A few hours after alighting from the ferry, the ringing in our ears stopped. Hearing was restored and we were able to enjoy a meal at the hawker market nearby. Walking past Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, we reminisced about our stay there in 2010, remembering that it is the second best place we have ever stayed at in our lives (Buninyong's Miners Church still holds top spot). Not that where we are staying now is awful, but it doesn't have quite the same atmosphere. What is does have, however, is a pool. We also overlook the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, where the O'Briens enjoyed some glorious holiday moments, also in 2010. Our humble room may lack the grandeur of the E & O, the historical beauty of the Blue Mansion, but the Filipino Trio singing the ... read more

Festival season, as it is known here, is in full swing and much to Dean's disgust we have had to book ahead. Lots of places are fully booked and we have found ourselves staying in a seafood restaurant on this island in the Trang archipelago. Upon arriving, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful scenery and clear waters. It's certainly no party island, although new year's eve provided Dean with an opportunity to have a bit of fun. The weather forecast predicted rain and thunderstorms for this area during the four days. The first three days were pretty cloudy, wet and not ideal, although there were breaks where Dean and Eleanor went snorkelling and were able to see some tropical fish. The wind made the water quite choppy for most of our stay, so snorkelling opportunities ... read more

This island is very popular with the Scandinavian set; in particular, those of the Swedish persuasion. Now, ordinarily I would find the idea of holidaying on an island with bikini-clad Swedes horrific (Dean 's idea of heaven), however this is a family destination. More Frida than Agnetha and a few grandparents in tow meant we weren't obvious interlopers. In fact, Eleanor could easily have been mistaken for one of their offspring. Limping around on crutches limited our activities somewhat, but we tried to make the best of an annoying situation. Hiring a car, we drove around the island admiring rubber plantations, a sea gypsy village and views along the coast. Lunch in the old town provided us with an opportunity to sit beside the sea and admire a magnificent vista of nearby islands. The best pad ... read more

Day 1 After settling in to our new abode, Dean was a little nervous that I wasn't going to be entirely happy with the accommodation. But it is such an amazingly calm place that you can't help but be sucked into its relaxing atmosphere. An amazing BBQ meal whipped up by our host was eagerly eaten. Absolutely delicious. Not a big chicken fan, but this bird had been cooked to perfection. Best ever! Over the course of the evening we gorged ourselves silly, met some other interesting characters and enjoyed a few cold beverages sitting amongst the tropical setting. Day 2 Today was pretty slack really, although we set out with the best intentions. First stop was brunch. As ever, our lives revolve around finding and consuming various local delicacies. A Kanchanaburi soup provided us with ... read more

Day 1 Ignoring the persistent calls of the tuk tuk drivers, Dean dug out the Lonely Planet bible to South East Asia for some advice on where to stay. Along the way we met up with the Swiss couple from the boat and we all headed to a recommended budget hotel. Minimalist in design and style (not Scandanavian funky but more prison block chic), it was clean and cheap. Within a few minutes we had snaffled up the remaining rooms. Phew. Located nearby, the night market provided us with our first foray into Thai cuisine since 2001. Well, obviously we have eaten Thai food since then (number 19 is Eleanor's favourite meal at Mee Dees in Springvale) but I was so looking forward to the delicious spicy salads and noodles I remembered from our last time ... read more