The bus to Nakasan in Laos was quick and painless, even the border crossing. Both the Cambodians and Loas officials ask for a ‘stamp fee’ or bribe which you can’t get out of paying and a man on the bus offers to get your passport stamped on both sides asking for $4 - $1 bribe on the Cambodian side, $2 bribe on the Laos side and $1 for himself. Rowan, the NZ guy I was sitting next to, and I decided this was a little out of control so did it ourselves, saving $2. I got away with only paying $1 to the Laos official by only giving one and pulling out the Khmer trick of repeating “sorry cannot, one dallaaar, only have one dallaar, sorry”. It worked. Everyone going to the 4000 Islands gets dumped ... read more

I didn't exactly love Cambodia when I first arrived. Poipet is well known for its visa and transport scams but I'd organised an e-visa beforehand so I didn't have any trouble getting in. Once there though, its hard to get to your next destination without being ripped off unless your willing to wait until the next morning when the regular buses apparently run. Any later than 8am and your only option is to take the free tourist shuttle to the 'bus station' run by one company who charge rediculous prices to take you anywhere. I took a share-taxi with an older English couple and an extreme American guy who speed talked the whole way to Siem Reap where the service included drop off at your accomodation. The entire drive went through nothing but barren, dry, brown ... read more

I arrived in Malaka in the afternoon and was shocked by the difference. I know it’s a different country but its still Asia. Malaka is just Bizarre and I feel like I’m in a European town with its clean non-pot holed streets, European architecture, and the lack of motor cycles. People speak perfect English and are really friendly in a way they can only be when they are wealthy enough and don’t rely on tourism for their livelihoods. You can ask all sorts of questions without being bullied into going on their tour or on the back or their motorbike for 5 times the price of public transport. I lapped up the Western comforts (lap swimming in the local pool, drinking tap water, walking down the street without choking, etc) although one day plus the evening ... read more

(WARNING: a whole lot of words and no photos) I was pretty indecisive on my arrival in Java. A guy on the boat had almost convinced me to stay the night it Banyuwani and catch the morning train to Yogya, then continue on to Jakarta which sounded good because I prefer trains over buses. I was restless though and anxious to keep moving so I booked a bus to Yogyakarta leaving at 6pm with a German couple and an Irish/Scotish couple I met in the ‘tourist information center’ – aka tour booking with large commission center. We hung out for the rest of the afternoon then got on the bus which was of course an hour late. It was a luxury of luxury buses with massively reclining chairs, footrests, pillows and blankets, which were definitely necessary ... read more

After getting my Indonesian visa I got my speed travel on and made it all the way to Lombok in a week. I caught a slightly more expensive but comfortable and organised bus all the way from Dili to Kupang in West Timor including all border crossing crap. Apart from waiting in a line of traffic watching a digging machine driving round on the top of the cliff pushing huge amounts of dirt and boulders onto the only access road for about half an hour, everything went smoothly. I was the only traveller and no-one, not even the bus driver spoke a word of english. Kupang is not exactly the direction I wanted to go in but this is the only place you can catch boats to other parts of Indonesia from Timor. On the bus ... read more