Strudel Puppy

Koh Samui is like a fantasy island - the sand is white, the sea is turquoise, the weather is balmy (and so are the people!). After our unfortunate rainy/sicky incident on Phuket it was like heaven to step out of our hotel into the brilliant sunshine and laze by the pool, and even more when we finally motivated ourselves to get to the beach! We have had a thoroughly lazy time on Samui so I'm afraid there is not much to tell you! Our main day of activity was a day trip to Angthong Marine National park, a protected area made up of small deserted islands, which looked very similar to Halong Bay. It was a great day as we got to kayak around the islands and snorkel too (not that we saw anything other than ... read more

Hi everyone! This entry is slightly wrong chronologically, as David has an entry he hasn't finished, but I want to publish it :) Well, we're in Phuket now, and I'm sad to say our time in Chiang Mai is over - I absolutely loved it there, and its actually the only place we've been so far that I would definitely come back to. We've had some amazing experiences and met some wonderful people - Mr Kem who owns the hotel is (as David has already mentioned) a gem of a man, he really treated us like family and made our stay as comfortable as possible, and I owe him one for helping me organise David's birthday!! Aside from the markets (which were fab) and the millions of restaurants, Chiang Mai is almost like the Orlando of ... read more

Hi again, Well, its our last night in Vietnam, and party animal that I am I'm spending it blogging. Not for long though, Bia Hoi awaits! Bia Hoi is awesome, its basically microbrew type beers that are served in any liquid holding receptacle available to anyone who cares to sit down on one of the tiny plastic chairs that litter the pavements of Hanoi. These chairs are absolutely minute, although they are very strong. It's not surprising - our tour guide for Halong Bay described Vietnam as a one word country - SMALL! The people, the buses, the motobikes, the chairs... even the country is skinny! But I digress. Drinking Bia Hoi is another one of these 'must-do' experiences, and for good reason. Even if you don't get into conversation with the locals also drinking there, ... read more

When we arrived in Vietnam and got through customs (which took ages thanks to rachel using someone elses passport-see the previous entry), we headed straight for Hoi An, the tailoring capitol of the world. I didnt know what to expect but figured id get a jacket or shirt or something small made. Hoi An isnt very big but about 2/3rds of the shops are all independant tailors. They're all stacked to the rafters with hundreds of different materials, and they have a few dozen, almost up-to-date, catalogues in the middle of the shop. The first place we decided to look at seriously gave us laptops with their full range of cloths for us to look through. I took ages to look through it all as i wasnt quite sure of what i wanted. I settled on ... read more

Not just an oh-so-clever pun on the name of Asia's most famous temple, but also a fab bar in Siem Reap where we had a pitcher of beer (4 pints) for $2.50 last night. Since arriving in Siem Reap we have visited somewhere between 15 and 20 temples - its so easy to lose count! Our favourites have been Bayon (hundreds of giant serene faces carved beautifully out of dark stone), Ta Prohm which is being slowly strangled by tree roots and Preah Khan, a giant sprawling maze of tunnels and shady courtyards. The temples of Angkor are incredible, and awe inspiring, and a definite must see in my opinion. They also make for several tiring days, especially in the intense Cambodian heat. Unlike visiting monuments in England its possible to climb up the temples, walk ... read more