JAKARTA I remember a geography class in my elementary school when with fascination I used to study the atlas. Indonesia seemed so far and remote that I thought there is not a chance that I will one day get there. Yet here we are, catching a flight from Singapore to Jakarta and so Java becomes a reality for us. A little bit wary too, Bali has a record of bomb attacks every now and then and just in January 2016 Jakarta has suffered a terrorist attack. We try not to think about

SINGAPORE The city state was not on the list and our visit is an accident rather than careful planning. We are entering Singapore on a Malaysian bus, which I must say are the most spacious and comfortable I have ever come across. Crossing the border is Visa free, officers are helpful and friendly, only the too frequent red signs reading something along 'Drug trafficking is punished by death penalty' seem a bit hostile. On the other hand the city state is famous for the strict

KOH PHI PHI Sleep on the overnight ferry was surprisingly comfortable and we arrived to Surat Thani just in time for sunrise. There wasn't much time to take in the view. From here we were catching a bus and then another ferry to Koh Phi Phi. This little cluster of islands is mainly known since that DiCaprio movie, 'The Beach'. Ever since the island has changed forever. I was hesitating whether is a good idea to go for such a tourist hot spot, but after all I've decided for it

KOH TAO It was still dark when our bus pulled up at the jetty. Our speed ferry was leaving at 7.30am so we have enjoyed the cool fresh morning in a beach chair while the sound of the sea was trying to rock me to sleep. It was nice until it lasted, but soon the sun came up and we've swapped the comfortable seat for a bumpy ride on the ferry. Many long minutes and filled plastic bags later we have arrived to the island. While neither of us has been sea sick the first steps on t

PATHEIN I can't see a package tour bus pulling up in Pathein any time soon. This town is famous for its umbrella workshops, but most check those out while on Inle Lake. I'll tell you right away we have not made it to any of those either. Instead we've used Pathein as a short stop over to break the journey to Yangon and get off the pancake trail for a couple days. We have found a cheap (and unimpressive) guesthouse on Jail Road. Next to a giant jail as you might have guessed

KRATIE There is a few hours journey and a notoriously infamous border crossing between us and our first stop in Cambodia. Authority on both sides of the border is badly corrupt and you may be required to pay a small fee in order to receive the almighty stamp that allows you to leave Laos. On the other side the same story awaits you. The $30 Visas will cost you $35 and you may get pushed into a medical examination for another few bucks. We've read a few horror stories about th

PAKSE Here we are again. 7am, standing on the front of our bus, this time heading for Pakse. As a person who always liked his own space, surrounded by my own stuff, I would never have thought that I can so easily get used to living out of a backpack. I'm loving it! Mariola?! She's a little bit of a different story, but so far she's holding up, some days crankier then others, but she's holding. Anyway... Our Kong Lor to Pakse ride was a bit more adventurous than we have planne

LUANG PRABANG Crossing the Vietnam-Laos border at Tan Can is really no hassle. In fact, I don't think anyone would notice if I just walked past. It may be because we have arrived at lunch time that the border police told us to hang about for an hour or so, but even after that they've looked pretty chillaxed. It cost us $31 per head to get our Visa on arrival and didn't take longer than 10 minutes. Good few hours later, 1am next morning, our bus stopped and the driver informed

HOI AN Spending a night on a Vietnamese long haul bus is a strange sensation, you can't wait for the journey to end yet when it does it sort of takes you by surprise. The bus suddenly stops and before you're able to blink an eye your luggage is dumped outside and the driver shouts '...leave now, quick!!!'. I remember this feeling from my military service which leaves me wonder why did I pay for this bus journey?! Yeah, the soft westerner has spoken again. All the 'stress' is

MUI NE Excitement is rising. After 2 days of jam packed itinerary at Mekong delta, quick dinner and sleepover at Long Hostel, our bus is leaving to Mui Ne. This will be the first beach stay on our journey and a kind of holiday from holiday. We are horizontal on this sleeping bus and keep thinking of all the beach bumming we'll be doing for the next 3 days. Before I start praising Mui Ne, let me tell you about these buses. They are great long haul alternatives to planes or tra