It's been a while since our last blog. We've been busy...
Bangkok was really good. We met up with Billy, (Rachel's Dad) Rachel Brown and Lauren and it was good hanging out with them. It was especially great seeing Billy and we all had a lot of fun together as it was Songkran (Thai New Year) which involved 3 days of constant water fights right across the city. We could not go out and not get splashed. (or drenched) It was crazy, cars just jammed in the streets and people were soaking each other. It's a great way to celebrate New Year and the children love it especially. Our tip is don't get a Tuk Tuk at Songkran, it held no resisitance to the bucket of water that was thrown over our laps! (Actually don't ever get a Tuk Tuk in Bangkok ever at any time. They're all scum and never take you where you want to actually go)
In Bangkok we:
visited the bridge over the River Kwai
visited the Grand Palace, the massive Reclining Buddha and Arun Temple
stuffed our faces at the buffet in Billy's hotel
ate out on the streets of China Town with a cockroachat our feet
had a Thai massage (without a 'happy ending')
shopped at the Mother of all markets
went to a Songkran Party for Rachel Brown's Birthday
did not go to a Ping Pong show
visited an old house full of Asian goodies and a Buddhist shrine in the middle of a posh shopping area.
were hassled by Tuk Tuk drivers constantly
Sadly Rachel's Nana passed away on the 16th and so we said goodbye to Billy as he returned home and was unable to continue his trip. It was sad to see him go as we all had a good laugh together. We were both obviously upset about this and unsure for a while about what to do about continuing our trip or returning to Britain for the funeral, but after much heartache and thought we have decided to continue our trip. We plan to have our own service for Rachel's Nana tomorrow.
We are now in Sydney and it has been great here so far. We have spent the last 2 days walking around the city seeing Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, The Bo-tanical Gardens, Sydney Tower, visting the very impressive Sydney Aquarium and walking from Bondi to Coogee beach. Sydney is a beautiful city and we now see what all the fuss is about.
On the beach walk we saw some amazing surf and came across a home a person had built on the cliffs! Somebody was living on a cliff in a tent with also a tarpaulin roof, a sofa facing the sea and a load of nik naks. This person looked like he/she had been there for a while and had one of the best locations in Bondhi. I will post a photo soon. It was bizarre but also quite inspiring to see somebody clearly surviving like that.
We have also booked some tours to the Whitsunday Islands and Fraser Islands (have a google at this) which is exciting but we have put our life in the hands of a tour company. Hope it's not 18 - 30 type debauchery, we're getting too old for that.
We are also in a dormitory now which is a first for us on this trip. Luckily our fellow dormers have been nice so far. We asked to leave our first dorm 10 minutes after being there, as we decided that we werenot going to share a room with two smelly and messy men who were asleep at the time.
Over the next few days we are planning to visit the beach district of Manly, the beautiful Blue Mountains, the Museum, Hillsongs Church and begin our trip towards Cairns.
Rachel is thankfully not getting eaten away by mozzies any more and my toe is now well on its way to getting better.
I promise to post photos of Bangkok and Sydney soon.
Not seen one yet.
That passionfruit cheesecake. Best ever tasted, Byron Bay.
Hey, is there any food in my teeth?
Croikey, this one's a real beaut!
Didn't know animals could read.
Aboriginal Art, Sydney Museum.
Sydney Aquarium, in Sydney you gala!
Rolfaroo!
Sydney Harbour Bridge.
A Billy over the River Kwai.
The Reclining Buddha, Bangkok.
You know when you've been Songkranned.
Rachel and Billy, The Grand Palace.
The Grand Palace, Bangkok.
Showing off whilst losing my eyebrows.
Making a mess.
