We’ve already heard Mike’s perspective on what our Volunteering and Chilling pair has been up to, so now it’s time for Bex’s view on all that has gone on from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap.

Straight into the action on the Mekong Delta, which while touristy was fun and freebies were abundant,

“We got to see how lots of different things like coconut candy and rice paper were made and had lots of free samples (Mike ate 3 coconut candies and spat each one out deciding that he didn’t like them, only to try and eat another one a few minutes later)”

There is a huge amount of contained in Bex’s post going on from hammocks, horse drawn carriages, silly hats, free cups of tea and strange fruit that tasted of smelly feet. Unbelievably that is all in the first paragraph! And there are loads of paragraphs! So for an abundance of what they’ve been doing click through.

Next up, after trying to spend as little money possible, the pair will be,

“[…] catching a bus at 8am on 30/4 to Bangkok which should get in about 5.30pm (and costs $10). Spending 1 night in a hostel somewhere and then on 1/5 we check into the Royal Hotel and start the whole organised tour. Easy. Xx”

We look forward to hearing about it Bex.

It’s not all celebration, exotic adventure and high times on statravelbuzz.com (although in fairness it usually is) as just sometimes a mishap or two befalls our adventurers. This time it’s the turn of Ady from “around the world” blog – who despite proudly stating that he is ‘amazed [he has] lasted this long without losing something’ – has err… Lost his SD card.

And as if it couldn’t get any worse –

“Oh, and I just found a hole in one of my shoes, so I think I will have to buy some new ones. I thought converse were supposed to be good quality??! Think they’ve only lasted a few months…”

Still, on the plus side, onwards and upwards as all the photos have been backed up (remember this invaluable tip) and he and pal Liam are on their way to Townsville! Plus they’re travelling with Liam’s mate, a French guy called Kevin who has a big curly afro.

“That’s pretty cool”.

Although there is no way to do justice to Mike Cowburn’s latest behemoth of a post which undulates visually around the whole of Ho Chi Minh City, I have picked out a few highlights. Arriving fresh on the back of a valium-induced sleep, they have been busy, recommending (for those with a strong stomach) the ‘interesting and informative’ war remnants museum.

“Our favourite section was on all the journalists killed in the war and collections of their photo’s accompanying stories of how they were killed, as told by those who were with them.”

Not content with war, they have given religion the once over too – taking a look at the Cao Dai religion, which attempts to fuse together branches of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. They were impressed with its spiritual home (pictured)…

“[Their] temple looks like it has been designed by Elton John, camp as anything. Absolutely huge and looked like a cross between a French Renaissance church, a Chinese temple, and a Mosque”.

Read and enjoy over here.

As Jane continues her inexorable trail across Asia, it seems that luck has befallen her. Along with a bevy of photos – she has happened across a really rather special place.

“So I am now in Udaipur. I really like this city. I thought it wouldn’t be as nice as Jaisalmer, to be honest, but I think this is my favourite place so far.”

And it seems she’s been having a wonderful time, from indulging in rather terrifying horse riding experiences, to an in depth discussion about Hannah Montana. Most of all though, it seems she has really hit it off with the gentlemen of the region, with conversation ranging…

“from in-depth conversations about the difference between our cultures in terms of religion and family, to being told by a 13 year old that I’m sexy, a million ‘hello sweetheart’s’, and being invited for chai at a 16 year old’s house, where ‘nobody else home’”

Crumbs!

The end is in sight for the Melbourne leg of our Earn Your Striper’s tour through antipodean climes, and after a farewell drink in far more European surroundings they were off.

“Technically outdoors with fencing and a corrugated ‘roof.’ There are also plants everywhere and graffiti. I was just trying to work out what it reminded me of when Romy goes, “It’s a bit like an Amsterdam coffee shop, innit?” Spot on, Romy! Spot on.”

Romy felt moved to comment on the agreeable travel arrangements, and despite an incident with an over-zealous sniffer dog, all went swimmingly.

“Tiger airlines are a good airline, cheap and good service, leg room not too bad and I made it alive, what more could you want?”

Updates from Perth on the way… It all sounds like it’s rather nice at the moment though…

“Got into our latest hostel, Billabong which is just on the edge of Northbridge so not to bad, nice 4 bed dorm with on-suite,”

After meeting up in Melbourne, our ‘stripers’ used their newly acquired free time to journey to the Wilsons Promontory National Park in Victoria. Martin and Romy set the pace during the climb up Mt. Oberon and as Martin says they were the first climbers to take in the spectacular scenery.

“[We] ended up arriving a good 15 minutes before anyone else, so sat up on the top eating lunch and looking at the great views”

Unfortunately on the way down the heavens opened, and oddly enough, due to their altitude the boys got a drenching from inside the cloud.

“We got rained on to start with from within the cloud as we were up at the same height as it, a new experience for Romy who had not been in a cloud before.”

For more on the climb, and to find out where ‘Squeaky Beach’ gets its name from, head over to Martin’s Blog.

Although now in NZ our STA Explorer Rob, the Geographer Abroad, begins his post by rounding up the highs and lows he experienced in the ‘depths of Australia’.

However it’d be fair to say that the lows of a cold day on Bondi beach and a parking ticket for $135 were outweighed by more positive experiences, notably a Star Wars exhibition at the Powerhouse museum. In Melbourne there were dinosaurs (another exhibition, not real ones) and Mario Kart – so just to recap, Star Wars, Dinosaurs and Mario Kart. Brilliant!

So on to New Zealand. In three days Rob will have zorbed, caved, sky-dived and relaxed in a naturally heated geyser powered by a sub-surface geo-thermal activity. Not bad going and one can see why Rob has

“[…] fallen for NZ hard.”

And I’ve not even mentioned the swimming with Dolphins, visit to Taupo to see the world’s largest volcanic lake and the fact that the hostel they’re staying in is called The Mousetrap!

To read more click through, and if you’ve zorbed, caved sky-dived or stayed in The Mousetrap leave Rob a comment on how you found it.