By midday on Monday morning I was back in Singapore. Getting through the airport formalities was quick and painless, and once again I headed to the Ground Transport desk to purchase a transit bus ticket ($9) to the Wink Hostel, my accomodation for the next three nights. This is the first time I've stayed in hostel accomodation on this trip. Economics had a lot to do with the decision - I wanted decent accomodation but without the huge Singapore price tag. The Wink Hostel provided just that - high style and high tech, for $40 a night. This is a 'pod' hostel, in that every bed is within a roomy 'pod' so everyone has their own space. I'm sharing a room with nine other women and can't see anyone once they're in their beds. The pods ... read more

The Air Asia flight from Ho Chi Minh to Kuala Lumpar departed half an hour late, which was the last thing I needed after hours of sitting around the airport between flights already. As Air Asia is a budget airline, the plane landed at LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal), which is separate from KLIA (Kuala Lumpar International Airport). LCCT is almost 20klm from KLIA and 65klm from Kuala Lumpar city. The internet research I did, as to how to get into KL city without spending a fortune, will now stand me in good stead. I caught a transit bus (outside arrivals) which took me to Salak Tinggi Railway Station, the closest, and a 15 minute drive away. From there I caught the express train for the 30 minute trip into KL Sentral, the interchange station in ... read more

Monday morning I'm up early, repacking my suitcase and tossing enough clothes for four nights away into my backpack. I'm getting rather good at this - If I wear my trousers for several days, and handwash a few small items each day, I need to pack less. The toiletry bag goes in the suitcase, I'm only taking what I need from it. My iPad, leads/adaptor for it and the camera, runners on my feet, camera around my body, an extra litre of water and I'm ready to go, and I still have space... I've checked out of the guesthouse, of course, but I'm leaving my suitcase here as I'll be back on Friday night. Today, I'm leaving Hoi An and heading via the Ho Ch Minh Trail north to Hue, on a two day motorcycle trip ... read more

Friday night was certainly not my best night for sleep. The overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa groaned, creaked and jolted it's way through the night, finally arriving in Lao Cai two hours late, at 7.30am. Lao Cai is the capital of Lao Cai Province and shares the border with the city of Hekou, in the Yunnan province of Southwest China. I had already paid for a private transfer to Sapa, about 32klm away, and the driver was waiting outside the main exit of the railway station with his sign. Once again he was a Trails of Indochina Tours representative and he had a good vehicle for the hour long trip and we wasted no time in getting on the road. I was dropped at the door of Family Guesthouse in Sapa, my accomodation for the ... read more

Monday morning I find myself dragging my suitcase back down Gandhi Road in Darjeeling, to the pickup point for my ride to Gangtok in the neighbouring state of Sikkim. A Permit is required for foreigners travelling to Sikkim, as it is a restricted area, and I got mine sorted yesterday. They cost nothing, but you do need a photocopy of your visa/passport and a passport sized photo. I had bought myself two seats in the share jeep for 200 rupees each ($3.75), one for me and one for my backpack, to assure myself of some elbow room. There are usually four people squashed in across a seat where we, in Australia, would legally sit only three. But who cares for legalities here? If four people fit, four people it is! And just for the record, there ... read more