“There are two options,” says the Vietnamese Jack Black, who must have materialised at some point during the breakfast and seems to be buried in three coats. “The first option is that we take a small path up the mountain…
Sa Pa : Part Two
A Spanish guy is feeding chicken and vegetables to a dog under the table with chopsticks. In fact, this dog, who is forever wandering the home-stay in search of something he’ll never find, has sampled a vast range of dishes…
Sa Pa : Part One
“Where you stay in Sa Pa?” asks the bus driver, five hours into our journey from Hanoi. “We don’t know.” This is the kind of thing that happens when you let your hotel organise anything more complex than a single…
Hoi An
It feels as though they’re hosting a permanent festival here in the ancient town of Hoi An. Lanterns burn everywhere. They’re suspended above the streets, in the corners of ancestral homes; they’re floating on the water of the Thu Bon…
Ho Chi Minh
“That’s the Ho Chi Minh way of life… rushed”. This bud of wisdom from our hotel encourages us to get up early and slip on our running shoes for yet another breakneck tour of a city. Traffic is insane in…
Siem Reap
A tuk-tuk takes us through dust and wild traffic to our guest house in Siem Reap. There’s nothing like the feeling of exposure we get from being carted around on the back of a bike. We’re hugging our backpacks like…
Bangkok
Our hotel is only ever a bridge and a boat away from what we feel are the main attractions of Bangkok. We’ve become well acquainted with a long alley that leads to the riverfront. Ever an interesting journey, we see…
Chao Phraya
We’re waiting in line for an express boat to take us down the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok to two of its most popular temples. After haggling prices of longtail boats in Krabi, we’re thankful that ticketing here is consistent,…
Doi Inthanon
Doi Inthanon is sacred. It’s one of three national parks in the vicinity of Chiang Mai and a perfect escape from the walled city and its arterial streets. No scrambling up against walls to dodge speeding bikers, tuk tuks and…
Footprints
The following day we climbed 1,237 steps to the summit of Wat Tham Suea. It is believed that a tiger once slept in the temple’s caverns. That’s how it got its name, which literally translates to Tiger Cave Temple, and…