Vang Vienne is considered a stop over on the way to Luang Provang. Personally, I think it is a destination - especially for the budget minded traveler. Nowhere can you rent motorcycles, stay in a decent hotel, eat great food, get a massage and go on an all day tour all for less than $50 US / day. There is the popular inner tube scene which entails floating down a river in an inter tube and going bar hopping at the same time. Personally I missed that because I was too busy exploring other areas via motorcycles and kayaks. [View Full Entry]

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Vientiane is a like a small bangkok with some French influence. Only spent the night there before doing a a one day jungle tour between Vientiane and Vang Viene - Nice thing is after the tour I went directly to Vang Viene on the last bus. [View Full Entry]

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Luang Prabang is a very spiritual town. If you like peace, buddist temples and quant little shops near the Mekong River this is a great town for you. The bars are great too, you can find 2 for 1 drinks for $2. The local whisky tastes a bit strange but I still got plenty buzzed when I finished my 2 drinks. Beer Lao is quite good. Bars, however, shut down at 11PM. Many guesthouses shut down at 11:30 - When I returned back at my guesthouse at midnight I had to ring the bell and the owner came out in his [View Full Entry]

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The following are some tips that I learned when traveling to the Philippines: 1. Bring dollars and exchange into pesos at the airport. The best rate to get pesos was 42 peso/dollar in the US. When I arrived in Manila the airport had plenty of foreign exchange offices that were offering 47 pesos / dollar. 2. BEWARE of Taxi cab drivers - many are trying to overcharge. In Manila, to get from the international airport to the domestic airport you need to take a cab. It should cost no more than $3 for a white metered cab and maybe $5 for [View Full Entry]

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Sabang is an easy destination from Puerto Princesa. One could take a bus from San Jose station near Puerto Princesa or can book an underground river tour from Puerto Princesa, do the tour which takes about 2 hours, and then check into the hotel (this is what I did). The undergroung river tour is interesting, the most exciting part for me was getting there by boat which can be pretty exciting. Staying 3 days is about minimum. I met a guy who was going to stay 3 days and he's been there for 3 weeks. The big draw of Sabang is [View Full Entry]

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El Nido is an 8 hour bus ride from Puerto Princesa or 6 boat ride from Sabang which is how I got there. This is a must see if you are in Palawan. While in El Nido you must do the following 1. Go on an island tour - Tour A, Tour C 2. Rent a kayak from Art Cafe: Start at 8AM for 1/2 day. You will have too much fun and end up paying for a full day but you'll get your money's worth. 3. Rent motorcycles and explore the island. While on motorcycles, hike to the waterfall trail [View Full Entry]

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Puerto Princesa is the capital of Palawan and is where you can take most flights from Manila and Cebu. I stayed at D'Lucky Garden which is close to the airport, offers Wi-fi, accepts credit cards, and has a decent restaurant. Tours can be booked directly from the hotel. Honda Bay was the first tour where you visit 3 islands in one day. I went on a day that started off cloudy with showers and ended up stormy with wind and waves. Lucky for me I remembered my rain jacket which was useful especially with the waves crashing over the bow of [View Full Entry]

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