I was a bit nervous about Ko Pha Ngan, I honestly thought that it was going to be a hovel, similar to the costa del sol in Spain, dirty, trashy, full of Irish and English louts. I was pleasantly surprised. We decided to stay in a place that was a bit more up market because we were worried about our stuff getting robbed, as we had heard that was a problem on the island. We booked into the Milky Bay Resort which was located on Ban Tai Beach. Our hotel room was absolutely amazing! We had air con, tv, dvd player, [View Full Entry]

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After another long and tiresome journey in the less than promising thai bus service. We arrived in Ko Tao tired and sleep deprived. We were happy to be there however and it was one of the prettiest places I have seen as we pulled up to the harbour. After a short ride on the back of a pick up truck we arrived at one of the holiday villages and checked into a resort on the beachfront. This place was well set up for tourists and a definate holiday destination. There were dive schools, guesthouses and restaurants littered everywhere. We rented a [View Full Entry]

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All roads lead to Bangkok, the big Thai Capital... It was still dark and early when we arrived, it was cold and the touts were out in force. After no sleep and having to sleep upright and cramped in our "supposed" sleeper bus we were in no mood for the melee outside. Well accustomed to the business peddlers at this stage I was able to ignore their frantic pleas and shouts. We arrived on the infamous Ko San Road after some seasoned bargaining with the tuctuc driver...we still managed to get a little ripped off...but sure you try your best. We [View Full Entry]

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After such a brilliant time in Pai and for that matter, the whole of Asia, we both felt that we needed the detox. After the obligatory feed on junk food the night before we were ready to have our body and mind cleansed. When we first arrived I have to say we were both more than a little shocked. We were expecting it to be a detox in a nice enough place, near a traditional Thai Village. Instead we were to stay in a Lisu Hill Tribe Village called Nong Tong, in Mae Hong Son province. It is near the town [View Full Entry]

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The journey to Pai was reminiscent of Laos, winding steep roads with gorgeous green vegetation surrounding us. I read somewhere that it was one of the top motorcycling roads in the world and I could see why, it would certainly be challenging. I thought that we were heading to a secluded gem, off the beaten track, where loads of hippies had settled and decided to call home. Granted there were alot of hippies, but they were of the smelly, smoking weed, fire twirling variety, not the kind of people I want to get to know. There was this one guy that [View Full Entry]

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Arrived in Chang Mai safely, no worries at all. The first thing that struck me about the place was how commercial it was. Reminded me of a trip I took to America, with its Dairy Queens, KFC, McDonalds, big Cars and flat hot landscape. The first night there we checked into our guesthouse, which was pretty dismal in comparison to the place we had stayed in Luang Prabang. The bed was broken, it was stuffy, the fan didn't work properly and it had its own unique aroma. It was best to avoid the room as much as possible so we dropped [View Full Entry]

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I have heard many tails of nightmare journeys in Laos where people end up over the side of mountains or with armed gun men on their bus. Thankfully our journey to Luang Prabang was pretty uneventful in that sense. However it was one of my favourite journeys on the trip scenery-wise. We had a roller coaster like ride curving round and up the stunning green mountains. Luang Prabang is a stunningly pretty town, it had a real French Colonial/New Orleans feel, with shutters on the windows and really pretty balconies. It is also UNESCO World Heritage Site...which means thankfully it has [View Full Entry]

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Ah what can I say about Vang Vieng, the stuff that is made from backpacker legend. Everywhere that I traveled I heard tales of insanity and fun in this little picturesque town that is framed by limestone Carsts and the Nam Song River. Most people that had traveled through South East Asia had named Laos as their favorite destination, with Vang Vieng being their favorite town. As we climbed higher and higher from Vientienne we were greeted with superb scenery and beautiful landscapes. I was really looking forward to coming here and I certainly wasn't to be disappointed. The town itself [View Full Entry]

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I had a few hour lay over in Pakse on our journey from the Four Thousand Islands to Vientienne. I was disappointed to read in the Lonely Planet that there was not much going on in Pakse, that it was a sleepy town and quite boring. They couldn't have got it more wrong, or perhaps they haven't been there for the New Years celebrations. There were a few interesting Watts and a river to check out, so off I went on my merry way. Within minutes I was soaked to the bone. I didn't mind, it was a sweltering hot day [View Full Entry]

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We finally arrived in Laos with some regret at not being more organised. I guess it is one of those, "you live and learn" moments. It was well worth the effort though as Laos is amazing! Arriving across the border the difference in the landscape was marked. It was more green and luscious. We drove to a small harbour town and got a long tail boat the rest of the way. We had to pass through some of the "Four Thousand Islands" before Don Det revealed itself. It is an amazing little Island with lovely quaint wooden huts spattered across the [View Full Entry]

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