So after an eventful bus ride we were dropped off at the cross roads outside town where we waited for a pickup knowing the price should be $1. After saying no to offers of 5 and 6 we eventually went with a guy who was just going back home and would take us begrudgingly for the same price as the pickup. His car was falling to bits but was also pretty retro. We were finally in inle and already planning on getting out. This was purely because we knew we had to get back to Yangon aka Rangoon for the water festival which everyone recommended to us at the former capital. By the time we had checked in it was too late to go round travel agents and touts so we went instead for a curry. ... read more

So we finally pulled up to a heaving bus terminal still 20 minutes from our well deserved rest. We grabbed a bloke who had a bit of cardboard with a guesthouse name we recognised and he plonked us in a truck with some locals and we were off to Mandalay. The guesthouse was odd. It all looked normal but the room was a basement that had been put together from leftovers from other hotels. We didn't care. Our Frankenstein room had 4 beds - a bunk and a double and was a bargain. It was not however ready yet and so we nipped round the corner for a noodle soup before finally crashing. At some point the electricity must have come back on as we awoke to all the lights, fans and even the air con ... read more

So we finally left Luang Prabang on a bus headed for Vang Vien and then Vientiane. Vang Vien is one of Emmas old haunts from her previous travels. From her description and the people we had met who had been there since we had decided to give this place a miss despite it being such a popular travelers stop. When Emma went it was a one road town with few hostels and some pubs. The main road had plenty of open plan bars (read this as a wooden floor with some cushions and no particular structure) that showed endless reruns of Friends accompanied by every Western dish you can imagine with the added “Happy” ingredient. This would be marijuana or magic mushrooms added in unknown amounts. Accompanied by cheap beer and prices so low that it ... read more

So the journey to Laos began with getting to the Hanoi bus station which was 20 minutes outside the city centre. We got there around 11 after our hotel advised that buses left throughout the day until 6pm. Of course this was wrong and we found out instead that the next bus didn't leave until 4:30, so we looked around for some way of spending our time but not money and also changing some dong to dollars in preparation for Laos. The local western union was closed and the only other two buildings in the area were a toyota dealership and a German style restaurant/brewery. So our logic was flawless - german beer comes in steins, which are big and so can be made to last some time. We got a drink each and settled in ... read more

Nha Trang, Hoi An & Hue We got onto another early bus headed for our next stop Nha Trang and almost immediately fell asleep. The journey took around 8 hours and was broken up with a quick stop off at food stall next to a temple on a hill. As we weren't stopped here for long we decided to forgo the temple and grab some food instead. We did get a photo from a distance however. Nha Trang is a seaside resort and so we approached it along a coast lined with palm trees. We saw the worlds largest over water cable car stretching across to an island sporting a Hollywood style saying VINPEARL, the name of the amusement park on the island. We had heard lots of mixed reviews about the city with lots of ... read more