Singapore was always about meeting my cousin Ula, and her husband, whom i had never met before. Infact i had not seen Ula for some 14 years (it seems that part of this adventure is catching up with relatives that i have not seen in many many years!!). It was great to see her again, and introduce her to Carmen for the first time. It was also great to see Vincent. They were kind enough to let us stay with them for a few days, and we were well cared for. Singapore was much like Malaysia, except that its richer and [View Full Entry]

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We entered Malaysia on a boat trip from Satun in Thailand to the beautiful island of Langkawi. We stayed at the Palms guesthouse, run by Sue and her husband. It’s a very nice, if a little basic chalet but, your right near the beach and you have everything you need within walking distance. The beach is the best bit. Ok the water is not as clear as in Thailand, but the sand is far better. Its that perfect white, powdery feel, and you can laze away for many a day. What is quite amusing, is to see the Malay guys, pretending [View Full Entry]

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We flew from Luang Prabang to Chang Mai on Lao airlines. We had read some pretty bad things about this airline, but it turned out to be not too bad. The airport in Luang Prabang is small, but it works. We arrive in Chang Mai, and book into the Top North Guest house. WHAT A SHITHOLE!!!!! We are not that fussy when it comes to places to sleep, given that we generally donl't spend that much time in the rooms. But you only really pay for the swimmingpool. The rooms are dingy, the mattress is crap, and it has an old [View Full Entry]

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So here we are again. We cross yet another border into Laos, which was actually the strangest border crossing ever. Its 2 huts in the middle of no where. 1 hut has 2 guys from the cambodian immigration, and 10 M further up you have another 2 guys in a hut, in the middle of no where, from the Lao immigration. It also happens that, although we have already paid for our visas prior to entering the country, you also have to pay the immigration officers to stamp your card. It works out at $1 for the Cambodian side, and $1.50 [View Full Entry]

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OK. I've decided that because i'm sooooo far behind with my blogs, i am going to give you all in 1. So it will hopefully be a bit quicker and less boring for you folk!!! Our border crossing from Vietnam to Cambodia was rather painless. We had a lady sort all this out for us (bribing the officials with packs of cigarettes i think). We then got very slow boat to near Phnom Penh (6 hrs), and then a bus to the city. By the time we arrived, it was about 1800, and we were dead tired. It was a lovely [View Full Entry]

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Saigon is a mad house. As i said in my last email (central highlands), we nearly had our legs chopped off my passing motorbikes, and had several near misses. We booked into the Vuong Hoa, and paid an extortionate price for a rather ordinary room. We stayed there 2 nights, but the staff were so rude, that we ended up moving. There are several hotels in hotel alley, off Pham Ngu Lao. Bi Bee is great, with great food. We set off that evening (our first night), and i was gasping for a beer. So we sat outside this cute little [View Full Entry]

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Nha Trang is known for its beach location and laid back atmosphere. It is here that we put down our bags for a well earned rest from the hectic schedule. We booked into the hotel, which was actually quite nice. Close enough to the beach, but far enough away from the noise. Not that there was much noise. Its a really laid back place, and the beach is quite a nice beach, without being anything amazing. We spent a day on another cruise, but this time snorkling in the clear waters of the south china seas. There is supposedly some great [View Full Entry]

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We decided to book a motorbike tour through the central highlands towards Saigon. We had thought about it, and decided that it would be a cool thing to do. Also, given that we were still kicking ourselves for not doing Sapa, we decided that this would make up for it. We would therefore spend 3 days with out drivers, riding through the Central Highlands, with our backpacks, and a whole load of trust in them. We had not figured on sore bums, and we should have listened to ourselves the days before, as the motorbike trip we did out of the [View Full Entry]

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We had a 12 hour train journey to Hue, and shared a cabin with a german couple on their honeymoon. After nearly drentching them in water (the bottle fell out of my bag whilst i tried to push it into the luggage hold near the cealing!!), we settled down and after a little chat, fell asleep. Had a good night sleep given the circumstances. Only found 1 cockroach (which i dutifully killed!). Cabin was clean enough. The other cabins were cockroach infested, so i guess we got some good luck!!! Stayed in another hotel. It was sufficient. Nice, not too glam. [View Full Entry]

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So we had done some homework the preceeding days, and had noticed the common complaints of scams at the border crossings. Initially the taxis try to charge you 80Y to take you to the border. This should only be 20Y per taxi (or 15Y pp on the minibus). We saw them coming a mile away. Once again, with only 4 hours sleep, it would be easy to loose your cool, given the swarm of people that engulf you as you try to make a plan. But, we knew what to expect, and as soon as they tried, we had them in [View Full Entry]

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