Claire H

After a quick swine flu check at the Vietnamese border and having to unload all our bags from the bus for screening only to find that the xray machine was broken, we were on our way to Saigon. Saigon is a bustling city with crazy traffic, crazy electrical wires and people not nearly as crazy as we were lead to believe. We had been expecting to be ripped off by just about everyone in Vietnam as so many people had warned us would be the case but everyone seemed very friendly, much friendlier than in Cambodia in fact. There was much less hassle in the street from street vendors trying to sell everything from photocopied Lonely Planets to gigantic lighters - don’t get me wrong they were there, they were just much easier to get away ... read more

Angkor Wat, the pride and joy of Cambodia and the eighth wonder of the world is located at Siem Reap. Angkor is everything here - it is on the flag, it is the beer, it is brand names, it is the name of every second hotel on every street in the country, we are very excited. The lovely people at Tat had booked us into their brother’s guesthouse in Siem. Smileys is a great place to stay, it’s a hotel with hostel prices and we have a tuk tuk driver at our beck and call. He takes us to see the sunset over Angkor but unfortunately the rains start and there is no sunset to speak of but we get our first glimpse of the temples and are entertained by a very angry monkey terrorising anyone ... read more

The Cambodian border was a little wooden hut about 100m further down the road than the Lao hut that stamped us out. We were left standing on the roadside with our backpacks for ages while visas were issued to everyone. Luckily a lovely Cambodian lady has seized the opportunity and arrived with a cool box full of drinks for sale at the bargain price of US$1. They seem to prefer US$ to their own currency here, not sure why, perhaps they think America is cooler but anyway they only have the notes so any small change is given in Real which means a wallet full of notes totalling about 10p. Eventually the bus is on the move and headed for Strung Treng where we swapped onto another one. I wasn’t sure we were all going to ... read more

Took a VIP bus to Vang Vieng the following day - VIP implies air conditioned comfort and pleasant journey - this bus didn’t quite fit but we got there in one piece and checked into luxurious hotel with the works. Millionaires remember. Head out to find a place for dinner and walk by countless bars showing ‘Friends’. Find a place that’s offering a roast lamb dinner and Joel can’t resist. Lorna and Nathan order carbonara and I decide to show them all up and order some Lao culinary feast. Food poisoning all night and next day. But I’m not alone, Joel and I are fighting each other for the bathroom. Over the poisoning - am on new diet of Oreos, pringles and Lipton tea (only kind they have here). We head to the Namsong River for ... read more

Met a guy from Lanark (well, Symington) on the boat to Koh Tao, had conversation about climbing Tinto - very random indeed. Checked into a little wooden bungalow by the beach and set about exploring this tiny island. Very nice vibe to Koh Tao - very pretty, much quieter and no taxis or tuk tuks...heaven! Spent a couple of nights in the bungalows, giggled at Joel feeling all uncomfortable at a lady boy show and indulged in some of the comforts only offered on the west side of the island before moving to the east side to spend a couple of nights in a more isolated spot only accessible with a 4x4. The resort had basic bungalow accommodation - bed, mossie net, bathroom (no plumbing!) and electricity only turned on overnight. No phone reception, no internet. ... read more