Day 270 This will be my last blog. We go home soon and I've pretty much said everything I want to say. So here are my final words on my year (9 months) of adventure with my family. It's been wonderful and I highly recommend it. Everyone should go travelling with their kids, you get to see them and know them in a way that is impossible in normal life. You also still get to scream at them in private and administer the occasional slap. Despite the difficult tim...

Day 267 Not much to do in Bangkok and the weather isn't great. I think with the earthquakes and tsunamis there is a sense of unease across Asia and we pretty much just want to go home now. Thailand is beautiful - even Bangkok - and the people are so nice. Shocked at the level of obesity - especially amongst young children. But then again the place is saturated with McDonalds, Haagen Dazs and Burger King so why be surprised? The world has Westernised this bea...

Day 252 We're back in Bangkok. Not too sad to have left Vietnam but I hope I will come back one day and give it another chance. Another unfortunate four hour bus journey from Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh which turned into seven. After two boring hours the bus broke down. It was packed with young American backpackers who seemed to take the news that the bus now had four flat tyres in their stride. Gone are my days of being laid back about travel delays and setbacks....

Day 245 We have decided to put travelling on hold for a while and just stay put. We had booked to travel onwards and then cancelled. Rufus still not very well and quite frankly, I can't be arsed carting him around South East Asia anymore, and am sure he can't be arsed being carted. Vietnam will always be here, I guess it doesn't really matter if we don't see as much of it as we would like on this trip. So due to the incredible hospitality and kindness of Belgian...

Day 235 Spent our last day in HCM going to the Cu Chi tunnels, two hours north of the city where the Vietcong built an underground city to outsmart the Americans. It was brilliant. Tiny tunnels that go on for kilometres, offices and hospitals, all underground. Amazing. Such a clever, but brutal bunch. Really glad to be leaving - of all the Asian cities we have been lucky enough to spend time in, this one is the worst. Over-priced, over-bearing, over-rated, ...