Some days it has been 39 degrees here and on the 4,0000 Islands (we stayed on Don Det) there was no breeze. The best way to stay cool is to get into the water (The Mekong River). So first we went tubing. For 10,000 kip (87p) we rented lorry inner Read more…
Around all the backpacker accommodation you see adverts for VIP transfers by air conditioned express mini vans. This can include the changes in transport required to get you to the popular tourist destinations. Happy days! The downside …… hmm, where to begin: – you may or may not really get Read more…
We have loved seeing and enjoying a more simple way of life here in Laos. People go to bed when it is dark (unless a wedding or karaoke leads them very much astray) and get up when the cockerals crow. Yes, the people are poor but seem pretty happy. We Read more…
So after much deliberation it seemed the best way to get to the 4,000 Islands was to get a sleeper bus to Paxse which left sometime between midnight and 1am. The guy at Wang Wang guesthouse said kindly if we slept he would come and wake us and, just after Read more…
With the locals singing karaoke (badly) late last night, an early start wasn’t looking likely. So we chilled, had a late breakfast and headed off towards Tha Khaek. Some great twisty roads and sights to see. We kept passing the three French guys (thankfully no more accidents for them) and Read more…
So The Loop is an anti-clockwise route but the last third of the route (145km) back to Tha Khaek is along a busy highway . Having been on a bus hurtling along that road, beeping and swerving around everything in our path, we decided that it may not be the Read more…
The day started with a great kayak (and free!!!!) on the lake (450 sq miles of it resulting from the huge dam). As you can see there are lots of trees now under water and dying. We then jumped back on the moped and off again on The loop. After Read more…
Today we rented a moped for 4 days and set off on The Tha Khaek Loop. It is a 550km loop from Tha Khaek out into rural Laos, close to the Vietnam border but through a lush landscape interspersed with limestone mountains and caves. We saw many cows and goats Read more…
So as to not pile on the pounds while travelling, Pete and I packed running kit and trainers. I managed a couple of hill repeats in Thailand but was concentrating on daily yoga more while Pete was getting over his cold which he also seemed to pack in the IOM. Read more…
And the miracle was …….. we were out sightseeing before 8.30am!!!!! If you know how much Pete loves mornings then you will understand this ground breaking news. We arrived from the “sleeper” bus at sunrise, went to our hotel had some breakfast and headed out to see the capital’s sights Read more…
To get to Vientiane we decided a VIP Sleeper Bus may be the best option leaving at 8.30pm and taking about 9 hours (depending how cloudy it is in the mountains apparently). After a few false starts of being sent to the wrong bus at the bus station and then Read more…
A stormy morning view from our guesthouse (A Tee Guesthouse) Kuang Si waterfall Moon bears at Kuang Si Sanctuary Stunning! My favourite yoga location Water buffalo calves being fed Just like a cow (apparently) Feeding them napier grass Anything goes Wat Xieng Thong So I wanted two days on a Read more…
So we tried a foot massage in Chiang Mai and a back, neck and shoulder massage in Pai and both were fab. I have discovered my tight spots (calves, traps and shoulders) and also had joints clicked that have never clicked before. I know from previous sports massages that I Read more…
Yesterday we hired some archaic bikes and cycled 2 miles to the start of a trail to a waterfall. The start of the trail began with a river crossing and in the 14km round trip we must have crossed the same river about 40 times – lovely and cooling but Read more…
So the great things about coming to N Thailand in the dry season are the lack of rain, the ability to explore caves and plentiful sunshine. The drawbacks are there is only a trickle water in the waterfalls or rivers (so no swimming or tubing) and the farmers have started Read more…
Pai is a popular backpacker destination in the mountains. It is hot in the day (34 degrees today) and cool overnight (about 13 degrees at the moment). We are staying at Baan Pai Riverside and have a little bamboo hut over the river. Pete is very happy with his hammock Read more…
I just love the way that the Thai’s sometimes spell English words on their signs. In Doi Inthanong an official National Park sign stated that the water “dripples” down. I guess a combination of drip and dribbles. Here are a few others we have seen so far:
Today I went on Fred”s tour with 11 others from our guesthouse “ZZ Guesthous’. Ufortunately Pete missed out as he had been up all night coughing. So we headed into the cool mountains (14 degrees) to see some beautiful waterfalls, a cloud forest complete with the King’s and Queen’s Pagodas, Read more…
The old walled city of Chiang Mai is just bursting full of temples (or wats). We went around a handful yesterday but stupid me forgot to take my sarongs to cover up in order to be allowed to enter the temples (women’s shoulders and knees must be covered). Luckily some Read more…
So whilst travelling I didn’t want to add to the mountain of plastic bottles that our countries can’t cope with. Here you will see a photo taken at the edge if a road in Bangkok highlighting the problem. So with a very kind donation from Marie Skillicorn and Keith Skillicorn Read more…
Click for photos. So our flight with Emirates was via Dubai and continuing the theme of not really looking like backpackers – we got a free upgrade to something like premium economy. Ooh we were very happy upstairs on the Airbus with lots of legroom and just the two of Read more…
Here is Pete as we landed at Liverpool Airport on Monday. “I thought we were going to be travelling light” he said, “I feel like a pregnant snail!” (click to see the photo)
So after a frantic couple of weeks and then a few chilled days in The wirral catching up with friends and family, today we head off with our rucksacks to Manchester Airport. We have dashed around a few bikes shops today trying to get quick release fixings for our CamelBak Read more…