So here we are the last blog of the trip. Khao Lak is described as a piece of paradise on earth. Now as you know I don't do the whole paradise thing but I get the idea. The locals will tell you there is nothing to do in Khao Lak. It's sea, sand, swim and relax. As I said before the room we have is to die for. I thought I would finish my blogs with a little bit about our two weeks in the place where there is nothing to do. Thailand is called the land of a tho...

Sawadee krup Khao Lak is beautiful. It is peaceful and serene. Unlike some Thai resorts it has strict rules about buildings, which has meant it has kept some charm. The town is some way back from the beach and on higher ground. This means there is no road noise. In the evening the main street is full of restaurants and quiet bars. There are very few English here. It is almost exclusively Germans. 2 world wars and 1 world cup doo da doo da. Our hotel is right at...

We ordered a taxi from the hotel in Hanoi to take us to the airport. You pay me said the manger. We have contract, you no have to pay driver. Ok I thought he seems pretty convincing. A couple of our party had had problems with the local cabbies changing the fair at the last moment. One girl had been locked in the cab until she paid up. We got in the cab and he immediately put on the meter. Aye aye we thought is this a scam. I weighed up the cabbie and thought I...

We left the hotel and headed for the perfumed river to catch a dragon boat to see the Citadel which was the home of the emperor before he was forced to accede by the communist government. It was an interesting visit. Clearly it was once a grand palace. Like a lot of things in Vietnam the VC used them as hideouts during the war and the yanks bombed them. At 5pm we headed to the rail station for our next overnight trip, this time to Hanoi. Hoan our guide said 'G...

We went to the rail station at Nah Trang to catch the night train first to Da Nang then an onward bus to Hoi An. It was going to be 10 hours on the train. The sleeper compartments are for 6 people. Fortunately we only had 4 in ours. The beds fold from the wall in a bunk style. The mattress is about 1mm thick so it feels like you are sleeping on a board. A small pillow, 1 sheet and a blanket finish the bedding. The train was noisy and rickety. Once again it was e...