After 12 hours on a bus, we arrived in Bangkok at 5am. We had the day in Bangkok before catching the overnight train to Chaing Mai. In Bangkok we visited .... ...the grand palace (WAT PHRA KAEW), housing the famous emerald buddha in an ornate gold leaf temple. The scale and beauty of the surrounding buildings were almost overwhelming. ...LAK MEUANG, where we watched traditional Thai dancing ...WAT PHO to see the giant reclining Buddha ...46m long and 15m high... ...WAT ARUN ... what can I say ... another beautiful temple ...Jim Thompson's house .... Jim Thompson was an American who got lost ...... read more

Staying in a posh hotel - for once. Singapore a welcome respite - air conditioned bliss - from the African heat. Afternoon trip on the cable car over to Sentosa Island where we got soaked waiting for a magical sound and light show... the show was mainly laser cartoon charactors shone onto fountains and an irritating tw@t presenting... Singapore shopping and eating very good. Dinner next day at Boat Quay. ... read more

Now its big and impressive and very very wet. Its the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls. We have certainly viewed the falls from every angle... ...Johnny did a bungee jump and we went for the safer option of a Helicopter ride. That evening we went on a sunset booze cruise and then a flaming Absinthe session courtesy of Pierre at a engagement / stag and separate Hen celebration. Next day - severely hungover - it was white water raft - the great Zambezi... ... white water rafting - it was bad... one blind (temporarily), one puking, one damaged ankle, one mashed knee (4 stitches in hospital)!!! ... read more

We are now truely in the middle of nature itself. Take a truck and drive it a few thousand KM's, then get a small 5 seater cessna plane and land on a dirt track runway, transfer to a 4WD for half an hour and finally get in a traditional dugout Mekoro canoe (OK made of fibre glass) for a trip across the Okavango delta waterways to our remote (and it is!) Pom Pom Island... Anyway once we had kicked the elephant out of our "bush camp" and been shown the amenities we went for a swim... It was a lovely place and one of the highlights of an alreday fantastic trip...... read more

Stayed at the Okaukuejo Rest camp... and drank lots of beer whilst watching the water hole. Next day saw lions, both male and female.... read more