We were sad to be leaving Myanmar, after what felt like such a short period of time, but as ever we were excited to be heading to a brand new country. From Inle Lake to our next destination, Sihanoukville in Cambodia, was a bit of a mission, to say the least. We got an overnight … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Year Abroad
The Beautiful Terracotta Temples of Bagan
There aren’t many places I’ve been that are as awe-inspiring as the ancient city of Bagan. It stands its ground next to wonders of the world like Macchu Picchu and Angkor Wat, but it’s no where near as famous. This means you can explore the ancient 12th century temples, which sit in the middle of … Continue reading
Yangon: An Introduction to Magnificent Myanmar
We then travelled from one big city to another. We like to travel by land as often as possible. It means you usually travel in the same way at the locals, you get a real sense of the distance you’ve travelled and you get the best views out of the windows. So it’s not often … Continue reading
The Lanterns of Hoi An
With it’s traditional Vietnamese buildings, multi coloured lanterns, lush green countryside and white sandy beach, it’s no surprise that Hoi An is a very popular Vietnamese destination. It quickly became one of my favourite places on our Southeast Asia trip, and you could tell that many people felt the same way. It was very busy … Continue reading
Hué: Imperial Fortresses, Birthdays and Beaches
We returned to Hanoi for a night after our whistle-stop tour of Halong Bay, before beginning our journey south. Vietnam is a fairly easy country to travel through. It’s so long and thin so it’s quite easy to decide where to go, you either work your way from the bottom to the top, or vice … Continue reading
A Cruise Through the Islands of Halong Bay
From Hanoi we booked a two day tour to Halong Bay, in the north of Vietnam, the closest to China I’ve ever been. Although it was quite grey, it was pretty impressive. The area has been named one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of Nature’, with several thousand limestone mountainous islands protruding from the water. … Continue reading
Vientiane: A Trip to the Capital and a Farewell to Laos
After a few days in Vang Vieng, we headed further south to Laos’ capital, Vientiane. It was a stark contrast to beautiful Luang Prabang and rural Vang Vieng. We were back in a chaotic, noisy and grubby city. On first impressions, Vientiane isn’t particularly likeable. It feels more like a functioning city than Luang Prabang, … Continue reading
From Thailand to Laos: A Two Day Trip Down the Mekong
We looked into several ways to get from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang in Laos, and we decided the most interesting and convenient, seemed to include a two day boat trip down the Mekong river. We got a bus from Chiang Rai to the border crossing, and then stayed the night in the Laos border … Continue reading
Mopeds and Mojitos: A Birthday Weekend in Pai
Next up was a trip to the small town of Pai. The six of us squeezed onto a small minibus which weaved an wound it’s way through the lush green mountains. It was much more of a squeeze for Rob and Dan who are both over 6 foot, a height not well suited to Asian … Continue reading
Ayutthaya and Sukhothai: A Tale of Two Thai Cities
We departed Bangkok by train, something that was a pleasant novelty as we hadn’t had much chance to travel by train in South America, New Zealand or Australia. It’s a much more pleasant mode of transport than bus, which usually involves very bumpy and windy roads. The train wasn’t hugely comfortable, but it was spacious … Continue reading