Hi Bernard & family,
I have been travelling as well but for business. I need to take more leaves from your book of travel tips, a fabulous blog. Margaret will read this too with her Italian & Croation travels some years ago.
We look forward to seeing you home sometime,
Regards
Tony
Hello from Jenny Read your blog and thoroughly enjoyed your encounter of Croatia. Still can't believe you are on holiday and we are all back home and Turkey a distant memory! The boys started school last week so at least some normality is back in our lives! Greg had his 14th birthday party on our boat yesterday with a couple of his friends so it was great to be back on the water. Being on the water definitley does something to your soul - I think that is why I enjoyed the gulet so much! The boys really enjoyed the med cruise and if they had to choose, they certainly would have chosen the cruise over the gulet but they were such completely different holidays! Chris more because the food was so boring - he doesn't eat tomatoes and cucumbers and the whole green bean lunch menu which we all thought was so yummy! Anyway enjoy the rest of the trip you lucky things - I am quite envious! I'm looking forward to the next blog entry!
Hi Frances,
I just wanted to let you know what a joy it has been reading your blog(s). The quality of the writing is wonderful and so entertaining. There must surely be a book in amongst all this?!
Anyway it is a cold wet evening in Nelson and I am struggling to motivate myself to complete some work and have procrastinated even more by taking time out to catch up with your blog.
But now I really must apply myself to the task at hand!
So do take care and I hope you continue to have a wonderful time.
Love from Sian
Name your price Great read, what cool adventures you're having!! I'm heading to Singapore / Malaysia in a couple of months and would love to know where your secret beach is / what island?
Yummy Durian Very brave Bernard- durian (imho) tastes like vomit and smells like dried vomit- so well done you for experiencing the local delicacy. Orangutan experience has certainly changed since I was there a life time ago...so last century. The I could walk alone in the forest (with a guide), and had one half tame female try to pilfer my ring. Couldn't so she settled with tickling my feet inside the gumboots. As to boring us with photos- please do- they are fabulous!!!! Love the ones of the Molly and Lauren. McB's
Laugh Guys
I eagerly anticipate the latest episode that awaits me when I open your emails. The skill you have in telling the story often has me laughing out loud in the office which provokes lots of comments. Your blogs and wonderful, entertaining and make a cold wet winters day here feel much better.
All the best. Cherie
Vietnam Dear Bernard and Frances, Molly and Lauren!! So good to hear from you all and I offer a thousand apologies for not getting back to you. Loved your blog and look forward to reading the next installment. I think you are both fantastic and honest relating your experiences with family and experiences. Both the girls will look back on so much if not at the present in the future and I am sure it will give them both the travelling Bug later on. Can't imagine taking the four (almost) year old, let alone a 12 year old. Bernard loved you epistle of sights and sounds of Laos. Everyone that has been to Vietnam says it is a must. Hard to believe you are so hot. Not missing the wind rain and generally cold here is nz?? Lift busy, rat race blah blah so enjoy this prescious time!! We are out here and reading. xxxxxxxxxKim and Mark
tito josep broz, known as Tito, was a war hero and later president of Yugoslavia, he was the only eastern europe communist leader who was not overwhelmed by the soviet juggernaut, but remained free, and I'm speculating thats why he was able to visit Vietnam and have an island named after him, dont think the puppet presidents of Hungary, Poland, East Germany etc would have been able to do that! One of my uncles, and therefore a cousin of Bernard, was a partizan and killed by the Germans in WW2, I guess you could say Tito was his Boss!
wow! fantastic commentary, almost like being there! just finished reading Chickenhawk and Once We Were Warriors and Young, so your stuff fills in the picture!!!
Fantastic What a mission, love reading your superbly written blogs. Almost feel as though am there with you ! Continue to enjoy your travels, take care :-) Sue R.
the photos are beautiful- more rice paddies to be seen in Vietnam- I did a 6 week trip in Vietnam before kids and just loved it completely- I look forward to seeing where you go...what an adventure you guys are having
GORGEOUS picture of the girls on horse!! LOVE seeing the pictures of you all - such a cute one of the girls on the horse - I tried to drag it to my desktop to see if I could print it . :( no luck - copyright protected !!:)
xoxoxojulia
On on... Very good! If you keep going the direction you are heading, you can say hi to some of my mates in Kolkata!
Glad to hear everyone is well, and all 4 of you are enjoying the experience.
OMG - it all looks so fantastic!! I'd be the one straggling if I was with you - forever taking pictures!! but you couldn't lose me in the crowd! Happy birthday Molly!!! What a GORGEOUS cake!! NOBODY else you know will have one like that!!
Except - is that you in the picture? I can't see your smiling eyes ;(..... looks like you're all having an absolutely AMAZING time. I reckon it'll be your MOST amazing ever Moll ...... nothing else in the world will be as different, new, exciting or challenging probably. Good on you !! I think I'd be a bit grumpy with all that noise in the mornings tho - and always wishing for a little less grey in my pictures :) Glad you're getting more sunshine and less precipitation...
LOVE reading your blogs Bernard - nice way with words and observations ;). Fran - email me some time - love to know how it's going for you. ...... big hugs to you all ..... trying to figure out a meeting place somewhere in July ...... xoxo julia
The Pavlovich family from Auckland wonders what it would be like to travel for 6 months, with the 3 year old and 11 year old in tow. We make the toughest decision of all, lets go!... full info
Brian Cossar
non-member comment
Great Effort Great Itinerary
Welll done, something to look back on over the yeasr ahead.