Author: Libbytes
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Fascinating Lake Toba
From Berastagi, we continued onward towards Lake Toba. 74,000 years ago, the Toba eruption was one of the biggest volcanic eruptions in the history of the planet (well, in the last 25 million years, as Dave tells me). It was a VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) of 8, which is the highest on the scale –…
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Sunrise Hike to Mount Sibayak
After Bukit Lawang we wanted to travel south towards Lake Toba and a brief stop off at the town of Berastagi. Berastagi is saddled between 2 of Sumatra’s active volcanoes, mount Sinabung (on the FCDO red list because of it’s potential for violent, and often deadly, eruptions) and mount Sibayak, which is fairly stable and…
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Birthday Orangutans in Bukit Lawang
Before we even decided to quit our jobs and go backpacking, we’d both spoken about our desires to visit more of Indonesia. We’ve both been here before and loved it. For me, the lush green jungles are just as amazing as the underwater, with so many endemic species on land, and some of the best…
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City Living in KL
On our journey to Indonesia, we decided to make a quick pit stop in KL, mostly because of the convenience and price of the flights – direct flights from Hat Yai were cheap and then onward to Medan also very cheap. I have been to Malaysia before, and for me, it was one of the…
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Sunsets in Koh Lipe
After a few days snorkelling in Koh Tao, we were enjoying the sea, but wanted to try somewhere different, so decided to change coastlines, from the eastern Gulf of Thailand, to the west Andaman sea. We got a boat to Surat Thani and then a minivan to Hat Yai, where we stayed for one night…
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Snorkelling in Koh Tao
After travelling through India and Thailand, we really missed the underwater world. Both of us love the sea, Dave is a big swimmer and just enjoys being in the sea all the time, mask or no mask, but I love watching the underwater world. But, I think I’ve also converted Dave into a snorkeller now…
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Prachuap’s perfection revisited
10 years ago solo backpacking through South East Asia, the town of Prachuap Khiri Khan, in the state of the same name, was one of my favourite towns that I visited. The town is on a beach flanked by green hills, beautiful beaches and at the weekend, has the most amazing authentic night market. There…
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Thailand train travel
We were loving getting the train so far in Thailand, it was reliable, clean and incredibly cheap. Especially for the ordinary 3rd class fan seating. But we were starting to feel the pull of the ocean, since we haven’t worn any of our snorkelling gear, rash vests or swimwear for about 6 weeks now (not…
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Floating in Amphawa
In previous visits to Thailand, I had heard about the floating markets in and around Bangkok, but I had also heard that they were very touristy and not really authentic, just tourist attractions. However on our trip south from Bangkok, I decided to give one a go, it’s low season after all, and even if…
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Baking in Ayutthaya
Ten years ago I went solo backpacking through South East Asia. Although I was solo, I made many friends along the way, and was even joined by some friends from home… I came to Ayutthaya with Dan, who was visiting from the UEA at the time. We got the train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya and…
Travel Alchemist 