Sue Tonkin

Took the free shuttle into Orchard Road again and had a good wander. What a world away from the countries I have just visited. Names like Armani, Dolce, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Massimo, Marks & Spencer, Chanel are everywhere. All the cars are clean and in excellent condition. The streets are clean and lots of vegetation. The many pedestrian over passes and undergrounds mean you rarely have to negotiate traffic lights. You never see any jay walkers. The traffic flows freely without many pesky pedestrians clogging up the works. Even the buskers and disabled people selling little packs of tissues are only found in the underground tunnels. When I got lost it just meant I found more places to see. I booked a trip on the Night Safari to see the wild animals at night. The ... read more

I left Thailand with yet another dodgy driver. I had negotiated with him to pay 300baht and the highway tolls to get to the airport. They do not like to use their meters believe me. He also tried to get me to go to a sponsor on the way. GIVE ME STRENGTH!!!!!!!!!!!!! The taxi driver appeared to be enamoured with me (or at least my money) and told me I was very beautiful, and perhaps we could go to Phuket together next time I was in Thailand. He was obviously angling for a larger fare, and he certainly wasn't going to get one. He hugged me like a long lost relative when he dropped me at the airport. Somehow I still came away paying 50baht more than the agreed price, as he had not given me ... read more

Went to see Wut's baby. There was a large celebration in progress. As they are muslim there was no alcohol, but lots of watermelon, other fruit, water and juices. The celebration starts first thing in the morning, and continues all day. When we arrived there were no adult men present, but lots of women sitting around talking and watching the baby. Sounds like an Aussie BBQ doesn't it!! Christine and I decide to have a pedicure before she went to the airport. I enjoyed mine, but Christine winced the way through hers. After she left I decided to revisit Pantip Plaza, the mega electronics store. Went by TukTuk, but you guessed it, the driver wanted me to visit one of his bloody sponsors!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought what the hell, it knocked 30 baht off the trip, and ... read more

Back in Pattaya. Christine booked a 2 day trip up the River Kwai. She had to get up at 5.00am to go. I lazed around doing nothing. My knees needed the rest. Planned on a massage too. Nittaya wanted me to send some photos for Derek's mum to see her house.... read more

Things I have learned in Thailand and Vietnam: 1. Thai drive on the left hand side, Vietnamese drive on the right hand side. When I first got in the taxi at the HCMC airport and the driver got in the LHS, I wondered who was going to drive. However in Vietnam, they also drive on either side of the road at any time and red traffic signals are apparently only a suggestion to stop! They also drive on the footpath regularly. 2. In both countries they do not put toilet paper in the toilet. You are meant to put it in a little bucket by the toilet. Many do not have toilet paper at all, so always carry some tissues in your bag. Some out of the way places may only have the old hole in ... read more

News break!!!!!!  5 men from Laos arrested for drug smuggling at the Haon Kiem lake  Celebrities from Australia attend Vietnamese weddings But more about that later! Christine and I decided to have a look around Hanoi today. First we made our way by taxi to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Another dodgy taxi driver. He asked for 40,000 dong, but we refused and told him to use the meter. Final cost, 18,000 dong. We didn't get to the mausoleum until 11.30 and found it closed. It is only open from 7.00 until 11.00, so missed that one. You can't take photos anyway, and your cameras are confiscated at the door. You are not even allowed to put your hands in your pockets. No viewing of Uncle Ho for us. We then made our way ... read more

Well now I've done the bike thing too. Christine went on a tour to My Son which she said was beautiful. I thought I would hire a bike and do all the things I needed to do. Foot massage, tailor, old town and a general look around. I admit I was more than a little concerned, but.....what the hell!! I haven't ridden a bike for many years, and the last one I rode had 11 gears and a very comfortable seat. This bike. The most basic, but the tyres were pumped up. I got off to a very wobbly start, but warmed up once I was going. I broke my thong 3 times on the trip (I know. What was I thinking wearing thongs on a bike????). The travel is much faster but for me not ... read more