Well having spent an eventful and unpleasant time in Vietnam I was really looking forward to a change of venue. I was still fighting a fever but it seemed to be somewhat under control after 5 days so I decided to fly to Siem Reap, the little town that services Angkor Wat. It was an afternoon flight and as flight time approached I certainly wasn't feeling any better. When we finally departed I was a human inferno and as it turned out had a temperative over 104 degrees again. I was just a little happy to land and was looking foerward [View Full Entry]

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HI Again! Here's the first report from Vietnam I had expected to have the most glowing report of Hanoi and Halong Bay but.....life is about expectations...and maybe my expectations were too high... But to be honest....weather also was a big contributor to my less than excited review so far! But first about the Title....well the currency here is the Dong. And there are 18,000 Dong to the US Dollar!,.....so I've given my first 100,000 tip and made my first 2,000,000 ATM withdrawl here in Hanoi....feeling like quite the big spender!,....:-) It was supposed to be late summer and a g [View Full Entry]

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Hi All I'm writing from the wonderful Cinnamon Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam where there are 2 computers in the lobby of my little but great 6 room hotel! But this entry is about Bangkok so I'll backtrack. I managed to leave Kathmandu in between the potential general strikes as you will recall after 16 days of trekking. Well despite my one night treat in Pokhara that didn't seem to be enough luxury for me. I had already booked Business Class on Thai Airways to and from Kathmandu to Bangkok return so I could change my flight with no problems and leave [View Full Entry]

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Having met up with Jan and Dan..the tandem cyclists....and I was sure that was the end of my wonderful coincidencental meetings. But on my last night in Kathmandu I went to a Thai restaurant...Yin and Yang....which was great!...but as I sat there Ian and Kristen from England who I had met several days earlier just before crossing the Pass...at the truly rustic/disgusting?..Jimi Lodge....walked in! Great fun as we got caught up and traded stories. I was reading a great book while doing the Annapurna Circuit....called "Annapurna" by Maurice Herzog. It was written in 1952 after he led the [View Full Entry]

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HI All Hearing from me a bit earlier than you and I might have thought! EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Almost immediately after my last entry, I came down with a combo stomach/bowels disruption which needs no further amplification other than to say that it caused me to fall behind "schedule" by a day or 2 and lose some energy as well. After a quick reassessment I decided I should be very happy with completing the Annapurna Circuit and should leave the Sanctuary for another trip! A couple of days diversion for the infamous (in Nepal!) Poon Hill views and yesterday ended 15 days [View Full Entry]

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For those who like the executive summary let me cut to the chase! I made it over the Thorong La pass 3 days ago. At 17,769 it is just higher than Everest Base Camp which I was surprised to learn! I'm now back in banana tree and orange grove country. I've decided to add a side trip of 6-7 days to see the Annapurna Sanctuary and Annapurna Base Camp. I am alive and well and very excited to have made the pass. Updates from home via email or message on this site always much appreciated! Now to update since the last [View Full Entry]

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Writing you from a small internet cafe in rural Nepal....at altitude of 3500m...unbelievable where technology has found its way to! The trek has been going sensationally well so far. I was already to go at 630 am and the guide/porter Shankar was a little late....especially as we had a 7 bus. OF course, in Nepal, this was not a problem as the bus left about 730. The one thing I had read about was not to take the local bus for the 6 hour ride from Kathmandu to Besi Sadr and even then Lonely Planet was a bit cautious on the [View Full Entry]

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October 24 Well I'm finally here in Kathmandu, Nepal! and it's as crazy and chaotic in some sort of weird semi-organized way! The flight from Bangkok of just over 3 hours presented 2 amazing sights. First the Ganges river delta on the south coast of Bangladesh was amazing as it spreads so far and it's easy to see how when the river overflows its borders there are millions, even 10 million people who are displaced. The second of course was an iuncredible vista of much of the Himalaya range...It's a stunning perspective of 9 of the worlds 10 highest mountains! The [View Full Entry]

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October 22 Well the days have blurred over the past 24 hours as I've travelled 13 hours to Tokyo (fortunately with a bulk head seat with full leg room) and then after a 2 hour stopover another 6 hours to Bangkok (again with an extra legroom seat) where I am now. Just waiting for my Thai Airways flight to Kathmandu...hoping to get some amazing views of the Himalayas including Everest! I can only comment on the taxis in Bangkok because that's about all I saw. I had a great woman driver on the way in to the hotel who happily flipped [View Full Entry]

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October 19, 2009 I"m sitting here in Toronto...having just checked the Kathmandu weather for today....high of 97 degrees!...most people are really surprised that it's that warm....it's at about 4500 ft of altitude but at the same latitude as Jacksonville, Florida! Dreading the long flight to Bangkok tomorrow. Flying via Tokyo to Bangkok on Aeroplan so can't complain! Leave 1:15 pm Toronto time on October 20 and arrive in Bangkok October 21 at 9:30 pm..Thai time. Flying Air Canada to Tokyo then Thai Airways to Bangkok. The next morning I fly to Kathmandu again on Thai Airways whi [View Full Entry]

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