Modern.Organised.Culinary After a quick stop in the central market in Kuala Lumpur we headed for the south bound bus terminal and got aboard the first bus to Singapore. Things got a little fancier from here on in as our coach came complete with reclining massage chairs which we took full advantage of for the five […]
Singapore: Splitting our time Read More »
On arrival into Medan airport we planned on getting aboard a bus which would take us to the main bus terminal for the city and from there get onward transport to Bukit Lawang where we would fit in our last three days in Indonesia. As we made our way out of the airport we were
Sumatra: Big Orange Beard Read More »
Teeming.Congested.Growing Travelling to Jakarta I was expecting us to find a huge, sprawling dirty mega metropolis brimming over with people, cars and rubbish. Of course like many huge cities in Asia, it is all of those things as well as being the most densely populated city on one of the most densely populated islands in
Jakarta: Various States Read More »
Another long and tiring journey later and we arrived into the town of Probolinggo. This is the town from which we would catch onward transport to the village from where we would climb Mt Bromo. Although we decided to overnight in Probolinggo as the three of us were very sleepy after being up for 20
Mt. Bromo: From Within Read More »
We arrived into Bali early after our flight from Makassar to spend the day in the town of Kuta where we strolled along the busy high street filled with souvenir shops, ate our weight in frozen yoghurt (no regrets) and wandered up and down the beach filled with trainee surfers. That night we returned to
Mt. Ijen: Huge Bite Read More »
We’d made the decision to explore only the East of Borneo after leaving Brunei. This is mainly because we had the goal of climbing Mt Kinabalu, the highest peak in South East Asia. Also the cheapest flight out of Borneo was from Kota Kinabalu airport! Little did we know that nobody is allowed to climb
Malaysian Borneo: Hidden From View Read More »
We left the Cameron Highlands on the very bendy road to the country’s capital of Kuala Lumpur. Our time in the city was split into two halves with the first three days being just me and Chris getting our bearings with the city and then we were joined by my mum (hello mum!) who flew
Kuala Lumpur: All Directions Read More »
On arrival into Melaka we were pleased to find the hotel we had pre-booked was an old Chinese workshop with all its original features, tastefully converted into a lovely base for us for three days. With Chris still in Kuala Lumpur preparing to go to the football it was left to me to guide Mum
Melaka: Across The Streets Read More »
On the boat journey from Phi Phi to Ko Lanta we got talking to a local man who told us about his family’s guesthouse on the island. We agreed to check it out and were impressed with the spacious bungalows and swimming pool, he also gave us a good discount so that was us sold.
Ko Lanta: Colours Emerging Read More »
It was a rainy journey from Krabi to Phuket on an old rickety bus. We’d initially been loaded onto a minivan with our bags dumped on the roof without any rain cover so we hastily got off the van and told the driver we wouldn’t be travelling with him. The old rickety bus would do,
Phuket & Phi Phi: With the Spices Read More »
Before we go to a new destination we have a quick look online and in our guidebook for accommodation locations and options. This gives us an idea of where to ask around at when we arrive. It was Chris’ turn to do this task before we left to Bagan so it was all in his
Bagan: Balcony Views Read More »
Every now and then whilst travelling it’s blatantly obvious that we are getting hugely overcharged for things in comparison to what a local would pay. We generally spot it straight away and barter the price down if we’re unsure what it should be exactly but in some instances we know it’s a flat rate, everyone
Pyin Oo Lwin: Peacock Pattern Read More »
Frenetic.Condensed.Revered. Travelling from Kyaiktiyo to Yangon provided us with our first taster of the Myanmar train service. It was a little delayed but we got big comfy seats with lots of leg room, the only problem is it was very hot and very slow. However this did give us the opportunity to gaze at the
Yangon: Borrowed longyi Read More »
Chaotic.Exciting.Golden Our initial plan was to enter Myanmar (or Burma, whichever) via the Thai-Mae Sai/ Burmese-Tachilek border crossing located close to Chiang Rai as this would have been most convenient for us after travelling North in Thailand. However after being told that the border is currently shut we did some research and found that whilst
Kyaiktiyo: Ready to Roll Read More »
Wet.Wet.Wet Despite the long list of places we have visited over the past seven months it is always nice to have somewhere to go that feels like you’re returning to the familiar. Bangkok has certainly been our adopted hometown whilst we have been away and it was nice to see the bright lights and tall
Bangkok Pt IV: Aqueos blur Read More »
Surprising.Tranquil.Inviting Our decision to head to Koh Phangan was a spare of the moment one. We had a loose plan to head to the North of Thailand after leaving Nong Khai but we’d made no onward travel arrangements which worked in our favour. The day before leaving Nong Khai Chris had a conversation with his
Koh Phangan: Bugs In Action Read More »
Peaceful.Unspoilt.Calm The town of Nong Khai is conveniently located across the ‘friendship bridge’ on the Thai side of the Mekong. On this occasion it wasn’t so convenient for us as we’d travelled to Thakhek, and crossed over a border further south meaning we didn’t reach the town via the friendship bridge and instead had to
Nong Khai: Balancing planks Read More »
Roasting.Functional.Bare I had been warned beforehand not too expect too much from Laos’ capital city, and in truth, for the majority, it’s not a pretty town. Seemingly it’s construction boom had been during an unfortunate era of architecture where the sum of combining French colonialism with 1970s modernism bestowed upon its inhabitants a city of
Vientiane: Taciturn fowl Read More »
Bucolic.Soothing.Friends. Yet another long bus journey in Laos later and the five of us arrived safely in Vang Vieng where we found some lovely little bungalows to stay in across a questionable bridge over the river. Feeling weary from a long days travel we set out in search of an evening meal and decided to
Vang Vieng: concrete dance floor Read More »
Quaint.Colourful.Unwinding It was another long and painful journey South toward Luang Prabang as we winded our way up and down the bumpy mountain roads, that’s when we weren’t waiting for them to be built! The local bus we opted for wasn’t the comfiest choice as we had the tough decision of having the windows open
Luang Prabang: with scorpion inside Read More »