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Christmas in Asia
  • Laura Bray
  • Adam Williams
  • Laura Bray
  • Adam Williams

Christmas in Asia

A 24-day adventure by Laura & Adam Read more
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  • Trip start
    December 21, 2018
    Christmas in Asia

    Drone debacle in Gatwick

    December 21, 2018 in England ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    We are all checked into a flight at Gatwick despite the disruption due to the drones. When our flights got rearranged this morning we got a great deal with one less flight, we arrive in Phuket much earlier than planned and Adam got an extra leg room upgrade for free! Maybe this drone isn't so bad after all. We have had our free lunch thanks to the delay and off to the gate to board soon. Next stop Doha!Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    A flying visit to Doha

    December 22, 2018 in Qatar ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    After a brief scare on the runway (we tried to help spot the drone out the window) we finally took off and are now in Doha for 4 hours. Adam only snored briefly on the plane has had to change t-shirt just the once . Its going to be a long 3 weeks without deodorant! Bring on the extra legroom on the next flight - Phuket here we come ☀️Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Beach hopping in Phuket

    December 23, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Lovely first day in Thailand with a day beach hopping around the island followed by dinner watching the sunset from the top of a Viewpoint. Only one of us got sunburnt and both of us have been eating lots of Thai curries 😊 We saw some monkeys and some elephants and lots of other tourists.Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Christmas eve in Ko Phi Phi

    December 24, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    The ferry has dropped us in Ko Phi Phi in time for Christmas Eve, a thunderstorm and lots of Mariah Carey being played on repeat. We are terrible at bartering but loving the hotel robes as modelled by Adam 😂Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    CHRISTMAS

    December 25, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Merry Christmas All 🎄 🎁🎉🎅☃️
    We woke up at 5 to hike to the top of the Viewpoint to welcome in christmas morning. It was beautiful, sweaty and no snakes to be seen much to Laura's relief! Taking a long boat this afternoon to a nearby cove for a swim. Caught up on facetime with Isabel and Orla in New Zealand after some time zone calclations from the top of the hill and will phone after our swim once its is Europe daytime.Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Hilltop views in Railay

    December 26, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    We found the most picturesque beach before leaving Phi Phi which we almost had to ourselves. Like being in tropical paradise! Had Thai tapas for Christmas Dinner with some live music and a thunderstorm in the distance. We have then taken a ferry to nearby Railay where we are in a hilltop hut on stilts with incredible views for the next two days.Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    The Hidden Lagoon

    December 27, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    This morning we chilled and played cards on our balcony looking at the view in readiness for another afternoon hike. This time we headed for the Viewpoint overlooking Railey followed by an amazing climb down into a hidden Lagoon. We promise we only spotted the 'Danger' signs on the way back up the climb 🙄 It was beautiful and peaceful with only one loud American tourist to be seen. Definitely a hidden treasure well worth the sore arm muscles and being covered in mud!Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    A Day in Transit

    December 28, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    We ran to the beach in time for a gorgeous sunset yesterday evening for our last day in Railey. Today was a day of travel with a ferry back to Phuket followed by a bus trip. We are in a little room near the airport ready for an early flight tomorrow morning and looking forward to Bangkok!Read more

  • Christmas in Asia
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    Puddles in Bangkok

    December 29, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We have arrived in Bangkok and spent the afternoon at Chatachuk Market which has over 15000 stalls! Adam was in shopper heaven and is now the proud owner of a hipster travelling shirt. The torrential rainstorm has now arrived so after some pork bao buns we ran home in the rain and called it a day, but not before a quick dip in the rooftop pool in the rain.Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    A Cultural Day

    December 30, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    We spent the day doing the main touristy sites and are feeling a bit temple-d out! We loved trying the local ferries and tuk tuks though for zooming around. We are still averaging 16,000 steps a day so treat ourselves to the odd tuk tuk here and there. We then tried a Thai shopping mall with 6 storeys of madness and bartering. Adam's request for a large shirt was laughed at and he was told he was 'super big'. Obviously due to his height rather than too many Thai curries although these are fast becoming his fave food. Our final stop was to a rooftop bar with views over the city lights.Read more

  • Christmas in Asia
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    Happy New Year

    January 1, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Happy New Year from both of us in Bangkok!! 🎉🎉🎉 We got some local tips and found a pier right under the fireworks display with an incredible view! Don't think we've ever seen anything like it. We are now heading for Cambodia today. Wishing you all the best in 2019 xxRead more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Angkor Wat

    January 2, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    After a very long queue to get visas last night we have arrived in Cambodia and set a 4am alarm to watch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Our tuk tuk driver is very laid back to the point where our tuk tuk ran out of fuel and we then lost him for half an hour later in the day when he wandered off! Despite this we made a round tour of 7 temples around Angkor. Adam got an unplanned hug from several baby monkeys as he tried to take a picture and we saw some more elephants. An afternoon siesta and some reading by the pool was needed to recoup and we are now heading into the town centre to explore for the evening. With rumours of fried snakes and tarantulas on offer at the market we may be sticking to more familiar options for dinner. There are lots of massage parlours in town but having 'treated' ourself to a Thai massage before leaving Bangkok which felt more like a round of Muay Thai boxing I think we will steer clear of any more spas. We have a lovely granite bath in our hotel so be warned you may receive a Ricky Gervais style selfie from Adam later. (disclaimer - don't Google that reference if faint hearted!)Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Hello Hanoi

    January 3, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We have arrived in Hanoi in Vietnam where we will be until Monday. Looking forward to exploring! We went to the infamous pub street for our second evening in Siem Reap and although we were lured there by the 50 cent beer we got sidetracked by more pampering - this time a fish foot bath. It was extremely tickly but fun to try out! Some more swimming this morning followed by a Greek lunch as our stomachs, although holding up well with the spices, were needing something a bit plain. Souvlaki is always a safe bet!Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Vietnamese caffeine overdose

    January 5, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We have loved Hanoi these past couple of days which seems much more laid back than Bangkok and less touristy. We spent yesterday coffee shop hopping trying Vietnamese, egg and coconut coffees while sitting on the traditional tiny seats. Not made for Adam's height! Today we both got a haircut for £1 which with no common language was risky but too much of a bargain to turn down. Adam also got a cutthroat trim so looks very dapper. This evening we have been to a traditional water puppet show and are now waiting on train street to watch the evening train from a proximity of 50cm. Off for a day trip to Ninh Binh tomorrow for our last day here.Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Ninh Binh daytrip

    January 6, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Our last day in Vietnam we travelled with a tour group to the Ninh Binh province. It is definitely their winter here and although we are still feeling toasty, all the locals are in jackets and scarves. The trip had some amazing landscapes that must be even more incredible in the summer with more greenery. We borrowed bikes to whizz around the villages and then got taken on a boat tour by local farmers who row with their feet. Not a big fan of the tour group vibes as there is a lot of waiting for people but was nice to get to know more about Vietnam and its history from the guide who was great. Onto Hong Kong tomorrow 😊Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Hong Kong high rises

    January 8, 2019 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Wow Hong Kong is huge! We arrived yesterday afternoon and went to Central Kowloon to do some exciting shopping. Never seen streets like this before! Adam has been exploring various chicken street food stalls today while I went to meet a work client for a couple of hours. Very dull but I got picked up and dropped off in a brand new tesla with gull wing doors so totally worth it! We are off to the Victoria Peak this evening by tram to get a view over the city ☺Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    A Day to Remember

    January 9, 2019 in Hong Kong ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Yesterday evening after another round of dumplings and spicy chicken we took the very steep tram up to the top of Victoria Peak. Because Hong Kong didn't have enough shopping malls already they have built another one at the top of the Viewpoint. We found a walking route around the peak away from the hubbub to a much better view and as you will all know by now, this is where Adam got down on one knee 🤗💍🎉 This will be a trip to remember! We had a quiet morning catching up with messages from home in a tech themed coffee shop and this afternoon we took the star ferry across to explore the waterfront on the mainland. We are now half way up the mid way escalators which are 20 escalators going up 800m getting a bite to eat and heading back to see the harbour lights when it gets dark. Thanks for all your kind messages and look forward to catching up once we get home xxRead more

  • Christmas in Asia

    The last hop

    January 11, 2019 in Hong Kong ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Onto our last stop before home as we fly to Singapore today. We spent our last day in Hong Kong exploring the Tai Hang quarter and Victoria Park. These are much quieter than the city centre and full little streets and local eateries. Following another handy hint from online we found a rooftop of mall to sit and watch the skyline for the evening. The city is full of expensive rooftop bars but we have no outfits deemed appropriate for their dress code so we brought our own snacks and wine to our free rooftop instead. We have loved this city but it does truly never sleep!Read more

  • Christmas in Asia

    Singapore

    January 12, 2019 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Arrived in Singapore yesterday evening and we are staying in a futuristic capsule style hostel. Good fun in theory but rather claustrophobic and warm! We are in the Chinatown area so had a fun evening at the night Market looking at the odd parts of animal that they eat. Chicken feet or cartilage for dinner anyone? Today we went to Sentosa Island next to the city which is the most southerly point of continental Asia. It was full of man made beaches and palm trees but the best part was spotting an Asian water monitor lizard over 1m long swimming in the water next to Adam. We then headed to the Gardens in the Bay for their evening light show, made more spectacular by a thunder storm overhead. We are now packed for tomorrow's flights home and looking forward to catching up with you all xxRead more

  • Trip end
    January 13, 2019
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