My first impression of Kuala Lumpur (more affectionately known as KL) was somewhat distorted. After just over a week in Myanmar where the buildings are run down, wifi is sparse and toilets are questionable, we were relieved to touch down in a big, clean city. Our uber picked us up from the airport about 1.30am […]
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Floating Between Villages on Inle Lake
As we drive past men standing majestically on the end of little wooden boats, their skirts flowing in the breeze and their leg wrapped around the oar as they paddle along, we could only be in one place in the world: Inle Lake. Despite being told that we would get in between 2 and 3am […]
Exploring the Thousands of Temples in Bagan
We’ve climbed the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia and we’ve been dazzled by the Grand Palace in Thailand but, to me, nothing compares to the temples in Bagan. The bus here felt long but wasn’t too bad. Getting on and off I also had someone carry my big rucksack for me for the first time […]
The City of Gold: Mandalay
We arrived in Mandalay bright and early after our luxurious VIP gold-class bus from Yangon. We had TV screens so I watched 2 films, played a game and listened to some 2007 chart toppers. At 6am we checked into our hostel which seemed clean and nice but we couldn’t have a bed yet so we […]
Yangon: The Run Down City Filled With Tradition
‘This is Burma’ wrote Rudyard Kipling. ‘It is quite unlike any other place you know about’. More than a century after he said this, I still believe it to be a valid statement. It is a country where men wear skirt-like longyi, women are covered in thanaka (traditional make up made from tree bark) and […]
A Little Piece of Pai
“Eat well before your journey to Pai because the journey will make you feel sick.” Exactly 767 fast bends in the mountainous road later, both us and our bags had made it from Chiang Mai to Pai in separate cars. Even during the 10 minute walk from the bus station to our hostel I already […]
Three Run Free in Koh Phi Phi
Koh Phi Phi has probably been the most westernised island we’ve been to which has had its pros and cons. We had to get 2 boats and two busses to get here from Koh Tao and once we were walking to our hostel I couldn’t help but think of how different it is to Vietnam […]
Peace, Love and Shopping in Luang Prabang
After the hustle and bustle of Vietnam, we have thoroughly enjoyed a more restful time in Laos. We work up early and got on to our small plane with maybe only 20 other people on board. Because of this, boarding was so easy that even the flight attendant started drifting off to sleep during take-off. […]
Castaway Island, Ha Long Bay
I have seen many amazing things so far on this trip and Ha Long Bay has just added itself to my list of favourite sights. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the top travel destinations in South East Asia. It has an area of about 1,553km squared and consists […]
Vietnam’s Culture Filled Capital: Hanoi
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and it’s known for its centuries-old architecture influenced by France and China. The city revolves around a bustling old quarter that is filled with street sellers down each side and motorbikes swerving down the middle. I’m pleased to report that, although I got close, I managed to go two […]