On Friday we set off to drive up to Kanchanaburi about 150km from Bangkok. Along the roads and highways everywhere are large pictures of the revered king and queen on billboards or large banners over the road. Outside many houses and other buildings, even gas stations are strikingly beautiful spirit houses which are decorated raised shrines to the spirit who lived on the land or to the spirits of deceased previous owners. Every morning offerings of food and flowe...

A combination of jet lag and sensory overload had me wide awake at 3.30am and am now cross eyed with tiredness and walk like a reeling drunk as we await 8am pick up.... ....The Grand Palace was spectacular, gold and coloured glass, mirrored and brightly tiled towers, Chinese style figures and a small solid jade buddha who is given gifts of water, sticky rice, eggs, fish and lotus flowers. The sun is out and it is really hot now, 36 but feels like 44 they say bu...

I do love travel. What a contrast to Brazil but still the same buzz. Arrived in Bangkok yesterday afternoon and our room overlooks the river, sky misty with pollution from the constant traffic jams and cooking on street stalls. A variety of boats ply the river, small oriental boats are the hotel ferries, fancy for the tourists, plainer ferries for locals and longtail boats, long and sleek with the long trailing rudder which i assume givs them the name and long di...

The journey back on the ferry was rough and the jolly music turned up loud to cover the sound of vomiting. We were lucky as we picked good seats between the doors with a breeze in the centre where there was only a gentle roll so we closed our eyes and pretended we were on a hammock for 2 and a half hours. We had a final day in Rio before heading home spent by the beach and by the large lake behind it, getting caught in a tremendous thunder storm just as we needed...

We slept surprisingly well on the overnight bus as the seats recline to a 'bed' at about 30 degrees. We were picked up and driven to the port for the catamaran to Tinhare island down the coast. It left 30 minutes late, took an hour longer than scheduled and was noisy and hot as it was a sunny day, but the crossing was smooth. When we finally docked there were boys waiting with wheelbarrows, with TAXI written on the side waiting to take our luggage thru the pedest...