Koh Phayam- 21st to 26th November

So, a short ferry ride from Ranong, there are two little islands. Unlike Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta and such, they haven't yet been completely colonised by tourists. They are, to all intents and purposes, what Jenny and I had in our heads for what we wanted to do in Thailand. Ko Chang (West) and Koh Phayam are tiny little islands, with no cars, and miles of unspoilt beach. In short, paradise.

You get across the island on the back of a motorbike, along what is little more than a pathway across the island, which is a little white knuckle when you have a 20kg backpack on, and then have to hike along the beach to the accommodation. We went at full tide, which meant we had to strip to our pants to cross the inlet blocking the beach, which is fun when carrying all your possessions 2 miles up a sandy beach!

The accomodation is in bungalows on the beach, which were charming, with hammocks outside. We spent a lot of time outside, as there is only around 4 hours of electricity a day from generators (and as such no Wi-Fi, which may be one of the reasons there are also less idiots!). We had 3km of beach, shared with maybe 100 other people, and a little cafe on the beach front, with little bars and restaurants either side of us. The cafe was a lifesaver, as you can't boil a kettle for 20 hours of the day!

The island's main trade is in cashew nuts, and you can get enormous bags for a few Baht fresh from the farms. Beyond that, there is little to do, but relax, swim and eat. Which basically sums up why it was so perfect (but bloody difficult to write about afterwards!).

We became one with nature- Geckoes and ants for their dinner were always around, and three times we met a bat in our outside bathroom!

The residents are lovely too. After a day of too much sun, Ben tried (in vain) to find some after-sun to calm the burn. A friendly shopkeeper led us to fresh Aloe Vera cacti, and cut off some tips- the freshest after-sun you can get, and much needed!

All in all, possibly one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen.

Hanoi 3rd - 8th October

So after a quick stop in Guangzhou, we were on to Vietnam, and Hanoi. Guangzhou was very busy, and the only major point of interest was the Canton Tower:

Nice lights at the Canton Tower

Immediately in Hanoi, the feel of the city seemed more laid back. This in spite of a million motorcycles all desperate to get to their destination at speed, down narrow streets that seem more suited to traveling on foot, but more on that later...

On our first night, we went to the Newday restaurant on Ma May, and had barbecued ribs and lime chicken. The ribs affected Jenny emotionally they were that good! We followed that up with beers in a bar called Half Man Half Noodle, with a balcony that overlooked the busy street below.

We then strolled down to the Hoan Kiem Lake, where we saw a monkey taunting a dog.

Monkey vs. Dog

Twice because why not?

The next day, we explored the Old Town some more- loads of crazy stuff- the whole place seems to be held together by string, but laid back people and amazing food keep the whole place going.

In the evening the weekly Night Market took place on Hang Ba- absolutely packed but they sell some cool stuff- we bought a lovely pop up birthday card to send home. At the top of the market, under the train bridge, there was an amazing restaurant, with hot plates on every table- you are provided with butter, meat, chillies, onions and an amazing sauce and are left to cook your own wraps- so delicious!

Before

After

The next day, we couldn't resist going back to some places we'd already visited- Ben had more pho (noodle soup, fresh tasting and lovely)and Jenny had crazy Vietnamese muesli, which was cornflakes, yoghurt and bananas! , then a street barbecue lunch and back to Newday in the evening for Lemongrass and chilli chicken, spring rolls and special ribs.

You can also drink Bia Hoi, the local beer, served straight from the barrel, at street temperature- it's surprisingly delicious, and costs only 15,000 dong (17p!).

Six glasses for a pound. HEAVEN.

On our final day, we finally saw how laid back Hanoi is, as our entire street had a power cut, to which the hotel staff said 'It won't be long. Power will be back at 4 o clock.' At 10am in the morning... We wandered round the town again- many places had generators, so I assume this was a regular occurrence!

There were crazy balloons flying over the river, and we had iced coffee by the lake and watched them.

And finally, to cap off our stay, Jen took the perfect video of the motorbike traffic, and the fun of crossing the road here!!!

Unfortunately, due to the weather in the South, trains were severely limited, so we had to cut short our stay, as we couldn't travel much further, and so our next stop became Bangkok...

Edit- Fixed the video!