30th April – 6th May 2017 Our time in South East Asia was running short, and we had got to the point where we had just over a week to get to Bangkok for our flight to Japan. We considered flying south to the beaches of Thailand, but instead decided to head to Cambodia, even … More A dark history – Cambodia
26th-30th April 2017 Driving from the airport to our accommodation it was clear that Ho Chi Minh City (previously known as Saigon, and renamed after the war) was quite different to Hanoi, the other big city in Vietnam. There were lots of skyscapers, big shopping malls, neon signs lit the streets and McDonalds and Starbucks … More Saigon – Vietnam Part 5
21st-26th April 2017 Hue wasn’t on our original list of places to go in Vietnam; we’d heard that unless you had a paid guide (out of our budget) or understood the history of the area, it wasn’t really worth visiting. However, we’ve done our fair share of long coach journeys in Asia so decided we … More Where emperors once walked – Vietnam Part 4
18th-21st April 2017 After arriving back in Hanoi after our trip to Halong Bay, we had a couple of hours to kill before our train to Dong Hoi, so we dropped our stuff at the Culture Hostel and went to grab a cup of coffee and some supplies for the journey. When we got back, … More Going underground – Vietnam Part 3
17th – 18th April 2017 As we drove past the Halong Bay harbour, all of us inside the minibus craned our necks to see if we could spot the boat we would be on. There were a lot of boats; some looked very luxurious, others barely seaworthy. What would ours be like? As ever in … More Sailing Halong Bay -Vietnam Part 2
12th – 17th April 2017 The pilot announced we had landed at Hanoi airport and almost immediately half the people on the plane stood up, despite the fact the seat belt signs were still on and they could go absolutely nowhere. These people had to stand in the aisle for quite a long time as … More On the trail of Ho Chi Minh – Vietnam Part 1
8th – 12th April 2017 The second half of our time in Laos included stays at both Vang Vieng and Vientaine. It would be quite appropriate to describe both places as nothing to write home about. Ironically, that’s what I’ll be doing here. Vang Vieng is a small town with an interesting history. Up until … More V is for… Vang Vieng and Vientaine – Laos Part 2
4th – 7th April 2017 Our plans for Laos were thrown into disarray a week or so before we were due to arrive. Originally, we had intended to travel north from Chiang Mai by coach, crossing the border at Huay Xai, where we had hoped to complete the Gibbon Experience, a trekking and ziplining eco-tour … More Ground control to Uncle Tom – Laos Part 1
30th March – 4th April 2017 It’s always a sign that you have enjoyed a place when you don’t want to leave. We had 4 nights in Chiang Mai (which is longer than we usually spend in one place) and I still wasn’t ready to leave by the end. We loved it! Ok, so it … More Same same… but different – Chiang Mai
24th – 30th March 2017 Our bus to Bagan left early in the morning. When we got on, we found it was not quite as nice as our overnight bus from Yangon to Inle Lake. We didn’t have our own entertainment units, although there was a TV up at the front. It played Burmese pop … More The Road to Mandalay – Myanmar Part 2
Emma & Ben... Far From Home 