And, we’re back. Sort of. At least we had the good fortune to arrive back in the UK on Wednesday – I cannot imagine what we would have felt like if we had been due to arrive back in the UK on Friday. The Friday flight we were on from Doha to Heathrow was diverted to France – we might still be there!
Daisy’s greeting was extravagant, to say the least. You wouldn’t think it was possible for a dog to wag that vigorously or to “sing” that melodically for so long. The greeting must have gone on for twenty minutes or more. She was certainly happy to see us and we were equally delighted to see her.
I say we’re sort of back. The jet lag is slowly retreating but the afternoon of our arrival home I enjoyed a vomiting session such as I cannot remember ever experiencing before! Clearly, I had either picked up a pretty significant gastrointestinal complaint enroute or I’d ingested a bit of contaminated food somewhere along the line. Thank goodness it waited until we got home!
Not to be too graphic but shortly after the vomiting (think Mr Creosote from the scene in Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life) I also decided to complete the trick with some explosive diarrhoea. Just for fun. Thankfully, not at the same time. I was not a particularly happy bunny.
Mercifully, Penny didn’t seem to be affected. Until Friday night when her slumbers were interrupted by a couple of explosive incidents of her own. We’re both on the mend now, thank you, but certainly my tummy is still somewhat tender and unsettled.
So, what you’re getting this morning is not exactly what I had intended. Some of you will have seen/read/ignored the Polarsteps summary of our trip. This is an app that I was aware of before our trip but had never used in anger. When we met up with Adam, Ava and the girls in Vietnam, Jessie very kindly gave me some tuition. So, I whacked together a few short descriptions of our travels and uploaded a bushelful of photos and sent the link around to most folks. If you didn’t receive it, thank your blessings. What follows will be largely lifted from that along with some of the least bad photos. If you’ve already seen the Polarsteps link, feel free to skip to the bottom!
Our first stop on this adventure was the marvellous city of Bangkok. Busy and, of course, wacky to us country folk, Bangkok is a wonderful place to visit. We stayed at the Priya Boutique House which was an absolute oasis in the heart of the city along a narrow back alley just off one of the canals. The owners, Jack and his sister Pang, were absolutely delightful – very helpful with great advice on things to see and places to visit during our short stay.
On our first full day in Bangkok we visited the Jim Thompson House a short boat ride up one of the canals which was lovely. Thompson was instrumental in revitalising the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 60s. He disappeared without trace in March 1967. His home and the other buildings on the site as well as the silk on dispay and for sale were gorgeous.
After lunch at the Jim Thompson House we ran into a very affable Thai gentleman who directed us to a shopping emporium around the corner which was off the beaten track. They were disappointed that Penny didn’t want to buy any gold but she did find some clothes appropriate for the sweltering temperatures.
On our second full day we visited the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha all of which was stunning. I did have to acquire a pair of Elephant Pants as one is not allowed to display knees or shoulders. My shoulders were sufficiently covered but I can understand why they would not want to see my knees.
The elephant trousers turned out very useful when we visited the Golden Mount just down the canal from our hotel. We climbed the 344 steps and admired the 360-degree view of the city as the sun set.
Thankfully, that’s it for this week. Coming up next time . . .
A taxi from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Angkor Wat and the astonishing temples, Phnom Penh and a visit with a very dear friend.
And finally, Penny’s garden greeted us with a dazzling display of daffodils.
And finally, finally Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary to my youngest brother Steph and his marvellously adorable wife, Hope. Here’s to the next 40 years!
Meanwhile, keep breathing, keep happy, keep smiling, keep exercising, be good, be careful, and keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees – we need all the pollinators we can get.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg