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10 Adventures in 10 Days with Stray Asia: Luang Prabang (awesome!)

Luang Prabang is an awesome little place where you could happily hop off the bus, and stay for a week or more. We had just two nights and in hindsight I wish I had stayed here (and also the next stop, Vang Vieng) a few days longer. At least this stop included one whole day for activities, as half days in places are tricky and make you feel rushed. Those choosing Stray to travel around South East Asia (with more time than me!) could easily 'hop off' the bus at places like this, and simply get onto the next bus which is normally just a few days away. That’s the beauty of the Stray service.

We started out by driving to probably the best known tourist site at Luang Prabang, the Kuang Si waterfall. Others on the Stray crew at this point opted to go to a rice paddy and learn about the 14 steps of making rice instead. They told me they ate all sorts of different variants and also drank rice wine and said it was interesting seeing how much work went into generating a small amount of rice. Now back to the waterfalls, I am a bit funny when it comes to travelling: I really like having experiences that are 'just mine' and are not too commercial or busy. Although I am a traveller myself in this country, I hate being around too many travellers. Go figure. Anyway on arrival to the Kuang Si carpark (about 45min by tuk tuk which is a very enjoyable drive through beautiful scenery) I saw dozens of tour vans lined up.. this immediately put me off paying to go in, and so I instead of visiting with the rest of the crew I opted to run the 25km back to town! I had never intended to run the whole way, but to get picked up by my returning crew an hour or so later. Unfortunately for me the 1.5 hours the driver estimated to return became more like 2.5, by which time I had run around 16km in the burning heat, wearing just sandals (not the most supportive running shoe) and was half dead. Even shirtless and in lightweight Macpac shorts, I was absolutely drenched in sweat and really puffing. By the time the guys picked me up I had blisters on my feet that would stay with me about a week, and the straps of my pack had rubbed my skin raw on my shoulders and hips. Nevertheless (I’m not looking for a medal, this is just a blog!) It was great getting some excercise which you do tend to miss out on a wee bit when travelling around a lot, and the run through the countryside and little villages was awesome. A highight was running stealthily through a heard of wilderbeast or whatever they were. I desperately racked my brain to remember if I had seen any National Geographic shows outlining if they are dangerous when disturbed or not, as they had huge horns. In the end it was fine. That evening after a long shower we went to the 'Aussie Bar' near our guest house, which had a lot of familiar foods from home like steak and chips, pies, burgers and bangers & mash. I spent a solid 15 minutes trying to explain to the local waitress that what I really wanted was the chicken (from the chicken parmigiana) added to the garden salad - to make a chicken salad. This was all just too much but thankfully in the end my Stray guide came to my rescue and luckily, I didn't end up with two meals as sometimes happens when you try mess with the system! Again, it amazes me the level of English here even though it is by far the most commonly used language amongst travellers. My guides inform me they learn English all the way through school (in Laos he was referring to, not Thailand) but I have seen almost no evidence of this at most of the tourist attractions or eateries I have visited.. where you might expect at least some understanding of the basics. Tourism is pretty new through Laos I guess, and that culture of service you get in some other countries (staff wanting to really please the travellers etc so they come back or tell their friends) isn't really there yet. It's OK though, it is quite fun trying to get messages across using sign language, and anyway who am I to complain - I don't know a single word of their language either, and it is their country not mine.

The football was on the big screens in the Aussie Bar which kept the European members of our crew happy, but for me it had been a big few days that had culminated in this giant run only an hour earlier, and I hit the sack to regroup.

The next day in Luang Prabang was huge, and cycling as a group around this world heritage city was possibly the highlight of my 10 Adventures in 10 Days (certainly near the front anyway, but the trip isn't finished yet). The way the booking of non-tour activities (i.e those not included in your Stray pass) works by the way is that your Stray tour guide generally makes some suggestions for what to do the day prior maybe on the bus or boat or however you are travelling. Sometimes more than a day ahead if it is likely to be busy. At this time of year it is low season, and so there was never any issues with over booking. Actually if anything it was more a case of some activities not being in operation at all, or not running due to low numbers. Your tour leader brings out a book called 'the tour bible' that lists the options in an upcoming city, along with their price and how long they take and minimum numbers etc. It is all nicely organised for you and the guides have generally done most activities personally, or at least have feedback from past guests about how good they are so can make suggestions. Several of us had decided on cycling, and were upgraded from a half day to whole day for the same cost which was nice. This was because we had to use a different supplier as the usual one had folded or wasn’t open or something. We started off the day by meeting our cycling tour leader at the accommodation then boarded his tuk tuk to the shop. He sized us up for bikes (entry level mountain bikes but worked OK) and then we headed out of the city. I think on this tour, it should be noted that 65km is a really long way if you aren't cycling fit! Also the guide didn't have spare tubes or any tools which I found odd considering the rough terrain, and unsurprisingly we had two punctures resulting in someone from head office having to drive to our destination with a spare! Not the smartest.

The ride was a real highlight for me, and we went to some markets and a temple, checked out a silk weaving factory and also a paper-making shop. It is really interesting seeing village life, and watching the women work is quite mesmerising. Would a Kiwi girl be willing put her hands in glue for 8 hours a day making paper mâché? Me thinks not.

Towards the end all of us were breathing pretty heavy and sweating profusely and in some serious pain in the nether-regions.. again I must warn, a full day (65km) shouldn't be attempted by people without what I would call a moderate to strong fitness level. I was totally knackered, and would consider myself pretty fit. The heat is the hardest bit because it just saps your strength and you really can't drink enough water. I had my water bladder in my Macpac day pack (useful for carrying the gifts I purchased and also wallet etc) and drained the whole 3 litres by half way through, as well as several bottles that were complimentary. If you have read my last few blogs you will understand I hate drinking from plastic bottles and therefore adding to the waste situation here, but when it comes down to getting a nasty gastro bug from drinking the local water that could ruin your whole trip vs. adding a couple of extra bottles to the already huge pile here.. well.. sorry. I'll donate to a 'clean up Thailand' fund or something.

Once cleaned up and after an essential power-nap a few of us 'hit the town'. Luang Prabang has a vibrant nightlife and there are many great places to check out, some of which are quite unique. Jon, the Dutchies our guide and I went to a place just up the road called the Garden Bar (name lost.. but you will find it easy enough by saying garden bar) which as the name suggests is a bar, inside a garden. On this night it was bucketing down with rain so we had to sit under cover, but this was a really cool place to eat and drink surrounded by vegetation. We opted for a self-cook-bbq meal which is where a hot plate comes out that is placed over some burning coals. You order the type and volume of meat and vege that you want, then cook it collectively and eat until you are full. This is a really social and engaging way to share a meal and I thought it was a great idea. The thought of tripping over and landing hands (or face..) first into the burning coals in the middle of your table is probably best avoided. I doubt this format of cooking would pass the OSH tests in New Zealand, but hey that's the whole idea in South East Asia: you do things you would not normally have the chance to.

Next we went to 'the' bar in Luang Prabang called Utopia. Every traveller has heard of it within an hour or two of arriving. It is an awesome indoor/outdoor type place where they do yoga during the day, and party-party during the night. You are seated amongst an oasis of trees in groups, or you can play pool or hang around a lake of sorts. Utopia was a pretty cool experience, but after Jon and I had trialled the WHOLE cocktail menu (two for 20k kip) at the last place it is a bit blurry. Next, what everyone does (due to a lock-out around 11pm in the township) is to board a tuk-tuk and drive to a bowling alley out of town. Weird I know, but it was actually really fun as literally everyone who wants to drink later than this in Luang Prabang makes a beeline for this place so it has a real party atmosphere. I have no idea what my bowling was like but recall a few slips on the polished floors and haggling with our driver over the price to get home. It was quite expensive to get out there (maybe 500,000 kip) but between a few of you it is not so bad and normally the drivers will negotiate. Traveller tip: ALWAYS agree a price before getting aboard a tuk-tuk or taxi: not doing so is like giving them an open cheque to charge what they want, and you could get stung. These drivers are negotiating day in/day out and know all the tricks to get cash out of unsuspecting tourists (such as taking me on a half hour drive to get to the Stray office from my hostel in Bangkok, which I later learned was a 2 minute walk). Be warned.

We had to leave early the next day, and thankfully Brad our Stray guide woke Jon and I up from our respective comas, as otherwise we could have missed the bus. Needless to say, the drive from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng was missed as we slept off those cocktails from the night prior.

In summary Luang Prabang is a fantastic place for those wanting adventures, culture, shopping, eating or relaxing. Because it is protected the site will always look this way and can not be built over etc, which is great news as it is really clean and beautiful.

Next stop as I do 10 Adventures in 10 Days through South East Asia with Stray, is Vang Vieng - adventure capital of Laos.

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10 Adventures in 10 days with Stray Asia: Laos, Long Boats, and Village Stay

On our last day in Chiang Mai we are met by a new Stray Crew at Deejas Backpackers which consists of several Brits, a Canadian, and two girls from the Netherlands. We also meet our new guide Brad from the UK who loads us into the two Stray buses (no easy task after the night prior farewelling Chiang Mai!), and we head out of town towards a tourist spot called Wat Wrong Kun. Now, this place is weird (see my video on FB) but I guess my video needs some explanation. Basically this is a very modern temple, nothing like the amazing old ones we had seen in Chiang Mai or Chiang Dau, and it is all white.. some kind of statement that's for sure, but exact information about it is hard to interpret. Inside ('no foto, no foto!') the walls are decorated in murals of everything which is 'wrong' with the world.. things like the internet (ah?) fighter jets, Michael Jackson, Star Wars and other mostly Western icons of music, sports and entertainment. A very strange place, and frankly I would have been happy enough just reading about this one. Apparently a profilic Thai artist was born at the site of the original temple, and then once he became wealthy from his art he came home and built this huge temple of doom here. There is a cardboard cutout of him waving at every person entering. There is talk of him buying more neighbouring land and expanding this monstrosity..  neat. The upside of this stop is there was pretty good food at the adjacent rest stop and nice clean toilets (1b), and we were all pretty hungry at this point. Traveller tip: Make sure to pack your shades, because this temple is BRIGHT in the sun as it gleams off thee white or mirrored exterior.

Laos Border:

After this experience we head off towards the Thailand border with our local guides at the wheel. We learn lots of interesting things from Brad in particular about Laos and the Mekong River and the history of this very poor country. We cross the border without any drama: the way it works is you arrive on the Thai side and show your passport and arrival documentation. Then get onto a quick bus which drives you across a grand sort of canal. On this side (Laos side) you pay your $30US (in the case of Kiwis. More for some other countries) to gain entry into Laos. Here we are met by two tuk tuk type things (slightly bigger than the small ones in Chiang Mai but still sounding like two stroke engines) and our bags are lugged onto the top of the roof racks. The change in scenery is immediate once out of Thailand and into Laos: like driving into another world. Within a mile or two of the border you are basically on dirt roads driving past rice paddies, and it feels like you are really in the countryside straight away. The funny thing here is that the Tuk Tuk taxi broke down on the way to the accommodation! We were expertly transferred from one tuktuk to another that came along a few moments later, which makes me wonder if this happens often? Certainly seemed pretty effortless. The accommodation is nice with good fast (free) WIFI. There are some signs of other tourists in the area but it is low season, and it does feel like you are really off the beaten track now. A motorcycle is parked outside which makes me instantly envious as I love the the idea of riding across this huge country on a bike. The Australian owner tells me he has been riding since October, and worn through three back tires already.

Our first stay in Laos is comfortable. The inn is friendly and cosy though the fan was noisy in the room and so I had a terrible sleep. Unfortuntely if you want quiet sleeps like me, you need ear plugs. Between the roosters, other guests, staff, cars and aircon - sleeping in Thailand and Laos is not easy.

Note, this was the first time we have the option of double rooms (two beds to a room) and it is a nice change from the 4+ person dorms in Deejays. We arrive some time in the early evening and dump our bags and chill out. I use this time to do some writing in the fast internet that is available free (which is great). I’m told there won’t be much more internet for a while but as it turns out, there actually is internet in most places you stay: the issue is having any time to use it! You often start the day at 8am (picked up for your activity) return for a shower at 6pm, then head out to nightmarkets or whatever night activity you have planned.. not much internet time for someone like me trying to keep the Got To Get Out page updated!

Our first dinner is a short walk down the road down next to the Mekong River. The river attracts mossies by the million so ensure you have some good repellant. I had (past tense) very good 40deep repellant from Macpac ($17) but put it in someones bag during a day trip in Chiang Mai, and now it's gone. Typical. At least it's not my wallet. We have a good chat to our local guide over dinner who is actually Chao's younger brother (or cousin, didn't quite figure it out) who had been our guide from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.  He told us about life as a guide and how he really wants us to correct his English if we can't understand it. He said he is working hard on his Engish and wants to improve it which I respect, because in the vast majority of places (including popular tourist spots) the staff or locals just speak NO English, and don't attempt to try. This makes it really tricky to explain to a driver where you want to go, or to make even the simplest change to your meal. For instance, asking for "chicken no rice" or "eggs no bread" is near impossible. Custom food orders are a roll the dice scenario as to what you will end up with and the cause of endless frustration. Traveller tip: don't try and be carb free in South East Asia.

The 'new Stray crew' and original crew who had been together from Bangkok get to know each other during this dinner which was nice. Some of the guys had another beer, but I was dead tired from late nights and long days so went up to the hostel to get some sleep. One of the good things about the Stray hop on / hop off model is that you meet new people in different places as they get on and off. On this, It isn't really right to call travellers ‘old crew or new crew’ to be fair, but that's kind of how it feels at the time. Actually many of the travellers that joined us in Chiang Mai had been in South East Asia far longer than me. But it does feel a bit like there are 'newbies' coming on board a bus when a small group has been together for several days. Kind of fun actually, mixes things up. Nice awkwardness for a few hours as people figure each other out.

The next day I got out for a run which was good, as I had been cooped up since the caving two days earlier. The 30 minute run before breakfast (7am, groan) was enough to get my blood pumping and gave me a chance to see a nice monastery and a bit of the small Laos town we were in (name lost.. will try and track it down). It's important to keep exercising when travelling: it might sound cliche or OTT but there is every risk of putting on pounds when travelling, even despite the constant sweating you will do in the immense heat and humidity! On this note, if you are travelling through here try not to drink the bottled water.. I am not the world’s biggest tree hugger by any means, but seriously, it doesn't take a Greenpeace activist to figure out if you drink 4 plastic bottles of water a day, then you are creating immense waste on the already strained system. I have a 3L drinking bladder inside my Macpac bag that I carry everywhere, and I was able to fill from water purifiers in most of the hotels and this would last at least a day. On the rare occasions I had to drink from plastic throw-away bottles I felt bad, but it was out of desperation.

Ok next was a small meal of omelette and coffee, then we re-boarded our tuk tuk taxis and headed off to the river and met our long boat crew. This was just a short trip, no break downs luckily.

Long Boat on the Mekong River:

The long boat is basically (as the name suggests) a long, narrow boat that is lined with dozens of seats. The seats appear to have come out of the back of Toyota vans and are quite comfortable, not to mention reclinable, which is good if you want a bit of a nap. We have almost no correspondence with the skipper at the start (or at all) on this trip. The first mate and catering lady (presumably all part of the same family) speak no English at all and apparently live aboard the boat, though where I could not tell you. All interaction happens via our local guide who communicates requests for food or drinks etc. On board we have a full time selection of bananas, water and coffee free of charge for the whole two days which is quite good. Travel tip: There are zero healthy options on board (like musli bars, nuts etc) so pack some snacks from land if you like to eat between meals! The meals (2 x lunches in our case) were excellent Thai food: rice with a range of chicken dishes and some noodles and vegetables and soups, including vegetarian options. This boat food was by far the most filling meal I have had in the past week and I go back for three helpings!

The long boat chugs away down the Meekong River, which I must say is filthy brown and full of every kind of floating debris you could imagine. We saw bottles, logs, and even dead upside down pigs floating along, sort of like inflated dish-wash gloves with legs sticking out and stomach bulging as if someone had blown it up like a balloon. Swimming? Yeah, Nah.

The 5 hour journey is really refreshing after the relative stress of getting from A to B in the previous few days and there is lots of sleeping, reading, and in my case writing going on. Being on the long boat is one of my first chances to sit down read my Bear Grylls book - Ghost Flight- and have a nap. This is a really good read if you need some holiday entertainment! This part of the trip is one of my highlights to date for sure and apart from the feeling of my waistline expanding from lack of physical activity, I am very relaxed for the first time.

Village visit: Ban Pak Nguey:

Our next port of call is a tiny remote village called Ban Pak Nguey in Laos, with a population of around 500. The village visit (known as a home stay) is something of a speciality of Stray Asia, and they work hard to share the visits around different families so the money is shared with the whole village rather than one house who would then get disproportionately wealthy. I gather from our guide that Stray has not been coming to this village for long, there was another one previously. We initially walk through the streets and the locals view us with a vague air of interest, but mostly just get on with their jobs at hand such as preparing food, sewing, cleaning (extremely tidy people!) or building. There appears to be some expansion in this town as throughout the day and long into the evening you can hear hammers and nail and saws doing their thing.

We check out the Buddhist temple (have seen so many now, hard to keep track) and it is quite nicely decorated as far as these temples go. We have the option of giving a little prayer here. The town is a bit of a labyrinth of unnamed streets and paths, and we get lost a few times as we try to circumnavigate the village.. meanwhile it is about 40 degrees now so pretty hot work! We end up down by the river at one point which is impassable, and come to a few dead ends in peoples’ back yards, much to their amusement. Like other parts of Thailand and Laos there are stray dogs everywhere, but the thing that gets me is they don't look like strays.. or at least don't look like they started lives as strays. I have seen what appear to be pure bred poodles, golden retrievers, corgis and fox terriers. How did they end up here on the streets? Left behind by expats? It is quite odd seeing what appears to be filthy little pure bred chihuahuas yapping away at both locals and tourists as they try to scratch out some food from rubbish bins or play-fight each other. I have heard talk of dogs being eaten in this part of the world but haven't seen it on any menus yet. I'm told it is 'gamey, like rabbit'. I don't mind a bit of rabbit.

Our day in the village ($135k Lao Kip) is spent mostly hanging around a long table the villagers have laid out for us, with an abandoned billboard skin as a table cloth. Resourceful, and dare I say it the first sign of any kind of recyling I have seen. On this note, I am really kicking myself for not bringing water purifying tablets or (the new trend) a battery powered water purifying 'wand' with me from home, and you can't find these things anywhere. It seems South East Asia just loves bottles and they are dirt cheap at about 20b for a small bottle. I have not seen much in the way of rubbish dumps either, other than down the sides of banks or behind houses (or, the river if you count that) so where does all the waste go? And is anyone sorting it? I am hardly the world’s biggest greenie, but it doesn't sit well and I wish I had my water purifiers that had served me so well in Nepal. Doing Everest Base Camp in January this year I only purchased one bottle of water in the whole trip, and the sentiment of both guides and travellers in that country was that bottles were the devil and should be avoided. A far more advanced view than here.

Meanwhile, we are all absolutely baking in Bang Pak Ngou. The temperature must have been 35+ and the humidity around 100%. Everyone was bathed in sweat just from the short walk around the village and even more so after kicking a ball around with some young kids. We had expected many more kids to come and play with us, but were later informed that a death in a neighbouring village had resulted in many villagers being absent at the funeral.

The village stay for the above reason was probably a tiny bit underwhelming. I guess I pictured hordes of kids running around us like you see in the videos when Angelina comes into town. It wasn't like this, just two or three kids came to kick a ball around with us, and only half a dozen (at most) villagers were at the 'welcoming ceremony' in the evening which apparently is usually full.. but it is understandable if they were at a funeral. Even without a full contingent of locals It was interesting to see village life going on around us, and the little temple was nice. The food that was put on for us (lunch, dinner, breakfast) was good and the ceremony was very nice (though quite late at night and all of us were beat by this point). The villagers speak almost no English, so my fears of a really awkward/forced interaction around a dinner table etc did not eventuate.. in fact no talking could/did happen! The villagers were there more to serve us than to interact with us. Is this a real insight into village life? Probably not. But it is pretty hard to get a conversation going with someone who doesn't speak your language at the best of times and there was heaps of smiling and nodding as we tried to interact. They are really lovely, warm people - that much is clear.

We depart the village en route to some caves about 5 hours away down river. Again, I am amazed at the dirt in the river and also the speed that it flows. There are what appear to be whirlpools and rapids in strange places in the middle of this otherwise normal looking river, often with tonnes of plastic junk. I am told this is because the river is high during monsoon season, and the rapids are flowing over hidden rocks just beneath the surface. How the skipper navigates these is beyond me but we never hit anything more than some logs.. or was it a dead cow? There is all sorts of floatsam that hits the bottom of the boat and makes funny knocking noises that are a bit disconcerting. By the way, the toilet on board the long boat is a western (sit down) one which is a welcome change for everyone. Only the most seasoned travellers are truly comfortable with the whole no-paper / use-your-hand squatting method.. Travel tip: Google toilet etiquette before coming here.

Our Stray guides are helpful throughout the trip, arranging food, giving us little sound-bites about what we are seeing and where we are about to go.

Next blog, my two favourite places - Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, the adventure capitals of Laos.

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10 Adventures in 10 days: Motorbike to the Chiang Dao Caves

Possibly the best thing I have done on my trip so far was to rent a motorbike (Honda CBX500) and ride from Chiang May to Chiang Dao. Joy, my insta-friend from the day prior (see last blog) informs me there are some 'must see' caves about a two hour ride from Chiang Mai which I think she discovered on Instagram. So we load up the motorbike panniers with our water and gear, and hit the road by about 9am to beat the worst of the heat.

Motorbiking in Thailand is actually very easy, safe, and fun. I expected many near-death experiences at the hands of the thousands of crazy drivers and trucks that fill the roads, but actually (maybe because of the sheer volume of vehicles on the road and how accustomed they are to having bikes and scooters weaving through traffic) people are observant and I never once had a scare or even a near-miss. Actually, I feel far safer here than I do riding in Auckland.

We had a relatively simple ride ahead of us: get on the 128 (I think) highway towards Chiang Dao, then a left turn towards the caves. No problem.

The first annoying thing that happened was that not far out of the city we got pulled over at a 'police' check point. Joy recommended I just ride through, they would never catch us - but the guy dressed essentially in military fatigues all but stood in front of the bike, stopping my escape. This next experience, I am informed, is a common scam c/o the corrupt police in this part of the world. Basically they wanted to see my licence, which I promptly handed over. I said it was a motorbike licence but they said it needed to be a local licence or something. They spoke zero english, so one would assume they weren't able to read the fine-print on my New Zealand (international) drivers licence either which is a pain. It was 1000b fine for not having the 'local licence', which I managed to get down to $500 but not before the guy tried to pry some US dollars out of my wallet to sweeten the deal for himself. I wouldn't have minded paying some US$, but not that as well as the local currency. The guy was just trying to rip me off. Not letting this incident deter us, we rode off into the hot sun but with a cool breeze and put the matter out of mind. At the end of the day, the currency conversion in Thailand is so good that it didn't really cost me much in NZD. The ride to Chiang Dau was fun. The 500cc bike would only do around 100kph with two people on it, but that was more than enough, and faster than most other two wheeled vehicles sharing the road with us. Cars and trucks however hurtle down the fast lane at more like 120-130kph and the trick is to keep an eye on your side mirrors and look behind you regularly, especially if changing lanes as the big trucks can catch up on you fast.

Chiang Dao is well sign posted and we arrived to the caves around 12 noon. We had a lovely coffee at the friendly cafe, farewelled our friend Rob who had joined us on a 300cc Honda sports bike (he had a train to catch two hours later so just came for the ride) and we then proceeded to buy tickets to the caves (100b each). The caves here are basically a huge underground maze.. and are actually pretty cool. There was almost no-one at this attraction, which again ticks my box of getting off the beaten track. In places in the caves there is electric lighting which gives a dim light, almost like you would expect in a coal mine or similar, and the various statues and carvings sitting under these lights cast dramatic shadows. Heaps of photos at www.facebook.com/gottogetout 

A highlight of the cave, apparently, is the Sleeping Buddha. This statue is a section of rock at roughly shin height that has been carved almost to look like Buddah lying down. A little underwhelming truth be told but other parts of the cave system were awesome. The best bit was having a local 'volunteer' (100b) escort us through the caves with a gas lamp. The lamp smelt great, sort of old fashioned, and the light it gave off made for the sort of photo quality / colour that Instagram could only dream of.  Both Joy and I have rather large frames (at least, compared to our little guide) and at places it was really hard to squeeze through the gaps in the rock to get from one cave to the next. Tip, take a small day pack or leave your stuff locked in your car or bike. The caves have obviously been inhabited by humans for a long time, but were in good condition and there was no rubbish etc which was good to see. Some of the caverns were huge (30m high ceilings) and the stalagmites and other rock formations were very interesting. We couldn't learn much about the history of the caves as our guide spoke zero English, but we got the idea. It is a holy place.

Once out of the cave we had lunch next to a fantastic 'Tomb Raider' type pyramid / temple ruins. It was really sublime sitting there snacking on meat-on-a-stick that we had brought with us from the markets in Chiang Mai (long since give up caring about food hygiene and refrigeration.. if I'm not sick yet, I am probably OK). Two other Western visitors were doing some form of acrobatic yoga in front of the temple, which consisted of slow rhythmic movements, then occasional back flips! Quite bizarre, but this was the perfect moment for some zen and to just unwind after the hectic motorbike ride, and busy few days.

The ride back was equally fun, but after the awesome windy road to the caves I simply could not stick to the main highway to Chiang Mai the whole way back, and so took a very lucky detour. I went left off the main road towards the hills and after a few miles of awesome motorbike-friendly roads ended up a cute little store on the side of the road. The locals (mostly very old ladies, and a few toothless men) did not speak a word of English but we communicated through hand gestures and lots of laughter. I showed them my drivers licence and they found it fascinating. We snapped a few photos and Ieft them 100b. Nothing for me, but they were very grateful and bowed low waved lots as we sped off on the Honda to rejoin the main road. Getting off the beaten track like this, under your own steam, is really the best way to see South East Asia when not on your Stray Bus in my opinion. Getting on and off the bus in places you want to visit is actually quite novel in this part of the world and Stray has become quite famous for this style of travel. Other tours have fixed schedules, meaning you get on the bus and stay on it the whole journey - with the same people. I much prefer the idea of having structure when I want it (ie, transit between cities, and getting help from experts on crossing borders etc) but flexibility to do whatever I want in the places we visit. Getting on and off increases the chance of making new friends at each stop too.

After returning the bike at the very last minute (had I not done this in time I would not have been able to get my passport back from the company, and therefore would have held up the whole bus the next morning) we then had our tuk tuk driver Porsche drive some hostel-boys and myself around the city on a bit of a pub crawl. We stopped into several local places for cold beers before returning to the hostel to find a few more friends to join us.

We were joined by some fun Germans, and a Norwegan chap having his 20th birthday. I would like to think we gave him the best 20th ever! It started with the tuk tuk rides around the city, and eventually included live music, night markets, tequila shots, and then dancing at ‘Zoe in Yellow’ which is the big (only) dance venue in Chiang Mai. Zoe in Yellow is essentially a collection of bars in one big complex. Each club has a different musical flavour, so depending on what you are into there is something for everyone. Hip hop, dance, techno, live rock.. it was all there. It was quite cool at this point to be drinking out of 42 Below branded buckets as it reminded me of home (the brand, not drinking out of buckets), but I doubt very much they were actually pouring the premium NZ vodka! I think it was more likely some cheap knock off stuff. Anyway, they pour them really strong and before long everyone was dancing the night away. Needless to say, the next morning was a little groggy, but great memories had by all. 

The next day, back on the Stray Bus towards the Laos border and our village home stay.. standby for more!

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10 Adventures in 10 Days with Stray Asia: missing the bus in Chiang Mai (silver lining)

I have finally had a break in my awesome trip around South East Asia on the Stray Asia bus, so am ripping into some blogs. 

When I was caving in Chiang Mai last week I made friends with two climbers from the UK (both living in Hanoi) who were open to having me tag along. This is quite a big deal in climbing circles, they typically don’t really want rookies along as it is a liability and slows experienced climbers down.

I am dead keen to get more into climbing and this sounded excellent to learn from some pros (and to avoid paying full price with the tour company, of around 4000b). Unfortunately, as with my last blog, my taxi could not find the destination in time and so the bus left without me! Serves me right I suppose, but heck, 9 minutes is a bit mean when they knew I was coming.

Ironically missing climbing was actually not a bad thing, as my hands and feet were ripped up from the day prior on the indoor climbing wall (500b for the day, really good value) and to be honest I wanted a day to myself. More to the point, as they say, with every cloud there is a silver lining and in my case it came in the form of an American named Joy. 

We met in the cafe I was sitting in (not far from the Thailand Climbing headquarters) and got chatting straight away. She is a crossfit instructor who essentially lives to travel.. she coaches lifting and training in various destinations and has been to something like 50 different countries already. We decided to make the most of the day we had at our disposal (her, a day off work. Me, no climbing c/o missing the bus) and so hopped aboard her scooter and went cruising around Chang Mai. Tip: for first time visitors to this city arriving on the Stray Asia bus or by any other means, getting a scooter is a great way to see the city. It DOES require some riding experience though, and certainly nerves of steel..

Joy shared some great travel hacks with me including dispelling the myth about Thai food being risky for your belly (her opinion: if everyone is eating it and no-one seems to be getting sick, it is probably ok!). After three months living here she had really sorted out her directions which was lucky for me, as I was totally disoriented. After cruising around some markets trying things like sticky rice with ice cream, Thai sausage, and meat-on-a-stick (we both like high protein / low fat options so she showed me how that is possible without getting sick) we decided to check out a place called the Chiang Mai Grand Canyon she had seen trending on Instagram. Next tip: you can find out about a lot of ‘off the beaten track’ adventures by searching Instagram.

Now this was a totally awesome thing to do and I cannot recommend it enough! You wont yet find it on many tourist books or brochures as it is relatively new and has only just been ‘commercialised’ after being a secret spot for locals for a long time. Getting there was approximately an hour out of the city by scooter (note, scooters are only about 120b per day) but you could also tax a taxi or possibly a bus for about the same price. The ride itself was part of the attraction: sitting on the back of this little scooter, loaded up with my Macpac alpine hiking pack full of things like waterproof overtrousers and head torches (both of which = totally useless in Thailand) was heaps of fun. The warm wind is cooling to your skin as you ride along, and many of the locals smile and wave. We took a couple of wrong turns but eventually made it to this so called Grand Canyon and were both amazed by what we had found.

The canyon (50b entry, including a free cup of tea of coffee) was apparently a quarry at some point, and is now filled with beautiful blue water that appears clean and sparkling. I uploaded some photos to Facebook. Huge white stone cliffs tower high above the water, so depending on your appetite for adventure you can either take a walking track down to the waters edge for a leisurely swim, or jump straight in from either the low or high cliffs. We were feeling hot and a bit burned after half a day in the sun, so dumped our gear and promptly jumped from the 30m cliff. This is the 'low' level but is still higher than anything I have ever jumped off in NZ. The water is super deep so there was no chance of hitting the bottom, at least I don't think so.. we did hear rumours of someone dying here not long ago. We swam around a bit and met some nice people (everyone here is chatty and friendly). A French guy with a Thai girlfriend joined us on the floating bamboo platform that was conveniently placed in the middle of our giant swimming pool.

We watched a few brave lads jump from the 50m clifftop and I gathered the courage to do it too, with a new friend named Rob from the Netherlands. We were going to jump together (two Robs) but even after several people counted me down, I chickened out and so he went alone. It was darned high.. and the thought of hitting the bottom or slipping and not clearing the small lip at the bottom of the cliff worried me. In the end I did it and the free fall felt like forever! I have not been skydiving and frankly am not that keen on the idea, but perhaps there is some similarity. It was about 2-3 seconds in the air and then you hit the water with a huge splash. I made a rookie error which was to have my arms out flapping like a bird, and when I hit the water it apparently made a giant slapping noise as my outstretched arms got a spanking.

The rest of the day involved hours of chatting, then the inevitable beers and nightmarket that followed. The crew were at the hostel already warming up when I got back and we ended up having a nice dinner, but then I called it in early as I was beat.

The lesson here, is that good things can happen as long as you have a postiive attitide and are willing to go with the flow. Joy and I may never see each other again, but we both have amazing memories of a fun 48 hours spent in Chiang Mai, an experience I would never have had if I had caught the bus to caving.

The next blog will cover off an awesome motorbike ride I did to Chiang Dau, as I spend a few days off my Stray Bus exploring Chiang Mai!

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10 Adventures in 10 days: Caving in Chiang Mai

Caving was awesome! $3900b and I spent the day with a fun crew learning all about knots and harnesses and ropes and different types of rock formations. It was awesome to get into this huge cave (30m deep) and experience an underground labyrinth of tunnels and huge caverns. The guide was knowledgable on a range of matters, many of which were unfortunately lost on us due to the language barrier. My hands are aching from climbing the ropes and mostly from the indoor rock climbing I had done the day prior.

We drove to our destination in an open-sided taxi which was fun, and met some pros at the same time (you can book a trip with guides and gear, or if you have your own gear just use the company as a shuttle service). I had good intentions to join them the next day and even paid for everything(!) but I got delayed in the morning and missed the shuttle to the mountains by a matter of minutes. Serves me right. The shop begrudgingly offered to drive me to to the meeting point but I decided i didn't want to slow down the whole group so instead got a refund and have pulled up into a cafe to have super strong coffee and do some writing. My feet and hands are aching anyway so there's no point pushing too hard.. this is meant to be a holiday!

Last night I was persuaded to go to a 'ladyboy' show with my Stray Travel roomies, which was a heck of an experience.. Not something I am normally in to. But my overarching experience was that these drag queens or whatever you refer to them as, are blimmen hard working and very talented. What a life it must be to treated as an exhibition all day every day and to have to put on layers of makeup and wear outrageous costumes and have drunk Western tourists pointing and laughing. Speaking of makeup, in one show the dancer transforms from full-blown female to a male by changing clothing, taking off the wig and actually wiping his/her makeup off throughout the segment. The crowd loved it, and I thought the messaging was significantly deeper than just a 20b side-show! Pretty metaphorical stuff. Yikes.

My night ended by hearing a band playing literally all my favourite grunge hits from the 90s and early 00's. The 19 year olds I am travelling with had no idea who Pearl Jam, Rage Against Machine or Green Day were but for me it was bliss. Apart from the ever so slight Asi-an accent on the lyrics, the covers were superb / bang on and before long I was up 'moshing' to Killing In The Name Of much to the disgust of my companions who made dad jokes and said I was very embarrassing. I guess this is growing up.

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Presently touring through Chiang Mai, South East Asia and came across these amazing ruins from a bygone era. Thailand is a pretty awesome place to visit and you can do so on a shoe string! I am on a Stray Asia bus, meaning I can hop on / hop off where ever I wish, on the route. More info at www.straytravel.asia 

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Day 2: Bangkok and Ayutthaya with Stray Asia

I arrived to my room late last night by a young chap who really didn't have much to say! He collected me from the airport then we drove in silence (including radio) in a very modern car, down a very modern motorway, past the biggest billboards I have ever seen! Quite an unexpected start to the trip.

I got dropped off to the Bhiman Inn, not far frtom the Chao Phraya River. I promotly dump my gear into my room, then set off to see some of the nearby sites (without getting to far away so as to not find my way home!). 

It is my first time in this part of the world and apart from a rudimentary tourist map I have absolutely no bearings as to where I am in relation to my hotel, so I stick to making left hand turns so as to end up back eventually, one way or another. I stroll through what is clearly the tourist area and am immediately taken back to Tamel in Kathmandu. I wonder what condition it must be in after the earthquakes? There are street vendors, cheap trinkets, and I suppose famous-in-Thailand made to measure suits. Swap the suits for silk pasmiras and beads and you could easily be in any street of Nepal. The big difference between Nepal and Thailand, in my view (having been here for all of 12 hours by this point) is that it feels less chaotic. The street vendors didn't push quite as hard, there wasn't 100 taxi cabs driving at break neck speed amongst the pedestrians, and the streets are at least paved.

I walk down past the bars and cafes and am surprised by the quiet vibe in the air.. I am informed it is 'off season' and thats is why not many people are around. I also learn it is a public holiday, meaning no drinking! It feels safe, and non pressured. Touists (mostly european looking, perhaps from the US and Australia predominantly based on accents I pickup) are in loose fitting singlets, sarongs, shorts and thongs/jandels. I look a spot out f place in my jeans, hiking bookts and marino jersey..  I can be forgiven hopefully, asa I have just arrived from NZ winter!

I retire to my comfortable enough room (single bed, clean, fridge, noisy air conditioning) and have a broken sticky sleep, waking several times for water and eventually giving up around 5am.

Stray Asia shop:

My first experience of the Stray Crew is one of fun! The team are friendly and welcoming, and the store is bright and light. I mistakingly got a cab to the store, which cost 100b when it should have cost about 10.. I need to figure the pricing out asap! They had a good laugh, which would become a recurring theme as I aim to lose practically every important item I have with me during this trip.

We get shown where we are going on a big map, meet one-another (2 x Brit, 1 x Norwegian, and me). I am the oldie on board, but not by too much. On the comfortable bus we have more of a chat with our guide Chao who gave us lots of useful info. He used to be an adventure guide so I am really excited about the possibilities here in regards to hiking, rock climbing, rafting and kayaking. I want to ensure that the long stretches aboard this bus or other vehicles are offset with some physical excursion! He informs me that guides are different to drivers.. he laughs and says “you don’t want a driver looking over his shoulder talking to the guests all the time!”. True that.

Our first point of call is to be the world heritage site Ayutthaya which I am informed has some incredible ruins and things to see. Then we will board our overnight train towards Chaing mai.

Overall so far the experience is fun and Thailand reminds me of the Pacific Islands in many respects. Built up towns when on the mainland, and more untouched nature the further out you go. The people are surprising I must admit: their grasp of English is really poor even in the tourist operations, and even basic requests of store staff (where can I get water purifyers? where can I buy a universal wall socket for my power plug?) fall on deaf ears with blank expressions. I have made a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes on this trip so far, one is to not bring a probiotic (which worked amazingly well to keep my tummy happy in Nepal, when almost all the rest of my group got a bug of some sort) and secondly to rely on buying water purification tablets here instead of bringing them. I really object to buying bottled water every day and think the bottles are doing real harm to the environment.. alas, if it's the environment vs. me on a toilet for a fortnight, I think I know what i have to do. Finding these two things has proven to be very difficult.

Ayutthaya:

Ayutthaya is quite an amazing place, about 1.5 hours drive from Bangkok in our Stray bus. It was once the capital of Thailand until it was sacked at some point around the 1700's. In the 1950's it was rediscovered and in the 1990s it was made a world heritage site and sort of rebuilt into the condition it is now in. I have uploaded tonnes of photos to the Got To Get Out facebook page. The whole township is dotted with remnants of the past, and you certainly get an idea of the magnificence of the place even by what is left behind. The ruins appear to be left mostly as they were found, though in places you can see they have reconstructed parts to give the impression of the scale and shape of some of the pillars and monuments. The most impressive of all is the giant golden Buddah sitting inside a huge restored temple, with tapestries and golden relics surrounding it. Quite an impressive site.

My small group of four opted to do our tour on foot rather than the myriad other paid options available to us, such as tuk-tuk, taxi, motorbike, elephant or rented bicycle.  This was great excercise and also meant you really experienced the city - although we all came away with a sunburn afterwards and were very ready for our beer at the Good Luck tavern where we were were based for the day. We didn't actually stay the night here, but our bags lived in the lobby all day and we ate there and were even invited to shower. Prices are cheap in places like this, 50b for a limitless hot shower, 20b to charge your phone, and 80b for a large ice cold beer. Perfect!

Overnight Train to Chang Mai:

Our next adventure was to board the overnight train to Chang Mai. This involved a large group of tourists (hundreds) boarding simultaneously and rapidly stowing their gear into the under-bed lockers before getting straight into your bunk. Not a lot of conversing went on as I had expected (there's always one lot of hyped up young people yahooing or playing cards into the night?) but not on this trip - it was lights out as soon as everyone hit the bunk, and no-one stirred for the next 13 hours. Except me, because my body clock still told me 3am was 8am NZ time! This only slightly disappointing bit of the train ride was that there were all sorts of travellers onboard I would loved to have met, but this was near impossible save for an impromptu hushed chat outside the toilet as everyone was put into their own little bed with the curtains pulled.

Toilets by the way, are pretty terrible on this train.. be prepared for a squat, with no paper supplied, on a bumping rolling train! No easy task for number twos. Number ones for a guy = easy.   The trip was uneventful. I should have brought more food with me would be my only comment. The travel hack here is to leave your own carriage and sit in the food carriage for breakfast. I was surprised that most people say in their bunk the whole trip and so the food carriage is mostly empty, comfortable, and has big windows so you can see where you are and even watch the sun coming up (if you are up early like me). 

Chang Mai:

My next blog (when written!) will cover my exciting experiences in Chang Mai, inluding an amazing half day hike, a fun hostel, great food, and then partying with a range of awesome foreigners!

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First days in South East Asia, with Stray Travel

It is such a relief to have been able to finish work (my real job, the one that pays for me to travel the world!) on Friday afternoon. I had been manic with running a major event and was working long hours right up until the last minute I walked out the door. Almost like a weight taken off my shoulders, I was able to change focus after my last meeting was over, and start prepping for my trip - about 12 hours before i departed! (kids, don't try that at home..) After all my trips, there isn't THAT much to arrange anymore other than to lay out my gear and ensure I have the right kit. For a trip like this one where I intend to be hiking and walking as much as possible checking out the sites, I pack lots of lightweight breathable fabrics, good walking boots / shoes, all loaded into a 40L Macpac day pack and bigger 60L travel bag. Travellers are also meant to get a range of injections before leaving, but I got most of them (like Typhoid, Malaria, HepA and B etc) earlier in the year when visiting Nepal, and by the time I asked the doc about it I was too late anyway. Travellers note, y ou need about 2 weeks ahead of most injections!

First thing Friday (day of departure) I start the day by heading to Macpac to get the few bits of extra gear i need. I had researched that both countries are hot at this time of year (average 30 degrees), and wet. So i wanted to have light clothing that was quick-dry, breathable, and would keep the mosquitos away. The team at Macpac newmarket were helpful as usual and I left with a long sleeved shirt, pants, a new hat, and also some mosquito repellant that is suitable for the conditions. 

I was starting to run behind schedule by this point as I battled Friday morning Auckland traffic to get across town to the Stray Asia headquarters, where I was to meet with Marketing Manager Antonia. She is an expert on the South East Asia region and has travelled extensively through Laos and Thailand where I am heading. Antonia gave me some great tips and advise about the areas I was visiting and I really appreciated her first hand experience and recommendations. She made the point that some of the best missions around South East Asia need a little more time than I was able to take off work, and to get really off the beaten track means less tourists and commercialisation. Never mind, I will get a good taste of the adventure and can always come back again.

I mentioned that my goal is to do as many action-based activities as possible. Whilst cultural immersion, cuisine and heritage spots are of interest, what I really want to be doing is hiking, mountainbiking, rafting, kayaking and climbing. I got some good tips on what to do to satisfy my thirst for adventure then left (quickly!) on my way to the airport.

One travel tip I would give anyone interested in doing international (or domestic for that matter) air travel the 'easy way' is to work hard to build up your airpoints, and to stay loyal to a network when you travel. In my case I have worked hard and consistently to earn air points and status points with the Air New Zealand Airpoints program and I recently clicked over from SIlver to Gold. Gold has a tonne of benefits and one of them is priority queuing andboarding, so despite arriving to the airport in just the nick of time (and with a rather large queue ahead of me in line) I was able to jump straight to the front, then relax over a salad before boarding.

I am flying Thai Airways to Bangkok on this trip, which is a Star Alliance member. This is an example of where your Air New Zealand membership still works and gets you benefits on another airline. The service was very attentive and friendlly, as they are famous for, and the plane was sparsly filled which meant an empty space next to me which was nice. The flight was about 11.5 hours and I used my time reading about the areas I was to visit in my slightly out of date Lonely Planet guide. Mum had picked it up at a garage sale or something and although it was 10 or so years old, the monuments and landmarks desribed in its pages are in some cases thousands of years old - so I don't think it matters too much. The fact the book describes places where to buy camera film from is a bit telling, but who cares? waste not want not. I just won't trust the information about internet cafes or best places to eat too much as they are quite possibly outdated by now!

I have found out some interesting facts about Thailand such as that the monsoon season arrives between May and July and lasts until October. this is followed by a dry period from Novemeber to may. So, I am going to get wet. The temperatures during the cool season (Nov-Feb) may dip to 1 degreees at night, 28degrees average during the day. For my visit however I am expecting temperatures to 32 degrees and 26 at night.. hot!

Bangkok is famous for being a mixing pot of activities and for having many faces: on the one hand, amazing ancient ruins, temples, and culture prevails. On the other, modern shopping, high rise buildings, over population and transport pressure give a very different experience. It will be interesting to get a closer look, though I am only stopping in Bangkok for one evening before boarding my Stray bus and heading off towards our first point of call at 8am after my arrival.

Standby for my next update as I aim to do ten adventures in ten days, thanks to Stray Asia!

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Got To Get Out does South East Asia!

My name is Robert Bruce and I am the founder of this adventure / outdoors group called Got To Get Out. Got To Get Out is all about encouraging people to see the world, make new friends, and be active! Over the next couple of weeks I am going to share my experiences of 'getting out', off the beaten track around South East Asia, all thanks to Stray Asia. Stray Asia is the 'hop on hop off' bus company that allows travellers the flexibility of visiting countries like New Zealand, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and others in their own time. The whole idea of the company is that if you like the look of a place, you jump off the bus and take a look around - then wait for the next one in a few days before moving onto the next location.

I am in the very fortunate position of having an audience of a few thousand followers (and growing) on our Facebook page to share experiences with, and the responsibility of giving Got To Get Out fans useful tips and inspiration about 'getting out' is one I take seriously! As background, In late 2014 I had somewhat of a life transformation which resulted in me deciding that being active and healthy was more important than sitting at a computer desk all day eating high calorie foods and dying a slow corporate death. After losing close to 30kg over 5 months by changing my diet and by getting active, I then hiked to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas in the middle of their winter (January). The experience gave me real clarity of thought as I trekked for 15 days (8 hours a day of climbing) and I decided I wanted to encourage others to get off the couch and into the outdoors too. So i started sharing my stories via the GTGO facebook page, and here we are. 

Got To Get Out has now arranged hikes and treks all around New Zealand, catering for hundreds of people and inspiring many others through our interesting content. We have been caving, kayaking, mountain biking, paddle boarding, and completed several overnight treks such as The Pinnacles Corormandel and Tongiraro Crossing with groups of people ranging up to 35 on a trip.

Got To Get Out often books Stray NZ buses for our excursions around NZ, and the team at Stray Asia have very kindly invited me to check out their service around Thailand and through Laos (called the Tom Yum trip) so that our followers get to learn about this interesting part of the world too. For more information or to book your own trip, simply go to www.straytravel.asia

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Some photos of recent #Gottogetout adventure!

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It doesn't matter if it's cold, or wet, or you are hungover and would rather stay in bed - for a happy life you simply have #gottogetout!

Robert Bruce, Founder, Got To Get Out

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What is Got To Get Out?

Got To Get out is a group that came about because of the realisation that “life is for living” and there is a whole lot of world to see!

Within four short months since launching, Got To Get out has grown to several thousand fans on Facebook, and we have run many great Auckland based events around New Zealand! These have included hiking, mountainbiking, caving, kayaking, paddleboarding, and even a golf day! Soon we are heading to Mt Tongariro to hike the ‘Tongariro Crossing’ in the snow next month!

We support charities, like the Himalayan Trust who are doing amazing work in Nepal, or the Mental Health Foundation of NZ. it is important that this group is a ‘social enterprise’ and is doing it’s part to give back to the community in some way.

Keep following this page and check out awesome photos, inspirational content, event invites and adventure tips to help you get out and about too!

#adventure #gettingout #outdoors #hiking