Greetings from 'The Land of Smiles", The Venice of the East", 'The City of Angels"................I am happy to report; it is the dry, cool season in Thailand and much less humid than Bali. It's still hot but possible to walk around without breaking into a full sweat after just a few feet. I am staying in the infamous backpacker area, Khao San Road. It is a hubbub of activity, to say the lease, and stays up all night. I am pleasantly surpris...

I just left the beautiful island of Gili Trawangan off the coast of Lombok. Gili and Lombok were even more like the Indonesia I remember. Gili Island is very small and has no motorized vehicles....horse and buggy is the local means of transport. The beaches were beautiful, the snorkelling the best I've ever done and the fish is fresh as fresh can be. I shared a grilled barracuda with one of the local cats while overlooking the sea....yummm! I am back now in c...

Ahhh, Bali. It is hot, humid and crowded...and I love it! Eighteen years ago, Bali was my first step into the exotic and developing third world. Aside from the village of Ubud, it has changed very little in the past over those years! I started in the Mad beachside villages ot Kuta/legian for a few days before heading to Ubud. Ubud has changes some, it still has it's grubby central market, but all of the red toothed, beetle nut chewing women have disappeared (pr...

I have been i9n Singapore since 7am this morning......until 7 tonight, then on to Bali finally! I am staying at the airport transfer room, for 29 bucks you get a room with a small bed and tv for 6 hours with a nice shower room etc...I did go into the city this morning for a few hours....I need sleep!

Here we are with the beast. currently we are in beautiful Kaikoura, noted for it's marine wildlife. We have seen loads of adorable Fur Seals and don't expect to eat any. We had a late night out last night showing off our pool and dart skills at a local pub.. Today we a have a scenic cliff walk to look forward to with more seals and hopefully other animals life.