Mat: It was a day of both sadness and relief when we sold our Minsks in Luang Prabang. We had intended to keep them for another week or so, but a German guy who seemed to think Minsks were the best motorbikes in the world, offered us US$650 for them (we had bought them for US$850 for both). This was after a good hammering during our 2 ½ month trip, a couple of indicators smashed off etc, and mine needing new clutch plates in a country without Minsk parts. Sad to see them go, but Trace and I had definitely got our hundred bucks worth from them! To both mourn and celebrate our loss of the Minsks I hired a Baja, and Jeremy and I planned for a good honest ride the next day. We had ... read more

Mat: Named after the primates whose calls wake you in the morning, the Gibbon Experience is a locally-owned eco-tourism project whose character and activities put it a league above all other tourist attractions on offer around Southeast Asia. A Frenchman dreamt up this novel concept for conservation - create incredible treehouses in the middle of pristine jungle and connect them with huge ziplines. Then let tourists loose on the area for three days at a time - no itinerary, just hang out in the 50m-high treehouses, zip above and through the jungle, or explore the jungle by foot. If tourists are flocking to the area for an amazing childhood dream of an experience in the trees of the Bokeo jungle, and the project is environmentally and socially sustainable, then in this country of marginal environmental protection, ... read more

Mat: Ha Long Bay is a must do in northern Vietnam. If Sapa is the Queenstown of Vietnam, Ha Long Bay is the Milford Sound. So we obligingly booked a 3-day tour of the place. One of the best US$50 I have spent. We were transported in a Mercedes van to Ha Long city, and boarded our boat. This first boat ended up being the only glitch of the trip as 40 minutes into our trip we stopped, a couple of jarring clunks were felt, and the motor was cut. After a torturous wait sipping Tiger beer on the sun deck surrounded by the beautiful limestone cliffs of Ha Long Bay, another boat from the same company turned up and tied up to us and escorted us through the bay for the remainder of the day. ... read more

Trace: After a thrilling motorbike ride through the Central Highlands, Nicki, Mat and I were all ready to relax and enjoy some good local food (and local beer) in the relative tourist mecca of Hoi An. Hoi An is 'Nam HQ for tailors and shoe stores, all 200+ stores in this small town advertise that they can make any item of clothing (or footwear) from a picture, from fabric of any colour, in any size, wool, silk, leather all no problem ... overnight. I got a suit jacket, pants, a shirt and a skirt all for $65US. Bargain at twice the price, and I figured that a sharp new suit may come in handy in the UK! Hoi an is home to several local speciality dishes. White rose was a lovely delicate dish, consisting of shrimp ... read more

Mat - Lazy blog and photos: We headed to Sihanoukville on the south coast of Cambodia for Christmas. Ended up spending six days or so there. Its hard to relax on the mainland beach because of the persistant kids selling stuff you don't want and lots of beggars, but we headed to Bamboo Island off the coast which was bliss after a couple of days on the mainland. The comments on the photos should fill you in more. If the videos don't work they will if you head to: http://www.fliqz.com/FliqzWebPublic/Dynamic/proxy.aspx?PID=1723&from=perma :) Trace: After Nicki and I arrived in Phnom Penh we headed to Tuol Sleng Museum, aka S21, a primary school that had been taken over by the Khmer Rouge (absolutely NO relation to the Moulin Rouge) in which over 20,000 Cambodians were tortured and murdered ... read more