borebags

South East Asia is a big place but it’s incredibly easy to get from A to B using any number of ways – Flying, Buses, Jeeps, Taxi-shares, organised tours…the list goes on.  Anyone who has travelled in the region before will know that taking a bus is usually one of the most cost-effective options.  However the quality of the bus service varies vastly from country to country, this is something we have learned with each bus we stepped on.  With this in minds I thought I would write a few …

Following on from our previous Photo of the Week of the talent show winner in Chiang Mai I thought I would post a video from the event.  The video below is off one of the contestants at the talent show.  A you can see, this kid just oozed enthusiasm and talent.  Quite why he didn’t win is beyond me.  Check it out and decide for yourself.

During our visit to Halong Bay (blog to follow soon) we had the opportunity to stay in a bamboo beach hut on an Island known as “Monkey Island”.  Named so mainly because of the monkey population that lives on the island.  After a quick afternoon snooze our guide took us on a bit of a trek over the rocky terrain and onto an neighbouring beach.  We were informed that this was where the main monkey population hung out.  We were initially unenthusiastic about the trek as we were sure we …

During our stay in Chiang Mai we took the opportunity to take a tour out into the surrounding area and view a number of the Hill Tribes that still live in the mountains of Northern Thailand.
First stop on the trip was a rather uninspiring Orchid farm where they cross-pollinated and grew large quantities of Orchids.  After a quick blast through the farm we were on our way to visit the fist of the hill tribes.  We were informed by our tour guide that this tribe is responsible for crafting the infamous …

The gracious winner accepts her prize money.

As part of the Chinese New Year celebrations in Chiang Mai, Chinatown was running a kids talent show.  The show basically consisted of many unenthusiastic kids carrying out traditional Chinese song and dance routines.
This little girl was chosen in the final 10 and stood smiling graciously as the 3rd and 2nd prizes were given out.  All the other finalists were huffing as the hadn’t been chosen but this little girl stood firm, smiling throughout, thinking she hadn’t won.  In actual fact she came 1st …

After the interesting couple of days in Ayutthya (see here) we decided it was time to start making tracks North towards Chiang Mai.  Before that we wanted to make one more stop on the way before getting the sleeper train.
Upon consulting the Lonely Planet guide we decided that the next destination should either be Sukhothai or Lopburi.  Our mind was soon made up when we discovered that Sukhothai’s primary attractions were more temples (something we had already seen plenty of).  Lopburi, on the other hand, had been described in the …

After a return to Bangkok for a second time in under a week we were both looking forward to a break from the smog and heat of Bangkok.  Kanchanaburi was just the ticket.  It’s a small town with a rich history located about 4 hours west of Bangkok.
Neither of us knew why it was a popular tourist destination until we looked it up in the guidebook.  The only reason we had thought about going there was because a couple of Ozzy guys (Ben 1 and Ben 2) had mentioned that …

I think I’ve found it.
I know we’re covering a good section of the globe… I decided to myself I’d like to find the best breakfast ever.
I’ve had many a good breakfast…. many an expensive breakfast (re: Le Meridien 100 dollar breakfast NYC) and even a Big Boy Breakfast.
NOTHING compares to the Art Cafe – Koh Chang boiled eggs and toast. A delight we stumbled upon after actually ordering scrambled eggs and toast (the best mistake I’ve ever made in my life)
I know you’re probably shaking your heads thinking – …

A list of things I’ve noticed one month into the trip that are a little different to home:

Men carry their girlfriend’s handbag. They don’t just hold it by their side but actually put it over their arm and walk down the street masculine as ever.
All soft drinks from the street stalls come in old school glass bottles. So many people can be seen walking around with a sprite in a plastic sandwich bag filled with ice.
The majority of pavements are not used for actual walking. Most thai people travel by moped …

During out initial planning stages for the trip we always had in mind that we would either work in Australia or New Zealand, with New Zealand being first preference for both Donna and myself.
As you are probably all probably more than aware of, the global economy is in a bit of a poor state.  We’ve been hearing reports left, right and centre that backpackers in Australia and New Zealand are finding it difficult to find work at the minute.  The main reason for this being that jobs which were usually …