About 20 km of Mawlamyine is Win Sein Taw Ya, the biggest reclining Buddha in the world. It’s a gigantic 30 meters high and 180 meters long statue that can be spotted many from miles away. The entry road to the complex has 500 real sized statues of monks which gives it a surreal aspect. They have their back faced to ...
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Mawlamyine: first impressions from Myanmar
The first thought: it feels like India! A huge chaos on the road, cows wandering around, lots of stray dogs, it’s dirty, the rubbish is absolutely everywhere, darker faces, bigger religious diversity, guys are wearing traditional “dresses”. After three months in south-east Asia we are happy this country feels a bit different. The road from the border to Mawlamyine wasn’t ...
Read More »Backpacker sanctuary: Pai, Thailand
We heard about Pai countless times when we were in Chiang Mai and it was almost impossible to resist the temptation of going there. So we did what we always do. Rented a scooter, took only small backpacks and got on the way for two days of exploring. The distance between both places is only 147 km by the famous ...
Read More »Border crossing: Vientiane (Laos) to Chiang Mai (Thailand)
When the time came to cross the border between Vientiane in Laos and Chiang Mai in Thailand, we asked around in several travel agencies and the lowest price we got was 34USD. We knew we could get it cheaper. Below I’ll show you the prices we got by buying the tickets separately instead of buying it in the agencies. The ...
Read More »A week in Vientiane, Laos
We spent quite a lot of time in Vientiane, as we got stuck waiting for our visas to Myanmar. We got there on Thursday afternoon, so on Friday early in the morning we rented two bicycles and went to the embassy. It turned out, though, that there was some holiday and the embassy was closed, which meant for us that ...
Read More »Motorcycle diaries: Laos
We knew that we wanted to have a different kind of trip in Laos. We wanted to explore the country as much as possible on a motorbike. We heard about a motorbike rental company that allowed customers to rent a bike in Luang Prabang and to give it back in Vientiane. We also heard of a famous loop that we ...
Read More »Temples, backpackers, sandwiches and night market: Luang Prabang, Laos
They say that Luang Prabang is a city of temples, the most beautiful place in Laos, and a backpacker’s mecca. And it’s all true, but I would also add two things: the city of delicious sandwiches and the night market. I will start from the end. The first afternoon, when we went for a walk and dinner, we were surprised ...
Read More »Birthday chill out in Nong Khiaw, Laos
Even in the guide you will find that the main attraction of this town is a walk through the bridge and admiring the wooden houses along the river. We went there with an intention of resting (not that we were very tired after Muang Ngoi), working on the blog and getting some cash, as in the previous village there was ...
Read More »A trip back in time: Muang Ngoi, Laos
A village with practically one road, although it’s hard to call it a road. It more of a wide path, not paved, not even with some gravel. But they don’t need a road, as the village is not connected with any other city. You can get here only by boat. It’s a peace oasis, a place that hasn’t changed much ...
Read More »Boat trip from Muang Khua to Muang Ngoi, Laos
It was early in the morning when we got to the pier to buy the tickets to go to Muang Ngoy. We’ve heard that the price was different depending on the number of passengers that were going to travel. And so it was. We were only 5 people starting the trip and we paid 150 000 KIP per person. Ahead ...
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