Myanmar

Taking the first of many photos at Heathrow, Jaski and I start our adventure! We flew to Bangkok for a quick layover (and stated our 2nd day of travel) before changing planes, giving us a bird's eyeLes mer
Exploring Yangon

We are in the middle of monsoon season and spend the day exploring the capital in the rain. We accidentally come across a popular couples hangout, the People's Park. Through the pouring rain we seeLes mer
Downtown Yangon

Downtown Yangon is bustling; people and street carts cover the pavement, there are huge avenues and it’s filled with cafes and street food stalls. There are many colonial buildings which areLes mer
Guided tour & Circle line train

Accidentally ended up on a private tour with GuruWalks; our local guide was super friendly and kicked off by teaching us about "umbrella culture". We visited an old colonial embassy which had beenLes mer
Mandalay

We arrived awfully early on the overnight bus, which meant we got to see all the locals up for work at sunrise. The low rise, mostly concrete town isn’t that attractive but has some interestingLes mer
Morning ancient cities cultural tour

1. Mahagandayon Monastery - An insensitive but interesting tourist attraction (not our choice). At 10.15am, 1000 monks begin their procession to their lunch rooms via the path of tourists. Some peopleLes mer
Afternoon ancient cities cultural tour

5. 45 Buddhas temple - A beautiful gold and pale blue crescent shaped building, with 45 golden Buddhas inside. The driver came with us to visit the temple as his family sponsored a section of theLes mer
Sunset ancient cities cultural tour

8. U Bein teak bridge - The oldest teak bridge in the world, therefore suitably wobbly with no handrails. There were plenty of tourists but most didn't bother to go to the far side, so we found someLes mer
Waterfall fun

Miffy recommended a driver who could take us to a secluded waterfall in the hills and it didn’t disappoint. The pools were genuine turquoise and the rocks had a fine silk coating of limestone,Les mer
Mandalay to Bagan by boat

Full day on the Irrawaddy river; a slow way route but we avoided another night bus and was actually very relaxing. It's a quiet time of year so the boat was barely a quarter full. Lunch wasLes mer
Morning at the temples of Bagan

With a private driver and guide we headed out to see as much as possible in a day in the rain.
1. Shwezigone pagoda - A stunning gold temple complex right in the middle of the new city. Our guideLes mer
Afternoon at the temples of Bagan

4. Small unnamed pagodas - Some of the 2000 odd small old family temples which makes Bagan famous. Some with interesting bird nests on show.
5. Manuha temple - The temple of giant Buddhas! They builtLes mer
Late afternoon at the temples of Bagan

6. Thatbyinnyu temple – Just a quick pitstop outside to look at the design.
7. Nagayon temple - A well preserved temple showing many of the original hand painted decorations.
8. Dhammayamgyi templeLes mer
Mount Popa

Enroute the shared taxi stopped at a random tree house so we could see a cow grinding peanut oil and home distilled palm sugar alcohol bubbling over open fires; it did have a good view point.Les mer
Biking around Inle lake

Needing to move after another night bus, I borrowed a hotel bike and hit the quiet roads for the first half of the Inle lake cycle route. The countryside is stunning, lush green hills and beautifulLes mer
Inle lake boat trip

Today we completed the top attraction in Inle Lake; a private boat trip around the floating villages, workshops, farms and the jumping cat monastery. A pleasant day floating, looking at theLes mer
Burmese food & drink

Thailand

Back in Bangkok for our first chance to explore the city. The morning was spent visiting the top attraction - shopping malls. Followed by a trip to Jim Thompson's house, who was the man who firstLes mer
The Grand Palace

A hectic day seeing the top temples in central Bangkok; The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew), Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho) and over the river the Temple of theLes mer
Vietnam

Hanoi weekend street party - Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the road around the lake is pedestrianised, food and drink street vendors line the route and tons of people are out busking, singingLes mer
Morning exploring Hanoi

1. Tran Quoc Pagoda.
2. Quan Thanh Temple - A Taoist temple (our first). The alters are packed with ornaments and offerings and a lot of gold. The walls, doors and ceilings are all highlyLes mer
Afternoon exploring Hanoi

4. Train street -Trains runs along this very narrow road with cafes lining each side; table and chairs are folded down or pushed back to make way for the train to go past. The cafe owners and a guardLes mer
Further exploration in Hanoi

1. The One Pillar Pagoda - Exactly as described and highly unusual.
2. Ho Chi Minh complex - The huge Ho Chi Minh mausoleum of, a museum dedicated to his life and work (very strange inside, not muchLes mer
Scholars temple & Women's museum

More sightseeing in Hanoi. The Scholars temple was calm with dark wood, carving and vast gardens and I learnt the tail of the stork and the tortoise which you see in every temple. The Women's museumLes mer
Trekking Sapa - Day 1

Two days trekking through the bamboo forest and rice fields with our young, giggly and informative guide and an army of local helpers (in cultural dress and flip flops) who multitasked making string,Les mer