Mark and Lorna

For the last three weeks of our trip Lorna’s sister Phil and boyfriend Rob came out to join us. We picked them up at Bangkok airport and took them out to sample the delights of Thailand, namely Sang Som whiskey -lethal stuff! While in the capital we popped into the Grand Palace to see the King (who wasn’t in). Then from Kaoh San Road we took a bus out to Kanchanaburi to visit the Bridge over the River Kwai. We then decided we had done enough sightseeing and it was time to hit the islands! Our first stop was Koh Tao to learn to scuba dive. It took four days of studying (what a shock to the system that was!) and learning scary things like taking your mask off underwater but we all survived and made ... read more

We flew into Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It is quite unlike any other capital city we have been to, the restaurants shut all afternoon, the idea of traffic is a few motorbikes and the central point is an almost deserted water fountain. Not surprising for a country with a population only a little over 5 million. Despite this, well actually, because of this, it is a lovely place. The feeling is so laid back and the people so friendly. Laos is definitely not yet spoiled by tourism and long may it remain that way. So in Laos style we decided to do nothing but sit in cafes and relax while in Vientiane. After a few days there we went up to Vang Vieng, the home of 'tubing'. Tubing was cool, they lend you a tyre, ... read more

Our first stop in Cambodia was in Siem Reap, home to the many temples of Angkor. We bought a three day pass to the temples and set out to do our best to see as many as possible. On day one we did the main temples, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, they were very impressive. We managed to fit quite a lot of temples in the next day, many of the smaller ones which were still great to see. On the last day we went to Banteay Srey, the most intricately carved one. Around some of the temples we saw wild monkeys and at Phnom Bakeng there were elephants carrying people up the hill. After Siem Reap we flew to Phnom Penh, the capital, so we could learn about the atrocities the Cambodian people suffered in ... read more

We stopped off in Hong Kong for a few days on the way to Thailand. The city has more skyscrapers than any other in the world which is clear to see. On our first day there we took the Peak Tram up Victoria Peak to get the best view of the city below. As we were staying on Hong Kong Island we had to catch the Star Ferry to get across to Kowloon. Each night there seemed to be some form of entertainment over there, either waterfalls dancing to music or building lights flashing in time to the tunes. From Kowloon we took a ride in a Junk one night. We were the only people on it and it was a great trip, we sailed (well, actually it was a motorised Junk, so we motored) around ... read more

Our first destination in China was Beijing. The city is full of temples which we made every effort to see:- the newly restored Temple of Heaven with it's brightly coloured shrines, the Lama temple which is home to many monks, and of course the Forbidden City, a huge city of temples and relic museums. We visited Chairman Mao's Mausoleum in Tiananamen Square where we were ushered quickly through, past his preserved body. We also saw Mao's huge portrait hanging on Tiananamen Gate, the entrance to the aforementioned Forbidden City. The highlight of Beijing was undoubtedly the Great Wall of China. We visited a section called Badaling where we walked as far as was possible (only sections of the wall have been restored). It was hard work, it is very steep in places, but well worth it. ... read more