Asia
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Koh Lanta: The First 7 Days
Klong Nin village We have now spent a few days on Koh Lanta and the village of Klong Nin has become our paradise. The aquamarine Andaman sea gently laps the long pale soft sand beach. A selection of accommodation in the form of beach huts inconspicuously line the beach, nestled amongst palm trees with attractive tropical gardens and a backdrop of wooded hills. Beach bars/ restaurants are rustic and low key, decked in driftwood and shells, cool seating areas with mats and cushions on the floor, there is a real chilled out vibe here. Music from the bars is kept at an acceptably low level and the overall feel is relaxed…
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From the City to the Islands: The Next Stage
We’ve now moved on from what was essentially a city break and on to the island holiday part of our trip, the idea always having been that after the Bangkok experience we chill out for a couple of weeks before we start the more adventurous parts of this journey. So we’re into a certain mode now, we know this is holiday island and not the “real” Thailand, but it’s chill time before we hit the real country. And so we now find ourselves in the village of Klong Nin on the island of Koh Lanta in the southern part of Thailand, billeted right on the beach with the sea lapping…
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Kanchanaburi and Relative History
The gravestone above sits amongst thousands of others in the War cemetery at Kanchanaburi, site of the infamous Death Railway of World War 2, but this one resonates with us. This modest headstone is the memorial to Phil’s Dad’s cousin Roland, who, like so many other young men, died a dreadful death here at the hands of the Japanese during construction of the Thai-Burma railway. He must have suffered unimaginable torment. We have come to Kanchanaburi purely to pay our respects to our family member, some 76 years after his death. We find the whole experience of visiting this headstone surprisingly emotional, given that this was someone who died more…
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Time In Bangkok: Our Review
And so after three full days and four evenings in Bangkok, we are moving on to our next destination. It’s been something of a whirlwind start to our Asian adventure but a more chilled spell is on the near horizon. So here’s a resume of our time in the capital and our recommendations for coping with Bangkok… Bangkok is….. Vibrant, lively, energetic, peaceful, devout. Shiny new, immensely ancient. Respectful and religious; iniquitous, rebellious and debauched. If those words sound contradictory, then they are meant to, because this place has just about everything. Whilst it is a bustling city full of life and full of contradictions, we wouldn’t really describe Bangkok…
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Bangkok: The Adventure Begins
It was the novelist Alex Garland who christened Bangkok “the centre of the backpacking universe”, and, by reputation, several other universes ranging from sex tourism to lady boys to diverse cuisine, are centred here. However, on the City Line train and MRT from the airport to the centre, it seems to us that Bangkok has become the centre of the face mask universe. Most likely the propensity of Asians for wearing protective masks in city atmospheres has been intensified by the Coronavirus scare, but whatever, most of the passengers are sporting one. An overnight flight from the UK means that it is late afternoon as we check in the hotel,…
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Here we go…
Today’s the day. After years of dreaming and months of planning, it’s finally the day when it all becomes reality. Later today we head to Heathrow and for the next 105 days we will be exploring South East Asia through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and finally Singapore. It almost feels unreal. Next stop Bangkok….
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It’s 2020: Our Year Of Destiny Dawns
So we are now, officially, a retired couple, our working lives done and dusted and behind us. And with the New Year dawning today, it’s precisely four weeks until our dream comes true and we start our long term travels around the world. January 29th is the date on which the first leg of our travels begin, when we are due to arrive in Bangkok and set foot in Thailand for the first time in our lives. The last few weeks have been – well – different. With Michaela on midweek tours of the UK visiting family in Lowestoft, Birmingham and Gosport, my final spell of work was punctuated regularly…
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Counting out Time
Counting out time till retirement and travel
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Photography by Michaela
Travel and photography are inseparable joys. The stimulation of experiencing different cultures, different cuisine, taking yourself out of your comfort zone, are the very essence of travel. Photography is just one of the ways you capture those moments, those memories. But follow this link http://www.thehungrytravellers.blog/photography-by-michaela/ to see another dimension as our travel photos are skilfully turned into stunning paintings by artist Norma K Read.
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Our strange invitation
The story of how we came to be part of a private party in rural Turkey
