For a while there I wasn't sure I'd ever be writing this blog. Not because I thought anything tragic would happen to us, but because I thought we might actually never leave South East Asia! Compared to our time in South America, we took it suuuuuper slow along the old "Banana Pancake trail" weaving our way across borders and meandering down the Mekong. 

We lost whole weeks chilling on islands and exploring hill tribe villages, and we ate enough delicious food to sustain a small nation! We witnessed wild elephants grazing in Thailand and trekked for hours to find the largest flower in the world, which actually turns out to be a stinky fungus.... booooo! We watched the sun set over hundreds of ancient temples in Bagan, Myanmar and  woke to the sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

So, as we depart this incredible region of the world for our next destination, here are a few facts, figures and statistics from our travels through South East Asia. I hope you enjoy it and if you have any suggestions for stats we should be keeping as we head towards Africa, please let us know in the comments!

Also, for anyone who missed our "Stats, Facts and Figures from 6 months in South America" blog, you can find it here!

• Number of days spent in South East Asia = 278

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• Countries visited = 6 (Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam)

• Favourite Ale = Beer Lao/draught beer in Myanmar

• Cheapest Ale = 40 cent mugs of draught beer in Myanmar

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• Tried and tested local spirits = Rice Wine…. Everywhere!

• Scuba Dives by Wade = 13

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• Cooking Classes = 3  (Click here for our review of Pickles and Spices Cooking Class in Penang, Malaysia)

• Longest trek = Kalaw to Inle Lake 75km (Read all about it here!)

• Major Illnesses = 1. Sarah caught Dengue Fever in Thailand and had to return to Australia

• Robberies = 2 (against us, not by us just in case anyone was wondering!)

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• Months/Years of travel still to come = Only time will tell!!

​Well there you have it! We could rattle off statistics and numbers all day but we're trying to keep it interesting so like I said, if you have any you think would be a bit of fun or interesting during our time in Africa, let us know in the comments below!

In the meantime, if you missed our last stats blog, don't forget to check out our "Stats, Facts and Figures from 6 months travelling South America"!

Finding reasonably priced accommodation in Ao Nang during peak season was much more difficult than I originally anticipated. Many dorm beds were more expensive than we would normally pay for a private room and even then they were on the outskirts of town and quite far from the beach. Finding Laughing Gecko Bungalows was an absolute game changer to my time in Ao Nang and after a brief two night stay, I was disappointed I hadn't booked in for longer. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that within weeks I was back to stay again!

Laughing Gecko is located one street back from the Northern end of Ao Nang, on Nopparathara Beach where there is much less hustle and bustle and more peace and serenity than busy Ao Nang Beach. While the beachfront road is still lined with shops, restaurants, bars and street food vendors, there are less tourists and considering it was peak season, the beach was relatively peaceful most days. To walk into the main centre of shopping and nightlife in Ao Nang takes approximately 15 minutes and is a pleasant stroll along the beach most of the way.

In the common area, there is also a fridge with cold drinks, beer and water all at very reasonable prices. While Laughing Gecko certainly isn’t a party hostel, the atmosphere was awesome, friendly and relaxed while still being close enough to plenty of bars and pubs if your quiet drinks in the common area, turn into a night out on the town.

Laughing Gecko also offers a nightly communal buffet dinner and the one while I was there was delicious. The food was great tasting, home-cooked Thai food and was a good opportunity to meet other people and have a casual drink. If you're lucky enough, Nui might also whip out the guitar for some excellent live music!

I couldn’t have been any happier with my choice of accommodation in Ao Nang and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet of this property while still being in close proximity to all that Ao Nang has to offer.

When I found New Hut Bungalows, I was quite simply looking for somewhere affordable to stay as close to the beach as possible. New Hut bungalows ticked both boxes as they are absolute beachfront with the high tide mark only metres from the row of bungalows. Located on the southern end of Lamai Beach, New Hut is far enough to be at the quiet and more affordable end of the beach but still only a 15 minute walk into the centre of Lamai. 

Lamai is quieter than it’s nearby neighbour Chaweng and while it still has plenty of nightlife, restaurants and every convenience available, it has a more relaxed atmosphere and the beach is much calmer than the wind swept ocean at Chaweng. Chaweng is approximately twenty minutes away by local bus away and the airport is around half an hour in a taxi.

There is a toilet and shower block with around five toilets and five cold water showers. These were kept clean at all times however it is slightly frustrating that they don’t provide toilet paper and instead insist that you buy it from the small shop in the restaurant. 

Overall, New Hut is a great little place to stay for a few nights where you can simply chill out and enjoy the beach but still close enough for a short walk into Lamai either along the beach or via the road. The main downside of this property would be the size of the A-frame bungalows, however as mentioned, I stayed here alone and had plenty of room to spread my luggage out on the spare bed.