We expected Malaysia much like our experiences in Thailand, Lao Cambodia, and Vietnam but it wasn’t really. We had been mulling over our time in Malaysia so far and it was hard to put our finger on exactly what had changed but something had. Even though we were still in Asia with the same climate, same region of the world it was different. Was it that there weren’t as many tourists, or was it fewer budget backpackers like us? Was it that everything seems to run slightly more efficiently or perhaps that the population was less? Perhaps a different majority religion? We were now in a predominately Islamic country. Or maybe that Malaysia is a wealthier country compared to its northern counterparts? We think it is a combination of all of these things and we reflected ... read more

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Our last week in Vietnam was spent between Sapa and Hanoi. Before getting the overnight train up to Sapa we went to the water puppets show in Hanoi which was excellent, it is an ancient technique for puppetry that has been used by rice farmers for about 1000 years but has only been known outside Vietnam since 1969. At first we were trying to figure out how they did it but 10 minutes in we were just as mesmerized as everyone else. The hour show was little skits based on a rice farmer’s life and Vietnamese mythological figures. It was a fantastic way to enjoy our evening. After a rather long and uncomfortable overnight journey through the mountains of northern Vietnam we arrived early into Lao Cai and then a bumpy mini bus journey for the ... read more

It took us only four hours to reach Hue from Hoi An, once there we found ourselves in a nice little hotel where we managed to get a great room, right on the top floor so had a great view of the city. One of the main sights we wanted to see was the citadel and for this we decided to explore by bicycle, as it turned out this was a great way to cover loads of ground and see as much as possible. It was a little nerve wracking at first as we had to contend with some very hectic traffic, there were lots of motorbikes and we came only second to people in the food chain, or rather road chain. The citadel also known as the Imperial city was built by Vietnam's past Emperors, ... read more

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City mid-afternoon after crossing the border from Cambodia. We got a coach from Phnom Penh early morning and arrived at the border, we had to get off the coach with our bags which were put through scanners just like at an airport, we had to go through immigration as well, and again similar to the immigration desks that they have at an airport. Unlike our previous border crossing which was a river crossing and a walk down a dirt track in the middle of the jungle we were surprised at the border with Vietnam, it’s seemed much more official and serious, armed guards dotted across the border and a huge increase security on the Vietnam side. Everything went ok though thankfully and we passed through with ease. We dumped our ... read more