- FOOD: Cheap, good and filling meal at bus stop; crocodile (tastes like pork); Lao lao shot (tasted like tequila); popular Indian (I can see why); our local - Sabaidee restaurant with fab tuna sandwiches and pad thai. - AREA: Much nicer bus back for just an extra dollar; quiet riverfront now the boat festival is over; cafes crammed with tourists; backpack pain (how I've grown to hate it); ripped travel trouser pain; Lao songs that I recognise. - PEOPLE: Nice tuk-tuk man; better bus driver; sweet bargainers; shouting but harmless people. - ACCOM: Hotel Bougnasouk again but this time a [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Pumpkin soup; steamed fish in Gaza leaf and fish curry (sadly far too many bones and overrun with aniseed tasting herb; river weeds (a must - they are so nice); pink drink - AREA: Tiny village - the most basic and stunning I've stayed in with steep mountains and vegetation forming the backdrop - the perfect chill out spot; breaking down bus; wake up chorus of screeching cockerals, babies and pigs; Tham Pha Thok limestone caves ; dirt road lined with palm trees as the highway; tiny waterfall; SNAKE in the wild; cockfighting; beautiful 6 hour boat journey and [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Hotel restaurant breakfasts and squid with ginger dinner - gooood; expensive but oh so nice salad; posher restaurant food; cocktails; Mekong fish. - AREA: Best preserved town in S E Asia: Winding mountain roads, rivers with terraced banks, palms, peaceful roads; Buddhist and French architecture; Wat Xieng Thong temple - mosaic everywhere; chained up monkeys; long stretch of fantastic night market; Phu Si hill with temples, cave shrine and Buddha footprint; giving blood and having massage at Red Cross; plinkety-plonkety music; midnight curfew; Tat Kuang Si waterfalls on Singh, the el [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Croissants and cake on the plane; hot, spicy papaya salad; banana and condensed milk pancakes, fresh spring rolls with mint, noodles and egg inside and sticky rice and coconut balls; fish on a stick; Scandanavian bakery; JoMa bakery; sweet Spy wine; the best beer in Asia - Lao beer. - PEOPLE: No taxi men hassling at the airport - just one polite man!; Lao people soooo laid back; many people crowding the river side for the festival; kids selling balloons; speed walkers; smart school children; crazy bus driver and his mates partying hard. - AREA: Cranky old Lao Airline [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Edam and Laughing Cow cheese; rice overload with our great grub at Capitol restaurant; fish overload and good French wine in 'Dead Fish' restaurant. - PEOPLE: Charnt and Paulie our lovely moto men and tour guides; thousands of people swarming Angkor Wat (with their umbrellas); fewer people at the outer temples; imaginative boy selling plates with your photo on; tuk tuk tour amusement; little sellers at every site; more crossing of paths with Tania; Dr. Beat Richner (Beatocello) - a truly inspirational saint of a man. - AREA: Good bus journey past more glorious scenery (with love [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Noodle and fish soup for breakfast; very alcoholic Mekong and coconut shake; good shakes; barbequeud squid; rice in a pancake with sugar; small donoughts; great Indian meal; Tim Tams! - AREA: Ochhentual Beach - the best and quietest although with a fair amount of rubbish and building work; Victory Beach - busier but a nice, narrow road with lots of food on offer; beautiful scenery on the bus ride. - PEOPLE: Lovely bike men who didn't even try to rip us off; children sellers who know how to talk and hassle you to death (I gave in and had [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Sticky rice with hot banana inside wrapped in a banana leaf; good veg omelettes at the Capitol cafe; Angkor Beer; dragonfruit; top street food; eggs with duck foetus' inside (I didn't try one); tiny birds deep fried (I didn't try one); fish paste; the most amazing and filling breakfast I've ever had; free drink in luxury lounge of hotel; very good French wine. - AREA: Cramped bus on very bumpy trip to the capital with 4 ferry crossings; the most beautiful jungle scenery and red rivers; manic, extremely busy roads (except when the Festival of the Dead is on) [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Pizza - so un-Thai, but so good. - AREA: Ok for a border town with all the amenities I needed. - ACCOMMODATION: Pop Guest House - sweet bamboo walled rooms and a HOT shower at last! - PEOPLE: Sad goodbyes to the animals and Tania; 12 people squashed into taxi truck; chatty girl interrupting 'Girl, Interrupted'! Wed 28th: Tigs looked very confused as we were packing our bags and we had to say sad goodbyes to him. I hope the next people treat him well. The score with the taxi is that you just stand on the side of [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Fresh fruit galore and my old pal sugared nuts; spicy papaya salad; Joy Cafe's excellent curry, free muffins, chicken with cashew nut noodles; muesli for breakfast; banana and coffee shakes; - AREA: Excellent government bus to Koh Chang; green, lush island with luxury hotels in the process of being built but not quite ruining it yet; Siam Beach - perfect and ours alone - big waves, palm trees and relaxation; Thai massage. - PEOPLE: Punctual Thais; lovely family with cute kids at Joy Cafe; very skilled fire throwers; Tiggy, the cat with balls; Lazy Bones the dog; Tania with [View Full Entry]

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- FOOD: Breakfast on a 45 minute flight! Red curry in gorgeous restaurant next to our hotel; unidentified but very good street snacks; more good street food for dinner. - AREA: Cute airport with trees and flowers; park in the middle of hectic Bangkok; efficient Skytrain; river boat to Khao San road past all the sites. - PEOPLE: Very sweet and smiley old lady running very sweet cafe. Thur 22nd Sep: I slept really well and then Tania and I headed to the airport to catch a flight back to Bangkok (who needs ferries and overnight buses when you have a [View Full Entry]

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