We left Nha Trang by train heading for a city up the coast called Vinh. We had researched the best way to cross into Laos and there really didn’t seem to be a way that was any way decent. All our internet searching and Lonely Planet trawling led to stories of scams, being dropped off at borders or waiting all night on buses waiting on immigration to open but we did read of a bus that went from Vinh straight to Vientiane so we decided to brave it. The train journey was 20hours long. I didn’t really know what to expect cos as far as I could remember this was to be the longest continuous journey in one mode of transport that I have ever been faced with. We booked sleeper tickets – soft sleepers. This ... read more

Mui Ne is just what we needed after all the cities! We travelled by bus for about 3 hours to the coast. The scenery along the way was really nice with mountains meeting the sea, reminding me of home! The town itself is spread over a long strip of a few kilometres parallel to the beach. As a nice surprise we ended up being dropped off directly at the place we had been emailing and were met by the Australian owner, John, who had a nice room facing the sea ready to go, it couldn’t have been easier! The next 3 days were bliss. We basically settled into the place because it was so chilled and laid back. The beach is gorgeous and the sea was a lot chopper and wavier than previous beaches. The draw ... read more

Thankfully the bus journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was efficient! We stopped halfway for toilet etc. and noticed that there some delicious foods on display – cockroaches, beetles and the like. Seemingly the locals will eat anything, why waste nutritious varied alternatives eh! Also I think at this point I should mention that our introduction to Cambodia hasn’t been a true reflection of how nice the locals have been so far and our experience since that first bus journey have been much more positive. A smile goes a long way here, even if you are rejecting a service being offered or just walking along the street! We arrived in Phnom Penh and got a tuk tuk with a lovely man called Sai. We agreed with him that we would give him business the next ... read more

So we got a ferry from Koh Samui to the island of Koh Tao on 9th February. As soon as we pulled up to the pier the crystal clear waters and wooden seaside shacks looked exactly like what I think I’ve been “expecting” or “looking for” from our second trip to Thailand. We had no accommodation booked but were in contact with someone from The Buddha View Dive Resort (on John’s friend, Kevin’s recommendation, as he is a few days ahead of us) about maybe doing a PADI dive course for 4 days but we had to get the boat before confirming anything, oops! So when we arrive there are a mass of locals with signs for all the different dive centres. Basically Koh Tao is the place for diving around here so it’s a bit ... read more

Ok I’m just going to be honest we really didn’t like Koh Samui….. We stayed on Chaweng Beach, it’s the main beach on the island and you can see why as it is nice and there are a few waves etc. but it’s just too touristy. The second day we moved to a nicer place to sleep for not too much more money called the Loft. It was nice, more like a hotel and we needed that because we hadn’t much time for the town! The beach strip is around 7km long and it is taken over by resorts. Parallel to the beach is the main road which is again lined for the whole strip with tourist shops/bars/restaurants and is bustling with every westerner possible roaming the streets on their rented scooter or minivans doing collections ... read more