South-East Asia, here we come!

We left Kolkata on a sunny and hot afternoon and before we knew it, the captain announced: “please fasten your seatbelt as we will be landing in Bangkok in a few moments!”

Most people were looking forward to a change in scenery, well except Keith who is thinking about moving to New Delhi and opening a tea shop :O) But a change was certainly what we got! The first thing we all noticed was how organised and quiet even Bangkok was after the chaos of India. Our hotel was just a hop, skip and a jump from the famous backpacker road Khao San in the middle of old Bangkok.

Welcome to Thailand

Tuk tuks

The (in)famous Khao San Road

We only had 2 nights here (as we will be coming back later) before we got on the night train to Chaing Mai, so most people spent the time in this part of Bangkok and saving the “out of town” tours till we come back. But there was also plenty to do for 2 days!

We left the station 7.30pm from Bangkok’s main terminal and everybody quickly settled in their bunk beds.

Daniel getting comfy on the train to Chaing Mai

On the train

And we're off!

Chiang Mai. We got picked up by the owner of our guesthouse and just a few minutes’ drive from the station we were at Tri Gong, a lovely family run guesthouse in the center of Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second city in the north with activities galore. Some went of zip lining, watching a muay thai fight or mountain biking while others spend the time relaxing, attending a cooking course or having one (or 2) of the amazingly cheap Thai massages that are offered everywhere. Chiang Mai also has some amazing temples.

Our lovely hotel in Chaing Mai

Lak Lei Wat

And a huge night market..

Water lilies for sale at the market

Fantastic fruits of all kinds...

and beautiful wood carvings

But the best thing was that Dave and Alicia who left the group in India (for almost 2 weeks) were back!

Dave & Alicia are back!

After 3 days in Chiang Mai we set off for Chang Kong, a small border town between Thailand and Laos. On the way we stopped at Wat Rong Khun, also known as the White Wat or Temple. This temple is very different from the other temples we have seen so far. Built by a Thai artist named Ajarn Kosipipat, this temple was built without any funding so he had free hands to decorate the temple. That’s why, inside, you can see pictures of Buddha tastefully combined with scenes from Star wars, Hello Kitty and several Disney figures! And to top it of.. a life size wax figure of Dalai Lama.

White Wat

Wayne at the White Temple

Mark & Mel

White Temple

Stephen

Daniel found a picture of himself!

Silver leaves for good luck

We have seen and experienced many toilets on our way but this one wins the prize..

5-star toilet

Chang Kong, a small border town on the Mekong River. We stay at (Lorri’s favorite hotel so far):

Dining overlooking the mighty Mekong

Wayne

Bruce relaxing on his balcony

The next day, after getting our visas for Laos, we embarked on a 2-day boat trip down the mighty Mekong River to Luang Prabang with an overnight stop in Pak Being. Time to relax and just enjoy the beautiful landscape glide by..

Slow boat to Luang Prabang

Keith enjoying his free tea!

Wayne gives a hand

Lorri

A quick stop to visit a Khmonk Village and just before Luang Prabang, Pak Ou (The Budda Cave)

Over the years, people have bought Buddha figures to this cave:

Village kids selling bracelets

The Buddha cave

Lots of Buddhas

Tina & Teresa playing cards

The Mekong

From the shores of the river, it was only a short Tuk-Tuk drive into Luang Prabang.

Teresa, Louise & Luke

Wayne, Mark and Daniel on their way to the cooking course

The first day was spent sightseeing in the city and with lots of temples, a fantastic night-market and an abundance of restaurants and cafes, nobody went bored (or hungry!). Luckily, we were here for 4 days so everybody had time to relax, see some of the many sights and join some of the many activities offered here.

Luang Prabang

Luke guides a tour of Luang Prabang

Lovely back alleys

Cooking course - Mark, Daniel, Wayne & STeve

After a night of heavy monsoon rain the skies cleared up as we made our way to the capital of Laos, Vientiane.

Rain!

On the way to Vientiane

Arriving in Vientiane late afternoon, most people went straight for the huge night market and its food stalls. While some people were relaxing in one of the many cafes around our hotel, others went sightseeing in and around the city. Many had a laugh at the Arc de Tromphe with its plate referring to it as a concrete monstrosity!

After a full day of sightseeing it was time to leave the capital behind and head for the Phu Hin Bun national park.

Rainy day in Vientiane

All onboard

Viewpoint on the way to Phu Hin Bun

For unknown reasons, when we arrived with our bus in PHB, there weren't any boats to take us to our accommodation (we found out later the Lodge forgot to order them!) and our bus wasn't able to take us all the way there, due to the muddy dirt roads! But as true overlanders there was no giving up. We took the bus as far as possible. Then got some of the locals to take us the last bit to the lodge with their small tractors, aka. Bush Tuk-Tuks!

By all means of transport

Bush tuk tuk

Our lodge

Very close to our lodge is the Khammouane limestone area, which holds many caves, and that’s what most of us spent the next day exploring. After a short drive, we got into the boats and sailed into the caves. Lots of stalagmites/tites, in all kinds of bizarre shapes and forms.