Our ultimate destination for the day was the small riverside village of Muang Ngoi Neua. In order to reach it however, you need to first make your way by bus to an equally sedate village by the name of Nong Khiaw. It’s a four hour journey from Luang Prabang and we didn’t go by bus. We went for the budget option. We went for the sawngthaew. For the benefit of you who are unaware of this particular mode of transport I shall fill you in. It is, effectively, an ...

Officially we had travelled on a number of ‘VIP’ buses during our time here in Asia. At least that is what we were sold. And that is what the various signs in the front windows proudly declared. In reality however, there was nothing at all ’VIP’ about them and there were generally more fowl on board than people. Important or otherwise. This time however, was different. After considering the cheaper, public bus option, that took around ten hours, we tenta...

Vang Vieng is a place designed purely for tourists. If there was ever a question of whether the influences of the west had reached the middle regions of this most delightfully simple of Asian nations, then here you will find an unequivocal yes. From the tubing along the Nam Song river, of which has succeeded in putting Vang Vieng firmly on the travellers map, through to the scores of video bars with their permanently looping episodes of Friends and Family Guy, s...

We departed Siem Reap early morning bound for the Thai capital, Bangkok. It was to be merely a fleeting visit however, en route to Vientiane, which was our ultimate target. The previous day, at the travel office in Siem Reap, we were enthusiastically informed that we were, in fact, booking the 'VIP' bus. The petite friendly female employee even showed us a picture of a shiny new deluxe coach. The same picture, of which anyone visiting this delightful continent w...