Day 396: Thursday 30th July - The best and worst of Vietnam on the journey to Hoi An It may not be the cheapest or indeed the quickest method to travel around Vietnam, but I have no doubt it is the best. What am I talking about? The Reunification Express, the train line which runs north-south from Saigon to Hanoi. In some countries travelling by train is impossible or impractical, but in Vietnam I think the Reunification Express will become an integral part of my journey and therefore my experience of the country. I have read that it is a great [View Full Entry]

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Day 394: Tuesday 28th July - On and off various modes of transport all day For the next two days I am on a tour to the Mekong Delta. I’ve changed my mind about whether to go to the Mekong Delta several times over the course of the last few days in Saigon, but in the end I chose to pay $23 for a two day tour. The case for was not wanting to miss out on seeing an example of Vietnamese agricultural life and after tracking the Mekong’s progress through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia I felt drawn to seeing it [View Full Entry]

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Day 391: Saturday 25th July - Staying in a $2 million colonial mansion The border crossing between Cambodia and Vietnam goes remarkably smoothly, the bus conductor does a lot of the admin work for you and amazingly I don’t have to pay any bribe money to cross borders. Just over 6 hours after leaving Phnom Penh, I’m in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now known. My first experience of Vietnam is the blur of dozens upon dozens of motorbikes flying past my position stood on the pavement next to the bus. Crossing the road would be a [View Full Entry]

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Day 385: Sunday 19th July - Eating crickets I opt to get the bus with Mike and Trudi to Siem Reap rather than take the boat due to a combination of factors: more time in bed, cost, journey time and sticking together with the other two. I would have liked to cross Tonle Sap Lake which is the largest in South East Asia but I can’t justify the additional $13 it will cost me. As we wait for the bus to turn up, there is a woman selling crickets so I decide to get a bag. They are tastier than they [View Full Entry]

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Day 383: Friday 17th July - Travelling to Battambang Today is a travel day, a long travel day. It takes us ten and a half hours from Kampot to Battambang via Phnom Penh. The bus picks us up early before 7am and I’m not ready. I hate rushing, not a good way to start the day. We get lucky in Phnom Penh and transfer directly from one bus to another without having to wait. The Phnom Penh to Battambang road is better and although a longer distance takes a similar - five hours. I’m shattered by the time we reach Battambang [View Full Entry]

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Day 380: Tuesday 14th July - Chilling out in wet Kampot We buy a bus ticket that includes pick-up from the guesthouse which saves us the trek through Phnom Penh. It is an early start as we are picked up at 7am. Not to worry it is a short journey which will only last 2-3 hours, as we travel south to Cambodia’s south coast. The journey turns out to be more like 5 hours as the bus takes the long route round as it is the better road. This is hard to believe as we pick our way through roadworks, potholes [View Full Entry]

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Day 370: Saturday 4 July - Wat Phu Champasak The bus drops me off next to the ferry port which I need to cross the Mekong to Champasak which lies on the other side of the river. The ‘ferry’ is two boats connected by a raft, which can carry a few people and motorbikes. Simple but effective, and typically Laos. On the other side of the river I wonder if I’m in the right place. I can’t see any guesthouses or even any sign that a tourist industry exists in the small village. I ask in a small shop and they [View Full Entry]

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Day 375: Thursday 9 July - Greasing palms I’m sad to be leaving Laos this morning. It has been my favourite country in Southeast Asia to date and one of my favourite countries on my journey so far. Papa takes me across to Ban Nakasang on his boat, offering me my second shot of Lao Lao of the day (he’s already given me one with my breakfast!) on the way. This is yet another example of why I have come to love this country - the people. Laotian’s are the most warm, friendly and generous people I have met anywhere in [View Full Entry]

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Day 371: Sunday 5 July - An interesting journey Six of us leave Vong Phaseud guesthouse at 9am and walk towards the ferry port. We have declined the offer of the guesthouse owner to take us in a mini-bus to Si Phan Don as he won’t budge on charging us 55,000 kip (£4) per person regardless if one of us take the bus or all five of us. He is being stupid, and clearly doesn’t need the money. Instead, we are more than happy to give 10,000 kip each to a family heading to Pakse on a sawngthaew full of bags [View Full Entry]

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Day 377: Saturday 11 July - A dull day Today is a fairly dull travel day. The bus journey to Phnom Penh is 6-7 hours and isn’t memorable save a stop near the capital where a girl is trying to sell me a tarantula. I have read that it is a local delicacy, but I’m not sure how you eat them, certainly not while they’re still alive that’s for sure. The girl sat next to me on the bus buys one which makes me feel a bit uncomfortable as she holds it next to me. Phnom Penh is a busy city. [View Full Entry]

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