Mark and Sharron

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!! WOW cannot believe its Christmas again....where did that year go!!!!!!!!!! This time last year we were in Vietnam heading north to Hoi An for Christmas... Whilst we had a fantasic time, but we are both very pleased to be in the UK for Christmas enjoying the festivities with our friends and family, the snow has been a bonus!!! We have managed to sell our house in Dartmouth, it was on the market for just 4 days!!! hopefully things will go through smoothly and we will be looking for a new place in Lymington in the New Year.... I am sure most of you know I have joined a small privately owned hotel group called Harbour Hotels as MD, we have four properties on the South Coast; St Ives, Sidmouth, two in Christchurch and we ... read more

OK, I know the blog is at an all time slow...I put it down to me finally starting to relax!!....in fact I am getting far too good at doing very little, Sharron has me on a final written warning for not pulling my weight in the chores dept...fishing apparently doesnt count!!! So the blog will eventually fade and come to rest in the mean time...here is a quick update on our progress... Having had a fab weekend with John and Chrissy Smithers in their Chateaux near Gaillac...fine wine, superb cuisine, great pool....a proper bed and lots of laughs we headed for North Spain stopping briefly to stock up the drinks cabinet in Andorra!!! Andorra is a shopping mall in the mountains, there may be some other activities in the winter but when there's no snow it ... read more

Well we have finally made it accross the channel to French France after spening two months back in the uk....a month longer than we ever expected or planned!! We had a great month back home in Dartmouth....thanks for the fab welcome home to all our Dartmothian friends!!!! The weather in April was fantastic, we tidied up the house and garden, did some coastal path walking, I got on the water in a canoe....and we did lots of socialising; eating and drinking way too much!!! Thanks also for all the offers of accommodation when we became homeless due to new tennants moving in to our house!!! As a lot of you knew we were having our (Sharrons) campervan restored while we were away and this took a bit longer than anticipated, when we finally went to collect ... read more

Hi all Kia Ora!! Maori for be well...and indeed we are. The flight from Sydney to Auckland was quick and painless, two things that Sharron particularly likes in air transportation!! It took just 2 1/2 hours plus another 2 hours on the clock and so we were soon in the Worlds natural adventure playground New Zealand... Met by Anna Claire (daughter of Richard Seton) and whisked off to catch a ferry and then a taxi to Richard and Angelas island home on Waiheke....sounded good to us!! The welcoming party greated us as we rounded the drive to face the fabulous bay of Waikopu....Richard, Angela, Peter & Wendy (also from the uk) Juno the Highland Terrier and his friend Nobu...largest cat on the island!!! We had a great few days; fishing, swimming, wine tasting, jet skiing walking ... read more

So we arrived in Perth a while ago now, really must try harder on the old blog thing!! Perth is a very isolated city, infact it is the worlds most isolated city.....Perth to Adelaide (closest large city in Oz) is akin to London to Moscow!!!....Australia is a very large place!! We had two very intersting nights in a B & B in the city...not our finest choice of accomodation, however we were walking distance to the waterfront and sights....The Swan River, Kings Park (Parrots!!!!) and much much more!!!! (Just a while ago to remember now!!) After the B & B we had booked an apartment in the suburb of Freemantle, 1/2 hour train trip from Perth. Freemantle is a great place to hang out by the beach, which is what we both needed after 2 months ... read more

And so to Vietnam..............We started our adventure in Ho Chi Minh City...the largest city in Vietnam but not the capital....a population of almost 10 million...with at least 4 million motorbikes!!!! They even have seperate roads & lanes just for motorbikes....although the pavement is also widely used as a quicker option!!! The Vietnamise like many Asian countries carry everything and anything on their motorbikes, whilst at the same time either making or taking a call or sending a text!!! If me and the camera had been quicker I could have published an entire blog on this subject!!!..... Some of the things we have seen being carried include....5 family members, 4 baskets of geese, half a hundred weight of spring onions, a front door, a huge mirror and a ready decorated christmas tree!!! The extreme sport of HCMC ... read more