Laos
Slow Boat to Luang Prabang
Slow Boat to Luang Prabang 2
Slow Boat to Luang Prabang 3
Slow Boat to Luang Prabang 4
Laos
We crossed from Chiang Khong, Thailand, to Houei Xai, Laos, just the other side of the Mekong River on a small boat. We then boarded the slow boat to Luang Prabang, a 14 hour, two day journey down the river (but only about 250km!) It was quite an uncomfortable trip, but we’d been forewarned by various people to invest in a cushion before we left! Still, the seats were wooden benches that were not of the most ergonomic design, but we eventually arrived at the very small riverside town of Pak Beng, where we stayed for the night, after having dinner with some people we’d met on the boat.
Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand
Odd Building in Singapore
Singapore Skyline
Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel
Rules of the Metro System
Central and Northern Thailand
We headed from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi on a two day tour. The first day we went to see the historical bits around there - the Bridge on the River Kwai and the Death Railway. We first saw a World War II cemetery full of mostly British prisoners of war that died building the railway. We then spent a little while looking around a museum of random WW2 bits and bobs, then walked over the famous bridge (although, in reality its not the famous bridge, just one that happens to be in the exact same place - it was bombed by the allies towards the end of the war!). Following in Thai health and safety traditions the bridge was a bit of a death trap - it had massive gaps in it and trains still run over it and there’s not really many places to get out of the way!
Southern Thailand & Bangkok
After just managing to get our plane to Krabi, we arrived there and were immediately surrounded by Thais trying to sell us accommodation, tours, and taxis. It was quite a surprise, it’s not much like that in Singapore or Malaysia. We made our way to Krabi town where we stayed in a guesthouse and looked around the town, getting a boat to Koh Phi Phi the next morning.
Koh Phi Phi was also a bit of a shock to the system. It’s a beautiful island, but has been totally ruined by tourism. The whole place is jam packed full of tourists and backpackers, shops, bars, massage places and touts trying to sell you stuff. Accommodation and food is also rather pricey, compared to Malaysia and Singapore. I imagine that if you paid more to spend time in a fancy resort elsewhere on the island it would be much nicer though.
