Ayutthaya - Thailand June 2nd, 2016 We began our day with a train ride out of Pak Chong where we ended up sitting in the 'Monk' section as there were no other seats, this is a carriage of the train with nice reclining seats as oppose to the hard wooden ones, that is reserved for the Monks who travel around Thailand. Most of them didn't seem too bothered but I heard some muttering and grumbling from one and eventually when other seats became free we were mov...

Khao Yai National Park - Pak Chong - Thailand May 31st - June 2nd, 2016 We took a train to Pak Chong where we had booked a day and a half's tour in the nearby Khao Yai National Park and after being transferred from the station to our accommodation via the back of a pick up truck we just had time to grab some lunch before setting out. The half day part of the tour took us to a natural spring where we were supposed to go for a swim, but as it had just started r...

Bangkok - Thailand May 28th - 31st, 2016 Bangkok was not quite as we expected it to be, All we've heard and seen to do with this city has led us to believe that it is completely non stop, that it is super crowded and frenetic, polluted, not particularly safe and a bit on the dark, grungy side of things. Now while that may be the case for small pockets, we found in general that it is a smart, modern city with great transport links, fairly clean streets and an...

Mandalay - Burma/Myanmar May 25th - 28th, 2016 Leaving Bagan on a minibus in the early afternoon we soon realised we should have gotten up early and taken the train instead! Although not overcrowded, the aircon was insufficient to cope with the bodies on board, the roads were mostly unpaved and incredibly winding and there was nothing to do but look at the uninspiring scenery passing by as we had both recently finished our books and there was no other entert...

Nyaung U - Bagan - Burma/Myanmar May 23rd - 25th, 2016 We arrived on the overnight bus at a little after 3am at a bus station in the middle of nowhere. Our first thoughts were to gather our belongings and prepare to battle...it sometimes feels like this with the predatory taxi drivers who pounce upon you as you wearily step off the bus! As expected we were instantly approached and told that it was 8km to the town and that the standard rate was 10000mmk....th...