Pictures from Thailand and Laos

Journey so far: .. Taiwan > Hong Kong > Beijing > Harbin > Yanji > Songjianghe >Changbai Mountain > Dandong > Dalian > Dandong > Chengde > Beijing > Datong > Hohhot > Huitengxile > Hohhot > Taiyuan > Zhengzhou > Xi'an > Lanzhou > Zhangye > Jiaugyuan > Jingtieshan > Jiaugyuan > Dunhuang > Urumuqi > Kanas Lake > Urumuqi > Kashgar > Tashkurgan > Karakul Lake > Kashgar (Kashi) > Hotan > Qiemo > Ruoqiang > Shimianquan > Golmud > Lhasa (Tibet) > Gyantse > Shigatse > Shegar > Everest Base Camp (Rongbuk) > Zhangmu > Borderlands > Kathmandu (Nepal) > Chitwan National Park > Gorkha > Bandipur > Pokhara > Lumbini > Kathmandu > Sunauli > Dehli > Kausani > Agra > Khajuraho > Varanasi > Calcutta (Kolkata) > Bangkok (Thailand) > Vientiane (Laos) > Vang Vieng > Luang Prabang > Phonsavanh > Vientiane ...

So we left Bangkok on the 25th of Jan on the overnight bus. We arrived at the Thai/Laos border in the morning and got through. We arrived in the capital, Vientiane, and subsequently left for Vang Vieng. Our schedule is tight so no time to hang loose. We flew around the country in a week and now have a bus booked back into Bangkok. We went tubing in Vang Vieng, got cold and sun burnt. We went market shopping in Luang Prabang and bought a T-shirt! Budget days. And we saw the Plain of Jars in Phonsavanh, no-one knows what they're for exactly. The guide had a good answer to all questions "no-one knows".

Now we are going back to Bangkok and finally get ourselves to Cambodia and Vietnam before going into southern China.

This is the hard part, the budget is more important than ever as we overspent in Bangkok and we must have enough left to get home.... otherwise we'll be stuck in Asia forever.

In fact our daily budget, for two people, including everything... transport, accommodation, food, sight-seeing etc is 10 pounds... Living in England is going to be a nightmare!

My old, big beard at the famous Thai market


Kate standing to attention outside the Grand Palace


Us in front of some holding-up-the-building-creatures


Lady making lunch on the floating market, while trying to stay white using sun block in large portions... pretty


Bridge over the River Kwai... famous movie place


On the bridge, not the original train track


Food from Bangkok is amazing after India!


Don't forget the tubing!! We spent 4 hours tubing in cold conditions and managed to get sun burnt...


Just before Kate's feet fell off in the cold water... luckily we stitched them back on with my old beard hair


Most beautiful picture taken of this gorgeous kid in Laos


Kate don't like so much the eating of fly larvae, but she ate one! Sick!


Just looking cool, chilling next to the jars... a tourist pro now... blasé!


Oi, don't fall down the jar... come back fool! We never saw that poor child again, lost forever in jar hell!


MC