Our last morning in Hanoi I got up at 5am - Wayne and Kev decided to stay in bed - and walked down to Hoan Kiem Lake where, at 6am each morning, many people congregate to practise Tai Chi all around the shores of the lake which has the Ngoc Son Temple on a little island in the middle. (Thanks Julie for the suggestion - I wouldn't have thought to do it otherwise!) Music was playing from PA systems - groups of 6-10 people (it seemed to be mostly older men) were standing in line slightly bent forward. Each person was massaging the back of the person in front of them; every now and then the person at the front moved to the back so everyone got their turn. Having never done Tai Chi in my ... read more

Kev once again proved himself to be a genious managing to fix the camera with the use of my tweezers so all's well in that regard! After a hearty breakfast - Kev had the Cramble Eegs - our first job was to find the Lifestart Foundation which turned out to be about five minutes walk from the hotel. It was good to meet some of the woman who work there and buy some of the handicrafts they make. Lifestart Foundation was started by a Melbourne woman, Karen Leonard who wrote the following: "A small group of local women living with challenging disabilities in the Hoi An area joined together with Lifestart Foundation to form a special workshop. This workshop focuses on creating a small line of beautiful creative arts and crafts. It is already a huge ... read more

Well I've finally made it to Vietnam and Kev is here for the third time, the first of which was in 1966 much against his wishes! Saigon, now known as Ho Chi Minh City, is a bustling metropolis of over 7 million people most of whom seem to own either a motor scooter or a motor bike. What a sight they all make, especially in peak hour traffic! It really is fascinating and quite fun because even when you cross the road at a pedestrian crossing none of the traffic actually stops - you have to weave your way in-between it all!! So you need to have your wits about you. It's incredible the way that, without any apparent road rules and no real lane markings, that the traffice seems to flows fairly smoothly! Wayne met ... read more

Truth be known, with Ross gone we both felt a little lost. Well it was to be expected I suppose, after all prior to his visit it was almost 10 months since we last saw him and we've been away from the rest of our darling family for almost three months. And those gorgeous grandchildren Grace & Rupert have no doubt grown in leaps and bounds since we've been away. Enough to make us a bit blue! But, as you do in such circumstances, we took ourselves in hand and went off exploring. Ocean Park was one such place which we visited on a hot steamy Hong Kong day. Then came a day of shopping in the rain - well at least wandering in and out of many of the shops but not really buying much ... read more

The new look me arrived in Rome where there are more old buildings to amaze us!! They all have the effect of making us realise just what a short time on earth we all get!! After all lots of 'old ruins' have been upstanding for thousands of years and most of us have around 80 years as our lifetime if we're lucky. It's all a bit daunting!! And yes, yours truly did get lost in the Sistine Chapel - well not so much lost as seperated from the group. One minute Kev and the rest of our group were in front of me and then - like a whoosh of smoke - they were gone. That was before we got into the Sistine Chapel - decorated throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Raphael, Sandro Botticelli ... read more