After a quick bowl of museli and a much welcome cup of hot tea ( it was now 11 degrees C) we packed up the hut, loaded the car and were on the road by 7.10am . We had a long day ahead of up as Stan really wanted to get to the Moto Guzzi museum in time for the tour at 2.30pm. It's on the banks of Lake Como so we wanted to explore the area before moving on to that night's accommodation in a mountain village. Despite the prospect of a long drive ahead within minutes we were stopping to take photos. The scenery in the early morning clear air was just stunning I braved the cold to get a photo next to the snow. Despite daytime temperatures of in the high 20s there ... read more

For years we have been promising ourselves that we would explore Europe, After all it is on our doorstep --practically. Well that time has arrived! We set sail for Zebrugge, Belgium, on Sunday to begin a road trip through Belgium, France to Italy, then through Austria, Germany and back through France to Calais. On the journey we will be making many overnight stops to break up the journey and explore the area. Two of the stops I am most looking forward to will be in the Alps and later the Dolomites. This all came about as Stan wanted to visit Breganze in Italy for the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Laverda motorcycle. Some of you will know of his passion for classic bikes, Laverda being one of his favourites. A few people have asked "are we ... read more

Don't know why but this blog never got finished, It disturbs me when things are incomplete so months after the event I have finally got round to it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once again the end of our trip is looming up but not before we visit our favourite island. You know the old saying...... Save the best till last. After two days in krabi we flew down to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. A few hours later after hanging around the airport we boarded a plane to Terengganu. The jumping off point for Pulua Kapas. We were to late to get the last boat so stayed the night there. By midday the next day were back on our paradise island. We arrived to hugs and kisses from Kyan the owner of the bungalow operation. We soon fell into the ... read more

For our last few days on the island of Ko Lanta we moved to the south end of Long Beach. As the name suggests the beach is very long, about 2 - 3 kms. We'd been staying around the middle area but Sharon and Scott went to the south end when they returned from Australia. The area around us had become very quiet as we were getting into low season so we decided to move too. We found a lovely shady resort with a nice pool and because it was now low season we got it for a knock down price. 500Baht ( ( £11) a night. We've been spending time with Sharon and co at their pool and beach area and were also able to meet up for dinner easily in the nearby restaurant. One ... read more

After leaving our quiet island retreat we have arrived in Kuala Lumpur , China Town. A complete contrast! Noisy, dirty streets instead of sandy paths with barely anyone on. Locals bustling about with strained faces instead of big smiles and greetings from local islanders. Its all part of life's rich tapestry! We spent just one night here, eating out on the famous Petaling Street , the heart of China Town followed by a morning visiting the more peaceful gardens at the Petronis Towers. Only after walking g through a huge, modern indoor, air conditioned shopping mall. Again a huge contrast to the little kiosk shops on the island selling only 3 in 1 coffees and biscuits. From K.L. we fly to Krabi, end route back to meet up with Sharon and Scott and the kids on ... read more