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Keep Smiling - Mike Fossey

I’ve bragged, I’ve blagged, but never before have I blogged - until now!

If you dream of travelling the globe on less than five quid a day, be warned: this blog is written by an experienced, mature traveller - not a backpacker. So, you won’t find stories here about me thumbing my way across the Sahara, slumming it in cockroach-infested hostels, or sharing a room with giant mosquitoes.

More my style are self-drive cars (or, better still, chauffeur driven ones), first-class sleeper trains, and comfortable hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, holiday cottages or apartments. Having said that, I’m not made of money, so good value in everything is paramount, and I’ll try to include things in my blogs which even a traveller on the meanest budget may find useful.

Keep Smiling!

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Joined on: December 15th 2005
Last Login: July 21st 2008

Blog Entries: 18
Photos: 102
Recommends 4

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Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Keep-Smiling, order by Date newest first.

By Keep Smiling
December 17th 2007

Christmas has come early!

Europe » Hungary » Budapest » Pest

Castle Hill from the promenade on the Pest side of the Danube
There are several interesting statues on this walk as well as some good views across the river to the Buda side of the city.

After writing my blog on Saturday and exchanging French pleasantries with one of the Cameroonians at my underground internet place, I ventured out into Vaci utca once again. It was far too cold to go too far, so I headed off to my favourite Central Market. When I got there, it was closed. No-one had mentioned that Saturday was early-closing day. I bought a snack and returned to my warm (nay, hot!) apartment to read and then to watch the last of my DVDs from home - The Order of The Phoenix, not the best of the Harry Potter movies. The [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
December 15th 2007

All I want for Christmas, are my three front teeth...

Europe » Hungary » Budapest

Vaci utca
On a damp day, the Vaci utca is a bit gloomy - but it's full of shops and restaurants, and it leads to the Christmas Market at one end and the Central Market at the other.

They call it 'dental tourism'. Alas, in my view at least, the two words really don't belong together. 'Dental' relates to injections, drilling, sore gums, and all sorts of other unpleasantness - arguably, none of it self-inflicted. 'Tourism', on the other hand, is something pleasurable - interesting sights, sounds, smells (some better than others), and tastes - apart from occasional sore feet from too much walking, it's totally painless too. Anyhow, here I am enjoying some 'dental tourism' on the last lap to replacement of my smiling teeth (remember: the three front uppers that everyone notices when you smile, particularly when, [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
November 14th 2007

Hi from Hungary

Europe » Hungary » Budapest » Pest

How can I say this without offending my regular dentist? Oh, to hell with it... You're ripping me off! There, I've said it. Now I can tell you what I'm doing in Budapest, Queen of the Danube and capital of Hungary. Over the past year or so, I've had problems on more than one occasion, with crowns on two of my upper front teeth - you know, they're the ones right at the front which everyone sees when you smile - except these crowns kept coming off at the most inopportune moments because the core of the teeth had disintegrated. So, [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
April 30th 2007

It's a long way to go for a wedding!

Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jaipur

Drum and cymbal
The incessant boom of big drum and clang of stick on metal pan preceded every event

I used to be a jet-setter. Well, it was difficult to avoid setting a jet or two during thirty years in the travel industry wasn't it?! Now, in the autumn of my years and working in higher education, I’ve done it again - two foreign countries speaking incomprehensible languages in just a fortnight - Wales and India! My week in Wales was at Aberglasney with Pat. We returned home on Saturday 21 April and I flew to Delhi the next day. Readers of my blog from India last year will know that Pat has an aversion to all things curried, so [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
April 21st 2007

A garden lost in time

Europe » United Kingdom » Wales » Aberglasney

The holiday cottages
At left, the two holiday cottages (the pale yellow building on the right is the estate's offices), with the sunken garden in the foreground.

Abandoned for fifty years, with the house and garden overgrown and crumbling, the restoration of Aberglasney is one of the country’s most remarkable garden projects. (Extract from Aberglasney Gardens’ promotional leaflet) Aberglasney? You’ve never heard of it? Well, yes, I guess it must be one of the best-kept secrets in Wales. Some may have heard of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, found somewhere in England’s West Country. Aberglasney is the Welsh equivalent - a garden lost in time. It’s located in the Tywi valley, just off the A40 at Llangathen in Carmarthenshire, between Carmarthen and Llandeilo, in South Wales. It’s [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
January 15th 2006

On the way home

Asia » India » Maharashtra » Mumbai

The second flight
Pintu looked a bit more relaxed on his second flight

Friday the 13th. The superstitious probably wouldn't have gone anywhere today, but I had to be back in the UK this weekend so, with some reluctance, we had to leave the pleasures of the beach for the city of Mumbai (Bombay). The morning was spent repacking and the afternoon flying by Jet Airways northwards back to Mumbai. It was an uneventful journey. Pintu, on his second flight, was now an old hand at this flying lark. Neither of us was prepared for the journey from Mumbai Airport into the city, however. The taxi which I'd arranged to meet us at the [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
January 12th 2006

Lazy days

Asia » India » Goa » Panaji

They're behind you...!
Pintu and Russian girls in bikinis

Goa is an ideal place to just chill out. Once you've seen Old Goa with its reminders of past Portugese rule, there's really only the beach - at least that's the case here at Bambolim. At some of the bigger and more touristy resorts there are discotheques and shops close by, but here there's only the hotel and a couple of beach bars. The day after we arrived - Tuesday 10 January I think - we went on the hotel's bus with other guests for a long afternoon and evening excursion. We stopped briefly at a Hindu temple, then continued to [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
January 9th 2006

More ‘firsts’ for Pintu

Asia » India » Goa » Panaji

Take-off
An anxious Pintu during his first ever take-off

We took a taxi from Mumbai Central to the domestic airport, about an hour away. Despite the wasted time at the station, we were now well ahead of schedule and changed our bookings to an earlier Jet Airways flight. This was another ‘first’ for Pintu, who had never before been inside an aircraft. His excitement as we boarded the aircraft, hurtled down the runway and took off was a joy to behold. He was fascinated by the view of clouds from above and, of course, I had to take photos to remind him of this memorable event. The flight to Goa [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
January 8th 2006

A ‘first’ for Pintu

Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jaipur

Jai Singh
Our driver with eight eyes and a spotless Tata Indica

I’d hoped to update my blog this morning but, just as we arrived at the cybercafé, it was this district’s turn for its daily two-hour power cut. We could have gone in search of another café in a neighbouring district which might have had power but thought better of it and went to find somewhere to change some travellers’ cheques instead. The observant among you will note that my earlier blogs have since been updated with photos (on my return home!). We said our thanks and goodbyes to Jai Singh when he dropped us off at the railway station in good [View Full Entry]

By Keep Smiling
January 6th 2006

In search of the elusive Blue Bull

Asia » India » Rajasthan » Ranakpur

Maharani Bagh Orchard Retreat
Pintu on the swing in the grounds of this peaceful hotel

Now where did I get to? Oh yes, we'd arrived to a very warm welcome at the Maharani Bagh Orchard Retreat. Perhaps I should first tell you a bit about this hotel. It's located near Ranakpur, a famous Jain pilgrimage site, and is owned by the royal family of Jodhpur. The garden ("bagh") and orchards were laid out by the Maharani of Jodhpur in the 19th century and the cottages in the grounds were converted to hotel accommodation in more recent times. Since our visit in 1997, a new accommodation wing has been added and an indoor restaurant and larger swimming [View Full Entry]

TravelBlog » Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling | Mike Fossey | Travel Blog

Keep Smiling - Mike Fossey

Blogs & Travel Journals

Christmas has come early!

All I want for Christmas, are my three front teeth...

Hi from Hungary

It's a long way to go for a wedding!

A garden lost in time

On the way home

Lazy days

More ‘firsts’ for Pintu

A ‘first’ for Pintu

In search of the elusive Blue Bull