Starting on the sunny shores of Koh Phi Phi and ending up at the ancient ruins of Angkor; we spent 5 and a half weeks making our way through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia with Matt’s sister Lauren and her boyfriend, Tom.
When we leave each place we always ask each other ‘best and worst?’ so we thought we’d share our highs and lows with you…
Koh Phi Phi
Best – Snorkling trip around the two islands – we had a long tail boat to ourselves so it was a relaxing and exciting day!
Worst – The grime of Tonsai village.
Koh Lanta
Best – Spending the day driving down the island, stopping at beaches on our way.
Worst – That our beach was so rocky during low tide that we couldn’t swim.
Kanchanaburi
Best – Walking along the Death Railway, through the famous Hellfire Pass.
Worst – The train stopping in the middle of nowhere on the way back when I was so hungry!
Nakhon Sawan
Best – Sharing street food with friends and family in our little flat.
Worst – Having to sort out visas and tax.
Chiang Rai
Best – Driving through the hills and visiting a tea plantation.
Worst – A spider incident in our first guesthouse…
Luang Prabang
Best – Finally sharing a meal together and it being delicious stone baked pizza – the only meal we managed to share
Worst – Tom being so ill that we had to take him to the local hospital
Vang Vieng
Best – Tubing down the river
Worst – Spending a night in Johnny’s Guesthouse listening to thumping music and fighting cockroaches
Thakhek Loop
Best – Exploring Konglor cave, it was a real highlight of the whole trip!
Worst – A restaurant with the worst service I’ve ever encountered – Tom never got his food!
Bolaven Plateau
Best – Swimming in Tad Yuang Waterfall
Worst – Seeing someone who had coming off their motorbike amongst the festivities – the darker side of Songkran
Siem Reap
Best – The Angkor ruins of course – Banteay Srei was a particular favourite as we enjoyed learning about the stories depicted in the engravings.
Worst – Having no power and no running water in 38 degree heat.
Have you been to any of these places? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below…
Ruth and Matt,
I loved your collection of photos and wish I had 6 weeks to explore these places. I wish we could make it to Laos but unfortunately don’t have the time. Maybe next trip! We’ll be in both Cambodia and Thailand for about a week each though and having spent time in both already, I have to say that I love Siem Reap. It’s such a wonderful and quiet place considering the buzz around Angkor Wat. I loved it. This time, my wife and I will be in Phnom Penh and exploring the coast for a little bit before going on to Vietnam.
We’ve been to Thailand as well but only to Bangkok and an island nearish to it called Koh Chang. Both were great places and we’re looking to explore the north like you did. I see your post on Chiang Mai and will have to give that a look:) We’ll be starting off there and hope to see some things around that famous city. Thanks for sharing this journey, you two! Looking forward to more!
I must admit that we’ve barely seen Cambodia. Angkor Wat was beautiful but I’d love to see more of the country. I found Siem Reap a lot less friendly than Thailand or Cambodia but we weren’t there long enough to make any real judgements.
Koh Chang is a beautiful island – it was the first place we visited in Thailand (apart from Bangkok) and we loved it there. I think Koh Kood is next on our list of beach destinations!
Enjoy Chiang Mai, it’ a beautiful city and if you get chance explore more of the north. We had a great time in Chiang Rai and the surrounding countryside. Perfect for when you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai.
I look forward to hearing about your trip!