after returning from such an amazing adventure in Asia, it was kind of inevitable i would travel again in my gap year. i simply booked a pone way ticket to Delhi, not quite knowing where i would go or for how long. as i arrived during the massive Holi festival, most of the guest houses were full, so in abit oif a panic i got a train straight to Jaipur in Rajasthan. being on a massive budget i made the 6 hour train ride in economy class (for only a pound) - it was quite an experience. we were squished in so tight in the horrific heat, and people had to stand for the entire journey. India is an incredible place. hot, smelly, loud and very dirty. as cows are sacred here, people wont kill them ... read more

Malaysian Borneo is a place that Ive always dreamed about - virgin rain forest, interesting wildlife, spectacular caves and mountains, and endless adventures to be had. i started by visiting the orang-utan rehabilitation center - a jungle reserve home to the fascinating creatures who are rescued from captivity, and are slowly introduced back into the wild. i went creeping through the rain forest, camera poised, trying to spot one of these apes - but after 2 hours i had seen none, and had become food for a douson leeches who somehow found their way under my clothes. at feeding time however, i saw many oran utans playing and relaxing in the trees with freaky resemblance to humans. i decided to spend my 19th birthday on the summit of Southeast Asia's largest mountain, Mt. Kinabalu (4095m). this ... read more

i spent loner than expected in the quaint town of Kampot. my guesthouse had a floating bar on the river, and i would swim in the brown water every morning before breakfast. apart from chilling out i did some voluntary work teaching English and helping to build a house in the paddy fields. the only reason i left this beautiful place was because my visa had ran out. i went to the touristy city of Siem Reap where i was to see the magnificent Angkor Wat (i usually try and avoid these tourist hot spots but this is the pride and joy of Cambodia). i was in awe of the vast complexity of the many ancient ruins that lie in the national park. on my first day i went by tuk tuk with Julian, a German ... read more

From Hanoi i got a sleeper bus to Hue and got a motorbike tour of the city and its impressive Citadel. i then travelled further down the coast to the beautiful town of Hoi An. nearly every shop in this untouched (but not for long) town is a taylors, where suits and shoes can be made to any specification and made within the day. although a custom fit suit is only $80 i ended up spending way too much money on buying suits that i will probably never wear. i rented out a bike, but lost it at the beach. although the bike was falling apart they charged me $100 for it, so i refused to pay it and walked off. a few hours later they found me in town and the manager and a security ... read more

(I have added photos from my last blog entry) It had been raining hevily again in Vang Vieng, and in the morning the river was extremly high the main bridge was inaccesable. i spoke to one local who said he came back to his house completely flooded. whole trees are floting down the river. as the road north is blocked i decided to go south to the capital Vientiane. luckally i went in a new minibus which could negotiate the floded roads - we saw many busses breaking down and having to be pusshed through the knee deep flooded roads. Vientiane was a very sleepy laid back city. we went to a local club (which closed at 12) where we were the only white people, and everyother song was ballroom, where the oldies woiuld quickly rush ... read more