Had a good flight over from Brisbane on Thai, we are a group of ten this time all newcomers to Thailand except for Tony & I. Staying at Furama Silom, good location & 5 minutes walk to Skytrain, . Showed the mob how to get to MBK & in the evening we had a dinner cruise down the Chao Prayha river. It was great, very good value for money great entertainment & the river is spectacular at night. Today they are going to Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha, Flower markets, which are really amazing & a canal cruise. Tony & I are off to check out where we can watch a live screening of the first State of origin game which is played tomorrow afternoon Thai time. probably the Aussie Bar over Sukhumvit way. Everyone is amazed ... read more

Had ten days in Ballina at Shaw's bay caravan park on a waterfront site which is very pretty but very breezy as well. The park is very well looked after & is in a prime position with a pub & good takeaway food shop next door.Ballina is a nice town with lots of good shopping & handy to the scenic drives along the coast & hinterland. We went to Nimbin but did'nt find the cookie lady so we had a nice drink at the Nimbin Hotel. The scenery on the way is very like England with green rolling hills which come to an end at the rainforest which was saved from logging by the struggle of the hippies in the 1970's. So good they won the fight it would be criminal to have lost the forest ... read more

Funny Dunny was a bit of a disapointment after St Lawrence as it is very dusty & only has one dunny!!!! the beach is nice but very difficult to get a boat in there. Alligator Creek was really nice though the fishing was off, the locals could'nt remember when the water was so murky.It's a lovely spot if you can get an invite in to the gated community.We really enjoyed our stay & a big thanks to Kenny's relatives who we stayed with. We spend through Townsville but are calling in on our way back. Cardwell & Tully are still recovering from cyclone Yasi in Feb but tourism is alive & well so come & enjoy!!! Mission beach is great. We had an early wet from Cardwell to Cairns which had its wettest October on record, ... read more

After our trip to Paris we went down to Kington Magna near Gillingham to visit friends for the day. We went via Stonehenge which the mob were disappointed with as they thought it looked a lot bigger in photos. The narrow lanes with high hedges around Kington Magna fascinated them as they worried how two vehicles could pass each other. They loved the 17th century cottages which have been renovated but kept all their period charm. The 14th century church on the top of the hill behind the village set the stage for a lovely day in the english countryside & we were lucky the weather was kind. The aussie mob were blown away by all the memorabilia our friends have accumulated over the years & how it all blends in with the low ceilings & ... read more

The last few days of our holiday with the mob were in Kl to try to beat jet lag.Did'nt work though as even the youngsters in the mob suffered for a couple of days after arriving back in Oz. We stayed at a beaut place called Somerset Ampang, very nice. Good people at reception & large rooms with excellent water pressure & plenty of hot water. we had a studio room which had a washimg machine & dryer & full kitchen though the next door restaurant was very good & reasonably priced.The hotel is 2 minutes from the rail in a quiet leafy suburb next door to The British High Commision.Breakfast was include in the price & was very nice with a reasonable variety. Shopping is good in KL & the hop on hop off bus ... read more