01 Jan: Arrived around 4pm after a very long & winding road that was a bit funny at some times given my fragile state, but it was really easy to find a guest house compared to Luang Prabang. Once I had my room, I put the majority of my clothes in for the laundry and set off about town. It's really small and laid back with lots of cafes and places showing episodes of Friends and surrounded my massive mountains. I found myself a cafe bar with cushions on th...

28th Dec: Getting up was easy - only needed to catch the bus at 9am and it was a 5 hour bus journey from Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong. Once there, I just had to sort out my visa for Laos and get the ferry across to Huay Xai, which was very simple and on the other side I found a guest house. Had some rice and went out. Not much there - no internet, but there was a bar and at thebar I discovered Beer Lao and met loads of people who where due on the boat the next day....

25th Dec AKA Christmas Day! Slightly different Christmas to what I've been used to! Got up early and got picked up in a truck ready for my trek. It picked up 6 others on the way - a couple from Alaska, 2 Aussie lads, a Japanese fella and a chap from Norway. After topping up on food supplies about an hour outside Chiang Mai, we arrived at the setting-off point and they fed us rice to give us energy, We then set off on the hike, which was all uphill and was gr...

23rd Dec: I arrived in Chiang Mai after my night bus and walked around town for a while before finding myself a room, but pretty nice with a private bathroom. Had a power nap then headed off for breakfast, where I met a couple of American girls who've been in town for a while and found out a bit more. I went off and hired a bike for the day and cycled off!! I really I like the feel of the place - all set around a moat, which makes it easy to find places (I di...

Well I'm in Bangkok! Leaving Cambodia I got the bus and there were only 2 other people on it and soon found out why - I think its the bumpiest road in the world - so bad that the bus drove half on and half off it, as the dirt track to the side was smoother! I'm currently staying in a tiny room in a place called 'mini house' called Soi Rambutri, which is just off the Khao San road. It costs 150 baht (a Jack Daniels costs 1400bt). The road I'm o...