A message from Martha

Hello to everyone back home Lake Fu Xian is one of the most famous in China – the water is so clear that on a good day it is possible to see up to about 25 feet deep. There is a legend that an ancient city is submerged deep beneath the surface. The boys tried to row a boat around the island in the middle but had to settle for just (and only just) managing to reach it.

Following the incident the other day I needed a final mechanical check by the local mechanics and once I’d had the all clear we were on the road again – target destination Yuanyang. A final drive through some amazing mountains we were headed to Mengla – the southernmost point of China – before the border with Laos where the tropical rain forests begin.On our last morning in China we set off before the sun was up to ensure we reached the border in good time. Thanks to the wonderful Sun Ji we were through the Chinese side very quickly – sadly this meant that it was time to say goodbye to him – I hope that Sun Ji – and his parents – make a quick recover after the shock and trauma caused by having us pass through their lives.

The crossing into Laos was easy and we pressed on to Luang Prabong. We had planned to stop en route but boys decided to crack on and we sped along past tropical forests and interesting villages arriving in Luang Prabong a day ahead of schedule. Here we met up with the stage 4 crew which meant it was sadly time to say goodbye to Ross. It’s sad to say goodbye to Ross – he’s been part of the crew since we left London. Now, all of the crew were taught to drive by (wonderful) Keith so you’d expect their driving styles to be similar, but I can tell you they are not! They all have a different touch at the wheel, on the pedals and on the gears and even a different way of seeing the road. Ross had a unique touch at the wheel – I’ll really miss him!

The departing of Ross however meant the arrival of new people and we all went off to collect Seve (Matthew), Michelle and Lyndsey. After a day of rest and sleep for the new crew we were off to Vang Vieng. The road to Vang Vieng wound through tropical forests, past traditional villages with wooden houses and round phenomenal mountains.  The town of Vang Vieng is beside the Nam Song river and the next morning the crew went to the river to have some fun – on tyre inner-tubes I believe.

Following the inner-tube day of fun we were once again up early for another border crossing. We passed the Laos capital of Vientiane but had no time to stop; we were aiming for Thailand which is via the beautifully named ‘Friendship Bridge’. Now, in Thailand they drive on the correct side of the road and Steve was rather excited at the prospect of the transition – he had high hopes of it being a noteworthy event…sadly our leader was a touch disappointed as in reality we simply went from one side of the road to the other. At least I’m feeling a lot better being back on the right side of the road!

Next stop – Nong Khai where the crew ate as though they’d not eaten for a month. After a good feed it was full steam ahead and our next destination was the Khao Yai National Park which contains the only intact monsoon forest in mainland Asia. We camped for the night and the crew went on a “night safari” to see some of the forest’s wildlife – I’m not sure exactly what they saw but there was a lot of laughter and references to the deer and Richmond Park!?

From here  we took route 2, skirted round the capital Bangkok, and headed to Kanchanaburi, which is nestled next to the very picturesque river Kwai and where we came across something we haven’t seen for a very long time – farangs – foreigners – westerners, like us. The word farang is used as a description, an insult and a compliment – we hope so far it’s only been used to describe us in a complimentary way!

We set off down route 41 we were intending to stop at Bang Saphan, but decided to push on as far as possible. As it got dark we turned off route 41 following a signpost for a town which in true FTFE style we managed to miss. We carried on down the ever narrowing road till we reached the tiny village of Pak Nam. As with so many of our unintentional decisions it turned out to be a good one; the crew found an absolutely wonderful place to spend the night – right on the beach and with food close by.

We were hoping to get to Phuket before the rain started and we almost made it. I’m not very keen on this foreign rain – it’s much too heavy and it makes the roads too slippery and after the recent accident I get a bit nervous. The following morning we headed to Krabi, accompanied most of the way by the driving rain.

We arrived in the afternoon and the crew went off to explore the area. Now – what I’m about to say doesn’t often get said…Steve got ill. So ill he was unable to participate in any of the driving and by the time we arrived in Satun he was so poorly that he collapsed in the street and had to spend the rest of the day in bed. It wasn’t going to be a quick recovery but the following day we were faced with another boarder – we had to crack on. We eventually found the  right road and got out of Thailand without any trouble but as I am officially a large car rather than a truck we like to get a little help from the APP team. Once again they worked their magic and we were into Malaysia with little trouble. APP then formed an escort for us all the way to George Town on Penang Island; it was amazing and I felt like a real celebrity.

The next destination was Ipoh where the crew looked around a local stately home before getting on the road to Kuala Lumpar. What a wonderful city KL is and what a welcome we were given! The crew got the chance to do some sightseeing, including the fabulous Petronas Towers which dominate the sky line and can be seen for miles around. The next morning we had a special job to do – collecting mother of Stage 2 crew member Ben – the lovely Mrs Haslett. We then we set off for Melaka, our last stop in Malaysia before the border with Singapore.

We had heard that getting into Singapore is never easy; however thanks to all the hard work and planning done by everyone concerned we had no problems and were welcomed into the country by our helpers from EES and by the Singapore Civil Defence Force. I was booked in to Singapore Mass Rapid Transport (SMRT) – the people who look after all the buses and trains and they very kindly gave me a much needed service and clean up! I must confess that I no longer felt as spritely as I did back in London all those months ago, in fact before my service I felt like a very old, very tired, very clapped out London bus.

After the best part of a day being tended to by some very competent and thorough mechanics I was feeling much more chipper, which was just as well because the next stop was Singapore Central Fire Station and it would have been embarrassing to turn up all shabby and disheveled. What a wonderful morning at the fire station! We were welcomed with open arms and made such a fuss of. There was even a TV crew filming our arrival and talking to my crew. And, of course, the firemen couldn’t resist showing off their skill on the pole – you must watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EURSdNhEqyc&hd=1

The following afternoon we were heading to the docks. It was almost time to set sail to Australia. We had a look at the ship and I got very excited about the crossing….an opportunity to give my wheels a break! I’ll let you know how the crossing goes when we make it to Oz…

I’d better sign off now.

TTFN

My love to everyone Martha