Round The World in 777 Days

Jakarta, Indonesia - Melbourne, Australia

2009-11-15T22:40:00.000+11:00

Jakarta, Indonesia - Melbourne, Australia - 15th November 2009

We landed At Jakarta at 12:30am and sat on the tarmac while they cleaned the plane and more people boarded, then at 1:30am we took off again heading home to Melbourne.

We landed in Melbourne at 9:38am local time and were advised that a plane was at our terminal so we would have to wait a few minutes, at 10:30am everyone on the plane was getting frustrated and we eventually were allowed to get of the plane only to all be stopped by customs officials who lined 10 people up against the wall at a time and ran sniffer dogs up and down the row. After 6 runs with the sniffer dogs the group could go and then they lined the next ten up so this was another delay. By the time we got through immigration our bags were waiting for us and customs let us walk straight through to the awaiting chauffer who took us home.

Langkawi - Kuala Lumpur - Jakarta

2009-11-14T23:33:00.001+11:00

Langkawi - Kuala Lumpur - Jakarta - 14th November 2009

Unfortunately it's our last day in Langkawi and Malaysia, so we had a lazy morning around the resort, had a swim and then sat on the balcony reading until our 2pm checkout. Whilst on the balcony i noticed we were being attacked by lots of large ant like creatures.

Large Ant Like Creatures

We then checked out but stayed around the resort until we got picked up by a taxi at 5pm.

Berjaya Resort Beach

Me On Beach At Berjaya Resort

Beach At Berjaya Resort

Beach At Berjaya Resort

Starting To Rain Time To Go Home.

The Taxi Picked us up at 5pm and we headed to the airport. Our flight was at 7:30pm to Kuala Lumpur and we landed at 8:40pm. Then had to change terminals and board our 9:35pm flight to Jakarta Indonesia.

Langkawi, Malaysia

2009-11-13T23:19:00.000+11:00

Langkawi, Malaysia - 13th November 2009

We decided to head to the town centre of Langkawi which is Kuah Town. So we got a taxi which took about 40 minutes, unfortunately most shops are closed on Fridays so very little was open, We walked for several kilometres to the Jetty to see the Eagle.

Langkawi Eagle

Jill On The Jetty

The Langkawi Eagle

We then headed back to the resort and had a bit of a rest then headed onto the beack for a swim.

Jill And Miles (And Ross) In The Sea

Flowers In Berjaya Resort

We headed back to our Villa and just as we were heading out for Dinner we heard a knock at the door. We had been warned that the Macque Monkeys were very clever and would knock on your door and wehn you open the door, they run in and empty your bar fridge before you can blink. The pesky Macque monkeys started stealing out clothes from the balcony and after I scared one away the came back in force with ten monkeys sitting on the roof of the villa and holding our balcony hostage.

Macque Monkey At Our Door

Macque Monkey On Balcony

Macque Monkey In My Chair

We closed the curtains and ignored them and they eventually went away after throwinga few tiles from the villa roof. We then had to go and say Goodbye to Miles and Ross as they were heading back to Kuala Lumpur and Jill and I went out for an Indian meal at the beach restaurant.

Jill And I At The Beach Restaurant

Night View over Berjaya Resort

Langkawi, Malaysia

2009-11-12T23:45:00.010+11:00

Langkawi, Malaysia - 12th November 2009

After Breakfast we walked over to the Langkawi Cable car this is the the longest free span single rope cable car in the world. We paid our 30 ringgit and Travelled up to the first base station, here you get 360 degree views.

The Langkawi Cable Car

The Longest Free Span Single Rope Cable Car In The World

At the top we got spectacular views of the sea, then we travel in the Cable Car to the next base station and cross the suspension bridge which is over 700 metres high.

View From First Base Station Of Langkawi Cable Car

Langkawi Suspension Bridge

View Of The Top Base Station At Langkawi Cable Car

Langkawi Suspension Bridge

Me On The Langkawi Suspension Bridge

View Of The Langkawi Suspension Bridge

Me On The Langkawi Suspension Bridge

Ross and I went on a short walk at the top through the jungle and came across a dusky leaf monkey.

Dusky Leaf Monkey

View From Langkawi Suspension Bridge

At the base of the cable car is an oriental village, so we looked around had a drinka nd some food and went duty free shopping.

Oriental Village

Water Lillies In Oriental Village

Oriental Village

In the Oriental Village was a small animal zone so Ross and I went to visit the animals.

A Goat

A Rabbit

We then walked back to the hotel and as we were heading to our villa we saw a Flying Lemur in a tree. The Berjaya Resort is one of the best places in the world to see flying lemurs and night they are flying all around you. It is also a popular spot to see giant red flying squirrels.

A Flying Lemur

After a brief rest we heading to the swimming but stopped once we saw a a group of 10 Dusky Leaf Monkeys outside our villa. These monkeys were so friendly and you could walk right up to them.

Dusky Leaf Monkey

Dusky Leaf Monkeys

After a swim and a few drinks in the pool bar we went to teh thai restaurant at the end of the pier in Berjaya Resort and had a lovely meal before sitting on the balcony with a few whiskey's a a little more beer.

Miles And Jill On The Balcony

Langkawi, Malaysia

2009-11-11T23:14:00.008+11:00

Langkawi, Malaysia - 11th November 2009

Met up with Ross and Miles then got pickup up in the morning by taxi as we had a booked a mangrove cruise tour with an eco friendly company who use solar panelled boats called Junglewalla.

Mangrove Tour

On the tour we were taught all about the importance of the mangroves and shown lots of wildlife, we even saw a brown backed needle tail swift (the fastest bird in flight in the world).

Mangrove Fruit

We saw hundreds of fiddler crabs, they wrestle with their claws and the weakest gets broken off and then can decide which one to re-grow the biggest and the process starts over again.

Fiddler Crab

Hundreds Of Fiddler Crabs

Me On An Island Eating Fresh Coconut

Jill With Fresh Coconut

Our Boat

View On Mangrove Tour

Mudskippers

A Blue Crab

A Crab

Madi was out tour guide and was very knowledgable. On the tour we stopped at an island and had fresh coconut and mango. We saw sea hawks, Brown kites, many types of Crabs and Fish and we saw a monkey fall from a tree into the water.

Ross, Miles, Madi, Jill And Simon

Ross And Miles

After the tour we headed back to the resort for an afternoon nap.

Flowers In Berjaya Resort

A Monitor At Berjaya Resort

After a nap we went to the bar for a beer and a game of pool, followed by a dip in the swimming pool and a few more cocktails at the pool bar.

Me Playing Pool

Ross, Miles, Jill and I In The Pool Bar.

Kuala Lumpur - Langkawi, Malaysia

2009-11-10T23:07:00.000+11:00

Kuala Lumpur - Langkawi, Malaysia - 10th November 2009

Early rise as had to catch the KLIA Express train to the airport. The train only takes 28 minutes and cost 35 ringgit. Check in on our Malaysian airlines flight to Langkawi.

Flying time was only about 45 minutes and then we took a taxi to the Berjaya Resort.

Our Villa

The Beach At Berjaya Resort

The Berjaya Resort

We meet up with Miles and Ross in the lounge bar and had a few drinks to catch up.

The Pool At Berjaya Resort

Berjaya Resort

In the evening we met up again with miles and Ross for Food and Cocktails.

Berjaya Resort From The Sea

Local Squirrel

Trail Of Termites

A Ghecko

Kualu Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-11-09T20:19:00.002+11:00

Kualu Lumpur, Malaysia - 9th November 2009

Today we decided to by a Hop On - Hop Off bus pass, so we can travel around the city and see all the sites. We paid 38 Ringgit each and got our tickets, once on the bus our vouchers were exchanged for tickets, but they gave us child tickets and after an arguement they said it does not matter just take these. This prompted the conductors to ask if us if we were students everytime we got on the bus, obviously some sort of scam going on, but we got around all day without any problems. We first stopped at the Kuala Lumput Sky Tower, which the brochuce says is 20 ringgut to go up, but once we get to the cashier they charge 38 ringgit each and you get lots of freebie's included like a formula one simulator and wildlife tour etc. which we did not want.

The Kuala Lumpur Sky Tower

So in the end we did not go up the tower as I refused to pay double what the brochure stated for stuff we did not want to do. The next stop on the bus for us was the Royal Palace, we stopped outside and had a few photos taken, but that was as close as we could get.

Guard Outside The Royal Palace

Me Outside The Royal Palace

So on the bus again and this time we headed to The National Museum, this was only 2 ringgit and was very intetestng but full of hundreds of screaming school children running around which made it difficult to read anything. So we only spend an hour here.

The National Museum

Outside Of The National Museum

A Wooden Dragon Head

An Old Train

We then got back on the bus,by this time the rain was on again so we did almost a full loop on the bus and got off at Bukit Nana's and had a wander around the area looking for some food. We eventually found a restaurant and had something to eat then wandered around the shops and markets.

Kuala Lumpur

The latest trend here is Fish Spa's where you pay to put your feet in fish tanks and the fish nibble all the dead skin on your feet.

Fish Spa

We then got the train back to the hotel.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-11-08T23:51:00.049+11:00

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - 8th November 2009

Early morning as had to queue from 7:45am at The Petronas Towers to try and get tickets by 9am we had tickets for a 9:30am visit to the sky bridge. We had a breif look around the exhibition before our group was called, we entered the elevator which takes 40 seconds to get to the 41st floor.

The Elevator Buttons

We had 15 minutes to walk around, admire the view and take photos from the bridge.

Me on The Petronas Towers Skydeck

View From Skydeck

Jill And I on Skydeck

The Petronas Towers Skydeck

Roof Of KLCC

KLCC Fountains

View Down From Skydeck

KLCC Gardens

We then had to head back down and had more time at the exhibition. The view is lovely and a great experience and it's free.

We then had a walk around the gardens.

KLCC Gardens

Kuala Lumpur Skyline

Reflection Of Jill And I and Petronas Towers

Me Outside The Petronas Towers

Reflection In Lake

We stopped for some food before heading back to the hotel for swim.

Jill By The Hotel Pool

In the afternoon we caught a train to Pasar Seni and then had a walk along the river to the Dataran Merdeka which is an area with fantastic architecture and a 200ft flagpole.

Klang River

Kuala Lumpur

Fountain by Flagpole

Sky Tower

The Oldest Church In Kuala Lumpur

The Lamposts

Dataran Merdeka

Jill In Dataran Merdeka

Dataran Merdeka

From here we walked over to china town and Petaling Street, which is where the street markets are, lots of fake clothes, watches and DVD's are found here.

Petaling Street

Petaling Street

Stopped for a cold beer and and some food before catching a train home.

A Few Cold Beers

Kualu Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-11-07T23:47:00.002+11:00

Kualu Lumpur, Malaysia - 7th November 2009

Kualu Lumpur is much cleaner than I expected, I thought it would be more dirty like Bangkok, but at least the area we are in is more like Singapore in it's cleansliness. Today we explored the area around the the Petronas towers, there is a huge shopping mall under it called KLCC (Kualu Lumpur City Centre), To go up the Petronas towers to the skydeck is free but there are a very limited number of tickets available. 40 per 15 minutes from 9am - 8pm, so you need to queue early in the morning to get a time slot and the return at your allocated time, all sold out for today.

Me Outside The Petronas Towers

The Fountains At Front Of Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers

Bridge Between Petronas Towers

We then walked up to the tourist information centre which used to be the british army base in the second world war and the original site of the Malaysian Parliment. There does not seem to be much to do as a tourist if your not interested in shoping. Next to the tourist information is a chocolate factory which was free to visit and had the most fantastic displays made of chocolate.

Chocolate Dragons

Tourist Centre

Cart Outside Tourist Centre

Next we took the monorail a couple of stops to Bukit Bintang.

Kualu Lumpur Monorail

Had a walk around Bukit Bintang, not a lot except shops here, so stopped for a quiet beer and enjoying watching the lively streets.

Bukit Bintang

Started to walk back to the hotel and as we got to the Petronas Towers, the heavens opened and a massive downpour and thunderstorm started. The Petronas Towers were struck by lightning as we were standing next to them, it was so bright and loud. We too shelter and waiting before finally braving the last 200 metre dash to the hotel. Ventured out again in the evening and found an indonesian resturant fr some food.

The Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers At Night

Melbourne - Kualu Lumpur, Malaysia

2009-11-07T20:39:00.005+11:00

Melbourne - Kualu Lumpur, Malaysia - 6th November 2009

So it's been a while but have been living in Australia for the last 30 months, was in Perth for 2 years and then moved to Melbourne.

Finally had a chance to leave Australia and continue exploring the world.

Took an afternoon flight from Melbourne to Kualu Lumpur with Malaysia Airlines, flight was fantastic, with good food and entertainment which made the 8 hour flight go quickly. Arrived in Kualu Lumpur at 8:40pm and got grabbed by the first Taxi tour trying to get us to go in his Taxi for only 5 times the cost of a normal Taxi, luckily we are now used to these scams and said no and found a normal taxi 74.20 ringgit to the city which is over an hour drive. We are staying at the Corus Hotel, which is sufficent but a bit dated, it's location is grea right opposite the Petronas Towers. Had a little walk up and down the street when we arrived, very hot and humid at 31 C.

Day 1035 – Siem Reap - Bangkok, Thailand

2008-04-08T19:11:00.003+10:00

Day 1035 – 7th April 2008 +6:00 GMT

Had to check out the hotel and get a taxi to the airport, we caught the Bangkok airlines flight from Siem Reap back to Bangkok. The flight was just under an hour on another ATR 72 and we even got a nice meal on board.

Me By Our Bangkok Air Aeroplane

Leaving Siem Reap

Jill And I Onboard

View From Plane Window

When we arrived back in Bangkok we had to clear immigration and customs and then we got a taxi back to Siam City Hotel in the centre of Bangkok. We checked in and went to get some food at the hotel. After a short rest we got a taxi to the Khaosan Road where we wandered around the shops and stalls and had some food and beer.

Day 1034 – Siem Reap, Cambodia

2008-04-07T19:03:00.001+10:00

Day 1034 – 6th April 2008 +6:00 GMT

Had a lie in and then a fine breakfast at the hotel. We then got a tuk tuk into the town centre and had a walk around the shops and old market.

Siem Reap

The Old Market

We stopped at the temple bar for a drink and then visited the Dead Fish Bar and Restaurant which used to be a crocodile farm so they still have a crocodile pit and you can go and feed them while having a beer.

Angkor What The First Pub In Town

Me With An Angkor Beer

Crocodiles

A Lizard

The rest of the day was spent around the hotel gardens and in the jungle pool.

Our Tuk Tuk And Driver

A Lizard In Hotel Garden

Day 1033 – Siem Reap, Cambodia

2008-04-06T19:08:00.023+10:00

Day 1033 – 5th April 2008 +6:00 GMT

A very early morning up at 5am and straight into a taxi which we had hired for the day with the driver for just $25 and off we headed to Angkor Wat. Now Angkor is one if the seven modern wonders of the world and is about 10 km South of Siem Reap, It was built between the 9th and 13th Century and had a population of over a million when London had just 50,000. It is a collection of over 850 buildings and was the capital of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire. We arrived at Angkor and bought our day pass for $20, we had to get a photo taken which is printed on the ticket. We then headed to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise over the most famous of the temples. We walked over the moat and through the first building and sat and waited for the sun to rise.

Angkor Wat At 5am

Angkor Wat At 5am

Angkor Wat At 5am

Angkor Wat At 5am

Angkor Wat At 5am

Angkor Wat At 5am

Angkor Wat At 5am

Sun Rising Over Angkor Wat

Me At Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Flowers in Angkor Wat Moat

We than took a walk around the Temple buildings and then jumped back into the taxi and visited Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom is a walled area made up of several buildings the main being Bayon, also within the walls are Preah Palilay, Phineanakas, Terrace Of The Leper King, Terrace Of Elephants, Baphuon and Beng Thom.

Bayon

Bayon

Bayon

Bayon

Bayon

Baphuon

Phineanakas

Wall Of Angkor Thom

Terrace Of Elephants

Ruins In Angkor Thom

We walked around each of the buildings and then sat down and had a drink. We then got back in the taxi went to Chau Say Tevoda and then onto Thommanon.

Victory Gate

Chau Say Tevoda

Thommanon

Thommanon

Next was Ta Keo and then we had a walk through Ta Prohm, the archaeologist team was working on Ta Prohm as it has many trees growing out of the ancient Temple.

Ta Keo

Ta Keo

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

We then drove to Bat Chum which is another temple to walk through and lastly we visited Banteay Samre.

Bat Chum

Bat Chum

Banteay Samre

It was now about 10:30am and it was so hot we decided to go back to the hotel to swim, eat and sleep.

Jill In The Jungle Pool

We got up and headed back to Angkor Wat at 4pm to have another look around with better light, we walked around the entire grounds

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Then we got the taxi to Phnom Bakheng which is at the top of a hill, you can get an elephant to take you to the top or you can walk. We walked to the top and as with all the other temples you had lots of very very steep steps to climb to get to the top of the temple. Here we sat and waited for the sun to set.

Elephants At Phnom Bakheng

Phnom Bakheng

Unfortunately it was too cloudy and the sun disappeared from site long before it was due to set, so we walked back down and got the taxi to drop us of in the centre of Siem Reap. We had a walk around the shops and then stopped for an Indian and some beer before getting a tuk tuk back to the hotel for the night.

Day 1032 – Phnom Penh – Siem Reap, Cambodia

2008-04-05T20:00:00.006+11:00

Day 1032 – 4th April 2008 +6:00 GMT

Went out for breakfast to a local bakery and then checked out of the hotel.

The Pavillion Hotel

The Pavillion Hotel

We caught a Tuk Tuk to the airport, we were going to travel by boat but due to the water level being too low we decided to fly. We flew with Siam Reap airlines and we had a very easy flight on an ATR 72 aircraft even had a meal during the 35 minutes in the air.

Me By Our Plane

Arriving At Siem Reap

When we landed we collected out bags and got a taxi to the River Garden Hotel. The hotel is a 9 room boutique hotel surrounded by trees and ponds and has a jungle pool. We have a large room with a huge balcony. The staff are so friendly and it feels like we have butler service.

Our Room At River Garden Hotel

Our Private Balcony

The Jungle Pool

We got a tuk tuk into the town centre and had a wander around the market and the shops. There is a modern street in the centre of town called Bar Street which as the name suggests is full of bars.

Alleyway Next To Bar Street In Siem Reap

Me With A Local Angkor Beer

We had some dinner and then headed back to the Hotel for the night.

Day 1031 – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2008-04-04T20:52:00.017+11:00

Day 1031 – 3rd April 2008 +6:00 GMT

Had breakfast at hotel then we hired a Tuk Tuk driver for the day and headed out to the Killing Fields which is 15km south west of the city. We had our first traffic jam on route a water buffalo had jack-knived and there were horn everywhere which blocked the road, the police spent 20 minutes sorting out the traffic and then we were on our way through the villages.

Phnom Phen Monument

Water Buffalo Pulling Cart

Water Buffalo

Three On Bike With Luggage

Paddy Rice Fields

Cambodian People Party

The city is made up of the very rich and the very poor, there are many large 4 story buildings with wooden shacks behind them. We arrived at the Killing Fields which is the Genocide Centre.

Chueung Ek Genocidal Centre

If you don’t know the recent history of Cambodia here it is: After the 2nd World War Cambodia had no university’s and only one secondary school. From 1969 Cambodia was sucked into the Vietnam war and was carpert bombed by America. Fighting only stopped when Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge which Pol Pot was the leader. Pol Pot then decided to wipe out the country’s culture and any people he felt threaten the country these included all peasants, workers, technicians, engineers, doctors, teachers, students, Buddhist monks, ministers and soldiers of all rank. He thought anyone who wore glasses or could speak a foreign language was a parasite and they were immediately killed, over 2 million people were tortured and then murdered for no reason, this was 20% of the country’s population. It was men, women, children even new born babies were murdered. If you were going to be murdered he wanted to wipe out your entire family, so your spouse and all your children would also be murdered. The killing fields were where they brought truck loads of people each day and beat them to death with hoe’s, cane’s and anything else they had to hand. People were even buried alive, if they had not died from the torture. Over 300 people a day were brought to this site to die. The bodies were just tossed into mass graves and left. The Buddhist people believe that if you are not given a proper burial then you will not go to an afterlife and this still worry’s the victims family’s today.
The first thing you see when you enter the grounds is a huge pagoda and as you get close to it you see the inside is layered with shelves full of skulls and the bottom is the remains of the clothing from the victims.

Pagoda Of Skulls

Shelves Of Human Skulls

Killing Fields

They have retrieved almost 9000 sets of bones from the site and many thousands are still lying buried. As you walk around you pass graves marked as Mass Grave of victims with no heads and mass graves of women and children etc. It is a very disturbing place in a country that has probably suffered the most in the last 40 years.

The Killing Fields - Graves

Grave Of Headless Victims

Killing Tree

Unidentified Bones

We then got the Tul Tuk to Tuol Sleng Prison known as S 21 (Security Area 21). This used to be a school, but Pol Pot took over it and made it into a holding and torturing facility for the Phnom Penh people.

Tuol Sleng Prison

Info At Tuol Sleng Prison

Tuol Sleng Prison

The first building was used as a torture room and each of the ground floors classrooms became torture chambers. The second building had the first and second floor made into tiny cells only measuring 0.8m x 2.0m, the third floor was used as collective cells were prisoners were kept in large numbers. Each person was photographed and then tortured and forced to write a confession then trucked off to be murdered. Out of the 20’000 people brought to the prison only 7 survived. The have photo’s on display of some of the victims brought through the prison and many photos of the dead after they had been tortured. A room houses skulls and you can see where they have been shot or bludgeoned to death. It is a truly horrifying place where the most atrocious acts of torture have taken place.

Graves Of Last 14 Killed At Tuol Sleng Prison

Tuol Sleng Prison

Brick Cells At Tuol Sleng Prison

Wooden Cells At Tuol Sleng Prison

A Torture Room At Tuol Sleng Prison

A Cell At Tuol Sleng Prison

Human Skulls At Tuol Sleng Prison

Human Skulls Recovered Still Blindfolded

Tuol Sleng Prison

We then got the Tuk Tuk to drop us off at the river front and we had a walk along the river and stopped at a restaurant for some food. It is so hot here in the high 30’s and a dry heat so we need lots of water.

Petrol Station In Cambodia

We then had a walk along the river.

River Tonle Sap In Phnom Penh

We Then walked to the National Museum, the building is lovely but the contents of the museum was a bit disappointing it had lots of stone Buddha statues from the 5th – 7th Century and that was about it. A few artifacts here and there but not much information on them or on the history of the country. The courtyard was lovely but that is the most that can be said about the place.

The National Museum

Courtyard Of The National Museum

Me In Courtyard Of The National Museum

Courtyard Of The National Museum

We left and walked over to the Royal Palace where the king lives.

The Royal Palace

Throne Room Of The Royal Palace

Napoleon III Building

The Royal Palace

Only part of the palace was open today and we had a walk around the grounds and into a few of the buildings and temples onsite. The Palace is amazing to look at but other than walking around and looking at the buildings there is not much more onsite to do.

The Royal Palace

Jill At The Royal Palace

Model Of Angkor Wat At The Royal Palace

So we left and walked back to the hotel where I had a much needed swim. We went out again in the evening to a restaurant called Free Bird the food was great and we sampled the local Anchor beer.

Day 1030 – Ho Chi Minh – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2008-04-03T20:51:00.002+11:00

Day 1030 – 2nd April 2008 +6:00 GMT

Another early morning, checked out the hotel and was picked up by coach at 8am. The coach on had a dozen people on it and we were all headed to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. After about 2 ½ hours we reached the border and the coach driver took our passports and money and went to sort out the visa’s while we all cleared customs.

My Cambodian Visa

Once through we stopped for about 20 minutes and then carried on to Phnom Penh.

Our Coach At The Border

On route in Cambodia we saw many unusually sites, like bikes and trucks with hundreds of chickens attached to them, we also had to go ona car ferry across the Neak Luong River.

The Roads In Cambodia

Truck Of Chickens

We arrived just before 3pm and checked into our hotel we had some food from the bar and sat next to the pool. After a few hours rest we went out to get some food and found a Tapas bar just around the corner, the food was good. We then went and booked a ferry from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap only to get told half an hour later that the water level was too low and it had been cancelled. So we went on the internet and booked a flight.

Day 1029 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

2008-04-02T20:51:00.007+11:00

Day 1029 – 1st April 2008 +6:00 GMT

Had to get up early as we had booked to go and visit the Cu Chi Tunnels on an organised tour. We were picked up at 8am by a minibus and were driven for about an hour then we stopped at a Handicapped town where all the handicapped people work making crafts. They create pictures using cut up sea shells or eggshells. They then decorate pots and pretty much anything with these complicated designs using hundreds of thousands of bits of eggshell. It quite amazing the detail that goes into each item.

The Handicapped Centre

We carried on in the minibus which was full of Irish and Canadians until we reached the Cu Chi Tunnels. Now the Cu Chi Tunnels are tunnels that were dug by the Vietnamese to hide from the French and then the Americans from the 1950’s to late 1970’s Over 250km of tunnels were dug and they were at three heights the first being 4m underground the 2nd 6 metres and the 3rd 10 metres. The entrances were only 20cm x 40cm and had wooden covers and then covered over with leaves.

An Entrance To The Cu Chi Tunnels

Entering The Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels

Me Entering The Cu Chi Tunnels

Over 16000 people live underground many for over 2 years at a time. They built schools, hospitals and meeting rooms etc all underground. Many of the tunnels entrances had traps which mostly involved long metal spikes or sharpened bamboo.

A Trap In The Cu Chi Tunnels

A Door Trap

Hidden Trap

We were given a guided tour of the area and all allowed to drop into one of the tunnels through the tiny holes, then we were shown all the traps which were all very clever and laid all over the jungles. There are several bomb craters and a destroyed American tank onsite.

A Destroyed American Tank

We were then given an opportunity to fire some machine guns, AK47 or M60’s etc but this was extra money so Jill and I did not bother. Now it was time for us to crawl along the tunnels. The tunnels we were allowed to crawl along were widened slightly but still they were only about 50 cm wide and 60cm high. We crawled or scotched along for 100 metres going up and down, mostly in the pitch dark as lights were few and far apart. Doing this kills the muscles in the thighs...

Me In The Cu Chi Tunnels

Jill In The Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels

Cross Section Showing The Cu Chi Tunnels

The Bomb Making Room

One Of The Rooms Which Would Have Been Underground

We lastly watched a video on the area and then we got the minibus back to the hotel. We grabbed some food and then had a nap. We headed out in the evening for some food and then caught a taxi to teh other side of town to pick up Jill’s tailor made dress.

Day 1028 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

2008-04-01T20:50:00.005+11:00

Day 1028 – 31st March 2008 +6:00 GMT

Had a walk around the city, went to the Reunification Palace but got there just after 11am it it is shut from 11am – 1pm so we stood outside and took a few photos then had a walk up to Notre Dame Cathedral.

Statue In Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City Park

Ho Chi Minh City

Reunification Palace

Notre Dame Cathedral

We then visited the old post office and then walked along Dong Khoi which is the shopping and dining road.

The Old Post Office

Inside The Old Post Office

The Opera House

We had some food then took a walk along the river and Jill got fitted for a dress which she wants made. We then visited Ben Thanh Market which is a building holding hundreds and hundreds of stalls, selling the usual crafts and clothes.

Jill In Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon River

Boat On Saigon River

The Market

We then went back to the hotel for a siesta. In the evening we had a walk around Pham Ngu Lao area which is where we were staying, we got some Mexican food here also. Ho Chi Minh city is much nicer than Hanoi and is more western it has a much in the way of shops and restaurants. It has a population of around 6 million although it is not capital.

Day 1027 – Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

2008-03-31T20:47:00.001+11:00

Day 1027 – 30th March 2008 +6:00 GMT

Had yet another great breakfast at hotel and checked out the hotel at 12pm and got a taxi to the station for our last leg of the train around the 1650 km coast of Vietnam.

Jill At Train Station

Our Train

We were in a 4 berth carriage again and the journey was fine, we arrived in Ho Chi Minh former Saigon at around 9pm and we checked into our hotel Duc Vuong. We had a walk around the area which is in District 1 and had some food and looked in a few shops before collapsing for the night.

Day 1026 – Nha Trang, Vietnam

2008-03-30T02:46:00.005+11:00

Day 1026 – 29th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had a very lazy morning, went for a swim and lazed by the pool, in the afternoon we collected our washing and had a drink in a cafe by the waterfront. We watched the sunset from the skybar where we had a few cocktails and then in the evening we ate at the hotel and that was about it.

Sunrise Hotel

Sunrise Pool

View From Skybar

Jill In Skybar

View Of Pool

View From Skybar

Jill and I With Cocktails In Skybar

View From Skybar

Day 1025 – Nha Trang, Vietnam

2008-03-29T20:45:00.004+11:00

Day 1025 – 28th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had a fantastic buffet breakfast at the hotel and then went for a walk along the waterfront, it is so hot and humid here. The town is not really made up of anything, lots of hotels and guesthouses but not really any shops. We walked back along the beach and when we arrived at the hotel we lay on the sun loungers on the hotels private part of the beach and had a beer and I went for a swim in the sea.

View From Our Balcony

Nha Trang Beach

Our Hotel The Sunrise

Nha Trang Beach

Nha Trang Beach

Sweeping Our Beach

Jill On Beach

We then went and had a siesta and then walked back into the town to drop off our washing.
In the evening we caught a taxi to an Indian Restaurant which was really good and the first place where I have been forced to sign the guestbook before they will let me pay. We then went to the Louisane Brewing Company for a beer. After the drinks we walked back to the hotel.

Me At Louisane Bew House

Our Hotel

Day 1024 – Hoi An - Nha Trang, Vietnam

2008-03-28T20:43:00.004+11:00

Day 1024 – 27th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had breakfast at the hotel and then caught a taxi back to Danang and got on the train. This time we were in a four berth soft sleeper carriage. Although there were actually five in our carriage.

Jill On Train

Me On Train

The journey was about 10 ½ hours to Nha Trang. We arrived and got a taxi to the Sunrise Hotel which is another 5 star hotel, our last treat of the holiday. We had a lovely room with a balcony that looks over the south china sea. We went had a drink and a snack in the Irish Bar before calling it a night.

Our Room At The Sunrise

Day 1023 – Hoi An, Vietnam

2008-03-27T20:42:00.010+11:00

Day 1023 – 26th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had a quiet morning in the hotel and then got the 11am shuttle into Hoi An town. We had a walk around all the temples and buildings of interest including the old bridge. In Hoi An you buy a single ticket and that allows you into all the historical buildings and temples.

Hoi An

Old Bridge Hoi An

Hoi An

We had a nice walk along the river and had a drink in a riverside bar. Then caught the shuttle back to the hotel. I had a swim and lay around by the pool and read my book for most of the afternoon and then we went back into the town for an evening meal.

Golden Sands Pool

Jill On The Beach

Golden Sands Beach

We ate at Tam Tam’s again and sat out on the balcony overlooking the street. We headed back to the hotel and watched TV for a few hours before sleeping. Just as I was going to bed I noticed we had no water in the bathroom, so used bottled water to clean my teeth and went to sleep. At 2am we heard this loud high pitched screeching coming from the bathroom. I phoned reception who sent someone up to look at it, but as soon as they arrived it stopped, then 5 minutes later once they had gone it started again. This carried on four or five times and then the hotel said they would move us to a new room, by this time it was 3am and we were booth very tired.

Jill With A Beer In Hoi An

Day 1022 – Hoi An, Vietnam

2008-03-26T20:41:00.003+11:00

Day 1022 – 25th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Woke up at 6am after a reasonably nights sleep, only woke up a couple of times on the bumpy train. The four year old was running round all morning like crazy and kept grabbing onto Jill and I. We arrived at Danang station just after 11am, the last 2 hours of the journey had spectacular scenery as the train followed the coast.

Vietnam Coast From Train

Back Of Our Train

Front Of Our Train

We got a taxi to our hotel which was about 40 minutes away near the Town of Hoi An. The hotel was lovely the five star Swiss-Bel Golden Sands Resort.

Swiss-Bel Golden Sands Resort.

It has a 150m Infinity pool which runs between the front of the hotel beach. The rooms are lovely and very comfortable.

The Hotel Infinty Pool

Our Room

We had some food at the hotel restaurant and then had a nap. In the afternoon I went for a swim and sat around in the Jacuzzi. About 6pm we got a taxi into the centre of Hoi An and had a wander around the streets. The town is beautiful and is made up almost entirely of art galleries and tailors, the area is famous for it’s silk. We found a nice restaurant called Tam Tam and I had the Hoi An local dish which is fish steamed in banana leaves and it was fantastic. We had another walk around then got a taxi back to the hotel.

Day 1021 – Hanoi - Danang, Vietnam

2008-03-25T20:38:00.002+11:00

Day 1021 – 24th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

I had a walk into the old quarter and around Lake Hoan Kiem. I went to pick order some train tickets and they said come back at 4pm. So I headed back to the hotel. Jill and I were leaving tonight so we had a lazy day and just hung around the hotel. At 4pm I went back to the travel agents in the old quarter and they had got the wrong day on the tickets. After a few minutes they agreed to correct the problem and courier the tickets to our hotel before 5pm. At 5:15pm the tickets arrived and Jill and I checked out the hotel and got a taxi to the train station. We boarded the 19:00 SE1 train to Saigon and were in a 6 berth sleeper car, this was 3 high on each side and we were sharing with five Vietnamese people, actually 6 more as someone had their four year old son with them.

The people in the carriage next to us were from Luxemburg and Italy but were living in London so we spent several hours chatting to them. I read until I fell asleep.

Day 1020 – Hanoi, Vietnam

2008-03-24T20:37:00.006+11:00

Day 1020 – 23rd March 2008 +7:00 GMT

We got up early and walked to the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh as it is only open until 11am. Unfortunately so had the rest of Vietnam, we had to walk for 25 minutes to find the back of the queue and decided we did not want to wait in a queue of thousands of people to shuffle passed Ho Chi Minh body.

Me Outside Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh

Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh

We did however decided to visit the museum and although it was very busy we got in. We were given an English guide who walked around with Jill and I and explained all the symbolism in the museum about explained about the life of Ho Chi Minh and how he travelled the world for 30 years before becoming the first president of Vietnam. It explained how he started the communist party and was a much loved leader how devoted a lot of time and the country’s resources to teaching the young.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

After the museum we saw the Dien Huu Pagoda

Dien Huu Pagoda

Then onto the Presidential Palace.

The Presedential Palace

Ho Chi Minh never actually lived in the palace but he preferred a small house next door and always lived on his own. The Palace was a magnificent sight and we then walked around the houses where Ho Chi Minh lived.

Ho Chi Minh's House

Guard Outside Ho Chi Minh's House

Ho Chi Minh's Summer House

Jill At Lake At Ho Chi Minh's House

We had a guide for this part as well but his English was not so great. We then walked back to the hotel.

Lenin Statue

I was not feeling to great so stayed in all afternoon while Jill had a wonder around the old quarter again.

Hanoi Opera House

The Lake In Hanoi

The Temple Gates At The Lake

Temple On The Lake

Hanoi

Hanoi Cathedral

We had dinner at the hotel and then an early night.

Day 1019 – Hanoi, Vietnam

2008-03-23T20:31:00.006+11:00

Day 1019 – 22nd March 2008 +7:00 GMT

We woke up and it was pouring down with rain. After breakfast we got a taxi from the hotel to the Museum Of Ethnology. We read that it was the one thing not to miss in Hanoi, unfortunately it was a bit disappointing.

Museum Of Ethnology

In Museum Of Ethnology

The main museum has a dozen or so displays which show all the different tribes and ethnic groups that make up Vietnam displaying their traditions. In the grounds outside is more interesting and shows all the different types of housing they have and you can walk through all the replica huts they have built.

Tribal Huts At Museum Of Ethnology

This type of hut was usually for town meetings and to welcome guests

Tribal Huts At Museum Of Ethnology

2 Or 3 Families Would Live In This Type Of Hut Upto 100 Metres Long

Burial Chamber

Tribal Huts At Museum Of Ethnology

We had some lunch here and then got a taxi to the Temple Of Literature which is about half the distance back to the hotel and the taxi fare was twice as much. We paid to get inside the grounds and proceeded to get soaked through to the skin as the rain was still pouring. The Temple Of Literature is a garden comprising of five courtyards and a large reflection pool. There are several buildings which house some ancient stones, the stones have the names and details of 82 doctors carved into them dating back as far as 1442.

The Temple Of Literature

The Temple Of Literature In The Rain

The Temple Of Literature

The Stones On Which The Doctors Names Are Engraved

Jill At The Temple Of Literature

We had a walk around the grounds and then walked back to the hotel to dry off.

Hanoi In The Rain

In the evening we took a walk through the old quarter to the water puppet theatre but all the shows were sold out for the next 3 days so we found ancient restaurant and had some food and then moved onto the Dragonfly Pub. Just as we arrived and sat down the Spurs vs Portsmouth game kicked off so we had some beer and some cocktails and got joined by some other travels who all live in Wellington, New Zealand. 20 minutes later two other people joined our table and it was a good night.

The Temple Gates On The Lake

We walked back to our hotel about midnight and collapsed.

Day 1018 – Vientiane - Hanoi, Vietnam

2008-03-22T20:28:00.004+11:00

Day 1018 – 21st March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had a lazy morning, just checked my e-mail at a local internet cafe and packed up my stuff. Checked out of the hotel at 12pm and then got a taxi to the airport. Our flight was 30 minutes early so we boarded at 1:10pm and was in the air by 1:40pm. We were flying to Hanoi in Vietnam on Lao Airlines. We had read many reports about Lao airlines and their safety record which is not published. Their International flights do now meet International Safety Standards and we did not really have any other choice as Vietnam Airways flight share on the same plane. So we boarded the ATR72 plane which is a twin propeller.

Me In Front Of Our Laos Airways Plane

View Of The Clouds From The Plane

The flight was great and we had a drink and a meal in the 1hr 10min flight. We landed in Hanoi at 2:50pm and walked straight through immigration and customs with no delays.

My Vietnam Visa

We then waited almost an hour for our airport pickup but no one turned up so we shared a Taxi with another couple. We checked into the Pacific Hotel which is next to the old quarter in Hanoi. The room is fairly large with 2 king beds and a balcony over a very noisy street. We had a few issues at the hotel like having no hot water and the safe not working, but the staff were very friendly and soon fixed all the issues. We took a walk to the train station to buy tickets for Monday and then had a walk around the old quarter and got some food.

Street View From Restaurant Balcony

Day 1017 – Vientiane, Laos

2008-03-21T20:53:00.008+11:00

Day 1017 – 20th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

So we had a free breakfast at guest house then we walked to Lao Airline Office to confirm our flights for tomorrow then on to the presidential palace.

Lao Airlines Offices

The Presedential Palace

Unfortunately you cannot go in so we could just take photos from outside the gates. The palace is opposite a long road which is supposed to represent the champs-elysees and at the end has a Arc similar to the Arc de Triomphe. We then had a look around Wat Si Saket, by now I have seen so many temples so we agreed we would just look around the main one in the city.

Wat Si Saket

We walked to the market which was huge, hundreds and hundreds of stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables, local crafts and clothes.

Vientiane Market

We then walked to the Patuxai (victory gate of Vientiane) This was built in 1962 to resemble the Arc de Triomphe but was never completed due to the country’s turbulent history. We decided to go to the top and walked up the 205 stairs to get the views over the capital city.

The Patuxai

Me At The Patuxai

Ceiling Of The Patuxai

South View Of Vientiane

East View Of Vientiane

North View Of Vientiane

West View Of Vientiane

The city itself is relatively small and is not very aesthetically pleasing mostly full of modern concrete building with no character. We then took a tuk tuk to the Pha That Luang which is the biggest and most important monument in Laos. It is a huge golden structure, it is a symbol of Buddhist religion and Lao sovereignty.

Pha That Luang

Shrine At Pha That Luang

Me At Pha That Luang

We had a walk around and there is actually not to much to see when you are close up just a golden building. We had a look at a couple of temples next to it and then got a tuk tuk back to the guest house.

Pha That Luang

We had a couple of hours rest then walked to the Laos National History Museum. The museum was very good and each room was set in a different period of time started with evolution. They had a collection of dinosaur bones which were first discovered in 1939 and then the rest discovered in 1995. Recently a lot of excavation has been down in Laos and many ancient relics of gold and silver have been found but it seems when they are sent abroad for examination they are never seen again. That seems to be a problem for a country with such a history and no money to protect it. Laos used to be a French colony and was part of French-Indo-China, France lost Laos during the 2nd world war and tried to re take the country in 1946 and then America bombed Laos during the 60’s and 70’s as it did not want communism to spread. Laos finally gained independence in 1975.

Laos National History Museum

Prices in Laos are still very cheap. Most meals cost less than a pound and you can buy 20 cigarettes for only 23p, apparently the cheapest place in the world. Water is around 12p a bottle and beer 84p for a litre. After the museum we went out to dinner and then for a walk along the river.

Jill In A Dress By The Mekong

I then checked my e-mail and then we went back to the guest house. We had a massive thunderstorm during the night, Laos seems to have a lot of thunderstorms this is the 6 night we have experienced them, but this one was right over us with lightning strikes every couple of seconds. I managed to get some photos of the lightning striking the ground, eventually we got to sleep.

My Photo's Of The Thunderstorm

Day 1016 – Vang Vieng - Vientiane, Laos

2008-03-20T20:52:00.002+11:00

Day 1016 – 19th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had a free breakfast at the guesthouse then checked out and got a tuk tuk to the bus station. Arrived at the bus just after 9:30am, this is is 10am VIP Express bus to Vientiane. We boarded the bus and waited for it to leave and waited and waited, although it was full before 10am the driver thought he would sit around and chat to his colleagues before leaving. The bus finally left at a couple of minutes to 11. Then 200 hundred yards down the road it pulls into a petrol station and fills up. The bus was old with hardly any air-con no toilets on board and non stop til it gets to Vientiane. I have realised that in Laos the VIP service which is three times the cost of the normal bus means it has wheels and usual has petrol in it. I would love to know what the public buses are like. We eventually arrived in Vientiane just after 2pm after sitting on a bus for 4 ½ hours and travelled a total of 93 miles and these were not even windy mountain roads. We got a taxi to our guest house and checked into Mali Namphu guest house. The staff are very friendly and showed us to our room on the fourth floor, the room is small but clean. We then headed out to get some food with a guy called Jason who we had been chatting to on the bus. We had many soft drinks and pizza. Jill and I then visited an internet cafe and booked some hotels for Vietnam and flights from Cambodia back to Thailand.

Vientiane Fountain

A Lizard On The Wall

We then took a walk along the river and saw that the Mekong festival is going on so had some bands playing live on stage.

Mekong Festival

We visited a Mexican restaurant and had some food and drinks before walking back through the city to the guest house. Vientiane is the capital of Laos and has a present population of 236,000 apparently it is one of the most sleepiest capitals in the world.

Day 1015 – Luang Prabang – Vang Vieng, Laos

2008-03-19T20:51:00.004+11:00

Day 1015 – 18th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

We got up just before 7am as the Tuk Tuk was due to pick us up at 7:50am but arrived at 7:30am, it then made another pick up and took us to the southern bus station here we were supposed to check in for the 9am bus, but as we checked in the bus driver said get on my bus now get on the 8am bus so we did. We were crammed at the back of the bus on the last two seats where the floor is a lot higher so our knees are at shoulder height in chairs that did not recline and were very uncomfortable. The express bus as we had chosen is an express as it seems to not slow down on the mountain roads and likes to maintain a speed of 60 – 80kmph whilst cornering and overtaking lorries on blind bends with sheer drops of up to 400 metres beside us, of course there are no crash barriers. After an extremely uncomfortable 5 ½ hours we complete the 140 miles trip arrive in Vang Vieng and get taken to our guest house. The guest house is gorgeous and we have a private bungalow on the river and Jill is very happy to find we have a large bathtub.

Our Room

Me Outside Our Bungalow

Outside Our Bungalow

Longboat And Dog On river

River In Vang Vieng

River Outside Our Bungalow

We have lunch and a beer at the guest house restaurant and then walk into town. The place is small and filled with bars and internet cafes, not sure how anyone makes any money as the town is practically deserted. We were warned not to drink or eat anything in the town with the word happy in front of it on the menu as it would contain either opium or amphetamines, apparently both very popular in this sleepy town.

The Local Barbers In Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng

Bridge Over River

We stopped at the Organic farm cafe and had some drinks, I have a fantastic lemon and mint drink with more fresh mint leaves than you can imagine it in. We then went back to the guest house for a late afternoon siesta. When we woke up we met up with Nigel and went for a drink and some food in the town, the town is much livelier at night. We found a nice bar and restaurant and had some food and drinks then Nigel and I had a few games of pool, then headed back to the guest house.

Jill By The River

Sunset

Day 1014 – Luang Prabang, Laos

2008-03-18T20:51:00.005+11:00

Day 1014 – 17th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

We walked to the Grand Palace and national museum but it was closed until 1:30pm so we walked along the river and visited yet another temple. This time it was “Wat Xieng Thong” we paid the usual entry price of 20’000 kip and had a look around.

Wat Xieng Thong

Buddha Shrine At Wat Xieng Thong

Wat Xieng Thong

Once you have seen one they are much the same. We stopped for a beer as it started to rain again and then made our way back to the town centre and bought our bus tickets on to Vang Vieng for tomorrow. We opted for the VIP Express bus only 5 hours at 140’000 kip. Each (about 8 quid).

Luang Prabang

Cute Dog

Another Cute Dog

Kitten

A Monk In The Rain

We made A briif stop to look around another temple Wat Sensoukharam

Wat Sensoukharam

The Grand Palace and national museum were now open so we paid the fee and went in. Here you were not allowed to take any photo’s as this used to be the kings residence until 1975 when the administrative capital of Laos was moved to Vientiane. The palace was quite amazing with the king and queens bedrooms being quite plain and simple. It has many Buddha’s including the Prabang Buddha from the 1st century which is where the name Luang Prabang came from. Many gifts were displayed that had been given to the King from all over the world sadly none from the UK. We saw many thrones and swords that the king and senior monks used. The history was very interesting and very sad as Laos is the most bombed country in history in the world. It has received more financial aid from America than any other country during the 50’s and 60’s and more bombs from America than any other country in the 70’s. Laung Prabang was made a national heritage town on 9th December 1995.

National Museum And Palace

Jill Outside National Museum And Palace

National Museum and Palace Grounds

National Museum and Palace

After leaving the palace we did a little shopping at the market and picked up a couple of T-shirts and Jill got some trousers as well. We both ate Laos Curries and then called it a night. Throughout the night we had a huge thunderstorm, with sheet lightning flashes every few seconds.

Our Guest House Villa Laodum

Setting Up The Night Market

Day 1013 – Luang Prabang, Laos

2008-03-17T20:50:00.005+11:00

Day 1013 – 16th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

When we woke up we were told we were being moved to a new room upstairs so had to pack up all our stuff. We went to a local cafe/bakery for breakfast where we got Coffee, Friut Juice, a baguette and Jam, Bacon, Sausage, Eggs and a plate of fruit for £1.20, So had a filling breakfast and then climbed up the mountain to see “That Phousi (mountain)” which is a temple at the top of a hill. On the way up the hill I stepped on a snake, now Jill stepped over it and it slithered just to where I was stepping and I got a huge fright. This is the first wild snake I have ever seen, luckily it did not bite me and I have no idea if it is poisonous or not.

The Snake I Stepped On

Anyway we paid the 20 grand entrance fee and had a look around. From the top you get a spectacular view over Luang Prabang. The temple is made up of several different buildings and lots of Buddha statues, also the famous imprint of Buddha’s foot.

View Of Grand Palace

That Phousi

View From That Phousi

Me At That Phousi

Buddha Shrine At That Phousi

Buddha Statue At That Phousi

Buddha Statue At That Phousi

Buddha's Footprint

We climbed down the other side of the hill and then walked along the river to the old bridge. The bridge is made our of wood and is only for pedestrians and motorcycles, the rough slats of wood were often loose and had huge holes in giving you a grand view of the water 100 feet below. I walked over the bridge and back along the other side.

The Old Bridge

Me On Old Bridge

View From Bridge

We then went for a drink at Martin’s Pub and watched the many bikes going by. It stated to rain a little on and off throughout the rest of the day and everybody seems to able to ride a motorbike and hold an umbrella.

Martin's Pub

4 On A Motorbike With A Nice Rain Hat

Luang Prabang

We then looked around “That Makmo” another temple and bo ught some postcards.

That Makmo

That Makmo built in 1501

That Makmo

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the markets and shops and went out for a nice Indian that night.

Our Room In Villa Laodum

Day 1012 – Pakbeng – Luang Prabang, Laos

2008-03-16T20:49:00.005+11:00

Day 1012 – 15th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Up again at 6am and down for breakfast at 7am. The breakfast was not so great but had a little to eat and then back on the boat.

Our Bungalow

Pakbeng Lodge

View Of Mekong From Lodge

At around 11am we stopped at another village. This looked to be better off than the one yesterday and had a couple of temples in the village.

Laos Tribal Village

Laos Children

Dog and Cockerel

Laos Tribal Village

Laos Children

Cute Puppy In Village

Laos Children

The Village Temple

Laos Children

The Village here does a lot of weaving and produce silk scarves and also distil Laos Whiskey. I bought a small bottle of Laos Whiskey for 30p and we spent 30 minutes walking around the village.

Peanut Production

Selling Their Silks

Distilling Laos Whisky

Peanuts Growing On Beach

Back on the boat we were served lunch and then given fruit and carried on until about 2:30pm where we stopped at Pak Ou caves. These are the caves of a thousand Buddha’s. We walked up the steps to the lower caves which has 2500 statues of Buddha in it and then we walked up hundreds of steps to get to the upper caves, this cave was 54 metres long and holds 1500 Buddha statues some a stall as 1.5 metres. I did not think the climb up all the steps was worth it as the caves were a little disappointing.

Our Boat

Pak Ou Caves

Pak Ou Buddha Statues

Pak Ou Lower Cave

Entrance To Pak Ou Upper Cave

We got back on the boat and sailed for the final 90 minutes into Luang Prabang.

The Steps Into Laung Prabang

We got a tuk tuk to out Guest house and checked into Villa Laodeum. The room is quite small but comfortable and we have a small TV and mini-bar. We headed straight out and had a walk down the street which lead onto a market where hundreds of locals had come down from the hills laid out there blankets and filled them with various arts, crafts and clothes. The stalls when on for several hundreds metres and 4 rows of them.

Luang Prabang Night Market

We bumped into Nigel from our cruise and he joined us for dinner where we had a few beers (1 ¼ pints for 59p). We then walked around for a while browsing in the shops and at stalls and then went back to the guest house to crash for the night.

Jill Enjoying A Laos Beer

Day 1011 – Chiang Kong - Pakbeng, Laos

2008-03-15T20:48:00.016+11:00

Day 1011 – 14th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Another early morning up before 6am and checked out, the guest house owner drove us to the pier where visited Immigration and departed Thailand.

Sunrise Over The Mekong river

Jill On Balcony

Me At Breakfast

The Cute Kitten

Our Guest House Baanrimtaling

We met our guide and they took our bags and boated across the Mekong into Laos. We then waited around for the rest of the tour group and we were checked into Laos through customs and Immigration. We thought we would change up some money into Laos Kip so changed about £80 and was give 1395000 Kip in 10K notes so we had a huge wad of cash which would not fit in our wallets.

Me with 1.4 Million Kip

Then we were packed into the back of trucks and driven a couple of kilometres through the town of Houy Say and to the boat. The board we had choosen was a VIP cruise run by Loung Say We paid around $330 each for he trip or we could have gone on the normal boat and pais $30 each but would have too share with 200 people and sit, sleep and eat on the same spot on hard wooden seats and on a boat with one toilet if your lucky and 2 days like that did not really appeal to Jill and I so we opted for the posh boat. We boarded the slow boat and sat around while we were given an introduction.

Laos Customs and Immigration

The Slow Boats

Jill And I On The Slow Boat

The boat had 34 people which was made up of 1 dutch, 2 germans, 2 scottish, 4 americans, 24 french and me a lonely Englishman. Everyone who spoke English were lovely, we got on very well with the 3 Americans (The Tennyson Family, they wanted a mention in my blog so here it is ). I am sure the French were lovely too but we did not really speak to any of them. On the boast we had large seats and cushioned benches and 2 sets of toilets and a nicely stocked bar. We were given drinks and snacks when we boarded and we set sail down the Mekong. The Mekong River is full of life with locals all along the shore either fishing, farming or panning for gold. We made a stop as the boat has to purchase a pass and then the boat got swamped by children trying to sell us crisps.

The Children Trying To Sell Crisps

At 12pm a full lunch was served which was really good and then at around 1:30pm we made a stop to visit a local village.

A Hmong Village

Hmong Children

Hmong Children Looking After The babies

The village had running water and lots of animals running around, mostly chickens, turkeys, pigs and dogs they had a few vegetables growing and the houses were made from bamboo. The baby pigs were adorable and all the animals seemed so tame.

Pig

Pig

Baby Piglets

Turkeys

A Cockerel

The village seemed quite poor but we were told that this was a moderate village as it had houses and running water. The children in the village were great and loved to pose for photo’s. The children usual get married around the age of 15 and all the work is shared out so children were caring for the young and also preparing rice and other food. The village used to produce opium for heroin production but this was outlawed by the Laos government in the 90’s. It was a fascinating experience and a true insight to how they live.

The Hmong Village

Beating Rice

Producing Rice

Hmong Children

We then got back on the boat and carried on down river until we reached Pakbeng just after 5pm. The hotel is about 1km out of Pakbeng owned and run by Luang Say tours. We checked into our room and had a hut to ourselves with a large bed and a small en-suite bathroom.

The Mekong River

Our Room In Pekbeng

View From Our Room

We had an hour to freshen up before dinner and then headed to the restaurant. The food was fantastic and we had a couple of bottles of wine. After dinner everyone turned in for the night.

Thailand

2008-03-14T20:59:00.000+11:00

Thailand

Thailand had been quite an experience so far, a bottle of water cost 10p a can of coke 24p and a beer (just over a pint) for around 95p. It is not an unusual sight to see a family of four on a single motorbike with all their shopping and the pet dog. Also you see children as young as nine riding 1000cc bikes along the streets with no crash helmets. Every pavement is uneven and there are pot holes galore. Street signs are ignored and when the green man shows at crossings the cars don’t stop. If the bikes are made to stop they find an alternative route usually along the pavement. Loose wires that are live seem to be sticking out of every lamppost or hanging down from overhead power cables. No one uses any safety gear or ropes and harness’s and all the signs say Safety First. Every street is full of carts selling fried food or thai noodles and rice. You can’t walk more than 50 metres without being asked if you want a Tuk Tuk ride or a suit made, but that’s what you have to love about the place.

Day 1010 – Chiang Mai – Chiang Kong, Thailand

2008-03-14T20:47:00.003+11:00

Day 1010 – 13th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Early to rise and breakfast at the hotel then taxi to bus station. We boarded the Chaing Kong bus at 8:30am and everyone was given water and some biscuits, the bus was supposed to have air conditioning but it did not work to well and everyone on the bus was roasted. The journey took just under 7 hours and a few stops were made on the way. We arrived in Chaing Kong just after 3pm and then walked to our Guest House which was Baan Rimta Ling. When we arrived there was no one around just a cat, a kitten and a dog.

Kitten At The Guest House

So we sat down and waited the view from the place was amazing with a view across the Mekong River and into Laos.

View Of Mekong River And Laos

A Slow Boat On The Mekong River

An American guy staying at the hostel appeared after an hour or so and sat with us chatting. At around 6pm the owners daughter appeared and checked us in to our room. We had a bungalow room with a balcony overlooking the river which was fantastic.

The View Of The Mekong River And Laos From Our Room

Our Balcony

A Spider Outside Our Room

We walked into the town in search of a restaurant and after about 20 minutes the very last building was a restaurant so we had a lovely Thai curry each and then headed back to the guest house where we promptly passed out.

Day 1009 – Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-03-13T20:45:00.005+11:00

Day 1009 – 12th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

After breakfast Jill and I walked down the road and handed in our laundry to a lady who agreed to wash and dry everything for 200 baht (around £3.30). We then haggled and got a tuk tuk to take us to the bus station so we could buy a ticket for tomorrow to Chiang Kong, the ticket was 284 baht. We then got the tuk tuk to take us to Chaimongkon Wat (which is a temple) and we had a look around and took some photos.

Elephant Bones

Chaimongkon Wat

Me At Chaimongkon Wat

Chaimongkon Wat

We then got a cruise down the River Ping the cruise lasted and hour and was a pleasant trip but since the guide did not speak English we did not know what anything was.

Noi Ping River Cruise

Me On The Noi Ping River

Turtles On The Noi Ping River

The Noi Ping River

When then walked back to the hotel via Hagn-Dazs and treated ourselves to an ice cream extravaganza and then I uploaded blog photos for the last few days and had a little rest. In the evening we walked to the riverside restaurant and had a fantastic meal, then we walked back through the city looking at the night market stalls on route.

Chiang Mai

Me Having A Beer At The Riverside Restaurant

View Of The River Noi Ping

Day 1008 –Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-03-12T20:59:00.005+11:00

Day 1008 – 11th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had breakfast at the hotel as it was free and then had a wander around the streets of Chiang Mai. We headed in no particular direction and just visited a few temples that we passed and had a walked around the moat and through Chiang Mai gate.

Chiang Mai Streets

Chiang Mai

Market in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

A Chiang Mai Taxi

Chiang Mai is a lot nicer than Bangkok as it is not such much in your face everything seems a lot more laid back and everyone is very friendly. The old city is surrounded by a moat and has more than 300 temples.

Chiang Mai Temple

Big Buddha

We stopped for a beer and then headed back to the hotel had a swim and a siesta.

Me Having A Swim In The Hotel Pool

In the early evening we headed to back to the Chiang Mai Saloon for some food and more beer. Then had a wander around a few of the local pubs stopping for the occasional drink.

Jill With A Cocktail

Day 1007 – Bangkok – Chiang Mai, Thailand

2008-03-11T20:07:00.002+11:00

Day 1007 – 10th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

An early morning up before 6am, had breakfast in the hotel and then caught a taxi to the train station. Our train left at 8:30am and we were in second class with air conditioning.

At Bangkok Train Station

The cost for the trip was a little over £8 and this included all the meals on the train. The journey took 12 hours and we got dinner and two other snack meals, we also had several drinks so it was quite a bargain. We arrived at Chiang Mai at 8:30pm and got a Taxi (which here are all converted trucks with seating in the back) to our hotel. We checked in and found we had a large room with a good view of the night market.

Our Large Room In Chiang Mai

We wandered around and took a look at the market and got some food and a beer.

Jill With A Beer in Chiang Mai Market

Thai Dancers In Chiang Mai Market

Me With A Beer in Chiang Mai Market

Then headed back to the hotel for the night as we were exhausted.

Day 1006 – River Kwai - Bangkok, Thailand

2008-03-10T20:24:00.003+11:00

Day 1006 – 9th March 2008 7:00 GMT

Had a lazy morning just sitting in the hammocks outside our room and finished my book.

Jill In Hammock

View From Front of Our Room

About 11am we got the boat back down the river to Pakeseng and had our lunch at a restaurant by the river. We then got back on the coach and travelled for about 15 minutes to Nam Tok station. Here we caught the Death train which travels on the remaining 130 Km of the track from the Thai-Burma railway.

Me At Nam Tok Station

Nam Tok Station Ticket Office

The Death Railway Train

The scenery from the train is amazing and it still goes across the original wooden viaduct built in 1943. The train journey was just over an hour and then it was a long coach journey back to Bangkok.

View Across Into Burma

The River Kwai

The Wooden Viaduct

Thai Passengers On Train

We arrived back at our hotel around 6pm and went and had a buffet at the hotel. The food was amazing especially the desserts. We then watched some TV and called it a night.

Our Hotel Room

Day 1005 – On The River Kwai, Thailand

2008-03-09T20:23:00.003+11:00

Day 1005 – 8th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Slept very well on the floating raft, during breakfast two elephants were bathing next to the rafts. The hotel feed them all the left over fruit every morning so they come at 7:30am every day. We took several photo as it was the first time I had seen real elephants in the jungle and we were able to feed and stroke them.

Elephants At Breakfast

After breakfast Jill and I headed down river by long boat to the Lawa caves.

The Lawa Caves

We walked to the caves from where the boats dropped us off and our guide from the hotel took us around the caves. The first thing he showed us was that the caves which were full of bats which started flying around our heads. We carried on through the cave and looked at all the stalactites and stalagmites. We were allowed to wander anywhere and touch all the displays. The caves were so humid and hot, it was like being in a sauna. So it was nice to come out in to the fresh air.

Bats In The Cave

Jill and I In Lawa Caves

Buddha Statue In Lawa Caves

Wild Banana's Growing

Wild Jack Fruit

Jack Fruit Growing

We then got the long boat back to the hotel and had a few hours to relax before dinner.

The River Kwai Jungle Rafts

Jill Outside Our Room

Our Room

We then we were back on the long boats this time we headed up river for an hour, we felt quite privileged as Jill and I seemed to be the only people who had booked this exact trip so had a guide to ourselves all day. Along the river all the locals were washing their clothes or fishing etc and everyone waved and seemed pleased to see us passing by. We reached the national park after an hour and we walked across this flimsy wooden bridge and then walked to the source of the stream which flows out of the rocks and into the Kwai Noi River. The waterfall we had come to see was a little bit of a let down as it was only about 20 foot or so and I guess we have been spoiled seeing waterfalls of greater magnitude in other countries.

Flimsy Wooden Bridge

Waterfall

Moving House ?

On The River Kwai Noi

We travelled back down the river on the boat which was a really pleasant trip. When we got back to the hotel we decided to do a Elephant ride so we walked into the local Mon Village and one of the locals took us on a 30 minute ride on a 38 year old elephant called Wendy. The guide has to carry a machete as when you are high up on the elephants snakes can easily bite you as they are hanging from the tree’s so we had to keep an eye out.

Elephant

Wendy Our Elephant

The Elephant ride was good fun and we took lots of photos and then headed back to our room for a little nap.

Me On Hammock On Back Porch

We spent the evening chatting to others staying at the hotel and proped up the bar.

Day 1004 – Bangkok – River Kwai, Thailand

2008-03-08T20:21:00.006+11:00

Day 1004 – 7th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had to get up at 4:45am and check out of hotel. Got picked up by coach just before 6am and the coach then picked up other people from hotels around Bangkok and then headed out to Kanchanaburi. We arrived just before 9:30am we dropped off at the pier where we got the “James Bond” speed boat (the same boat used in Man With A Golden Gun) along the River Kwai to get our first view of the bridge made famous from the post war movie Bridge Over The River Kwai. The Boast went far to fast and was very very uncomfortable to sit in. We stopped just after the bridge and then had 30 minutes to walk around the town of Kanchanaburi and walk over bridge.

The River Kwai

Me in Kanchanaburi On River Kwai

The Bridge Over The River Kwai

Me On The Bridge Over The River Kwai

Jill And I By River Kwai

Train On Bridge Over River Kwai

We then headed to the war cemetery and museum which tells the story of the Thailand-Burma Railway and how the Japanese used hundreds of thousands of Prisoners Of War to build the railway under horrific conditions. The 430 Km of railway track was laid in just 20 months with the deaths of over 90,000 people.

Kanchanaburi War Cemetary

Death Railway Museum

After the museum we got back on the coach and travelled North-West for another hour until we reached Pakseng which is where we left the coach and boarded a long boat we took us up the Kwai Noi River for about 45 minutes until we reached our hotel The Kwai Jungle Rafts. The River is famous for it’s floating houses and has more houses on it than any other river in the world.

Foating Houses On River Kwai

Water Buffalo

The hotel is a number of buildings on rafts all linked together. We had a nice double room with an on-suite bathroom, but the hotel has no hot water or electricity so is only lit at night by kerosene lamps.

Our Room On The Jungle Rafts

Our Porch On Jungle Rafts

We arrived at the hotel and had lunch and then got checked in. At 2pm we got whisked away by long boat down the river and then by truck to the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum. This is a large cutting out of the rock that the POW's dug out for the Thai-Burma railway.

Me At Hellfire Pass

Hellfire Pass Memorial

Jill and I In Hellfire Pass

Hellfire Pass

The workers worked 18 hours a day with little food and water. We looked around the museum and then took a walk to the cutting through the hillside.

A longboat On The Kwai Noi

Jill and I Outside Our Room On Jungle Rafts Hotel

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel and had a few hours to relax before having dinner and then went to watch the local tribe called the Mon people perform their local dance.

The Mon Tribal Dance

After the dance we had a few drinks at the bar then had an early night. I got the scare of my life that night I was sitting on the bed in the dark and suddenly something leapt onto my chest. I ran out the room and grabbed a kerosene lamp only to find it was a large frog. So I spent the next 15 minutes trying to catch this frog and throw it back into the river. Eventually i got to sleep.

Frog In My Room

Jill In Room With Kerosene Lamp

Day 1003 – Bangkok, Thailand

2008-03-07T20:07:00.000+11:00

Day 1003 – 6th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had a long lie in and headed out just before lunch. We first headed to the Paragon Siam shopping mall and got some lunch then went to the snake farm.

Snake Farm

This is actually a hospital for Venom and toxicology. They create all the snake anti-venoms for Thailand and also send them all over the world. We first had a look around the exhibition and then there was a live show on.

World Health Organistion Snake Research Centre

Python Skeleton

We sat on the tiered seats and the staff told us what they did here and then brought out a 10ft long king cobra. Which is deadly and they just let it go, then spent the next 10 minutes trying to catch it with their hands without getting bitten.

King Cobra

A King Cobra

Spitting Cobra

Cobra

They brought out 5 or 6 different types of snakes all which were deadly and then finally a Burmese python which they let us hang around our necks. We then went and looked at the rest of the snakes in the centre.

At The Snake Farm

Me With A Burmese Python

Water Snakes

At The Snake Farm

We then did some shopping for mosquito repellent and we needed some more Larium (anti-malaria tablets) which our doctor in Australia said we could buy over the counter here. Unfortunately this was wrong and after several trips to different Pharmacies we found out we could only buy it from a hospital. We went to the hospital but we needed a prescription so had to register and have a check up (which I passed with flying colours) and then see a doctor. The doctor prescribed me 16 more weeks of malaria tablets (half for Jill) and we paid which was a quarter of the price we paid in Australia including he cost fo the check-up. We now did a bit of shopping and maybe got a little carried away, with new trainers each and 3 pairs of trousers etc.

A Typical Bangkok Street

Jill At The Night Market

The Night Market

Me At The Night Market

We had some dinner at the night market and then headed back to the hotel for an early night.

Day 1002 – Bangkok, Thailand

2008-03-06T20:39:00.011+11:00

Day 1002 – 5th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Got the now usual pastries and fruit from the hotel bakery and then made our way to the end of the sky train line and caught a boat up the river to The GrandPalace.

Shrine At Our Hotel

Wiring ?

No Safety Harness

Riverside Apartments

Outside is full of people who say they are volunteers for the palace and tell you it is closed due to a service and to come back after 2:30pm. Then try and get you to take a tuk tuk for 20 baht to allt he temples, which ends up costing several hundred baht and they take you to Gem warehouses etc and try to get you to buy stuff you don’t want. Anyway since reading about these guys we turned them down and headed into the palace. You have to wear long trousers and you should have upto your elbows covered. The palace cost 250 baht each and is amazing to see it a massive area filled with various buildings mostly painted or covered in gold with many mosaic patterns on the walls. In the centre is a temple where you must take off your shoes and when you enter there is an altar and it is full of gold with a Buddha sitting on the top.

Me Outside The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

Flowers At The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

We spent a couple of hours wandering around the palace and just as we were leaving a load of guards marched in.

Guards At The Grand Palace

Guards At The Grand Palace

We then went back to the docks and had some food then headed back to the hotel for a siesta. We headed out again around 6:30pm and went to the night market. This is an area which from around 7pm has hundreds of market stalls selling clothes, Pirated DVD’s and Thai crafts. The area is famous for the Thai Ladyboys which line the streets and had many popular bars. We had a few drinks and wandered the market for a few hours and then returned to the hotel to watch a movie.

Jill At The Mango Tree

Night In Bangkok

Day 1001 – Bangkok, Thailand

2008-03-05T20:56:00.009+11:00

Day 1001 – 4th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Well we started the day off with a pastry from the hotel bakery and then walked to the canal Khlong San Sap and found Jim Thompsons house.

Run Down Building In Centre Of Bangkok

Buildings By Canal

Shrine In Bangkok

Jim Thompson was an American who came to Thailand and started the Thai Silk trade industry. He liked Thailand so much he built a house in Bangkok which comprised of 6 houses all made in a traditional Thai style with Thai materials. Jim Thompson went missing ona trip to Cambodia in 1967 and was never seen again. His house is now open as a museum and all proceeds go to local Thai charities. So we paid 100 baht entry and were immediately put on an English guided tour of the house.

Jim Thompsons House

Jim Thompsons House

Shrine At Jim Thompsons House

The tour lasted abut 30 minutes and afterwards we sat in the cafe and had a drink to cool down.
Jill Having a Drink At Jim Thompsons House

We then spent the next few hours wandering the side streets and browsing in several shops and malls. We headed back to the Vietnamese Embassy at 3:30pm and collected out passports and Visa’s with no problems. We then got the skytrain to the end of the line which is next to the river and took the long boat up the river Chao Phraya to the North end of the city.

Docks In Bangkok

Boats On River

Riverside Apartment In Bangkok

Bridge Painters - Note The Lack Of Safety Harnesses/Life Jacket etc..

Our Long Boat

We then walked to the Khaosan Road which is probably the most famous street in Bangkok. The Road is packed full off street traders and stalls selling, clothes, pirated DVD’s, computer games and anything else that can possible be copied. We found a bar and had a beer, within ten minutes you get harassed by half a dozen people trying to sell sunglasses, cigarette lighters and croaking frogs. We walked up and down the street looking at all the stalls and stopping for several beers and cocktails.

Khaosan Road

Duel Use Of A Shell Petrol Station

Khaosan Road

Jill With A Beer On Khaosan Road

We haggled with the guy and got a Tuk Tuk ride back to the hotel for 150 baht. A Tuk Tuk is basically a motorcycle version of a rickshaw.

A Tuk Tuk

Day 1000 – Bangkok, Thailand

2008-03-05T20:26:00.003+11:00

Day 1000 – 3rd March 2008 +7:00 GMT

So it has now been a 1000 days since Jill and I first got on that plane and I started my blog. It’s great to be travelling again and it’s great to be in Bangkok. Bangkok seems like a dirty city due to all the smog and pollution, all the people who work in the open wear face masks to protect themselves from breathing in all the fumes. The city is full of brightly coloured taxi’s and battered old buses, thousands of motorbikes and clouds of smog.

The Busy Streets

Brightly Coloured Taxi's

Bangkok

The roads are amazing to watch in our first day we have seen a scooter whizzing by with four people on it and child about 2 in between them another bike zoom pass with 4 gas cylinders balanced on the back. Trucks are crowded full of people and no one seems to wear seatbelts. All the side streets are full of street traders with little stalls and rackety old carts selling the most amazing range of foods and drinks.Every street corner has a massive shopping mall which are enormous some bigger than Bluewater or Lakeside (those in UK will now what I mean) These are immaculately clean and everything is so cheap. And in between all of this there are thousands of small shrines with people praying at them and donating incense, food and drink.

A Shrine

Our Hotel - Siam City Hotel

View From Hotel Room

The first thing we had to do today was to get some passport size photo’s so we could apply for a Vietnamese visa. So we walked a couple of blocks from our hotel to Center One shopping Mall, we had a wander around but no luck with photo’s. So we thought we would get the Skytrain to the centre of the city which is Siam.

The Skytrain

We stopped at a little stall and bought some Waffles and then purchased a 20 trip train ticket. The skytrains are frequent and efficient, nicely air conditioned but very crowded. We only travelled about 4 stops and then had a wander around the side streets before ending up in the Siam Paragon Centre. Here we found a photo shop who took our picture and then we had 30 minutes to wander around before returning to collect them. We then walked for about 45 minutes to the Vietnamese Embassy we joined the queue and after about 10 minutes we handed in our forms and were told to get the visa’s next day we had to pay 2200 baht each. I handed over 5000 baht expecting change and the guy gave me none. I asked for the change and then he changed his mind and decided the Visa’s were going to cost us 2500 baht each. This is apparently quite typical of Embassies in Eastern Asia.It was a little worrying that we had to hand in our passport and come back the next day at 4pm to collect it and Visa’s. So we walked back down the street and visited Central World Plaza Mall.

Outside Central World Plaza

Giant Train Setup In Shopping mall

Here we went to get some food and a beer, only to find you can’t buy alcohol between 2pm – 5pm.
So we got some Curry and a smoothie. The curry is amazing, probably one of the best we ever had. Jill and I both got Curry, Rice and Nans with a Smoothie each for less than five pound. We then caught the train back to the hotel and had a beer in the bar. We then had a little siesta which ended up lasting several hours. When we woke up again we went to the Italian restaurant in the hotel and had some dinner and a few cocktails.

Jill With A Cocktail

We then bought some beer and crisps at the local 7/11 and watched some TV before going to sleep.

Day 999 - Perth, Australia – Bangkok, Thailand

2008-03-03T20:33:00.001+11:00

Day 999 - 2nd March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Well it’s our final day in Australia the year has flown past and it has been wonderful, we have made so many good friends here. It was kind of a weird morning as all our belongs have gone so we are already living out of our rucksacks. Clinton turned up around 2pm to take us to the airport and when we arrived we checked in and got a bite to eat and sat around and waited. The boarding was delayed by 30 minutes as the plane had come in late. We eventually boarded the Thai Airways flight TG998 to Bangkok and was little bit disappointed to find that there was no personal in flight entertainment just a TV in the middle of the aisle which I had to strain to see, the service was very good though and also the food.

Our Plane Boeing 747-300 Flight TG 998

The flight was just under 7 hours so it was not so bad. When we arrived in Thailand we were a little nervous as usual about getting into the country through their immigration and customs. But we just smiled at the camera and passed through immigration picked up our bags and walked through the green channel with no problems at all. The Airport in Bangkok is brand new and only opened at the end of last year. It is a huge airport and still full of workers finishing bits off and this was now midnight. We fought off all the people who wanted to take us into the city in their private cars for only 1000 baht (which is a minibus shared with 12 others) anyway we joined the Taxi queue which was stretched out about 200 metres along the front of the terminal luckily the line moved very quickly. We got in the Taxi to find out that the driver did not speak English which was very naive of me to presume he would. Anyway he sped away not dropping below the 120 mark all the way to the hotel. The driving here is crazy and I thought Australia was bad, most cars are driving in the middle of two lanes and trucks are cruising along doing over 100 with the open backs stuffed full of people. Anyway we got to the hotel in around 25 minutes and the taxi driver was shocked when I tried to pay with 1000 baht (Thailand’s biggest note, approx £15/$30). The problem for him was he did not have enough change to give me, so he gave me what he had and we left it like that. The hotel porters ran out to the Taxi to open the doors and gave us the usual Asian bow. Then took our bags and we checked in (and got some change for tips). Our bags were delivered to our room on the 12th Floor very promptly and I was told a 20 baht tip is generous so I gave the guy 40 and he seemed very pleased. The room was lovely with a massive bed, a bathroom with bath and shower, big TV, mini-bar and three telephones, a desk, small table and a couple of chairs. Next to the bed is the usual switch box which contains a switch for everything in the room, radio, alarm clock, TV every light etc... Anyway it was now about 1am local time or 3am Perth time it had been a long day since we were up at 7am. So we ordered some room service, ate and watched Everton vs Portsmouth live then some Junk American TV and crashed out.

Day 998 - Perth, Australia

2008-03-02T20:30:00.000+11:00

Day 998 - 1st March 2008 +9:00 GMT

Well it’s our last full day in Australia and we have to spend the day packing up our stuff and clearing out the flat. Ben and Claire came over with their dogs, (which made Jill very happy) for a few drinks and to take away the car and the rest of our stuff to look after until we can return.

Sunrise In Perth

Day 996 - Perth, Australia

2008-03-01T20:21:00.007+11:00

Day 996 – 29th February 2008 +9:00 GMT

I started the month by taking Jill’s parents to the airport as they were heading to Adelaide for a week and then I was back to work. It had been a crazy week, Jill’s work asked her to come to an interview to be team leader for the Western Australia office and if she got it they would proceed with sponsorship. Just over a week later they told her she had the job and would pursue sponsoring her. The next day Choice where I work offered to sponsor me and this is presently all being processed. We have had our medicals and X-rays and now it is all in the hands of the immigrations lawyers. I picked Jill’s parents back up from the airport a week later and they spent another week with us. Jill took another week off work but I just worked through. They visited Perth Mint, Fremantle jail and Kings Park.

Ann And Jim In Kings Park

Ann And Jim At Swan Bells

Perth Mint

Perth

On Jim and Ann’s final night we booked a table at The Beau Rivage restaurant at Gloucester Park, The Trots track. Here we have a full buffet and unlimited alcohol from 5:30pm to 11pm for $80. 13 of us went and we had oysters and king size prawns and meats and cheeses and 4 different types of roast meats and pasta’s and everything you could imagine. The food was great and the wine and beer even better. The racing was good although I did not wina single race and everyone had a really good time.

Our Table At Gloucester Park

The Track

Jim And Ann

Sarah And Peter

Jim, Jill And Ann

Claire, Ben And Denise

Clinton

Sarah And Simon

The next day they were back off to Scotland. The next two weeks were quite hectic trying to make arrangements so if we get our visa’s we can return, so had to find storage for our stuff and the car and see whether we can keep the flat, luckily Ben from my work agreed to look after the car and our stuff and Jill found someone to rent the flat for 10 weeks so everything seemed to work out well. The month ended with the boys having their final poker outing, where we get to spend the kitty for the year. We had $1600 to spend on a night out and went out to Lava Stone Grill where they bring the food out on hot stones heated to 400 C and you cook your food to how you like it. The restaurant gave us a back room and we ate and drank and played poker throughout the night. Then headed into Northbridge for a few more beers and shots til the pubs closed.

Day 967 – Perth, Australia

2008-02-01T20:47:00.006+11:00

Day 967 – 31st January 2008 +9:00 GMT

So it has been a busy month like usual. The first half of the month was very quiet and Jill and I just went from work to home each day. Then Jill’s parents flew over on the 23rd and we both took a week off work.

Jill With Her Parents Ann and Jim

Jim and Ann In Perth

Kangeroo With Joey In Pouch

We spent the next week doing lots of Touristy things. We went over to Swan Valley and visited a few wineries and a brewery.

Jim, Ann and Jill in Ferel Brewery, Swan Valley

We then visited Caversham Wildlife park, where I got to feed Kangaroo’s and stroke Koala’s and Wombats.

A Koala

A Tazmanian Devil

Cavasham Park

An Owl

Kangeroo

Jill With A Bunny

A kookaburra

Us With A Wombat

A Wombat

Me With A Kangeroo

A Lizard

A White Roo

They had the coolest Donkey which pulled strange faces when you went to fed it.

A Crazy Donkey

We visited Fremantle and spent the day wandering the markets and shops. Then ended up in little creatures brewery. We spent a day driving around and Visting all the beaches along the coast. The 26th was Australia and we drove around both sides of the Swan River stopping at all the parks and beaches.

Cottesloe Beach

Sand Bank At Walters Point

Sunset Over Perth

Jim And Ann At Beach

That night we walked along to the esplanade and watched the Fireworks which were quite spectacular. On the 28th we drove down to Margaret River which is about 300km south and stayed at the All seasons Hotel. We did a wine tour the next day (which Jill and I had done previously in April) then the following day we drove down to cape Leeuwin and Augusta.

Ann And I At The South Western Tip Of Australia

Ann And Jim At Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse

We visited Hamlin Bay and I did a bit of swimming in the sea. The sea here was full of Giant Stingrays, these things are over 2 metres long and look quite scary when they swim up to you.

Jill At Hamlin Bay

Stingrays

Jim And I

Ann, Jill and Jim On Hamlin Beach

Jim, Jill and Ann

Prevelly Beach

Sunset

I ended the month a little sunburnt but it had been good to have a few days of work.

Day 938 - Perth, Australia

2008-01-02T20:45:00.000+11:00

Day 938 - 1st January 2008 +9:00 GMT

So Boxing day ended up being 44.2 C which made Perth the hottest place on the planet, also the hottest Boxing Day in history for Perth and the hottest Christmas weekend for 90 years. Boxing Day was cinema day for us as they have good aircon. Anyway had a relaxing break between Christmas and New Year visited Scarborough beach and ate out in Scarborough. On New Years Eve Jill and I decided to go to Gloucester Park which is race track and literally less than 30 seconds from the house. The night was set so there was a race meet with 10 races starting at 4pm and also a dozen bands playing across two stages and an onsite casino and a huge fireworks display.

Gloucester Park

Gloucester Park

The Trots

Gloucester Park

So we headed over at about 8pm and were there to see the last 4 races. Jill and I put a small bet on each race and one three out of the four races. We checked out the bands which were really good and then watched the fireworks which started at 11:45pm and went through to bring in 2008.

Bringing The New Year

We watched the last band of the night after the Bells had gone which was an Australian Band called End Of Fashion. We then staggered home and opened a nice bottle of wine.. Happy New Year

New Years Eve Fireworks

New Years Eve Fireworks

New Years Eve Fireworks

New Years Eve Fireworks

Day 933 - Perth, Australia

2007-12-28T20:59:00.000+11:00

Day 933 - 27th December 2007 +9:00 GMT

Well it's been a busy month starting with the cricket, The poker boys, Pete, Paul, Brian, Ross, Simon and myself went to see Australia vs New Zealand at the Twenty Twenty cricket, the ground is about 100 yards from my flat so we all meet at my place for a few drinks then went to the grounds. When we arrived we found Ross had bought us tickets in a no alcohol zone so it took Pete and I a few minutes to pursuade a few people we worked for KFC who sponsored the cricket so we were given T-shirts and a grandstand seat so we could drink and enjoy thw cricket. It did not take me long to regret wearing my New Zealand cricket shirt as Australia thrashed them. It was a good night though.

My 20-20 Ticket

Well I got offered another contract working back at Choice again this time it will be until my Austrlian Visa runs out on March. It is also almost Christmas so lots of Christmas do's we had Jill's Christmas do on the Thursday and they had it in a bar in Mount Lawley with free alchohol and lots of plates of finger food, it was a good night and the following night was Landcorps Christmas do and my leaving do (I had been there three months by now) It was held at Burswood Casino so we arrived at about 11:30am and had a work lunch and then to the bar we left about 11pm and had a lot to drink and gambled a little which naturally I made a profit of a few hundreds bucks. Then on the Monday I started working for Choice again as the guy who I trained last time I was there had decided to leave. The office had also bought a Nintendo Wii to go alongside the foozball table. Choice is a fun place to work :).

My Christmas Tree

Presents

Lots of Presents

Anyway for Christmas Jill and I headed up to Sarah and Peter's and Sarah's Parents had flown over from the UK along with her brother and his wife. We were also joined by Paul and Nicole, Jade and Roz. So a very full house. We had some beer and wine and a few cocktails opened lots of presents and had a fantastic meal which Pete prepared and cooked with a little help from stuart.

Sarah and Pete's Tree

The Dinner Guests

Pete's Christmas Salads

Turkey and Sausages in Bacon

Whole Red Emporer Fish on the Barbie

Jill and I got home just after midnight then had to to the phone rounds. It was a very lovely Christmas.

Day 906 - Perth, Australia

2007-12-01T20:41:00.000+11:00

Day 906 - 30th November 2007 +9:00 GMT

So November started offa s a quite a busy month with Jill's birthday at the beginning, she was actually working on her birthday so the night before we went to one of the riverside restaurants and had a meal and a few drinks. The following weekend was the Red Bull Air Race which takes place all over the world and several countries compete where they have to fly stunt planes through inflatable gates sacttered across the river.

Red Bull Air Race

Red Bull Plane

Jill and I walked along the river from our flat and spent a couple of hours watching them race, This is quite facsinating to wtach as they fly so low to the river literally only a few feet above it. Although beacuse the route is the same for all planes so it soon becomes quite repeatative.

Planes in Their Hangars

Plane

Plane Diving

Plane Going Through Gates

Plane Going Through Gates

Loop The Loop

Diving Plane

Plane Going Through Gates

Red Bull Air Race Plane

Media Helicopter

so we headed into the city for a beer or two and then meet up with Jill's boss Shaun for another beer, ended up staying out and really celebrating Jill's birthday until after midnight. I am still working with Landcorp and really enjoying it, not much else happening other than getting up ging to work. I also got introduced to the game World of Warcraft so have spent a lot of time getting addicted to that.

Day 876 - Perth, Australia

2007-11-01T20:54:00.000+11:00

Day 876 - 31st october 2007 +9:00 GMT

So it looks like Jill and I will be staying in Perth until October, the wages are good and the work is pretty good to. I have yet again changed jobs and am now working for Landcorp which is a Government Trading Company. Landcorp buys and sells land around Western Australia with the profits going to the government, they try and create affordable housing. My role is IT support and I have to look after around 165 people across 4 offices, there is anotehr IT guy as well whose primary role is to look after the network and servers but our roles cover each others jobs as well. It's a really nice company to work for and everyone is so friendly, they have company pool cars which you can take out if you need to visit other offices. Jill is doing very well at her work and was vote the Allocator of the month for the whole of Australia and received a certificate and a gift voucher.

Jill's Certificate

It has been a fairly quiet month I am playing squash every week, I finally joined the squash club and I still play gold regularly and am reapidly improving. We were taken out to see Cirque Du Soleil, Varekai by Paul and Nicole as a thankyou for house and dog sitting. The show was fantastic and an amazing experience to go and see.

My Varekai Ticket

Day 845 - Perth, Australia

2007-10-01T19:24:00.000+10:00

Day 845 - 30th September 2007 +7:00 GMT

Well Jill and I have moved into our new flat which is right by the River in East Perth and only a few minutes walk into the city centre even though there are free buses which run every five minutes from 6am to 6pm and stop 30 metres from the flat.

My New Flat

Front Of My Flat

The flat a lovely 2 bedroom place, it has a very small living and dining area but a reasonable size kitchen and a bathroom and laundry room it also has a large driveway whch can fit 3 cars. It is extortionately priced but is fully furnished and we don't really need anything larger. The flat is actually part of a complex but is away from it, the buidling used to be a hotel and they knocked two rooms into one and then added our flat on the side so we have a different address and do not have to go into the complex to get into our flat. We still get to use the communal pool and facilities.

Our Bedroom

Living Area

Spare Bedroom

Kitchen

Living Area

Dining Area

East Perth is an area which has been redeveloped and is now becoming a prime property area with lots of riverside bars and cafe's.

Park Next To The House

Park Next To The House

Peace Grove

The Riverside Bar's And Cafe's

Jill On The Riverside

East Perth Sculpture ?

East Perth

East Perth

East Perth

Me Riverside in East Perth

I am still working at Choice and Jill is still working for AAA nursing and nursing Australia. I have spent the whole month without a laptop which is a miracle for me.

Day 815 - Perth, Australia

2007-09-01T19:53:00.000+10:00

Day 815 - 31st August 2007 +7:00 GMT

It has been a bit of a bad month, the lovely dog Sheeba started tilting her head and we were not sure what was wrong so took her to the local vets in Padbury and they said that there was nothing wrong with the dog. She still seemed happy but was kind of losing her balance, anyway she still loved her walks so I took her down to the dog beach on Saturday afternoon as I usually do and ran straight into the water and then kind of fell over sideways. The current sucked her under and she got pulled out underwater into the Sea. So I dived in and had to pull her out she was not moving and some over lady on the beach hung Sheeba upsode down to get the water out of her lungs. The dog started to move but was certainly not in a good state. I rushed home and she was taken to Murdoch University vets who examined her properly and said she most likely had an inner ear infection. Whene I jumped in an rescued her I had my wallet and mobile phone in my pocket which kind of stopped working after it gets in the sea. Anyway the dog had lots of medication and after a few days Sheeba seemed no better she was having difficulty jumping up onto the sofa so we took her to the local vets again to get some more medication. A few days later the dog started to whine a lot and did not even attempt to jump up anywhere, she was really losing her balance. I still took her out for walks as she seemed to love this but not to the beach. At about 2am in the morning the dog tried to jump up onto our bed and missed completly fell back and hit her head on the wall and then just lay there whining and not moving. It looked like she had damaged her spine. So I phoned the vet and they said carefully put her on a board and put hee in the back of the car. So we did this, it was horrific outside with torrential rain and high winds and we drove at 2:30am about 10km to an open vets and the dog did not move. When we pulled into the car park we opened up the boot and the dog jumped out and started running around the car park as if nothing was wrong. Over the next few days the dog lost it's balance more and more and refused to go outside the back garden, so it was living in the house full time with us now and it started refusing to eat so back to the vets we went, who said we needed to change her diet and just get her eating. over the next 2 weeks she had another 3o r 4 vets vists and showed no signs of improvement so it was suggested she has an CT Scan and some blood tests, now these tests costs thousands of dollars so i had to contact Paul and Nicole who gave the go ahead. So I drove Sheeba back to Murdoch University vets where they kept her in for a couple of days as she was so weak due to not eating. Two days later i went back down to pick her up and she was running around and eating as if nothing had ever been wrong. Unfortunately this only lasted a few days and she started to rapidly deteriorate she seemed to get completly paralsed and started to have ceasures and was constantly yelping in pain. We took her to the local vets a few more times to get pain killers for her but she could not even stand up so I had to take her back to Murdoch University vets for her to be put down. This was one of the hardest things I have ever done. This poor dog had been my life over the last 3 weeks, feeding her and walking her each day, and she had been the closest thing to me ever to die. She was by far the most loving and happy dog I have ever come across, Even the Murdoch University vets loved her and had a sweepstake to see who could take her home at night. Anyway Jill and I were most upset and the Murdoch University vets sent a card to the house telling us that she was the nicest dog they had ever had and the card had the dogs paw prints on it. Poor Paul and Nicole were going to come back from there holiday to no dog and a bills for many thousands of dollars. Paul and Nicole sent us some lovely flowers for the experience we had to go through.

Flowers from Paul and Nicole after Sheeba's Death

I had now finished my contract at Rio Tinto and got a new work contract at Choice Aggregation Services again as one of the support staff had left and they needed me to cover until they find a new person and then train them. I was using my laptop and it suddenly died on me, it would not power up, so i took it into the Sony repair centre who had a look at it and they quoted me $1890 to repair it. Role on the end of August it has been a terrible month. After speaking with my parents in the UK I found out the insurance company would pay the repair cost of the laptop as it was worth $4500, anyway I decided to upgrade and bought myself a new Dell XPS M 1330 laptop, which looked lovely so I placed an order only to find that it would take 8 weeks to deliver. I even bought Microsoft Office 2007 with it, so another $3300 spent. Paul and Nicole came back from their travels around Europe at the end of August and Jill and I moved into a 2 bedroom flat in East Perth.

Day 784 - Perth, Australia

2007-08-01T19:58:00.000+10:00

Day 784 - 31st July 2007 +7:00 GMT

So it's now the end of July, the weather has been terrible with heavy rain most days, it's the wettest winter for many years here in Perth. I have changed jobs and am now working for Rio Tinto. I have a contract to do a specific job of moving users out of an Active directory folder that bypasses the proxy server. So I have to find a work around to remove over 900 users from this group, this involves adding websites to the firewall and fixing ISA server and Citrix issues as well as reprogramming routers. The job is interesting but not the most exciting place to work. Jill and I are still living at Paul and Nicole's.

Paul and Nicole's House

Living Room With Huge Projection Screen

Study

Jade's Play Area

Dining Room

The Garden

The Patio

The Garden

Day 765 - Perth, Australia

2007-07-13T19:51:00.000+10:00

Day 765 - 12th July 2007 +7:00 GMT

We are still at Paul and Nicole’s house. Jill is working most nights and not home until 11:30pm and I am up at 7:30am and off to work so at the moment we hardly see each other. We are not really up to much other than work. What is really good here in Perth is that they have an animal exercise beach where you can take your dog or horse for a walk. So most nights I take Sheeba down for a long walk long the beach just as the sun is setting, so you get an amazing view.

Sheeba the dog

Day 777 - Perth, Australia

2007-07-13T19:07:00.000+10:00

Day 777 - 24th July 2007 +7:00 GMT

Ok so I have made it to the magically 777 days and I am still travelling...

Day 753 - Perth, Australia

2007-07-01T19:49:00.000+10:00

Day 753 - 30th June 2007 +7:00 GMT

Was about 50km south of Perth doing a job for Hewlett Packard when my car broke down on the highway. Phoned the breakdown people and got towed home to find my car needed lots of repairs. So ended up with a new Radiator, fuel injection unit, water pump, pulley system, fan belt, cam belt and two new tyres and a $3200 bill. Then two days later was finishing off the same job for Hewlett Packard and my car broke down again got towed home and this time it was the Fuel pump that had failed another $900 bill. This was a bit soul destroying for Jill and I as we had both worked for the last 5 weeks and the repair bills were more than we had earned. That week we also moved out of Sarah and Peters house and moved into Kirsty and Melv’s house. These are friends of Jill’s from work and they were going away for a week to a wedding in Bali, so we were invited to house sit and look after there two dogs and a cat.

Max the Cat

Muscles and Jedda the Dogs

The house was nice with a large plasma TV and a nice swimming pool.

The Pool

Max

Me with Muscles and Jedda

At the end of the week we moved again this time into Paul and Nicole’s house. Paul and Nicole are friends of Pete and Sarah’s and also the person I play golf with on a weekly basis. They are away for 3 weeks in Tasmania and then away until the end of August in Europe. So Jill and I are looking after there dog Sheeba and the house. I also started a new contract working for a mortgage aggregation service company doing IT Support and Administration. The job is really good but the contract is only six weeks. Went to Denise 21st birthday party at the end of the month but other than that have not had much of a social life.

Day 723 - Perth, Australia

2007-06-01T19:45:00.000+10:00

Day 723 - 31st May 2007 +7:00 GMT

Sarah and Peter went back to the UK for 3 weeks and Jill and I house sat and looked after the two cats, Jasmine and Archie.

Archie and Jasmine

Jill managed to get a job working for a nursing agency in the centre of Perth and I got a 5 week contract working for Hewlett Packard. My job involved me driving around to 45 liquor land stores in Perth and doing maintenance on the Cisco routers. I am still playing golf every Thursday.

Arachie on the Computer

A Huge Spiders Web In The Garden

My Superb Cheesecake

Day 687 - Perth, Australia

2007-05-26T19:59:00.000+10:00

Day 687 - 25th April 2007 +7:00 GMT

So I finally turn 30. Got lots of nice presents and had a quiet day at home with Jill, spent the afternoon at the golf driving range and the evening with a good steak and some wine.

Archie

Some of my birthday Prezzie's

Archie with Jill

Day 681 - Perth, Australia

2007-04-21T19:17:00.000+10:00

Day 681 – 19th April 2007 +7:00 GMT

Had a lie in and then went to Whitfords shopping mall and bought some food and had a good browse around the shops. Came back to the house and crashed out for a bit and then had some dinner with Peter and Sarah and watched some TV. I then drove them to Perth Airport as they are flying back to England for three weeks. Jill and I then hired out some movies and had a beer and watched a couple of films before going to bed.

Day 678 - Day 680 - Perth, Australia

2007-04-20T13:17:00.000+10:00

Day 678 – Day 680 – 17th – 19th April 2007 +7:00 GMT

Had a busy three days having to get p at 6:30am and working with Peter at Scarborough beach. The job was to extend the kitchen and living room by knocking down the walls and then putting steel support beams up to hold up the ceiling. Peter also removed the chimney stack and re-tiled the roof.

Pete Hard At Work

Knocking down the walls was not hard but the first steel weighed over 100 kilos and was not easy to lift into place.

The Steel Beams With Had To Lift

With the help of Peters friend Murray we managed it. We filled two skips full of bricks and then boxed in the beams and poured concrete to support the ends of the beams.

My Expert Removal Of Plaster

It was an enjoyable three days work but hard work.

Day 677 - Perth, Australia

2007-04-17T13:16:00.000+10:00

Day 677 – 16th April 2007 +7:00 GMT

Martin was due to fly back to Sydney at 4pm but got a call to say his flight had been cancelled and he was rebooked on the 1am flight. So we packed up the car and all headed back to Sarah and Peters. We had some food and unpacked the car. Martin got another call saying his flight was now changed to 10am tomorrow morning and after several hours of phone calls he had been told to book a hotel room of his choice in Perth and Qantas would pay. So he booked into the Inter Continental at Burswood, with his room coating $460 a night. I slept for most of the afternoon until Sarah and Peter came home, we all had some diner and then I dropped Martin off at his hotel around 10pm. Peter had asked me if I would help him out at work for a few days so had an early night.

Day 676 - Perth, Australia

2007-04-16T13:16:00.000+10:00

Day 676 – 15th April 2007 +7:00 GMT

Got up really late/early afternoon. The weather was horrific with torrential rain, Martin and I were going to play golf but could not due to the weather. So we watched some TV and then we went to the local bar and had a few beers and then sat in the Restaurant where Martin treated us all to a three course meal which was very nice of him. I had The steak with king prawns which was lovely. We spent the rest of the evening watching Dave Gormans stand up Googlewhack which is brilliant.