Blogs from Asia - page 14875

Great sleep last night! Our room was very quiet with its own bathroom, air-conditioner, fan as well as ventilation fan, a fridge, a TV and a DVD players, all for US$10 a night. We started the day witn a traditional Vietnamese breakfast - Phor - maximum rice noodles with minimum meat but it was delicious. Vietnamese coffee is just like home - coffee with condensed milk - Ging would love it - so ultra sweet! Then the walking tour arranged by ourselves, starting off at the lake where all things centered. First the bank - at US$1=15,615 Dong. We started to walk around the late, first to the picturesque Ngoc Som Temple (in the milddle of the lake). It was a cloudy day and a bit foggy so the scene did not do it justice.... read more

Shanghai is a LOT more westernised and dare I say it civilised than Beijing. The journey down was a great start. After getting Paddy on his first train journey in over a year (how the other half live!) it certainly lived up to its reputation as the nicest train in China. In fact it was nicer than most aeroplanes I have been on (even in first class). A western toilet AND a toilet seat cover....have we mistakenly arrived in Japan early?? We were, however, given little rest from the curiosity of the Chinese fellows in the carriage....although this time it was our chinaman friend who caused the stir. Fascinated by Paddy and his amazing Beijing accent we were pumped for information by all in sundry who wanted to practice their English or just find out at ... read more

Happy Easter Everyone!!! Koh Lipe - our last stop in Thailand. It took us hours and hours to get there. The minibus that we got from Koh Lanta took 2 hours to get to Trang. Then, from Trang, we had to get another minibus that took another 2 hours to the pier at Pak Bara. We then got on the ferry to Lipe that took 5 hours!!! There is no pier at Lipe so the boats don't dock. Instead, longtail boats come to meet the boat a little way offshore. This involved more tricky maneuvers - as we were clambering from boat to boat!!! Koh Lipe (pronounced Ko Lee Pae) is one of a group of islands that fall within the Koh Turatao range of islands, but falls just outside of Koh Turatao Marine National Park. ... read more

So after a 21 hour bus journey going not a particualrly long way, we finally ended reached Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, at about 5 in the morning! Having got there we finally ralised a big error...we had no clue where we were gonna stay. Fortunately a Malaysian guy was waiting to meet the bus when it stopped, and he said he owned a guesthouse. This seriously couldn't have worked out better, it was a really nice place, and it couldn't have been closer to the Petaling Street "Chinatown" Market, and this was one of our most frequently visited, and favourite parts of Asia. After again catching up on a lot of missed sleep again, we decided it was time to hit the market. It's kinda layed out in the shape of a massive cross, with the ... read more

We were picked up at the hotel in the morning to start a 2-day tour of Ha Long Bay, another World Heritage Site. The bus was packed full - 14 people in a mini-van plus luggage. Our guide for the next two days was Phong. It was a three hour bus ride to Ha Long City, then we got on a boat and headed out into Ha Long Bay. Absolutely incredible, huge limestone karsts jutting out of the water, as far as you can see. There are over 1,900 of these rock formations. First stop was a floating fish farm out in the bay. Next stop was Hang Thien Cung Cave and Hand Dau Go Cave which were amazing. Certain cave/rock features were lit up with colored lights, which was actually a nice effect. Throughout the ... read more