Christine and Terry

So here we are about to leave Australia for the third time and tomorrow set off to Quito, getting ready to learn Spanish and how to sway hips to those amazing rhythms. Many thanks to everyone for your comments and updates from home, which are all so well received. Laos We left home seventeen months ago but in our blog we’re still back in November and deep in Asia and at last about to get on a boat to Luang Prabang. Travelling by boat beats the bus any time. Slow Boat down the Mekong River The boat trip takes two days, with an overnight stay in the small village of Pak Beng. The boats are pretty rudimentary and fitted with wooden benches for seats, hence the hasty purchase of cushions. There are fast boats but they’re ... read more

Malaysia We’ve just had an excellent couple of weeks in Melbourne, being wonderfully cared for by Jenny and Neil (Byrne). Its hard to believe but Jenny has been in Aus for almost two years (but happily, as yet, she doesn’t sound like Kylie). She and Neil have set up a lovely home in Melbourne’s suburbs, I won’t mention that she has a swimming pool as we hear that’s its been a bit cold at home (!) Melbourne, however, was having a heat wave and after three days of 43C or 45C we were glad to scoot over to new Zealand. Little did we realise just how serious this weather would prove and we were so lucky to have missed the horror of the Bush Fires, which sadly, continue to ravage the Victorian countryside. So we’re ... read more

Thank you for all your encouragement and kind comments about the blog… but please keep them coming (she says quite shamelessly) as we really enjoy reading them and hearing about life back in the UK. We’re currently in Vietnam where it looks like we’ll be spending Christmas. Would you believe that Saigon is full of Christmas tat, including fake snow and penguins. Honestly when did it ever snow in Saigon and today they were playing Maria Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You”. (Good Grief). Indonesia Arriving Kuala Lumpur Back we go to the Blog and it is summer where following ten weeks enjoying the best of the Indian Monsoon weather we’d left Mumbai airport in search of blue skies and sunshine. Close to midnight we landed at Kuala Lumpur International airport, the cleanliness and ... read more

Firstly enormous thanks to everyone for sending messages or posting comments, as ever they were all gratefully received; in fact we’re slightly incredulous both that we haven’t received more abuse and that we have been nagged for not posting more about India. We left India about a month ago and are clearly well behind with the blog so here goes back to June 21st. Leh - Ladakh We stayed put in and around Leh for fourteen days (which is as long as we’d spent travelling around the whole of Uzbekistan). It was two weeks of blue skies, sunshine and much happiness. To us the Buddhist environment felt more Tibetan than Tibet (which we couldn’t travel to because of those blasted Chinese pixies withholding Visa privileges) and there is clear support every where for Tibet’s plight. Our ... read more

KYRGYZSTAN Herewith, blog from Kyrgyzstan and its just the three weeks late. We’re currently enjoying the Monsoon in India! Thanks to those who have sent messages … but please everyone we really enjoy your comments so don’t be shy! Kyrgyzstan is an amazing country; 90% of it is above 1,500m and the Tien Shan mountains, which run into China, form a beautiful backdrop to Bishkek the capital city. Arriving at Bishkek Airport Tashkent Airport had been voted the 2nd worst airport in the world and it did not disappoint. Manas Airport in Bishkek has the accolade of being the voted the worst so it was with trepidation that we boarded the flight from Uzbekistan facing the prospect of yet another scrum at passport control. So there we were with no visa, no guide book, nowhere ... read more