Georgetown is at the heart of Penang and is where most of the travellers head. The island of Penang is on the Eastern gulf of Malaysia. It does have a few beaches scattered of the coast but we wanted some city life so after getting off the bus from Alor Setar we jumped on a ferry and headed into town. It's not a huge place Georgetown, streets are narrow with old terraced colonial buildings. The street with most of the guesthouses on is called 'Love Lane'.. brilliant. The town has a similar feel to that of Hanoi... tourism is a money [View Full Entry]

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Our last day in Thailand and we were up early hoping that enough passengers wanted to go to Malaysia and the boat would be going! We missed breakfast as we wanted to get an early start but made a pit stop at the 7-11 for milk en route. Once we arrived at the port we got our passports stamped and headed for the jetty.. however as we speedily approached the pier there was very few people about! Surely someone wanted to go to Malaysia! The driver told us we needed 10 for the boat to go.. so far they had sold [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Ko hi by ferry from Ko Lanta under a dark stormy cloud and we knew the inevitable was going to happen. Ko Hi is a very small island lined by one long thin stretch of white sand. The water was a similar turquoise blue of Ko Phi Phi and we were looking forward to getting out and snorkeling. We knew that finding some budget accommodation was going to be tough and expected to pay a little more, however after walking the beach from top to bottom we were surprised how nasty the budget stuff was. We took the [View Full Entry]

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Firstly we would both like to say 'thanks for all the comments so far, it really is nice when we log on and read them - thank you and keep them coming' It was sad to leave Phi Phi - such a place of natural beauty... but I guess that's travelling!! It's not like we were going to find a little deserted island and stay there forever.. hmmmm... actually...maybe.. ;-)!!!! We arrived back in Krabi hanging off the back off a packed songtaew (in true fireman style) and checked into the Chay chay lay guesthouse, the same one we stayed in [View Full Entry]

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Our next stop after Railay was the gorgeous island of Ko Phi Phi but first we had to take a longtail boat back to Ao Nang and arrange onward travel. We originally planned to stay in Ao Nang for a couple of hours and then try to sort out a boat ride to Phi Phi but then changed our minds. We figured that spending one night on the mainland would give us chance to check our emails, call home and stock up on some essentials. Ao Nang is a major tourist town so prices are premium. We struggled to find anywhere [View Full Entry]

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After various experiences of 'overnight sleeper' buses in Vietnam we were a little apprehensive as we boarded the sleeper train from Bangkok to the south of Thailand. As we entered the platform dusk was setting in and the air was thick with fumes. People were rushing about, bored station officials watching them hurl bags onto carriages, everyone wanting to be somewhere. We were directed to our home for the night and after walking past 12 carriages we climbed aboard. The carriage was very basic but comfortable with lime green walls, spongy seats and stainless steel ladders leading up to bed [View Full Entry]

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Crossing the border back to Thailand was a strange old feeling, flocked by monks in orange robes we found ourselves walking across a pathway with Cambodian and Thai flags. Just seeing a Thai flag gave us thoughts of air conditioned shopping malls, clean rooms and familiar food. The last time we were in Thailand we were 'new' travellers hitting the road for the very first time. More organised and much wiser now (kinda) we had made a list of stuff we needed to stock up on and things to do. We chose an unusual way back to Bangkok. From the border [View Full Entry]

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We decided on an alternative mode of transport to Siem Reap and instead of taking the cosy minibus we booked onto a coach. We had the option of a 4,6,8,11 or 14 dollar coach, we shall let you guess which one we chose!! The journey was ok, the usual schedule of 6 hours which turned into 8. One interesting note was the pit stop we had. A chance to depart and go for a toilet stop and a spot of lunch. After wondering around some scattered stalls we came to one that sold fried spiders..which seemed popular with the natives, we [View Full Entry]

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I looked over and noticed that our driver, who was swinging on the door of the minibus at the time, passing something to someone in uniform on the street as we drove by. Strange.. it's just happened again.. and he is at it again. I try and figure out what he has in his hand but he keeps it a secret stuck between his thumb and his palm a bit like a magic trick. Unable to see what it is I try and figure out who he is passing these mystery things to. The receiver dressed in all black with a [View Full Entry]

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A short tuk tuk journey into town and at first glance its not as pretty as Kep. It's much bigger than its sister town and has a more cosmopolitan feel to it. Locals are out in the street doing daily stuff. Street corners are hugged by moto drivers, traffics islands have gas stations on, the day we arrived was the start of a 3 day wedding! We initially struggled to get somewhere to stay,and after a longish hike across town we headed to the riverside. This pretty part of town has a line of guesthouses and restaurants, pays host to a [View Full Entry]

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