Exploring Southeast Asia

The last time I was in Vietnam, the Ha Giang Loop, as a popular tourist attraction, did not exist. Instead, for avid motor bikers and stunning view seekers, the Hi Van Pass was the outstanding choice. The latter, a windy scenic road connecting Hue and Da Nang made famous by the Top Gear TV special whereby Clarkson and his mob travelled south to north Vietnam by motorbike. If you’ve been keeping up with my travel blogs, it won’t come as a surprise to learn that Harry and I did not drive the Hi Van Pass during our previous trip. I actually wonder what we did for those two whole months. Anyway, here I am on the long coach from Hanoi to Ha Giang, wondering if I had made a massive mistake. Setting out on an unforgettable three days Should I stay or should I go? Rewind a couple of months and despite being told that the Ha Giang Loop experience is brain chemistry-alteringly good – yes I made that phrase up – I was slightly apprehensive. I’d fallen down the trap of watching vi...

After four days to relax in Koh Samet, a pleasant island only a short journey from Bangkok, we were ready to continue our travels relatively unscathed from our time in Thailand. In addition to our ordeal thatshowcased Mother Nature’s incomprehensible power , Kea had also fallen ill on our long travel day from Chiang Mai to Koh Samet. A journey that in the end took around a dozen hours looked in danger of not even starting as Kea’s dinner from the night before ended up all over the hotel staircase when we left for the airport at 05:30 am. She admirably soldiered on and bravely made the journey, letting out only a groan here and there when a wave of sickness threatened to destabilise our plan. I’d have trudged back to bed and waited for another day if that was me, but no, Kea was adamant about making it to the beach. Bravo. After ripening for a few days, we upped and left for Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city. Harry and I left out Cambodia on our previous visit to the region but Ke...

After our tremendous scare in the Thai capital , we were relieved to be flying to Chiang Mai, one of my favourite spots in the country and a place I have fond memories of. As I mentioned in a former blog, it is home to one of our good family friends, Phil, and his family. Coincidentally, Phil’s nephew, Freddie, his nephew’s girlfriend, Harriet, and their friend, Will, were visiting from Australia, where Phil’s sister migrated from England years ago. Me and my new friend, Freddie, at a cooking class, Chiang Mai The evolution of Southeast Asia For me, when I think of Chiang Mai, I think of the square moat that surrounds the old city and the wonderful variety of culture, food, bars, shops and markets inside its water walls. Unfortunately, Kea didn’t have the best memories of Chiang Mai from her previous visit, so I was even more enthusiastic to show her the best places and help her fall in love with the magical northern city, like I had. The southern side of the square moat, Chiang Ma...

The closer that I knew we were to landing in Thailand, the more and more I began craving Thai food, for me, the tastiest food on the planet. I had even started dreaming of it. Coming up to our two months in, my Dad was coming to the end of his two-month trip and he was flying home from Bangkok, so it worked perfectly to meet and explore for two days. He arranged for us to stay at his favourite hotel in Bangkok, the elegant yet affordable Atlanta Hotel – a German hotel built in 1952 still boasting a timeless interior; it felt like you had travelled back in time walking it's stylish hallways, dining at the chic restaurant and investigating the graceful library (and usefully for me, the writers corner). It claims to have the oldest swimming pool in Bangkok. The Atlanta Hotel, Bangkok The food capital of the world The first thing I did when I woke up was to search for the best Thai green curry in Bangkok – my favourite dish of any cuisine. The first blog I came across, written by tota...