From Vientienne we took a bus across the border into North Eastern Thailand, staying for two nights in the border town of Nong Khai. We didn't really do much while we were there, just appreciated having somewhere nice to stay again and at a more reasonable price for our budget. The town itself was quite nice, with a modern promenade running alongside the Mekong and a few colourful temples. During our stay I decided to take the plunge and have my hair cut. ...

The journey north was easliy the bumpiest we've ever had. The suspension on the bus seemed to be made from elastic bands. I could make the whole bus bounce up and down just by moving around in my seat (no jokes about too many Thai curries please). We had to stop over in Chiang Khong to cross the border into Laos the next day. Our guesthouse had a really nice seating area that looked across the river into our next destination. We spent a while getting a few bits...

We got up early in the morning this time so as to secure a place on the bus to Chiang Mai. The Thais dont seem to have come up with an advanced booking system for bus tickets, so unless you're there early on the day you pretty much always face a few hours waiting. Luckily our 6am start paid off, and we reached Chiang Mai not long after 1pm. As we planned to spend a week here we spent some time choosing a guesthouse we were happy to stay in for a while. Chiang Mai...

The second of our temple-site visits in Central Thailand was in the town of Sukhothai, about 6 hours north of Thailand. Despite its development relative to some of the other countries around it, Thailand can be pretty difficult to get around by bus, especially on the popular routes. The main reason is that you can't book tickets in advance (unless you board in Bangkok), even for their expensive VIP buses. It means you have to get to the bus station ages in advanc...

The historical town of Ayutthaya used to be the capital town of Thailand before it was moved to Bangkok. The city is situated on an island formed by the confluence of 3 rivers flowing southward. The main reason for our visit was to explore the ruins that form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Burmese Army sacked the capital in 1767 and left most of the grander sights in tatters, which makes it all the more interesting now! The first temple on our route...