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Travelling gives you the luxury of meeting new people.
Before embarking on a trip, hope and pray you like the people you do meet because it’s not going to be the last you see of them. I don’t know if it is because we cling to our photocopied or otherwise ligit copies of Lonely Planet but these days most of us are heading in the same direction.
It might just be a faded concept that the travelling folk are all hippies with backpacks that whip out a compass and let the wind …

A street scene in Siem Reap in Cambodia. You never get sunsets like you do in SE Asia and this is an example of street life as the sun was setting. Lovely small town with great bars, cafes, restaurants and of course the Temples of Angkor.
Conked out from the power cut, G tries to find some refuge on the cold tiled floor with not much on as a long night of 40C  with no air-con or electricity kills us. Disgustingly sweaty, we both jumped into the pool the minute the …

This is wee Buddha bum. All the kids in Vietnam were cute (although after teaching them for four months I can also say slightly annoying at times too) but Buddha is one of my favourites. Everytime he ran into the water his shorts would fall down round his ankles… giving us a different type of full moon…something I giggled at the whole day.
The joys of the sleeper bus. This picture was taken while I was conked out on our journey to Mui Ne. A rare occasion that we got a …

Ok so my job might not be as exciting as the TV show title it rips off but it’s worth a mention on this blog.
Yes it’s a secret that I’m blogging while I’m in work…but to be honest I don’t think it’s that big of a deal really. That’s where working attitudes differ between Australia and the UK.
I’m no Belle deJour but I have been working in a call centre for a financial company for 6 weeks now. It was tough getting back into the routine of working life…especially after a month of thai partying …

….to getting a job in Saigon.
No, I’ve not gone all Glenn Close on the Vietnamese employers but believe me, a bit of assertion and dedication is needed to get a teaching english job in this town.
Before we started looking for an actual job, we were told
A) “It’s really easy  to get a teaching job in S.E Asia”
B) “You don’t really even need a TEFL qualification I’ve only a degree and I’m getting paid $20 an hour”
C) “It took me a week to find a job and I wasn’t really looking”
My …

This little boy showed the adults how to do it on the Mekong Delta tour. When presented with a Burmese Python, this groovy dude jumped at the chance to have a go holding it.
As you can see from everyone’s reaction in the background, everyone was delighted to see him having so much fun with the snake.
He also deserves his prime place as Photo of the Week on Borebags purely for wearing those trousers. He is a real dude!

I’ve been meaning to write this blog for weeks now. Four weeks and 3 days to be precise.
I loved lots of things about Vietnam but I have to say the best thing about the country is the people. And my favourite thing about the people is the sayings they come off with…
Here’s a selection of phrases that I know are in every beach seller, shop keeper or motorbike driver’s guide to the English language.
“Buy something……….” – can usually be followed with “now” if you happen to meet a bossy-boots seller.
Ïf …

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the amount of love I have for Hanoi.
I was always looking forward to coming to Vietnam out of all the countries in S.E Asia but Hanoi really won me over from the get-go. Hitching a ride in a taxi from the airport with Dan and Bianca, we witnessed the chaos the country brings from the minute we stepped out into the streets.
Being a non-driver I am usually quite a placid passenger and go over random thoughts floating in my head rather than concentrate on the …

Two new countries bring a whole new set of observations on the way of life in S.E Asia.
So far between Laos and Vietnam I’ve noticed:
1. Most towns must have one sign maker who is rolling in it. Every guesthouse has the exact same font and style of sign. This man is one lazy, yet extremely rich guy.
2. The amount of effort put into the napkin industry is impressive. I’ve not seen displays like it in other cafes, bars or restaurants anywhere else. Majorly impressed people.
3. There’s a gap in the …

Going on the recommendation of the Germans (Patti and Jens)  to go stay at Moradok Thai hostel in Ayutthaya we  thought we would give it a go.
After a short bus trip to this relatively sleepy town we got a tuktuk to the hostel and was greeted by an older thai lady with no teeth named Samsei. Asking her if she had any rooms free, she left us in the reception for half an hour as she went to check.

Looking around the place it was small but had quite  a familar feel about …