Pretty much every time Amelia and I take a night bus we ask ourselves "why?!". We never really get any sleep, and nine times out of ten the bus arrives at stupid-o'clock in the morning, leaving us stranded for a few hours until we wait for places to open. But travelling at night has its advantages - firstly it saves time and secondly it saves money (as you don't have to pay for accommodation). However, the latter benefit didn't exactly come to fruitio...

Chris and I awoke with a plan to catch the bus to Bago, which the hostel would be paying for as compensation for messing us around with the room. However, when we found out it would cost nearly $10 to reach the bus station (1 hour away), when the bus ticket to Bago (2 hours away) should only cost a couple of dollars each, we immediately began searching for an alternative. The manager who spoke very good English was not very forthcoming, so along with our own rese...

Myanmar (previously known as Burma) only lifted its boycott on tourism 4-5 years ago. Until that point it was almost off limits. Along our travels we'd spoken to a few people that'd been and they'd reconfirmed our thoughts - that it's definitely the place to go before things change. However, with it being an expensive country to travel (compared with the rest of SEA), we were unsure if our budget would stretch. Fortunately, with our relatively wel...

After a few weeks of work work work we were extremely excited to be back on the road and to explore a part of Vietnam we had not been to before, the north. We also couldn't wait to breathe in some nice clean fresh air. It was strange being back in a hostel and needless to say we did not get a great nights sleep. To add to the equation it seemed as though Chris had been attacked by bed bugs. But we were up early and raring to hit the road. It took us (mainly C...

Amelia and I had a week of 'normality' before my dad arrived. ‘Normality’ being - inhaling potentially harmful levels of smog, avoiding countless near-misses on the chaotic roads and teaching hyperactive Vietnamese kids English. My dad landed at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport on the morning of the 1st October. I’d helped him organise the hotel transfer to ensure his safe and trouble-free arrival into the city. Along with this and not know...