I arrived in Bangkok in hot humid conditions and raining. But Bangok us very busy and I was happy to be in umongst all the people. It took me about 30 minutes to find my guest house called Siam II even although I had a map. This was largley due to no street signs and very little sinage to indicate where it was.... oh yes and maybe not asking for directions. Where  I was staying was close to Kohsan Road, where almost every other western tr...

The bike tour has been a positive experience for me as I got to cycle through the Chinese countryside and interact with the local people. The route that the tour took passed through some remote areas where the locals had not seen many foreigners to more touristy spots. My first impression of the Chinese coutryside is that it is very green and very hilly. Its really beautiful. However the small towns that we passed through were very old and grubby looking. O...

Arrived in Hong Kong 2 days before the start of my China Hike & Bike tour. Arriving in Hong Kong airport and getting to my hostel was a breeze. The airport express and metro services are so easy to figure out and use. My first impression of the Chinese people here are that they are friendly, helpful and they take pride in their city. I booked into the Ah Shan hostel which was on the 8th floor of an apartment block. I had a private room with a private shower. I...

We finally arrived at Beijing station. Dan and I happened to be staying in the same hostel and decided to get the metro to there instead of a cab. The first thing that happens when you leave the station is that there is ahuge crowd waiting outside. Its a little daunting but with a little pushing, and being a lot bigger than most you make your way through. You also get hounded by taxi drivers for your custom. We made it through and got to the Metro. We had to pay ...

Have spent 1.5 days on the train going from Udan Ulay to Ulanbataar in Mongolia. I had a whole 4 sleeper carriage to myself which was great! I met up with some other tour group and their guide Claire, who is a Kiwi and we spent most of the border crossing playing scrabble. The crossing only took 9 hours to do! You have to remain on the train for about 5 of those 9 hours. That evening I met an Aussie guy called Dan, 2 Dutch students called Johan and Martin and a R...