The previous post about tubing adventures on the Nam Song outlines the pretty much signature activity for backpackers in Vang Vieng.  And although some of the more “mature” travelers we encountered snubbed their nose at the tubing fun in favor of more “adult” pursuits…I figured why not do both?  Vang Vieng is nestled down in a valley between and the surrounding landscape is pretty spectacular.  With all of that mountainous terrain and plenty of river rapids this town is chock full of adventuresome activities.
I have been jonesing for some kayaking …

After a thoroughly freezing night in our guest house (thin blankets and 45 degree weather is not a recipe for warmth and enjoyment!), Laura and I were pretty stoked at the  prospect of sunning ourselves on tubes as we drift down the Nam Song River with an ice-cold Beerlao.

Other travelers have waxed poetic on the subject of tubing in Vang Vieng and we fortified ourselves with a hearty breakfast of mulberry pancakes, a mulberry shake, and eggs from the local Organic Mulberry Farm – little did we know this inauspicious …

With just a handful of hours left in Bangkok before our bus to Laos, Laura and I hopped a public bus to the HUGE Chatuchak Weekend Market – since we were in town on a weekend the market was a must see.  Allegedly you can find nearly any jewelry, clothes, wood crafts, pottery, kick knacks and doodads imaginable.

I don’t think that I could do much to convey the sheer size of this market – except perhaps to point out that we spent nearly three hours wandering around the labyrinth of …

To continue to play catch-up with my Australia adventures, tales of warm weather and diving the Great Barrier Reef are headed your way!
Arriving in on the East Coast of Australia, Cairns specifically, is akin to arriving in the Florida Keys – which is pretty familiar to me since I spent every summer vacation on the beaches of the Keys growing up.

Cairns is a city built around the sun and the tourism that springs from such temperate heat and sandy beaches.
Oh yeah, and the city’s proximity to the Great Barrier …

The flight from Sydney to Bangkok was hellacious…and that is by far not an overstatement.  I blame my stressful predicament on my own under preparedness – something that I now vow will never happen to me again!
The situation: on my happy and rosy-cheeked arrival at Sydney airport, all ready and set to board my flight to Bangkok via Melbourne, the unsympathetic and taciturn check-in attendant informed me that I could not board a flight into Thailand.
Sputtering I could only ask “Why?” and listen to the response with a sinking heart.  …

I leave in the morning – bright and altogether too early for my personal taste – on a flight bound for Bangkok.  Naturally I’m really excited about this next step on the trip… I most definitely am.  But at the same time it’s  I feel like traveling solo in Southeast Asia is a bit of a different beast to tackle than traveling solo in Australia.
A lot of the travelers I have met here in Oz have raved about backpacking SEA and many have just come from the region – so …

I’ve already shared a bit about the alternative city of Melbourne – a  totally hip city that comes off as trendy without crossing the threshold into being too cool for its own good.  As much as I enjoyed the city proper, the natural terrain around this city is pretty spectacular and there are several quality and sustainable day tours from Melbourne.
“Go West” is a top choice for day tours of the region, the company offers two eco-certified day trips: one to Phillip Island and the other to the Great Ocean …

Happy New Year! So, the question on many minds: How were the fireworks over Sydney Harbor?
Well, your guess is as good as mine!
I actually didn’t make it that far down the coast in time to do the big celebration – plus, it was recommended that I skip it since I am still traveling solo (my friend skipped out on coming here for the holidays so I was left alone) and the city would be soooo overcrowded and pricey (finding accommodations was becoming a nightmare!).

And making it to Sydney for …