greetings from a very hot and sultry Vientiane, capital of Laos. i arrived here on friday, leaving my friend, Ekk, at the thai border at nong khai. we planned to come here together, but alas he had to be back in bangkok on tuesday 22nd april for the results if his TB tests. which were.....that he has wait some more!!(until june 10th), while they undertake yet more tests in the laboratory, as they still don't know for sure. so that is all very frustrating, to say the least. that also obviously means our plans to return to the uk have been put on hold for a few months..... so i am here alone, but not really, as the lao people are a very friendly and relaxed bunch. it is one of the few places where strangers ... read more

i have arrived back in thailand, and i am now back on Koh Samui, after 3 weeks in malaysia. straight after my last blog from penang, to which i had travelled to by train from ekk's home in hua hin, i spent 10 days in kuala lumpar, capital of malaysia. i travelled there from penang island by bus. but it was no ordinary bus, but a 'Super VIP' one. probably the most comfortable bus journey ive been on. to give you some idea, it was the same size as a normal 50 seater bus, but with only half the seats! all for 26 malaysian ringitt/4GBP for the 5 hour journey... i had spent just the one night in penang, having been there twice before, so it was really just a convenient overnight stop to and from ... read more

Im now back in bangkok. arrived here last night after a long day of travelling overland (Cambodian shared taxi, obligatory border faff, then a Thai train), from the city of Battambang in Cambodia. however that was nothing compared to the epic endurance test that was the boat from siem reap to battambang! that day started bad after being told i would get picked up at my hotel at the ongodly hour of 6am, when in fact the bus didnt arrive til 7am. it was a 30 min ride to the boat, and suffice to say the boat bore absolutely no resemblance to the picture of a modern express boat that is so prominent on the ticket! (a classic case of bait and switch). instead it was an really EXTREMELY unstable all wooden affair, with really uncomfortable ... read more

i have just arrived in sihanounville in cambodia, after a 3 month sojourn in thailand. arriving in bangkok at the end of october was a relief after my epic overland journey from england. ekk was pleased to see me at last! the first week was spent enjoying the nightlife of bangkok together. the next two weeks was spent on the TESOL course, which i passed. met some interesting people on the course. soon after the course finished we went up to chiang mai by train, for the LOY KRATHONG festival, via two nights in the ancient capital of ayuttaya on the way up north. the festival lasts 3 days, though like most thai festivals, people started the festivities early and were still going a week later! the festival involves nightime processions of luminous floats along the ... read more

i have now reached the relative calm of the relaxed city of savannakhet in southern laos, having escaped the motorcycle (and other) madness that is vietnam, earlier today.. vietnam is, despite its smallish geographic area, the 11th most populous country in the world, and it feels like it, people everywhere!!! still it is the most enjoyable place so far on this trip. i spent 4 days in hanoi, good to find some good food. ie fresh baguettes, tropical fresh juice and cakes, after the relative culinary desert of most of my route thus far. everything was so cheap in vietnam, especially with the american dollar so weak, as everything here is priced in dollars as well as vietnamese dong. a 3 course meal in a decent restaurant including drinks can be had with change from ... read more