Slum Dong Millionaires

Wat Pho you say Wat Pho when I say Wat Pho One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free You'll find a god in every golden cloister A little flesh, a little history I can feel an angel sliding up to me One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble Not much between despair and ecstasy One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble Can't be too careful with your company I can feel the devil walking next to me Lyrics by Tim Rice et al We actually spent four nights in Bangkok and for sure it was an eye opener. Our intention was simply to use Bangkok as a gateway to the surrounding regions.  But at first touch Bangkok reaches out and grabs you.  You simply cannot ignore its appeal and vibrancy.  It breathes, pulses, it has a rhythm all its own.  It consumes you and after four days it spits you out shaken, exhausted and forever in love. The roof top pool at our hotel. This was the most expensiv...

Mekong it up as we go along. We decided to move on from the north of Vietnam to northern Laos.  One of the phenomena of backpacking is the willingness of almost all travellers to share their experiences.  Each and every traveller agreed that Luang Prabang in Laos was the place to start. We had a difficult choice to make.  We could suffer a 30 hour trip on a bus through dangerous mountain passes, uncertain border crossings, washed out roads and questionable roadside food at a fraction of the cost of air fare or spend an extra $200. US on the 1 hour flight. We took the flight.. Luang Prabang proudly perches at the confluence of the mighty Mekong and the Khan rivers. A  world heritage site it combines world class comfort,  a sleepy pace and 33 temples and blends them effortlessly into a most pleasurable pulse slowing experience. Faded French architecture, ancient Indochinese temples, processions of saffron clad monks, traditional religious rituals, an...