Category: South East Asia

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A very short trip to Bago

16-17 March 2014 I do like temples. Maybe that’s the reason why I decided to stop in Bago for a day? Anyway, I hired a motorbike taxi to drive me around.It was actually way to hot to do anything (I burned my feet several times as you need to put off your shoes..even to walk up the stairs to the temples), even the driver was sweating non-stop! But as I was only staying for 1 day I couldn’t just sit and do nothing. As so I saw 8 temples in about 4 hours! This was just a short daytrip, so...

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It’s all about temples and stupas in Bagan

11-14 March 2014 I took the 7.30 pm nightbus from Inle Lake to Bagan. The plan was to arrive in Bagan around 4.30-5 am and head to one of the temples for sunrise. But again, not everything goes as you want it. Only 4 hours after we left Inle Lake the car broke down! Some technical failure. We waited SOOOO long that we saw the sunrise coming up from the highway. It’s not what I wanted, but it was actually not that bad 🙂 And well, it was a nightbus so I had some sleep while they were fixing the...

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On the boat on Inle Lake and trekking in Nyaugshwe

07-11 March 2014 A busride of 12 hours is nothing new anymore. But if you have stomach problems, you want to be at your destination as soon as possible! As so, my busride from Hsipaw to Inle Lake was as you can imagine not so pleasant 🙁 but I did made it! We were dropped off in Nyaungshwe, the closest gateway to Inle Lake. Once we got off the bus, we needed to pay a 10 USD gouvernment fee to enter the Inle Lake area. I was never asked to show the ticket later and I don’t know if I...

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Asian flashpacker – Thailand (pre-trip)

So for my birthday I rewarded myself with a trip (back) to Thailand. I’m bringing a friend who’s never been to Thailand before and to be honest, this time around I just wanted to relax and take it easy. Compared to my previous travels where I was being the adventurous backpacker, I decided that this time I’d up my comfort level a bit more and become…. Asian flashpacker! Eventhough this is relax and tourist vacation trip, I still wanted to check out some places I haven’t been to before. Touching down in Bangkok, I’m gonna try to put in the...

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The Shan state town of Hsipaw

03-06 March 2014 I never considered myself as a morning person, but if it’s necessary or worth it I can get up at unhuman hours 🙂 Getting up at 3am to catch a 4am train is one of those moments. The 12-hours trainride from Mandalay to Hsipaw was however never boring. Although I had a ‘first class’ ticket, sleeping on the train wasn’t easy as the train rides up into the hills via steep, zig-zagging hills. Amazing views and a breathtaking gorge is what you get for the not so comfortable ride. The train makes however enough stops to stretch...

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Into Myanmar, welcome to Mandalay!

28 Feb – 2 March 2014 It is the first time in all my travels that I go to a country where there is a time difference calculated in half hours. Meaning, when you come from Belgium, you need to add 5,5 hours to the Belgian time. In my case, coming from Bangkok, I turned my watch 1/2 hour back.TIP: If you fly into Mandalay with Air Asia, there is a FREE shuttle bus from Air Asia waiting for you to bring you to downtown Mandalay, it stops somewhere at 80th and 27th street. Be aware that this service is...

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Bangkok twice

Was it 10 years ago? The last time I was in Bangkok? It was for sure more than 8 years ago that I’ve been to Thailand’s capital. Actually, I was in Bangkok for 1 night 2 months ago when I flew into it from Brussels. My hostel back then was close to Chinatown, so after check-in, I went out to explore the neighbourhood. Chinatown in Bangkok is quite huige! It has so many little alleys where you can easily get lost in. I got lost in a part where they sell all kinds of 2nd hand motorbike parts, and then again a part...

Battambang bats, caves and volunteering

Battambang Many people don’t know it, but Battambang is Cambodia’s second most populous city. Youwouldn’t say however when wandering around town. Not that it was deserted, but one wouldexpect the place to be packed with Khmer people. My busride from Siem Reap to Battambang took 4,5h. Alex instead took the slowboat. A ridethat ‘should’ take 7-8 hours, but because the water in the river was too low, the boat got stuck on the sandbanks several times. All men had to help to push it back into the water which made it only arriving after 12 hours! Well, it was hot,...

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Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor

You can’t say Siem Reap without saying Ankor Wat in 1 sentence. This is THE only sight inCambodia that all, but than ALL foreigners go to. You can do the whole site in 1 full dayif you hire a tuk-tuk to drive you around. We bought the 3-day Angkor pass (40 USD) andrented bikes for 3 days to explore Siem Reap and Ankor at our own pace (TIP: There are 2roads going to Angkor from Siem Reap. Take the mainroad on your first day as the only ticketboot is along that road). Ankor Wat is actually only one of the many...

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Pre-Ankorian capital city of Kompong Thom

You won’t see crowds of tourists in Kompong Thom. When our bus stopped there for a break and we told the driver that we needed our luggage as we were staying for a night, I’m sure he was laughing behind our back.But it’s actually not SO crazy to make a stop here. The most exciting thing that this town has to offer, are the hunderds of large fruit bats living in 3 old mahogany trees. If you have problems finding the trees, just follow the high sound that the bats are making. Wait till dusk, when you can see them...