Well I have to say Manadalay is not my favourite place. For me it was just a big city on a grid system, lacking character. On our scout for accommodation Cormac and I came across probably the worst 'hotel' I've seen so far on the trip- essentially each floor divided into small cells, with the 'walls' made of plywood that didn't quite reach to the ceiling. The sheets and mosquito nets were that horrible yellowed colour. At this point we'd stumbled around quite a...

So we arrived in Bagan about 4am and had a slightly different welcoming committee than the usual taxi touts- horse and cart drivers! After much negotiating we decided on a variety of transport- girls in horse & cart and boys on trishaw to hunt out our new digs. In the end we decided to treat ourselves to a place with a.c given the heat here, so we ended up in the Grand Empire, which was actually the best place I stayed in for the whole country. Wendy &...

So apparently getting the visa was the easy part, getting accommodation and US dollars in pristine condition was slightly more difficult. Technically speaking its now the low season in Myanmar, however after calling seven places in Yangon before getting a reservation, there are clearly still a lot of tourists here. Anyway in true backpacker style, at the airport in Bangkok whilst trying to sort the last of my US dollars issues I met a Dutch girl called Wendy and ...

So after our not so great guesthouse experience in Phi Phi we decided to treat ourselves in Koh Lanta. We stayed in Lanta Residence & spa. According to the website there is a sushi restaurent and spa- there was neither, but there was a rooftop swimming pool,lovely spacious rooms with balconies and ac so I was more than happy. After so much partyig before, during and after the wedding everyone was ready for some serious r 'n r so we spent the next few days j...

As so many people had travelled so far for the wedding it meant most people were sticking around after so a few of us arranged a mini trip. The original plan had been to camp at Maya bay (the beach where 'The Beach' is filmed) however they have recently banned the camping trips there. Instead we chartered the same pirate ship we used for the hen do for the day from Phi Phi island to Maya bay and surrounding area and sleep on board anchored just off the bay. T...