Sorry I have been so bad at filling this journal in. Will start as from now, but just means the entries will be a bit out of sync! Jim and I are currently in Luang Prabang in Laos. It is a beautiful little town and well worth the effort it took to get here - which is a story all in itself. We basically left Chaing Mai at midday on Friday by minibus (the most uncomfotable seats ive ever experienced, esp with hangover from night before - see Chaing Mai entry) ...

Only had a stopover day/night here in Chiang Mai but it has definitely been one to remember... Arrived early in the morning on the bus from Bangkok. Must be getting used to these long journeys as i managed to sleep a few hours and found it reasonably comfy. Got herded into the back of a van and taken to a guesthouse that we were required to look at in return for the free transfer. We were sat down by a 'women' called Julie who had an Adams apple and a voice ...

The journey over to Koh Phangan went fairly smoothly, with the exception of the heavens opening just as soon as we began the walk along the (long, long) gangplank to the ferry. Wouldnt be unusual in the rainy season, except it only started as soon as we left the protection of the snackshop, and finished as soon as we boarded the boat. Without exception, everybody else on that boat was bone dry. Que?! Bloody Val and her rain cloud! We were accossted by a spr...

Stayed in nice little huts right on the beach, looking out onto the island where they filmed 'The Beach'. I could see that Phi Phi and surrounding area was beautiful , but the sun made a sporadic appearance and so could not fully appreciate it. The beach we were on didn't give away anything about the damage caused by the Tsunami.The main harbour does, with rubble still visable along the sand, and a large area of nothing where the boats are kept. They seem to h...

Jim and I left Kecil along with Jenni and Anthony. We crossed the border and got in a minivan that also seemed to be delivering a tropical bird and a bag of small fish. Used this as a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep... We decided to stay the night in Hat Yai as a mid-way point to Krabi.This was definitely an experience - the hostel can only be described as a former lunatic asylum. The corridors were huge amd contained lots of boxes of random items...