Long route home Our trip all the way home, trying to catch no planes and stay on the ground like civilised people. It's taking us via India all the way to Europe from Japan, the furthest of the Far East...

At first, the transformation in the scenery was dramatic - the jagged hills and verdant forests of Japan gave way to the open plains of north China and as we barrelled down through that vast country more and more lush greenery started to develop around the half finished buildings, allotments and fields.  As we entered Vietnam, limestone karsts were looming menacingly above us and full tropical forests abounded.  From there it hasn't changed much.  We've added red mud which came in around Cambodia time, gained and then lost rice paddies, and picked up vast palm plantations to go with stretches of denser jungle.  Mostly it's still very similiar though.  Palm trees are still wonderous things, striking directly up for 30 feet before exploding into leaves.

Those jungles are still full of monkeys, which is to say macaques, the bane of the region.  We've seen them in cities, in forests, at beaches and monkey parks and they never get any nicer.  At least they stay away for the most part though, the rats don't and there's plenty of them too.  Bats are common, mostly pipistrelle who compete with the swifts every dusk for the plentiful insects.  Geckos are another pest-control animal whom we coax in to go-a-hunting for mozzies whnever possible.  We've been treated to a night time show of geckos chasing moths on more than one occasion, making it verry hard to bring ourselves to switch off the lights. There's been mercifully few of the loathsome roaches.  Underwater has been a cornocupia of delights, from vast coral gardens and spectacular pinnacles to the staggeringly abundant marine life.

Sights to see are usually those of the past - ruins from here, ruins from there.  Plenty of fine colonial stuff in Indochina too.  We've been rather impressed by the cosmopolitan nature of the larger cities and by their modernity, too.  Other major sights include natural wonders - usually jungles or hills.  Some places have put things together well and usefully but the majority are rather slapdash and not very helpful to those of us wanting to know and understand more.  Zoos and aquariums have been mostly tiny and barely adequate

Awards go to:

Biggest shithole of a city - Nanning (CH)

Most recovered from the horror of nuclear war - Hiroshima (JP)

Most scary sea creature - Remora 'sharksucker', Ko Phi Phi (TH)

Quickest fish to flee from us - Blacktip reef sharks, as above

Laziest family of fish - the lionfish just lounging on some fan coral, as above

Most violent marine life - The fighting turtles, as above

Most feared beast of the sea - Titan Triggerfish, Ko Tao (TH)

Worst power cuts - Hoi An (VN)

Highest ratio of fat old white men perving after Thai girls - Pattaya (TH)

Largest monochrome jungle beast spotted - Tapir, Taman Negara (MY)

Largest spotted beast - Whale Shark, Osaka aquarium (JP)

Biggest FAIL museum - Rights museum, Osaka (JP)

Best non-humann friend - Dog in Siem Reap (CM)

Best ambush by insects - Red ants in Perhentiens (MY)

Most dislikeable beach atomsphere - Sihonoukville (CM)

Largest population of drunken Irish - Ko Phi Phi (TH)

Least purposeful place - Nanning (CH)

Only place we've been forced into MacDonalds - Nanning (CH)

Oldest Jungle - Tamah Negara (MY)

Most rambunctious locals - Georgetown (MY)

Hardest place to leave - Kampot (CM)

Most likely to die as a pedestrian - Kuala Lumpur (MY)

Best dusty one horse highway town - Ninh Binh

Chilliest place - DaLat (VN

Best accidental stop - Danang (VN)

Most elegant castle - Matsuyama (JP)

Prettiest pile of rocks - Bayan Temple (CM)