What is your favourite country?
PB - The one question we get asked the most and probably the hardest. I would have to go for Vietnam, it's beautiful, has beaches, mountains and forests, all this with great weather and a varied culture.
RB - It's easier to say where exceeded your expectations the most and for me that would be Lithuania and Hong Kong. Vilnius Old Town was an unexpected welcome to the former USSR, cool nightlife and on the coast the Coronian Spit is a stunning natural phenomena - the squeakiest, whitest sand on any beach I've seen. Hong Kong simply has everything to offer.
LS - I like all the countries for different reasons, but I think I¡¯ll go for Vietnam as my favorite.
What is your favourite local dish?
PB - Dim Sim, we had it in Hong Kong and thought it would cost a fortune, it didn't.
ML - Bimimbap, but in particular Seafood Bimimbap as eaten on Jeju Island, South Korea. Bimimbap is a deliciously simple mix of rice, shoots, bean sprouts, a fried egg and chili sauce. Mixed with all types of fresh seafood and endless side dishes it was superbly delicious.
RB - On tour we've had some truly excellent cuisine, and some terrible stuff too, who could forget Phil's Pig's Ear! Malaysia had some of the best local dishes from the incredible array of street food in Kuala Lumpar, to Penang's curry in Little India, Georgetown.
LS - Pad Thai, the famous, cheap and widely available Thai dish.
How about your favourite tourist attraction?
ML - The Great Wall, more amazing and awe-inspiring than you could possibly imagine.
PB - Yep I agree, immense.
RB - The Demilitarised Zone North/South Korea. That is if you can call it a tourist attraction. Strange place, surely there's nowhere like it in the world.
LS - Has to be the cu - chi tunnels as you got to crawl around in a labyrinth of tunnels underground.
What was your most memorable cultural experience?
PB - Spending a long day exploring the incredible temples of Angkor.
ML - Angkor Wat, magical and mysterious.
RB - Angkor Wat was so incredible it deserves a mention, but I think a real eye opener was visiting Vietnamese Museum's. From the superb Ethnology Museum in Hanoi which told a great story of all the ethnic communities in Vietnam to the many harrowing displays on the War. Lots of propaganda, lots of anti-Americanism, but lots of hard truths too.
And social experience?
PB - Drinking too much vodka with some locals in Irkutsk.
ML - Our day trip with our good friend Adi and his kind family in Kupang, Indonesia.
RB - Dinner with the guesthouse owners in Hanoi.
LS - Would have to be the first of the two full moon parties we went to.
Of all the fantastic viewpoints you have been to, which one stands out for you?
PB - All along the Li river near Yangshuo was incredible, I had never seen rock formations like it before, a real jaw dropping moment.
ML - The Peak of Mount Seroksan, Sokcho, South Korea.
RB - Mount Halla on Jeju was pretty impressive, but you can't beat the great wall of China which worms its way over the landscape as far as the eye can see.
LS - Sydney tower
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You have made hundreds of journeys on tour, have you got any memorable ones?
ML - The Trans-Siberian for it's immense scale and the Kupang to Darwin yacht journey for sense of achievement.
RB - We've had some interesting ones, the longest train journey in the world, a ferry from Vladivostok to Korea and some hair raising driving experiences in Vietnam, but you can't beat a 5 hour jaunt in a pick-up truck, going over some of the worst roads in the world, with 20 Cambodians and a chicken.
LS - Has to be the Tran Siberian rail journey.
Of all the beaches which one in your opinion is the best?
PB - Hat Sai Kaew on Ko Samet, pristine white sand and clear blue sea, what more could you ask for?.
RB - Ko Samet was a tropical haven, but on the other hand the beach on Lithuania's Coronian Spit was pristine... its a shame it falls on the Baltic Sea and the water is freezing.
Which animal has been you favourite while on tour?
RB - Its got to be the Pandas.
PB - Yeah, ditto..
Of all the countries you have visited, which one has the best looking women?
ML - Lithuania, for the Eastern European supermodel look or if Asian Babes do it for you then you can't beat Thailand!
RB - For some reason Lithuania is a land over-spilling with blond east European model types. If this is the future of the EU then I'm definitely in favour in a little more integration!
LS - Lithuania..... WOW
Can you recall your best night out?
ML - So, so many but the second Full Moon Party on Ko Phan Ngan is a special favourite of mine, particularly because I bumped into Tyrone who hadn't been spotted since Korea, over four months previously.
RB - The full moon parties, countless on Phi Phi, countless in Sydney.
LS - From what I remember of it, my birthday on Ko Pha Ngan at the full moon party was an amazing and very eventful night out.
You have celebrated 4 birthdays on tour, which was the best and which was the worst?
PB - My birthday has to be up there as the worst, not only did I spend most of it couped up in a minibus to Bangkok but my meal was a Big Mac and the entertainment was the lamest sex show I have ever witnessed. The best part was the taxi ride. The best is a close one, I an going to say Matt's as we went to the dogs, which was like being at home and later in the club it was a real laugh with a big group of us, plus Jon and I took about 60 photos on the dance floor, he is a real perv.
ML - Liam's coincided with the Full moon Party which made it something special.
RB - Mine! I got a vest!
LS - See last question. The worst would have to be Phil's birthday that was spent on a cramped and badly air conditioned mini-bus from Ko Chang to Bangkok.
Of all the many meals you have had, which one would you say was the most bizarre?
PB - That has to be the live octopus we had with Jason and Seong in Jeju do. It tasted fine, it was just the wriggling about in your mouth and the suckers sticking to your mouth that was weird.
RB - Scorpion on sticks in Beijing.
LS - Sea cucumber and live octopus in Korea surpasses any food experience Ive ever had by a mile.
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What has been your most embarrassing moment?
ML - Trying to walk past the ROK soldier guarding the way to the door that led to North Korea. I still insist that I was only trying to position myself for the photograph, I was NOT attempting to defect.
RB - Re-introducing myself to Nick in Sydney after we had spent a week partying together in Koh Phi Phi.
What is the funniest thing that has happened to one of the others in the group?
PB - Matt trying to go behind the ROK soldier on the N/S Korean border, he cacked himself!
RB - Yeah it has to be Matt's attempt at defecting to Communist North Korea.
Have you got a useful travel tip?
PB - Never book accommodation before you arrive unless it is required. Take a jumper on overnight bus journeys.
ML - If you like somewhere then stay there, if you don't then leave, but always give somewhere a chance.
RB - Unless you know of a big event in a place where you're heading don't bother booking accommodation in advanced. You don't know what your paying for and you lose the ability to bargain on a price, or even worse the place may not exist ala Irkutsk. Don't worry about using touts at stations, ports etc; you can get some great bargains from them; see the room before you hand over any cash and play them against each other. In all the places we've been we never booked ahead and were never short of options on places to stay.
LS - Make sure you get internet banking before you leave home as it is invaluable, if not a bit depressing sometimes.
What item has been the most useful?
PB - My small diary that I have jotted down what we have done each day, we use that to then write the journal.
RB - Although my sallopettes have come in so handy its unbelievable, I think my passport has come in pretty useful.
LS - Passport
What has been your best bargain buy?
PB - My digital camera from Seoul, half the price of UK and used almost every day.
ML - My three pair pack of socks (1 pound), or so they seemed at the time. I bought them on a train in China after a convincing demonstration of their indestructibility. Unfortunately, when we did our own tests they didn't perform so well, although one pair does still remain intact.
RB - Soju!!! This stuff was fantastic, for the price of a bottle of beer you could pick up one of these little beauties which kick started many a fun night in Korea.
LS - For me it would have to be the flight from Singapore to Sydney which I saved about 200 pounds by using our fake student cards.
What do you miss most?
PB - Apart from the people close to me, I miss not having a choice of clothes to wear and Teletext.
ML - A pint of real ale at a cosy pub on a winters evening, and of course my wonderful family.
RB - British Beer, the occasional English Breakfast, Football Focus on the BBC. Oh and the family.
LS - The mopeds in Asia; cheap, fast and lethal. A great combination in anybodies book.
Finally, you have met many people, some of who have been a big help. Are there any people you would single out for a special thank you?
PB - I think Kelly and her family should receive a big thank you for making us feel so welcome and at home on Christmas day when we were so far away from home on a family day.
ML - A massive thanks to Por and her cousin for helping me avoid a disastrous situation by getting my passport returned to me safe and sound when I'd foolishly left it in a bar.
RB - The assistance afforded to us by the Hotel Concierge in Vladivostok after our mix up with the police. ¬³¬á¬Ñ¬ã¬Ú¬Ò¬à!!!
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