Following two tranquil days cruising down the Mekong River we arrived back in Thailand where the trip had started over 2 months ago. Our first stop on our way back to Bangkok was Chiang Rai and what is known locally as 'the white temple'. Over the past 9 weeks we'd seen lots and lots of temples, but nothing like this. The premise of this temple was to depict good and evil and also the in between. This was displayed through pop culture and politics with film...

The trip to Luang Prubang was another arduous bus trip through windy mountain ranges but the views were amazing as you pass by the daily life of remote hill tribes. After 6 hours or so we arrived. This pretty little town is a world heritage centre. It reminded us of Hoi An in Vietnam in many ways; lots of traditional wooden buildings and winding streets. It is famed for its night market where hundreds of traders sell handicrafts from the local villages, althoug...

After another grueling roller coaster of a bus journey, we arrived at the Vietnam/Laos border. As usual there was a mini sweetener of $2 USD on top of our visa fee (apparently this was because it was the weekend but in reality, it was more likely the guards beer money for the night ahead). The crossing was chaotic but did go a little more smoothly than the previous borders, queuing is not a concept Asians get unless it is into a temple. A few hours later and w...

It's oh so quiet…Sshh…sshh - the 'moany blog' Hanoi and Halong Bay We caught the overnight train at 2pm from Hue to take us to our next stop Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Like the other train rides this was another fawlty towers experience. It is not unusual to get to your cabin and find some locals who have camped out there without a ticket, staring at you blankly even when you try to tell them you have tickets for the room. This time we had a couple of ...

Hoi An & Hue After a day train that seemed to last much longer than the actual 14 hours, we finally arrived in Hoi An. Deemed strategically important by the US during the war, Hoi An lost about 60% of it's old town. What is left has been beautifully restored and is now recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The old town is adorned with lanterns and is full of traditional buildings that now accommodate beautiful boutique shops and ornate restaurant...