01/12
Arriving into Chengdu, we were picked up right away,
Hotpot had me gasping and fearing I’d die that day,
We tried to find our way home to no avail,
But found a market with pig snouts for sale!
02/12
We went to see the pandas at the breeding base,
Then for lunch, to another hotpot place!
The short train ride to Chongquing was plush and great,
Tina’s Hostel was COLD, and not easy to locate!
03/12
Pat tried his best noodles yet, spicy and red,
Two hotpot broths, one with a fish’s head!
Motorbike ride with backpacks- pure exhilaration,
We were thrilled to make It alive to the station!
04/12
Our 24 hour train ride to Kunming took a while,
Pat’s poop interruption from a guard was vile!
We tried to teach English to a sweet Chinese guy,
At Kunming station, taxis kept driving by!
05/12
Around Kunming’s main square, we had a roam,
After a beer, we bought gifts for those at home.
I thought my odd ashtray was a winner,
Grilled goat’s cheese and sautéed spinach- nice dinner!
06/12
The price of sending gifts home was dear,
So we consoled ourselves with a Dali beer!
I’m amazed they got Italian food so right,
Feeling sick, we’re in Kunming for one more night.
07/12
We stayed in the hostel all day ‘cos it was too cold,
With a few travelers, mutual stories were told.
I fainted on the bus from standing up so long,
Then we boarded the sleeper bus to Jinghong!
08/12
Arriving in Jinghong, we finally felt the heat,
Fried bread, milk and noodles were cheap to eat.
Thai food was followed by beer after beer,
Eating with locals at midnight was cool but queer!
09/12
A little hungover, we woke up at midday,
Neither of us were in a great way,
My chicken curry in a coconut was great,
Feeling lazy, we were in bed by eight.
10/12
Our aim today was to bike to Gasa Hot Springs,
But the road was too busy, amongst other things,
Including a complete blank of my PIN number-
But a bottle of Bordeaux made for a nice slumber.
11/12
We finally saw the Gasa Hot Springs today
With more confident riding and an easier way,
I was even able to cycle in Jinghong,
Then we celebrated with beers all night long.
12/12
We took a small local bus to Damenglong
Or it might not be- we could be wrong!
Ants covered a biscuit I tried to eat,
So we had some noodles from the street.
13/12
When we ventured outside, the weather was hot,
So though we intended to bike, we did not,
After our shrimp lunch, we chilled by a pagoda tree,
And now we’re relaxing with a beer or three!
14/12
We bussed it back to good old Jinghong,
Then stayed in Mekong Café all day long!
Lime chicken and lemon beef with beers,
The neon river bar strip hurt our ears!
15/12
Finally left Jinghong, and were Mengla bound,
Freshly-made noodles are the best we’ve found,
A group practiced Tai Chi under the stars,
And we finally found some karaoke bars!
16/12
To Luang Prabang, Laos, we got the bus,
At the borders, everyone kept waiting for us!
Got our first (crowded) tuk-tuk, haggled our room down,
Then enjoyed some BeerLao’s and pizza in town!
17/12
We had a beer in a café French style,
Our minibus seemed to take a while
To Vang Vieng; we realized in a hurry
It’s for tourists only- and nasty curry!
We also couldn’t help but wonder why
They show endless repeats of Family Guy!
18/12
Today started cloudy, then out came the sun
So we went tubing, which was a lot of fun!
Floating to a bar in a rubber ring,
Though the rocks beneath made my bottom sting!
19/12
We got the bus down Vientiane way
But found it hard to find a place to stay.
Our room is grotty, but we liked one bar,
We were emotional about opportunities afar!
20/12
At the Thai Consulate, there was a queue,
For lunch, baguettes and a croissant or two!
Drunk after a few beers and Long Island Iced Teas,
Laap and papaya salad were great, but SPICY!
21/12
After retrieving our Thailand visa with ease,
We had baguettes, spring rolls and Long Island Iced Teas!
At the back of the Don Det sleeper bus-
No-one has worse luck with seats than us!
22/12
One minibus, the boat- we were on our way
To Don Det, finding a river hut in which to stay,
Many beers, then in the hammock for sunset,
After bad meals, we ended with a cheesy baguette!
23/12
We hired a bike to Don Khon- first I was jumpy
But then the road was smoother- before it got bumpy!
We thought we’d try something new- Indian food,
Writing journals has put me in a sleepy mood!
24/12
Today was chilled- we weren’t in a hurry,
For lunch we had laap and Thai green curry,
We tubed with beers, and relaxed on the sand
After our campfire party, we could not stand!
25/12
We woke up on Christmas Day feeling rough
Lion whiskey made swimming from the island tough,
I left a gross part of me in the Mekong,
Christmas dinner of laap didn’t feel too wrong!
26/12
The plan was to fish in the early eve,
But unexpectedly, Mr. Hoy took some leave,
So we chilled in hammocks by our bungalow,
Then the best laap yet after a friend in the know!
27/12
We cycled to Long Beach for a blissful boat ride
To see dolphins- they were far, but did not hide!
Fishing with Mr. Bounsom was a Lao highlight,
Even if we had to walk our bikes back at night!
28/12
After a breakfast of delicious noodle soup,
We headed back to Pakse with a large (heavy!) group,
Great tom yum soup, then many mozzie bites,
Feeling tired, we have called it an early night.
29/12
Noodle soup was cheap; the bacon sarnie was swell,
We had one last BeerLao before bidding farewell!
Leaving Laos, we had to pay immigration,
Once in Thailand, we met a monk at the train station!
30/12
Arrived in Bangkok, then met with Matt and Coco,
In Chinatown, a noodle soup lady went loco!
In Kho San Road, buckets were pretty strong,
These and a beer tower- the night was long!
31/12
Predictably, today was very slow
At midnight, we were at a ping-pong show!
Danced in the street with both Thai and ‘fa-rang’,
‘I Love You, Baby’ is what Coco and I sang!
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