Vientiane, Laos

In Laos' sleepy capital we ate. After that nasty bug Phil needed to restore himself and Sam just loved the flavours. Lao food is deliciously fresh with coriander, lemongrass, banana flower and lime as its staple ingredients.

Add to this mix a liberal dose of French influence and Vientiane was the first place on our travels where we could truly relax into filling ourselves up with great food.

Vang Vieng, Laos

Vang Vieng is a silly place where the thing to do is very silly indeed. We joined the teenage gap-year kids to indulge in... floating down the river, from bar to bar, in a tractor inner tube. As we said: very silly.

Luang Prabang, Laos

The history and beauty of Luang Prabang is unsurpassed. A place where orange-robed monks stroll alongside well-to-do tourists between the dozens of monasteries and French colonial buildings.

A shame then, for Phil, that it was his turn to be laid low by a tummy bug. Sam was left on her own to explore the UNESCO city and its sights.

Up early to enjoy the dawn spectacle of lines of monks snaking around the streets to collect alms from humble local believers.

Life On The Nam Ou River, Northern Laos.

On the bank of the Nam Ou river is where it all happens; boatmen jostle for business, children splash about and women natter whilst washing clothes, hair and lettuce.

In Meung Ngoi we simply kicked back in our bamboo bungalow and absorbed the rhythm of village life.

Until, that is, we found ourselves drilling "I see mountains and trees" to a classroom of teenagers. For a few lessons we were the guest English teachers in a school tucked in the jungle and overlooked by limestone karst mountains. In break-times we walked and kayaked to explore this sleepy backwater, alarmed to discover boats, benches, flowerpots and gateposts fashioned from old American bomb shells dropped in Nixon's 'Secret War'.

Once school broke up we joined the dog's dinner of holiday celebrations before floating further downstream to again join the mighty Mekong.

How English Teachers Relax (video clip)

Two fraught lessons and us novices hit the gin.

Nam Ha Protected Area, Laos

As we crossed the China-Laos border on another epic bus journey, it struck us that we had now travelled over 10,000 miles.

Almost on arrival, we chanced to meet Thong Wam who persuaded us to be guinea pigs on his untested new trail. We were soon off on our 2 day jungle recce in a party of 14 - including two village chiefs, various tourism/forestry officials and expert local guides.

Lunch, sitting on giant banana leaves and munching freshly-picked roots and bulbs dipped in hot chilli paste, made an exotic picnic. Whilst our companions artfully machete-hacked their way up through the thick jungle, we crashed and stumbled in their wake. Our overnight destination was a large Akha village in the hills.

We were clearly out of place in this traditional ethnic minority village where the women, topless but wearing elaborate headdresses, chewed on bright red betel nut, and the children stared with guarded curiosity at our big noses and blue eyes.

Kung Fu at Wu Wei Monastery, Dali, China.

"Ah-Me-To-Fo! Ah-Me-To-Fo!" The gong goes at 5am and the chanting of the monks begins the day up in the hills at Wu Wei Monastery.

As the sun rises at 7am we're up and jogging, returning only once we've found a suitably large stone to balance on our heads. A hearty spicy noodle breakfast is wolfed down and by 9am we are stretching our creaking limbs to breaking point.

Only then do we commence Kung Fu. The palm-punch combinations build in speed and complexity through the morning and end with our rather feeble attempts at spinning round-house kicks. It is all non-contact, we should stress!

After the exertions, our stomachs are rumbling well before the lunch gong at 12 noon. A polite scramble ensues over a delicious vegetarian feast, sometimes joined by the local community who bring food offerings for the monks.

It's now free-time and we sneak off to doze in the sunshine and compare our aches and pains. At 4pm we drag ourselves back to fling our bodies around in the afternoon session. Our 12 year old monk teacher is still going strong but by 6pm we are flagging.

Dinner is followed by candle-lit chat to the backdrop of evening prayers. By 9pm we are ready to brave the mice and crash into our spartan beds.

For two weeks over Christmas 2009, this was our life.

(Unfortunately photography of the monks was not allowed.)

Kung Fu Masterclass (video clip)

Lumfe shows us how it's done...

Kung Fu Beginners' Class (video clip)

A week of training and we attempt our Kung Fu Christmas message.

Fishing with Cormorants, Dali, China.

Fishing with cormorants is an ancient and revered skill in China and we jumped at the chance to give it a go. Well, Phil did.

It's an eleven-strong team of the wife rowing, the husband showing off and the nine birds diving, catching and squabbling for chunky fish. With resounding success.

Phil had a blast. Sam enjoyed lunch.

Shaxi, Yunnan, China.

The small town of Shaxi has long been prosperous from the ancient trade between Tibet and China, primarily in tea and horses. Many of the original buildings remain, un-gentrified and utterly charming. Also surviving intact is the 1000 year old Shibao Si. A complex of caves and grottoes adorned with intricate carvings of Buddhist imagery created by the Bai people. As if this genuine cultural find wasn't enough to dazzle, a troupe of rare golden hair monkeys was on hand to entertain us as we explored the nooks and crannies of one of our favourite places in China.

Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan, China

Tiger Leaping Gorge is an iconic hike for backpackers in South-West China. Being contrary, we did it back to front and with full packs. We took our time but proved fit enough to navigate the perilous ledges carved into the cliffs. The scenery is as severe as it is impressive. The Yangtze river cuts into the land to form a dramatic rift, with peaks rising 2000 metres above the rapids.