In the lead up to Christmas we took the opportunity to go off grid and spend time in a community living in the hills of northern Thailand. In a remote village, reached by a four hour hill trek, the hill tribe live a simple existence in bamboo huts on stilts. Riverside living, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, they cook with the indigenous plants available; banana flowers, chillies and herbs to produce some delicious dishes. Animals roam freely and the focus...

Over the last few days, we have been at an elephant sanctuary where mistreated elephants are taken in and looked after. All of the elephants have different stories to tell, the most depressing story that I have heard was that an elephant was unfortunately in the logging industry and was chained to a tree in the jungle for a year. She miraculously survived and was fortunately taken in to the sanctuary here where she is looked after and treated with respect by the ...

The Moken Sea Gypsies - Oliver Groom This tribe lives on the Surin Islands off the coast of Thailand. They mainly eat fish and rice but will happily drink any fizzy pop they acquire. Their tribe is a seafaring one with a long history dating back centuries. Although they could move to the mainland they choose to follow tradition and live off the land and sea. They mainly live on one beach within reed houses on long poles so that the tide dosn't dislodge them. ...

Arriving in Bangkok after a short flight we were instantly hit by the humidity and craziness that Bangkok is! Heading out that evening to explore the city, the streets were packed with people, thai cuisines being rustled up on makeshift bicycle kitchens. People spilling out onto the roads with tuk tuks and cars weaving in and out. Stray dogs adding to the mayhem, just another regular night in Bangkok. In contrast The Grand Palace (see photo album) sits amidst ...

We spent our last full day in Hong Kong visiting Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha) and the Po Lin Monastery in Ngong Ping on Lantau Island. The statue is named Tian Tan Buddha because it's base is a model of the Altar of Heaven or Earthly Mount of Tian Tan, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. One of the five large Buddha statues in China, it is enthroned on a lotus on top of a three-platform altar. It is surrounded by six smaller bronze statues known as "The Offering o...