Hoi An may be the prettiest place I have ever been.

If you only have one day in Hoi An Vietnam, you are in for a visual treat. The old town is a Unesco World Heritage sight and you can immediately see why. Bustling streets are lined with buildings, their fading yellow facades evocative of bygone era of river trade. These days you are more likely to find yourself bartering for a silk scarf, or purchasing handmade gifts, than trading in fish. However for a glimpse of what the more hectic pace of commerce may have been like, head to the Market where countless stall holders will converse with you to get you to buy their wares.

Hoi An is also the stronghold of Vietnam's tailoring tradition. I indulged my shopping instincts for the first time this trip and walked away with many a bargain (tailored skinny jeans = sent from heaven). The one thing I would recommend is to get a tip on a good tailor to go to, as from what I have heard there can be great discrepancies in quality.

Hoi An also boasts many a culinary treat. White roses are delightful mouthfuls of dumpling stuffed with shrimp, and an unmissable experience is sampling the local noodle dish by the river, marvelling at the floating lantern creatures. What could be better than fantastic food, brilliant views and an atmosphere that feels like the Asia from a 19th century romance?

Definitely a favourite place to be lost in for a while.

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Cyclo tour of Saigon

If you have one day in Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City) I would highly recommend a cyclo tour. Although not the cheapest way to see the sights it definitely affords great views of the city and is more atmospheric than jumping in a taxi. As we wove through the traffic, my elderly cyclo driver huffing and puffing, wiping the sweat from his brow and frequently having near misses with all manner of other vehicles on the road, my eyes were drawn to many sights that would have been impossible to see from the window of a cab.

Our tour involved a visit to the palace - a building left exactly as it was found when the northern tanks rolled in in 1975. It was mostly like walking around a hotel until we reached the basement where the war operations rooms were concealed, with maps and information on troop numbers still pinned to the walls. A place left as a time capsule of a time pre-communism.

The next stop was the war remnants museum. After studying the fascinating array of propaganda posters and countless images of anti-war protests from across the globe, I was then faced with room after room filled with photos and information about the far reaching and atrocious consequences of what the Vietnamese call 'the American war'. Although there is an anti-american propaganda feel to some of the exhibits, the truth of the lasting affects the use of agent orange and the dangers of unexploded ordnance have is undeniable. You cannot help but leave feeling humbled by the resilience of the Vietnamese people.

After the war museum we drove past Saigon's Notre Dam cathedral before weaving through the traffic back to our hotel. I ended the day having loved seeing the city but with a feeling of melancholy for all the country has been through.

Temples of Angkor

 

My first stop in Cambodia was Siem Reap, famous for the temples of Angkor - an ancient temple complex heralded as one of the wonders of the medieval period.

There are various ticket options for visiting the temples, depending on how much time you have and your level of enthusiasm for ancient ruins. We went for the one day ticket which allowed us access after 5pm the first day for sunset, which was disappointing, and very early the next day for sunrise, which was worth the pain of waking up at 4.30 am. As we made it up for sunrise we also had the added bonus of avoiding the worst of the crowds.

 

All the temples we saw in a day were very impressive, particularly when you consider they were constructed a thousand years ago from limestone that was quarried miles away and floated to the site up the river.

Surrounding the stone temples at Angkor Thom used to be wooden huts which housed a city of a million occupants at a time when London could only boast 50000. In addition to the sheer scale of the civilisation that was built around the religious buildings, is the impressive nature of the irrigation system that was designed to support the city. The people of Angkor successfully harnessed the power of the river to fulfil all their basic needs.

The highlight for me was Ta Prohm, a temple that has been overrun by trees and moss, and made for many Lara Croft style photo ops (possibly not my most culturally sensitive behaviour). Another high point was the Bayon, covered in the faces of a god, said to resemble King Jayarvaman (the driving. Force behind the bulk of Angkor's construction). By this point in the day I was, unfortunately, flagging after a bit too late night spent St Angkor What? bar on Pub St so felt the need to end the trip there, but there is plenty more to see for fans of temple architecture and decoration. It is, however a hot and sweaty day with a fair amount of climbing, so for lazier visitors 6/7 hours is definitely enough!

Overall it is an experience not to be missed, and you might be able to chat to some of the visiting monks who want to improve their English. Just be prepared to be approached by many child vendors selling postcards and bracelets, many of whom will be able to tell you an alarming amount of facts about your own country in order to charm you into parting with a couple of dollars! 

Lao Festival for the Dead (AKA Night I Was Groped By A Lao Woman)

While we were in Ban Na Hin I experienced one of the highlights of my trip so far.

The owner of our guesthouse invited us to a party at his friends house. It was an important occasion, held on the anniversary of the death of a family member in order to honour their life. This apparently serious event honestly reminded me of a drunken wedding reception. There was a marquee under which relatives and friends were gathered enjoying the free food and beer, a DJ/compere telling jokes that were falling flat and a the kids were quietly observing from the sidelines, watching the adults make fools of themselves.

It very quickly became apparent that we would not be allowed to similarly observe. The Lao guys at the next table started toasting with us, which means you have to finish whatever is left in your glass - and as glasses were not allowed to go empty that meant a full cup of lukewarm Beer Lao. Dangerous and not so easy to drink!

Then the dancing began...

The Lao style appears to involve swaying slowly from side to side and waving the arms while turning the hands at the wrists. This remains exactly the same irrespective of the music playing.

After being dragged onto the dancefloor, at the end of one song a Lao woman who was slightly worse for wear used me as a leaning post. She then introduced me to her friends, plied me with more beer and once again dragged me on to the dancefloor. Only this time it was just me, my new best friend and about 4 other people apparently putting on a performance for the rest of the party.

As I was making my escape from the dancefloor my new friend decided to grab her own... Then grab mine... Various people then told me I danced Lao style well. Bizarre.

Events continued to well into the early morning. My friend Jo also experienced the invasion of personal space by my drunken BFF. She also nearly broke up a friendship as two men at the next table started to fight over who got her email address, her plaintive cries of 'I have a boyfriend...' falling on deaf ears. Meanwhile a local woman took it upon herself to defy dance tradition by whipping out the most enthusiastic air guitar moves I have ever seen.

It was a fascinating and hilarious night and I am truly sorry I don't have photographic evidence for you.

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Kong Lor Caves - photos to follow!

From Vientiane me and my Canadian girls dragged ourselves to the bus station at 5am to board the 6am bus to Ban Na Him. Our purpose of visiting this small village in central Laos was singular - the Kong Lor Caves. It was fortunate that we had only this goal in mind as when we arrived we realised there would be little else to do. The afternoon we got there we spent exploring the village, which took a grand total of 15 minutes before we found ourselves looping back onto the highway. After an ealry dinner at what appeared to be the only restaurant in town willing to feed us we returned to our bungalows and a very pious bedtime (something I was now accustomed to as everything in Laos shuts at eleven).

On the tuk tuk to the cavesthe follwoing morning the girls and I made some new friends - a handsome, intelligent guy, Sam, and his shy younger sister Maggie. Sam made the conversation on the journey very entertaining, regaling us with tales of his travels so far, particularly about hitchhiking on the roof of a pickup in Burma while his Mum rode in the cab with Maggie. Sam was 6 years old and Maggie was 3. Their parents are bycicling SE Asia with two young kids in tow - a challenge if I could ever imagine one.

After about an hour in the tuktuk, the first 20 minutes of which was spent eating dirt as our driver didn't feel the need to use the new tarmaced road, we arrived at Kong Lor National Park. Once in the park you commission a boat to take you through the caves (max 3 people per boat). As your captain leads you to the cave mouth you can appreciate the natural beauty of the area - a mountain covered in greenery, the river having carved its path directly through the middle of a wall of rock. Seeing this made me glad I came in dry season as the cave is too flooded in rainy season to be able to visit.

Jo, Andy and me boarded our boat with the two Laos captains wearing powerful head torches and we set off into the darkness of the cave mouth. Very soon any light from the entrance fades and you have to trust that the men navigating the boat know where thay are going. They expertly manouevre around rocks made almost invisible by the darkness, using tiny visual clues and years of experience to guide them. At times the water is so shallow you have to get out and wade while the boat is pushed to the next point deep enough - very creepy in the dark, definitely pack your own torch! In one area of the cave a vast chamber of stalactites and stalagmites has been lit (a combined project between Laos and France). At this point you can get out of the boat and explore. In places the water that formed these twisted formations, which remind me of gothic cathedral architecture, is still dripping and you realise that the process is ongoing and the cave is constantly changing.

After the stalactite room the cave starts to feel really er\erie. The darkeness is more complete and you are boating through an invisible tunnel that feels like it will never end. At times your torch cannot touch the ceiling, and when it does the rock formations can take on frightening features to those with the propensity to creep themselves out.

Eventually a chink of light appears in the distance and your boat emerges into a beautiful jungle setting, the river flagged by greenery and complete with swimming buffalo. The boat stops a short way upriver for a lunch/swimming break.

The 7.5km trip back through the cave is swifter but no less creepy. It is definitely a place which conjures up images of a mythical underworld. All that darkness was, however, swiftly forgotten in the beauty of the river and the simple joy of racing with a 6 year old who claimed he was the fastest person in the whole world. I think everyone agreed the Kong Lor caves are definitely worth a visit!.

Vientiane

Vientiane - Laos' capital city - is a few hours south of Vang Vieng  on the sweatiest bus I have ever had the pleasure of boarding. On arrival, after rehydrating, I set about looking up what there is to do in the city and the answer is not a great deal. My Canadian travelling friends were spending the first day visiting the Vietnamese consulate to get their visas  so I went for a wander to see what I could discover.

The streets of Vientiane make for pleasant walking. The cultural blend that exists in Laos is evident as local architecture is interspersed with colonial French style buildings and a lot of signs are written in Lao with French translation.

Vientiane would be a good city to visit with a higher food budget than my own. There are a lot of high quality French restaurants mixed in with local places and more bakery/cafes than you could wish for.

After a morning wandering the little shops and brunching in one of the cafes, I got myself a pedicure and took my newly groomed feet to the National Museum. The museum is located in a dilapidated french building and costs 10000 kip to enter (less than £1). The exhibition is designed more or less to work in date order, so begins with a very low tech display about the discovery of dinosaur fossils in the country, before moving in to talk about the various peoples that made up the population of Laos years ago. I found this portion of the museum very worthwhile. Once you arrive at the section dealing with the 20th century it gets interesting for a different reason. The exhibitions dealing with the Laos independence movement has a highly communist bias, and there is a lot of propagandist material on display, laid alongside enough weaponry to start another rebellion. It was definitely an informative and slightly bizarre window into Laos culture and worth a visit.

My second bizarre activity was a visit to the Buddha Park. About 40 minutes from Vientiane by public bus - a journey that was quite uncomfortable for me as I was stood the whole way in a skirt terrified the wind was going to lift and I would flash the monks sitting behind me - the Buddha park is a green space by the river filled with a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist statues. These statues look ancient but in reality this park was created in the fifties on someone's whim. By far the eat thing there was the giant pumpkin like structure which you entered through the mouth of the devil and then ascended through hell to heaven at the top. Some of the groups of statues inside were incredibly twisted and it could be quite creepy if it wasn't just so incredibly odd.

The next day I spent fulfilling the rest of my cultural duties by walking to the two main monuments in the city. The first is an Asian style replica of the arc de triomph, known colloquially as the vertical runway,  (the concrete used to build it was donated by the US to build an airstrip so it is essentially two fingers up to the 'imperialist puppets' [museum's terminology]). The second is the national monument in Laos and appears on their currency. The gold leaf covered stupa is a beautiful sight in the late afternoon sun and the surrounding temple complex is definitely worth a look.

After all that walking and culture the only thing left to do was satiate the appetite. That evening I ordered a cucumber salad with sticky rice at a small restaurant along the river front. Sounds pretty innocent right? Well this turned into my very own woman vs food challenge. It was without doubt the spiciest thing I have ever eaten. My mouth was on fire, my eyes were red, I rubbed my nose and that started burning. And it was CUCUMBER. It's meant to be refreshing! I even had to let the rice cool down before I could use that to absorb some of the spice. Aside from that it was delicious, but impossible to finish. Food definitely won this round.

Next blog: Ban Na Hin (Kong Lor caves and a Laos dance party).

Vang Vieng (photos to follow when I am back in the world of WiFi)

Moving on from Luang Prabang we boarded a pretty comfortable minibus and embarked upon a treat of a journey. The scenery en route was absolutely stunning. As our bus expertly wound through mountains that rose up from nowhere, their peaks jaggedly cutting up the skyline, all of us on the bus gained a new appreciation for how amazing Laos is. Not only that, we drove through several small villages and caught glimpses of genuine Laos life (albeit from the window of a bus. Children were seen both hard at play (we saw recently made swings straining under the weight of several Laos kids and I even saw a boy playing with a hoop and a stick, seeing if he could run after the hoop fast enough - a game associated with Victorian times at home) and hard at work. There were children as young as seven digging up the road and even younger kids beating the palm leaves on the dirt, flattening them to make roof tiles.

We eventually arrived in Vang Vieng, famous as Laos' party destination thanks to the scene that has sprung up on the river banks. Sadly we arrived to disappointment. The weather for the first two days more closely resembled home (i.e. grey and drizzly) than the bright sunshine and 30+ degrees I had begun to expect. We also had a power cut for the first day so we spent a couple of days doing very little. Our most strenuous activity involved the walk to the Organic Mulberry Farm a couple of km out of town, where we visited the goats and sampled their yummy food - all made in house - including tasty goats cheese. We also got a good view of the bars on the other side of the river, cheesy music blasting and drinks clearly flowing pretty freely. We were definitely ready to party the next day!

River tubing is what Vang Vieng is famous for (renting a giant inner tube ad floating down the river hopping form bar to bar) but we decided to skip the tubes anbd walk it instead. Sound dull? It defintey wasn't and we didn't have to worry about our tubes getting nicked and losing our deposits (commonplace) or about geting stupid in the water after one too many. This is honestly good advice as the combination of alcohol, tubing, rope swings etc kills several people a yar in Vang Vieng.

When we did party we had an excellent time, the bar staff are really friendly and everyone is there to have a good time. There are people walking around with spray paint and stencils to tattoo you (be warned - it's car paint) and random people graffitti-ing obscenities on any exposed skin they can find. It is a good idea to pace yourself on the river as the party continues back in town in the evening with more cheesy music in the bars on the main strip, and a more chilled out vibe later on in the bars down on another stretch of river. Our own experience was that we should have left for the evening session later as town doesn't pick up til after 10.30 but we had our buzz on from the river and wanted to keep going, which meant most of us didn't last very long (if we made it out in the evening in the first place - you know who you are!)

An excellent hangover cure after the excesses of tubing is a visit to the blue lagoon. This is a beautiful natural pool a short tuk-tuk ride from the centre of town. The water is beautiful (and soothing) to swim in and there are plenty of spots to laze in the sun. If you are feeling more active there is also a cave to explore. We didn't feel up to this and instead spent our time sunbathing, drinking fruit shakes and taking very unattractive underwater photos.

All in all Vang Vieng was a lot of fun but after a week of partying and chilling out it was time to move on.

Next stop: Vientiane - Laos' capital city.

Luang Prabang

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Begin forwarded message:

From: annette rusling
Date: 23 February 2011 18:05:14 GMT+07:00
To:
Subject: Luang Prabang

So after finally disembarking from our slow boats it was time for the accomodation hunt in Luang Prabang. By now I had surgically attached myself to my group of Canadian girls I met on the journey so Candace, Andrea, Joanna and me found a place by the river to spend our first night. Our only real thoughts that night were of food, and luckily Luang Prabang has a lot on offer. There are plenty of restaurants selling both Laos and Western food, but by far our favourite place to go during our time there was the street at the end of the market full of food stalls. You can load up a platefull of vegetables, various rice dishes, noodles and pasta for 10,000 kip (less than a quid) and the fresh/fried spring rolls going for 1000 kip each formed my staple diet.
 
The highlight sights-wise around Luang Prabang (for me at least) was Kuang Si waterfalls. About 30km outside the city you can charter a tuk-tuk for about 30000 kip each and the driver will wait there for you until you are ready to go home. This is not an into-the-wild type waterfall, on the contrary it forms the centre of a well looked after park, but this means this gorgeous place is well protected. I have never seen a waterfall so perfect. The swimming areas were as blue as they come and some of the falls seemed so symmetrical it was almost Disney. I would definitely recommend making the effort to climb to the top. The views of the mountains and of the rest of the park were incredible.
 
The same park is also home to rescued bears. Unfortunately all the animals seem to do now they are in captivity is laze around, but they would apparently have been victim to poachers if they were not looked after in the park and it was interesting to see the local species. The bears there (I think) were Asian Sun bears with cute faces, black mains and a golden strip down their middles.
 
Now to the nightlife in Luang Prabang. An interesting experience indeed. Luang Prabang as a city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means the beautiful Laos temples which sit in harmony with colonial French architecture are ptotected but it also means they have curfew. That's right, curfew. After findin an excellent nightspot at Utopia bar (on the river, very chilled, various seating areas and even a beach volleyball court) it felt like the evening was just getting started when the bartenders started shutting up shop. Where to now? was the cry heard around the whole city. The answer? Discoteque of course! It was hands down one of the strangest places I have ever been. Local people were mixing with drunken westerners in a warehouse style building while bad pop music played and a projecter seemed to be showing soft porn over everyone's heads. The highlight of the night had to be Justin's dancing (another Canadian). The man had no inhibitions whatsoever and was doing his best to whip out the craziest moves in the place. Second highlight was the conga line everyone joined.
 
A good night was definitely had by all and I was looking forward to partying on the river at my next destination, Vang Vieng. (Next blog post!)

Two day slow boat to luang prabang

Having boarded my minibus to the laps border not feeling the best, I was not looking forward to a ride full of sharp mountainous bends, arriving at a guesthouse at 3 am and spending two days on a boat. But the experience was actually pretty good fun.

Our minibus driver expertly navigated the mountain roads and the (seemingly normal) practice of overtaking on bends was made less terrifying by the reasoning that it was dark so any oncoming traffic would be visible by virtue of headlights.

After a couple of hours kip at a standard guesthouse on the Thai side of the Mekong river we were driven to the smallest passport control I have ever seen to receive our Thai exit stamps. We then took a taxi boat over the river to Laos. On disembarking we joined the queue for our Laos visas. And we waited. And waited. We were told he slow boat left at 10.30. This came and went. We waited some more before eventually shoving our passports through a window all at once and hoping for the best. Eventually about 4 hours after we arrived at the border we were officially allowed to enter Laos for the sum of 35 US dollars. Hooray we thought, time to get on the boat. But no. We went to the office to check in, once again had a passports removed from our grip and waited some more. After purchasing sustenance we the boarded a tuktuk to the dock... And waited some more. Eventually we boarded the boats with relief, out passports back in our possession and settled in for the 6 hour trip to the midway point.

Although it is a longer process than getting a bus to luang prabang I highly recommend the slow boat. The scenery is awesome and it is an excellent way to meet people. I spent the first day drinking beer Laos and playing cards with people I am still travelling with over a week later. I couldn't imagine a better introduction to Laos and I am looking forward to seeing more!

Next posts: luang prabang and vang vieng. Current location: Vientiane.

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Pai

After trekking in Chiang Mai I let my sore muscles recover with a day learning how to cook some delicious Thai food, then I got myself on a minibus to a small town called Pai. The journey consists of a three hour ride through the mountains, which, although beautiful, consists of over 700 hair raising bends that could present a challenge to even the most iron-clad stomach. It was worth it though, as soon as I stepped off the bus I knew I would love Pai. It is quite westerner heavy but is incredibly laid back. After looking at a couple of guesthouses on the main strip I got a tip to head to the river where I checked myself into a bamboo hut, resplendent with hammock and porch and with free wifi. All for about 200 baht (less than 4 pounds) a night (and there are cheaper places they just didn't have availability). I then spent the afternoon doing what Pai is designed for - chilling out. I had coffee with friends and dinner with another couple of women I met at cooking class. In the evening I went to check out what the nightlife is like. It seems I arrived a day too late for the really lively nights - Friday and Saturday.

The following day I discovered most of the sights around Pai  - natural hotsprings, waterfalls etc. are most easily accessed by scooter or motorbike. I have never driven one of these. Nevertheless I decided this was not a problem and when the rental guy asked me to prove my ability proceeded to give too much throttle and nearly flatten a Thai person. I was promptly rejected. Fair enough. As my more skilled and mechanically gifted friends left me in a trail of dust I was contemplating what to do when the solution presented itself to me "mototaxi miss?" - Sure! I hopped on the back of a motorcycle and entrusted a stranger in a reflective vest with my life and limbs. The ride was pretty beautiful and only interrupted slightly by the constant chatter of my driver: "How old you?" - "23" - "Ohhh same same...you drink?" - "Err, no [lies]" - "You smoke?" - "Err, no [truth]" - "Hahaha you good" etc etc.

We arrived at a waterfall abut 15km out of town and I spent a pleasant couple of hours watching local kids dive kamikazee-style into one of the pools and sliding on he bellies over the smoothed over rocks.

My mototaxi driver was waiting for me and proceeded to make the ride home pretty awkward by asking me out for a drink. Having politely declined I then had to spend the next 20 minutes gripping on with my thighs to avoid death while leaning as far back as I possibly could. On the plus side this was an excellent abdominal workout.

My final day in Pai was fairly uneventful. I was not in the best health after the meal I had eaten the night before so I adopted a group of English girls and spent the day chilling at the pool at Fluid bar.

If I'd had more time in Pai I would have loved to have visited the hotsprings as the sun sets (the nest time of day to go) and I have also heard good things abot a place called Jungle Farm from a group of Canadian girls I met on the next leg of my trip and had some good times there. But sadly I was booked on a minibus to the Laos border where a two day riverboat journey awaited. Time to say goodbye to Thailand!

Next stop: 2 day slow boat to Luang Prabang.

Trek Packs and Pachyderms

Any trip to southeast Asia is not complete without some from of trekking. Unless you stuck only to the party towns you would be hard pressed to avoid it. With that in mind I jumped in the back of a truck with 9 strangers, bound for the hills about 3 hours from chiang mai.
What I learned about trekking:
1) Do not book until you arrive in town. I paid three times as much booking it from home and it was less straightforward.
2) Pack light. The company provided me with a fairly large pack which I (naturally) filled. Everyone else had been given nice, modest sized bags. So the company screwed over my wallet and my back. Thanks. The thought I was burning note calories had a very limited comfort value.
3) Everyone I have spoken to had a slightly different trek route and experience. If you are trekking near chiang mai don't expect it to be really challenging hiking, and don't expect to walk the entire day. For us, the first day began with a trip to a waterfall and weekend start walking until after lunch, the second was broken up by an elephant ride ad the their was spent entirely on the bamboo raft. (If you go in dry season you won't be able to white water raft, at least not particularly well).
4) Night time is very very cold. Take warm clothes and expect to use them.
5) Lastly, embrace the group you are with, I met some good people and they definitely made the experience a lot more fun!

Although I had a really good time on my trek and would definitely recommend the experience, I did have some reservations about the elephant riding. When we arrived at he elephant camp, from a distance it looked like the elephants were chilling by the river, fairly free to do as they pleased. However, on closer inspection we discovered they were chained up. During our ride the mahouts (trainers) who accompanied us would sometimes kick the elephants, either to make them go faster or just for sport. From what I have heard this isn't typical, but it did not make for an entirely pleasant experience. Despite this, in Thailand elephants are traditionally working animals, and since the government
banned logging (for teak) tourism offers the people an income, and therefore the elephants some protection. There a re also organisations with a more highly tuned code of ethics, where travellers can go and witness the ellies in a more natural setting.

(One more tip: before you go bamboo rafting ensure your guide has a firm grasp on left and right. Ours either did not, or he did not explain that he would be steering the raft one direction while instructing the group to steer another. We crashed a few times, the first of which resulted in me spectacularly consigning my first pair of fake ray band to the scrap rap having fallen headlong in to the ass of the girl in front of me. When recovering from our crashes, or going through rougher water out guide also seemed to adopt a rather Victorian attitude - 'ladies get out and walk, only gentlemen now' - this was more than a little infuriating ad it felt we missed out on some of the fun.)

Overall trekking was a good experience I would definitely repeat and an excellent way of meeting people if you are travelling solo. I would give it a solid 6/10.

After trekking: on to Pai then a slow boat through to Laos!

Travelling

Reasons why I am not a natural traveller (and why I do it anyway).

1) I do not fit in anywhere except northern Europe - I am very pale and fair so will always look like a foreigner (compounded by the fact that I will burn in any kind of sunshine).
The upside is... I always look like a foreigner. This means other travellers will be friendly and approachable (and in my experience, if you are travelling on your own, many will tell you how brave you are!). The downside of looking like a traveller is you will be ripe pickings for any scammers that are around, but keep your wits about you and you should be ok. Be aware that as a foreigner you will always pay more for things.

2) I do not have a strong stomach. However, I have been in Thailand a week and so far seem to be fine – and if I wasn’t, don’t worry I would not feel the need to share. This is an affliction I hate because I love to try new food and will always eat local where I can. At the Sunday market in Chiang Mai you can pick up Pad Thai for 15baht (about 20 pence).

3) I can be quite shy when I am on my own. I have spent the last few days honing my skills at being obnoxious and forcing myself into conversations. Interrupting when people are eating with a ‘do you mind if I sit here’ seems to be quite effective. The upside is that once a conversation has begun, I can talk to almost anybody (unless you are a complete idiot, then I will make my excuses and leave).

4) I am not very good at the actual process of getting from one place to another. I can never sleep on trains. Or planes. Or buses. This is unfortunate as the cheapest way to travel tends to be the longest. My 12 hours from Bangkok to Chiang Mai was tolerable only thanks to the iPod and impressive vantage point for people watching  (I was the only English speaker in my carriage and 1 of only 4 foreigners – watching 30 Thai teenagers argue over comic books and BBM each other from two seats away was quite entertaining).

Added to this I find immigration officials quite intimidating. I am not the kind of traveller who could calmly debate with a tricky immigration officer on a power trip. Luckily I have never had to. Watch this space…

5) I pack too much… as you can see from the picture above. I am going to have to get rid of some stuff along the way if I am going to do any shopping here. And despite bringing all this, I have forgotten some essentials (small bag with compartments, sunhat, ¾ length bottoms required for temple visits – you don’t want to be wearing trousers in 35 degrees). So to the night market I go. (And yes, if you look closely, I have packed dry shampoo – I consider this to be a necessity).

NB I did not buy anything at the Patpong market in Bangkok as it was my first time there and I was too busy telling Thai men that no, I did not want to go and see ‘Super Pussy’ – I don’t think the aussie girls I was with will ever recover from their Ping Pong show experience (…and then she started pulling out silk scarves, like the kind magicians use, and they just went on forever, she must have had ten metres of scarf shoved up there…).

Despite these, and I am sure many other reasons I cannot think of at this moment, travelling is something you will either fall in love with or not, and I can’t think of a single person who has tried it and not established a full on romance with wandering the world. In future blogs I will be sharing my thoughts on my fling with Asia, and any tips I pick up along the way.

Next stop: 3 day trek in the hills north of Chiang Mai, staying with hill tribes for 2 nights.