Heathrow departure

The Piccadilly line transported us in leisurely fashion to T2 the Queens Terminal where we breakfasted on scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes and avocado on focaccia. The plane boarded on time, thoughLæs mere
Bangkok

Our flight arrived just before 06.00. Immigration was a slow process. Our bags were getting lonely on carousel 22! We then found the checkin for our Bangkok Airways where queues were awesome.Læs mere
Chiang Mai

We landed just before 11.30 in much more sedate conditions. We quickly found our bags and taxi for the short drive into the old city. Our hotel the Tamarind named after a 200 year old specimen in theLæs mere
Wat walking tour

A pretty good night’s sleep, despite the jungle fowl cockerel who didn’t know when dawn was, and excellent breakfast by the pool side. We met our guide, Kandi and a family of four from MichiganLæs mere
New Year's Eve

An afternoon rest set us up nicely for the evening festivities. I went to paint the Tamarind courtyard as the sun was setting and the celebration oil lamps were lit at the base of the tree and theLæs mere
New Year's Day

Fortunately we woke after a solid night sleep in time to catch breakfast by the pool, with no hint of the previous celebration, amazing clear up!
We thought we would try and visit the temple on theLæs mere
To Koh Samui

A little fresher this morning but bright and sunny for our final breakfast by the pool. It’s a shame to be leaving such a lovely spot. We just had time for Janet to visit the big temple complexLæs mere
Preparing for Pabuk

Unable to do anything water based, after breakfast by the beach we took an uninspiring walk down the road to Chaweng Beach, had coffee and walked back.
The infinity pool was a better option, coolingLæs mere
Pabuk

Relocated breakfast was very good in the conference room with dressed tables. Although it had rained in the night it didn’t seem too heavy nor windy for those of us used to Portland Bill! ThereLæs mere
On to Bangkok

The night was very wet and windy by all accounts and John Simpson had been drafted in to give a war zone feel to the storm reporting. I guess he’s had his holiday spoiled too.
Fortunately the rainLæs mere
Ho ho ho

It’s orthodox Christmas tomorrow, Jimmy’s birthday too! We made it to the cathedral in time for the sermon which was all about embracing the joys of the season and promoting universal peace.
FromLæs mere
Sketchbook so far

Some sketches done on the trip thus far.
Last day in Bangkok

We are getting to grip with our surroundings now. Had an excellent Thai meal last evening down in Basil (no Fawlty happenings) with a tablet to order and very efficient, followed by an ice cream inLæs mere
Thailand Birds and mammals

Cattle Egret
Eurasian tree Sparrow
Swift
Dove
Pigeon
Common Mynah
Red Jungle Fowl (heard) and seen
Oriental magpie robin
Common Tailorbird
Marsh Sandpiper
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Pond HeronLæs mere
On to Perth

We had a good drive to the airport, queue to get through border control (hoped they would let us leave) then boarded the A330 in seats 50A&B leaving on time just after midnight. The food was not greatLæs mere
Wedding Day

The day dawned bright and sunny. We were up to fit in a full walk to Burns Beach, where we had our first Aussie flat whites. I went for a dip in the pool, a respectable 26 c.
Then we loaded the carLæs mere
Prep for the road trip

Breakfast on the terrace of apartment 15 then time to say farewell to Amanda and Benji who are staying a few days longer. In to town for coffee with Lindsey and John who fly on to Brisbane later.Læs mere
Karri Valley

Another beautiful sunny day. I set off around nine to drop Charlie at Edgwater to catch the train into Perth to collect our Kia Carnival for our trip south. He returned with the bus, we loaded and setLæs mere
Stay with wildlife

We awoke to find the Roos up and a little Joey out front. Having our first cuppa, two Emu strode past the back. We are truly staying in the wild.
After scrumptious breakfast we headed to Pemberton,Læs mere
Drive to Albany

Departing our idyllic chalet we headed east towards Walpole, driving through all manner of Karri and Marri trees. Coffee stop on the Top Deck then on to Denmark where we had an excellent lunch. WeLæs mere
Albany

In the morning after a hearty breakfast we visited the ANZAC museum just along the scenic drive. It was very well presented, with each of us being given a card with which we were identified with aLæs mere
Orca watching

Up with the sun to drive 175km for a Whale watching trip from Bremer Bay. The boat is operated by a family and there were some 25 on board when we set out at 8am. Unfortunately it was quite rough withLæs mere
Whale watching pics

A Tour of Albany

After another gourmet breakfast and visit to the recycling point we headed out on a tour of Albany. First we went to the Sandalwood Factory which processes WA Sandalwood, manufacturing cosmetics andLæs mere
Return to Ocean Reef

Another fine start to a day. We had another good breakfast and packed and cleaned ready to leave for Perth by ten.
Heading up the Albany Highway past the Sandalwood Factory through mainlyLæs mere