...And No .... We Are Not Being Shot At!!!! Over the last few days we have really realised how much the media can blow things out of proportion.... Landing in Bangkok was a lot easier than expected with dedicated lines to metered taxis and efficient baggage handlers. Leaving the airport.... no problems... finding the hostel.... still no problems. Started looking like a nice place when we found a local market selling $4 dinners just around the corner (and we weren't accosted by every suit shop on the way there.) The first full day in Bangkok, we spent looking at Wats (or temples in english), with first stop being Wat Pho, the temple housing the Lying Buddha. It's enormous.... probably measuring about 50m long and around 15m high. It is housed in a series of buildings with ... read more

A Short Flight And It's Country Number 2... We arrived in Phuket after about 2 hours in the air to walk out of the airport and get our first taste of Thailand. Boy was it sour!!! We fought our way through the taxi drivers shouting at us "where you go?" or "you need taxi?", just to clear our head and have a smoke. With Amy having a coronary, I took on the role of barterer and organised a taxi. All I can say about the driving over here is HECTIC!!! Lanes are a guide only.... the centre of the road is either a slip road to turn or an overtaking lane.... if there's 2 defined lanes marked at the traffic lights then you just make your own lane somewhere.....I think you indicate to go where your ... read more

So This Is What Paradise Is!! We were up nice and early today, mainly because Amy was bouncing off the walls, as we made our day trip to Sentosa Island. The island is only about 1km off the coast of Singapore and is considered the southern most point of continental South East Asia (even though it's an island off an island off the continent). About 20 years ago the military gave the island over to tourism to create a resort/theme park/wilderness precinct and when the government does something here, they do it in style!! Through the neon arch, we pay the $2 admission to the island which then provides all bus and tram transport free making the world your oyster so to speak. First on the agenda... a lesson in history. Fort Silosa, built back in ... read more

Off, Off and Away.... Well... sort of. After a rocky start at Perth Airport due to a baggage handlers strike, not to mention their computers going down (amazing how much we rely on them isn't it??), we finally headed off on the first leg of our journey only a mere 3 hours late. Of course that meant that we didn't get through customs at Singapore until after 8pm and so ensued the mad panic to find accomodation!!! The discovery of a free wireless at McDonalds in the airport provided our means and off we went on the MRT to find our first place of rest. OH MY GOD. the directions on the net were found to be just a touch vague.... the people couldn't speak english in the shops to help and just waved wildly in ... read more

Well this is the usual first entry i suppose..... test out the blog and so forth. The story so far So , i've booked and paid for my tickets, managed to organise nearly all the gear i'll need and begun to organise medicals and visas for my March 30th departure. I'm still of two minds about what to do about accomodation, whether to book the first couple of stops yet or just wing it a little longer. I've also still got to get a few transport vouchers for some countries, but all in good time. The Destinations For those that don't know the itinery .... here we go - Perth - Australia (home) Singapore - 1 week Phuket - 4 days Bangkok - 1 week Chiang Mai - 5 days Siem Reap - 5 days Phnom ... read more