Firstly my mad dash to Vientiane when I realised that yet again I had mis- read the dates on my passport and had just 5 days in which to get an extension to my non-immigrant b visa[..] In the evening we found a very nice restaurant 5 minutes walk up the road. Well, the restaurant was nice, and the food excellent, shame that the service was very much on the slow side and barely a smile to be seen.

We then did a little bit of shopping at a couple of clothes shops before returning to the hotel to watch movies in our room.

By all accounts there is no Cinema in Vientiane![..] For 150 baht each we had access to the 3 pools available.

For a little extra we could have taken advantage of the multiple water slides.

For the complex owners it was a shame to see such an impressive place so empty. For us, wanting a quiet relaxing dip, it was perfect.

At the entrance to the complex is a cafe/bakery which sells very good coffee, shakes and excellent bakery products. It was our best find in Vientiane.[...]

This trip was made by train and coach; total travel time from Chiang Mai to Krabi….approx 36 hours,(including approx 12 hours in Bangkok)

Approximate travel time of return journey, (all by coach); 24 hours, (including waiting times between services).

Total cost of trip includes all travel, (including renting and fuelling motorcy 4 days), accomodation, (guest house 4 nights) , 2 ‘tours’…Snorkelling Boat tour to Koh Phi Phi…..Kayaking day at Boh Tor.

And yes it does include the costs for both of us.

Thats a full weeks fantastic trip for two for approximately 125 quid!(this was in 2007)

[...].Now, there is a strong belief in Thai culture that what appears to be bad Karma is not always so. You may trip and sprain your ankle and think this bad Karma, but maybe, if you had not done so, you would have continued your walk, been crossing a road and got run over by a speeding Tuk Tuk. Or, as in my case, you may drop your 3 quarters full honeypot and think this bad Karma. Then, you go off to the market for your daily shopping,[...]

This trip involved two people, Boon and myself, traveling by local bus services. The bus journey took approximately 12 hours. Staying two nights at a local guesthouse. The total cost of the trip was approximately 4000 baht. As shown by the map, the festival site we chose to visit was at the border town of [...]