The Good Banana Pancake Guide

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The wonderful thing about S E Asia is the variety of landscapes and experiences to be had there. You can mingle with remote hill tribes, be bowled over by hi-tech mega cities, climb an active volcano, explore the ruins of a 'lost city', trek through virgin rainforests or simply kick back on an idyllic beach. In the course of a year, we had done most of these things - and more. Moving on from the region would be hard for we had come to know it quite intimately. This wasn't the end however. We were still 5-months away from returning home. In the interim, there was still one last challenge - India.

Following our return from Australia, there was time to say "Goodbye" to S E Asia as we made our way slowly back to Bangkok. What memories would we be taking with us? They are almost too numerous to recount. We had seen beauty and ugliness, overcome personal adversity and self doubt, experienced life, albeit briefly, as it was lived by local people and - above all - had been touched by the generousity and kindness of people we had met along the way. We would never forget the experience of seeing life in modern-day Burma, a country recently in the news and still shackled by the ruthless dictates of a brutal military regime. And then there was the simple kindliness extended to us by so many people. Offers of food and accommodation in unexpected places and by people much poorer than ourselves. How could we ever forget them or thank them enough?

The Good Banana Pancake Guide

Most banal thing we would miss? It would almost certainly be that humble staple of the backpacker trail, the banana pancake. We had experienced this popular snack all over S E Asia, from Laos to Indonesia and everywhere in between. Some were served with panache others with indifference, all provided a tasty treat when an appetite for anything else was flagging. Here's a brief guide to our Top Five:

1. "Samuel's Kitchen", Toba: Arguably the best tasted anywhere and certainly the best served locally. Large, well cooked pancakes stuffed with sliced banana, honey and a choice of either chocolate sauce or grated coconut.

2. Had Gruad, Koh Phangan: A close contender for the top spot. Thick, American-style pancakes served with your choice of

Communist Flag, Laos
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Find out what it's like to live under a military or communist regime in SE Asia. © L. Birch 2007
fruit and covered in honey or condensed milk - totally diet breaking.

3. "My Friend's Place", Tioman: The little kampong kitchen here, turns out some remarkably good food at rock bottom prices. The banana pancakes are particularly good - thick, generous portions come with sliced bananas and are topped with fresh honey.

4. Khao San Rd, Bangkok: At night, small carts ply the roads around Khao San dishing up roti-style pancakes to order. Choose from a long list of options but the banana pancakes served with chocolate sauce and condensed milk are pretty unbeatable.

5. Nyaung Shwe, Burma: The "Bright Hotel" serves a mammoth free breakfast that includes a generous banana pancake. Aficionados might end up staying several days!

And finally, for all those following in our literary footsteps (and who might want to recap on some of our adventures) or for anyone else embarking on a tour of S E Asia, here is our guide to some of the best experiences on offer:


Jungles and Wildlife:
Want to rub shoulders with Orangutans or discover what it's like to explore rice paddies on elephant back? Follow the links below to find out.

Borneo

Orangutans in Sumatra

Elephant Trekking, Laos



Lost Cities and Antiquities:
Fancy playing at being Indiana Jones or Lara Croft? The links below will take you to some of the most exciting ruins and ancient monuments to be found in Asia.

Plain of Jars, Laos

Forbidden City & Great Wall, China

Bagan Ruins, Burma

Angor Wat, Cambodia

Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand

Deserts:
You don't have to go to the Middle East or North Africa to experience wind sculpted dunes and desert vistas. Try Vietnam instead.

Mui Ne Dunes, Vietnam

Islands and Beaches:
South East Asia boasts some of the most beautiful coastal and island scenery of just about anywhere in the world. Wanna know what a full-moon party's like or where to stay on an island in the middle of the Mekong River? Check out the links below for answers.

Tioman Island, Malaysia

Koh Phan Gan, Thailand

Don Det Island, Laos

Concrete Jungles:
South East Asia's cities can be exciting, scary, overwhelming and... fun. Check the links below for a representative look at some of its largest and finest.

Bangkok,Thailand

Singapore City

Penang, Malaysia

Volcanoes:
Indonesia lies squarely on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' and has hundreds of volcanoes from sleeping giants like Toba to raging monsters like Java's currently active (and extremely volatile) Mount Merapi. Click on the link below to visit two of Sumatra's most accessible volcanic sites.

Gunung Sibayak and Toba, Indonesia

Great Journeys:
Want to know what it's like to spend two days on a boat down the Mekong or to take a train across China? Buckle up and click on the links below... you're about to find out.

Xiamen to Beijing by Train

Taking the Boat to Mandalay

Down the Mekong by Boat



For Grant....
Whose pancake habit will probably go unfulfilled in darkest Afghanistan.

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*NEW! Why not check out our new gallery feature? Click on the "Gallery" icon in the bottom left corner of our profile page. A new window will open - simply click on the image displayed to see a selection of the best images from our 2007 trip through SE Asia and Australia.

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