moneysglobalrtw

Hanoi is only a short flight away from Laos, but a world away in pace from polite, sleepy Vientiane. In the old city the streets are narrow and crowded, full of taxis, vans, trucks, cyclists and more motorbikes than you can imagine. The streets are also where people walk, dodging the traffic, because the pavements are full of stalls, people cooking, people sitting on small plastic stools, people standing and talking, and lots of parked motorbikes. There was a huge thunderstorm on our first evening, while we sat having dinner, with torrential rain and a strong gusty wind. The food in Indochina has generally been good, but Vietnamese food is a cut above the rest: more variety, greater use of lemongrass, ginger and garlic (three favourites!), and more attractively served. After a night in Hanoi we ... read more

After modern, sleek, air-conditioned Singapore it was some change to arrive in Bangkok – a huge, sprawling, noisy, crowded city, with jam-packed streets full of taxis, cars, tuk tuks, motorbikes and people. Our hotel was in Sukhumvit, which turned out to be an excellent choice as it was close to a Skytrain station – the rapid transit system which speeds you way above the constant traffic jams. We saw the Royal Palace and Emerald Temple in the midday heat (high 90s and very humid), thus confirming that saying about mad dogs and Englishmen. We also went to Jim Thompson’s House (JT was an American who helped to re-launch the Thai Silk trade in the 1960s) to see some stunning antiques in traditional Thai teak houses, moved and re-erected in a pretty tropical garden. We met up ... read more

About halfway between Brisbane and Cairns, Townsville seems to have the ideal climate, allthough we were told that it does get very humid in the summer. The Great Barrier Reef is on its doorstep, while inland there are old goldmining towns like Charters Towers, Further inland too is Mount Isa - one of the biggest current mining towns and enjoying a boom at the moment. Rob was able to join us for this part of the trip, and it was tremendous - although almost unreal - to see him walk into the airport arrivals hall after 8+ months away, looking fit, well and just the same as ever. Townsville itself has a tremendous sense of space and a slower, tropical , feel to it. There was a great view from our hotel across to Magnetic Island, ... read more

Fresh from our 5 weeks in New Zealand, we landed in Perth, West Australia, with high expectations. It was new territory for both of us and is such a huge State that it was only possible to see a small part of it in the time we were there. A wedding in Margaret River was our destination - about 4 hours driving time south of Perth. The southwest corner of West Australia is full of wineries, olive groves (with tastings), boutique chocolate factories (more tastings), small historic towns, beaches for surfing and swimming, national parks and wildlife. The four day wedding celebration was very special as we had known the groom since he was born. His parents, Iain and Ros Henderson, are dear friends and it was marvelous to see them and all their family from ... read more

Why doesn't everyone live in New Zealand? We seem to specialise in unsociable arrivals and departures! We landed in Auckland at 0420 to be met by Derek (married to Bob's cousin Louise). Their house is in Swanson, out to the west of Auckland, and we spent four happy days there catching up with family news and sightseeing. Auckland is a marvelous place to start a New Zealand visit. Everywhere one looks there are stunning views. We took the ferry from the main harbour area over to Devonport and promptly decided we could happily live there. It is full of graceful 19th century houses and little pavement restaurants and cafes all looking across the harbour. The new naval museum was one of the best we have ever been to as well. We climbed to the top of ... read more