Well, we made it back home in one piece and I have survived my first two weeks at work.I got to thinking about the many things we saw and did during our six weeks. Accommodation: We switched accommodation 14 times. Worst (and cheapest): Bunga Raya Hostel, Kota Bahru Best: Rambuttri Village Inn, Bangkok Most expensive: Trekkers Lodge, Kuala Lumpur Cutest: Symphony Huts, Perhentian Islands Food:Best: Sheila: Mushroom Omlette at Mawar's, Tioman (when there was no power!) Best: Stan: Chicken Curry, A.B.C. Restaurant on Tioman Worst: Sheila: Vegetable rice at the roadside, kota Bahru Worst: Stan: Chicken curry at Palm Tree 2, Longbeach, Perhensions Strangest: Sheila: White fruit with little black dots in served up in my museli on... read more

By 3pm the next day, after a taxi ride and ferry, Sharon had her wish, we were on the beach on Tioman Island. We were a little disappointed at first as the beach itself was not too good. However, after a little exploration we soon discovered sandy beaches within a ten-minute walk along the jungle path. Better still, once in the sea, armed with Mask and snorkels we discovered the coral was much better than the guidebook had led us to believe. We spent the next 8 days lazing around on beaches, snorkelling in the sea, or taking boat trips around the island. Each evening we could be found at ‘Hello Bar’ watching the setting sun sink below the horizon, whilst sipping Tiger Beer.We found several restaurants serving good food, in particular one that pulled out ... read more

Time to move on. We caught our flight from Siem Reap to Kuala Lumpur but were gutted to realize we had landed in the ‘ Lo Cost Terminal as we’d flown with Air Asia. Our onward journey was four and a half hours away and there was nothing to do. In the international terminal we’d remembered seeing free internet access and had planned to use the time productively and update our travel blog. The only decent seats were in the café, how long can you make two cups of coffee last? After what seemed like forever we boarded our flight and 35 mins later we touched at Kota Bahru. By now it was approaching ten o clock so we were worried about getting a bed for the night. We jumped in a taxi and asked to ... read more

Mon 30th July At 4.15am we left the hotel in search of coffee expecting to struggle at this ungodly hour. But no, Bangkok was already up and running. Tuk tuks, street cafes and backpackers all millimg around. The taxi driver we'd booked the evening before was ready and waiting with a huge grin on his face we told him he'd have to wait 'till 5 o clock, we weren't going anywhere untill we'd had coffee. By the time we were on our way to the airport the rain had begun to pour. Despite this he drove like a man on a mission reaching 140kms per hour whilst answering a phone call! Twice we asked him to slow down, on arrival at the airport we handed over the agreed 500 baht. Extortionate, as the journey had only ... read more

A few weeks ago, Sharon, (our daughter) wrote a travel blog naming her perfect beaches around the world and asked for suggestions of others. We found our perfect beach on Ko Samet. Ao Nuan. Picture this! White powdery sand in a crescent shape bay that gently shelves into an aqua marine warm sea that's backed by dense jungle vegetation. Either side of the bay, rocks become coral as they reach beneath the water. Teems of colourful fish swim all around. When you tire of admiring the coral and fish, lay in the dappled shade of a palm tree and watch the huge colourful butterflies fluttering about. Eat lunch in the rustic little bar that’s hidden discreetly in the trees whilst watching the waves gently lap the shore. Perfect? We thought so. One of the downsides to ... read more