Thailand's cultural and social roots are firmly set in the countryside, in fact, when Mahatma Gandhi said of his home country "... the real India is in the villages". He could just as easily have been referring to Thailand, a country whose political and cultural birth was in the "million rice fields" of the ancient Lanna Thai Kingdom.

Cycle Southern Laos travels from the southern Laos lowlands of Pakse to the former colonial outpost of Champasak, then to the tranquil presence of Si Phan Don and the lush coffee plantations of the Bolovens Plateau.

From the mountains of North Thailand to the temple-filled plains of Central Thailand, the Chiang Mai to Bangkok by Bike ride winds the through the mountains and through the central highlands, home to ancient Khmer temples.

There can be few more relaxing ways to explore the watery hinterland of Cambodia and southern Vietnam than by taking a leisurely river cruise through the verdant delta of the mighty Mekong River, the most biodiverse river in the world.