The heart of Laos…

Posted by on Sep 30, 2012 in Laos | 3 comments Luang Prabang has been part of the tourist trail for a good many years now and is considered the heart of Laotian culture. It was designated a UNESCO World heritage site in 1995 and its charm is evident in the crumbling French architecture, its many temples and natural beauty. Hence, being the premier destination in Lao, tourists can pay more for the pleasure of eating drinking and sleeping...
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Meandering down the Mighty Mekong …

Posted by on Sep 21, 2012 in Laos | 4 comments The Mekong is the largest river in South-East Asia at over 4000km.  It forms the border between Laos and Myanmar and most of the border between Laos and Thailand, beginning in the high plateau of Eastern Tibet and flowing down through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam ending up in the South China Sea. So already on this trip we have come into  contact with the Mekong several...
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Another border crossing…

Posted by on Sep 19, 2012 in Thailand | 6 comments After our stay at The Bamboo Nest, we were dropped back into Chiang Rai at midday for one night before continuing our journey northward the next day to the Thai/Laos border. We stayed in a simple guesthouse close to the Clock Tower and walked up toward the market just as the clock struck 7pm and did a little light show! Some things in Asia are so kitch and we often feel we have been...
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Stopping to smell the roses…

Posted by on Sep 17, 2012 in Thailand | 4 comments Late afternoon visits to the markets were often our only outing for the day.  The Sunday walking market was almost identical in wares to the Saturday walking market, held within the old city rather than just outside and they also had some quite upmarket  goods for sale dotted amongst some amazing artwork that I would have loved to get.  The streets are closed to vehicular traffic for these...
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‘Some days you tame the tiger. And some days it has you for lunch’

Posted by on Sep 15, 2012 in Thailand | 6 comments Phoebe especially loved all the big ‘cats’ at the zoo and the girls noticed The Tiger Kingdom advertisements that adorn nearly every tuk tuk and taxi we got into. It is probably one of the most visited ‘animal attractions’ in Chiang Mai – a testament to their very successful ad campaign. Tiger Kingdom is owned by a Thai MP and the contrast with the zoo is quite stark. The signposting...
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