On 5th March (Happy Birthday Sis!) we got our bags packed again and said our goodbyes to Lao. We've been here less than a fortnight but made our way from the far north to the very south, getting in a lot of sites on the way. I'm quite sad at only having stayed one night at Dhon Kon. The islands here are so beautiful, i could have spent a week in my hammock just watching the world go by. A slowboat took us to a packed tuk tuk which started to negotiate the rocky roads on our journey to Cambodia. Felt sorry for the old scotsman who was up on the roof for the journey alongside our bags, although i think it was his own choice - the crazy cat. By the time we were crossing ... read more

So we did kayak here in the end!! We got a truck to our start point on the Mekong river then set off on a little practice run. I was soon pulled up by the instructor tho. He called me over and said 'no professionals'. i said 'i'm not a professional'. he said 'well you should be!' in the end they paired me with smith and asked me to show him the ropes, whilst jonny the intrepid explorer sped off into the distance. Before lunch by the river we faced our one and only set of rapids. Apparently there is some grading system for the intensity of rapids, and this was only a grade 1. Still looked pretty angry from where i was sat on the rocks, so it was great news when the instructor said ... read more

Hey guys, this message is coming fresh from the old town of Luang Prabang, which is pretty central in Lao. It was last Tuesday when we said our emotional goodbyes to Chiang Mai. It has definitely been the favourite place i have visited so far, and apparently it makes it into Jonny's top 3! the people were so genuinely friendly and there was so much to see and do, both at day and night. We had a fair old trek further north to eventually get to the border crossing, and took a small riverboat to eventually end up in Laos. We stayed the night in Huay Xai, a very sleepy town consisting of basically one street. We managed to get our first taste of Beer Lao, which deserves the title of the best in Southeast Asia. ... read more

Hey there again guys, hope you're all sweet. Time to update u on our goings on once more. Woke up from our hectic night on Wednesday around midday to find Jonny had already shot off to see the sights on his lonesome - the cheeky sod! Myself and Mike then made it our mission to try and polish off the 'big guns' of temples in record-quick time. Wat Phra Sing was the first stop. On first impressions I'd say it was a perfect example of Lanna architecture (Lonely Planet, 2004) Inside were some incredibly detailed murals depicting the life of the last Buddha from what I could tell. Beside the temple was a beautiful garden with the 'trees of sage and wisdom'. All around were printed thought-provoking messages such as 'peace is the highest bliss' and ... read more

Well kids, had the first experience of train travel in Thailand yesterday and it was definitely an experience for shizzle. There was a huge surge for seats and it was hard to compete with a giant rucksack on my back. Glad I managed to get one; mike and jonny lucked out so had to be constantly on the move in the aisle as women were parading up and down the length of the train selling drinks and some suspect foods. All the windows were open to help make the trip bareable, although it wasn't so great when the brakes overheated and smoked filled the whole carriage! Got lucky when we arrived at Ayuthaya as the owner of a hostel was driving passed in her jeep. We hopped in the back then cruised to the P U ... read more