| Thailand | | | | Laos |
| Travelling through Thailand is a great experience | | | | Laos is an extremely beautiful although still primitive |
| public transport is great and roads are in excellent | | | | country to visit and local transport from villages is |
| condition. A great way to see some of the | | | | normally done on converted trucks, with benches in |
| countryside is to rent a motorbike. When renting a | | | | the back for customers to sit on. Try to avoid |
| motorbike be sure to check it out thoroughly this is | | | | travelling on this mode of transport when coming or |
| easy enough to say but important points like does | | | | passing through fishing villages heading to the more |
| the odometer or fuel gauge work these can come in | | | | centrally located towns, especially in the mornings. |
| handy later on in the trip, especially if going long | | | | The reason is because the villagers tend to take their |
| distances. The motorbikes in Asia are built a little | | | | produce which is mainly fish, including dried fish to sell |
| differently with two brakes a hand brake (front | | | | in the towns. This can make for a very unpleasant |
| wheel) and the other a foot brake (back wheel). Try | | | | experience as the truck is never really considered to |
| to use only the foot brake when travelling fast as | | | | be full and sitting next to baskets of fresh and dried |
| using the hand brake will send you flying as it only | | | | fish which stinks for hours is enough to test the |
| applies pressure to the front wheel. Another common | | | | stomach of any person. |
| mistake is when going uphill shifting down gear while | | | | Cambodia |
| gassing the engine this tends to result in a front | | | | When travelling in Cambodia, locals like to take Taxis |
| wheelie and more often than not an accident. | | | | as they are quicker than the buses and manage to |
| China | | | | avoid the potholes better. The only problem with this |
| China is extremely diverse and the Chinese lead a | | | | is that what the West considers being a normal five |
| completely different way of life to the West making | | | | door car with two seats in the front and three in the |
| it a great experience to travel too. When travelling in | | | | back is considered in Cambodia to hold seven or |
| China, the roads are excellent as are some of the | | | | sometimes eight people. The Cambodians will fit four |
| trains and tracks. As large distances are involved | | | | in the back and three or sometimes even four in the |
| there is a lot of overnight travel. Sleeper trains and | | | | front. If a taxi holds eight people then there would |
| buses are common as the local Chinese like to wake | | | | be four in the back and two in the front passenger's |
| up at their destination. | | | | seat a passenger in the driver's seat, the driver |
| One great tip I learnt while travelling in China on | | | | would then be squashed up to the passenger, leaning |
| sleeper transport is never to take the bottom bunk. | | | | against him to hold the wheel with his feet at an |
| The reason for this is that on many overnight trains | | | | angle to reach the pedals. This would be impossible in |
| and buses the people like to dispose of their rubbish | | | | a manual car but some how it is managed in an |
| on the floor of the bus or train. This means that if | | | | automatic. Travelling like this is extremely dangerous |
| you are sleeping on the bottom bed you are likely to | | | | and not recommended. |
| have rubbish thrown down past you during the trip. | | | | There is a general place where Taxis depart from |
| This is not that bad to deal with but another past | | | | and they don't depart till they are full. A way to get |
| time is eating nuts and spitting out the seed casings | | | | around this is to buy two or even three seats, |
| on the floor, this along with spitting makes the | | | | effectively meaning you travel in more comfort and |
| bottom bunk an interesting experience. Waking up to | | | | safety as this means there would be less people in |
| find a pile of rubbish and spit on the floor by your | | | | the Taxi. |
| bed doesn't exactly help either. | | | | |