Day 402: Thursday 6th August - Getting a Chinese Visa in Hanoi isn’t straightforward A horde of people meet the train as it pulls into Hanoi. Many of the crowd are motorbike riders looking for business. One latches on to me as I climb off the train. I need a ride so I’m happy to listen to him rather than wave him away. The first stage of discussions is the entirely predictable haggling over a price - he starts stupidly high until he comes down to my price when he sees that I’m not budging. Unfortunately I choose the one guy who doesn’t speak much English and doesn’t know where I want to go. After riding against the traffic up many of Hanoi’s one way streets he eventually stops where he thinks I want to go, ... read more

Day 396: Thursday 30th July - The best and worst of Vietnam on the journey to Hoi An It may not be the cheapest or indeed the quickest method to travel around Vietnam, but I have no doubt it is the best. What am I talking about? The Reunification Express, the train line which runs north-south from Saigon to Hanoi. In some countries travelling by train is impossible or impractical, but in Vietnam I think the Reunification Express will become an integral part of my journey and therefore my experience of the country. I have read that it is a great way to meet Vietnamese people, which is harder on the open buses or on a flight, which are the other alternatives. For the first leg of the 1725km journey to Hanoi, I am travelling to ... read more

Day 391: Saturday 25th July - Staying in a $2 million colonial mansion The border crossing between Cambodia and Vietnam goes remarkably smoothly, the bus conductor does a lot of the admin work for you and amazingly I don’t have to pay any bribe money to cross borders. Just over 6 hours after leaving Phnom Penh, I’m in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now known. My first experience of Vietnam is the blur of dozens upon dozens of motorbikes flying past my position stood on the pavement next to the bus. Crossing the road would be a daunting experience if this was my first stop in Southeast Asia but I’ve seen this before in Thailand’s big cities and Phnom Penh. Saigon though is a bit different as I learn from my first ... read more

Day 383: Friday 17th July - Travelling to Battambang Today is a travel day, a long travel day. It takes us ten and a half hours from Kampot to Battambang via Phnom Penh. The bus picks us up early before 7am and I’m not ready. I hate rushing, not a good way to start the day. We get lucky in Phnom Penh and transfer directly from one bus to another without having to wait. The Phnom Penh to Battambang road is better and although a longer distance takes a similar - five hours. I’m shattered by the time we reach Battambang at 5:30pm. A motodop driver meets us off the bus and takes us to the Royal Hotel. Normally, I laugh at such names but this time I am offered a room fit for a king. ... read more

Day 377: Saturday 11 July - A dull day Today is a fairly dull travel day. The bus journey to Phnom Penh is 6-7 hours and isn’t memorable save a stop near the capital where a girl is trying to sell me a tarantula. I have read that it is a local delicacy, but I’m not sure how you eat them, certainly not while they’re still alive that’s for sure. The girl sat next to me on the bus buys one which makes me feel a bit uncomfortable as she holds it next to me. Phnom Penh is a busy city. It’s a direct contrast to the peace and calm of Laos’ villages and small towns. Mike, Trudi and I walk up to the Boeng Kak lakefront to find a guesthouse which turns out to be ... read more