On our way to Kunming we decided to take in what has been banded about as one of this areas 'must see' areas of China. We thought, "well, we've got a day to kill. Might as well pop over on the way".....It was stupendous! Literally meaning "Dragon's Spine", Long Ji is a range of hills that has been sculptured into extreme rice terraces over 80 generations or 2000 years. We went with a tour but as soon as we got within hiking distance of the terraces we ditched the tour bus and went it alone (well with some Mancunians we picked [View Full Entry]

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Ni hao! After thoroughly enjoying ourselves in Hong Kong, we were perhaps a little apprehensive about moving on into China. It is, after all, a totally different country (NOT), and rumoured to be one of the most challenging places to backpack around due the fact that no one speaks any English. What is said about the border crossing is 100% accurate. Getting through customs from HK is easy-peasy (Chinesey?) but once on the other side the English signs stop and the pointing, grunting and smiling politely begins. Weird huh? Almost as weird as the fact that you have to go through [View Full Entry]

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We came to Hong Kong for Lara. I was never really fussed but luckily agreed to go and really enjoyed it too. Having been away for about 130 days now Lara is really missing people and life at home. Hong Kong is the perfect medicine for people home sick for London. There is so much to see and do here. The first thing that struck us both is the intensity of the consumerist, "bigger is better" feel of the place. It is impossible to walk from one building to another without going through enormous shopping arcades. Of course Lara was excited [View Full Entry]

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The journey to Hanoi was always going to be a long one at almost 800km. During the daylight hours though it was a pretty impresive drive. In fact, although the buses have always been uncomfortable, it is impossible not to be impressed by the lushness that is Vietnams countryside. Rice paddy after rice paddy sit comfortably against a mountainous backdrop. Taking journeys during the day seems like such a waste of time but it gives you a great opportunity to see what goes on in a country. A few observations we have made over the course of this trip through Vietnam [View Full Entry]

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Well, its time for you all to laugh at us. We are in the Hoang Lien Mountains in North West Vietnam, only 30km from China, and thanks to the world wide web and some bbc weather reports it is colder here than back home. To make things worse.......at least you are all currently reading this in the warmth. Not for us...brass monkeys do not even come close. To add insult to injury...are we prepared with cold clothes?...nope. As I type I am wearing gloves (recently purchased), 2 hats (recently purchased) and a ski mask (see below), and I can still see [View Full Entry]

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Ooooooo how lovely art thou Hoi An! A Unesco World Heritage site, Hoi An represents the Vietnam of years gone by. Despite the influx of tourism its original charm remains in tact...not a neon sign in sight! The word quaint was invented with this place in mind. There is not much to do except wander around Hoi An soaking up the atmosphere. Dilapidated french buildings line pedestrianised areas on which you can sit and while away the hours drinking coffee and eating french cakes from the pattiseries. Just what the doctor ordered. There is a small thriving riverside market where ladies [View Full Entry]

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Sooooo, we arrived in Nha Trang after another hair raising journey. I would love to be able to write the rules of the road for Vietnam, unfortunately however, there are none. The driving seems to get worse as you travel East through Asia. This afternon we embarked on another suicide mission with An Phu buses( DO NOT USE). Some observations that we would make would be that you cannot assume that because you are travelling up one road with hundreds of other drivers coming towards you on both sides of the road that you are travelling up a one way street [View Full Entry]

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This is quite possibly the driest, sandiest and the hottest place we've been yet. Having been abandoned at the wrong hotel at 1am by a bus driver who thinks he knows where we are staying better than I do, we were in no mood for an early start to our day here. Mui Ne is basically a 6 or 7 km strip of beach with a fishing village at one end and resorts along the rest of it. You smell it before you see it because the town is Vietnam's premier producer of fish sauce. The beach is not all that [View Full Entry]

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Only for target practice mind you. Don't worry - I am not about to be a new female recruit for the Viet Cong, but I am not a bad aim really. Well, we are in Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon) in Vietnam at present. Saigon is pretty cool although not in temperature - its the hottest place in this crazy country. On arrival, I woke up on the bus to hear the driver saying "step out slowly, walk straight on, do not stop and do not look behind you". He was not giving us a run down on tactical crime [View Full Entry]

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Who knows why the capital of Cambodia gets such a bad name.....we loved it. Yes it's hot, dusty and busy. Yes, extremes of wealth and poverty are part of the daily diet. However, the desperate conditions of Cambodian life for many are the source of their hope for the future. This is a busy city with a great atmosphere and one of the favourites stop offs so far! With Lara being poorly again we decided to ditch the dorms and check into a swanky hotel rather than head into the backpacker district next to the Lake. Swanky for us cost $6 [View Full Entry]

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