I have been to a lot of relaxing places in my travels. Caye Caulker in Belize springs to mind, where hours can be passed away in a hammock. Or Zanzibar off the coast of Kenya, where it’s difficult to move off the pure white sand beaches. But Si Phan Don (which means 4000 islands),...
A day on the Bolaven Plateau
The Bolaven Plateau is an elevated region is southern Laos known for its many waterfalls, ethnic villages and coffee plantations. Many travellers hire motorbikes to complete a 3 day loop of the plateau, but being a non-rider I was limited in ways to see the area. The town of Pakse is a good base...
One night in Tha Khaek
Tha Khaek is a small town on the Mekong bordering Thailand, and not a place a lot of travellers go. It’s mainly used as a stop between Kong Lor Cave and destinations further south. The bus leaves Kong Lor village at 2pm every day for Tha Khaek, and it had been my intention to...
Into the darkness of Kong Lor Cave
One of the things I love about travel is discovering places that you hadn’t heard of prior to arriving in the country, places that should be near the top of any ‘must-see’ list, but for some reason remain under the radar. Kong Lor Cave is such a place. A seven kilometre cave with a...
Vientiane – an underrated city
Poor Vientiane. After the beauty of Luang Prabang, and the adventuring/partying of Vang Vieng, Laos’ capital city often gets a bad rap as being boring, with nothing to do. On the surface, and if you only spent a day here (as many do) it may well appear that way. However, take a bit of...
Tubing in Vang Vieng – it’s not dead
Vang Vieng is the adventure capital of Laos. Located on the Nam Song River, and surrounded by limestone karsts jutting out of the ground to create a stunning landscape, this town is the starting point for many adventurers looking to go caving, rock climbing, kayaking and more. In recent years however the party scene...
What I did in May
The first month of my round the world trip went amazingly fast. I hope it doesn’t continue this way because it will be over before I know it! That said, looking back on the amazing things I experienced over the month of May has me feeling pretty satisfied, and completely at ease with my...
What to do in Charming Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang is top of any travelers list when visiting Laos, and for very good reason. The old town, located on a peninsula between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a beautiful, charming and sleepy town filled with temples and monasteries, and old French influenced buildings along...
Tak Bat – Monks collecting alms in Luang Prabang
The daily dawn ceremony of monks collecting alms (food offerings) from locals is one that occurs throughout Buddhist areas of South East Asia. The alms givers sit or kneel by the roadside in preparation for the monks, who walk, in a meditative silence, single file to collect the sticky rice in their bowls. The...