Siam Reap. What more do I have to really say?? There are some great restaurants (can't get enough of Amok: a Cambodian curry dish) and these temples or something that lie on the outskirts of the town.... That's why were here right? And to be honest I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world at the moment because the Temples of Angkor are amazing. Meghs and I shared a room with a Dutch guy we met in Phnom Penh and on the river boat to Siam Reap. Our cheapest nights accomodation for the entire journey was the result: $1.25 [View Full Entry]

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The bus trip to Battambang was quite an interesting journey. We boarded the local bus in Phnom Penh and the four hour trip turned into a bit of a circus a couple of miles down the road. The further out of Phnom Penh we traveled the cars became less frequent and were replaced with horse drawn carts. We were certainly getting out into the sticks. After stopping every 30 minutes at the local roadside restaurant we hit some trouble when our radiator seemed to have a leak in it and the engine was overheating. So the next two hours consisted of [View Full Entry]

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Our hostel was in a great location with a deck that was right over Boeung Kuk lake of Phnom Penh. Our two nights there were spent in the hammocks watching the sunset with a cold beer (I see this pattern emerging in every other blog I have written). A young Cambodian kid (I suppose when I say young, he was around 17) was our tour guide for the day as Meghs and I both jumped on the back of his motorbike. Safest decision we have ever made? Probably not but we did manage to survive the day unscathed especially after witnessing [View Full Entry]

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A quick exit was made from Nha Trang after the weather forecast looked set to be miserable for the next couple of days. So we headed further south to Mui Ne which is a haven for windsurfers and kitesurfers who spend the summer playing around in one of the premier spots in Asia. It was also one of the cheapest as well. This therefore made it difficult to find some accomodation as nearly every beach shack was being occupied by long time residents and further up the beach were 4/5 star resorts. We took a room off the beach for the [View Full Entry]

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Arrived in Chiang Mai after taking the night train from Ayatthuya and arrived at Julies Guest House in the early morning. I mention the name of my hostel as it is one of the friendliest places I have ever stayed. The Thai staff made the stay memorable and they confirmed the adage that the “real Thailand” is in the north. The next two days were spent wandering around the streets seeing the old city walls and the numerous temples scattered about the city. The night bazaar was fantastic with a wonderful array of local handicrafts and food markets to keep anyone [View Full Entry]

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Was it good to be back in Bangkok? Not this time as I had some errands to run and wanted to get to Kanchanaburi as quickly as possible. The most unfortunate thing about the bus journey from the islands was the fact that we were herded off the bus right next to Koh San Rd in the early hours of the morning. I suppose the most fortunate aspect of the bus ride was that we didn't get gassed and all our possessions stolen from the drivers (have met numerous people who have experienced this on the bus from the islands). I [View Full Entry]

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Party time!! Thats exactly what I had in mind as I arrived in Ko Lanta after an all day minivan experience from Penang. However, I would have to wait one more night as this island was probably the relaxing place I was looking for after all. I found a nice little bungalow on the beach and settled in for the evening to watch one of the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen. The water was calm as the sun dipped below the horizon which was filled with fishing boats. Ate some food in a beach restaurant and watched the best [View Full Entry]

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So here we go. The first stop on my list was Singapore. I spent 3 nights there which was a good amount of time to get a feel for the city and see some of the sites. It was my first stop so I was up early and was enthusiastic about seeing as much as I possibly could: that soon changed. Singapore was very expensive when compared to the rest of South East Asia and had the same big city feel as Sydney. Except that the roads were clean and the transport system was fast and on time. It was really [View Full Entry]

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We were all herded into the minibus like cattle and braced ourselves for the 2hr trip to Halong Bay. Oh my god....what a journey it was. Not sure if many of you have experienced being a passenger in Vietnam so I will try and paint a quick picture. Your on a two lane highway and your driver is constantly overtaking other vehicles whilst a semi trailer is coming the other way. At this point it is like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. You are both going head to head and it is almost like a game of chicken to see who [View Full Entry]

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After sprinting through Bangkok International Airport barefoot with the pluggers in my hands I just avoided missing my flight by 2 minutes. I met up with a contingent of football fans who were also on the same flight and we couldnt resist getting seconds and having a few more beers in the lounge at the airport which served a great Som Tum (papaya salad). We were quite optimistic about how long the customs queue was actually going to be....anyway we made it....just. We touched down in Hanoi in the evening and we all met up at the Bia Hoi Bars to [View Full Entry]

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