Back in the UK safely now and I wanted to upload some photos of Siem Reap to complete my journey. I spent the day cycling around the huge site not quiet believing what I was seeing. The temples are magnificent though the photos don’t do them justice. The cycle back to Siem Reap from the temples in the afternoon sun was insanely hot but the thought of an ice cold $0.50 beer waiting for me kept me going! I had a great taste of Asia and thanks to everyone who has been keeping up with the blog and for keeping in touch. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

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From Laos I made the rather long bus journey to Siem Reap in Cambodia – the city next to the spectacular temples. I took my first day here pretty easy and visited a couple of smaller – more secluded temples. These were still amazing to roam and were peaceful since I nearly had them to myself.

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I spent a couple of days in 4000 islands “tubing” (sitting in a truck inner tube and floating down a river) and also did a full day kayaking on the Mekong River. The river is so big that it has dolphins so the trip also involved some dolphin spotting – though they didn’t come too close. It i s so so hot here that despite applying sun cream constantly I still manged to catch the sun – which I had managed to avid until now. After about 10am it is also impossible to stand barefoot on sand because your feet melt.

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Arriving in Luang Prabang was like a breath of fresh air. After three weeks of craziness the town has a really relaxed atmosphere, despite the other tourists. The people here don’t seem to want to bother you – unlike everywhere else I have been so far! The town is surrounded by beautiful mountains and rivers. Time to relax for a few days!

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The weather in Sa Pa was even colder and white! I had arranged for a day hike around local tribal villages which I am told goes through amazing rice paddies. Unfortunately I could not see much of anything! On my second day there were some gaps in the weather and I did manage to sneak a peek. During the hike we were followed by a pack (there is no other word to describe them) of local women who befriended us along the way. When we stopped for lunch they immediately unpacked their baskets which they had been carrying the whole way and were very keen for us to buy bags, pillow cases, jewelry etc from them!

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It was nice arriving in Vietnam to find that it is alot cooler here. The traffic in Hanoi is CRAZY with motorbikes everywhere the best way to cross the street it to just keep moving and trust that the hundreds of bikes will avoid you. I took a trip to Halong Bay and after a tour of the area and a look at some pretty impressive caves I stayed the first night on a boat.

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I was staying right in the centre of KL in the old town. This is the Twin Towers at night. You can’t help but say “wow”.

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During my train ride to Malaysia I changed my mind and decided to get off early at Hat Yai and head for the West coast of Malaysia (sitting on a solid wood bench for 8 hours may have also had something to do with it) I eventually arrived at Georgetown, which is just off the coast on the island of Penang.

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I didn’t get any sleep at all during my overnight train journey from Bangkok down to Surat Thani – I am only 5’10″ but was still to tall for the bed. So by the time I got to Koh Phangan I was a little tired. Unbeknown to me when I booked the train/ferry I was arriving just before the famous full moon party so finding accommodation was a little tricky. Though I eventually found a nice set of bungalows overlooking the water in Haad Rin (the area where the party takes place) but hidden away around the corner from the madness. Mine was the one on the far right – where I made good use of the hammock on the balcony

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Due to a miscalculation on my part I had an unexpected overnight stay in Columbo, Sri Lanka – which was fine by me as the airline put me up in a beach side holiday resort! I spent the day with a lovely Polish couple on the beach who I also joined on a tuk-tuk ride around the local area which was exhilarating to say the least! The Sri Lankan roads are crazy and the only rule everyone seems to agree on is honking their horns. Great fun and a really nice surprise to start my trip.

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