jacandbj

We woke to an amazing breakfast of pancakes, honey and banana - such a great way to start the day. Then our 6km trek began and this was very different to yesterday's walk! Thanks to the rain yesterday, and the already uphill route, we were in for both a treat and a challenge! My friends this time were Mo and Chi, Chi was 27 and Mo was 60 and my god these women are unstoppable! The trek was very muddy and slippery in much of the path and when you step in the wrong section of mud, you sink deep (from experience!). They show you where to put your feet, they pull you up high sections, they help you balance along the thin rice paddy ledges and hold your hand most of the way. And they ... read more

I got up early on our first day and went for a jog along broadway near our hotel. It was so peaceful and I was surprised to see so many recognisable things from media - yellow school buses, stairs leading to the subway, familiar store names. I really enjoyed this hour. It was quieter than I imagined, New York is known as the place that never sleeps but there were only handfuls of people around, buying breaky from street carts, walking their dogs etc. Our first day in the Big Apple kicked off with a walk along broadway from our hotel. We found a $1 pizza slice store and thought it was like nirvana! Amazing taste for a buck! Then we took a subway ride to the Staten Island Ferry. We found the metro card and ... read more

We used the same tour company that we did Cu Chi with to do a day tour to the Mekong Delta. We stopped along the way to handicapped handicrafts warehouse and was pleased to contribute to the welfare of these workers, who had suffered from Agent Orange and other war related causes. We watched as they made beautiful handicrafts and purchased a three piece artwork with duck eggshell. (Note to Australians, customs will seize duck egg shell products for treatment at a cost of about $160! There is a slight yellow tinge on them now - we also bought a vase with no shell and it's just as beautiful and memorable with no dramas involved. Stay away from the shell, despite what the sales staff tell you). Our day along the Mekong was lovely but not ... read more

This was supposed to be the highlight tour of our 2 weeks - the 7 tier waterfall hike at Erawan falls and swimming, Bridge over River Kwai and the train journey over Death Railway. Sadly, things didn't go to plan. I had researched so much for this trip - finally deciding on a private tour customised to our needs. I didn't go high end with tremendous reviews from Trip Advisor and in hindsight, I should have. I arranged a private driver from a tour agency in Sukhumvit and stated the three must dos for the day. With BJ suffering more than just a hangover from the Muay Thai night (turns out he one too many ice cubes in his whiskey and suffered from the stomach bug that results) the day was already starting on edge hoping ... read more

Today was all about getting to the 'must see' and cultural activities that are scattered around one particular area of Bangkok, about 20 minutes from our hotel in Ploenchit. On the list were the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Khlongs and the Amulet Market. We had a great breakfast thanks to the Renaissance Ratchaprasong Hotel - I don't recall eating again until 9pm! Having arrived at the hotel after midnight, been upgraded to a suite, enjoyed a breakfast fit for kings and generally lapping up the beautiful 5 star decor I think we momentarily forgot we were in SE Asia when we jumped into our cab and stated The Grand Palace as our destination and blissfully went on our way. Halfway through our journey BJ turned to me and whispered "the meter isn't on". I was actually ... read more