Blogs from Asia - page 12999

Hey all - just realised, I ended that message on a bit of a worrying note. I'm fine - we had no problems, predictably, and so after a 9h coach journey we ended up in Krabi, on the West coast of Thiland's south. Stayed in the city for the night (we turned up at half 2 in the moening, so didn't have much choice), and then went to one of the nearby beach resort places, called Railay beach. This was another amaizing place - white beaches surrounded by limestone cliffs. According to lots of people we talked to, the area is good for climbing, so we thought we'd give it a go. I havn't done any climbing since I was a Kid, and never on a real rockface, and neither had Ro. Got it booked - ... read more

I found several kinds of animals in Luang Prabang, some must be wild species caught and brought from nearby forest. Laotian consume many wild animals and plants as you realize when you take a look of what they are selling in the fresh market. Snakes, squirrel, birds of different colors and sizes, lizard, something like cat, something like hedgehog etc. etc. Some are still arrive, some are cleaverly binded, others are smoked in black..... I myself is the last person in the world to have an idea of getting along with snakes. These are the animals in my guesthouse near Heuanchan. Here and there, cats are also seen, not having any interest in chicks waddling under the table or picking something in the drains. Geko lizards are happyly waiting for their prey on the white washed ... read more

f you are looking for a way to experience somewhat of a different side of Beijing, you need to head out in the countryside outside of the city. Earlier last year I posted an article about touring the Beijing area - mountains and villages within driving distance. Today I will point you in the direction of one of the temples outside of the city — the Red Snail Temple located North-East of Huairou (north-east of Beijing). You can see the rest of the information about the temple plus some photos at: url=http://site.chinafinds.com/blog/2007/03/11/the-red-snail-temple-hongluo-si-an-interesting-place-to-visit-in-the-vicinity-of-beijing/Red Snail Temple Visit ... read more

To me, Laos was an award-winning country. I fell in love with this country’s rugged terrain of emerald mountains and dramatic limestone peaks crisscrossed with rivers and forests. Laos seemed relatively untouched by tourism. The people were warm, friendly, relaxed, and kind-hearted. Laos is socialist country with a population of 5.6 million. 80% of the population live in remote rural areas. Many areas can only be reached by boat or by plane. Most of the small villages or tribes have never seen a Westerner. (e.g. The Yellow Banana Leaf tribe. This 21- member tribe lives under yellow banana leaves and, sadly, will soon become extinct). After our 12-day visit in Laos, the following prizes were awarded by a panel of one lowly judge (aka moi): World's Most Heavily Bombed Country Tragic Winner: Laos Per capita, ... read more

Greetings from Thailand! I am finally settled and able to attempt to create a blog entry (obviously new to the world of blogging so please excuse the amateur nature of my blog). Thailand is absolutely amazing its such a surreal experience! The night we arrived, Brenda and myself were lucky enough to have been able to touch base with another ex-pat (friend of a friend of Brenda's named Richard ) who showed us all Bangkok had to offer. Oddly enough, we met our first night in an irish pub called "The Dubliner." This was soon followed by a mardi gras themed bar, and then a really cool (pardon the pun) ice bar called "Titanium" where we made friends from Tokyo and Colorado (what a mix). The next day we decided to do some cultural activities and ... read more