Well I never got round to posting my itinerary which only turned out to be 3 flights and 4 nights accommodation over the total 8.5 weeks that we are away - so we really are winging it!

We arrived in Bangkok - wonderful Bangkok on Sunday and stayed 2 nights in the Legacy Suites - service apartments with breakfast and a pool. I can recommend as an affordable mid-range hotel. More simple than some of the big hotels but very friendly, plenty of space and clean. Located in Sukhumvit - Soi 29 between Asok and Phrom Phong BST stations - 5-10 min walk.

After relaxing and aclimatising (very hot here), we took the overnight train on Tuesday from BKK to Nong Kai and then the bus over the friendship bridge into Vientiane, Laos. Found some very reasonable accommodation ($25 p.night with breakfast) and we plan to be here 3-4 nights. The hotel is clean, friendly and for those who know Vientiane, just around the corner from Sticky Fingers - where we ate a great meal last night.

Today we have strolled around the city to get a feel place and we already love Vientiane. We have just seen a lot of dignitories at the Biblical College - a small crowd has gathered and it turns out that a Thai Princess was on a Royal visit. We waited patiently with everyone else and there was a lot of fuss and cameras flashing. I was expecting a young beautiful, traditionally dressed woman but when she finally emerged I was surprised to find she was quite ordinary and could have been anyone's mother. Still I got some photo's for the album.

After Vientiane we plan 2 nights in Vang Vieng and a further 3-4 nights in Luang Prabang before we leave for Hanoi. Will keep you posted....VHS.

Dogster - Your trip sounds fascinating. I will be looking for hints/tips before we arrive in Kolkata in just over 3 weeks time. BTW - we booked Fairlawn for 2 nights.

Hi VHS: glad to see you're on the road and winging it as you go. Well done! It's already a great adventure and you've just got started.

Check this for some Kolkata clues:
http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...ru-kolkata.cfm

I think you know I'm about to go bush and out o E-mail - but by the time you're heading to Kolkata I reckon I'll be back on line. Intermittently, at least; like you guys. So let's leave the tips till then. Fairlawn is perfectly located; other guys will tell you about that, so it's a good starting point. As I think you can tell, I just love Kolkata. You'll meet Jimmy! Will Kolkata be your first stop in India? It's a perfect place to start.

I fly Jet BKK - Kolkata, they have some nifty fares right now.

www.jetairways.com

I'd love to give you Doggie's Tips For Kolkata right now - but they'll wait. You've got weeks of amazement between now and then. Check in when you can.

Sounds like a great trip, vhs, have fun! And thanks for the report.

Interested to hear there's (now?) a bus into Vientiane, I did it by tuk-tuk. Are you going north up the river after LP? If you're staying more at the budget end, I can recommend the Sayo in LP.

Thanks for checking in with us! I look forward to more about your time in Laos.

Hi again - this time from Vietnam. Well where do I start??

We took a regualr bus to Vang Vieng - not the most comfortable but OK - about 3 hours'ish.

Vang Vieng - well we had read the guide books but it was fascinating to see the youth of today and what they get up to away from home. Basically this town is very chilled and the surronding area is extremely beautiful, especially the small mountain backdrop to the river. There's stuff to do - kayaking, tubing, caving, cycling etc - we planned to go tubing the day after we arrived. The town is itself is just full of bars broadcasting re-runs of Friends and Simpsons all day and night (just as the guide books say).

We booked into a beautiful riverside resort for 2 nights that offered traditional (basic) huts on stilts for $15, $20 and $30 - we took the $30 one but were overall very disappointed. No breakfast included and they did not even make up the room on the following day. To make things worse, apart from being on constant mosquito alert, the back packing bars on the river were blaring out the loudest music I have ever heard until 1.30 am in the morning.

The next day we overslept and didm't feel up to going tubing. When we walked around the town to get some lunch it was a bit like a ghost town. My husband wondered where everyone was - in bed of course sleeping off the night before!!

The food was great and very cheap as I suppose the young backpackers are on real tight budgets which keeps the prices down. There's lots of building work going on, it is amazing why they would need even more bars and more guesthouses but tha's tourism for you. We were like the oldest swingers in town but I wouldn't have missed this place out.

Luang Prabang we took a VIP mini bus (not!!) - 15 burly westerners (including the driver) squashed into a mini bus made for tiny Laos people, everyones back packs tied on the top, no air con, the tyres were as bald as a coot and the suspension was non existence - I wondered if we would get there in one piece but of course we did. It's a 6 hour journey with just 1 pit stop but we chatted to the others along the way, not to mention the scenery - wow! The little villages are fascinating - many children looking after smaller children (on their backs) and working alongside their mothers and fathers.

Luang Prabang was another town we loved. More of a wider age group here - young and not so young alike - the older age group who obviously miss Vang Vieng out of their trip. This gives the town a more cosmopolitan feel and is perhaps more expensive than Vientiane and certainly Vang Vieng. Of course it's the Laos people themsleves that make it special - so friendly and helpful, you constantly hearing Sabai Dee - hello how are you. The daily night market 5pm - 10 pm is very pleasant strolling with lots of bargains to be had and the fresh food stalls give out the most scrumptious aromas. We found a very reasonable riverside hotel with rooms for $30 a night.

LP Highlights for us - waterfall, kayaking on the Mekong River, the delicious food and of course the people. Laos are still new to tourism and it shows as some of the finnesse is not there but that IMO is part of it's charm. I would highly recommend Laos and we will certainly come back as 8 nights is simply just not enough.

Next stop Hanoi and what a complete contrast!! but I will save that for another post.

8 1/2 weeks! We are all envious.

I want to go back to Laos as well for precisely the reasons you specify (although for some of us, the Vang Vieng days are long passed). Great to hear from you and we are looking forward to more.

Sounds like a great trip so far! Good info. Thanks so much for writing. I can't wait to read more!!!

Hanoi!

A complete contrast to laid back, relaxed Laos - in every way. The weather was cold and it rained intermittently, the noise from tooting bikes was constant and the place was non stop activity. Despite negative comments from other travellers we loved it, although a short visit is probably enough for anyone. We stayed 3 nights and a further overnight in Halong Bay.

We saw the water puppets - different but very clever and we got lost several times in our persuit to discover the Old Quarter.

We arrived fairly late in the afternoon and as it started to grow dark we booked into the Classic Street Hotel on Hang Be in the Old Quarter ($30 per night) amd listed in Lonely Planet - big mistake! The room was dark and damp, the bed was also damp, I presumed from the humidity and although there was a window, there was also a big metal plate covering the window from the outside - the room had clearly not seen daylight in years.

The breakfast was equally poor and consequently we were out of there like a shot the next morning. We checked into the Hanoi Elegance on Hang Bac - the roomas and staff were very nice and each room has it's own PC and free internet comnection - recommended.

Halong Bay was good, we did some kayaking and then stayed overnight on in a bamboo hut on a desert island (opposite Cat Ba)- very Robinson Crusoe'ish and cold!

Electric blankets were provided which just about managed to keep us warm during the night, we slept in most of our clothes too.

The next day we visited a military hospital, in a cave - fascinating, followed by a 14 km bike ride which nearly killed me!!

Finally, lunch was provided in a restaurant and accompanied by karaoke - bizarre but when in Rome......

Back in Hanoi the daily political messages continued to be broadcast over the street tanoids, the patriotic red flags were flying everywhere and we were sad to leave it all behind.

Next stop Hoi An.....