OK, so that's the last entry from SE Asia and I'm actually writing this from Wellington in New Zealand, so probably forgot half of what happened already! Yeah, I actually wish I did...and you'll see why I wish that in a moment. Going to Bangkok second time around was like going back to your home town - familiar. That's also where I was meeting my friend Angela who, by the way, showed all of us the whole new meaning of bartering. At times, there seemed to be this very thin line bordering with abuse but it was more important to get [View Full Entry]

---

---

So, I've been getting all these emails and texts saying how miserable the English weather has been so far and how some people would like to kick or strangle me for not sharing this experience with them. I sympathise with you. ;o) Having said that, there is no way I'm coming back to the big gloom! Well, not just yet. If it's any consolation, I'm in New Zealand now and it's no beach weather here either. It actually rained today and it made me think of all of you stuck in my beloved and oh so very rainy England. Well, as [View Full Entry]

---

---

So, after the whole Cambodia stint, I quickly got back to Bangkok to hook up with Angela and we both set off to the islands to meet with our fate there. I've always wanted to go to Ko Phi Phi and thought it was about time to finally realise that little dream. Off we went then. Little did I know how Angela felt about boats though. Poor girl was sick something like 10 times while on the boat and then fainted when we got to the island. She was then carried in a trolley to our hotel altogether with our luggage. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Let's get on with these blogs, shall we? I'm in Bangkok when writing this and need serious therapy after Kho Pha Ngan parties... However, I still have to tell you about what happened in Cambodia, right? For those who don't know (and I've met some people who didn't), Cambodia is famous for Angkor Wat - one of the most amazing temples you'll ever get to see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat It is so famous there that you can see it pictured everywhere you go and it is of no surprise as it is truly an amazing piece of architecture that you should see at [View Full Entry]

---

---

Right, as I said before, after parting with quite a few pounds in Hoi An, I escaped to Mui Ne to forget all about it :o) And it was the best place to do so - white sand beaches, peace and quiet. I hooked up with a nice girl from Luxembourg (we both shared the Hoi An experience as well) and managed to bump into this Irish guy that I met before, and so we all stayed in this lovely resort 2 min from the beach. We decided to live on the edge and got a jeep at 4.30 next morning [View Full Entry]

---

---

OK, I'm seriously behind schedule with these blogs but the internet time seems to be happening only when I'm waiting to hop on some bus or when I've had enough of everything else and it's so hot that I want to hide in a dark place and do something like typing for example - why not? I am actually in Bangkok when I'm writing this, so have loads more latest things to tell you but it'd be just terrible if I skipped Hoi An and what I did next. So, here we go: Hoi An - the tailors' capital of Vietnam, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hanoi, apart from being a really cool city, turned out to be a great base to go and see lots of beautiful places that are scattered in its parameter. And so, one day we ventured to Tam Coc - a little place with big rocks dipped in the river. We were sat on a small boat while a couple of locals were paddling around. They spoke some French, so we could actually have some interaction with them as most of Lao and Vietnamese people don't usually speak English (apart from a few necessary words such as: "money", "tip" and "more"). Sometimes [View Full Entry]

---

---

You probably already have an idea of what this city might sound like... Yes, a big honking ground! And these guys luuuuuve their honks! They use them to say: "I'm here!!!" And you have to remember, out of 4m people, 3m have a bike, and so they can make quite a racket... The traffic rules are easy and as follows: 1. You mainly drive on the right but driving on the left is acceptable, usually short distance though. 2. One way street rule applies only for long distance journeys. 3. Do as much slalom as the traffic permits - lanes are [View Full Entry]

---

---

After getting on a bus in Luang Prabang and making our way through windy roads in the mountains of Lao nowhere (and feeling rather sick as a result), we finally got to Vang Vieng - a little town by the river with lots of exciting things to do. Nice one! First thing of course, we ran straight to the river front and got ourselves a room in a newly built guesthouse with still fresh paint on the walls (read: nice and clean). Score! Next thing to do was to shower and to find some hammocks. It so happens that Vang [View Full Entry]

---

---

That's pretty much the theme in Luang Prabang (and everywhere else really). You can't see anyone working - they just sit around or sleep around and that's pretty much how days go by here. You walk into a shop or a post office and before you get to do anything, you have to wake up the person sleeping on the desk - makes you feel veeeery lazy indeed! Other than doing nothing, the town has one more theme: French influence. And you have to love the French: they left quite a few decent things behind when they moved their French [View Full Entry]

---

---