I’m in the US. And I’ve arrived here with a different view of the place. Post Trump this has to be different to pre Trump – right? Despite the latest travel ban I have to report that getting in to the US via Atlanta was a significant improvement on other US airports I’ve experienced in … More Back in the USA
Last stop of the trip – we’re in Hong Kong. The name conjures up so many different images for me; the harbour waterfront, the hills and the amazing buildings. But it’s not until you start to walk around the city that you realise there’s a lot more to it and that there are massive contrasts … More Mr and Mrs Crocodile Dundee arrive in HKG
I hadn’t realised that Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. I’d assumed it was Ho Chi Minh City – or Saigon, the name preferred by those who still say Ceylon rather than Sri Lanka. HCMC is way down in the south of the country and something like a 24 hour train ride from here. It’s … More ‘Your minibus number is 29B 170.73’
We’re back on the mainland and on the Cambodian coast at a place rather unglamorously called Otres 2 – which sounds a bit like a Moscow suburb pre-Perestroika. It’s a very odd place. Tourism here is much as I’ve always imagined it was in The Gambia when that became popular in the ’80s; hotels … More We’re Living in a 200m bubble
Things slowed down markedly as soon as we hit the Cambodian coastline. We’re now at a remote bit of an island called Koh Rong, two hours by boat from the coastal city of Sihanoukville. It’s very sleepy here. Nothing much happens. And we’ve gone right back to basics with a shack on the beach; there’s … More Down to first gear
Siem Reap. It’s not a name the Khmer are proud of. It means Siamese Defeated and that starts to give you a little indication of the turmoil this part of the world has gone through over the years. It’s in our life time that the Khmer Rouge, under the despotic leadership of Pol Pot slaughtered … More Infectious Khmer optimism and the incomparable Angkor
Of course PDR actually means People’s Democratic Republic, but this place is better known by westerners for it’s relaxed and laid back atmosphere. That’s not quite the vibe you get when you arrive at Luang Prabang airport and are met by a wall of officials all there to process your visa. No smiles. No pleasantries. … More Laos PDR (please don’t rush)
Today we move on to country number two in the South East Asia bit of our trip. We’re flying from Chiang Mai in Thailand to Luang Prabang in Laos. We got here by overnight sleeper train from Bangkok, which was a great experience. Very civilised and a pretty good night’s sleep to boot – all … More Not quite backpackers
Next stop Bangkok; hard to believe it’s an almost 10 hour flight from Sydney. Reminds you just how far away Sydney is from anywhere. But I guess that’s what makes it such a special destination. There’s something exciting about wandering around the Opera House or being on Bondi Beach; they’re all places we’ve heard of … More One night in Bangkok …
Currently at Hobart airport en route to Sydney for the next phase of our Oz trip. We’re four weeks in overall and feeling pretty well decompressed and relaxed. All good. Still no sign of dreads or tattoos though – but next stop is South East Asia so you never know. We’re both really sad to … More Life like it should be lived
too old for dreads 