niknikjw

Monday Today was the train to Hellfire Pass. The host’s mother and her friend were coming as Thais don't usually do these things but they can ride the train for free. We arrived at the station over half an hour early and the train arrives over half an hour late. They sat in the free cars while the rest of us sat in the 100THB cars (tourists and their guides). I started chatting with the guides near me and they arranged for a car to take me to the cutting which was about 15kms further out from the end of the line. The train rattled and clacked thru the countryside with the windows wide open for over 2 hours. Generally you risk serious injury or death if you put any parts of your body outside the ... read more

Thursday First treatment at the dentist was not pleasant. No wonder people don't like dentists. The day was lovely and coolish (below 30), so the Thais bring out the light sweaters and jackets. I have a temp crown while the perm one is being made. I was brave and didn't go for the needle (maybe I should have). It was nearly 2 hrs of drilling, grinding and poking. She was very nice and chatted in Thai with her 2 assistants while I kept an ear open for 'bite' and 'open your mouth'. My jaw often had trouble obeying the bite command. When it was over I wandered around the shops and found somewhere to eat but didn't have quite enough cash to pay the whole bill. My Qantas cash card wasn't working. I'd sent an email ... read more

Now we are at the end of our holiday which has been so good. We booked 2 different places to stay in Rio....the bad and the good. Our first 3 nights were up past the Sheraton near a favela (slum) and it looked so much better on the website...it had a pool and our delux room had sea views. In reality, our room contained a double bed and a broken DVD player. The pool was an empty jacuzi and breakfast was a toasted cheese and ham sandwich. Now we are at the well recommended Mango Tree. We ate one night in the favela and went there for groceries......it's quite safe if you don´t go too far. Tuesday The prettier side of Rio was seen with a city tour which included Corcovado (Christ the Redeemer), ... read more

Saturday and Sunday We'd booked a flight to Puerto Iguazu in Argentina with Aerolineas Argentinas - avoid flying with them. Our flight was delayed 3 hours and we missed our connection in Buenos Aires. Another nasty surprise was the $100 entrance tax to Argentina (only for us Aussies). We were sent to a hotel in downtown BA after being yelled at by the airline agent because we couldn't understand her English directions. We were joined in the taxi by a mime artist from Rio going to perform in Lima and a Bolivian engineer. They'd also had delayed flights. Every thing was paid for, including phone calls, and for dinner, now really late, we had the most tender grilled veal I have ever eaten - the menu was in Spanish and the waiter didn't have enough English ... read more

Saturday From Uyuni we drove across the mountains to Potosi at nearly 4000m. Some of the road was almost brand new but the engineers had underestimated the amount of water that can flow through a dry gully and most of the culverts under the road had been washed away with the result that every few kilometres we drove off the road and around a gaping chasm. The rest of the road wound over mountains, through gorges, across and along sandy valleys. The wind is howling and any snow is streaked with dust. Dust follows the bus and runs down dry river beds. Rocks, llamas, cattle, sheep and donkeys flash past the windows. The bus stops for lunch and a loo break. I edge around the side of the building to the toilets and when I emerge, ... read more