Ayutthaya started in 1350, by 1372 it had displace Sukothai and the most powerful Thai city. By 1440 it had become the most powerful city in south east asia after displace Ankor. capital of thailand for over 400 years until 1767 is located about 80kms north of Bangkok. It can be reached by road, boat or train. I chose the train. An air conditioned second class seat for 315baht taking 1.5 hours. As my guide book stated 2.5 hours I almost over shot my destination. While in transit a small bento style meal was served consisting of curried chicken, vegetables and steamed rice. Outside of Bangkok the country was a big flood plan with water extending to the horizon on both sides. Avoiding the guantlett of tuk-tul drivers I walked to the river and took the ... read more

Having a window seat on the right hand side I could see the beaches on the western side of Phuket as the plane came in to land. On the ground finally at 3:30pm I was glad to be off the plane that I boarded at 8:00am in Perth. But before I could go to paradise they was the slow formally off immigration to endure. Journeying to Patong from the airport in a minibus took longer than I expected. This is because I mistakingly thought the airport was near Phuket Town rather the in the north of the island. The plane flies from Perth, lands a Phuket, continues on to Bangkok and then returns to Perth, all within 24 hours. On the way, mounted above an intersection I saw a number 83, which I orginally thought was ... read more

Cradle Mountain, located near the north end of the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park in central Tasmania is one of my favourite places on Planet Earth. Though not high, about 1545 meters, it has a quiet serenity which allows the consciousness to image itself drifting back more than 5 thousand years and observing the same scene. The shingled hut in the foreground is called the Boat Hut, though when it last had a boat, I have no idea. Coupled witha small sandy beach in front of it, it is used as a resting place for overland and day walkers. Like so many lakes in Tasmania, the lake, Lake Dove is a glacier lake scoured out during the last ice age which ended about 10,000 years ago. The orange colouring on the mountain side ... read more

The Lake District, a wild or manicured beauty? Irregularly shaped hills with rocky outcrops are laced with carefully placed stone walls separating paddocks. Walkers seem to strictly adhere to trials that slice through sheep and cattle pastures. I stay in Ambleside, alongside Windamere (panorama). Ambleside, located on the eastern shore, about a third down from the northern tip, is a town in which the buildings have been constructed with slate that has been cut into rectangular blocks. Windamere, shaped like a finger is the largest lake in the district. This Windamere, with its towns, piers and boats superficially appeared to be very different from Lake Windamere, located in the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania. That lake, like the surrounding country is relatively untouched wilderness. Yet, both were created by glaciation during ... read more

Off to Shakespeare country, but first a detour to the village of Lacock. Initially the attraction was the Fox Talbot Museum, but Lacock is a charming village. For me a discovered gem, because I had no knowledge of its existence before I went to Bath. Dating back to the 13th century it has many lime washed, half-timbered and stone houses. Because of its picturesque charm it is often used as a set for films and television. The television series Jane Austen WILL be filmed here in 1995. First area specially visited was the cemetery to see the grave of William Henry Fox Talbot (1800 - 1877). It is marked by a very prominent grave stone. Talbot is most noted for the invention of negative/positive photography. He also made contributions to mathematics, optics, astronomy, archeology and had ... read more