Chiang Mai is a good base to explore northern Thailand. Took the overnight train from Ayuthaya and didn't sleep a wink. Instead of small cabins like on the Vietnamese trains, in Thailand a sleeper carriage just means that you have 40 bunks all in one long carriage. The only thing you have separating you from everybody else is a small curtain...however, what they don't tell you is that the air conditioning, rather than being an added bonus is actually a to...

Travelled to Ayuthaya (the old capital of Thailand) to pick up a rice barge cruising the Chao Phraya river for a few days. Our barge was great, plenty of room to relax and enjoy the view, with all meals cooked for us on board, although the 12 of us did all have to sleep in the same room - cosy huh?! As we journeyed down the river we stopped off for a couple of cycle rides through the local countryside. We peddled through many villages, visited a small brick maki...

Kanchanaburi is famous for both the death railway constructed during WW1 using prisoners of war and of course the bridge over the river Kwai. We took a samlor (a kind of tuk tuk) to see the bridge and the war cemetary on the evening we arrived and there's still a section of the railway left here. We stayed in a little guest house here that had the most amazing restuarant - it also ran a cooking school which I guess speaks for itself. I had one of the best cu...

Bangkok, what can I say, it's a very intimidating city when you first arrive but once you get used to it it's a great place - I really love it now. There's so much to see and do for the tourist, temples galore from the Grand Palace, to Wat Po with the huge gold reclining buddah, and then Wat Arun across the river coated in ceramics. The city is full of shrines and monuments all of religious significance and you'll see no shortage of monks walking...

Took a short trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay. It's a world heritage site but I found it a little disappointing, possibly something to do with the fact that it was freezing cold! When you board your boat at Halong Bay you realise how popular this place is as over 400 boats are all jostling for position in a very small harbour. To board your boat you have to climb through about 3 otehrs to reach it, yet it's always the one at the back that wants to leave firs...