was such an amazing feeling to get out into the bay, where you couldn't see another boat or person, just crystal blue water and islands to discover...

Photos taken by Rhonda when waking very early on the junk boat, to find a surreal, mirror-still, bay

Rhianna found some swedes as usual... with Kim, David, Klaus and Johan... we met up with Kim and David at a number of points along our simultaneous journeys south.

Lunch in Halong, check out the menu above... Homer Simpson would be in heaven... 'Steamed Crab full of fat in beer' ... heart attack waiting to happen