Travelled down from Chiang Mai back to Bangkok where we spent a day or so buying gift in the markets of the city. Also visited the Grand Palace where we got soaked in a tropical storm. Flying back to the UK today and looking forward to seeing family and friends. Laura and Stani

Chiang Mai - Thailand We finally arrived in Chiang Mai after 22 hours and several different modes of transport. 16 hours were spent on the air conditioned bus that got us from Luang Prabang to the Laos-Thai border. We arrived at the border at about 7.00am and waited around for the staff to turn up and open the office. At 8.00am we departed Laos, climbed aboard a long boat and crossed the Mekong River to Thailand. On the other side we filled out the arrival forms...

Luang Prabang - Laos We reached Luang Prabang at around 3.30pm. The 9 hour minivan drive had taken us through the mountainous Laos countryside and we passed many rural communities living in their traditional wood/bamboo/thatched houses set on stilts. The villages all had lots of young animals like puppies, chicks and piglets running around so they were pretty busy! On arrival in Luang Prabang we found somewhere to stay and took a walk around the ancient city. A...

Vientiane - Laos A quick update - after 22 hours we finally reached Vientiane (apparently pronounced Wieng Chan). The journey was ok in the end although we got a little annoyed at the border as we had to pay an "extra" $2 fee for administration and because it was a weekend! Despite this we were rewarded with a stunning landscape as we drove the mountainous roads into Laos. After the busy and cold Hanoi, Vientiane really was a breath of fresh air. No h...

Hanoi Arrived in Hanoi around 7.00am and set about finding some accommodation. After a short search we found a room and explored the city. We’d managed a few hours sleep on the bus but still felt a little jaded. Fuelled by caffeine and adrenaline we walked around the Old Quarter for most of the morning. When we say we walked, we mean we struggled to walk, seeing as the pavements were not so much for pedestrians as they were for motorbikes, stalls, chairs, carp...