Took the bus to Chiang Mai yesterday (Saturday). This is the first place that I have visited prior to this trip so far and it feels busier, more commercial and harsh than I remember it being before. think that probably says more about me and where we have been visiting than it does about Chiang Mai! We spent a little time looking round the town to reaquaint ourselves yesterday and inevitably had a visit to the night market in the evening. When I was here 3 years...

Crossed the border into Thailand this morning. We crossed over from Huay Xai in Laos to Chang Khong in Northern Thailand which was just a short boat ride across the Mekong. We then took a bus to Chang Rai and even got here in time for lunch; Chang beer and Pad Thai. Thailand immediately felt different to Laos and the rest of SE Asia so far, certainly more affluent. Chang Rai is a small city and I think we walked round most of it this afternoon visiting some beaut...

Another challenging bus journey yesterday to Luang Namtha which is in the far north of Laos and close to the Chinese border. The road was very windy and had to go over about 3 mountain passes with long stretches of the road unsealed. The minibus had 3 spare seats at a point where the driver stopped to pick up a family of 7, inlcuding a babe in arms plus their two chickens. You couldn't make it up! Things were going fine until the mum started feeling very travel s...

Just got back from the elephant camp and what a fantastic experience! The camp itself is beautiful with lots of information on the conservation of elephants and lovely sala's and shady areas to sit in and of course the views are beautiful. The group for the mahout course was limited to 8 and we had a good group of 4 Australians and a Dutch couple with us. The first thing you do after a quick briefing is to take it in turns to have a go on the back of an elephant...

Happy new year from Luang Prabang! We arrived here on the 30th after a journey through some amazing mountain scenery. Luang Prabang itself feels like a very special place and the whole of the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are temples at every turn and the old quarter really does feel like you have stepped back a couple of decades. Then again all of Laos feels a bit like that! We spent yesterday looking at most of the main sites including some b...