Vik´s version: And so we made our flight. Only just. And our final few hours in SE Asia were a little less calm than anticipated; a hasty Pad Thai as we motored through the streets of Bangkok in the midday heat and no time for a farewell Chang, just a rapid dash for the airport. And then the problems really started. Our delight at arriving at the check-in desk soon subsided when the exceptionally smiley lady informed us that we did not have the correct visa to travel to Australia. In fact we did not have any visa to travel to [View Full Entry]

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Vik's bit: So the compulsory border shananigans (particularly enjoyable when you're surfacing from - yet another - overnight bus journey) and we arrived bright as buttons(!) in what must certainly be the quietest capital in the world, Vientiane. So much so that by Day 3, Steve and I were beginning to wonder if there had been a military coup and we had missed it. But as there seemed no immediate threat of danger we opted to stay and soak up the solitude. And then onto 'The Plain of Jars', which are pretty much as the title suggests; a plain (or two) [View Full Entry]

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Steve's rumblings: Our arrival in Phnom Penh was full of mixed feelings, having recently read 'First they Killed my Father' (good tip Bickford) the dark empty streets seemed ominous. However this may have been due to really poor street lighting, and the new year, which is celebrated here by going home, for which most people head for the countryside (perhaps one of the remnants of the Khmer Rouge era?). It was hard to gauge how the city must appear normally, as most shops were closed and there was little traffic through the day, although the parks were packed at night. The [View Full Entry]

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Vik's account: And if you know you're history, it's enough to make your heart go wohohohoh...Tell me ma, me ma, we don't want know tea, no tea, we're going to Wembley...!!! We tried to spot you on the tele Ian, Steve was certain you would have backcombed your hair and dyed it black for the occassion!! Maybe for the final?? Anyway... We continued to plunge southward through Vietnam via, what turned out to be, a very well worn trail. The slender shape of the country creates the perfect channel for the belt of tourists and by the time we left it [View Full Entry]

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From Steve, We arrived on a night boat, 60 people crammed onto - effectivley - two very long beds, then bounced around on fairly rough seas for 9hrs...another great form of transport. Ko Tao was an island of two halves, seperated by an almost vertical 300 mtr hill. On the one side, quiet empty bays with palm trees and crystal clear water, on the other, Blackpool in the sun...kiss me quick hats and all. It was tough deciding which side to go for. One day we thought we should take the footpath over, a simple 2km on the map...3hrs later we [View Full Entry]

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From Vik: Three countries and Steve is almost through yet another beard cycle since we last typed. Our arrival in Singapore was like consuming a post-India recovery drink; everything went so swimmingly it was a bit like being part of some hugely efficient virtual world. We spent two days lurching from one air-conditioned shopping mall to the next, with the highlight undoubtedly being the fabulous food markets that we stumbled across. However our avoidance of the swanky restaurants in favour of the backstreet local options did mean that we often had no clue as to what we were consuming... [View Full Entry]

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Steve's bit It turns out india is not great for internet cafes! We decided to stay in the Himalaya for 9 days it was so restful. The air was clean, often cold when the wind blew from the moutains or warm from the plains. The skies were full of birds of prey, the higher we went the larger they were. The days seem to fly by, mostly filled with walks and momos. My beard grew until in a blinding moment of insight i realized i was starting to look like one of the crusty hippies, or plastic indians (westerners trying to [View Full Entry]

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Vik's Our move to Amritsar took us out of Rajasthan and into the state of Punjab; the dusty browns became fertile greens and the waterways flowed rather than stagnated. With this as our introduction, it came as something of a surprise when we exited the railway station (Steve's technique for avoiding the army of awaiting rickshaw drivers to take us to "best hotel" is really developing into something quite special) and found ourselves in perhaps the filthiest street that we have yet wandered in to (the only reason it gets a 'perhaps' is as a result of the smog being so [View Full Entry]

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From Vik I can confirm that, following several bus journeys now, the train is most certainly a superior mode of transport here. The overnight bus to Jodhpur was a shaky experience to say the least. No snorers (not that we would have heard them behind our perspex wall in the roof of the bus) but the time (in hours) that we spent with our entire bodies lifted from the floor matches roughly the time we managed to spend on the floor. Our relief at arriving in Jodhpur quickly subsided when we realised that we were in the middle of nowhere (a [View Full Entry]

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The overnight train from Delhi was fun, one man in the opposite bunk managed to impersonate a mating water buffalo all night whilst appearing to be asleep...which was nice. Last few days have been much more peaceful, Udaipur is far less hectic, the open sewage system seems to work much better, so less bad smells and more pleasant aromas fill the air. The trees are full of life, palm squirrels, hanuman monkeys bounce between the branches (although sometimes they miss..which is quite funny as they try regain their dignity), all sorts of birds fill the sky, the vultures vying with the [View Full Entry]

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