San Pedro

YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE I went to Chongqing for one reason and one reason only - to do the 3-day slow boat trip down the Yangtze River to the city of Yichang, where the plan was to spend one night before continuing up to Xian. As usual from the airport I got to my hostel - The Yangtze River International Youth Hostel. I arrived at around two o'clock in the afternoon which gave me time to check out the various options for the tour and have a wee wonder around the city. I didn't want to waste any time. I'd only booked one night in the hostel but after umming and arring for too long I ended up spending an extra night. I didn't mind though, the hostel folk were real nice and the food in the ... read more

The trip was fine in the end... it was a sleeper bus and I'd heard more than enough bad stories about sleeper buses so I think I was expecting the worst. In the event it was pretty cosy really and I had an almost fully reclining seat and just about enough space so that even a lanky bugger like me can relax. I still didn't sleep a wink though! Anyway, we got into Hanoi at around 10 in the morning on Tuesday and I checked into Friendly Backpackers' Hostel - 6USD a night getting me an A/C dorm and free breakie. My plan was to get the wheels turning on my Chinese visa as soon as possible since I wanted to go with the cheaper (and slower) processing option, so after unpacking a few things and ... read more

I got into Phnom Pehn Sorya's bus station and shared a tuk-tuk with a Canadian guy who'd booked up at Hostel 88 just to the northwest of the Wat Phnom temple. It was another great hostel with another free pool table and outdoor pool, although this one was considerably warmer than the one in Siem Reap. It was 7USD a night. So far Cambodian hostels seem to be head and shoulders above those in other Southeast Asian countries. Phnom Pehn was hot... ball-sweatingly, T-shirt-disintegratingly hot and possibly the hottest place I've been to in my life so the aircon in the dorm and outdoor pool were lifesavers. Going outside at any point between 11am and 6pm was madness! I stayed for 6 nights which was longer than I wanted but I was forced to stick around ... read more

The border crossing was fine and I stayed in a hostel in Udon Thani just round the corner from the bus station meaning I could leave my room about 5 minutes before departure and stumble onto the bus without having to think too much. It was a VIP bus again only this was a proper VIP bus complete with toilet and breakfast, lunch and water included in the ticket. I arrived to Bangkok around 4 in the afternoon at the northern Mo Chit bus terminal from where I ignored the hoards of tuk-tuk / moto drivers vying for my attention and walked straight out of the station and over to the Chatuchak Park metro stop. It was a good-sized walk although I didn't help myself by getting a tad lost. I never would've tried it if ... read more

"The Gibbon Experience" will fall into the category of things I’ll probably remember forever. I got into Huay Xai around 5pm exhausted and hungry after my trip up from Chiang Mai and I knew that The Gibbon Experience office closed at 7pm so I spent no time messing around looking for a guest house and just headed for the first one at the top of the list in the guide book - Friendship Guest House - 70,000KIP (7 Euros) for a private room and access to the great view of the Mekong River from its rooftop terrace. I pretty much just threw my things down on the floor and went straight to the Animo Office - the tour group that organises The Gibbon Experience. There are two tours available - Classic or Waterfall and they set ... read more