Built for the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, in the 3rd Century BC, the Terracotta Warriors, near to the city of Xian, were erected to protect his tomb in the after-life. The hundreds of life-size statues stand according to their military status, each one unique and individually crafted – down to their hair-style and facial features. Read More »
Halong Bay, in North East Vietnam, is a seascape of ~2,000 limestone mountain peaks jutting out of the sea across an area of ~1,500 square kilometres. It’s vying to be included on the list as one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world and it’s easy to see why – it’s spectacular. Read More »
Easyrider Vietnam. It’s one of those things that people who’ve done it will immediately ask you if you’re going to do it once they hear you’re in Vietnam. The reason is because it’s an awesome adventure and 100% not to be missed. Read More »
We loved Hoi An. It’s a special place - old, crumbling, charming. It’s full of colonial and Chinese buildings lining the tiny streets, set against the pretty river that flows through the small town. Read More »
Battambang is one of the sights to see for travellers in Cambodia. It’s a bustling town but there isn’t a lot to do. A popular attraction is the Bamboo Train. Read More »
We were slightly worried that Vang Vieng would be nothing more than a party town with 18 year old gap-yearers throwing up in the street. After all, it’s infamous for tubing but we were pleasantly surprised. Read More »
After a two day boat journey down the Mekhong River from Huay Xai, in freezing temperatures and driving rain, with Carly being sick over-board, an encounter with a strange Russian, and Ben reduced to drinking neat Sangsom (Thai rum), we made it to Luang Prabang, Laos. Read More »
The ancient city of Chiang Mai is enclosed by a moat and remnants of the city walls and gates, forming a perfect square. This creates a naturally well-defined and focused area inside, approximately a square mile in size, filled with small lanes and pleasingly quiet roads – traffic is efficiently served by ring roads that follow the city walls. Read More »
We found Koh Phi Phi Don to be a mixture of first class natural beauty but with rubbish heaps around the next corner; of loud tourist-town commercialism but with nearby gorgeous, quiet beaches. Read More »
We visited Khao Lak, a beach-resort town 70k north of Phuket on the Andaman coast. Unfortunately, the town and the surrounding area was devastated by the 2004 tsunami and has been re-built in a very Western way, lacking Thai character. Read More »
After a few days on Koh Samui we were ready to move on - to the national park of Khao Sok on the mainland. After an early morning boat to Surathani, we were then whisked away from the pier on a bus to a holding area 30 minutes away. Read More »
We took an early morning speedboat from Koh Phangan – slightly cramped with over 30 people onboard – westwards into the Gulf of Thailand to the national marine park of the uninhabited 42-island archipelago. Read More »
We wanted to explore a different side of Koh Phangan so instead of heading to the Full Moon Party capital Haad Rin, we decided to head north-west - even after being put off by the taxi driver: “Why you wanna go to the mountains?!” Read More »
After the hectic buzz of the city we very quickly settled into island life. There is a very chilled-out, slow pace of life here, which seems to seep into everyone and everything (which sometimes becomes tedious when waiting to be served in a restaurant!) Read More »
