TravelStream™ news feed for member alanonwalkabout on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/alanonwalkabout en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 28 Nov 2006 07:52:31 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1163854020/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1163854020/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1163854020/tpod.html Tue, 28 Nov 2006 07:52:31 -0500 Walkabout in S.E.Asia

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Surin, Thailand

Every year Surin holds an elephant round-up, it is fantastic to see so many elephants all in the one place, must have been over 300 elephants in total. After the main show the streets were packed with elephants walking up and down the main street of the town.

Will add pics later, the connection is slow in this towwn.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1163421300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1163421300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1163421300/tpod.html Tue, 28 Nov 2006 07:47:28 -0500 Walkabout in S.E.Asia

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Not sure, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

Down the south of Laos, near the border of Cambodia, the mekong river widens into a sea of water surrounding numerous islands, not sure there are 4000 but it was the time of the year when the water is high so maybe some of them don't always show.

Some pics attached.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1162526940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1162526940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1162526940/tpod.html Thu, 02 Nov 2006 23:59:53 -0500 Walkabout in S.E.Asia

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LongChen, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

The trip into Laos was meant to be easy as I was crossing into the capital of Vientiane via the main route, the Friendship bridge from Thailand. Unfortunately once there I found ou that recently the customs department have chanfged the rules and they no longer accept Thai registered bikes into Laos. After messing around for two days trying to find a Laos goverment department that could over-rule customs I finally got it with the bike. Aparently the Laos tourist police have a lot of power and when I returned to customs and showed the letter they wrote for me they were very quick to get me on my way.

I have read a nunber of books on the war in Laos and that has given me an interest in the area where the secret US airbase was located, in a town called LongChen. I decided after seeing the area on a map and hearing other riders talk about the area I thought i may have a go at getting up there even though the area has been closed for 30 years and there is still a lot of activity there between the Hmong and the Laos government.

The trip started from a small village in the main road that goes North to South (route 13), I did my final preparation there, petrol, water etc. The road to Longchen is very easy to miss, it is a small track that leads to the back of the village and could easily be mistaken for a driveway or path. About 2 kms in it gets a bit wider but the surface does not improve at all. Very rough road and slow going.

Anybody who is interested, this link is about the area and the trouble there : http://www.rogerarnold.net/Default.aspx

After about 80km's traveling along the raod you come to a fork in the road, left to Longchen and right to Saisombun (a decent size town). I thought i better fill up with petrol here again as I didn't know if there were any further stops along the way. I took the left turn and headed out of town, at this point the road becomes no more than a well used track, with villages about every 5km's. The road also has a number of Loas Army personel along the route.

The further along the route I got, the louder the Army screamed at me to stop, but I figured I would play the stupid tourist and just wave back and pretend I didn't understand. This are as one of the most beautiful areas I have been in, crystal clear rivers in the shadows of jaggered mountains. I ended up getting about 5km's away from the airbase itself before I had to stop due to a Army road block. They looked a little surprised top see me but were pretty friendly. They pointed at me then pointed at the road ahead and said, 'Bang, Bang'. I took this to mean that if I continued further I may be shot. It was at this point a decided I had gone as far as I could and it was time to head back, maybe I will try again in a few months.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1154872560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1154872560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1154872560/tpod.html Sun, 15 Oct 2006 09:06:15 -0400 Walkabout in S.E.Asia

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Phnom Phen, Cambodia

Lots been going on since I have last added an update to this site and I have been pretty lazy of late, I will try to keep it updated a bit more from now on.

It has been great to catch up with a number of people that have come over to S.E.Asia (Mark Dunning, Susan Marshall, Sandy Kinghorn, Aussie Peter and Andy Bloomfield (and family), it was great to see you all again.

Mark was first to come and after spending a few days in Chiang Mai we flew over to Cambodia and spent most of our time wandering around Ankor Wat and Phnom Phen, we managed to fit in a couple of beers as well, lets just say that there are not too many bars in Cambodia that we have not been too.

On Susan's visit I ended up riding my bike to Phnom Phen, Cambodia via Pattaya and meeting her at the airport in PP, it was a great ride, lots of dirt tracks and river crossing, some of which I had to put the bike on a raft to get across. We traveled from PP to Ankor Wat (I rode and Susan took the bus), spent a few days there and then headed back to Thailand. The rode to Thailand was fine on the bike, about 4 hours over rough dirt road but apparently the bus trip was not that enjoyable, 8 hours to travel 150 kms. Sorry about that Susan. Once back in Thailand Susan and I went up North and hiked up to an Akha village through small villages and gunja fields, it was some serious trekking and we really had to push our way through the jungle. It should have been a two hour hike but ended in about 6 hours, took a wrong turn. Sorry about that.

I went down to Phuket for my birthday and met up with an Aussie mate, I had a horrible flu at the time but we managed to have a great time. There was one night that I am not going to give the details of here but it was one of the funniest nights I have ever had. Good luck back in Oz mate, no doubt I will see you over here again in the near future.

Hooked up with Sandy and we went to meet Andy in Hua Hin. Hua Hin is a pretty modern place by Thailand standards but still has a layback atmosphere. I have never seen a man sing 'Like a virgin' before but Sandy did a great version in front of a packed house at the Hilton Hotel, needless to say that there were Sambuca shots involved. Sandy also won the go-carting, whith Andy second and me finishing in last position, but I must say that I was in the lead when my card ran out of petrol.

Sandy came with me back to Chiang Mai and we did a fair bit of riding (XR 250's), it was in the middle of the wet season so the tracks were very muddy and slippery, we both had a few falls but none that hurt anything apart from our pride. I take it sandy enjoyed the riding as when he got back to Oz he bought himself a brand new KTM.

I spent a couple of weeks in Australia and it was great to see all my family again, for most of you it has been 6 years since we have been together. It was great to meet my new nieces and nephews and hopefully it will not be another 6 years before we see each other again.

Some of you probably realize that I should have been back in the UK working by now as my 12 month career break came to an end. While I had a few discussion with the team at Xerox I soon came to the decision that the time was not right for me to return just yet. After 12 months living with people that their number 1 priority in life is having enough food for the day, going back to make money for a company that sells printers does not really excite me at this stage.

So, I am taking the bike to Southern Laos and Northern Thailand in a few days and from there, well, who knows...........

OK, I think we are all up to date now.
Keep in touch.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1147076580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1147076580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1147076580/tpod.html Tue, 09 May 2006 07:01:27 -0400 Walkabout in S.E.Asia

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Northern Laos, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

Northern Laos - 15 Days.

The Journey.
Chiang khong (Thailand) -> Huay Xai -> Luang Nam Tha -> Udomxai -> Luang Prabang -> Phonsavan -> Vang Vieng -> Vietianne -> Odomxai -> Huay Xai -> Chiang Mai.

There is a saying in S.E.Asia that the Vietnamese plant the rice, the Cambodians watch it grow and the Lao's listen to it grow. While this saying may be true for the Vietnamese and Cambodians, I really feel the workload of the Lao's has been over estimated. Now I am not saying that the people of Laos are lazy, I just think that they have perfected the art of waiting. Waiting for what you ask, I am not sure that anybody knows but I am sure they will recognize it when it comes and if they happen to miss it they will catch it next time around.

Two days across the Mekong River.
I arrived at the border crossing for Laos on a Saturday morning and getting out of Thailand was a simple as getting five passport stamps, giving some cash to the border official and getting the bike onto the boat, unfortunately once I crossed the Mekong to the Laos side things did not go so efficiently. When I arrived at immigration I got all the necessary stamps and was then told to head for customs, 2 km down the road, to make sure I had the correct bike paperwork, when I got to customs they told me that immigration had to check my papers before I came to customer, so I go the 2km back to immigration to be told that customs don't know what they are talking about and go back and demand that they check your bike in. So I return once again to customs only to find that in the last 20 minutes they have closed up shop and are all out the front drinking the famous and great tasting beer Laos. 'Finish today', he says. Are you open tomorrow? 'No open Sunday, come back Monday, you want beer?', without much choice in the matter I sat and soon got into the Laos way of life over a few quiet beers with the custom officials at the border. Why do something today when you can do it tomorrow or Monday even.

On Monday morning I arrive back at customs and three hours and four stickers on my bike later I finally get all the necessary paperwork, and with the parting words from the customs guy of 'remember, insurance no pay if die', I was on my way.

The 200 or so km's I planned to ride that day turned out to be a 6 hour ride, the roads where a mixture of smooth bends with freshly laid bitumen (the Chinese are funding a new trade route) and small, rough goat tracks barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass. On the part of the road currently being worked on there was a six inch layer of fine bull dust, the kind that you find in outback Oz. Overtaking Chinese trucks driven by Laos hill-tribe people was certainly an experience but I managed to work out a system that seemed to work pretty well, the trick is to ride to the end of the dust storm the truck was leaving, then when the road was reasonable straight hit the gas and ride blind until you could see the trucks tail lights, usually about 1 meter away from the back of the truck, then hit the horn and overtake the truck and pray at the same time that nothing was coming from the other direction.

Riding the bike in Laos allows me to go to remote villages that don't see too many farang, by the reaction of some of the people I am not sure they have ever seen a wide-eye before. I would be riding along a remote dirt road and I would come across a small village, maybe 20 to 30 huts made from wood and bamboo, at first glance the place looks like a ghost town apart from the chickens, pigs, ducks and dogs that are using the road as their private grazing area, then, within a few seconds, out of the huts come young children running towards me waving and yelling 'Sa bai dee', hello, in Laos. By the time the bike has come to a full stop I am completely surrounded by children looking at me, laughing and pointing. I take out the digital camera and the kids look with interested fascination, I take a few pics. and then show them back on the ever growing crowd and there is an eruption of laughter. Down from the mountain side come some older children, maybe 14 or 15, they have AK47's strapped to their backs, at first I am a little bit apprehensive as I am not sure if I have done something to offend them, then come the shouts, 'Sa Bai dee' and even more laughter. One fella looks over my bike, 'bike good for ride mountain' he says, 'yes good for road same same as this one', I reply as I point to the mountain rode in the distance. I look over his gun, 'gun good for killing stuff', I say. 'AK47, number 1, same Honda, number 1' he answers with a grin on his face that extends from one ear to the other. I never did find out what a 14 year old kid hunts in the mountains of Laos with an AK but he was such a happy kid I doubt he could kill anything, then again maybe he is protecting his highly lucrative crop that this region of the golden triangle is famous for.

Vang Vieng is pretty much a tourist town, the main street is lined with T.V bars/resturants, you can sit in one bar and watch "Friends" and at the same time hear 4 other episodes playing in the other bars. Not really my type of place but as it was the only town in the area so I found myself there for 1 night. Almost every menu in the place has happy food or drinks, for a few extra cents you can get your meal/drinks medium happy, large happy or extra large happy. Now, I usually get my happiness from beer, but I was talked into trying a free happy martini from an owner of a bar, it was his specialty. For the next four hours I found myself sitting at a Lao style table (sit on cushions on the floor around a table), eating pizza and listening to Bob Marley talking absolute shite with a bunch of locals, it was a very funny night and I now see where the completely chilled out atmosphere comes from, everyone in the country is stoned from gunja.

Luang Prabang is a town that is listed as a world heritage town, the main street are lined with French buildings mixed in with traditional Laos temples (wats). The main street has a vibrant night market where you can see most of the hill-tribe ladies all in their traditional costumes selling their goods. Monks and novice monks dressed in bright orange wraps occupy 32 of the temples in the city and their presents walking the street, brightens up the most overcast day. After eating sticky rice and meat (not sure what meat it was) for a week, I was very appreciate of the influence the French have had on the cuisine, the best baguettes I have had in all of S.E.Asia.

I was a little bit apprehensive about going off the beaten track around Phonsavan. More bombs were dropped on Laos during the American war in Vietnam than were dropped in on Germany in the second world war. Officially the Americans never had any military personnel in Laos, they actually ran the 'Secret war' using American civilians headed by the CIA. The amount of bombs dropped means that there is an incredible amount of UXO (Un-Exploded Ordinance) in the area. So staying to the main tracks I made it to one of the sites of the plain of jars. The jars are made from carved stone blocks and range in size weighting from 600kg to 1 ton each, there are a few theories on what the jars were originally used for but none of these have been categorically confirmed. It is a strange to see green rolling hills littered with hundreds of huge stone pots and with one of the theories for use being for wine fermenters, I can imagine they has a few good parties back in 100 AD.

The night I arrived in Vientianne (the capital) the wet arrived, from then on at around 5pm the skies turned gray and the streets emptied as rain thundered down. The capital is a great town and I spent a few days sitting in restaurants or bars by the Mekong river and watching life pass by.

Laos is a truly remarkable country with a diverse range of cultures and ethnic minorities. Unfortunately I could only get a 14 day permit for my bike but my plan is to get back there is the next couple of months and travel the South of the country and head off into Cambodia.

Go hard or go home.
Woody.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1144934040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1144934040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1144934040/tpod.html Thu, 13 Apr 2006 09:52:02 -0400 Walkabout in S.E.Asia

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Chiang Mai, Thailand

My introduction to the Songkram festival.

So there I am sitting having a quiet beer in one of the many bars in Chiang Mai, just relaxing after a hard day at the pool side when one of the lovely ladies throw a bucket of ice cold water over my head. What the #@%*, I thought, then she told me 'Happy New Year'. After catching my breath and returning the favour, I remembered it was the start of the Songkram festival, the Thai New Year. The biggest New Years festival in Thailand, as they also celebrate 1st Jan and the Chinese new year, the Thai's love a good holiday.

So the next morning I wake-up only to find that three workmen with jack-hammers have set-up camp in my head while I was asleep. I jump on the bike and head off to 7-11 to buy some pain killers. I get two meters from the front gate of the apartment block when i get hit with another bucket of cold water, followed by another and another. I continue down the road when I see that there are hundreds of people lining the streets with hoses, buckets and water-guns trying to wet as many people as possible. The families with pick-up trucks have put a 44 gallon drum in the back and are driving the streets with the family in the back throwing water at all that come into range. Those with motorbikes have usually got a partner in crime sitting on the back with a water-pistol in one hand and a beer in the other. It is absolutely crazy but for some reason I feel I have to join in.

So instead of going to 7-11 i go to a friends place where I put my mobile phone in a condom and my money in a plastic bag, I buy a bucket and we head off to the canal side where there is plenty of ammunition. For the rest of the day I am participating in a city wide wet t-shirt competition, beers are flowing, music is blaring and in the middle of the dry season and 40c heat in Thailand I can not see a dry spot anywhere.

So my plan for the next few days, drink beer and have a water fight with the rest of Thailand, life is tough over here but someone has to do it.

Later
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1139291760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1139291760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1139291760/tpod.html Mon, 20 Feb 2006 05:39:52 -0500 Walkabout in S.E.Asia

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Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai - Sitting and waiting.

The government process in Thailand could desperately use a six sigma project run on them, I have been waiting now for 4 months for a number plate and paper work to come from Bangkok before I can take my bike across any borders. I am desperate to get to Laos before the weather turns. It gets really hot in about 1 month and then the rain comes which makes some of the less maintained roads impassable, even on my bike.

But all is not bad, rather than wait in a one room guesthouse I decided to rent an apartment, initially 3 months but maybe longer and I will use this as a base for my travel. Not much more expensive than paying for a room day by day and I have a pool and fantastic view over the city with the mountains in the back ground.

You are probably wondering what I do all day to fill my time. The days pass very quickly and Thai life really suits me. I go for a swim, go to the gym, meet friends for food and drink and generally just hang out and enjoy myself. I have done a number of day trips in the mountains near by just to keep my ass used to sitting on a bike for a long period of time. I have met many friends, both Thai and farang and one thing I can say for the Thai is that the definitely know how to enjoy themselves.

Another Visa run due in a few days so up to Mai Sai to do the walk across the bridge and back again. Heaps of cheap stuff in Burma (comes through from China) so maybe a bit of shopping as well.

Take care all.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1137310320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1137310320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alanonwalkabout/s.e.asia/1137310320/tpod.html Mon, 20 Feb 2006 04:23:44 -0500 Walkabout in S.E.Asia

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All over, Cambodia

Cambodia written by Marie Kline.

Cambodia - December 22 2005 - January 13 2006-02-06

The whole country needs a lick of paint but the tatty appearance of old colonial buildings just adds to the charm of Cambodia. Poverty is in your face but is a way of life for most of the population, as are the constant reminders of recent wars but the friendliness of the people cannot go unnoticed. The same goes for the evening attire for women/ girls, when dressing for dinner means going out in your pyjamas. Probably a really cool and comfortable choice, and a sensible idea if you just want to fall into bed when you get home after a night on the town!

Krong Koh Kong - I think the border police spotted us coming as they charged us more than the going rate for our visas but as some guys were having a hard time getting into the country we paid up and headed for our first stop, just over the border from Thailand, and it was cold and windy! Our original plan had been to take a boat to Sihanoukville, but the strong winds made for a choppy ride so we took the 'easier' option and booked seats in a minibus leaving the next morning. Alan had his first full English breakfast in months, for dinner and then again for breakfast!

Sihanoukville - After a 5hour ride in a full minibus on unmade roads, getting out only to board ferries across the Mekong or to wait while the road was cleared of rocks, a mad dash of moto riders on arrival at the bus station and a stubborn refusal to be conned into a moto ride, we carried our increasingly heavy packs up the hill to our accommodation - cheap, clean, with fan and cold shower. We had a perfect Christmas away from the cold dark days of UK - deserted white sands, shallow warm waters, beach shacks and a power cut which meant no fan or water! Fortunately it was our last night when the electric went off as it stayed off for three days and the weather was getting seriously warm!

Phnom Penh - The capital of Cambodia. We picked our guest house on Boeng Kak, a lake of thick black water, from the guide book before we arrived and couldn't believe what a shitty area we were in, but once on the decking of our lakeside hotel it looked completely different; hammocks slung around the place, pool table, 24 hr bar, lots of aromatic smells in the air (!!!) - everything was great till we checked in and shut ourselves in the room for a few minutes. The bathroom stunk of pee and there were mosquitoes everywhere! It took some strong shampoo and soap to get the smell in the bathroom to an acceptable level, but after some serious chilling and Cambodian cuisine an incredible sunset made everything good again. We hired a tuk-tuk to take us to the Killing Fields and to Tuol Sleng (S21), an extermination camp used by the Khmer Rouge which contained room after room of black and white photos of the prisoners who were later killed. It was quite a sombre day but definitely worth doing, even when the driver nearly turned the tuk-tuk over. Think he was more frightened by it than we were. A wander around the city didn't reveal much of significance and we formed an opinion of the place which was completely unjust in hind sight - glad we gave it another chance later in the trip. Alan was asked if he wanted to go to a shooting range to try out an AK47 or an M-60 but at a dollar a bullet it was a big chunk of budget so early in the trip.... Would've been a great photo opportunity though.......

Battambang - in the far North-Western corner of Cambodia, this province was heavily mined by the Khmer Rouge but there are lots of de-mining groups working to clear the fields now. This is the second city, with a population of 40,000, so still pretty small, and not yet really developed for tourists but there are plans for some impressive hotels in time as it isn't far from the Thai border; for now its just old French-style colonial houses along a pretty river with a market and rough roads out to some interesting wats. We had satellite tv and a hot shower, as well as a fan that worked, so luxury unlimited! We hired a moto and spent the day 'exploring', trying to keep the bike out of the ruts and upright and visiting Sampeau Killing Caves which are another gruesome reminder of the KR reign of terror. This was a hot steep climb to the top but the views were great, and I was surprised to see how flat the country really was. The whole reason for visiting Battambang was to pick up the boat to Siem Reap, the most scenic boat ride in the country, taking 4-8 hours depending on water levels in the river. Our boat broke down after getting fishing nets entangled in the propeller so we sat bobbing around for a while whilst all the villagers from the riverside came to stare. These people were so poor with huge families - obviously no tv's here! I was sat next to a little Cambodian boy on the boat and his Grandmother was trying to give him to me for a better life. When she was getting off the boat at one of the riverside villages she was pushing the boy back towards me. I'm glad he managed to get off but it does make you think how life must be for them. That said, the scenery was great, and when we sailed into Tonle Sap lake, it was so vast it was looking out across the ocean. Definitely to be recommended!

Siem Reap - this was the base for visiting Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world and really impressive! After a full day, feeling pretty templed-out, a night in Bar Street is welcome. This was also the destination for New Years Eve, a real party night where street kids and tourists all danced together in the street till the following morning, no hassles and lots of beer!!! New Years Day was a write-off but after that we hired bicycles and rode a round trip of about 15 miles out to the floating village where we'd docked after the boat ride. Passing loads of vivid green rice paddies, and families living on boats, the rough road soon took its toll on our backsides and we paid for it the next day. Riding to the land-mine museum was painful but interesting, and a bike is a good way of seeing life but avoiding beggars. Loads of different types of mines were on display, along with stories of children who were either orphaned through landmine accidents to their parents, or were maimed walking across the paddies or playing. To know that so many mines are still unfound in the country is a bit harrowing.

Kompong Cham - we had a really nice hotel on the banks of the Mekong with massive corridors described in the guide book as big enough for playing Frisbee, it's true! Our first day showed us a hole of a town with mega-expensive internet connections and a really manky meal at a market stall surrounded by flies. We went straight back to the room after eating, waiting for the food to go straight through - on the one occasion when it would've been welcome, everything stayed put! Next day we hired a moto and rode out to a Cham village and stopped outside a school to take photos of all the kids in uniform on their bicycles. Suddenly we were surrounded by children who wanted their pictures taken and showed us around their Australian funded school. It was a really 'nice' experience and different to anything we'd been through on the trip. These kids have so little and everyone was happy - it was great! It turned our opinion of Kompong Cham upside down and it ended up being an okay place!

Kratie - only a few kilometres away from Kampi, home to the freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins that live in the Mekong River. We took a boat ride and saw saw the dolphins, then our driver took us out to the sandbanks in the middle of this huge river, perfect for picnics, and Alan stripped off for a refreshing dunk in the river. We saw sunset from the boat, a beautiful scene and then had a moto ride back to the hotel to partake in a few beers and food at one of the many stalls along the bank. This place was probably the most obvious for girls out in their PJs, and their ability to look comfortable perched side-saddle on the back of a bike whilst carrying the evening meal and a baby!

Ban Lung, Ratanakiri - in the remote North-Eastern corner of the country. This place is red! The dust gets everywhere and doesn't wash off so nice white fluffy hotel towels are not the best way to get dry! There was one road in and the same road out of this province, via Stung Treng, and I dread to think what the road would be like in the wet season. Buses don't come this far as the roads are too bad. Transport is by pick-up truck, moto, or in a Toyota Camry, 4 adults in the back and 3 in the front which was our choice for getting there from Kratie. Not the most comfortable of journeys but an experience! We shared the back seat with 2 ancient looking Cambodians who fortunately are smaller than Westerners, but have incredibly boney elbows.
We went swimming in a natural crater lake where the visibility was incredible, and went for dinner at the 'American Restaurant' which turned out to be a big dining table set out in the middle of a family's lounge. We ate so much food for next to nothing and then got free dessert whilst the family sat at their own table eating their usual dinner of rice. Not many tourists up here, and not many ways of getting back to 'civilisation' so we got ripped off on the return trip and decided to give the South Eastern corner a miss just in case we ran out of cash - nothing so modern as banks on this side of the country!

Kratie - back for the night on the way back to Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh - Take 2. This time we stayed on the Mekong rather than on the lake. This is the main tourist area full of hotels and restaurants, close to the real attractions of PP, and excellent for sitting with a beer watching the world go by; 7 people on one motorbike, an elephant, beggars, trucks full of monks, shoe-shine boys, working girls... It was like a different city to the first visit and offered so much - I'm glad we went back. We went to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, very similar to the Grand Palace in Bangkok; had a rest and drink at Friends, a restaurant run by street children, then went to the Russian Market for a spot of haggling and bargain hunting. I ended up with a pair of Cambodian trousers whilst Alan got a hammock, as well as the mandatory cheap t-shirts and sarongs - all very useful stuff!

Sihanoukville - our last stop over in Cambodia so we stayed a couple of nights at a beautiful resort which we'd ridden through on our last visit; wooden huts on stilts on the headland surrounded by coastline and empty beaches. To sleep with the sound of the sea and the buzzing of mozzies through the slatted floor is how a night in Cambodia should be. Perfect, apart from the food poisoning that Alan got! It left us with no choice but to enjoy the isolation and take things slowly, preparing for the end of my trip and leaving this lovely, very different country. Going back to the border this time, we went by boat, a four hour trip on calm seas passing national parks and gorgeous islands where we off loaded loads of fresh food from the mainland markets.

Krong Koh Kong - no time for a stop over this time. It was straight to the waiting cab and over the bridge to the Thai/Cambodian border at Cham Yeam. So much for the taxi ride costing 'as much as you want'. We offered all our Cambodian Riel and a handful of dollars and still got asked for more! Whatever - by then we just needed to cross the border and get to Bangkok for the night so a few dollars more and we got to jump the queues of travellers waiting for photos, straight through Cambodian immigration and a short walk through no man's land, past the beggars and vendors selling Baht and finally we were in the land of smiles, good roads and half-decent drivers. Thailand has a serenity only truly appreciated after a month in Cambodia!
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Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok - Met Marie in Bangkok and also caught up with some old friends (Bryce & Michela) for a few quiet beers, well maybe not that quiet..... the four of us went out and met some very talented ping pong playing Thai girls, one of them even wrote a special letter to Bryce and Michela, she didn't even use her hands to write it. Much practise, me thinks.

We then had a late supper of deep fried grass hoppers (don't worry the stomachs were removed before we ate them).
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Chaing Rai, Thailand

The Thai's are very superstitious.
The weather in the North is getting pretty cold at night so I decided to go out and get myself a jacket for riding in, after finding one I liked and trying it on I started the haggling process. The tag price was 850 baht but he immediately dropped to 800 baht, I thought I would go through the steps and did an 'that a bit expensive' look and offered him 790 baht, at this suggestion he started to look all stressed and saying, no, no not sell 790 Baht. 790 Baht not lucky, me sell for 780 baht or not sell. I had to have him repeat this as he just lowered his price even more. Anyway I ended up getting the jacket for 780 baht and had a good chat with him afterwards and he ended up telling me that if he not sell for a price with the number 8 in it he would have a bad day and not have any more sales.

Another thing never to do over here is to go window shopping first thing in the morning, the Thai's believe that if the first customer of the days does not buy anything they will have a very bad day in the shop. I had to buy a stick of gum at a few shops just so they would make a few sales that day.

After yet another visa run to the Burma border (Mae Sai) and another 30 days to stay in Thailand I decided to travel a little south to the mountains in Chaing Rai province. I stayed in the city for a couple of days then happened to stumble across a Thai guy who told me about a Akha village that you could go and stay with in the mountains, Akha people are a hill tribe that are situated in Northern Thailand and Sounthern Burma.
After a 45 minute ride I arrived in a village with a bunch of locals staring at me, at this time I thought I was in the wrong village so I asked directions in broken Thai only to be told that this was the place that I would be staying. Initially I thought that they were expecting me to sleep rough in one of the rice fields but after trying out my broken Thai I managed to be shown to a hut on the side of the mountain with a balcony that had spectacular views.

In the end the place was not as backwards as I first thought and after wandering around the village for a few minutes I saw that the electricity poles ran all the way up to the village, it turn out that they had hot showers and a fridge to keep the beers cold. All is good.

It was a really interesting few days watching the locals get on with their day to days lives and then at night time sitting around a fire with them eating, drinking and having a good laugh. These people must see a few tourist that do the same thing that I did and you would think they would get sick of it but they made me feel extremely welcome and went out of their way to make sure I was enjoying myself.

I did a few hikes in the area, one to a hot spring (an Akha spa), once to a river to watch them catch a few fish and one to an amazing four tier waterfall that you could swim in, an amazing place. Photos attached.
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