You last heard from us as we were leaving Laos for Vietnam. It was time to change from sabaidee to sin chow, from kip to dong, from beerlao to hanoi beer... The country is beautiful with magnificent hills, waterfalls, rice paddies, beaches and the mighty Mekong. Buddhism and Christianity are the main religions but it is all very low key, especially after Laos. We flew into Hanoi. I had visited the city 3 years ago when l did a charity trek for MacMillan and loved...

What a full week we have had! We left Malaysia on a night train bound for Bangkok, a distance of 1000 kms. It took nearly 23 hours with endless stops!!! We were comfortable in our class 2 a/c coach and the tedium was relieved by watching our fellow travellers especially a group of young Malay men, soon know as 'the sarong boys'. The Malaysian stations were all brand new and like ghost towns so they are obviously gearing up for more trains and passengers. We were...

Am now back in the lovely surroundings of the E and O Hotel in Penang after 8 nights in India! For those who thought l was having too good a time, this was my comeuppence. It was a fascinating experience, both great and not so great at times. Should have realised when we got off the plane at Guwahati (pronounced Goo-hart-tee) accompanied only by Buddhist monks and all the other Westerners stayed on to fly to Bangkok, that we were in for a challenging time!!! To ...

Have just left the Land of the Thunder Dragon, Bhutan after 9 days. As we flew in to land on the 3km airstrip at Paro after a delay in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I realised how important visibility is, as all I could see were mountains. Thought it best to shut my eyes and hope for the best, trusting the pilot not to do the same!!!! Spent the first 3 days acclimatising in and around the town. It is full of traditional houses, resembling Swiss chalets, with lovely windows ...

Have been in Georgetown for 2 weeks now and we are still enjoying every minute. We try and do something different every day despite the unsettled weather. I loved the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion which is just around the corner from us. It is externally the most gorgeous bright blue and was the family home of a very wealthy Chinaman. The house was used during the filming of 'Indochine'. Midweek we hired a (bright turquoise!!!!) car and drove around Penang. Georgetown...