David here... We arrived at the bus station safe and sound, along with about 12 other people in the small Songthew that picked us up and we found our beds at the back of the bus, along with another English guy and an American. Quite cosy, but not too bad. The bus started off and straight away they brought out the evening meal of fried rice and egg, which was surprisingly nice actually. Once most people had finished they turned off all the lights, indicating that it was bed time...at around 09:30. So we settled down and actually did manage to get some sleep, despite all of the bumping and bouncing as the driver put his foot down and overtook everything else on the road. We woke up around 05:00 to find the bus not moving ... read more

Suzanne here... Well, we've fallen behind a bit, so Laos is going to have to be squeezed into a couple of blogs. I'll do the north and leave David to do the south. I can report with some authority that travellers diarrhea is very, very nasty. For seven days I felt like I'd been kicked repeatedly in the stomach, and really sick. I was starting to get a bit worried that I'd need medical treatment, but luckily I'm fine now and really appreciating my good health. Our first stop in Laos was Luang Prabang. What a lovely little town. Evidence of the French influence everywhere, and a really relaxed vibe. We went for a cheap guesthouse, but then really splurged on the food. The first night we went to the Blue Lagoon. Wow! I felt like ... read more

David here... We arrived at Chiang Khong around 5 o'clock after a 7 hour bus journey. We were picked up last by the private van and had to squeeze into the front with the driver. Suzanne had had a terrible nights sleep as she has now developed a 'severe poorly travellers tummy' so spent a lot of the journey in some discomfort. We found one of the recommended guest houses easily enough, after turning one down when the owner tried to rip us off by changing the price at the last moment. Glad we did move on as the room at Tam Mi La, whilst more expensive at £13, was a little bit of luxury and we immediately felt at home. We only planned to stay in Chiang Khong, an unremarkable border town for 1 night ... read more

Suzanne here... We've settled in Chiang Mai ok. On the way here we saw a coach the same as ours smashed up by the side of the road. I think it was a night bus, we'd already decided not to take them as we've heard they are dangerous. I'm very glad now. The guesthouse (TK guesthouse) is basic but clean, and a bargain at 200THB per night. They are friendly and also offer cheap tours and onward travel. I've recovered from my tonsillitis. Even the wound on my foot is looking less icky. We treated ourselves to the fish spa again. After trying to explain that I had a manky foot, in the end I just had to show the girls at the spa. Neither of them looked like they were going to faint, which I ... read more

David here... We got to Sukhothai very easily, though we did have a 2 hour wait at Ayutthaya bus station, which was in the middle of no where, which we took in our stride. We arrived after a 6 hour bus journey, some of which was disturbed by a baby crying right behind us, which didn't help Suzanne who was still feeling ill. We got to the TR Guesthouse at around 19:00 and got settled into the the room quickly. It is pleasant enough. Clean with a hot water shower and a fan for 250BHT (about £5). As it was already late on we ate in the guesthouse which had a restaurant area and served drinks. The food was unexpectedly good, especially the Masaman curry with chicken. Suzanne was still struggling with her throat so I ... read more

Some more photos...... read more

Suzanne here... Caught the boat from Ko Tao to Ko Phangan with no problems. Arriving at the pier was a bit of a nightmare. Dozens of people screaming 'you, black shirt, where you go?' 'hey blue bag, I take you in taxi' and the like. I know they are only trying to make a living and I don't mean to sound snotty, but it was a bit overwhelming. We marched past, booked on onward travel at the office, and headed into the town where we grabbed a taxi to Haad Yao. Shared it with another English couple, who were very nice, but were not staying at Haad Yao. Ko Phangan is renowned for it's full and half moon beach parties. Really, really not our thing, it's just not our type of music. Haad Yao on the ... read more

David here... We are now on the island of Koh Tao and enjoying island life very much! We arrived safely in Chumphon on Saturday and made our way to the Suda guesthouse. Suda was very warm and friendly and we had a very nice room with a shared bathroom, however being low season there weren't many other guests. Suda organised our boat to the islands and pick up from the guesthouse. We had to be up at 05:30 on Sunday morning which we managed with no problems. The boat ticket we have got allowed us to jump off at Koh Tao and then gives us onward travel to Koh Phangan, the next island in the chain. The boat trip was fine and only took just over 2 hours. We arrived at the island and was booked ... read more