Dan's Adventure

Applying for an India visa by post couldn’t be simpler, well it could, the form is overly complicated, but thats beside the point. To apply for a tourist visa (if you’re a British passport holder) all you need to do is:

Fill out the online application and make your payment at the end.

There is no need to book accommodation in advance of applying, for address in India simply put NA in all the fields.
In the references in India section you can enter “Booking accommodation on arrival”.

Print out the completed form and …

Despite saying over a month ago that I had to sort out my travel insurance asap, I’ve only just got around to buying it. After comparing the policies of lots of companies, I’ve ended up going with World Nomads. Their policy is most suited to my needs as its covers almost all of the sports and activities that I am likely to do, allows claims to be made online whilst travelling, covers my high value items such as laptop and cameras, and perhaps most importantly, the reviews that I have …

I’ve bought several books to help me research my trip, but the only ones I find myself actually reading are those with lots of pictures! Some may use this as an opportunity to mock my reading skills, but the fact is, books such as Lonely Planet’s The Africa Book and The Asia Book are truly inspiring. They are filled with pictures that make everywhere look amazing and descriptions to accompany them that provide just enough information to make you want to go there even more. Another that I’ve been unable …

South of Thailand lies Malaysia which has two distinct parts, peninsular Malaysia (West) and East Malaysia. The peninsular shares a border with Thailand to the north and Singapore to the south and is the only part of Malaysia that I will have time to visit on this trip. I will be in Malaysia towards the end of January which means that the east coast of the peninsular will still be in monsoon season, I therefore intend to stick mainly to the west.

If I cross the Thailand/Malaysia border by boat I …

At the beginning of January I will arrive in Thailand at Chiang Khong after crossing the Mekong river from Laos. The visa situation for Thailand is a bit frustrating. Until the start of this year, it was possible to get a 30 day visa exemption when entering Thailand over land from a neighbouring country. This has now been reduced to 15 days which would necessitate a visa run to one of the neighbouring countries if I want to stay longer. My current plan is to spend three weeks in Thailand …

After 2 weeks in Cambodia, relaxing at Si Phan Don (meaning four thousand islands) sounds like the ideal introduction to Laos. On Don Dhet lazing in a hammock seems to be a popular choice, but if that proves to be too strenuous theres always the option to go cycling, kayaking or to seek out the Irrawaddy Dolphins. From here I will be heading north, first to the captial, Vientiane, then on to Vang Vieng.

Vang Vieng is a bit of a backpackers hub where the main theme is to have fun. …

Travelling by train is incredibly popular in India and as a result trains are often fully booked weeks before their departure. For long distance journeys, tickets go on sale 90 days in advance and can be booked online through the IRCTC. Most trains in India have a tourist quota which only foreigners can book, but these tickets can only be booked at stations and are very limited. Not every train has a tourist quota and even if they do it may only be a couple of tickets. Its therefore not …

As mentioned in my previous post, Itinerary for Vietnam, I plan to leave Vietnam by boat from Chau Doc and travel up the river to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. When the boat reaches the border everyone needs to get off to go through immigration. Cambodia issues visas on arrival at its border crossings so I won’t need to worry about getting one in advance. The tourist visa currently costs $20USD but its apparently normal for the border officials to demand more.

When thinking of Cambodia, I can’t help but think of Holiday …