We arrived at Luang Namtha after a long and uncomfortable bus journey through some wonderful mountainous scenery. We were feeling tired, grubby and unrested after several nights at our ‘characterful’ Luang Probang guest house. We were therefore very pleasantly surprised to receive our belated wedding present from Hannah and Pete – three nights of living [...]
We arrived at our chosen hotel in Louang Phabang and were greeted by hysterical laughter from the builders who were in the early stages of reconstruction. Our next guest house could have done with a bit of work itself. The place certainly had character but I suspect it wasn’t really what Pete and Hannah had [...]
Vang Viang wasn’t much to our taste. We managed to avoid the worst of it by staying out of town at the organic farm (more bland food for the sake of westerners). We took part in the inevitable tubing. What once must have seemed an idyllic and tranquil way to enjoy the scenery is now [...]
After five months with pretty much just each other for company we were really looking forward to spending some time with Hannah and Pete who had decided to take a two week holiday from work and, for some strange reason, spend it with us in Laos. We met them at Hualamphong station. After spending a [...]
Bangkok’s fly overs and skyscrapers come as a bit of a shock after the dusty road from Siem Reap to Poipet. Our first stop is the infamous Thanon Khao San – the banana pancake capital of the world. It is of course every bit as naff as we had expected though it does have it’s [...]
Six people correctly stated that the monument is in Hanoi and that it depicts current US presidential candidate John McCain. Well done Simon W, Stuart D, Eleanor H, John B, Shaun S and Christian & Nicole. Unfortunately there can be only one winner (not really true but we’re too tight to buy six stamps). The [...]
The temples of Angkor had a lot to live up to. Everything we’d read pointed to them being one of the highlights of our trip. We weren’t disappointed. Neither of us is particularly cultured but it was impossible not to marvel at the craftsmanship and vision of the Khmer architects who designed and built the [...]
We had originally planned a trip by motorbike from Phnom Penh along the bank of the Mekong to Kompong Cham then onwards to Kratie. Unfortunately no one in Phnom Penh wanted to rent us a small bike for the trip. Instead they offered us 250cc trail bikes. I didn’t feel far enough into my motorbiking [...]
We spent a few days in Cambodia’s capital city. Phnom Penh is a dusty, slightly chaotic but very likable city. Despite Matthew being unwell again with a dodgy gut we still managed to visit most of the major attractions. For one of the days we hired a tuk-tuk with driver and were chauffeured around all [...]
We have spent a week chilling out on the beach in Sihanoukville. The town was developed from a small fishing village into Cambodia’s only port in the 1950′s after the end of French rule meant that Cambodia no longer had access to the sea through the Mekong Delta. There is not an awful lot to [...]
