Ayutthaya

00:37 , 0 Comments

In a Tuk Tuk

At about 12pm we arrived in Ayutthaya and booked the train to Chiang Mai for that evening. Then Dave and I set off into the city to see the ruins, with our big backpacks in the scorching heat. We hired a tuk tuk to give us a wee tour of the ruins, but got bored fairly quickly so we paid our tuk tuk driver and chilled in the shade of the ruins for a while. 
Some ruins
More ruins
Ooh look, a Christmas tree

After about 2 hours we finally mustered the willpower to reload ourselves with our luggage and begin the 15 minute walk to the city centre, but we got totally lost and ended up in the suburbs. We asked for directions toward the city centre and found that no one spoke any English out here, but the lady we asked found us someone who knew a few words. 
Lost in the sticks

This guy then tried to get me and Dave and our bags onto his motorbike, and tried to persuade us to put our faith in him by saying "trust me, I'm a policeman". Aye sure you are pal. We walked off back towards the ruins to find a tuk tuk and went back to the centre, where we spent the next 5 or 6 hours in a bar getting steadily drunk with a Dutch family. At 23.30 we dragged ourselves over the road to the train station, boarded our train and promptly passed out. 
Racking up the Changs

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Koh Tao

16:23 , 0 Comments

Sunrise from Chumphon

The bus to Koh Tao was a large double decker with excellent air con - almost cold enough to wear a hoody. The Lomprayah bus left Bangkok at 21.30 and arrived at Chumphon pier at 5am, so we then had to spend 2 hours waiting for the ferry, but there was a shop and a restaurant, so we weren't totally bored. I bought a pack of crisps and made a dog do tricks for them as entertainment. The ferry left at 7am and arrived at Koh Tao at about 09.30. In the pier the water was clear and you could see shoals of fish swimming in the shallows. We went over to a guy holding a Simple Life sign (the school we had booked with) and he gave us a lift over to the SL divers resort. We checked in, met our instructor, (a Londoner called Luke) paid for the course, then finally got a shower - we were feeling pretty grotty. We had just enough time to pop for lunch before the course started. 
The view from In Touch

There was a lovely bar on the beach called In Touch that ended up being one of our favourites on the island. We sat on the beach whilst local children played on the rope swing, with little care for their safety. One kid got his leg stuck I'm the swing, and was swinging around by his leg, upside down. His mother seemed uninterested and his friends made sure they had a good laugh before helping him down. That afternoon we started the academics side of our diving course. This was a gruelling 6 hours watching videos answering multiple choice questions. The questions weren't hard, but staying awake was. After the first day was finished, Dave and I crashed as we had an early start the next morning. By 9am we were in a freezing cold, but very refreshing swimming pool starting our first confined dive. We finished this about 13.00, grabbed some lunch, and then went back to the classroom for another 4 hours of videos. That night we decided to go out and see the fire shows on the beach as we weren't starting until 12.00 the next day. This probably wasn't the best idea, or maybe it's the buckets that were a bad idea...
Fire shows on the beach

Still, we managed to get up and out in time for our first open water dive.
Once the boat had moored up on the dive site, we were told the jump off the second storey of the boat and swim round the boat - just to make sure we could swim. On this swim we all kept feeling these little stings, and later found out we had swam through a swarm of small jellyfish. After this we got back on the boat, kitted up and got into the water. Seeing all of the tropical fish was awesome, and very distracting when Luke was still trying to teach us skills we needed to know. Our second dive was almost straight after this one, over a reef. We saw Groupers, eels, crabs and tonnes of really brightly coloured fish. If you turned over and swam on your back you could see the sun beating down, and hundreds of fishy shadows above you. The dives lasted 35 minutes each, and never seemed to be long enough. We were finished for the day by 5pm, but had to get an early night as the next days dives began at 7am. On this night Dave and I decided we needed another night on Koh Tao. After Bangkok it was so relaxing. On the last day we finished about 13.30, and were fully qualified open water divers. That means no more training, and taking out your regulator under water, just fun dives from now on. We decided to rent some mopeds and go to the post office to post a couple of postcards, and after we were to head up to a few viewpoints in the hills. Turning out from the post office however, I totally stacked it and took half the skin off my arm and gave my foot a good graze and bruise. 
My war wounds

After I was cleaned up, we headed for Mango Bay. This ride is not for the faint hearted. It is for experienced riders and idiots - Dave and I fall into the latter category. It was a steep ride up there, and took us almost an hour. About 40% of the road was tarmac, the rest was sand with huge ruts in it where it had rained. It was easy for your back tyre to skid out into the rut, and then you were in real trouble. This is where Dave had his crash, straight over the brow of a hill and into a bush. But luckily Dave was unscathed. 
Halfway up the hill

Eventually we got to the veiwpoint bar at Mango Bay just in time for sunset, which was simply spectacular, definitely the best one all week. 
Sunset from Mango Bay

Just before dark we began the ride down, which wasn't half as bad as the ride up, despite having to do half of it in the dark. We got back to the resort in one piece, showered and hit the beach. We met the Canadians from our course, had a few buckets an began the beach crawl. Everything's a bit of a blur, but I remember doing the limbo under fire, and failed to light my cigarette off the flaming bar. I then met some lovely Thai masseuses who were very chatty and friendly, sometimes a bit too friendly despite my protests (just kissing me on the cheek though). I lost them pretty speedily and found Dave who was barely managing to stay upright (not that I was any better) and we headed off to get rustlers style burgers for 50p from the 7/11. The next day, feeling pretty rough, we booked our tickets back to Bangkok on the night boat, sacked our plans of going over the sand bar (it was high tide anyway, we'll go when we come back around) and headed to the pier to find a taxi. On the way there was a small river running down the steer causing moss to grow. I slipped and fell flat on my ass and got moss all over the back. I emptied my pockets and washed off in the sea, then got into a taxi whilst soaking wet up the Natural High Bar. 
The view from Natural High Bar

This is a treehouse bar with free pool and wifi above the forest canopy on the side of the hill. The view from there was damn good. We met a guy from Dundee and chatted away for hours. We came up with an idea for a TV show where you get someone incredibly drunk, strap a go pro to them, and set them loose into a city's nightlife strip. This kept us entertained for quite a while. We headed back down after sunset to grab some dinner and head to the pier to catch our boat. The night boat had rows of bunk beds that were actually fairly comfy and I managed to get a decent nights sleep. The ferry reached Chumphon at 5am where our mini bus was waiting to take us on a hot and sweaty ride to Bangkok.

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Bangkok

22:39 , 0 Comments

In Lumpini Park

On our first day in Bangkok we got up bright and early and took a Tuk tuk over to the Khao San Rd to look for a cheaper room. It took us about 20 minutes to find a dorm room for 250THB each. We dropped our bags off and headed out. We got another tuk tuk  to Lumpini park. Whilst on the bridge over the river leading up to the entrance, Dave spotted something that looked like a crocodile, it wasn't, it was a large lizard swimming in the river. We took a few photos then watched it catch a turtle for lunch. 
A giant monitor lizard outside Lumpini park

As we went into the park we realised we had arrived at the perfect time - all the plants were being watered, and the sprinklers/hoses with holes in them were a welcome relief to the heat. We headed for the lake and rented a pedal boat for 40THB for half an hour. Whilst pedalling around the lake we saw more lizards - that we're much smaller than the first - and turtles and a small bird that looked and moved like a heron. 
A romantic paddle boat ride

After this we took a wander around the park. There was an outdoor gym where a load of muscular men were lifting weights. Why you'd want to do that in the heat, I don't know, but they weren't the worst, there were people running too! We sat down under a tree to cool off but there were hundreds of large red and black ants everywhere, so we headed for the exit. At the exit, there was a tuk tuk driver waiting for customers. He offered to take us to a couple of temples for an hour for 50THB each. We agreed since we thought it would be good to get a few put the way. The temples he took us to were not very famous ones, but they were still spectacular. 
God knows what temple this is, but most of them have similar roofs

The roofs of the temples were particularly impressive. In the first one (I think it was called Wat Kalarlum Po) there was amazing air conditioning so we stood in front the unit and watched the monks praying.
Monks chanting

The second one was a bit boring really, apart from the paintings on the wall. 
The wall paintings inside the temple

After we'd had a quick look we went back to the tuk tuk and he took us to a tailors so he could get paid for bringing customers. We reluctantly agreed and spent 5 minutes in a shop with men pestering us to buy a suit, and then left. The driver wasn't willing to take us to the Khao San Rd afterwards, but he did take us to the Marine Dept and told us to get a boat taxi to near KSR. The ride cost us 14THB each, not bad really.
All aboard the taxi boat

We stopped at a restaurant en route to KSR and got some dinner, proper noodle soup. Tasty.

Afterwards we headed back to our hostel to grab a shower and get ready for the night out. It felt so good to be clean, but with ten minutes the sweat beads were forming once again. We found a bar that did very strong Long Island Ice teas for 100THB a glass and set us up perfectly for the rest of the night. We moved to another bar where we met a lovely Canadian couple and got chatting about travelling in Asia. We tried a bit of scorpion, which was quite crunchy but not too disgusting, then moved to another bar on KSR. We ordered some drinks and laughing gas, which wasn't really all that, but at least I can say I've tried it. After this the night becomes a bit of a blur - most likely due to the bucket of vodka red bull - but I'm confident it was a good night, and an excellent birthday.
I wasn't going to get drunk, but yeah, you're right - classic responsible advertising

In the morning I woke up and experienced what true dehydration is like. Every muscle began to ache. We both had showers an then lay on Dave's top bunk bed which was right in the path of an oscillating fan.
Sexxyy...

 I'm not sure if this made it worse though, as the ten seconds it took for the fan to come back around felt like an eternity in the fires of hell. We eventually got our stuff together and headed to the Lomprayah office to leave our bags during the day. Then we went and bought water and coke, and chugged the lot. Water has never tasted so good.

Once we'd brought ourselves back to life, we got a tuk tuk over to Jim Thompsons house. The house was built by Jim himself, using traditional Thai methods. Some of the buildings were brought from other areas of Thailand and reconstructed. Jim became a silk merchant when he moved to Bangkok, so whilst here we saw traditional silk making in practice, which is fascinating. 
Traditional silk making in practice

We also learnt that Thai people believe spirits travel along the floor, so all the thresholds in the house are raised to keep spirits out and provide entertainment in the form of people tripping over them. Once we'd finished here, we went back to KSR to waste the rest of the day waiting for our bus to Koh Tao.

The spirit house in Jims garden. This is where the good spirits live, and at no point can the main house cast a shadow on this or it's super bad luck...

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Outbound Journey

07:55 , 0 Comments

We flew from Birmingham to Dehli and then from Dehli to Bangkok. Before the flight we grabbed a quick pint then headed off to our gate. 
Pint time!

Planes seem to have changed a bit since I was a kid, apparently now everyone has their own screen and can pick what they want to watch, pretty awesome. We watched Jurassic World then Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation with a curry for dinner AND FREE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS!!! Obviously we were chuffed about the free drinks - even if we were limited to two. The man sitting next to us must have took pity on our measly amounts of alcohol, as he decided to offer us a drink from the large bottle of whiskey he had stashed by his feet. We were grateful for the first drink, then the man kept trying to get us to drink and would too up our drinks even as we said we didn't want any. Obviously this man hadn't seen the informative video on tea etiquette - if someone says they don't want tea, don't make them tea.  Talking of tea, for our meal Air India served us curry - surprise surprise - which I promptly spilt all down my brand new hoody.
After that, Dave went to sleep doing the classic "head nod" whilst I managed to stay awake all damn night.

Ugh so tired

Currently dreading having to stay up for at least the next 16 hours or risk wasting days on jet lag. Why oh why can't I sleep on a damn plane?!? -.-

At 4am uk time, breakfast was served, and our friendly neighbour continued to try and make us drink. At least he didn't try and make Dave drink whilst he was sleeping.

Screens showing flight details

We landed in Dehli at 10.45am local time, and our connecting flight had already been delayed by an hour, so we spent ages in the airport aimlessly wandering round and dying of boredom. Yet still we managed to nearly miss the final call and had to leg it to the gate to be the last ones to board.
Dehli Airport

Once boarded, we spent about 40 minutes on the runway moving nowhere, but still with the engine running. Again the food was curry, and this time it was Dave who spilt it down his new hoody, so we're even now. I still haven't slept since Sunday night, and it's now about 1pm Tuesday UK time. Somehow I'm still functioning, but I'm sure I'll enjoy my bed tonight. We should arrive in Bangkok in about an hour, and hopefully (If I've filled in my arrival card correctly) we should get through airport security and into Bangkok City centre hassle free...

Landed!

And it was hassle free! They didn't even check to make sure we had an outbound flight. Once outside, we struggled to flag a taxi before finding out you needed to get a ticket first from the machine. The taxi driver however had no idea where he was going, but still sped towards the city centre with my hotel booking in his hand whilst trying to ring the hotel to ask them where they were. Eventually he veered down a tiny alleyway and dropped us off, directing us down an even shittier alleyway, to our rather nice hotel for the night... apart from the shower.

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Alzheimers' Playlist

05:27 , 0 Comments
Most of us, at some point in our lives, will get old. We will decline in many ways, both physically and mentally. When the only thing I have left is my memories, I want to make sure I will be able to remember them.

 Working in care I see many people that are alone, can hardly remember their families, and their stories are all jumbled up. These aren't just people with Alzheimers or Dementia, it's part of getting old, but the risk of these diseases is high. It is estimated that dementia affects one in 14 people over the age of 65 and one in six over the age of 80.

 If there's one thing I want to remember when I'm old, it's these backpacking trips.

 Music is a fantastic way of inciting memories. Play some songs from your Grandmas era to her, you'll be amazed what she can remember. I'm sure you also have a song or two that remind you of a specific time, probably because the song was massively overplayed at that time, like how Lil Jons' "Get Low" always reminds me of Sixth Form parties. So anyway, you see what I mean.

 Now to the point of this. For my trip around South East Asia I will create a playlist of 7 songs, one for each leg of my journey. I will play the chosen song for each leg every day when I wake up, so that when I'm 80, I can listen to this playlist, and remember the days of my youth, when I did mad shit and got into trouble and had a great time.

 Thailand (1st leg) Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac
Laos                   It's Time - Imagine Dragons
Vietnam                    Scooby Snacks - Fun Lovin' Criminals
Cambodia                Get Your Freak On - Missy Elliot
Thailand (2nd leg)   In The Summertime - Mungo Jerry
Malaysia                   Seven Seas of Rhye - Queen
Indonesia                  Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits

 So there you have it, How to jog your memory when you're 80 and live in the best of your memories.

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Kalibaru - pre-travel posts

07:28 , 0 Comments
Kalibaru is a small town surrounded by ranges of hills in the west and south, while the north is bordered by Mount Raung. The picturesque road from Jember to Banyuwangi winds around the foothills of Gunung Raung, through rainforest, and up to the small hill town of Kalibaru (428 m above sea level). It has relatively high averages rainfall per year, which makes this area greener than any other area in Banyuwangi regency. Kalibaru is a good base for visiting the nearby plantations around Glenmore. Kalibaru is located in the mid of tourism route of Java – Bali which make it as the best place to stop overnight. Many activities can be done in Kalibaru such as educational tours like plantation or village tours or outbound activities. Kalibaru has been known as tourist destination for decades. The closest ATM Machine is about 23 km away (in the Genteng sub district). So visitors should prepare themselves with enough cash.  Rooms from 85000 rupiah. Once again it is still the wet season, and temperatures are in the high 20s.

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Yogyakarta - pre-travel post

07:16 , 0 Comments

Yogyakarta is a bustling town of some half a million people and the most popular tourist destination on Java, largely thanks to its proximity to the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. The town is a hub of art and education, offers some good shopping and has a wide range of tourist facilities. The climate is similar to Jakarta, so we'd better get used to the rain, and it's sure be sticky weather with temperatures are in the high 20s. Rooms can be found from 85,000 rupiah. The best way to get around is by horse cart or trishaws.

There are some great examples of colonial architecture here, there is a Dutch fort located just in front of the presidents palace called Benteng Vredeburg. You can also see some prime examples of Javanese architecture, just visit Kota Gede, the ancient capital of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom. It now hosts the famous "silver village", home to many silver workshops, and a great place to buy custom jewellery. It's quite a large area, so you may need to hire transport to get around. 

 Alternatively you could visit the Sultan's pleasure garden, Taman Sari. The complex is partly ruined, but still charming.  Towards the back of the complex is the original entrance to the pools, which used to be a small dock connected to a long-since-vanished river; a bit of snooping beyond this entrance will get you to a back street, where one can freely visit a fascinating network of tunnels and rooms, including an Escher-like series of interlacing staircases over what looks like a disused well. The guides usually expect tips, and it's 7000 rupiah to enter. plus 1000 for a camera permit. Open 9am to 3pm.

 If you're looking for something to do on the weekend, you could visit the Siti Hinggil Selatan to catch a puppet show in the morning or evening. Entrance to the palace is free, and although it is all in Indonesian, you can come and go as you please.
For something a bit more fun, play Masangin at South Alunin (Sultans Square), In the game, the participant is blindfolded and must pass between two ancient ficus trees, apparently it's harder than it sounds, but I'll give it a try. Also you can go rafting at Elo or Progo river. 

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Jakarta - pre-travel post

04:30 , 0 Comments


 Jakarta is the largest city. and capital of Indonesia. It has a booming population of 9.7m. The city is often full of traffic, so walking may be your best option most of the time. When we get here Dave will find out that I haven't done my research properly, and we should get here in the height of the wet season, still, at least I've given him a poncho. Temperatures should be in the mid to high 20's, so warm and wet, lovely. Rooms start at around 125000 rupiah.

 A little rain never hurt anyone, so we can still do all these outdoor activities like visiting the Old Town, or Kota Tua. The are of the city has a square in old Dutch colonial style, with cafes and street vendors, and even a good few museums, great for a wander and some photo opportunities (if youve got a waterproof camera). There is also a lovely bridge here called Jembatan Kota Intan, a suspension bridge built in 1628. If you're really feeling the local and cultural vibes, you can get down the gritty stuff by taking a hidden tour of Jakarta. Ronny and Anneke will take you to some local slums and make you sympathise with the people who gross you out with how they live, but you can feel slightly better about yourself knowing that the money you paid for the tour goes to the local people, so you can stop worrying about it now, they're probably rolling in it.

 When you feel like you've done your bit for the world, hit up Jalan Jaksa, a popular place for travellers so naturally where the party is. Also much of the cheap accommodation, food and drinks can be found here.

 But it's not all about architecture and cultural shit, there's something for nature lovers too! Haven't seen all the birds you wanted on a trip to Bird Island? Why not see them all for sale in cages? I know, not nice, but the Bird Market might be worth a quick visit.

 Finally, Jakarta seems to be some kind of musical hub, hosting a vast array of festivals year round. Around about the time we got there (4th - 6th March) is the Jakarta Java Jazz Festival, who doesn't love jazz?

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Crossing the Cambodian-Thai Border

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Transport


Blogs all over the warn of the horrors of crossing the border at Poipet, but MoveToCambodia provides an excellent post on this. They recommend a very cheap option ($11.25) involving a 2 hour mini-bus to Poipet, and a 5-6 hour bus to Bangkok. They do warn however, that this is a trip that will take you all day, and you are advised to leave early. The link above has detailed, step by step instructions on how to get over the border safely.

Visa procedure

If you're staying in Thailand longer than 15 days, you'll need to get a tourist visa in advance from the Thai embassy in Phhnom Penh, or fly in to be granted a 30 day visa exemption (UK citizens).  It seems there is some confusion as to whether you get 30 or 15 days when entering overland, but to be safe we will say 15 day visa exemption when arriving overland.

At the immigration office make sure you get stamped out of Cambodia and then into Thailand, and pay the immigration fee (1000THB) if it exists (only found one mention of it).


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Crossing the Thai-Malaysian Border

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Transport

 Here we will be taking the easy way out, and saving a full days uncomfortable travelling by taking a 2 hour flight from Krabi to Georgetown for around £40 each. Cop-outs, I know.

 Visa Procedure

 British nationals don't need a visa to enter Malaysia, we are automatically allowed to stay for 3 months. So this may be the easiest border crossing yet.

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Crossing the Malay-Indonesian Border

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Transport

Here we are travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, a long overland and sea journey. The quickest, simplest and cheapest way to make this journey is to fly, with flights costing around £16.

Visa

UK citizens will be allowed entry on arrival for up to 30 days without a visa.
So our final border crossing is another easy one. :)

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Crossing the Vietnamese-Cambodian Border

08:07 , , , 0 Comments

Transport

Buses from HCMC cost 13-18USD (or up to 35USD for sleeper buses) and takes 6 hours. Mekong Express is the most highly recommended company by other blog users.These buses stop at the border, but no where else, so stock up on your snacks and boredom breakers.

Visa Procedure

At the border you will be asked to get off the bus to sort out your visa, so have your passport photos at the ready! Purchase a Cambodian tourist visa (T-class) for 35USD (payment in USD only, they will not accept their own currency) get stamped out of Vietnam, and stamped into Cambodia, and get your bus the other side.

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Getting Around Malaysia

04:24 , , 0 Comments

Georgetown to Ipoh

There are a number of bus companies covering this route, buses can be booked online or in Georgetown. The journey takes roughly 2 hours with a 20 minute toilet/leg stretch break. It's costs 15-25MYR depending on which bus company you use.

Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur

The old train takes about 4 hours and costs 12MYR, or the new electric train takes just over half the time at twice the cost. So, money or time?


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Getting Around Thailand (2)

07:40 , , 0 Comments

Bangkok to Ko Pha Ngan

 Most travel agents can sell you a bus/ferry combined overnight ticket to Ko Pha Ngan for around 600THB. The journey takes 12-14 hours. Alternatively you can take the government-run route, which is supposed to more comfortable, but will set you back 1000THB.

 Ko Pha Ngan to Khao Sok

 First we take the Lomprayah ferry to Surat Thani for 700THB. There are cheaper options, but this method takes less than half the travel time at 1.5 hours. There are ferries leaving Ko Pha Ngan at 7.00 and 12.00 daily.

 Public buses run from 7.00 leaving Surat Thani every hour, on the hour, or from the train station at 15 minutes past the hour. The  journey takes 2 hours and costs 120THB

 Khao Sok to Krabi

 There is no direct bus from Khao Sak to Krabi, (but this is information from 2013 so will check while I'm there too) so the easiest option is to take a minibus. These cost ~300THB and take 2-3 hours. Buses leave at 8.30, 10.00 and 12.00am. Make sure you ask the driver to drop you in the town centre, or you'll be dropped outside of town and have to make your way back in.

 Krabi to Ko Jum to Ko Phi Phi

 To get to Ko Jum you must catch a ferry from Krabi to Ko Lanta, and get dropped off halfway inbetween, where longtail boats will take you to the shores of Ko Jum. This should cost 400THB, pre-booking is recommended as it is often full.
There is a cheaper, albeit more complicated route, Catch a songthaew to Nua klong for 20 THB (though they may try to charge 50THB for tourists). Then catch another songthaew to Laem Kruat for 50 THB There are ferries leaving throughout the day from Laem Kruat to Ko Jum for ~70THB. It is a 40 minute boat ride.

 There isn't much information on how to get from Ko Jum to Ko Phi Phi, but it seems there are direct ferries running from 8.30am, which can be booked through you guesthouse who will have to ring 081-968-9457 or 085-691-1857 (don't ask me why there's two numbers). I'm not sure on the price. but I will find out better once I'm there.


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Getting Around Cambodia

04:31 , , 0 Comments

Phnom Penh to Battambang

 There is actually a free option here. The old train is free, though it takes a little longer at 13-14 hours, but it is completely free, and a good chance to mingle with locals.

Or for a shorter route, you can take the bus for 24,000 riel and this will only take you 6-7 hours.

Battambang to Siem Reap
Again there are two options; bus or boat. The ferries leave at 7am, taking 6-9 hours, and cost 82000 riel, the bus is a shorter journey at 4-5 hours, and costs only 6250 riel. The boat journey is said to be far more scenic, and the bus journeys are far more frequent, so it's your choice depending on how much money/time you have.

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Crossing the Lao-Vietnamese Border - Savannakhet to Hanoi

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 The only ways to get from Savannakhet are to fly (£160+) or take a very long bus ride for 200,000kip. We'll be taking the bus.

 Above is the bus timetable for the route. The bus runs on even days and leaves at 10am, but there's no harm in being early. Although it only runs on certain days, there may be private buses that run if we need a particular date, though these will likely be pricier. The journey should take about 20-24 hours, so stock up on munchies and make sure your iPod is properly charged.

 Visa

 You should sort out your Vietnamese visa in advance. This can be done at the embassy in Vientiane (make sure you have at least a week) or before you even set off. We have applied for our visas from the Vietnamese embassy in London. The visa fee is £54, plus a return postage fee - £8 for one passport, £6 per passport for 2-3 passports. Post you passports using recorded delivery (ours came to £7.40 for 3 passports) along with your visa forms (which can be printed from the Vietnamese embassy website) and cheque, and within 10 working days you should have your visa. As a total cost, our visas came to £62.50 each.





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Ko Jum - pre-travel post

06:49 , 0 Comments


Ko Jum is halfway between Krabi and Ko Lanta Yai, and is set to be our little island getaway. There's plenty of accommodation on the island, numerous beaches, a few bars and not much else. The temperatures are in the high 20s in late February, but island breezes offer some respite. The beaches aren't all perfect, but they are generally quiet. The nights are also low key, with parrafin lighting after dark, and most people choosing to spend their evenings in private. The main village is in Ban Ko Jum, where you can find a few small general stores. Rooms start at 600THB, so it's a little pricier here. Most of the North of the island is made inaccessible by large forested hills. The North of the island is usually referred to as Ko Pu.

If you really want to do something, a group could rent a long tail boat and driver and go snorkelling on Bamboo Island or around Phi Phi Leh. You could also rent a kayak and explore the mangrove lined waters of the Krabi River on the east coast, or you could go on a fishing trip guides by one of the local fishermen.

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Ko Phi Phi - pre-travel post

06:48 , 0 Comments
Ko Phi Phi is the island home to Maya Bay, one of the most desirable beaches to visit in the world since the release of The Beach in 2001, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, This is the main (only) reason we are coming here. Sadly, due to its' fame, the beach has apparently become overpopulated by tourists, and has been a little bit ruined. For this reason we are only coming for a day trip, and having our island getaway on Ko Jum instead. Temperatures are around the high 20s here in late February.

 As for things to do, we will obviously be visiting the beach, and if that gets boring on us maybe rent a kayak, do some snorkelling, or head into town for a few drinks.

 If you want more information on Ko Phi Phi, NomadicMatt writes excellent articles.

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Khao Sok National Park - pre-travel post

04:27 , 0 Comments


Khao Sok National park is a huge nature reserve mostly covered by rainforest, with lakes, limestone mountains and valleys, caves and more. These national parks are the places to enjoy Asias' wilderness and natural wonders. The climate here is, naturally, that of a rainforest. It is actually the wettest area in Thailand due to it's location, but don't let that put you off, what are you going to a rainforest for? Temperatures at the end of February reach the low 30s.

If you've got money to burn, stay in a private tree house on the edge of Khao Sak. Prices start at 800THB, information can be found here. Otherwise, guesthouses with cold showers are about 300THB and up.

The best way to experience. national park is with a guide, as you are only allowed to go so far on your own. The guides can take you caving, trekking, tubing, camping or on a long boat. There is no shortage of choice to the activities available.
Tours start at 300THB and can go up to even 20,00THB through the official visitors centre. This site gives you some idea of how much it will cost for what you want to do. We will simply do a bit of shopping around on arrival to find a tour that suits us and our budget.

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Getting Around Vietnam

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Hanoi to Ha Long Bay

You can catch a bus from Hanoi's My Dinh Bus station to Ha Long Bay (Bai Chay) for 100,000VD. It takes about 4 hours.

Ha Long Bay to Hue

It would seem there is no direct route here, and we must go back to Hanoi in order to make and overnight journey to Hue. From Hanoi you can take the sleeper train (850,000VD) or a sleeper bus (560,000VD). The train takes about 13 hours and times can be found here. The bus takes 12 hours, departing at 6pm and arriving 6am. The train looks as though (via reading blogs) it is considerably more comfortable and clean, but is it worth an extra £8.40? 

 *Also, prices for the bus vary, it may be even cheaper!

Hue to Da Nang

Take the local bus from the bus station, no need to book, just turn up. The journey takes 2-3 hours, and costs 40-70,000VD depending on class.

Da Nang to Hoi An

This is a short hour long bus journey from the local bus station in Da Nang and costs 40,000VD.

Hoi An to NHA Trang

Information is a bit scarce here, as it seems most people go back to Da Nang and get a train from there. You can however catch an overnight bus (departs 19.00 arrives 07.00) via Sinh costing 300,000VD.

NHA Trang to Da Lat

It is about a 3-4 hour bus ride from NHA Trang to Da Lat and it costs 145,000VD. This usually includes hotel pick up.

Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City

This is quite a long bus ride, taking 7-8 hours, but it's quite cheap at 80,000 VD.

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Krabi - pre-travel post

09:26 , 0 Comments



Krabi (or Ao Nang) is only a stop over for us, we may stop here a night, we may not. This is probably the right idea as there doesn't really seem to be much to do here. There are a lot of guesthouses and touristy shops in this quirky little town. The town is situated between two giant limstone formations jutting out of the mangroves, one of which you can climb. The temperatures are in the high 20s in late February, and the days are long. Hostel rooms are around 130-240THB, We will take a wander and explore a bit of the town by ourselves.

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Kuala Lumpur - pre-travel post

09:04 , 0 Comments
Kuala Lumpur is a huge city compiled of several districts. It is Malaysia's largest city and is also the Capital. In Malay, the city's name literally means "muddy river confluence", as it was originally when it was a small Chinese tin mining village.
In March the temperatures are in the high 20s, and we are still just within the dry season.Hostel rooms are around 20-30RM.

The city centre can be divided into five main districts;

Old Town - The traditional core of Kuala Lumpur, also houses Chinatown and Merdeka Square.
Golden Triangle - The business district, there are many shopping malls and 5-star hotels here. The Petronas Towers are here also.
Tuanku Abdul Rahman  - An extension of Old Town, 500m West of the Petronas Towers. This area is fast regaining fame as a traditional colourful shopping district, there are many popular budget rooms here.
Brickfields - This is KL's Little India.
Bangsar and Midvalley - In the south of the city, Bangsar is a popular restaurant and clubbing district whilst Midvalley is the citys best shopping destination.

There is plenty to do in this city, including a huge aquarium, Aquaria KLCC is located on the Concourse Level and can be accessed by walking downwards from the main entrance located along Jalan Pinang. There are over 5000 exhibits across 60,00 square foot and it costs 64RM per person.

As for food, some of the best culinary delights that Malaysia has to offer are not at the swanky overpriced restaurants but right at the sidewalks, in the rows and rows of hawker stalls. On Jalan Alor, these stalls will take up both sides of the road selling food that best represents Malaysia. This is not just a place for the locals but foreigners also frequently visit here to taste the unique dishes that they would most probably not be able to back home.

Afterwards get stupidly drunk and attempt to sing at the Club San Japanese Karaoke Lounge (203 Jalan Bukit Bintang).

You can also visit the iconic Petronas Towers and view KL from 452m above street level. It costs 30RM to walk the skybridge, or 80RM to view the observation deck aswell. It advisable to get here early as there are only 1000 tickets available per day. Open every day except Monday.



Offering excellent jungles tours, is the Primal Wilderness Experience. Tours cost 3-700RM, and can be half or full day tours to waterfalls, white water tubing, jungle treks, abseiling and more. More information here.
Alternatively you could take a 3 day tour of the nearby rainforest of Taman Negara National Park for around 300RM. Taman Negara is located at the central part of Peninsular Malaysia, 240km (4 hours) from KL. Taman Negara is a huge and ancient rainforest, tours can be arranged in KL.

Also near to KL is Sunway Lagoon Theme Park. It features and amusement park, water park and scream park - an immersive experience with actors dressed as zombies. Tickets cost 150RM




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Crossing the Thai-Lao Border - Chiang Mai to Huoay Xai

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 Information on this border crossing is all fairly new, as the situation changed in 2013. Before then one would journey to Chiang Khong and catch a slow boat over the river. However in 2013 the new friendship bridge opened over the Mekong, and now you must catch a bus over the bridge for 25THB.

 First, it seems we must catch a bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai. This is as most of the information talks of buses from Chiang Rai, though we will check if we can get a direct bus in Chiang Mai. Tickets range from 130THB to 230THB depending on the level of comfort/speed, the journey takes around three hours.

 Then catch a bus from Chiang Rai to Huoay Xai (Bokeo Province) for 225THB. These buses take about 3-4 hours and include the 25THB bridge crossing. 

 This post provides excellent information on the journey.

 During the journey, after the bridge you will have to go through immigration. Visas for UK citizens are $35 and, as with a lot of borders, it's just cheaper to pay in dollars. You will need a passport sized photo (though they can take a copy for 40THB) and a completed arrival form, which you can get at the border. If you are travelling on a weekend, there is an extra $1 fee, or during the week after 16.00 there is also an extra $1 overtime fee.

 Job Done :)

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Getting Around Laos

06:21 , , 0 Comments

Huoay Xai to Luang Prabang

There is the option here to take the slow boat to Luang Prabang along the Mekong which takes 2 days. It is a highly recommended trip, but we simply don't have time. More information on the slow boat can be found here. 
As for getting a bus you can get one at Champa bus terminal in Huoay Xai. Buses for Luang Prabang leave at 10am and 4pm, and the journey takes 12 hours. 130,000kip.

Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng

Get a mini bus. You can book this through a travel agent or at the Bus station (45min walk). The journey takes anywhere from 5 to 7 hours, depending on conditions and costs 130,000kip. You could pay more for a VIP bus, which includes a meal and a toilet that works sometimes. It's a 30 minute walk from the bus station to Vang Vieng, or a tuk tuk ride for 10,000kip.

Vang Vieng to Vientiane

So, there a three options here, a local bus, a private company bus, or a songthaew. Details of all three are discussed below.
The local bus leaves from the Northern Bus Station, you can either catch the bus from there or by the side of the road next to the old air field. They leave at 5.30am, 6am, 6.30am, 7am, 12.30 pm and 2pm. It takes about 4 to 5 hours for the journey and costs 40, 000 kip. There are also Songthaews available from the bus station or the airfield which leave for Vientiane every 20 mins or so, the cost is 40, 000 kip. 
The Thavonsouk Bus Company and Malany Bus Company leave at 10am and 1.30pm. They have a free pick up service from the guesthouse. The journey for both these companies takes about 3 and a half hours. Tickets can be booked through many of the guesthouses or tour operators in Vang Vieng and cost 60,000 kip.

*paragraph emulated from Vangvieng

Vientiane to Savannakhet

 The buses are fairly frequent in the morning, though I can find actual times. You may need to catch a bus to Pakse that stops in Savannakhet. There are two bus options, the cheapest is the local bus which takes 9 hours and costs 75,000kip. Alternatively, for a more comfortable ride, catch a VIP bus. These are less frequent, but only take 8 hours and travel overnight. Travel in pairs or buy the soace next to you as you'll be sharing your bed. For a night bus with a bed its 120,000kip or for a seated bus it is 110,000kip.

Savannakhet to Thakek & Back

The local bus to Thakhek costs 30,000kip and takes 3 hours. Of course, you can catch a VIP bus for more if you wish. Same for the return journey.

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Ko Pha-Ngan - pre-travel post

06:11 , 0 Comments



Ko Pha-Ngan is Koh Tao's neighbouring island. And can be reached using the same route. Temperatures on Ko Pha-Ngan in February are in the high 20s, with low rainfall. The parties here are legendary and last all night and day. If you choose to get accommodation, it may seem easiest to get somewhere close to the party, but be warned as if you stay here, you might not get much sleep (depends on what your plan is I suppose). But you can stay a short 10 minutes away on the other side of the island if you'd like some peace and quiet. The average hostel room here is 1-200THB.

There is one reason we're coming here, the famous Full Moon Parties. We should hit Ko Pha-Ngan for Feb 23rd 2016, right on time for full moon. For a full list of party dates, see here. . 

But it's not just parties on Ko Pha-Ngan, you can also trip your balls on shroom shakes! Though maybe not whilst at the party.

There are also activities like archery, diving and other watersports available, or for something different, learn to free-dive. Apnea Koh Phangan offers free-diving courses near the pier in Chaloklum Village.

But if you still want to party, in the days leading up to a full moon party, there is the Jungle Experience in Ban Tai. It's open all night and seems to be built for people on drugs, drum and bass/techno music plays from some world class djs, and the site has UV lights and a "magical flower garden" with a river. God knows what it is, but I'll give it a crack.

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Chiang Mai - pre-travel post

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Chiang Mai is the hub of the North, and Thailands' 5th largest city. We will be spending the best part of two weeks here, to stay for Christmas and New Years. It will be a warm Christmas with temperatures around the high 20s in December. Until the 1920's it was very remote and could only be reached by a long river journey or elephant trek. In the remnants of Chiang Mai's City walls are over 30 temples of many styles and eras all of which are beatifully decorated. The most famous being Wat Phrathat Doi, located on a mountainside 13km away. The city's night life centres around Loi Kroh Road, near the Ping river where there also plenty of hostels. Hostel prices range from 125 to 340THB, most of the cheaper places can be found in the old city.On a Sunday night Ratchadamneon Road hosts a walking street market from Tha Phae Gate to Wat Phra Singh.On a clear day, from the city you can see a large gold plated Chedi. This is the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, sitting at an elevation of 1073m. The site was selected by an elephant whom, once reaching the site, trumpeted, circled 3 times, knelt down and died. So it only seemed logical to the people in 1383 to put a temple here, naturally. It is a hard climb up the 300 stairs to the statue, but you can opt to take the tram for 20THB. Admission is 30THB. You can reach the stairs via local bus or songthaew for 50THB though you may have to wait to make it full. There are also pools and waterfalls at the foot of Doi Suthep on Huay Kaew Road.

Further along the road there is a hill tribe that is quite touristy but you can buy a few crafted items.We may also pay a visit to the Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural centre, which tells you all about Thai culture and history. It is very modernised and tours are presented in English. Entry is 90THB. It is open from 8.30 to 17.00 but is closed on Mondays, and located in the centre of the old city on Prapokklao Road.

The Unversity of Chiang Mai also has an art museum on the corner of Suthep and Nimmanhaemin Road. The exhibitions are by undergraduate artists, but are to a very high standard. The artwork can be viewed for free from 9.00-17.00. (Closed Mondays).

If you're more into bugs though, visit the Museum of World Insects and Natural Wonders on Srimankalajarn Road. It features Asias most unusual collection of butterflies Beatles and more and costs 200THB to enter. It is open every day 9.00-17.00. 

Another item we'd like to tick off in Chiang Mai is seeing elephants. we have found two recommended ones that are supposedly truly caring towards the elephants. The cheapest of these is Baanchang Elephant Park on Rachadamnern Road. The other is Eddy Elephant Care Chiang Mai, located on Sripoom Road where the owner, Eddy, takes cares of his 7 orphaned elephants through the generations. They will also take you for rides in the jungle, but with a 2300THB price tag for the day including lunch and transportation.

There are many hilltribes surrounding Chiang Mai, and treks can be organised to visit them. Usually the harder the trek, the more authentic the tribe will be. There will be plenty of tourist guides available in the city to plan a 2 or 3 day hike.

 The national sport of Thailand is Mai Thai Boxing, and there are three stadiums and Chaing Mai where you can watch a match;

 Kalare Boxing Stadium - behind the night bazzaar, 4-600THB
Loi Kroh Boxing Stadium - on the Loi Kroh Road, flyers usually up around the city, 4-600THB
Tha Phae Boxing Stadium - Moon Muang Road, near Tha Phae Gate - here you can gamble on the fights.

 Chiang also offers tonnes of fun outdoor activites at many places in town, There is;

 Mountain Biking
Rafting
Zorbing
Ziplining
Minigolf

We are going to spending Christmas in Chiang Mai, so I've googled a bit about that. What I've found is they dont really celebrate Christmas, as expected, but there are Christmas decorations out. Also a lot of hotels charge for and evening meal whether you want to attend or not, and its pricey at 3000THB, so best stick with a hostel for Christmas. If you're really dying for a bit of western food, head to The Dukes on Loi Kroh Road.

We are also spending New Years here, where thousands of lanterns are sent off into the sky (pictured above).

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Two 23 year olds going off backpacking and documenting both the research and (hopefully) traval stages. Maybe it will be helpful to some people? I don't know,