Tag: Backpacking

  • City living in Yangon

    City living in Yangon

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    Yangon used to be the capital of Myanmar until a few years ago when the government, paranoid about naval invasion, decided to build a new city from scratch in the centre of the country. We never went to Nay Pi Taw, and I had heard from other travellers we were right not to as it’s…

  • Wet season on Inle Lake; Nguanshwe

    Wet season on Inle Lake; Nguanshwe

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    We took an overnight bus from Hsipaw to Nguanshwe. A little different from most other overnight buses, the buses in Myanmar were not sleeper buses, so getting to sleep sitting upright is not ideal. Luckily for me I can usually sleep anywhere, so it wasn’t so bad… the guys took sleeping pills to cope, which…

  • Trekking in Hsipaw

    Trekking in Hsipaw

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    From Mandalay we took the tourist bus to Hsipaw, a village in the north with great access to the minority mountain people of Myanmar such as Shan, Karen and Palaung people. We arrived late in the evening and booked a trekking tour through the hostel to a Palaung village. The trek started at 6am the…

  • Making friends in Mandalay, Myanmar

    Making friends in Mandalay, Myanmar

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    The gang, reduced now to just the boys and I, flew with AirAsia from Bangkok to Mandalay in the morning and walked from the bus transfer point to garden guesthouse. It was already afternoon so we ate at a local Chinese restaurant and showered before heading out to watch the sunset at Mandalay Hill; a…

  • Feeling at home in Bangkok

    Feeling at home in Bangkok

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    We arrived in Bangkok from Siem Reap. Everyone in the group had been to Bangkok before, but stayed in a different district, AND… they all hated the city. So my mission, as the designated tour guide, was to change all their opinions!! I took them to all my favourite restaurants and bars from previous visits,…

  • Say Wat?!? Angkor Wat.

    Say Wat?!? Angkor Wat.

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    We arrived in Siem Reap very early and had to wait until midday to check in. The night bus wasn’t great so all of us slept on sofas in the lobby until we were allowed in the room. Another lovely hostel, this place also had a swimming pool, but was a little further from the…

  • Extremes in Phnom Penh

    Extremes in Phnom Penh

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    The newly formed travel group of myself, Steve and Paul from Bristol, George from Gloucester, Steffi from Germany and Karen from The Netherlands, headed off together in what turned into a private minibus from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh. It quickly became apparent that from now on I was tour guide and organiser for all trips,…

  • First taste of beach-bum life; Koh Rong

    First taste of beach-bum life; Koh Rong

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    We left Kampot for Sihanoukville mid morning and immediately caught a boat to the small island Koh Rong. We checked into our beach accommodation, which was $10 a night for a private room with a double bed! We all got a room each at that price! The view from the guest house The first night…

  • Easy river living in Kampot

    Easy river living in Kampot

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    Crossing the border into Cambodia was both relaxed and stressful at the same time. A Cambodian visa technically costs $20 at the border, but it is almost impossible to pay less than $26 due to corruption. However, the forms were easy to finish and all-in-all our border crossing took about 5-10 minutes! Incredibly fast compared…

  • Public transport in the Mekong Delta

    Public transport in the Mekong Delta

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    As the last major city in the south of Vietnam, from HCMC the next step for most people is Cambodia. However, I had heard great things about the very southern part of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. I managed to convince myself, and George, that the best way into Cambodia was through the delta… and…