THE FANTASTIC TOUR

2008-12-07T05:40:00.000-08:00

THE FANTASTIC TOUR

2008-12-07T05:18:00.000-08:00

Well, after 9 months (& one week!) and 20 countries we've finally completed our adventure. We've packed our backpacks for the last time and we're waiting for our last flight, our flight home.

What can we say? It's a cliché (and clichés exist for a reason), but it has been the trip of a lifetime. We've seen so much, had so many new experiences and met so many weird and wonderful people. We've eaten the best and the worst food, we've stayed in the nastiest hell-holes and the most beautiful places. We've travelled by plane, train, bus, boat, kayak, zip-line, car, motorbike, scooter, bicycle, cable-car, hanglider & tuk-tuk. We've used countless currencies and bartered in many languages (well, we tried!). But the best thing of all is that we've done all of it together and had a blast doing it.

Thanks to all of you who followed us on this blog. Although its been great for us to constantly remind ourselves of what we've done, ultimately we did it for you. Hope you enjoyed it and that it gave you some idea of where we've been and what we've been up to.

Coming to a blog site near you - 'The Fantastic Tour 2' - maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but hopefully one day...

Until then XX

BANGKOK, THAILAND 10

2008-12-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK, THAILAND 9

2008-12-07T05:05:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK, THAILAND 8

2008-12-07T05:01:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK, THAILAND 7

2008-12-07T04:58:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK, THAILAND 6

2008-12-07T04:55:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK, THAILAND 5

2008-12-07T04:51:00.000-08:00

BIG BANGKOK BONUS

2008-12-07T04:16:00.000-08:00

We didn't think our bonus time in Bangkok was going to be as long as it turned out to be - 7 days, 7 nights. Definitely the longest flight delay we've ever had! To begin with, it wasn't much fun as we spent a lot of our time trying to find out when and how we were going to get out of Bangkok. Qantas kept saying we might get on the next relief flight out of Phuket (12 hours bus ride away) to Singapore and then onto London, but we were clearly at the bottom of a long list of other stranded people (936 at one point) and it never happened. We had to take shifts manning our hotel room phone and we couldn't go anywhere in the city due to the risk of potential rioting, etc. We even looked at the possibility of making our own way to Singapore, but with 'perfect' timing there were severe floods in southern Thailand and the buses were unable to get through.

Eventually, and thankfully, a court-ruling forced out the government and the protestors (PAD) ended their occupation of both Bangkok airports. Qantas finally confirmed that we were booked on a direct flight to London on December 8th. It was great to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, but unfortunately it meant that we had missed our families' welcome party, a gig night with Jesse, Eco-Dave's annual Christmas dinner on his island and last, but by no means least, a long-planned evening to see the Mexican wrestling with Sam & Eli. Sorry to everyone for not being there, but we'll make up for it when we get home!

Once we'd got our return date confirmed, we were able to enjoy our last few bonus days in Bangkok. And the sun was finally shining for us, so we made the most of our hotel's rooftop pool. We also took in some sights - the Giant Buddha, the Lucky Buddha, the Grand Palace & the Emerald Buddha, Wat Po Temple & the impressive Reclining Buddha. As well as walking up and down the Khao San Road a zillion times (this is where your most of your Christmas pressies come from guys!), we even managed to squeeze in a trip to the flicks to see the latest Bond film.

Also, having missed so many national festivals around the world (we were always just too late or a bit too early), we were lucky enough to STILL be in Bangkok for the much adored King's 80th birthday (there are huge pictures of him EVERYWHERE). It's always a national holiday, but obviously 'the big 80' is a biggy, so there were all sorts of street celebrations, mass sing-alongs and even bigger firework displays. We'd never seen anything like it before, especially for a King (do we love our Queen that much?), but His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world's longest-reigning monarch and we were glad to be a part of his and his country's special day, despite his absence due to ill-health(!)

This was our third visit to Bangkok and, even though we've got so much more to see, we've grown to like the city a lot. We'll be back for sure...

KO PHAGNAN, THAILAND 2

2008-12-06T03:14:00.000-08:00

KO PHAGNAN, THAILAND 1

2008-12-06T03:12:00.000-08:00

NOVEMBER RAIN

2008-12-06T02:42:00.001-08:00

We arrived at night on Ko Phagnan, after a full day's journey from Ko Lanta, via mini-bus & ferry to Krabi, then coach & a very choppy ferry trip over to the island. We stayed in the main town on the first night and could see the aftermath of the recently passed Full Moon Party (the beach was covered in rubbish), not to mention several bucket casualties wandering the streets. There had been over 10,000 people at the latest party, but we planned to go to the more 'intimate' Half Moon Party in the jungle, with a mere 2000+ people.

We weren't too impressed with the town, so we headed for the north east of the island, where we'd heard the beaches were lovely. The only problem was that, due to the unusually high tide, there was no beach... and there wasn't much sun either! We took it easy for a few days, reading & playing cards (there was little else to do), then headed back down south, but further west of the main town, in search of a beach. There wasn't one there either! We only had a week left on the islands and we really needed some beach action, so after a couple more days we made our way up to the north west coast and at Haad Yao... we found a beach! It was a beautiful bay and we found a perfectly located bungalow right on the beach, only a few metres from the sea.

Unfortunately for us, from that day on the storm clouds rolled in and the heavens opened - we had booming thunder (like we've never heard before), lightning and constant rain for the whole 8 days we were there. It rained so hard that we couldn't even get to the Half Moon Party, if there was one. Pretty disappointing for the last part of our 9 month trip, especially as we were in such a lovely part of the world. However, we made the most of our 'down' time - we read, read some more and did some more reading, played backgammon & cards, watched pirate DVDs, Ben got lots of work done on the latest T-shirt range and we slowly emptied our fridge of Samsong & coke and Singha beer. 'Every cloud' as they say...

It was on our last day, whilst waiting to leave for Bangkok, that we heard the airport had been taken over by anti-government protestors. Little did we know, at that point, quite how much it was going to affect our journey home!

KO LANTA, THAILAND 12

2008-11-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

KO LANTA, THAILAND 11

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KO LANTA, THAILAND 10

2008-11-22T22:26:00.000-08:00

KO LANTA, THAILAND 9

2008-11-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

KO LANTA, THAILAND 8

2008-11-22T22:14:00.000-08:00

20TH YEAR, 20TH COUNTRY

2008-11-22T21:30:00.001-08:00

After days of rain & cloud, we woke up on November 12th to a sunny sky. It was 20 years since we got together and we were in the 20th country of our trip. The special day started with a special breakfast, cooked up by Mr. Bean of course, before we were picked up at the ungodly time of 8.30am(!!). Emily still had no clue as to what the day's plans were, until a pick-up arrived with fishing rods & snorkelling gear in the back. We were driven to the other side of the island and transferred to a longtail boat.

As the storms had only just ceased, the sea was still very choppy and it took a good couple of hours for our privately hired boat to reach the 6 tiny islands of Ko Ha. We spent the first hour or so cruising round the islands looking for a good fishing spot, but no luck. So we anchored in a small, secluded bay and jumped into the crystal-clear water for a bit of snorkelling. We saw lots of huge starfish and many colourful fish we'd never seen before and then swam to a small, soft, white-sand beach where we lay, basking in the sun... just the two of us.

As we got ready to swim back to the boat, Ben, with mask on, dipped his head underwater to make sure we didn't tread on any big, fat sea slugs and saw a small shark (1m long) swim past. Yes, we know it probably wasn't going to harm us but it was a goddamn shark and we'd never seen one outside an aquarium! However, after a few minutes we had no choice (other than staying on the beach forever) but to swim for the boat. On the way we saw another bigger shark, but it fortunately showed no interest in us. We swam a little faster and once back on the boat, we ate our packed lunch (courtesy of Mr. Bean) and went looking for another fishing spot.

With 2 lines off the back of the boat, it wasn't long before one bit and Ben took the challenge of reeling it in. After several minutes, it was clear this was a big one - in fact, it was a whopper! At first we thought it was a barracuda, but it turned out to be a 15 kilo Spanish mackerel (aka a kingfish). Very satisfied with ourselves, we headed back to Lanta, sunning ourselves on deck and watching the flying fish all around us. We gave the fish to the fisherman & his boy and headed back to Otto's for a well-earned cold one or two.

Our anniversary dinner couldn't be anywhere else but at Bee Bee's and we had a great couple of hours there catching up with the boys and enjoying the delicious food. It just so happened that November 12th was a full moon and the Thai festival of Loy Katong, where couples traditionally send offerings of flowers, banana leaves and candles out to sea for good luck and longterm love, so once back at Otto's we sent out our Loy Katong offering... which sank after 5 minutes! After another beer or two, we retired to our own little Thai bus for the night, where there was chocolate cake, roses & a large Singha beer on ice waiting. All in all, a fantastic and very memorable day... bring on the next 20 years!

KO LANTA, THAILAND 7

2008-11-22T21:23:00.000-08:00

AN ENGLISHMAN IN LANTA

2008-11-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

It wasn't easy leaving Bee Bee's as we'd fallen in love with the place, but having done a reccy of the island by scooter the previous day, we'd stumbled upon another fantastic beachfront set-up (further south on the same coastline at Klong Nin) that had only opened for business 3 days before. We were the first people to stay at 'Otto's Bungalows & Bus Room', which was 3 lovely Scandinavian-style huts with fan, 2 larger AC rooms and 1 converted old Thai bus with AC. We opted for the cheaper, and nicer, fan room to start with - we saved the bus for our upcoming 20 year anniversary.

Unfortunately the weather was pretty lousy for our whole stay, but we ended up hanging out at the bar with Otto himself (the cackling, long-haired buddha and Don of Lanta), the 2 local stoners who worked there, Chai & Bart, and the resident British chef, Mr. Bean, who cooked up the finest full English every morning - he bought in essential ingredients, such as HP Sauce, baked beans & back bacon from the mainland at Krabi. It could be argued that our first proper English breakfast in 8 months was the best we'd ever had! But it wasn't just breakfast that Mr. Bean (or Beanie or Dean) excelled at. We had a fantastic week with the man from Dartmouth. He was incredibly helpful in every way, a great laugh, provided us with much insight into ex-pat life in Thailand, and even drove us to the Malaysian border, at Satun, to get our new visas. To top it all, he helped Ben sort out a day of surprises for Emily on November 12th...

KO LANTA, THAILAND 6

2008-11-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

KO LANTA, THAILAND 5

2008-11-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

KO LANTA, THAILAND 4

2008-11-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

KO LANTA, THAILAND 3

2008-11-22T20:40:00.000-08:00

KO LANTA, THAILAND 2

2008-11-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

KO LANTA, THAILAND 1

2008-11-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

BEE BEE'S & THE BOYS

2008-11-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

We left Ko Phi Phi in the rain and, of course, arrived by boat at Ko Lanta (an island 1 & a half hours south east of Phi Phi) in the rain. The fire performer that Ben had given his Misfit T-shirt to on Phi Phi had a cousin working at some bungalows called 'Bee Bee's' and he'd recommended it, so we headed straight there.

The following morning the rain had finally stopped, the sun came out and we realised that we'd found our own little paradise, along with only a couple of other guests. Bee Bee's is owned and run by a Thai man called An & his Japanese, artist wife Kaoru and it's their creativity and attention to detail that makes it such a beautiful place to stay: 15 unique & individually designed bamboo huts (we stayed in the only circular one), set amongst coconut palms right on Klong Khong beach. It had its own restaurant & bar and here we ate the some of the best food we'd had in Thailand.

We spent our days relaxing (in fact we've never felt so relaxed!), lazing in hammocks, snacking, drinking fruit shakes, wandering along the long beach looking for shells, gazing at the stunning sunsets and reading... But it was the 3 boys who worked there - Don, Boy & Muk - who made our stay such fun (they loved a practical joke or two) and so unforgettable. This was without a doubt one of the best places we'd stayed on our whole trip. We had only planned to be on Lanta for 2 or 3 days, but we ended up staying for over a week at Bee Bee's before heading south on the island for another week at Otto's...

KO PHI PHI, THAILAND 6

2008-11-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

KO PHI PHI, THAILAND 5

2008-11-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

KO PHI PHI, THAILAND 4

2008-11-20T21:09:00.000-08:00

KO PHI PHI, THAILAND 3

2008-11-20T21:06:00.000-08:00

KO PHI PHI, THAILAND 2

2008-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

KO PHI PHI, THAILAND 1

2008-11-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

SMELLS LIKE PHI PHI

2008-11-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

As it would be for most of the following 4 weeks, it was tipping it down when we arrived at Ko Phi Phi (pronounced 'pee pee'), on a 2 and a half hour express boat from Railay. This island had been recommended to us by many people on our travels, but was one of the worst hit by the tsunami. As a result, rapid new development has replaced a lot of the charm and character with slapdash, ill-considered concrete buildings - the main town is grim, overflowing with nightclubbing holiday-makers and stinks to high heaven of sewage.

Having arrived in heavy rain, we cut our losses and decided to stay one night in the town. This meant we could take advantage of the nightlife on the beach... which we did, to the max: Buckets, fireshows, jumping through burning hoops of fire, more buckets, flaming limbo, mixing with the locals... an amazing night, but unfortunately we forgot our camera so we felt obliged to repeat it on our last night, just so we could show you the pics of course!

On the second day, we went exploring further along the coast and stumbled upon a ramshackle old bamboo hut, all on its own and overlooking the rocks and sea. After enquiring, we booked ourselves in for 5 days. This old hut was part of the slightly larger, but lovely, Viking Resort, which had its own beach and beautifully designed restaurant. We spent all of our time here, much of it sheltering from the rain and staring across at Ko Phi Phi Leh in the distance (the famous island from the film 'The Beach').

Finally the rain stopped, the sun came out, and we decided to kayak across. It didn't look that far away, so we slapped on the sun cream and set off. It was when we were almost halfway there (an hour into it), when we realised we'd forgotten to bring any water. We couldn't rely on being able to buy any there, so we reluctantly turned back to get some. About 3 hours later we finally made it to the famous beach. Due to our unforseen delay, we had only 40 minutes to relax before making the journey back to beat the sunset. The beach itself was lovely, but ultimately disappointing, due to the water being polluted by all the boats anchored in the bay waiting to take back the hordes of day trippers - not surprisingly, it looked nothing like the beach from the film!

The journey back was basically a nightmare. The sea had become really choppy around the island and we were battling against a very strong current all the way back to Ko Phi Phi. Another 3 hours later, we made it... exhausted, fed up and very thirsty. After a couple of Chang beers, we were relieved to be back on dry land but also buzzing from another adventure.

RAILAY BAY, THAILAND 4

2008-10-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

RAILAY BAY, THAILAND 3

2008-10-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

RAILAY BAY, THAILAND 2

2008-10-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

RAILAY BAY, THAILAND 1

2008-10-24T21:53:00.000-07:00

PARADISE AT A PRICE

2008-10-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

While we were kicking back in Bangkok, we got messages from Dave & Jo inviting us to join them in Railay Bay....we didn't have to think twice before hopping on the night bus down there and before we knew it we were sipping some more Chang beers with them on the gorgeous white sands of Railay Beach.

It wasn't a cheap option, that's for sure; although the bay itself is beautiful and the atmosphere laid back, it comes at a price. Railay Bay is just one example of high-end post-tsunami development that appears to be taking over this part of Thailand. Dave had been to Railay about 10 years ago and he told us that it has changed beyond belief. Having said that, it is still gorgeous and a great place to chill out for a few days. We swam, snorkelled, waited for the rain to pass, and took a boat to nearby Hong Island, where we swam with tropical fish and were lucky enough to see a mighty monitor lizard right on the beach. It's true, the weather was lousy, we were still in the rainy season but the sea was warm, the beers were cold and it was great to get away from the chaos of Bangkok.

BANGKOK, THAILAND 4

2008-10-24T06:10:00.000-07:00

BANGKOK, THAILAND 3

2008-10-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

BANGKOK, THAILAND 2

2008-10-24T06:05:00.000-07:00

BANGKOK - THE RETURN

2008-10-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

After a ‘V.I.P’ (not sure what this stands for in Laos!) bus ride from Vang Vieng to the border, the 4 of us crossed the Friendship Bridge over to Nong Khai in Thailand and jumped on the sleeper train to Bangkok. Not a lot of sleep was had though - very cold and very juddery - but a great experience nonetheless.

Back in Bangkok, we found ourselves on the Khao San Road once again and with no persuasion needed whatsoever, Ben and Emily checked into the lovely Buddy's Lodge, where Dave and Jo had already booked a room. It was way beyond our budget, but the comfy bed, wonderful shower and rooftop pool and bar was more than enough reason for one night's splurge.

The plan was to explore the city a little but we ended up spending the day relaxing by the pool, then heading out for a final blast before we said our goodbyes. What a night! Shopping, curry, cocktails, buckets, ping-pong, the fastest tuk-tuk ride in Thailand and fun'n'freaks at Gazebo night club to finish....we headed back to the hotel with just half an hour in hand for Dave and Jo to pack up their bags and catch the 5am shuttle bus to the airport. They were headed off to Railay Bay down south for a week's luxury beach action and we, having made a last minute decision to miss our flight to Singapore the next morning, were to stay in Bangkok for a few days to catch our breath after two weeks of full-on activity and, of course, to update our blog.

VANG VIENG, LAOS 4

2008-10-18T03:21:00.000-07:00

VANG VIENG, LAOS 3

2008-10-18T03:19:00.000-07:00

VANG VIENG, LAOS 2

2008-10-18T03:17:00.000-07:00

VANG VIENG, LAOS 1

2008-10-18T03:15:00.000-07:00

ZIPS, SWINGS & TUBES

2008-10-18T02:51:00.001-07:00

Vang Vieng is the capital of the world for 'tubing'... well, if it isn't, it should be! For the un-initiated, tubing involves: hiring a giant inner-tube, floating down the river on it and stopping every 5 minutes at each of the riverside bars to order beers and utilise their onsite swings & ziplines over the river. The swings are high and the river is fast - it can be scary stuff, but it IS the best fun ever on a river. We only had one day, but wish we'd had more. We'd also like to give a mention to the Bucket Bar, in town - great music, potent buckets, lovely, open fires & very comfortable hammocks. We will definitely be back!

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS 4

2008-10-18T02:45:00.000-07:00

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS 3

2008-10-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS 2

2008-10-18T02:39:00.000-07:00

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS 1

2008-10-18T02:36:00.000-07:00

SLOW BOATS & MONK BUSINESS

2008-10-18T02:10:00.000-07:00

After 3 days of full-on action in the jungle, the 2 day slow boat to Luang Prabang was just what we all needed. Not the most comfortable of rides, but a few beers and games of chess & backgammon took our minds off the small, hard wooden benches. The overnight stop was spent in a small riverside village, where the electricity was only on between 6pm-10pm everyday. We had a great curry in an Indian-run restaurant overlooking the river, followed by a few night caps & banana pancakes, then back to our guest house for a pitch-black, cold shower! That night, we could hear the geckos in our room, but we couldn't see them...

After another 9 hours on the boat, dodging whirlpools, jutting rocks & driftwood, we arrived in Luang Prabang (the old royal capital of Laos) the following evening and headed out to the pretty little streets for a water-buffalo steak and a wander through the market. The next morning, Dave & Ben got up at the crack of dawn to see the local monks collecting food & candy from the locals - a daily occurrence. They would eat most of this themselves, for breakfast & lunch (they don't eat after midday) and, if they felt like it, hand some out to the local poor kids.

After this, Dave & Ben walked up to a temple overlooking the town & rivers and then down into the grounds of the main temple, where they stumbled across a young novice monk, who was doing his English homework. He asked for some help and for the next hour or so, they found themselves answering many questions, such as 'Are there monks in England?' and 'What do they wear?'. The rest of the day was spent pottering around the town, visiting the Royal Palace and doing some shopping, before jumping into our privately-hired mini-van for the 7 hour journey through the mountains to Vang Vieng. This was a spectacular journey, whilst it was still light, and another one we shall never forget...

BOKEO NATURE RESERVE, LAOS 8

2008-10-17T02:46:00.000-07:00

BOKEO NATURE RESERVE, LAOS 7

2008-10-17T02:43:00.000-07:00

BOKEO NATURE RESERVE, LAOS 6

2008-10-17T02:41:00.000-07:00

BOKEO NATURE RESERVE, LAOS 5

2008-10-17T02:39:00.000-07:00

BOKEO NATURE RESERVE, LAOS 4

2008-10-17T02:37:00.000-07:00

BOKEO NATURE RESERVE, LAOS 3

2008-10-17T02:34:00.000-07:00

BOKEO NATURE RESERVE, LAOS 2

2008-10-17T02:33:00.000-07:00

BOKEO NATURE RESERVE, LAOS 1

2008-10-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

THE GIBBON EXPERIENCE

2008-10-17T01:26:00.000-07:00

It was Jesse who put us onto The Gibbon Experience, in Northern Laos, having done it last year on his travels. We had also met various other travellers on our trip who told us that it was an experience of a lifetime and we were all very excited about the 3 days/2 nights that we'd be spending in the Bokeo Nature Reserve.

The "Experience" began in Huay Xai, just a 5min boat ride across the Mekong River from Thailand. From there, 11 of us (the 4 of us, 4 Irish girls, one French-Canadian girl and a US/Canadian couple) were crammed into a 4x4 jeep and driven several hours to the rain-forest, via tarmac, dust track, mud and even through a river! If the rains had been any heavier we would have had to make this trip by foot (in fact, the trip was closed throughout September due to the unusually heavy monsoons). We were dropped in a village on the edge of the rain-forest and then we began an hour's hike to the start-point, where we were to be kitted out with our zip-line harnesses and meet our guides. At this point we were still relatively clean but, just as we were approaching, the heavens opened and from that point onwards the rain-forest was a mudbath for the whole 3 days!

Once the rain had stopped, the real experience began; we made our way to the first zip-line which took us through and above the forest canopy to Tree-house 1, where the Irish girls were to be staying for the 2 nights. The rest of us continued trekking through the jungle and took more ziplines to Treehouse 2, the honeymoon suite, where the we left the US/Canadian couple for a 'romantic' couple of nights. From there, thanks to Dave claiming Treehouse 3 for us at the start, we had another hour and half trek through the mud and on more slippery, fast, wet ziplines....but it was worth it! Treehouse 3 was spectacular, rising 150m high above the tree-tops, accessible only by a long zip ride with views across the whole reserve as far as the eye could see. Despite being open to the elements, it was equipped with 2 rat-chewed matresses, damp bed-linen, industrial-strength mosquito nets, and a natural cold water shower. There was even a toilet, through which you could see the forest floor, way way below!

We settled in, had a shower and then welcomed the first of our night visitors - one of the guides came zipping across carrying our dinner of rice and vegetables (which we ended up having for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout our stay). But it was after dark that we realised we had more visitors.... big rats and even bigger spiders. Not exactly 5 star luxury but that's not what we went for! Although you may get some idea of the views we had from our photos, nothing can convey the noise of the jungle, especially at night, and the wonderful sense of isolation, away from absolutely everything.

We spent an incredible, muddy, wet, exciting, scary 3 days; zipping, trekking, falling over and looking for weird and wonderful wildlife. We heard the cries of the gibbons, mainly at dawn but we were not lucky enough to see any. Gibbons or not, it was an out-of-this-world experience.

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND 5

2008-10-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND 4

2008-10-17T01:18:00.000-07:00

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND 3

2008-10-17T01:17:00.000-07:00

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND 2

2008-10-17T01:14:00.001-07:00

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND 1

2008-10-17T01:12:00.000-07:00

TRUNKS & TREKS

2008-10-17T00:48:00.000-07:00

It was a long, smelly, damp & sleepless overnight bus up to Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand, and the Royal Guest House - which we'd booked for ourselves, Eco-Dave and his girlfriend Jo (who were coming out to see us for 2 weeks) - was far from royal. But it didn't really matter as it was great to see Dave after so long and to finally meet Jo.

We didn't see too much of Chiang Mai, as we hopped straight on a bus the next day to start a 2 day elephant-riding, white-water rafting, bamboo rafting, hill walking extravaganza. The night was spent in a local hill-tribe village, in a rickety bamboo hut overlooking the forests & mountains, where we had massages and ate local food, including fried maggots for dessert!

The trekking was hot & sweaty, but took us through lush vegetation and offered fantastic hill-top views, our first experience of white-water rafting was great fun (we definitely want to do it again), and riding on elephants was unforgettable of course!

BANGKOK, THAILAND 1

2008-10-16T04:13:00.000-07:00

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK

2008-10-16T03:57:00.000-07:00

Along with Jori, we hired a taxi to take us to the Thai border, then took a minibus to Bangkok. The journey from Siem Reap to the border was a white-knuckle, bone-rattling ride along an unfinished and very muddy road. The view, though blurry & mud-spattered, was of flooded countryside and locals fishing, farming, swimming & washing, so plenty of interesting sights to take our minds off the cabby's 'unique' driving style!

Once in the madness of Bangkok, we were dropped off near Khao San Road (backpacker central) and checked into Thai Cozy Guesthouse, round the back of Khao San. After dumping our stuff, we headed straight out for some spring rolls, pad thai & green curry and after a good feed we thought we'd try our first 'buckets' in a bar further down the road. They definitely did the trick, although since then we've realised it's wise to stick to one particular cocktail...

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 8

2008-10-16T03:24:00.000-07:00

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 7

2008-10-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 6

2008-10-16T03:16:00.000-07:00

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 5

2008-10-16T01:55:00.000-07:00

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 4

2008-10-16T01:53:00.000-07:00

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 3

2008-10-16T01:51:00.000-07:00

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 2

2008-10-16T01:49:00.000-07:00

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA 1

2008-10-16T01:45:00.000-07:00

TOMB RAIDERS

2008-10-16T01:02:00.000-07:00

It was meant to be a simple 9 hour bus journey from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap, but of course things in SE Asia (or anywhere!) are never simple. After our bus broke down, we were stuffed into another bus which was already full, so we found ourselves standing in the aisle until eventually Emily nabbed herself a tiny plastic stool to sit on. It was during this laborious trip we met Jori, from Holland, and we ended up travelling with her for the next few days until we reached Bangkok.

Most people visit Siem Reap to see the famous temple complex of Angkor Wat and that's exactly why we were there... and, like everyone else, we weren't disappointed. The most often-used phrase by other travellers, when telling us about it, was 'mind-blowing'... and we have to agree. We spent 2 whole days being taken from temple to temple by Mr. Savay in his suped-up, customised tuk-tuk.

The stand-outs for us were Ta Prohm (used in the Tomb Raider movie), which seemed to be losing an ongoing battle with nature, and the beautifully coloured Banteay Srei (32km north of town via a fantastic ride through the surrounding countryside & villages), considered by many to be the jewel in the artistic crown of Angkor Wat (ok, we nicked that from Lonely Planet!).

On our way back from Banteay Srei, we visited the 'easy to miss' Landmine Museum. Easy to miss because the government keep destroying the museum owner's signs, as they fear any awareness of the 3 million remaining landmines in Cambodia might damage the flourishing tourist industry. This fascinating museum was set up by a Cambodian who was made to join the Khmer Rouge at only 10 years old. He estimates that he planted 50,000 mines himself and is now dedicated to removing as many as he can, in order to make his country a safer place to live.

On the same road as our guest house, we had noticed a hand-painted sign for 'Angkor Wat Miniature' and on our last day, having now seen Angkor Wat 'life-size', we decided to take a closer look. We wandered through a rusty door, into an overgrown garden, and were greeted by an old man. He was the artist and seemed happy to have visitors, especially as it was his 77th birthday! He proudly showed us all of his miniature masterpieces and intricately, hand-rendered plans & drawings, as well as a photo of himself being honoured by King Sihanouk of Cambodia. An unexpected extra was being taken through some dusty sheds at the back of his garden and shown his neighbour's 'crocodile farm'... or rather a backyard and pool full of sleepy crocs, waiting to be turned into shoes & handbags. Very disturbing.

SIHANOUKVILE, CAMBODIA 3

2008-10-16T00:32:00.000-07:00

SIHANOUKVILE, CAMBODIA 2

2008-10-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

SIHANOUKVILE, CAMBODIA 1

2008-10-16T00:18:00.000-07:00

5 DAYS OF SAND, SEA & RAIN...

2008-10-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

After a heavy couple of days in Phnom Penh, we decided to head down to the south coast for some escapism in Sihanoukville. It was an interesting place - a small-ish beach town, on the brink of being developed into a much less chilled resort. We're glad we got to stay there before that inevitably happens. We definitely made the most of the relaxed atmosphere, staying in a gorgeous, hill-side wooden bungalow, overlooking the sea & the distant islands.

We planned to actually stay on one of the idyllic, tropical islands as well. However, the monsoons got the better of us again - the sea was too rough for any boats to cross. It was a shame there wasn't more sun for us to enjoy the beach, but we had a wonderful few days relaxing on our balcony and hanging out in the bar with the eccentric Aussie-owner, Joe, and the smiliest barman in the world, Sophor.

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 3

2008-10-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 2

2008-10-15T06:21:00.000-07:00

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA 1

2008-10-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

OUT OF THE DARKNESS...

2008-10-15T05:31:00.000-07:00

Our brief stay in Phnom Penh was all about visiting the S-21 prison and the Killing Fields, in order to learn about Cambodia's very recent & tragic past at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. Words really aren't enough to describe how horrified and sad we felt when we visited these places - the human bones, still half-buried clothing and blood-stains made it all very real.

Perhaps one of the most moving things we saw were the endless mugshots of the S-21 'inmates', the last photos taken of so many innocent men, women & children. To see all of this, we felt, was an essential part of understanding Cambodia today, as the effects of the Pol Pot regime are still very tangible; there's barely anyone who hasn't got a sad story to tell about their family's experiences.

However, we don't want to paint a picture of a depressing city or nation of people as this certainly isn't the case. Despite its recent traumas, Phnom Penh (and Cambodia) is full of seemingly happy, and very smiley, people just getting on with their lives and this was great to see first hand.

MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM 5

2008-10-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM 4

2008-10-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM 3

2008-10-15T05:19:00.000-07:00

MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM 2

2008-10-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM 1

2008-10-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

MEKONG RIVER LIFE

2008-10-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

It was our last day with Kev and we'd booked a 2 day trip to the Mekong Delta. The second day we were to head, by boat, to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, whilst Kev would head back to Saigon to catch his flight to Bangkok.

After a short bus trip, we spent the day cruising along the Mekong River, stopping to see the floating markets, the locals making rice-popcorn, coconut candy and rice paper. After a quick lunch of enormous freshwater shrimp and a post-lunch bike-ride through the surrounding countryside, we got back on our boat and made our way to the bus pick-up. Having been assured we would all be staying in the same hotel, we found to our disappointment that Kev had to go with the 'Saigon group' and we were to make our way separately, via a 4 hour minibus ride from hell, to a floating hotel closer to the Cambodian border. So, it was a rushed farewell. Kev, it was short but very sweet - thanks for popping over to Nam to see us!

The next day we were brutally awoken at 6am, made our way to a local floating fish market, before taking a very relaxing 6 hour boat ride to Cambodia, stopping at a riverside immigration point for lunch and border-crossing shenanigans along the way. It was a unforgettable trip - fascinating to see the unique & simple river life of the Mekong Delta, and especially to see the smiley, waving children & boat people going about their everyday routine. Next stop Phnom Penh...

SAIGON, VIETNAM 6

2008-10-01T02:24:00.000-07:00

SAIGON, VIETNAM 5

2008-10-01T02:21:00.000-07:00

SAIGON, VIETNAM 4

2008-10-01T02:19:00.000-07:00

SAIGON, VIETNAM 3

2008-10-01T02:17:00.000-07:00

SAIGON, VIETNAM 2

2008-10-01T02:14:00.000-07:00

SAIGON, VIETNAM 1

2008-10-01T02:08:00.000-07:00

S-S-S-SAIGON

2008-09-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we know it's called Ho Chi Minh City now but the locals still call it Saigon, so 'when in Vietnam'... As soon as we got to our hotel we saw Kevin (a great friend from Emily's Casio days who came out for a week to Asia and spent 3 days with us) at the end of the street waving at us! We headed straight to Go 2 Bar and caught up on the past 7 months over several 'Saigon' beers and a few games of pool. Later that night, after dinner, we stumbled across an art shop full of very good copies of all the well-known artists, including 'Banksy'... except the 'Banksy' painting at the front of the shop was actually a '2SickBastards'. To add insult to injury, it was selling for $5!

The next day we all wandered through the streets & markets, had a fantastic lunch at a fresh food court (although Ben wasn't so keen on the chicken feet, despite Kevin's recommendation), then we went to the War Remnants Museum. Despite having already seen much of the extensive media coverage of the Vietnam or American War (depending on which side you were on), not to mention several movies, none of us were really prepared for the often upsetting photos and stories (made more real by actually being in Vietnam of course). Yes, the museum was definitely anti-American but with good reason we felt. That evening we found a 'Guns n Roses' themed bar, which was perfect escapism after a very real afternoon.

On our last day in Saigon, we took a trip out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a huge network of tunnels & underground bunkers used by the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF) and integral to their survival during the 'American War'. It was certainly impressive and all the more fascinating to be guided by a Southern Vietnamese war veteran. Our return journey to Saigon was by boat along the Cu Chi River and a good chance to catch up on sleep lost from the previous 2 nights out. The final night was an epic - fine food (including more delicious spring rolls), many beers, bumping into Mandy & James again, an ear-splitting couple of hours of karaoke, and finishing with our good friend Jack Daniels at the Guns n Roses Bar!