Neil and Jay

We only spent one week in Cambodia but we packed a lot in, dividing our time between the capital, Phnom Penh, and the Temples of Angkor outside Siem Reap. I (Neil) even managed to break my arm in the process, but more of that later! For a moment we thought we wouldn't get into the country at all because they took a dislike to a small tear on one page in Jason's passport and refused to issue him with a visa, but thankfully after some deliberation they let us in, and we didn't even need to resort to bribery. Thailand is sometimes called the Land of Smiles but we think that accolade should be shared with Cambodia. From the moment we arrived by boat on the Mekong River we received warm smiles and waves from the ... read more

At first glance the guidebook seemed to have oversold the French Colonial charm of Hanoi's old town, but looking beyond some of the horrible modern additions there are crumbling colonial buildings hiding some lovely old interiors strung out along the maze of medieval streets. One thing there is no denying is the energy and pace of Vietnam. First impressions are that it's totally different from Laos; it's not laid back - it's buzzing, energetic and constantly on the move. It seems more like China (on speed) than SE Asia. Motorcycles and cyclos are everywhere and the best way to get around the city was to take our lives in our hands and jump on the back of a motorcycle taxi, which was actually quite thrilling once we got over our initial reservations. Crossing the street was ... read more

Some people reading this will have already heard accounts of our previous trip to Thailand so we will keep this blog short and sweet. Needless to say the food in Thailand is still good, the people are still friendly and Bangkok is still an exciting place to visit. We spent most of our short time in Thailand visiting our friends Ian and Pop at their gorgeous home in north Thailand where they are well on their way to creating a luxury rural resort (www.maenaigardens.com). We spent a relaxing 6 days with them seeing the local countryside, eating some fantastic food and when it all got too much, cooling off in their fantstic new swimming pool. Whilst browsing in the Sunday craft market in Chaing Mai it was strange to see everything stop when the national anthem ... read more

Big lights, big city. Hello Tokyo! Tokyo is huge and seems to have lots of different centres but getting around on the extensive rail and subway system is easy. Finding a specific place, however, can be a bit of a nightmare because lots of the streets don't seem to have names - we found it better to just turn up in an area and wander around taking it all in. We stayed in the Shinjuku area, close to the busiest railway station in the world and around the corner from the Park Hyatt Hotel which featured in Lost in Translation, which was very central and convenient for all the sights. Most of the time we stayed in a simple hotel but for one night only we checked into a 'pod' hotel which was a bit like ... read more

Leaving the big city we were soon travelling deep into the Chinese countryside with the rain lashing at the train windows and paddy fields on either side for as far as the eye can see. Eventually we reached Yangshuo, a town surrounded by soaring limestone peaks (Karsts) on the Li River. The town itself is quite attractive and fun with loads to do, but it's the surrounding Karst scenery that is the real reason that visitors come here; it's simply stunning. We took a boat trip up the Li River and cycled around the paddy fields to get a better look by day, and by night we went out on the river again to watch the ancient practice of fishing using cormorant birds. We hope that the pictures do the area justice because it really is ... read more