Monday 18th - Sunday 1st July Well we spent almost 2 weeks on the beautiful island of Ko Tao doing so little so there's not much to say! The morning we arrived was a gorgeous sunny day so we checked into our hotel Bow Thong resort then went straight down to the beach. It was beautiful and really quiet with only a few other people around. We had dinner at sunset at a beach front bar and a drink on the sand. Most bars have cushions and small candlelit tables on ...

Although our flight wasn't until 4pm we got up early and were at the airport by 10am, we wanted out of that place as soon as possible! Arrived at our hotel O Bangkok by about 7pm, checked in then went straight out to explore the area. We are located about 5mins from the Koh San Road, the main backpacker's area in Bangkok. It is crammed with shops, street stalls, bars, restaurants and street vendors selling awesome cheap grub. We thought by now we would have lost ...

After a few minor delays on the train and at customs we arrived in Hong Kong about midday on Tuesday. I instantly fell in love with the place, everyone speaks English, the signs are in English and the people are so polite (it seemed far more British than Chinese!!) We got some taxis to the YMCA to find only 2 rooms are ready which Ruya and I pounce on! Early bird as my Granddad would say!! The rooms were small for the price but the shower was an actual cubicle, i...

Yangshuo & Longji Rice Terraces Our hotel, Fawlty Towers was nice. Each room is huge with 2 beds and private bath although the drainage system was not that good! Unfortunately the weather was not all that good for 2 days solid so we didn't see very much of the surrounding countryside. Yangshou has over 20,000 limestone karsts (steep tree covered mounds) up to 300m high and the town we are staying in is in the middle of this stunning scenery. We spent most...

Arrived at Yin Bo Hotel in Shanghai late morning and headed out for the usual orientation walk with the group. The Bund is only 10mins from the Hotel so we had a really good location, not right in the heart of everything, just away from the noise and bustle of the city. The Bund runs along the riverfront and is full of British, French and American architecture. Across the river is an awesome skyline including the worlds tallest Hotel (Hyatt within Jin Mao Tower) ...