Chris2000

Beach package holiday in Egypt, with a day trip to Petra, Jordan. June 2010.... read more

I spent a quick one and a half days in Malaysia, as a stopover on the way to Bali. KL really was a nice city. Friendly people, good public transport. 1st world, which was a big change coming from Cambodia. I spent the day wandering city, of course visiting the landmark Petronas Twin towers, until recently the tallest buildings in the world. ... read more

My first stop in Laos was the small town of Luang Prabang. The first thing that struck me about Laos was that it is so much more relaxed than Vietnam, no aggressive street vendors, and hardly any traffic. What a difference from the bustle of Hanoi. Luang Prabang is famous for it's colonial architecture, as well as the many buddhist temples. As I'm fairly templed out by now, I didn't bother visiting any of the temples, I did get up at 5.30am one morning though, to watch the daily procession of hundreds of monks, as they go through the streets accepting food from locals (and in the past few years from tourists as well). As SE Asia is now in its rainy season, many afternoons where rained out, which was a good excuse to find shelter ... read more

Vietnam opened it's door to toursim in 1995, and they have done a good job of embracing it. Despite still being a communist country, they have seem to have embraced capitalism: you can't walk 2 meters down the street without someone offering you a motorcycle rides, fake books, sunglasses, lighters, drugs, etc.. Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City, previously Saigon, the first thing you notice is the motorbikes. The city has a population of 8 million, and there are approx. 5 million bikes in the city, swarming through the streets in ordered chaos. There aren't many traffic lights, so crossing the street is an artform you quickly have to learn. You wait for a small gap, step onto the road and slowly walk across - the motorcycles just drive around you. A bity scary at first, ... read more

Southern Thailand, with limestone cliffs (think James Bond), beautiful islands and hundreds of beaches beckoned after enduring the chaos and bustle of Bangkok. An overnight bus took us (JC, Marlene and Mike) to Krabi, on the west coast, where we stayed in Ao Nang for two nights. There we relaxed on the beach, where monkeys come down to play, and did a day tour which takes you to various small islands with snorkelling opportunities. White beaches, jungle and karst cliffs. What more can you ask for? In Ao Nang we also witnessed Songkrat, the Thai New Year celebrations. Orinially Songkrat was celebrated by sprinkling a little water on older people however, over the years it has evolved in a fully fledged water fight where everbody partakes. The streets are filled with cars, pick-up trucks have barrels ... read more