• Our lovely rondavels at the Discovery BnB
      Relaxing at the Okavango Craft BreweryElephants had destroyed a water main on the highway and created their own waterhole

      Maun

      14–16 jul. 2024, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

      In Maun we initially planned to stay at the same Rest Camp that housed us last time, but it seemed to have become another victim of the havoc that Covid inflicted upon the hospitality industry. Instead, we went with an option that was recommended by some German friends that we'd met on a previous trip. Discovery BnB was absolutely lovely, and the owner informed us that our friends had actually been stranded there during Covid. No wonder they knew it was a good choice!

      Our travel party split up in Maun. We had arranged for P&J to fly into an exclusive lodge, deep in the Okavango Delta, so Mel and I took a day to relax before setting off on our own adventure. A lazy lunch in the garden of the Okavango Craft Brewery certainly helped on the relaxation front.

      We wanted to spend 2 nights camping, so this limited our options to locations close to Maun. We already arrived from the south, would be departing to the north, and returning later from the west. East it was. Guided by this logic we had chosen to visit Nxai Pan National Park. I had actually visited this park briefly in 2011, but only to see the famous Baines Baobabs. We were curious to see what else it had to offer.

      The road from Maun to Nxai Pan was pretty uneventful...for the first hour. Then we noticed some shadows on the horizon that weren't the typical goats or cows. It was a zebra. Then another, and another, until we lost count. Throw in a pair of elephants and we had more action by the side of the highway than you'd get in most hides. It turns out that marauding elephants had destroyed a water main, and created themselves a makeshift waterhole. Hopefully the animals hadn't all left the park to hang out here?
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    • Set up at Khama Rhino Sanctuary
      Butter Bistro in Mokopane was a real diamond in the roughThe beer garden at Butter BistroTshukudiba Game LodgeMr and Mrs Zazu admiring our carsGood to know that our trap camera works, catching a stray dog that visited us in the night.

      Khama Rhino Sanctuary

      11–12 jul. 2024, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

      We left Jo'burg at almost our intended time, which was a minor miracle since Philip, Judith, and Mel had all been finishing off some last-minute work late into the prior evening. Our plan for the day was to follow the N1 motorway north to a lunch stop in Mokopane, then continue to our overnight destination just short of the Botswana border.

      Unlike my typical African travel plans, our first drive day actually went like clockwork. In fact, after having lunch at the terrific Butter Bistro, and sleeping at the wonderful Tshukudiba Game Lodge, I was wondering if I'd peaked too soon on this trip. It would be hard to top these. But, we were here to see the Big Five, not burgers or beds, so we continued over the border in the morning.

      Thankfully, the border crossing at Martin's Drift was much smoother than last time! Rather than sitting in a queue for 3 hours, we were over the border, into the nearest town, and looking for an early lunch stop by midday. Now my planning returned to form, and we drove aimlessly through the dusty backstreets of Palapye looking for a phantom cafe that didn't seem to exist. Thankfully, Mel had spotted a backup lunch option on our way into town, so we doubled back and ate some more burgers.

      Our stop for the night was at Khama Rhino Sanctuary. This is a favourite rest stop for overland trucks that traverse up and down Africa, but we got lucky, and the camp ground was nearly empty. Unfortunately, the park itself also felt a bit empty, because we never did manage to see any rhinos. In the end, that's probably a factor of a few things:
      a)they're endangered
      b)we only went for a quick night drive
      c)it's not a petting zoo

      But, the night drive did take us past five giraffes and a heap of "jumparoos", the Aussie nickname that we gave to the creatures that looked like the love-children of kangaroos+foxes+rats (we later found out that they were a kind of hare). And, the camping area was very abundant with bird life, so we spent our time ticking off names in our bird guide.

      That night we set up our trail camera to see what came through our camp during the night. This was a new addition for this trip, and we were actually in two minds about it. Lethal creatures stalk the African night, and ignorance might be bliss. But we set it up regardless, and our hearts skipped a beat when we reviewed the footage on the small screen in the morning. Unfortunately, our "leopard" turned out to be a stray dog. At least we know the camera worked...
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    • Johannesburg

      7–10 jul. 2024, Zuid-Afrika ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

      Johannesburg is the gateway to South Africa for most overseas arrivals. It also served as our base for a few days, allowing us to catch up with my sister, Penny, ease onto Africa time and, for the unfortunate others in our party, finish the work that couldn't be done before they left Australia. July may be the best time to see the animals, but it's not the best time to be away from work for several weeks when you're a teacher, or you own your own business.

      While in town, we took the opportunity to visit the Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Sanctuary. This amazing place has been running for more than 50 years, and also provides rehabilitation programs for Hyenas, Vultures, Meerkats and African Wild Dogs. Together with our entertaining guides, Sam and George, our safari vehicle trundled past all of them. It was a bit like Jurassic Park without the Hollywood trimmings...or the dinosaurs. But visitors support their conservation work, so we were happy to do our part. It also allowed P&J to get their first mini-safari experience, which was fun.

      It had been 8 years since Mel and I were in South Africa, and it was interesting to see what had changed. Firstly, the level of connectivity was about the same as it was at home. This made it very easy to settle in, since pretty much everything could be arranged over the internet (thanks, Uber). Secondly, the offline version of Google Maps had now taken the place of satnav. Finally, it seemed like every second set of traffic lights was broken. Apparently, this is because people steal the electrical cables so that they can sell the copper.
      That reminded us that some things hadn't changed. There was still a lot of wealth inequality, which led to a lot of crime. And the minivan drivers were still as mad as ever.

      Our other goal for Jo'burg was to collect our 4x4s. This adventure would be a self-drive safari, so we needed vehicles that would be well-equipped and capable. We chose to use a different company from our previous trip, and the decision was immediately vindicated when our Uber dropped us off to collect the cars. Bushtrackers was clearly a competent operation, and our vehicles were awesome! P&J's Hilux had less than 4,000km on the clock, and ours wasn't far behind it. The entire depot was filled with these high-end vehicles, and I'd rank it close to my favourite shed (behind Dan Murphy's and Bunnings, of course). After a quick user briefing, we were on our way. Africa, here we come!
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    • Departure

      6 juli 2024, Australië ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      This trip is going to be quite unlike any other that I have blogged. Most of my travel has been solo, occasionally overlapped with friends or family. Then I met Mel, and our travel became a shared experience, but usually just as a couple. On this trip we would be introducing her family to Africa. Philip and Judith had been hearing of our adventures for years, and always dreamed of visiting Africa. Now an opportunity had come up, and they didn't want to miss it.

      Thanks to our new travel partners, the trip also started quite unlike any of our other journeys. P&J do a lot of travelling for work, and this has helped them accumulate a war chest of frequent flyer points and airline status credits. A fringe benefit of this is access to Qantas' First Class Lounge and, to our joy, that includes travel companions. So, we celebrated the start of our adventure with champagne and table service, which was nice. It might end up being the last time we see that level of luxury for a while because our plan is to spend the next 5 weeks on a self-drive safari, camping through some of Southern Africa's wildlife hotspots. But firstly, we needed to fly to Johannesburg.

      The flight was actually quite pleasant, which was partly helped by the legroom of our bulkhead seating, but mostly by the whopping 100 minutes that the pilots saved from our intended flight time! When we did land, we seemed to be the only plane at OR Tambo Airport, and we breezed through security in record time. I'd been telling P&J stories of African adventures for years, but this trip was actually turning out to be quite uneventful. They were probably starting to think that I'd been lending a bit of poetic licence in the past. But then the "adventure" returned.

      P&J had been kind enough to arrange for our airport transfers on arrival. They had chosen a renowned international limo service that they had used over the years to streamline their business travel in all sorts of places across the globe. We were very early, so we were hoping that such a professional outfit was watching the arrival time, and making the necessary adjustments to their pick up. As we exited the typically unmanned customs area, we cast our eyes for the limo driver who, in my mind at least, would be wearing a suit, tie, sunglasses, gloves and a chauffeurs hat. But the company had not sent my stereotypical Hollywood limo driver...or a sign with our names on...or anyone at all, as it turns out. We connected to the airport wifi to see if we could contact the company and notify them of our early arrival, but instead we were met with an email from them advising that it had become too hard, and that they wouldn't be coming at all! We needed to make a Plan B.

      I'll be honest, getting transport from an airport is not difficult, even in Africa. But we had a lot of baggage, and I also didn't fancy P&J's first impression of Africa being a sea of touts, and then a psychotic minivan driver. So, we tried our hand at Uber, and, sure enough, a van was nearby. But, now we had to find the pick-up area, and this is where Africa returned to form. The Uber app clarified that we needed to meet at "Pillar 2E of the Level 2 Parkade", and airport staff did their best to refine our search as we pushed our luggage trolleys in vague circles around the airport. Like some secret entrance to the African chapter of the Illuminati, we eventually found the passageway to the Level 2 Parkade...on Level 1! It was good to be back.
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    • Mel chilling out as the convoy enters the Bay
      We splashed out for a cabin at the pointy end of the shipThe boats are now a LOT fancier than 12 years ago when I last visitedThe ships drop anchor in the designated kayaking areaKayaking adventuresMel leads the way in our kayakA brief break in the clouds lit up the cruise ships moored for the nightSun down, lights onBeautiful Lan Ha Bay (with filters galore trying to bring the colour back)A local fishing village turned boat stationThe eastern edge of Cat Ba IslandThe part that's not in the brochures.Our boat was late leaving the designated morning stop, so we managed to catch a shot alone

      Halong Bay

      19 april 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      By Andrew

      No trip to Vietnam is complete without a visit to Halong Bay. It is one of the nation's biggest drawcards, and was attracting more than 9 million tourists annually before the pandemic. With more than 500 boats traversing the waterways each day we were hoping that we might be able to find something a little bit more secluded. We had done some research that suggested Lan Ha Bay might be more our style. It's at the southern end of Halong, and is comparatively quiet. Comparatively...

      We booked onto a lovely cruise that spent 2 nights amongst the amazing limestone karsts, but even that felt a bit like a tourist factory. It was no fault of the cruise, and I think it taught us more about our style of travel. We aren't really "cruise" people, apparently. That being said, not sure how anyone can really get much of a unique experience at Halong Bay nowadays, without a seaplane or private charter.

      We were also still being plagued by the same problem that had followed us since Bangkok... the relentless smoke haze of South East Asia. It broke our hearts that even in an amazing place like Halong Bay we'd still be making memories in monochrome.

      The experience started at the marina, which was a bit surreal. Just like in Da Nang, there were endless hotels and resorts popping up, but they all seemed to be empty. Our minivan zigzagged between them until he found the building that Dora Cruise departed from. We paid the bill and boarded the transfer boat that had just returned the previous cohort of tourists. Apparently the cruise ships aren't allowed to dock in between cruises, so they all sit out in Lan Ha Bay, replenished daily with food, fuel and a fresh batch of tourists. From here, all the ships seem to anchor at the same two spots before repeating the process.

      The cruise manager was a jovial guy named Bruce Panda (not kidding). He and the team on board were probably the best part of the whole cruise. Sure, the scenery was stunning, the cabin was lovely, and the food was amazing, but the interactions with the crew were a highlight. Once we made the effort to get to know them, they helped teach us more Vietnamese words (which we butchered) and opened up about life in Vietnam (which we couldn't believe). In the end, kayaking was the only activity that we did while onboard, and we spent the rest of the time just relaxing and soaking in the scenery. Both of which could be done from bed!

      Sadly the scenery included a heartbreaking amount of rubbish in the Bay. This was a real eye opener, and definitely something that you don't see in the brochures. Apparently there are clean-up efforts in the works, but it's sad that this isn't at the top of the government's agenda for a UNESCO-listed tourist hotspot.

      It took me quite a while to write this entry, as I'm a bit conflicted about Halong Bay. It's an undeniably beautiful location, but it made me sad. I get the feeling that it is (and you are also) being exploited, with most of the money going to the Bentley-driving fat-cats in Hanoi instead of maintaining the environment or supporting the locals.
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    • The beautiful old town of Hoi An
      More amazing bites to accompany the sights12 years ago this river used to be quite tranquilThe river was a sea of lights!Lanterns adorn the streetsOur villa was a metaphor for the "new" Vietnam

      How Hoi An has changed

      15 april 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

      By Andrew,

      With neither of us feeling well, and our tour of the HaGiang Loop canceled, we had a few days to fill in. We decided to follow the lead of the American Army and retreat south. For us we hoped that this would bring cleaner air and maybe even some blue sky. We hadn't seen the sun since Bangkok, at the beginning of our trip, and we were really starting to miss it. We were visiting some amazing places, but the oppressive smog made us feel like we were making memories in monochrome!

      About half way down the coast is a town called Hoi An. I'd visited here about 12 years ago, and had fond memories of the beautiful architecture, and peaceful vibe. Both air and rail transport options from Hanoi deposit you in the city of Da Nang, and you need to transfer to Hoi An from there (about 45 minutes). It was this drive that made me realise just how much a developing nation can change in 12 years. The entire 25km of coastline from DaNang down to Hoi An was just about filled in by a relentless onslaught of resorts and golf courses. It was awful, and had me worried about the former beauty and calm of Hoi An. I realise that it's unfair to resent a nation for developing itself, and this one is probably on me for not doing my homework better.

      Thankfully our hotel sat like an island of calm amidst the sea of resorts. Isolated near the southern end of Hoi An's seafront, Angel Garden Villa actually provided a pretty perfect metaphor for the Vietnam that we'd been seeing. It was a new building that had been set up by a local, surrounded by vacant blocks that were still grazed by water buffalo. Outside that were the foreign-owned resorts, quickly encroaching from all sides.

      The old town of Hoi An had not been immune from all this change. It was still UNESCO listed, and packed with beautiful old buildings. Now it was packed with tourists, as well! The river, which used to peacefully disappear into the dark each evening, was now lit up like a kind of SEAsian Vegas, with latern-clad boats doing circles in some kind of imaginery carnival. I was beginning to feel like an old man with everything being "better back in my day". Hoi An was still beautiful... but it wasn't peaceful anymore.
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    • Trang An was a great place to chill for a few days
      Trang An - like Jurassic Park, but run by DisneyThe rain added a bit of atmosphere to the amazing sceneryEach cave opens out onto a new vistaThe Trang An World Heritage areaThe area surrounding our hotel

      Bliss out in Ninh Binh

      7 april 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

      By Mel
      We were originally planning Ninh Binh towards the end of our Vietnam leg but the combination of rain and smoky skies at our next destination helped us make the decision to swap!
      After the frenetic energy of Hanoi I was more than happy to take it down a gear and find somewhere chill to recharge for a few days and Ninh Binh, or more accurately our cute hotel near Trang An, offered this in spades!
      Jake, Ha and their family have set up a beautiful little spot right near Trang An. We spent a couple of days here unwinding, sampling local food and coffee, doing puzzles and then when there was an eventual break(ish) in the weather we cycled up to Trang An. Trang An is UNESCO listed for its “ spectacular landscape of limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys, many of them partly submerged and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs”. Yep, even shrouded in cloud and rain it was stunning! We worked off lunch by rowing around for 2 and a bit hours - through four caves, along several temples and monuments to emerge in time for a ride home in the fading light - and yet more drizzle!

      By Andrew,
      Ninh Binh was a bit of a sprawling city, surrounded by smaller villages. As we drove through town we were glad to be staying in one of these smaller outliers. Sprouting around the fringes of Ninh Binh town were an incomplete assortment of ugly concrete monstrosities, suggesting that there are plans to join SaPa, and turn this part of Vietnam into another tourist hotspot.

      You can't really blame Ninh Binh for jumping on the bandwagon, because the scenery was stunning. The area is described as a land-locked Ha Long Bay, and this is a good description. Limestone karsts jut up from the rice paddies, creating magnificent vistas. UNESCO and Hollywood both agree, filming a scene from Kong-Skull Island here, and awarding World Heritage Status (not in that order). As Mel mentioned, we visited the Trang An WH Area and took an obligatory boat ride around the waterways. Despite the weather (or perhaps because of it), the views were fantastic. It was quite touristy, though, and felt like being in Jurassic Park...if Jurassic Park was run by Disney.

      Sadly, the toxic air in South East Asia was starting to have an affect on our health, and I was the first to crash out. My energy level plummeted, everything ached, and I developed one of the worst chest infections that I'd had in a while. After I'd spent half a day in bed we realised that we had a difficult decision to make. We were due to start a week- long motorbike adventure around northern Vietnam in a few days, which was intended to be the second major highlight of the trip. We'd seen footage of the HaGiang Loop online, and it looked stunning, but the thought of spending days on a motorbike was hard to reconcile right now. We made the heart-breaking decision to abandon these plans, and look for something more low- key instead. Two days later Mel also went down, and we were glad not to be on a remote mountain adventure. The HaGiang Loop would have to wait until next time (and a better time of year!).
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    • The Old Quarter in Hanoi
      More wanderings through the Old QuarterNgoc Son Temple in Hoan Kiem LakeA hidden Cafe, buried at the end of a long and narrow alleyEgg coffee and lime/blue pea flower juice. Yum!No idea how road rules are applied here (watch the white car)The once famous/infamous Train Street (closed)Watch what happens when the traffic light turns red...Nutella and banana crepe...yum!Vietnamese seats aren't exactly one size fits all...Queuing at the famous (and commensurately popular) Banh Mi 25.

      Hectic traffic and hidden treasures

      5 april 2023, Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

      By Andrew:

      I'd been to Hanoi 12 years ago, and was curious to see what had changed since my last visit. I had fond recollections of motorcycle chaos on the roads, and less-fond memories of aggressive touts at the airport. To avoid the latter we had arranged for a transfer to collect us and, after a brief game of hide and seek to find the driver, we were on our way into town. This put us onto an efficient motorway, and we could have been travelling in any major city in the world...except that driving in lanes here seemed to be more optional... We passed new cars, new buses, and barely a single motorcycle. Where was the "old" Hanoi? Thankfully, it was still safely buried in the "old quarter" downtown. Here the motorbikes still buzzed around like swarms of motorised bees, obeying some incomprehensible set of road rules, and protecting themselves with an invisible force-field of incessant honking. It was good to be back!

      We were staying at the awesomely named "Golden Legend Palace". This place was run by a guy named Tony, who seemed to have adorned his "Palace" by being a "Golden Legend" hoarder. Our room was stocked with a hilarious assortment of items from other hotels, including:
      - towel from Babylon Garden Hotel
      - towel from Okinawa Zampamisaki Royal Hotel
      -towel from Hotel SunRoute
      -shower gel from Babylon Grand Hotel
      -Shampoo, comb and razor from mTerre Boutique Hotel
      -soap dispenser from Hanoi V Maison Hotel
      - bathroom shelf from Hotel Hanoi
      -sugar packets from Vietnam Airlines
      Despite the bespoke supplies (or perhaps because of them), GLP was a really lovely place, with very friendly staff. It also felt like the kind of place that could arrange anything for you (including a local sim).

      I can imagine that Hanoi could be quite a divisive city for travellers. If you're looking for a tranquil oasis then Hanoi probably isn't for you, but if you don't mind a little bit of chaos that it could really draw you in. Personally, I loved it, and we spent our time exploring the maze of narrow streets in the Old Quarter, eating more amazing food...and cheating death every time we crossed the street!
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    • Our own private treehouse!Coffee in the canopyThe food was amazing... and personally delivered by ziplineJungle rations were just amazing!!!Outdoor shower, anyone?Hang on!We flew the drone around Treehouse 4 (check the end)The amazing Treehouse #1Treehouse 4Pano shot of Treehouse 1View from Treehouse 1All smiles - thanks Vong and Moua

      Jungle jitters and critters!

      1 april 2023, Laos ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

      By Andrew:

      Laos is separated from Thailand by the mighty Mekong River. Near to Chiang Rai there's a relatively new crossing point efficiently named Friendship Bridge no. 4, and our local bus arrived there more or less on time. Here the Thai's quickly got rid of us, and we caught a separate bus across the very wide no-man's land to the Laos side. With the inefficiencies of our last Laos visit still fresh in our minds, we'd elected to get our visas online in the hope that this would speed things up. All the payment and processing would already be done, so what more could there be? A stamping fee, apparently! And funnily enough it didn't come with a receipt...welcome back to the developing world. But the Laotians weren't done with us yet, and we then met one of the most confusing touts that I've come across in my travels.

      There was a Laotian who had been on the bus since Chiang Rai (about a 3-hour journey), and we met him again as we queued for a songtao (like a truck/tuk tuk lovechild) that would take us into the closest town. He finished chatting with the driver and then jumped in with us, even though he said that was only going to the bus station (which was on the way to town). We knew that our journey should be a standard 100baht fare, so we thought it might actually be helpful having a friendly local on board. We got chatting again and he eventually suggested that we tell the driver which hotel we were heading to, in case we needed his help translating before he reached the bus stop. We tapped on the roof and let the driver know which hotel to drop us at. He immediately stopped and said that we'd need to pay extra to get to town because he was only expecting to go to the bus station. We argued for a little while before our "friend" chimed in and advised that the extra was necessary. So we reluctantly agreed, and the songtao continued on to drop our "friend" at the bus station. Now he changed his mind and advised that he also wanted to go into town, so we suggested that he should also be paying the extra. He reluctantly forked out the same fare as we'd been asked for, rode into town, and then got out at our stop. Here, rather than waiting around to see if he was playing the world's longest and most confusing con, we decided to give him the slip instead. Given that his mate in the songtao had taken off, we took solace in the fact that he'd have a long walk back.

      Huay Xai was very much a dusty border town, but it was the starting point to the excitingly named "Gibbon Experience", so it was a necessary stop. Sadly, in this case, "dusty" was interchangeable with "smoky", and the haze seemed to have followed us from Chiang Rai. We'd booked this particular tour months ago, and then planned the remainder of the trip around it, so we were feeling quite disheartened as we piled into the back on the songtao that would take us into the jungle. It didn't help that we'd need to traverse 2 hours of potholed highway and another 45 minutes of dusty mountain track to get there. Or maybe it did help...?

      We arrived at a remote village, and we were immediately greeted by smiles and waves from the friendly locals. This served to reset my "first world problems", and began one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

      I'd deliberately avoided doing too much research into what we should expect from the Gibbon Experience, but I think it would have exceeded them regardless. Situated within Nam Kan National Park the GE is set up as a kind of eco-tourism for adventure lovers. Here they have built the world's highest tree houses and connected them with kilometres of ziplines. When you're not zipping around, your guides explain natural foods and remedies that can be found in the jungle, as well as helping you spot wildlife. We were lucky enough to track down macaques, langurs and a giant squirrel. Each morning we were also treated to the fantastic songs of the gibbons, although they remained hidden from view.

      The real highlights were the people looking after you. Every morning and evening, local ladies from the village would zipline into your treehouse carrying tasty meals in portions that would feed an army. We'd splashed out and booked the "honeymoon" treehouse, which we assumed would just give us a bit more privacy from the remainder of our group (which was already quite intimate, at only 5 other people). To our amazement, it turned out to be an entirely private tour, with our own two guides!

      It was an unforgettable experience that we owe to our guides, Vong and Moua. In the end, we pretty much forgot about the smoke-filled sky...and the sweat...so much sweat!

      By Mel:

      Hands down this was the trip highlight for sure - for Andrew at least!
      Being a little nervous about heights and historically known for NOT coping well with the heat and humidity of trekking through the tropical rainforest (ie fainting and/or heat stroke) I was cautiously hoping this would be one of mine also!
      Ultimately, this experience all came down to our exceptional guides - Vong and his trainee guide Moua were incredible!
      We had three days which were pretty much a private tour at our own pace, with Vong sharing stories, information about jungle plants and remedies - and plenty of laughs!
      Being such a small party we saw a LOT more wildlife (see Andrew’s part) than some of the bigger groups and Vong has an amazing eye for what makes a good photo!
      We felt incredibly lucky to have this experience and so thankful to have Vong and Moua lead us through this special part of the world.
      The Gibbon experience was indeed an experience of a lifetime!!!
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    • The air in downtown Chiang Rai was like a smoky soup
      I've never had the air that I breathed classified as "hazardous " beforeMel reigns supreme in our local "chicken" busThe smog had turned the vistas into hellscapes

      Choking in Chiang Rai

      29 maart 2023, Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 36 °C

      By Andrew:
      I've encountered some dangers in my travels. But, to be fair, they were usually due to situations of my own making. In Chiang Rai we encountered a situation that we never expected.
      In previous entries we've commented on the smoke haze in the air, but in Chiang Rai it went to a whole new level. On your way into town the bus drives past the famous white temple. Typically this makes for glorious photos, with the ornate white structure contrasting against the crisp blue sky. When we went past the temple, however, it was almost blurring into the grey air.
      Our bus arrived at the Chiang Rai terminal at about 1:30, and thankfully it was a quick walk to our nearby accommodation. Our plan was to visit the white temple while we were in town, and we were hoping the smog would clear later in the day, as it had each day back in Chiang Mai. But as we waited the air quality deteriorated further. I've never had the air that I breathe described as "hazardous" before, but that's exactly how the Air Quality Index was classifying it. Apparently prolonged exposure to air with more than 50ug/m3 can lead to premature death, and the value in Chiang Rai was currently 420! It was more than twice as bad as anywhere in China! By comparison, it was only 3 at home in downtown Sydney. Yep...3! For those who are curious how your town compares, you can check it out here:
      https://waqi.info/

      From Chiang Rai we caught a local "chicken" bus to take us to the Laos border. As we passed villages and rice fields our hearts sank. Partly for the locals having to endure these conditions, and partly with apprehension for the remainder of our trip. The vistas that would typically be representative of this part of Thailand had been turned into hazy hellscapes, with toxic soup for air. We were heading towards one of our trip highlights, and desperately hoping that the air was clearer over the border in northern Laos.
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