The overnight bus to Hue was so much better than the one we endured from Yangshuo to Hong Kong. Unlike in China, it had relatively spacious beds, a toilet and even WiFi. Plus there was the added bonus of being surrounded by Western travellers and English speaking staff, which meant a lot less anxiety and confusion about what was going on. I even managed to get about four hours sleep. Once in Hue we were immediately met by two Vietnamese bikers whose job it was t...

It is easy to see why Vietnam is popular amongst travellers, particularly first timers and / or those out on their gap yaar. For one thing, it's cheap. Beers cost 70p. A four course meal costs £4. For another, it has the perfect balance of adventure and comfortability. Vietnamese culture is undeniably different from the West with their mad driving, Street salesmen, temples and weird looking food. But at the same time, unlike in India, the country completely cat...

The journey from Yangshuo to Hong Kong was a long and arduous one. After being taken to an anonymous main road in the pitch black by a taxi driver , on the authority of our tour company, we were told to stand and wait until our over night bus turned up. Some time passed as vehicles went screeching past us, big bags on back staring up the road, until finally our accommodation for the night came into the view, swung round in our direction and skidded off as soon as...

After Shanghai, the more hectic part of our journey in China commenced, as we planned to hit Hangzhou, Guilin and Yangshuo in about four days. In the words of Mike Skinner, it was all supposed to be so easyyyy. Just take the one hour train, a short bus ride, a slight walk and then hurry. That was the plan anyway. Not the perpetual nightmare that actually came to be. So much went wrong when we arrived in Hangzhou station that bullet points are the best way to re...

When we woke up on the morning of our journey from X'ian to Shanghai, it was pouring down with rain. It had been so long since we'd seen rain that it took us completely by surprise. We opted to buy some supplies for our over night train and drink the day away with a few people we'd met in Beijing. After a few beers we set off for the station, big bag and all, boarding without incident. The train journey was okay but its novelty wore off as the noise levels and ...