Day 339: Wednesday 3rd June - Sukhothai: Thailand’s first capital Why do I do this to myself? Taking 6 hour bus journeys at 10:30pm at night isn’t sensible - you arrive at your destination at 4:30am, a time you would much prefer to be sleeping. At least the journey on the first class government bus in more comfortable than that on the second class one. Decent suspension so you don’t feel the bumps in the road, seats that recline more than a couple of degrees and blankets are provided to combat the air-conditioning. When I arrive in Sukhothai bus station a [View Full Entry]

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Day 337: Monday 1st June - Arriving in Nang Rong unwell Catching the overnight bus from Bangkok to Nang Rong, I broke one of my rules. Usually if a journey is more than 8 hours I will take a night bus and if it is less I will travel during the day. I didn’t realise that the journey to Nang Rong would be so short - 5 hours - which after leaving Bangkok at 11pm, puts my arrival in Nang Rong during the middle of the night. Not my best bit of planning, that’s for sure. The bus journey on one [View Full Entry]

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Day 332: Wednesday 27th May - Grand Palace & the Temple of the Emerald Buddha I decided after all to head to Bangkok this morning. I pay a bit extra for a minibus to drop my near Khao San Road (backpackerville), as by the time I pay for taxi’s either end of my journey it will be more expensive. Rather than stay on Khao San Road, which I’ve heard is incredibly noisy at night, I decide to stay a few streets away. That way I can have the best of Khao San Road - the nightlife - without it disturbing me [View Full Entry]

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Day 330: Monday 25th May - Caught up in the emotion of the ‘death railway’ The bus drops us off in Bangkok at sometime after 5am. I stumble off the bus weary after the journey with the rest of the backpackers and are immediately confronted by numerous offers for taxi rides and tuk-tuk rides on an otherwise quiet and deserted street. Most people I guess will be heading to Khao San Road, the main backpacker haunt in the city. I however, want to get a bus to Kanchanaburi - I will return to Bangkok in a few days. I manage to [View Full Entry]

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Day 320: Friday 15th May - A change of plans Which of Thailand’s islands do you go to? There are so many to choose from. On the west coast there is: Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta, Ko Tarutao, Ko Mook, Khao Lak, the Surin Islands and the Similan Islands. On the east coast there are just as many; Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, Ko Tao, Ko Samet, Ko Chang and Ko Kut. And, I haven’t even mentioned the 1500km of coastline that mainland Thailand enjoys! Where do you start, when there’s so much to choose from? I pick one coast [View Full Entry]

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Day 316: Sunday 10th May - Contrasting food experiences Not much to comment on today. I got the bus from the Cameron Highlands to Penang, which took 5 hours. Georgetown, Malaysia’s second city is yet another city in Malaysia where the bus station is inconveniently located out of the city. I can only think of Kuala Lumpur of all of the cities I’ve visited in Malaysia where this is not the case. Before I can get the bus into the city I need to get some change. Somehow, I don’t think the bus driver is going to take kindly to it [View Full Entry]

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Day 312: Wednesday 6th May - A change in temperature The journey from Taman Negara to the Cameron Highlands takes 8 hours, even though they are next to each other on the map. There is no direct road between the two places therefore a long journey. At least the scenery is good on the way as you pass tropical jungle, rolling hills and then vegetable and flower farms as you get into the highlands. The dominant feature of the journey though are the palm tree plantations, which seem to occupy a good proportion of the land in peninsula Malaysia. The minibus [View Full Entry]

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Day 308: Saturday 2nd May - The long way to Taman Negara The most direct route to get to Kuala Lumpur to Taman Negara National Park in central Malaysia is to get on one of the many buses operated by tour companies. I have a different idea. I have heard about the jungle railway which runs through the jungle-clad interior and which is rated as one of Malaysia’s best journeys. As well as the breathtaking scenery, the actual journey in the carriage sounds like it could be a fascinating experience. The nearest station to Kuala Lumpur which the jungle railway passes [View Full Entry]

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Day 307: Friday 1st May - Returning to the scene of my disaster When I arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday afternoon, I’m set on heading straight out to have a look at the Batu Caves on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. That is before the guy on the desk at my hostel, when he can be bothered to finally pay me some attention, tells me that it would be better to visit it in the morning. He is saying this because it is rush hour outside and the Batu Caves are 13km from the city centre. I am thinking he is [View Full Entry]

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Day 303: Tuesday 28th April - The wonderful riverside setting of Kuching Kuching is another city in Borneo where the long-distance bus station is on the outskirts of the city. A couple of helpful locals point me in the right direction of where I can catch a local bus to the city centre. I check in to Singgahsana Lodge which is surprisingly very good and hip for a hostel in Asia, although the price does reflect this. After having some breakfast I start to explore Kuching, Sarawak’s main city and one full of history. Sarawak was a part of the Sultanate [View Full Entry]

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