Unwrapped travel

In Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam the various bus networks remains the prime people-mover throughout the countries. In all cases bus travel is extremely affordable and it can be quite comfortable, though it can also be extremely uncomfortable. To run through the countries;
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The annual New Years bash at Bokor is on the cards again, and, looking at this story from the Telegraph, it could be the last one. Beds will be available for the first 60 people to ask for one, otherwise you’ll be camping or staying up all night. Entrance to the National Park is US$5 and there is a $5 cover for the party. Bring some warm gear as it gets pretty chilly up there.

The airline industry in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam has changed immeasurably over the last few years. With the advent of low-cost-carriers (lcc) the costs of domestic and some regional flights have plummeted. While legacy carriers such as THAI International, Lao Airlines and Vietnam Airlines (Cambodia has no functional stare carrier) continue to fly the trunk routes, there has been less discounting than expected and they remain considerably more expensive than the LCCs.
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I ran into SweedishRider — a contributor to the excellent GT-Riders website — when he arrived in the northern Cambodian town of Stung Treng in early November this year. He’s just crossed the land border with Laos and told me that the Cambodian authorities are now issueing visa-on-arrival at the border. Not only did he tell me, he even had a photo of the sign as the immigration kiosk, clearly reading visa-on-arrival. So there you go — no need to get your Cambodian visa beforehand. Visa-on-arrival for Laos though remains unavailable at this crossing.