En route to Khao Sok we had the pleasure of being w****d around several tuk-tuk drivers who kindly delivered us, in turn, to their subsequent family restaurants in the hope that we may, eventually, succumb and part with some money in exchange for some overpriced and frankly, unappetizing grease filled refreshments that the local rat population had rejected the previous night. After an unwanted visit to three of said restaurants we found ourselves seated beside a...

Think of the island of Ko Phangan in the south eastern reaches of Thailand and you will no doubt conjure up images of young people, copious amounts of alcohol and wild beach front parties. That, however, does not tell the whole story of this small patch of earth set among emerald waters just off the coast. There is still hope for those of you longing for that little corner of paradise that wont break the bank and have you bringing your return flight to reality pr...

As our surprisingly comfortable night train made its way through the outskirts of early morning Bangkok (around three hours late after breaking down barely out of sight of Chiang Mai) it provided us with our first sight of the city. It was an eye opening one. What we saw as we looked through the scratched and somewhat grimy windows of the train can only be described as slums. Lining the side of the tracks on either side were crude huts made up of nothing more th...

It took us two days to reach Chiang Mai. Two long tortuous days consisting of two boats, two buses, one minivan and one immediately regrettable ‘traditional’ noodle soup breakfast. Oh, and our first encounter with the legendary split economy of Laos. We had heard rumours of split economies operating, not only in Laos but across South East Asia. Of foreigners routinely being charged more than locals for the exact same service or product. Skin tone, effectivel...

Our ultimate destination for the day was the small riverside village of Muang Ngoi Neua. In order to reach it however, you need to first make your way by bus to an equally sedate village by the name of Nong Khiaw. It’s a four hour journey from Luang Prabang and we didn’t go by bus. We went for the budget option. We went for the sawngthaew. For the benefit of you who are unaware of this particular mode of transport I shall fill you in. It is, effectively, an ...