http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/SASINSEA/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from SASINSEA en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:55:37 +0000 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:55:37 +0000 We had to spend 4 days in Hanoi to await our visa extensions yes that's how long it take and it costs USD20 each and you have to go through your guesthouse there is no option to arrange it directly with Immigration. So we thought we'd make the most of it and explore by foot as is our wont. Hanoi is a lovely city with a beautiful lake and parks some of them you need to pay an entrance fee http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Northwest/Sapa/blog-80567.html Ask Steve how to get from the Ninh Binh Railway Station to the Xuan Hoa Guesthouse and he wouldn't be able to tell you. It wasn't because he was really boozed getting off the train nor was it because my sense of direction is better than his no deleting that Stevie but because he was practically delirious from a fever that suddenly came on whilst we were on the train. Our train journey from http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Halong-Bay/blog-73012.html OK first up let me apologise for not having posted anything on the blog for several weeks. I am tempted to blame Stef but I have to take full responsibility here. Up until now Stef had been doing most of the writing whilst I was in charge of the photos and other 'techie' bits of running the blog. I did promise Stef that I would write about our first parts of Vietnam and I have been procrasti http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-68126.html After spending a couple of days catching up with Roxy and Mark in Mui Ne we felt that we still hadn't really experienced much of Vietnam and indeed didn't really feel that we were in Vietnam or the Vietnam we had expected to experience at least. So we jumped on a bus to Nah Trang to see what that was like. We drove into Nah Trang city and found a guesthouse called the Perfume Grass that had http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/North-Central-Coast/Hue/blog-69392.html The three hour drive from Phnom Penh was definitely one of our more interesting journeys. There are apparently no scheduled buses to Kampot so we had to make our way to a market square in Phnom Penh where we could pay 4 to join a minibus that drove through Kampot on the way to somewhere else. When we got to the market place the minibus was jampacked. However miraculously two seats appear http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Kampot/blog-63725.html We had a rather civilised journey down to Phnom Penh from Siem Reap the road was tarmacked all the way down so it was smooth sailing. However Phnom Penh was a whole different story. As soon as we were off the bus we were jumped on by touts offering rides to guesthouses. We have learned to expect this from everywhere we have been but in this case the bus company shuttled us into their offi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-63717.html Well actually we had already decided to fly to Siem Reap from Pakse on 30th April as we had heard some horror stories about crossing the border by land. So we flew Laos Aviation which we had also heard horror stories about but it seemed the lesser of the two evils. In fact the stories were unfounded we had safety belts and the plane did remain in the sky for the duration of the 50 minute flig http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Angkor/blog-61703.html Hands down this has been our favourite place so far. The relaxed culture the stunning and everchanging landscapes and the wonderful people all made this a place we want to return to. Our favorite foods were the rice soup for breakfast and the amazing riverweed like sea weed but thicker and lightly fried in garlic and sesame seed usually eaten with fresh chilli and sticky rice both of whic http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-61695.html We had a bit of a treat travelling down from Vientiane to Pakse we travelled in relative luxury on an overnight VIP bus It was perfect until they woke us up at 5.30am with blaring loud Laos Karaoke videos argh Also poor Matt didn't get much sleep as an older French man decided to take the seat next to him and was getting a bit too close during the night.........we've never heard Matt http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/South/Pakxe/blog-59493.html First of all a big G'day to the friends and families of Phil Millsy and Karen Helen who are now tuning in as the aforementioned found it was easier to link our blog site to their respective ones rather than write their own account of Pi Mai guys... we're flattered . After 10 wonderful days in Luang Prabang and 4 days caving and floating down the river in tubes in Vang Vieng it was time http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vientiane/blog-59491.html This is Matt aka Gunja reporting from LaosEach town we visit in an adventure and despite our map declaring Vang Vieng the chill out town we certainly had an adventure or two. We stayed at a guesthouse called Pan's Place and it was a small yellow villa with a great vibe. Shortly after arriving we caught up with some of the other backpackers we'd previously met at one of the many restaurants th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vang-Vieng/blog-55938.html It has been a wonderful week we have spent in Luang Prabang. It was hard to leave Muang Noi one of Laos' best kept secrets but I'm sure we'll return one day. We have spent most of this week drenched I have tried many times to get to the internet cafe without being soaked but have failed each time...... We have met up with a really great crowd. Phil and Millsy who we originally met in Ch http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Luang-Prabang/blog-54575.html Both of us are feeling a bit fuzzy this morning after celebrating last night with food Beer Laos and Lao Lao Laos whiskey made from rice tastes a bit like sake. In Sydney I would be lying in front of the telly trying to get over my hangover whilst Steve would be playing computer games here we sit looking at the Nam Ou river eating rice soup and drinking Lao coffee. Instead of the TV we are http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Muang-Ngoi-Neua/blog-54573.html Early on 2nd April we crossed the border into Laos at Houang Xai after spending an ordinary night in Chiang Khong which is a basic border town with not much more than a few very cheap guesthouses and a few businesses. At the border we did note that although it was Sunday many people were getting their Laos visas. It seemed that we have happened upon a bit of a scam as those travellers on ou http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/North/Luang-Namtha/blog-53931.html The following are excerpts from our journaI as there was no internet access from the village of Muang Ngoi. I write this as I lay in my hammock over looking the Nam Ou river. Children play on the steps leading down to where fishermen work on their long boats and fix their nets. Steve is helping another backpacker Eduard from France to carry bamboo poles up from the river to behind our bungal http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Muang-Ngoi-Neua/blog-53935.html Arriving back in Thailand was quite a culture shock after spending two weeks in Myanmar. However we did take advantage of a few things that had missed the first thing I had was a chocolate milk shake and a massive steak that hardly touched the sides Steve headed straight for the Bangkok Post needing his fix of world affairs. Although Chiang Mai is the lovely nothern sibling city to Bangkok http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-53930.html The last two weeks in Myanmar has been a wonderful 14 days of experiencing the land and lives of the Myanmar people. We have been touched by their generosity and kindness with the very little that they have to offer. We can only hope that we have too touched some of their lives in some small way. Our last night was spent in Yangon so we decided to explore an area to the west of the guesthouse f http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-49259.html How sweet it is to be by water again Bagan was beautiful but my god it was dry After our last day there we read as 'Steph' decided that a 10 hour bumpy car ride across winding mountains to Eastern Myanmar was pretty much out of the question. I had spent half the day in bed with a heavy cold and I think Steve even dreaded a 10 hour car journey with me coughing and spluttering all the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-49576.html 15th March 2006 Mandalay MYANMAR the land of contradictions and contrastsOkay the journey by road was actually fourteen and a half hours on the slow coach to Mandalay. It was an experience and we're glad we did it but NEVER again. So Mandalay is quite different to Yangon. The pace is much slower the people are even friendlier everyone says hello and the city is much smaller in he http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-49555.html 18th March 2006 Bagan MyanmarThe journey down the Ayerwaddy Irrawaddy River was truly magnificent. Departing Mandalay at sunrise we were privy to the new day breaking over a land of exquisite stupas shining gold and white in the new day light. Fishermen were out in their long boats attending to their nets in the muddy waters of the Irrawaddy. It couldn't have been a site from 13th centu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/blog-49564.html