Thursday 16 – Monday 27 December – A very HOT Xmas in Kuala Lumpar

At the beginning of our trip Matt and I went to stay with Doug and Wilma, friends of the Cheeks. They were kind enough to invite us back for Christmas, and we jumped at the offer! Having been on the road for a quite a while now, we were very excited to be going somewhere for a reasonable amount of time. As lucky as we know we are, constantly moving from place to place is exhausting, and we are very fortunate to be able to go somewhere for some rest.

We flew into Kuala Lumpar, and after being picked up at the station by Mark, we were greeted into the familiar penthouse by the smell of lasagne. It was delicious, and we enjoyed catching up with the Websters. It truly was great to be back, and that evening, after a hot shower, we enjoyed sleeping in a comfortable bed in an air conditioned room. This is what 'flashpacking' must be like...

Yet again we have really seen the sights of Kuala Lumpar, of course, if those sights include the pool.... We even managed to go for a dip in the pool on Christmas day, mainly, I think, just because we could. In fact, we had a great time in Kuala Lumpar, and the time flew by.

A particular highlight was going to see Harry Potter. It was a really nice cinema, far nicer than in the UK, and it cost all of 15 Ringit (£3) each, including a drink and popcorn. There was one problem though, the cinema was freezing! In fact, Wilma told us that you can go to special screens which have reclining armchairs and blankets; it is a shame we didn't have the chance to experience that! I can confirm that we thoroughly enjoyed Harry Potter, although I think non-fan Mark was quite confused!

Going to the cinema wasn't the only touch of home we had, we also indulged in a Domino's. This was a bit pricier though, it was about the same price as home, but so good. In a way, Kuala Lumpar certainly feels like a home away from home, and Matt and I are even starting to get excited to be getting back on the road.

The highlight of our time here was, of course, Christmas. Michael and his girlfriend Sandy came over, and we had a great couple of days. We started by going on a night out for Christmas eve, which was pretty much over a few hours later after only two cocktails. It might have something to do with the cocktails coming in pint glasses though...

Christmas day was spent at the Hilton, and we enjoyed a 24 course meal. As you can imagine, it was HUGE. Very, very delicious, but by the puddings I couldn't even manage a spoonful of each. My particular favourite was the pink snapper. We did get to have a taste of caviar as well, but I didn't think much of it! Perhaps it is an acquired taste...

Let us not forget that Matt also turned 25 whilst we were out here! I did take him for lunch and manage to buy him a few useful presents. Doug and Wilma also had a Christmas party that night, so Matt managed to consume his entire body weight in beer... It was his birthday, after all.

It has been another fantastic trip to Kuala Lumpar, and as we are now planning on heading to the north of Malaysia, it may not be our last... Thank you once again to Doug and Wilma for their hospitality, when you are next in London we will make sure we begin to repay the favour!

A very hot Xmas in Kuala Lumpar!

Monday 13 – Wednesday 15 December: A final return to Bangkok

 

Matt and I spent 9 hours on a bus between Battanbang and Bangkok to bid our farewell to not just the crazy capital, but also to Thailand as a whole.

We have spent a large proportion of our trip in Thailand, and our final return to the capital was our fourth time there (although once we didn't actually make it out the airport!). When we first arrived, I remember being completely overwhelmed by the city and very unsure of it. When we said goodbye, I was extremely confident and comfortable there, it was even great to be back.

Our bus from Cambodia arrived at Khao San Road (THE tourist place in Bangkok), which we hadn't been to, and I will most likely never go to again! Whilst on that road you could pretty much be anywhere toursity in the world, and I far prefer the quieter parts of Bangkok. Still, it was an experience, and if we hadn't gone there we might not have had our very pleasant surprise...

Whilst online on the afternoon of our second day on Bangkok, I stumbled across a Facebook status from a friend from uni, Hannah. She was complaining about the volume of pad thai she had eaten, so I asked whereabouts in Thailand she was, and mentioned that we were in Bangkok. She quickly responded to say, I am in Bangkok too! And we soon realised we were sat only metres apart. We met Hannah that night for a drink (well, several drinks as it ended up), and then lunch the next day. It was great to see her, and I wish her good lunch with the next part of her trip in New Zealand.

It was in Bangkok that I also experienced my first angry tuk tuk driver. Having been used to the laid back nature of those in Cambodia and Laos, I was completely taken aback by this man. See, unfortunately for him it was my fourth time in Bangkok, and I had taken a number of taxis and knew how much each journey should cost. Matt and I wanted to head to the MBK shopping centre, and I guessed this should cost about 80 Baht (£1.80). He said he wanted 350 Baht. I told him a taxi would cost 80 Baht, and although I appreciated a tuk tuk would cost more, I was not paying 350 Baht. He got really angry at with me at this point, I think perhaps he was used to farang who were none the wiser, and also he probably didn't want everyone else around knowing this was the going rate. Still, we walked down the road, got in a metered cab, and what do you know? It cost 79 Baht.

Matt and I didn't do much in Bangkok, we mainly enjoyed the atmosphere and purchased the last of our Christmas presents. It was great to be back though, and I am sure this is not a final goodbye. I am determined to come back to Thailand for a few weeks in a couple of years, and I am already looking forward to it. I am pretty sure it will be completely different though, this country is moving fast!

Khaawp khoon ka Thailand; laa gawn!

Cambodia

Saturday 5 – Sunday 12 December: Cambodia – The heartbreaker

Matt and I were in good spirits when we woke up bright and early on the 5 December to catch our flight from Vientianne to Phnom Penh. Having had ample time to chill out in Vientianne in a really nice hotel, we were looking forward to being able to enjoy some culture in Cambodia. However, our trip in Cambodia actually turned out considerably different to how we planned it, and for that I am actually quite thankful.

Our first stop was Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh is unlike anything we have seen in South East Asia so far. It is offensive to all the senses – ugly, loud, dirty, repulsive and rather upsetting. Perhaps we didn't go to the best parts of the city, or perhaps we didn't give it enough time (we initially planned to spend four nights in Phnom Penh as there is plenty to do and see, but we ended up spending only two nights there, and cramming in as much as we could in our one day), but I left with a rather poor impression of the capital.

First, let it be said that Cambodia is similar to Laos with regards to levels of wealth. When we first arrived in Laos it was evident how much poorer the people are there compared to, say, Thailand. However, in Cambodia there is a very real and very large gap in the division of wealth. This was at its most evident in Phnom Penh, and I think that is perhaps why I did not like it there.

Cambodia and Laos are both devastatingly poor, but it is only Cambodia which has received major publicity to its plight (Gary Glitter on the negative, Angelina Jolie on the positive). Like any warm hearted person, I wanted to experience Cambodia and have a positive effect on the country. However, it is extremely hard to watch tiny, very hungry children out advertising or selling things for hours every day, whilst there are other people driving around HUGE Lexus 4x4s, living in massive houses in gated communities. Or, as I heard one very charming man say, “why would I want to be living amongst the poor people?”.

There is something very unsettling about Phnom Penh, and it is the only place we have visited so far where I haven't felt safe. You can feel an undercurrent of corruption and seediness, and on our first night there I knew I wouldn't be staying long, and initially I even wanted to leave the next day. I am glad we didn't though, because during our one day in Phnom Penh we visited many of the sights associated with the Khmer Rouge.

For those who are not aware, the Khmer Rouge was a cruel and harsh dictatorship in existence in Cambodia in the mid to late 1970s, led by the man best known as Pol Pot. Pol Pot was an extreme Maoist Communist, and he had ideas of a society of equals. When they captured (or liberated, as they rather euphemistically said) Phnom Penh, they told the residents that the Americans were going to bomb the capital, and that they should hide in the country to avoid this. Once in the country they were forced to work 14 hours shifts in the fields (the elderly, children, and people with disabilities were not excluded), surviving on tiny rations of porridge.

The Khmer Rouge also tortured and murdered anyone suspected of being anti Communist, which included a lot of intellectuals. In addition, they would murder entire families to avoid 'revenge attacks' by children when they grew up. The dictatorship's rule ended in 1979, but the Khmer Rouge were thought to be in existence as late as 1998, when Pol Pot died. He was rather appropriately cremated on a pile of rubbish.

The two Khmer Rouge sites Matt and I visited were the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng prison (section 21). Tuol Sleng prison was a school which was converted to a prison by the Khmer Rouge. Here, people were ruthlessly tortured (and sometimes murdered), and kept in tiny cells which still exist today. The main display, however, is the corridors filled with pictures of those murdered in the prison. Like the Nazis before them, the Khmer Rouge were meticulous record keepers, and it is their pictures which cover the walls of the prison. As you walk from room to room to room you are greeted with thousands of pictures, the terrified expressions of the prisoners staring back at you. When we read that at least 27,000 of the prisoners were murdered, it is just a number. To see 27,000 faces staring back at you is a different experience all together, and one I will never forget.

The Killing Fields is where prisoners of the Tuol Sleng prison were taken to be killed. It is about 34km outside Phnom Penh, and is unlike anything we have experienced before. Being Asia they have done some work on the Killing Fields, but not all. This means that some of the mass graves have been excavated, but others still have not, and it was not uncommon to see bones jutting through the earth, or a piece of clothing beginning to come through the surface. Still, whilst you walk around the picturesque orchard it is hard to get a feel for the sheer volume of brutality that took place (people were generally beaten to death to avoid wasting bullets). However, the tower of skull that has been built to commemorate the murdered soon brings it home.

It is truly shocking to think that only recently have the trials of the Khmer Rouge leaders begun to take place. Only one leader, Duch, has confessed to what happened. The others deny that any level of brutality took place (again, much like the Nazis). When you walk amongst the older generation of Khmers, sometimes your mind wanders back to the Khmer Rouge. Did these people suffer as a result of the dictatorship? Or were these people the ones killing or torturing people to save themselves?

Later in our trip we were in the city of Battanbang, and the topic of the Khmer Rouge arose with a tuk tuk driver (Mr Blue, another name I will remember) who was born after the fall of the dictatorship. It was interesting to talk to him, and he said that everyone wants to know his experience of the Khmer Rouge. Did his parents suffer? His grandparents? He said that neither he nor his parents want to talk about. Why? It makes them unhappy. He said they will never forget what happened, and of course they want to ensure that those responsible are punished. However, he says there is no point in being sad about it everyday; we are so lucky to be alive and we should all be happy. I thought this sentiment was beautiful, and incredibly common amongst Khmers who are, without exception, the nicest, happiest, most wonderful people I have ever met.

This opinion was proved over and over again to me when we left Phnom Penh. And once we left, my opinion of Cambodia completely changed. I went from feelings of repulsion to love, and I will certainly be returning to Cambodia.

We left Phnom Penh early one morning and caught the bus to Siem Reap. Siem Reap is a must in Cambodia for one reason, and that is the Temples of Angkor. We spent three days exploring the temples, and there isn't a whole lot to say about them. Yes, they were as amazing as everyone says. As you clamber all over them, you can almost see the monks wandering amongst them a thousand years ago.

I have to say though, I think the reason we loved the temples so much was partly because of our tuk tuk driver, Rithy. Rithy was great! He explained each of the temples to us before we entered them, and we ended up spending three days with him. He had this incredible knack of always seeing us before we saw him, and everytime we left a temple we would see him driving towards us, waving and smiling his big, bright smile. I wish him all the happiness in the world.

Part of the experience of temples is the hundreds of children, all trying to sell you things. As soon as your tuk tuk pulls up you are accosted by children trying to sell you scarves, postcards, bracelets, fruit... And all for $1. $1 is not a lot to you and me, but considering the average daily wage in Cambodia is $2, it really puts it in perspective. If you gave $1 to every child that asked though, you would be a very poor individual, so you have to give sparingly. The children are amazing though. Even if you say no they will walk and talk with you, eager to practise their English and find out more about your country. Their favourite trick was having an encyclopedic knowledge of every country – the capital, the Prime Minister/President, a couples of phrases (lovely jubbly!), and my particular favourite, the complete list of British Prime Ministers of the past 100 years. If these kids were given half a chance in life they could go very far.

Perhaps my fondest memory of Cambodia though is the bamboo train in Battanbang. Battanbang isn't a particularly touristy city, but they do have one draw, which is the bamboo train. The bamboo train (google it) is essentially a square block made of bamboo, placed on two sets of wheels which runs along the warped train line (the train lines are not currently in use in Cambodia). Traditionally it is used to carry vegetables and meat from the villages to the towns to be sold. However, you can now hire your own train and driver, and they will take you to the village and show you around rural Cambodia. The train journey is pretty scary, and as it is only one line, if you meet someone with more passengers coming the other way, you have to wait whilst they dismantle the train and let the other one past. However, when you get to the village it is truly something else. As the people there are not used to visitors, they are very happy to see you. You end up with about twenty children and five adults all showing you around, from the brick factory to the rice paddies. They talk to you about your life and theirs, and unlike the children of Siem Reap, many have not heard of England. Their number one question about it though is, “England is good country?”.

My answer, to them, is yes. To myself, I am not so sure. The people in the village live an amazing life. They are completely self sufficient, and more importantly, they are incredibly happy. It is the kind of happy you will never see in England, one of being carefree, one of loving life. They are truly wonderful people.

It is a shame, in a way, but an Australian company has recently bought the rights to all of the train lines in Cambodia. This will, perhaps, spell the end of the bamboo train and the trip to village. However, Khmers are excited about the train line (which will apparently connect the major cities to Bangkok), as they think it will encourage more visitors and therefore more money. I hope so. In places like Battanbang there are so few jobs that if they had more tourists they could open bars and restaurants and provide employment. I just hope that they are able to retain their beautiful nature and avoid becoming greedy like many Thais.

To end, what started as a low in Cambodia very much ended on a high. I spent most of our bus journey to Bangkok reflecting on what we had seen and done. The Khmers certainly have a very special place in my heart and I will most definitely return. Cambodia is a truly beautiful country (outside the capital!), but it is the people which make it truly special. I have found that many travellers come up through Thailand, across to Laos and then straight to Vietnam, not even considering Cambodia. Big mistake. Go, and talk to as many Khmers as you can – I can guarantee you won't be short of volunteers. I will remember everyone I spoke to fondly, especially Spiderboy...

Goodbye Cambodia, I hope our time apart will not be too great.

Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 December: Vientiane – Most boring capital city ever?!

I think the blog on our time in Vientiane is going to be my shortest ever for one simple reason: Vientiane is so incredibly dull! Michael did warn us of this so I wasn't expecting much, but I also wasn't expecting it to be this bad! Vientiane – very good for sitting around drinking coffee and chilling, very bad for a capital city!

After saying a fond farewell to Vang Vieng, we made our way to the bus depot. Unfortunately, our pick up was quite late, and so Matt and I were stuck with the back row on the bus (no leg room!). The bus sat around for about ten more minutes, and as it was already pretty full, we were all starting to wonder why. Suddenly, a minibus turned up, and out got 20 people. I quickly did the maths; there was about 10 seats left and 20 people to sit on the bus. In typical South East Asian style, the bus driver gave them two options: sit on the floor or don't come. When they chose sit on the floor, he got them each out a stool... My leg room situation didn't seem so bad after seeing that!

I can't imagine the stools lasted long though, the road to Vientiane was a nightmare. It was pretty much gravel all the way, and after my back and legs got thoroughly battered whilst tubing, it was now time for my head to take some bruising as it constantly smacked against the roof, window, seat in front... Why put such bouncy seats on a bus that is going to take that journey?!

Fortunately, this journey only took 3 and a half hours, even though it is exactly the same distance as Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. We arrived early in the afternoon, and quickly got a tuk tuk to the centre of the city.

I will give Vientiane some credit – it is here that we found the nicest guesthouse we have stayed in yet. It is more akin to a hotel, and in spite of not being in the Lonely Planet, it is very popular and was full every night we stayed. I think it had a lot to do with the complimentary breakfast they supply! When Matt was sat in the lobby they even bought him some free cake, none for me though, not that I am bitter...

Matt and I spent two days in Vientiane, and to our credit, we thoroughly enjoyed the time doing nothing. Next on our agenda is Cambodia, and we have lots planned for our time there. As such, we spent our time drinking coffee, catching up on reading (or blogs as in Matt's case!) and enjoying copious amounts of noodle soup.

Still, Laos has been one big relaxation session, and I am certainly looking forward to some culture in Cambodia. Vientiane also absolutely stinks; if the winds blows it smells like a sewer, and I am hoping Cambodia isn't like this!

See you later Vientiane, it has been dull!

Vang Vieng

Monday 29 November – Wednesday 1 December: Tuuuuuuuuubing

 

Vang Vieng was next on our list in Laos. Vang Vieng is known for one thing: tubing. For those who don't know, tubing involves hiring a big, inflatable tube from the market, being taken up the river in a tuk tuk, and then being left to float down the river in your own time in your tube. It is supposed to take a couple of hours to float down the river, but that, of course, depends on how many of the makeshift bars you stop at along the way.

Before we could begin tubing though, we had to make our way from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. I wasn't looking forward to our journey; it was estimated to take six hours to drive 100 miles. Knowing this left me wondering, how bad exactly are the roads in Laos?! In hindsight, they are actually not that bad. The reason it takes so long is because the road winds around various mountains; it feels like you are never driving along a flat, straight piece of road.

Reading on the bus was out of the question; Matt and I spent six hours listening to music and trying to resist the urge to vomit. Fortunately, prior to leaving for our trip, we bought some travel sickness pills. I can confirm that Kwells certainly work a treat for travel sickness; I think Matt and I were the only two people on the bus who weren't sick. They even had a man on the bus who walked up and down the aisle handing our sick bags.

We made it in one piece though, and found ourselves at quite a nice guesthouse where we would be staying for the next three nights. Whilst exploring the town we were most amused to spot almost every person that was on our slow boat. In particular, we spoke to three guys from Manchester and Coventry on the boat, and we continued to bump into them during our entire time in Vang Vieng.

Vang Vieng reminded me a lot of Koh Phi Phi – it is almost all backpackers, and the atmosphere is incredibly laid back and chilled. There are numerous bars overlooking the river, most of which have booths where you can sit (or lie) on cushions and enjoy as many episodes of Friends or Family Guy that you can handle.

Matt and I chose a chilled first night in Vang Vieng, saving our energy for the tubing. After taking advice, we made our way to the market to collect our tubes at around noon the following day. We got driven to the top, and before we had even got in the water we found ourselves at our first bar. Matt decided he didn't want to waste time at just one bar though, so we were soon in the water, heading down to the second bar.

Tubing is great fun, but if you plan to do it you need to do it one of two ways. Either get in your tube and decide you are going to enjoy the scenery and make it back to the end, or decide that you are going to just sit at the first four bars and barely tube at all. If you are going to do the former, you only really have time to stop at one bar. It is supposed to take a couple of hours from start to finish, but I seriously beg to differ looking back! If you are going to do the latter, don't bother getting a tube at all and instead just take a tuk tuk up to the top of the river and then a tuk tuk back later. Save the £10 you would spend on a tube for beer money and enjoy the atmosphere without losing your deposit.

In hindsight, I would have not bothered with a tube on the first day, and then taken the scenic route on the second day. Unfortunately, hindsight was not something that we had when we made our plan. Matt and I found ourselves befriending an Australian couple and an American girl at the second bar. We made our way down the river with them, and by the end of our drink at the fourth bar we realised it was 4pm. Wanting to enjoy the scenery we decided to head back. We then spent the next two hours furiously paddling our way to the end. TWO HOURS TO FLOAT BACK?! WHATEVER! The water level was quite low the day we went, and I can't even remember the number of times I hit a rock, flipping my tube at one point. Unfortunately, Matt was about five minutes behind me at this point. Fortunately, our trusty Manchester and Coventry friends appeared from no where and gave me a helping hand when I tried to stand up and promptly trod on a very spiky rock.

We finally made it back to the beginning at 5.50, narrowly being able to get our deposit back. Bruised and aching, we agreed to meet our new friends for dinner later in the night. I think we all agreed it was the biggest dinner we have ever eaten. Having not eaten since breakfast and then getting the biggest work out of my life paddling to the end of the river, we were all incredibly hungry and thankful that Vang Vieng was such a cheap place to eat. We had a great evening in the end, and with some food in our bellies we were able to look back and laugh at our earlier ordeal.

The next day I felt truly battered and bruised. Matt and I spent the entire day in one bar, chilling out and watching episodes of Friends. I don't think I have ever enjoyed Friends more! When we first arrived in Vang Vieng we saw people lying about watching endless episodes of Friends and couldn't work out why when they could be tubing. I now can fully understand their reasoning!

I was slightly saddened that we didn't get to enjoy two days of tubing, but it was time to move on to the capital of Laos, Vientiane. We said a fond farewell to our new friends who were heading to Vietnam, and made our way to the bus depot, ready for the next stage in our journey.

Luang Prabang

Thursday 25 – Sunday 28 November: A slow meander to Luang Prabang

The time had come for Matt and I to leave Thailand and make our way to Luang Prabang in Laos. We had an early 6.30am bus booked to take us to the Thai border, where we would then catch the slow boat to Luang Prabang, stopping for the night in Pak Beng.

Up bright and breezy, Matt and I waited for over an hour for our pick up to arrive. We were getting quite worried, so Matt gave the agent a call. It turned out that the pick up had been waiting at the wrong hostel, although I wasn't happy at being made to sit around for so long at such an early time! Still, I was pleased they arrived in the end; attempting to get our money back from the agent wasn't something I was overly keen to do.

Our pick off dropped us at the border, and it was completely mental. The Thai side was reasonably logical – a queue of people waiting to get their passport stamped on exit. You then take a boat to the Laos side of the river, where you have to complete your visa application form. Upon completion, you put your passport and application in a basket with about 30 others, and they take it to an office to complete your application. Half an hour later, they somehow find you based only on your passport. I have no idea how they do it – I for one don't look anything like my passport picture, and yet they still managed to find me immediately.

We were now officially in Laos, and after the usual trek of sitting around for hours and being shuttled from minibus to minibus, we made it to the slow boat. I did have romantic ideas of everyone being sat around on the floor, but instead they had make shift seats which were actually pretty comfortable – we were clearly ripped off when we bought our cushions earlier in the day.

The journey on the slow boat is one I would recommend to anyone. It does take two days, and you spend the night in a tiny little village called Pak Beng. Pak Beng has essentially been designed for its purpose, and it is just loads of guest houses, all trying to win you over so you come and spend your money at their business. Our particular guesthouse was great – we had a little hut with essentially a bed, a fan and a small bathroom. It had a really tasty restaurant on the side too, and all the waiters try to get you to buy drugs from them... Clearly the no drugs law isn't exactly enforced in Laos.

A hint if you do decide to get the slow boat to Luang Prabang - don't listen to anyone who tells you that you won't be able to get a room for the night in Pak Beng. We heard this a lot, and although I was wise enough to figure out that they hardly had 90% of all the slow boat passengers sleeping rough for the night, some people weren't, and they ended up paying double what we paid for a far inferior room.

The boat journey itself is absolutely stunning. Each day takes about seven hours (depending on the season – the wet season is obviously quicker and the hot season is a lot slower), and you slowly make your way down the Mekong River. The river is surrounded by natural rainforest, little beaches and some make shift villages. It was very common to see a group of men in their pants having a wash in the river! Each part of the journey was beautiful, and it was incredibly relaxing.

On the second day we decided to sit on the floor so we could stretch our legs. This was a great plan until some kids (ok, like, 18 year olds) decided to come and invade our space and play cards. I am quite used to people invading my personal space (I think people sense I hate it and for some reason feel inclined to push me as much as possible), but these kids were ridiculous! I pretty much had one on my lap, so I decided that they would have my feet in their faces. This didn't work, so I decided they would have Matt's feet in their faces. This worked a treat and Matt and I soon had our leg room back.

As beautiful as the journey was, it certainly went quickly. Before we knew it we had arrived in Luang Prabang, and we were one of the last boats to do so. Matt and I set off in search of a guesthouse but everywhere was full. We decided to settle upon the first guesthouse we found a vacancy at, and ended up in, essentially, a family's spare bedroom. It stunk of cabbage and was pretty grimy, but hey, it was a roof over our heads for the night. The next day we were inevitably up early and in search of a new guesthouse. Fortunately, the next one we found was a lot nicer, and we quickly found ourselves settling into Laos.

Luang Prabang is a beautiful place, and perhaps most beautiful of all was the waterfall about 30km from the centre of town. We had heard many a tuk tuk driver offering to take us to the waterfall, and on our last day in Luang Prabang we decided to go. It was the best decisions we have made on the whole trip, the waterfall was absolutely stunning. I don't need to go into too much detail as the pictures speak for themselves, but it was paradise. Thailand's beaches certainly have nothing on this waterfall, and ignoring the many, many fat Westerners in their speedos, I could have sat their for hours.

I also found my favourite bar so far in Luang Prabang. Across a make shift (and incredibly safe, as always in South East Asia) bamboo bridge there was a small bar. As it was on the other side of the river to the main strip of restaurants, it was really peaceful in spite of its popularity. Matt and I found ourselves there quite a bit, and enjoyed our first Lao Fondue there.

A Lao Fondue is essentially a big metal dome with a moat around the outside which is placed over the large bucket of embers. You then fill the moat with water, vegetables, eggs, noodles and seasoning, whilst you place fat and meat on the top of the dome to grill. What you end up with is actually a noodle soup you make yourself, but it was delicious, and certainly worth the novelty. Very hot work though in a tropical country!

We enjoyed three nights in Luang Prabang, but decided to move on to Vang Vieng sooner rather than later due to the price. Luang Prabang is one of the most expensive places we have been to so far, although it is definitely worth stopping at. It is incredibly civilised and peaceful, which is certainly not what I am expecting from Vang Vieng...

A random note on Myanmar (Burma)

When Matt and I first started planning this trip we had no real idea of which countries we were going to visit. We knew we would start and end in Singapore, and somewhere in the middle we would go to Thailand and Vietnam. However, where we would go in the middle is only something we have recently decided, and it has changed substantially from when we first arrived here.

Myanmar is a country that I have thought a lot about during our travels. I have heard that it is often many people's favourite country that they visit in South East Asia, however, it is not short of controversy. Initially I had great interest in going there, but, after much thought, Matt and I have decided not to go during this trip. I am certain it is a country I will visit at some point in my life though.

We decided not to include Myanmar in our trip for two reasons. Firstly, after looking into the finer details of our travels, it is actually quite hard to get into Myanmar. It is near impossible to cross the border by land. We had looked at Thailand as a possibility to do this, however we have since discovered that you can only cross the border for one day, and you must leave your passport at the border in order to gain entry. Land borders with Myanmar are notorious for closing completely randomly, leaving visitors stranded, often without their passports. This idea didn't appeal to me, which led to our second hurdle.

There are quite a few countries that fly to Yangon, the old (and still unofficial) capital of Myanmar. Flights around South East Asia are generally very cheap, but this is not true of Myanmar. Perhaps it is because there are fewer flights here than elsewhere, I am not sure, but the flights are very expensive. We would have had to take serious cuts elsewhere in our trip (Hong Kong certainly wouldn't have been on the cards, nor would Christmas in Kuala Lumpur), and both Matt and I were not willing to do this.

In addition to this, Myanmar is undergoing its first 'democratic' election in quite sometime, and there is a lot of political unrest around the area at the moment. Many people avoid Myanmar to respect the boycott on tourism requested by the Noble Peace Prize winner and pro democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. However, although the government controls and profits from many of the guest houses and bus routes around Myanmar, it is possible to visit the country and use only independent services. A detailed travel guide on the country is essential to do this, and it is of vital importance that travellers in no way fund the horrific oppressive government that exists.

Whilst in Chiang Mai I noticed a lot of Burmese people working there. During our elephant trek the mahout of our elephant was originally from Myanmar, and his family moved away from the country to escape the oppressive governmental regime that existed. This is true of many Burmese people, and the government has done some shocking things in its time. Of course, they have placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest numerous times since she won the election in 1994 (she has only just been released again, for now). Another example that sticks in my mind is when the 1985 leader Ne Win withdrew 25, 50 and 100 Kyat notes, and replaced them with 15, 35 and 70 Kyat notes. The process of changing the old notes into new ones was incredibly difficult, and many Burmese people lost all their money. And, as if that isn't bad enough, a couple years later Ne Win then withdrew the 35 and 70 Kyat notes, and replaced them with 45 and 90 Kyat notes! This time there was no exchange, and once again Burmese people lost incredible amounts of money. No wonder they now keep their money in the form of gold. And we thought our government caused us money problems – please forgive the Burmese when they struggle to sympathise!

Once you get past the government, which isn't an easy task, Myanmar is reportedly an incredibly beautiful country. It has a lot more originality than its neighbour, Thailand, and the people are supposed to be incredibly friendly. I have written this note mainly to remind myself that I must go there at some point. It is important that the Burmese people know of the lives led outside their country, and tourism is one of the only ways this can happen. It is also one of the few ways that the Burmese people can make any money for themselves. As with any country with an oppressive government, it is also essential that an international presence is felt so that acts against human rights are not hidden away and allowed to happen unnoticed.

I will make sure to visit Myanmar in what I hope will be the near future. After encountering the good nature of (most of) the Thai people, as well as the sheer beauty of Thailand, I can't wait to see what Myanmar has to offer. Being able to help a country so badly disadvantaged by its government whilst being able to enjoy the beauty it has to offer will be an amazing experience.

And one last note: if you ever decide to go to Myanmar, please buy some books on the country and leave them there. Myanmar is in dire need of intellectual perspective, and it won't be receiving any of that from its government anytime soon.

Tuesday 16 to Wednesday 24 November - North Thailand: A spot of cooking, a few elephants, a big Loi Krathong celebration and a whole lot of relaxing

2 After visiting the incredibly slick Hong Kong, Matt and I decided to move on to the north of Thailand. We had to book our flights to Kuala Lumpur for Christmas early due to the price, so we are now having to be quite tight on time to ensure that we manage to get everything in before then. As such, we decided to head directly to Chiang Mai, rather than work our way up slowly as we had wished. Unfortunately, we only decided this whilst in Hong Kong, so how we were going to get to Chiang Mai was a decision we still had to make, and fast.

Ideally, Matt and I would have taken the sleeper train. This was a very comfortable and convenient way of getting to the south of Thailand. However, the sleeper train is incredibly popular and you must book a few days in advance. We considered trying our luck, and then failing that going to the bus station and getting on a sleeper bus. This idea didn't really appeal to us, mainly because the Bangkok-Chiang Mai bus trip is notorious for having things stolen. Having been victim to this already, we decided to check out flights first.

We were both convinced that flights would be too expensive, but after setting a price, we decided to shop around whilst at Bangkok airport. Amazingly, our price was spot on, and three hours after landing at Bangkok, we were taking off again, this time bound for Chiang Mai. The flight was incredible value for money. Our flights during our travels have so far been with AirAsia, but this time we flew with THAI. And what luxury! Reclining seats! Inclusive food! Air conditioning that actually worked! For only a fraction more than the price of the sleeper train we certainly did well with our flights, and I don't think we will be that lucky again for a while!

Before we knew it we had arrived in Chiang Mai, and we quickly noticed the relaxed atmosphere. In our usual style we quickly checked into a hostel and immediately began looking around. I think Matt and I both very swiftly fell in love with Chiang Mai. Unlike Bangkok, you are not constantly hassled. Everything is also a fraction of the price of the capital, and the people far friendlier. In fact, Matt and I liked Chiang Mai so much that we quickly worked out which dates we needed to be where to prolong our stay.

In total we spent a week in Chiang Mai, which is actually quite a bit longer than we originally planned. We were going to move from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, where we would do a trek. However, as Matt developed a chest infection whilst in Chiang Mai, we decided to delay the trek to later in our trip, and stay an extra night in Chiang Mai.

I must admit that we spent a lot of time in Chiang Mai relaxing, simply watching the world pass by. However, we did do a couple of active things during our trip, both of which will stick in my memory for the rest of my life.

Firstly, we arranged to do a cooking course. It was great fun, and you had to choose an appetizer, a soup, a stir fry, a desert, a noodle dish, a curry and the paste for the curry. I can confirm I am now an expert at making spring rolls, coconut milk soup, sweet and sour, sticky rice and mango, pad thai and penang curry. I particularly enjoyed the pad thai, and I was surprised at how easy it was to make everything. With a cookbook of all the recipes we learned safely tucked in my bag, I am sure I am going to be practising my new found Thai cooking skills on every unfortunate volunteer.

The second, and more incredible, excursion was a trip to an elephant sanctuary. We had considered going on a day hike that involved an elephant trek. However, one night we were sat in a bar in Chiang Mai and someone walked past on an elephant. I had read about this elephant begging, and it is bad for the elephant for a variety of reasons. You can hardly blame the mahout; they probably made a living using the elephant for logging in the past, but after the government made this illegal, both mahout and elephant found themselves out of a job. However, it was such a sorry sight. Such a magnificent animal has no place on the street like that, and the elephant looked incredibly unhappy. I was quite upset by the sight of it, and I was very proud of everyone around us – not one person went out to see the elephant, and therefore encourage the begging.

At the beginning of our trek the man who runs the sanctuary spoke about such begging, and he explained that anytime he sees this happening he tries to buy the elephant. I was incredibly touched by this, and it was at that moment I was pleased that we had chosen the far pricier option of going to the elephant sanctuary rather than the trek. When he spoke of his ambitions I genuinely felt for him, and I really hoped that he is able to make them come to light. In particular, he has to keep the elephants on chains at the moment as he doesn't have enough land for them to be free without fighting with each other. He hopes to buy the field next to thesanctuary and build a high wall so they have lots of space and no longer have to remain on chains. In addition, he has two pregnant elephants, and as the Asian elephant is in severe decline, this is certainly to be encouraged.

The Baan San Elephant Park provides an amazing day. The mahouts must think we are completely mental – to them, the elephants are life, but to us, they were incredible, and we will pay a lot of money to be so close to them. Matt and I were quite fortunate, we were the only people at the (very) early morning session, so we got an in depth training session as well as a good walk with our elephant, Manoi.

We got changed into our rather fetching mahout outfits, before feeding the elephant bananas. We then got trained on some basic commands, as well as getting used to climbing onto the elephant bare back. Initially it was really scary, but you soon get into it and start enjoying it. The walk was amazing, so nice to see the elephant being able to eat when she wants, and they even let her wander into the jungle for a bit. The highlight however was when we bathed Manoi. She was in her element, and was clearly thoroughly enjoying us bathing her. She was a complete sweetheart and obviously very happy. I really do hope that the owner and all the mahouts are able to buy the field, and I will make sure to remember them if I ever find myself with a small fortune!

As well as cooking and elephants, we found ourselves in Chiang Mai for the annual Loi Krathong festival. The festival celebrates the river goddess, and many people place candles in the river to say thank you for the life the river provides. People also fly paper lanterns to wish for luck over the next year.

We were there for the first day of the festival, and it was great fun. There was a giant parade which led to the river. Matt and I let off a lantern, before wandering amongst the thousands of people that had arrived to celebrate. We did avoid the main crowds for one big reason though – the fireworks. As always, safety first in Thailand! The Thai guide to fireworks:

1. When lighting fireworks, ensure that you are in a crowded place.
2. You must be holding at least twenty fireworks about your person at anytime. If you are struggling to find places to hold your fireworks, consider placing them down your trousers or in your baby's pushchair.
3. Light as many fireworks as possible at one time.
4. Light the fireworks in your hand, throw them up in the air and then hope they explode before they start falling to the ground.
5. As a joke, throw lit fireworks into the crowd. Extra points for setting fire to people's hair.
6. The louder the better – if it doesn't sound like a war has started, it isn't a celebration.

Needless to say, I only had to see one woman's hair get set on fire before I insisted we stay a safe distance from the crowds! It was a truly amazing sight though, and I am sure that if it had been in the UK bureaucracy would have ruined it and it would never have been the same.

After a week of relaxing and enjoying the chilled atmosphere, Matt and I decided to move onto Chiang Rai before crossing the border into Laos. I won't go into any details – Chiang Rai was distinctly unremarkable, but it was an enjoyable enough place to spend time before an early morning start to cross the border. The best part was the market which was aimed at Thai people. This meant there were prices everywhere (no haggling!), although the clothes did tend to make me feel like a giant. I still managed to pick up a few cheap bits though.

I cannot believe it is already time to leave Thailand. Thailand has been a great place to start properly, but I am looking forward to moving on. I am pretty fed up of everyone trying to scam us; it feels like a constant battle to get a fair deal. Thailand is beautiful, although I can see that it is developing at an almighty pace. I will definitely come back, but I would be extremely surprised if it is anything like it is now.

Time to move onto Laos, and then Cambodia. I hear Laos is incredibly beautiful, and I am very much looking forward to our visit. Goodbye for now Thailand, see you briefly in December.

Chiang Mai

Hong Kong

Thursday 11 to Tuesday 16 November – Hong Kong: Concrete jungle where dreams are made

It was time to go slightly off the backpackers' trail by visiting Hong Kong. Matt and I had good reason to go there – Matt's oldest brother Michael is currently living and working there. Initially we were not sure we would make it due to the flight prices, but fortunately good old AirAsia had a deal on which meant we managed to get there from Bangkok for a very reasonable price.

We decided to visit for a long weekend, however we managed to fit so much in it felt like far longer. We certainly made the most of our time in Hong Kong, although I am certain there is still so much of it to see.

Michael lives on Hong Kong island, so we were centred around there and spent much of our time on the island. We stayed with Michael, and he kindly gave us his really rather comfortable bed. Initially we thought we would be staying in Michael's old studio apartment, which would have been rather cosy to say the least. After popping over the apartment during our stay and seeing the curtain which separated the bathroom, I sure was pleased that Michael had moved only a few days prior to our visit!

Our first full day in Hong Kong provided one of the highlights of the trip. Whilst in Hong Kong we spent a lot of time with Michael's lovely girlfriend Sandy, who was not only a lot of fun to be around, but also a great tour guide. It was decided that on the first day we would go to the Big Budha by cable car. It was a lovely day, and upon arriving at the start of the cable car we were gobsmacked by the length of the queue. It would have taken at least two hours to get to the front. Fortunately for us, one of Sandy's best friends worked at the cable car, and we not only got to skip the entire queue (much to the disgust of everyone in the queue!), but we also got to go on one of the 'Crystal' cable cars, which has a clear floor.

The view from the cable car was amazing. You go incredibly high over Hong Kong, and can see so much of it. I was a little alarmed when Sandy told me that one of the cars fell off a few years ago, but once I managed to push that from my mind I thoroughly enjoyed taking in the sights. I would highly recommend doing this to anyone visiting Hong Kong – I would argue that it is better than the Big Budha itself!

One of the other highlights of Hong Kong was the food. Again, I think we have Sandy to thank for this. Throughout our trip we have tried tasting all the local foods. This doesn't prove easy when you can't speak the local language (and the words aren't even familiar looking as they are in say France or Gemany) and are stuck eating at places with a picture or English menu. As Sandy is a Hong Kong native we didn't have any problems with this, and we got to enjoy some delicious Chinese food. I particularly enjoyed our traditional dim sum breakfast, however we didn't have a bad meal in Hong Kong. There is such a variety of food at a variety of different prices, it was hard to eat badly.

Matt and I managed to fit in all the usual tourist attractions in Hong Kong. We watched the light show (not sure I “got it”), went up the peak tram for a spectacular view of Hong Kong, and even went to Ocean Park, Hong Kong's theme park. Ocean Park was a great day. It certainly isn't up to scratch with the Thorpe Park or Alton Towers, but it had some cracking rollercoasters next to the ocean. I also enjoyed seeing the pandas, and the very rare red pandas, both so very cute.

My most random spot in Hong Kong happened on Sunday. Michael had told me about the Filipino maids in Hong Kong; they tend to all have Sunday off, and meet in various locations over Hong Kong to eat, do each other's nails and generally chat. Whilst the others were resting, I decided to head to the HSBC tower, the most notorious spot for the maids meeting. Well, seeing is truly believing in this case, and I don't think I can put into words what it looks like! On every spare piece of concrete there were Filipino maids, all surrounded by make shirt cardboard box walls, doing all sorts of things. It was completely surreal, and something that anyone in Hong Kong on a Sunday should witness.

I think the ultimate highlight of my trip was the Lan Kwai Fong carnival. Matt and I had wandered through the carnival earlier in the day, and we suggested to Sandy and Michael that we checked it out in the evening. What started with a yard of beer each ended up being a really good night, and it didn't end at the carnival. I think perhaps the evening took a turn for the worst when Michael suggested playing Mallet's Mallet, and many hours later it ended with Michael cutting Matt's hair... I think Matt has learnt a valuable lesson there. Indeed, bye bye mohawk, hello skin head! Don't ask me how it happened, Sandy and I were fast asleep!

Hong Kong truly is a phenomenal city. I prefer it to Singapore as it has slightly more personality. Like Singapore, everything works perfectly. Everything is so smooth and slick, and there are Western expats everywhere, most likely drawn by the low tax rate. The buildings are tall, the people live a life of luxury, and designer shops are everywhere. By the end of my trip, Chanel seemed more common to me than Primark. I can see why people would want to move there.

Overall though, as far as mega cities go, I think my heart still lies in London. Yes, most of the underground doesn't have airconditioning, it breaks down all the time and you can't use your phone on it. But on the other hand, some parts of our underground are well over 100 years old and every station has character. We also have the West End, a wide variety of cultural influences and some cracking food. This isn't the time for me to list why I love London, more to say that although Singapore and Hong Kong work perfectly, I still prefer London. We'll see if I am still saying that in a few years' time though...

So, to end, a great time was had in Hong Kong. Thanks again to Michael and Sandy for their outstanding hospitality and generosity. It wouldn't have been the same trip without them, and I am extremely grateful.

Time now to move on the north of Thailand, should probably decide how we are going to get there...