This made me miss Vietnam... Your descriptions of your travels through Vietnam were great - it made me really wish I was slurping a bowl of pho while watching all the hustle and bustle :)
Thanks! We did find Vietnam to be a wonderful country to backpack through, although hard at times. The hustle and bustle has to be seen to be believed!
Loving your adventures... We've never been to Laos, and if the food is that good I think I might have to dust off our SE Asia Lonely Planet guide tonight and have a look! :)
Laos has been such a pleasant surprise for us. What we've really enjoyed is the friendly, relaxed atmosphere and good scenery. We would certainly recommend a trip. The food is not as diverse as Malaysia but there is some tasty stuff. The Laap Lao is especially good.
Off the Beaten Track! Love your slow pace and exploration of these rural spots--how lovely to be on a bike or scooter in the countryside! Laos sounds wonderful.
Oh no the russians are there too! How Ironic, I had just read one of my old blogs about Russian tourists before I read yours.......Seems we observed the same ''peculiarities''. Lovely trip, great blog and how awesome to see an elephant. Beautiful pics too!
Bus drama! First, I have to say that I love that you show your journey on a map! Then, what a great lesson in trust with crossing streets and biking! Good thing to leave during Tet--I almost always try to be in unpopular places or other countries for big celebrations (lots of drinking here in South America). Best wishes on a leisurely holiday in Laos!
Thanks Tara. We both find it very satisfying to see our journey plotted out on a map and yes, you do have to put a lot of trust in those motorbike drivers when crossing the road. We found it terrifying at first, but quickly realised they really didn't want to hit us and fall off either! We don't mess with the buses or cars though, they definitely have right of way!
Apologies Russ! Travel blogs do seem to have that effect. To consol you, we will eventually have to come home and it will be to rainy old Britain instead of sunny Spain. ;-)
Great adventures! I love your way of travel--getting out the map to see where to go next and exploring the less-visited parts of Thailand. Love also that you included a map for those of us who don't yet know the East. How great that Ross can drive a motorbike and even fix it when necessary--what freedom! Waterfalls, a wild elephant and clanging a gong--great adventures!
Hi Tara. Thanks for your comments. Yes we do love those days when we get the maps out and try to decide where to head next, although sometimes it can lead us to some pretty random places. We have also been enjoying reading some of your SA adventures, you have been visiting some great places that we remember well e.g Mina Clavero, near Cordoba. P.s motorbike fixing seems to mostly involve swearing at it for a while!!
Plane tickets Think it will be another 5 or 6 years yet really. Living in Spain is fantastic and we have a few trips planned in the coming years, but a return to South America is definitely in the planning.
He he. Its dangerous this blog reading isn't it? We are not quite ready to get back to real life yet so after a few weeks enjoying some home comforts we will be heading off to SE Asia. How long before you cave in and start investigating plane tickets???
The end is just the beginning... ...of the next adventure. And now I've found a blog that I will just sit and read for hours. Thanks for bringing back so many memories. Where next?
Hello. We are Ross and Liz and on the 20th November 2013 (a wet and grey British winter's day) we finally set off on our long planned trip around the globe. We started our adventure in Buenos Aires, Argentina and have since made our way around South America, South East Asia, Sri Lanka and overland from the UK to Hong Kong, where we hopped over to Japan and then down to New Zealand. After five fantastic months camper vanning around NZ we are heading over to Australia for three months before finally heading home (via Thailand and Frankfurt).
We travel at a nice slow pace, visiting all the s... full info
RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
This made me miss Vietnam...
Your descriptions of your travels through Vietnam were great - it made me really wish I was slurping a bowl of pho while watching all the hustle and bustle :)