Once in Edmonton I had 3 hours to kill before the train to Toronto was due to depart. Fortunately there was a great little bistro next to the Edmonton bus depot so I had a late lunch. I was tracking the progress of the train on the ViaRail website so I already knew the train was going to be 2.5hrs late which wasn’t an issue. It was originally scheduled to depart at 17.19hrs but we still had to check in at the regular time. Once at the remote station, the staff advised that because the train is delayed there could be a possibility we would miss the evening dinner service. So at about 16.30hrs, 12 of us who had sleeper car accommodation with meals included, were whisked away to a really nice local hotel for an excellent 3 course dinner courtesy of ViaRail. Having had a late lunch unfortunately there was no way I could eat it, so I just managed a desert instead. At least it was an opportunity to meet some of the other passengers. There were some retired couples from New Zealand, a few ‘off-gridder’ type people with huge beards and missing teeth to match, some students returning home after vacations and a few other travellers like me.

Once the train arrived, I found my seat which happened to be the same one I had on the previous Vancouver to Edmonton leg. It would be a 3.5 – 4 day journey on board the train to Toronto. No WiFi which was nice but there was still plenty to do on the train and not get bored. As it turned out, we didn’t miss dinner service on the train but by this time I was a little peckish so had the veal escalope which was really nice and succulent. Turning in early it was a smooth-ish journey though you could feel the driver trying to make up time. I don’t think a 2.5hr delay in a 4 day train journey is that bad at all. In the morning, I woke up to spectacular views over snow covered prairies.

This was pretty much the view for a couple of days as the train crossed central Canada. Although pretty, there really doesn’t seem to be much there. I know a few people like that… 😉

Once at Saskatoon the train was held by a further 2 – 3 hours because of having to wait to allow freight trains to pass. But it was a welcome opportunity to brave to cold, stretch the legs and get some fresh air which froze my nose. We also collaborated in doing a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle in a sort of ‘tag team’. It was the perfect size for the tables in one of the common areas on the train.

By the time the trained pulled into Winnipeg it was 03.30hrs in the morning. It was meant to arrive the previous day at about 18.00hrs but the delay was due to signals, freight trains and weather conditions.

Apparently this is not uncommon but unlike back home, nobody was getting agitated or cursing about it which was really nice. In the morning I made full use of the shower facilities on board and they were very impressive and surprisingly roomy. It’s amazing how much more alive you feel after a good shower and a change of clothes. At Winnipeg the crew changed shifts so it was a new team on board. Even with what little sleep they had due to the delay, the service remained outstanding and I cannot commend them enough.

The breakfast was fabulous and I had to try the Canadian breakfast; Blueberry pancakes with bacon & maple syrup, coffee and orange juice. The bacon and maple syrup combination really works well. Am surprised that more Canadians are not fatter if this is what they eat for breakfast.

By early afternoon on the fourth day, the train finally arrived in Toronto Central station 1.5hrs after its scheduled arrival time. The driver and engineer did a great job of making up lost time over the last four days. I collected my bag from the carousel like in an airport and then tried to find my way out of the station which was a little challenging as it is so big and badly signed. Eventually I found my way out and made my way across the road to the hotel I booked, the Fairmont Royal York. It reminded me of the apartment building in Ghostbusters.

Next morning, I caught the Brewster Express to Banff. Banff is somewhere I have always wanted to visit since I did my work experience as a travel agent when I was at school and this was their top winter location. I remember seeing the snow covered mountains, crisp clear blue skies in the brochures (no internet back then!) and thinking how wonderful it must be to go there. Well now I was finally doing it. The bus picked me up from the hotel in Calgary and dropped me off at the hotel in Banff which was really handy as it meant no walking with my backpack in freezing temperatures. The journey was only about 2 hours door to door and it wasn’t until we came over a crest of the hill that got a glimpse of the mountains. Although I had seen them previously whilst on the train from Vancouver to Edmonton, they never fail to amaze.

Once at the hotel, the Banff Park Lodge, and checked into my room I changed into thermals and then went straight out. It’s too good a place to stay in a hotel room. The hotel was only a 2 minute walk to the centre of town. It is very picturesque, almost quaint with nice little signs hanging up outside each shop.

There are bus stops along the road with live ETA information displayed electronically. Just because it’s a remote town doesn’t mean it’s without technology. It was 15 minutes before the next bus was due but being -23 it was too cold to stand at the bus stop, so I visited a couple of the shops instead and bought some maple syrup caramels, which were really nice, and waited until the bus arrived.

It was $5CAD for a 24 hour bus pass so it was worth it. The Banff Gondola is a pretty big tourist attraction in Banff and the bus went straight there. It was about $63CAD for a round trip on the gondola, but it certainly saves a good few hours hiking in the thick snow and freezing cold to the top of Mount Sulphur at 2,451m high.

Despite its name, there is no sulphur smell. At the base of the gondola there is a sign warning people to wrap up warm as it’s usually 10 degrees colder at the top than at the base. It was already -23 at the base… The best views were sitting with your back to Mount Sulphur and as the gondola rises the view of the Rockies and the Banff Fairmont Springs hotel present themselves.

After about 8 minutes I was at the top and really could not believe the views I was seeing.

At the top there is a visitors centre with cafe, restaurant information centre and of course a gift shop. There is also a mountain ridge walkway which is really worth doing. Most of it is on wooden decking. There were no slip issues despite the snow and ice but the air was so clean and fresh. I swear if that could be bottled somehow, it would make someone a millionaire. Despite this, I felt like a millionaire on top of this pretty much deserted mountain, surrounded by stunning views in every direction. In fact stunning does not do the views the justice they deserve.

After a few hours at the top, I went to the cafe and had a black cherry cola to rehydrate which was very nice, if not a bit sweet and a coffee to warm up. I then caught the gondola back down to the base, again brilliant views as I descended. There is a very popular sky bistro at the top which always seems to be fully booked for dinner and am not surprised.

Once off the gondola, there is another attraction within about 5 minutes walking and it is the Banff Upper Hot Springs. These are naturally heated pools on the side of the mountain. It was less than $10CAD to go in and you could stay in for as long as you liked, up until 22.00hrs. The outside temperature was now down to -28 but the water was +41. The water was shallow, say about 2ft deep but enough to sit / lay down in. It didn’t take long to get too hot so I ended up sitting on the side with ice was forming in my hair. That was quickly dispensed with a quick plunge, only for it form again in a few minutes time. The views would be great, seeing the sun set and the shadows form on the mountains, but in reality couldn’t see that much of the views here because of all the steam and vapour.

I stayed in until the sun had set and besides, I was beginning to prune. By sheer coincidence as I arrived at the bus stop it was only a 3 minute wait for the bus. If I had missed this one, it would have been 51 minutes until the next. Back in town, showered and changed I went straight back out again and went to quite a famous restaurant called Saltlick. The steak, beers and an Old Fashioned cocktail were absolutely amazing and was a perfect way to end a perfect day. I highly recommend it.

Next morning I had booked a one day tour to Lake Louise. The lake is famed for its turquoise clear waters but this still being a Canadian winter, you wouldn’t actually be able to see the lake itself as it was under about 1.5m of ice and then snow covered too. I was picked up promptly and transferred to another bus which was about a third full. On the drive out there, the guide provided lots of information, perhaps too much as could not take it all in and also stopped in various locations, allowing us out to take some pictures.

Once at Lake Louise we had about 4 hours of free time to explore and if am honest could have done with at least 8 hours. We were dropped off at the Fairmont Chateaux Lake Louise which is a rather plush hotel and just the sheer volume of snow on top of a small wooden building gives an indication of how cold it gets.

The skies were blue, not a cloud to be seen. There were intricate ice sculptures by the side of the lake from a competition that’s held annually and people were jostling to get photos with them, myself included.

After that, I went for a walk on the lake itself. How often do you get a chance in life to walk on a frozen lake? I should point out it was safe to do so, the ice was well over 1.5m thick, vehicles could drive on this without fear of falling through so I think I was ok… Once in the shadow of one of the mountains, the temperature dropped at least a further 10 degrees so it was a relief to get back into the sun again.

Walking back people snowshoeing and cross country skiing passed me going the opposite direction, at one point even a horse drawn carriage went by.There were options to go dog sledding or snowmobiling but I just opted for a leisurely stroll in the snow.

The following day and back in Banff, I just wondered around the town and walked part of the was down the Bow River.

I wish I could have spent much longer here as it by far one of my favourite destinations I have ever been to, but I think the “less is more” is right here. Besides, I had to get back to Edmonton and catch the train to Toronto. It’s the same train I took from Vancouver to Edmonton, but it would be 4 days before I arrive in Toronto.

In my mind I had imagined Calgary to be a picturesque town with a stunning mountain backdrop. Turns out it’s a town built on the oil and gas industry, banking too, so there are a lot of high rise buildings build in blocks with quite industrial outskirts. Also as it gets super cold here (-30 with added windchill), there are heated walkways on the 2nd or 3rd floors, linking buildings. It’s possible to walk from one side of the city to the other without going outside.

The reason I stopped in Calgary was 10 years ago when I travelled and was in Australia, I met Kat who was from Calgary and on the same tour as me around Uluru.

Over the years we have stayed in touch through social media and as I was passing by I messaged Kat and she arranged a couple of excellent activities for us. First she picked me up from the apart-hotel I was staying in and we went to a pub for dinner where we met up with her husband Phil and friend Christina. The food and beer was excellent and although it’s been a while since we last met, it seemed like it was only last week.

Dinner was followed a Canadian institution, a hockey game. Kat managed to get some tickets through work and the seats were excellent and close to the ice. We got a really good, close up view of the action. It was a lower league game rather than NHL but I think this was better for my first hockey experience.

The atmosphere was really nice, warm and friendly, plenty of beer flowing and the game was fun to watch. The guys were explaining the rules of the game to me as it went on so I could at least try and understand what was happening. I was very happy as had bought myself a giant foam finger and we were cheering for the local team, Calgary Hitmen but the game went to extra time / golden goal. Fortunately after about 8mins of extra time the Calgary Hitmen hit one into the back of the goal and won 3:2.

After the hockey game we headed off to a pub called Bottlescrew Bills. The volume and variety of beers (local and international) on choice here is mind blowing. The micro brewing industry is in full swing all over Canada. Here, they have these passports called Around the world in 80 beers.

You start off with a red passport which tends to be lagers and IPA’s. You need to have 80 of them, all different, collected and drunk before moving on to the black passport which is 80 more ales and stouts. I should point out that there is no time limit to completing the passports, you are not expected to complete it in one or two sittings. Nor would that be possible. I started my red passport but Kat and Phil were on their black passports and were making good progress completing their second lot of 80. However, Christina was on her green passport and had her name on the wall of fame having completed this back in 2015 and who judges in beer tasting events similar to CAMRA back home.

I slept pretty well that night but had a stinking headache the next morning. That was soon sorted out with a hearty breakfast, some decent coffee and a brisk walk outside in -24. Later that afternoon and back at Bottlescrew Bills, there was a beer festival on from 14.00 – 17.00hrs. This was part of the reason we went there the previous night, to get tickets to the beer festival. It wasn’t like any other beer festival I had been to. It was nice that it was on only for a few hours and good job too as I had another bus to catch the following morning.

Dotted around the pub and outside on the heated patio, were about 50 local brewery tables, each with bottles and cans of their products ranging from sours, to heavy porters and stouts, as well as red and amber ales. The pub was packed and the beer festival tickets were sold out, I think we caught the last few. Instead of pints or half pints, we had tiny little glasses that probably hold 150ml. Obviously still a little delicate from the previous evening, it was much nicer drinking a smaller quantity of beer but being able to sample a huge variety without any ill effects. I am very impressed with the Canadian beer scene. I thought we had some good beers in England, but Canada is in a different league.

After the beer festival and within 5mins walking distance (outside of the heated walkways!) was a restaurant call Briggs. Canadians do like their food and they do like their steaks too. One of the things on the menu that caught our eye was something called the Tomahawk steak. It’s a 48oz steak on the bone with about 6 side dishes too which serve 3 – 4 people. Just our luck that there were 3 of us now so that’s what we ordered. It reminded me of the film The Great Outdoors where John Candy ate a 98oz steak.

It was huge, perfectly cooked and tasted absolutely wonderful. How steak should taste. The staff cut it up for us but as I was the guest, I had the privilege of gnawing the bone which was almost the size of my mountain bike handlebars.

It was an absolutely fabulous weekend. Catching up with friends, hockey, beer, a foam finger, more beer and of course steak. Canada is definitely my favourite country I have visited so far by miles and I still have so much more of it to see. The next morning, I had another bus booked to Banff where I would be for a few days.

Passenger trains take second place to freight trains, often held at signals or waiting in sidings, maybe up to an hour or more, while the huge freight trains trundle past. They can be up to 4km long and weigh 18,000 tons so easy to see why. That’s not really an issue in The Rockies as the scenery is simply picture postcard breathtaking. It’s not uncommon for The Canadian to arrive at stations up to 12 hours late or more, depending on weather conditions.

I booked my train journey in two legs. The first would be Vancouver to Edmonton taking one and a half days. Then about a week or so later, Edmonton to Toronto taking just over 3 days. The train was set to depart Pacific Central station at midday. I checked out of my hotel, walked one block to the skytrain and after four stops I arrived at Main Street, yards from the station.

There was a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air as people checked in. The scenery on this journey is perhaps amongst the best in the world and is on a lot of peoples bucket list. Some passengers were going all the way to Toronto, others like me, were getting off somewhere along the way. Checking in was a very smooth and efficient process, better than checking in at most airports. At check in they ask if you would like first or second sitting for dinner and give you coloured vouchers accordingly. I went for second sitting and was handed a green voucher. My bag was processed and transferred to the luggage car. Fortunately I had remember to put a wash kit in my hand luggage but they do provide amenity shower kits with towels better than in most hotels.

I had booked a sleeper plus ticket which cost about £330. Very reasonable when you compare alternative transport options and timescales. It meant that I had lounge access at the station with complimentary drinks and snacks and priority boarding.

On the train I had a upper berth seat, access to the panorama cars, the park car, the dining car with a la carte meals included as well as free hot and cold soft drinks throughout. Alcohol was extra but reasonably priced.

My seat was 3ft wide and converted into a bed in the evening. Although they say it is 5’ 10” long, I was actually able to stretch out flat and am 6’ 2”. There are cabins for 2, 3, or 4 people but they are more expensive and there are prestige cabins but they really are expensive. With only 3 people including myself in this part of the carriage, we were able to spread out in the evening. The next day, one of the 2 berth cabins was available so I managed to sit in there for a few hours just to lord it up.

Unlike the trains back home, people actually talk to one another. I guess having journeys in days, rather than minutes or hours makes the difference. There are people of different ages and backgrounds using the train for different purposes, business, pleasure, holiday, something they have always wanted to do, or have flown across the country to get the train back, the list goes on.

When the dinner announcement is made people disappear to the dining car. There’s a hand sanitiser to use at the entrance and then you are shown to your table. There are about 16 tables each seating four people and you could be sat with different people at each meal service.

This is a really nice way to engage with the other passengers and exchange stories. There were people from Canada, England, Netherlands, Germany, USA, Asia and elsewhere. Many of the people I spoke with over meals were amazed by my travels but all seemed to want to discuss Brexit. Yawn. They really feed you very well on board and there is no chance of going hungry. I think I ate more on the train than I did when I was in Vancouver! The quality of the food was very impressive too and always 3 or 4 main course choices. After each meal you are asked whether you would like first or second sitting for the next meal and again, handed a coloured voucher accordingly.

You are not confined to your seat or cabin while on the train. The panorama cars are definitely worth spending time in as you get to see the majesty of The Rockies. Perhaps the only issue is, the windows become slightly dirtier as the journey goes on but not too much. There are no windscreen wipers to keep the windows clear, but it would be nice if at various stations they were wiped down. How often do you get a chance to see views like this.

One of the nicest cars on the train is the park car. This is the last car on the train and is more of a plush lounge. The view from the rear of the train is unique and nice to look back down the rail tracks.

It has a panorama section too, a bar with snacks plus free tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Just the job to keep the cold out. In the evening there is sometimes a resident musician performing for a couple of hours and movies on show too, or just a place to relax with a drink and exchange stories.

When it came to sleeping, the sleeping car manager, David, had made up all the beds ready. We didn’t have to do anything and it was a really nice luxury experience. The train was very smooth, mostly, so managed to get some decent sleep. At no point was it too cold, uncomfortable, noisy or too shaky. Remarkable when you consider the age of the train.

After a good nights sleep and a very filling breakfast, we stopped in Jasper and were able to get off the train. This is a very picturesque town.

But getting off the train I was hit by the cold instantly. Although I had a coat, hat, gloves and thermals, my face was exposed and there was a bizarre sensation of the moisture in my nose and my nose hairs freezing. Not too surprising when it was -26 degrees centigrade with added windchill. I wondered round for about 10 minutes in the biting cold, taking a few pictures but this was too cold, even for me. I found a tourist souvenir shop and bought myself a scarf. An essential piece of kit here helping prevent frostbite.

Back on board the train and a few hours later, we arrived at my destination of Edmonton. I had booked a hotel here for a couple of nights before I was to catch the bus to Calgary where I would meet up with friends I met in Australia 10 years ago on my first Walkabout. Or as am here in Canada, my first Walkaboot 😉

I explained my dilemma about how I was going to travel across Canada. Whether to travel by plane, train or automobile? The weather forecast for the next couple of weeks didn’t look like there would be much new snow where I would be going, but it would be down to -30 with added windchill. On top off the cold weather, I have the issue of driving an automatic in proper winter conditions without snow tyres and having to park outside overnight without keeping the car heated until I got to Calgary. Also a major distraction and attraction would be the beautiful Canadian Rockies and wanting to stop every 10 minutes to take a picture. It became pretty obvious that driving is not really the safest option at this time of year. Andrew and Jennifer concurred and being locals I heeded their advice. In summer, absolutely no issue driving, but in these real extreme winter conditions, that’s another story.

Bus tours weren’t available until April and were quite expensive too and so was accommodation in Vancouver. So that really left me with two options. Catch the train to Edmonton followed by a local bus to Calgary, or fly direct to Calgary. There was hardly any difference in the price, about £400 each. The train takes 2 days but with all the scenery and meals included or a flight for about 3 hours, squeezed into an economy seat. The preferred solution was pretty obvious, catch the train. So that night I logged on to the VIA Rail website searched for discounts and booked my passage. Exciting stuff. It’s something I have always wanted to do so it would have been a shame to miss it this time around. The train didn’t leave until Tuesday and this was Saturday so I had a couple of days to kill.

Knowing the temperature was going to be cold, I went shopping for some arctic gear and bought a Northface down jacket and some thermals for quite reasonable prices. I’ve got all these back home but I simply did not have room to bring them with me. Especially that since July I have not really been below 30 degrees centigrade. At least I’ll have spares…

A big tourist attraction in Vancouver is the Capilano Park with its suspension bridge. There’s a free shuttle from the downtown area which runs every 30mins, so I hopped on that and enjoyed the short ride over to North Vancouver. It was just under $50CAD to go in which includes access to all of the attractions and they did not disappoint. The bridge is 140m and 70m high but very wobbly. Apparently it can take the weight of 1000 people at a time but even so, when people were walking across it caused the bridge to undulate quite badly.

The views from the bridge down the gorge are amazing.

Once over the other side, there is a treetop walk which reminded me of the Ewok village on Endor in Return of the Jedi. Perhaps this is where the inspiration came from. It was quite high up and narrow, so a one way system is in force. Apparently they were very careful when putting this walkway up not to damage or to fix anything direct to the trees themselves. If and when the time comes to remove the treetop path, there would be no sign that it was ever there.

There was also a Raptor house which have birds of prey displays in summer, but being February this part was closed.

I had to cross the suspension bridge again to get to the other side to do the clifftop walk. Once again crossing the bridge was a great wobbly experience with wonderful views. At the other side, there was an old lady with a walking stick. She was about 8 feet onto the bridge and already holding on for grim life. She wasn’t going to be able to go across, so I asked if she was ok and managed to help her back on to solid ground.

The clifftop walk was really nice. More solid that either the suspension bridge or the treetop walk, but it was narrower and in places the floor was a grate so your could see the forest floor 70m below. It could be a bit nerve racking if you have a fear of heights, but it felt solid enough so I was ok.

After that, I caught the free shuttle buss back to downtown and found somewhere for dinner and went back to the hotel. A nice as the hotel was, I had perhaps the worst night sleep I’ve had in a long time, maybe I am still adjusting to Canadian time but that pretty much wrote off the next day.

I was a little disoriented getting off the plane in Vancouver in the afternoon as despite my best efforts of trying to sleep, I was still on Thai time which would be about 6 in the morning. It was grey, cold and drizzling and the temperature hovering around freezing. It’s a long time since I’ve felt cold like that and it went straight through me. Navigating the airport was easy enough and so was immigration. It was pretty much all automated but I am disappointed not to have received a Canadian stamp in my passport.

Getting from the airport to downtown Waterfront was easy on the driverless Skytrain, similar to the DLR in London. I bought a Compass card for $6CAD, put $20 CAD on it and it works just like an Oyster card. About 20 minutes later I had arrived at the last stop, Waterfront. I put my backpack on and began the 10 minute walk to my hotel which I had booked for a few nights. It was dark by now and I wasn’t entirely sure of the direction but I recognised a few street names and slowly checked them off as I went, so at least I knew I was heading in the right direction. When I travel like this, I always try and book somewhere comfortable for a few days when I arrive, to settle in, acclimatise and suss out the area etc. Then when I have an idea of the lay of the land, I can choose whether to stay in that area or move on. The hotel I had booked was the Pinnacle Harbourfront Hotel, with views over Burrard Inlet where the sea planes operate from. After checking in, I was pretty tired so had a little wonder around the immediate area to find some dinner (or breakfast) and then went to bed. I woke up about 10.00hrs the next morning and to my delight, the weather had cleared up from the previous day and it was clear skies and sunny.

One of the things I really like to do when visiting a new city is to go on those hop on/hop off bus tours. They take you to all the sights, have a running commentary plus the tickets are usually valid for 24 – 48 hours, often with a couple of routes on offer and with busses running every hour or so. I bought the ‘Park Route’ tour for $36CAD which picked me up from directly outside my hotel and it went to Stanley Park, English Bay, Granville Island Market, China Town and Gastown amongst others. One circuit took about 2hrs to complete and the driver was very good and knowledgeable, recommending places to eat etc.

I got off in Stanley Park and braved the bitter cold for an hour before the next bus came around. It’s a 405 hectare public park so it’s completely free to go in and explore.

I know I have been in Canada less than a day but I am already impressed. It so clean, especially compared to Asia. The views are fantastic and the people I have met so far have been nothing but warm, friendly and helpful. It has a sort of ‘Lego town’ friendliness to it.

In the evening I wondered down to Gastown, Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood. It’s called Gastown as back in 1867, Jack “Gassy Jack” Deighton opened the first tavern here and he loved to talk, apparently for hours, hence his nickname. At least it was nothing to do with farting. One of the famous landmarks here is the steam powered clock. Many tourists flock here to see and hear to clock chime at 15 minute intervals.

Gastown was about a 10 minute walk away and is quite a nice area with lots of pubs and restaurants. There is a large locally brewed craft beer culture here in Vancouver which is nice and I say it’s always good to immerse yourself in the local culture. Needless to say I had a few pints of decent beer at the Steamworks Brewery and not tasteless, gassy lager which I had been drinking in Asia… 🙂

Yesterday I had a walk around the harbour front, watching the seaplanes take off and land and was something I was going to do today. Unfortunately when I opened the curtains, the weather had changed from the clear crisp skies to grey, cloudy and snowing. Never mind am sure there will be another opportunity.

I also changed hotels to Le Soleil and I must say the suite is even nicer than the Pinnacle but it does not offer sea views though. I have spent most of today looking at options on how to get across Canada, whether I’ll get the opportunity to head up to Whistler which is one of the worlds best skiing and snowboarding resorts, or begin heading eastwards to the Rockies towards Banff and Calgary. Some tours are ridiculously expensive, in the thousands of pounds. So I might look at hiring a car instead.

However, I am a little apprehensive as they are all automatics. I have never driven an automatic car. I have never driven an automatic car in the snow (we’re talking proper Canadian winter snow for about four or five months of the year at -20, not a piddly 3cm that lasts a week back home), nor I have ever driven an automatic car in proper snow on the wrong side of the road before… Although it’s mandatory to have snow or winter tyres fitted between October and April, some people say that a lot of rental cars do not come with winter tyres. So we shall see what happens…

I changed my leftover Thai Baht into Cambodian Riels at the airport. I didn’t know at the time but in Cambodia they use the US dollar. Waiting for me outside the airport was the transfer to the Saem Siem Reap hotel. To my surprise it was a Lexus limousine and I felt very overindulged at this hotel. Once again I managed to get an upgraded room through Expedia and it was lovely.

The first day after breakfast I had a very lazy day relaxing by the pool not doing very much. It was too hot to do anything, except nip in and out of the water every 20 mins for so to cool off. I gather that around this time most of Europe was covered in snow, you lucky lot.

I used the time to plan a few activities and tours in Siem Reap. For $15 I had a tuk tuk for the day – it was more of a motorcycle with a trailer carriage than the tuk tuks I was used to in India or Thailand. I actually thought these were better, certainly more comfortable, roomy and the big plus is when it moves the air flow is so refreshing.

First I had to get a ticket from the one office that issues them. I paid $62 for a 3 day pass to be used on consecutive days within a 10 day period. They take your photo which is scanned onto the ticket to prevent people selling them on. At every temple and monument, the tickets are checked. You can get a one day pass for $32 but it one day is not enough time to see everything.

The tuk tuk would drive me to a temple, park up and wait for me while I explored. It was very relaxed day without any rush. He also had a cooler with bottled water which was included in the $15 and I got through a good few of them, including the bottles I had taken from the hotel minibar.

There are over 300 temples around Siem Reap, the most famous being Ankor Wat and Bayon (which was used in the Tomb Raider film). They did not disappoint. It would be near impossible to visit all of them in such a short amount of time. Some of the temples are overcrowded with tourists and tour groups jostling for position to take photos in front of various spots. I think the Cambodians could do a little more to improve the tourist experience here as there is no decorum or order which it comes to getting a photo.

It is amazing how nature is taking over some of these once deserted temples with trees growing in, through, and over the stoneworks. It is a sight to behold but after seeing about 100 trees growing through temples, the novelty began to wear off but still very impressive nonetheless.

One of the evening hotspots in Siem Reap is a place called ‘Pub Street’. It’s basically a set of cross roads closed off to traffic in the evening with plenty of restaurants offering every type of food imaginable and many have draught beer for as little as a $1 or $0.50, or buy one get one free offers all night long. Most of the food is reasonably priced and good quality. I had a beef lok lak which was really nice for $6.50.

There are also street entertainers (young children with tarantulas crawling on their faces and musicians etc.) Imagine a grown up, quieter version of Khaosan Road but with a New Orleans vibe instead. At the Chivas bar they have live jazz on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and it was actually good.

The thing that impressed me most though, was that they understand volume and that it’s not necessary to play at deafening levels like all the bars do in Bangkok. The night market was also a pleasure to explore as the traders were not harassing you to come in, look or buy. They left you to it which was a nice change and as a result I purchased a souvenir T-shirt for a few dollars.

One of the bars does the ‘Tomb Raider’ cocktail, obviously inspired by the film. Every 10th one sold is complimentary but every 500th one not only is complimentary, but also wins a T-shirt and $100. I figured I would order one just to see what it was like. I can’t remember what the full list of ingredients were, but it had Cointreau, lime and soda for sure. I was amazed to hear the bell ringing and claxon on going a few minutes after I ordered it. Sure enough, I was the 500th person to order one 🙂

Next day I did the second circuit of the temples which was really enjoyable and seemed a lot quieter than the previous day, certainly fewer Chinese tourists getting in the way. At some of the temples, I was the only person and it was a pleasure to have them to myself.

By the afternoon I was beginning to flag. At the ancient hospital temple there was a young girl selling drinks and with the temperature being so hot, I bought a can of sprite from her. It was in a cool box with lots of melting ice. Now am not sure where the ice was made but doing my bit for the environment and refusing a plastic straw, I drank straight from the can. It had a bizarre dirty flavour to it, like brackish lake water, but as it was so hot, I downed it before I realised what I had just done. Later that day back at the hotel I began to feel a little peculiar. At first I thought it was a little heat stroke and dehydration, but it was more than that. I began with a migraine headache, I couldn’t see much and my eyes felt bruised as if my glasses were completely the wrong prescription. My hair hurt so much I couldn’t even wash it and I had an upset stomach the likes of which I have never experienced before. Needless to say this knocked me out of action for more than a few days. I had to cancel the tuk tuk driver I had arranged for some other tours, including the war museum.

I was meant to head down to Phnom Penh around 4th February but I was in no position to travel. Thankfully I was able to extend my time at Saem Siem Reap hotel and re-arrange my accommodation in Phnom Penh to a few days later. The medication I had been carrying with me since the beginning of this Walkabout was now pretty much depleted including the antibiotics. I have hardly been ill on my travels and gave most of my pills and potions away to fellow travellers in need along the way, but I was needing them now more than ever. I finished off all that I had in a ‘one last hurrah’ attempt to cure me and it seemed to do the trick. Over the previous 5 days or so, I had only eaten about one slice of watermelon.

Feeling a little perkier, I made my way to the bus station and got the Giant Ibis Bus to Phnom Penh.

It was a pleasant enough journey but the landscape was pretty boring. Cambodia is about as flat as the Netherlands and there were some dried up fields as far as the eye could see to look at for 6 hours. The point of heading to Phnom Penh was to visit the notorious killing fields and the S21 prison camp where many Cambodians were tortured and executed in mass genocide in the late 1970’s, often beaten to death as bullets were deemed too expensive to use. Unfortunately once checked in to the hotel down by the Mekong River, my symptoms returned. There was nothing much in vicinity of my hotel in the way of shops or restaurants so once again I ended up just staying in the hotel room for most of the time. I did venture out a couple of times to try and find some food and supplies but the area wasn’t all that nice. There was a mini market where I found some drinks and instant noodles which I brought back to the hotel room.

I was there for about 5 days and all in all it was essentially a wasted trip as I didn’t get to see the things I went there for. However, I received an email from an ex-colleague who was made redundant around the same time as me, saying that he was also in Phnom Penh and by sheer coincidence we were booked on the same bus heading back to Siem Reap the next day. Martin and I met at the Phnom Penh bus station but sadly our seats were at opposite ends of the bus.

We agreed to meet up in Pub Street and have dinner over a couple of nights which was nice.

I had a few days spare and enjoyed the tranquil surroundings by the swimming pool at the hotel. As much as I wanted to revisit the temples or museums, I didn’t want to chance it, just in case.

I had booked an onward flight to Canada but it was £300 cheaper to fly from Bangkok than it was to fly from Cambodia, even using the same connection in Hong Kong. So I arranged another Giant Ibis Bus to Bangkok for $30 but it took 7 hours including just under two hours at the border.

I fly to Canada tomorrow morning which will be a bit of a shock to the system for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I have not really experience temperatures below 30 degrees centigrade since before I left England back in July. So getting off the plane wearing shorts, t-shirt and sandals in -5 will be a shock to the system. Secondly, I have travelled to some of the most polluted cities on earth, Marrakech, Cairo, Hong Kong, Beijing, Delhi, Mumbai, Kathmandu and Bangkok to name a few. The cool, clean crisp air of the Canadian Rockies will literally be a breath of fresh air, like drinking water compared to a McDonald’s milkshake.

I managed to have 4 amazing days around Angkor Wat and Siem Reap but since then I have not been very active at all and barely left the hotel room.

I did force myself to get on a bus for a 6 hour journey to Phnom Penh, positive that the medication will work, but the reality is, I just haven’t had the energy or strength to get up and venture out. I’m returning to Siem Reap on Tuesday.

All being well I will update this blog in a few days time.

I managed instead to find an apartment, a condo on the top floor, to rent for just over a week and it only cost £300.

One of the huge benefits of this was being in quite comfortable surroundings, close to the attractions without any of the immediate noise etc. Plus having a kitchen meant I could cook for myself rather than having to eat out and the major bonus, was having a washing machine. Most travellers don’t tell you how much time or money they spend on doing laundry, but believe me, it adds up. Yes, you can wash things in the shower or sink or hand them into various laundry stations that charge by the kilo or item, but over the months I have been travelling and adding up how much I have spent on laundry, I could have probably bought a washing machine!

Phuket and Karon have changed since I was last here, noticeably the sheer volume of Russian holiday makers, probably escaping the Siberian winter. I have no issue with that at all, good luck to them, but the whole place ‘feels’ different. The beach is crowded and it’s difficult to talk with some people due to language barriers. All said and done, in between watching my laundry go round, I simply spent a couple of days sat in the air conditioning, out of the blistering heat, and binge-watched 4 seasons of Narcos on Netflix. If anything, it’s improved my Portuguese-Spanish.

One of the things I really wanted to do whilst in Phuket, was to visit Khao Phing Kan, or to give it its tourist name, “James Bond Island”. It was used as a location in the 1974 James Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun, as Scaramanga’s secret hideaway. So technically it should be called Scaramanga’s Island.

There are plenty of tours on offer all bookable locally with minimum one day notice so I chose one which included lunch, drinks, fruit and some sea kayaking too, all for 1,200Baht. A small minibus picked me up from the apartment and drove for about an hour or so picking up others along the way and we transferred to a boat. It was smooth voyage and the sea breeze was welcomed. Of in the distance and haze, you could see outlines of various mountain pinnacles rising out of the sea, but due to the haze playing tricks on your eyes, it often appeared as if you were seeing double.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at the first kayaking place. It was a sheltered cove and you could see where the sea had eroded some of the cliffs at the bottom while the tide was out. There was a small cave which we paddled into and on the ceiling, there were hundreds of fruit bats hanging upside down.

We carried on paddling though and then we saw light coming from the other side and suddenly we were in a secret lagoon, hidden from the outside world. I was one of the first to emerge from the cave so it really felt like I was exploring and going somewhere nobody has been before. There were walking fish on the exposed mud, loads of butterflies and monkeys too.

Back on the boat, it was about another hour to the next kayaking destination. Similar to the previous one, in through a cave to discover hidden lagoons around various rock formations and back to the boat. It was a really relaxing and enjoyable way to spend the morning.

Next it was on to the star attraction, James Bond Island. Ever since I first saw The Man With The Golden Gun, I thought how amazing it would be to live on an island like that. I still do, so when my 6 numbers come up, that’s what I’ll be doing. The island itself is quite small but there are plenty of tourist stalls lined up where Roger Moore and Christopher Lee had their duel. You sadly only get about 30 minutes to 1 hour on the island as there are boats bringing more tourists in on a conveyer belt system. It’s not really long enough to fully appreciate the setting, explore or be able to take a decent picture without anyone pushing in or photobombing, accidentally or on purpose. I had to be quite assertive to get some pictures.

I hope the Thai authorities do something to restrict the number of tourists visiting this island and preserve it.

Aware the film was made over 40 years ago, it’s in a marine national park and it’s a big money maker for them, but more recently so was Maya Beach off Koh Phi Phi, used in the 2000 film, The Beach. It was inundated with tourists but is now closed indefinitely to preserve the ecosystem there and without the tourist invasions, almost immediately black tip reef sharks have returned.

I was staying only minutes from the Karon Temple which on several evenings, hosts a thriving night market selling all sorts from souvenirs and clothes, to the famous Thai street food. The only issue with this, is that it gets crowded beyond belief. It took best part of 20minutes to walk somewhere that would normally take fewer than two. It is still a practicing temple and if you get up early enough, you can see locals lined along the street offering food the monks. It’s called Tak Bat and is an important part of Thai culture.

On one of the last days in Thailand, I decided to go all out and get a full massage. Exciting… Initially though, I went in just for a foot massage but also had a foot scrub too. It was nice but a little concerning when she produced something that looked like a potato peeler. It was all good in the end and now my feet are very smooth and relaxed. Next on the menu was the back, shoulder and neck massage and I certainly learned one thing. Never say to the oldest, smallest and wrinkliest of Thai masseurs, “It’s ok, I can take it.” I should have known I was in trouble when she just smiled wryly… She must have had forearms like Popeye and fingers harder than diamond drills. Am surprised I managed to last the hour intact, but I did and felt absolutely pummelled but amazing afterwards.

It was an early start the next morning as was catching a flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia…

The plan was that we would have four or five days in and around Bangkok and then a week on an island somewhere. Somewhere quiet to relax and chill out, before returning to Bangkok again.

The first day was quite slow as he was still adjusting to the 7 hour time difference from England, so we played it easy. Just exploring the streets around the Khao San area and getting a welcome to Thailand massage. I forgot that I am quite accustomed to Asia now, but it must have been a sensory overload for him; the heat, jet lag, tuk-tuks revving, street vendors trying to sell all sorts of trinkets, services and taxis. Hundreds of tourists all bustling about and live music blaring from every bar there is. Amongst all this, we managed to find somewhere for a few drinks, something to eat and a catch up.

Next day, we found a taxi that would take us to one the more popular tourist destinations in Bangkok, the Damnoen Floating Market, for 600Baht. It was over an hour and half outside Bangkok but once we were there, it was 2,000Baht for a long tailed boat to take us around. Feeling a bit ripped off, we payed up anyway and enjoyed the day. But we were just there to look and didn’t want to buy anything, much to the annoyance of the boat driver. Perhaps he was on commission or something.

About 30mins from the floating market, was another famous Bangkok market, the Maeklong train market. This market has a train which runs through the middle of it. No health and safety here. When the train comes, the stall holders have to move their wares back for the train to pass safely. Once the train has gone through, they move their wares back again. The train comes through at crawling speed every two hours and although it’s an attraction, it must get quite annoying having to move everything in and out repeatedly.

We visited the other sights in Bangkok too, the Grand Palace, the Emerald Buddha, the Golden Buddha, etc and used a tuk tuk to get around. Quite an efficient mode of transport, if a little on the small side (for me). In the evenings, we’d venture out and eat in various places, enjoy a few cocktails from the converted VW Campervan cocktail bars and drink a tower (8 pints) of Chang beer for 580Baht between us and then shoot some pool.

You shouldn’t come to Thailand without at least visiting the bridge over the River Kwai and the infamous ‘death railway’ built by prisoners of war. It’s good to get out of the city and away from the massage parlours of Bangkok and the happy hour drinking. There are plenty of tour operators offering various day trip packages from Bangkok for around 700 baht, including transport, lunch and a trip to the Erawan waterfalls national park. The minibus picked us up around 7.15hrs and drove like a Mariokart maniac through the congested streets for about 1.5hours before arriving in Kanchanaburi (it’s only about 85 miles from Bangkok). Here we had a little time at the war museum and about an hour of free time at the bridge itself, to cross over and take photos etc. Last time I visited Thailand, I came here on my way up to Chiang Mai so stayed overnight in a floating bamboo hut yards from the bridge, but this time it was only a day trip and sadly time didn’t allow us to visit the notorious hellfire pass.

Next we boarded a train which crossed over the bridge and several viaducts clinging to sheer cliff faces. It’s said that for every sleeper along the railway can be counted as a person who died building it. Quite a sobering thought, especially when it allows travellers and tourists like me the opportunity to hang out of the door and pose for a photo.

After about an hour or so we got off the train and had a Thai buffet lunch which was really good and a nice opportunity to meet other travellers doing similar tours from Hong Kong, Korea, Ireland, Germany and Holland. After lunch, we had time to relax at the Erewan Waterfall National Park which was a lot smaller than I remember, but thankfully the water was cooling and just what was needed.

Before returning to Bangkok, there was a quick stop off at the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery where there are only 6,982 graves. Then it was a mad drive back to the hotel again. After a long day it was a quiet night, packing and watching a film as the next day we were heading south to one of the less ‘touristy’ Thai island, Koh Chang.

To get to Koh Chang, we chose to go by bus to Trat and catch a ferry, rather than fly. It only cost 600baht but took 5 hours. Fortunately the coach picked us up from our hotel on time and the seats were comfy, even after 5 hours, and dropped us off at the ferry port where we transferred to a van and drove onto the ferry. The ferry was like HMS Driftwood and trundled slowly across the bay sheltered from the wind, so the crossing was really smooth. Disembarking was a simple case of driving off the other end and the van drove to our hotel, the Mercure Hideaway. It was about a 30 – 40 minute drive to the south west corner of the island, through some tight, steep and twisting roads, dropping other passengers off along the way. My initial impression of Koh Chang, was disappointment as we drove through White Beach and Lonely Beach resorts, they seemed to have a feel of ‘Costa Del Asia’ about it with some graffiti and rubbish in places, stuff I haven’t really seen for some time.

That soon passed though and the scenery became more green with glimpses of beaches and there were a few local style bars and restaurants dotted along the road. The hotel was nice, comfortable and clean, had a couple of brilliant pools and a decent breakfast buffet, although a significant amount of Russian holiday makers there.

The idea whilst on Koh Chang, was to pretty much do nothing. Just relax on the beach and go snorkelling. The beach at the hotel was small but perfectly formed. However the visibility in the water was limited, still suffering from the effects of the storm that blew through a week or so previously, but also the tide changes and lots of sand in suspension. We spent most evenings at the Happy Turtle bar, owned by a Swedish guy and his Thai wife. The food was excellent, as was the service, it was reasonably priced and there was a free pool table too…

We hired scooters for a couple of days and got them cheap at the hotel. Initially, we explored a beach not too far from the hotel with hardly anyone around but by the time we got back to the scooters, we found some monkeys had knocked one of them over. Fortunately there was no damage.

We also rode around to the other side of the island which took a whole day but it was worth it. It was much more remote and could pretty much see a way of life that hasn’t changed for hundreds of years.

One of the highlights on Koh Chang for me, was to do a snorkelling boat trip. The diving was just too expensive, so snorkelling was the next best option. A whole day out on the boat visiting 5 islands, lunch included, fruit and snacks too, plus unlimited soft drinks. The sea was gin clear and we had 45 mins to 1 hour at each of the snorkelling sites. Managed to do a few duck dives and saw lots of sea urchins, nudibranches, sea slugs, angel fish, blue spotted stingray, lots of barracuda and a whole load of others including a small yellow jellyfish about 3cm long. I think I got stung by it on my right foot as I now have four symmetrical sting marks.

All too soon, it was time to head back to Bangkok on that ferry and bus again. For the last night we stayed in the Banyan Tree which is quite a nice hotel… As I have booked quite a lot though expedia.co.uk I was entitled to an upgraded room so ended up with a beautiful suite overlooking the pool on the 21st floor. In the evening we went up to the Moon Bar on the 61st floor with spectacular views over Bangkok and had a couple of cocktails to end this part of the trip, to say goodbye to Burtie as he flew back to England and near freezing temperatures.

A couple of days later, I flew south to Phuket…