Well my flight connection was in Helsinki and they looked at bit oddly at me as I boarded the London plane in sandals and a tee shirt when it was snowing outside and minus 1 deg C, but got back to London at 9.30 and Christine was waiting for me XX.
I forgot to say, the blog title, Freewheelin', was the first album I ever bought, a long time ago just as my first life was beginning so I took it with me on my mp3 and listened to it again as my new life (after work) begins. Not sure what I am doing next but will let you know. I want Christine to come next time so think New Zealand in a campervan is the best bet...watch this space.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
Last Day
Well, trains and boats and planes again. Sky train to the end of the line, then spent some time on the tourist boats going up and down the Chao Phrya river. Another train back to the air conditioned spleandour of Siam Paragon shopping centre. Now about to catch another train to the airport and a plane home.
This was the river first thing this morning.
I have had a wonderful time, I have visited some of the region's natural and man made wonders, I could have traveled by the UNESCO world heritage list (and felt I was at times). There are of course many problems here too but I don't want to dwell on those. We can all do something to help by supporting these countries as they emerge from difficult times, but I want to remember the natural beauty, the smell of incense, the street food, even the Honda and Yamaha motorbike! Fresh fruit, rice, Vietnamese Pho (beef soup with noodles), fish sauce, chilli in Thailand, beer Lao, Tiger beer and Singha beer. The beautiful, graceful women, the resourcefulness of people who make things with their own hands, the happiness of the children, particularly the Vietnamese who all say "hello" in my language, and the warmth of their welcome.
And at the heart of it all the Mekong River. This majestic river sustains life throughout it's journey from Tibet to the South China sea. I will never forget my time here.
Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey, I hope to see you all soon.
This was the river first thing this morning.
I have had a wonderful time, I have visited some of the region's natural and man made wonders, I could have traveled by the UNESCO world heritage list (and felt I was at times). There are of course many problems here too but I don't want to dwell on those. We can all do something to help by supporting these countries as they emerge from difficult times, but I want to remember the natural beauty, the smell of incense, the street food, even the Honda and Yamaha motorbike! Fresh fruit, rice, Vietnamese Pho (beef soup with noodles), fish sauce, chilli in Thailand, beer Lao, Tiger beer and Singha beer. The beautiful, graceful women, the resourcefulness of people who make things with their own hands, the happiness of the children, particularly the Vietnamese who all say "hello" in my language, and the warmth of their welcome.
And at the heart of it all the Mekong River. This majestic river sustains life throughout it's journey from Tibet to the South China sea. I will never forget my time here.
Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey, I hope to see you all soon.
Tuesday, 11 March 2008
Going home
Caught an Air Asia flight to Bangkok and have had brunch with a friend based here and a fantastic dinner with someone I know through Rexam. Had lobster, crab and grilled fish, definately a notch above my usual fare. I was thinking I have probably eaten 90% of my meals out of doors but don't expect that to continue once I get home.
I will try and sum up my experience tomorrow while I am waiting for my flight. One thing that strikes me though, is how advanced Bangkok seems after some of the places I have been. It is like the story about the Frenchman who sets off on a train to Moscow and a Russian on another train to Paris, they get to Warsaw and both think they have arrived.
Saigon was only a generation ago a city that went by bicycle. Now, it is reputed to have 6 million motorbikes (that's right, 6 million). On the 1/2 hour taxi ride into town from the airport here in Bangkok I saw 3! That is progress, Thailand is so much more advanced, the car rules, the streets are all but impassable and the rest of SE Asia will no doubt follow suit.
Could not get my camera fixed here where I bought it so, without a viewfinder it is a bit point and hope but thought these images would be of interest.
This is how you move building materials in Phnom Penh. (On one small motorbike a saw the rider with a full size double bed, mattress, divan, headboard, the lot).
This was the free dessert offered after my last meal in Cambodia...diet has definitely improved while I have been away. Those small brown fruits are delicious, I have no idea what they are called.
And this is a road junction in Bangkok with the sky train flying overhead, could be
any major city anywhere in the world, apart from the Buddah and elephants I suppose.
I will try and sum up my experience tomorrow while I am waiting for my flight. One thing that strikes me though, is how advanced Bangkok seems after some of the places I have been. It is like the story about the Frenchman who sets off on a train to Moscow and a Russian on another train to Paris, they get to Warsaw and both think they have arrived.
Saigon was only a generation ago a city that went by bicycle. Now, it is reputed to have 6 million motorbikes (that's right, 6 million). On the 1/2 hour taxi ride into town from the airport here in Bangkok I saw 3! That is progress, Thailand is so much more advanced, the car rules, the streets are all but impassable and the rest of SE Asia will no doubt follow suit.
Could not get my camera fixed here where I bought it so, without a viewfinder it is a bit point and hope but thought these images would be of interest.
This is how you move building materials in Phnom Penh. (On one small motorbike a saw the rider with a full size double bed, mattress, divan, headboard, the lot).
This was the free dessert offered after my last meal in Cambodia...diet has definitely improved while I have been away. Those small brown fruits are delicious, I have no idea what they are called.
And this is a road junction in Bangkok with the sky train flying overhead, could be
any major city anywhere in the world, apart from the Buddah and elephants I suppose.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
The Royal Palace
Later in the day I went to some of the more uplifting sites. A shrine where an eyebrow of the Buddha is kept, the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda.
No pictures inside but this is the Palace...
The Silver Pagoda has a floor laid with 5,000 silver tiles weighing 1kg each.
And this is me in the grounds but I apologise, the American guy who took this said he had cut off my knees...it was a disappointment to me as well.
While I was having lunch an example of the local fauna just walked past, it is a bit different here!
35 deg C here at the moment so I have retired to aircon until the evening. By the way, thanks for the comments I have received, it is nice to know people are finding this interesting.
No pictures inside but this is the Palace...
The Silver Pagoda has a floor laid with 5,000 silver tiles weighing 1kg each.
And this is me in the grounds but I apologise, the American guy who took this said he had cut off my knees...it was a disappointment to me as well.
While I was having lunch an example of the local fauna just walked past, it is a bit different here!
35 deg C here at the moment so I have retired to aircon until the evening. By the way, thanks for the comments I have received, it is nice to know people are finding this interesting.
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Man's inhumanity to man....
....makes countless thousands mourn. It is a long time since Robbie Burns wrote those words but unfortunately nothing changes. This morning I went to Prison S 21 (Tuol Seng) where political prisoners were tortured and murdered by the Pol Pot regime. 14,000 went in and 12 came out alive. The crimes were documented and photographed and the victim pictures on display are a chilling reminder of what happened here while the world stood by and watched.
These are some of the "political" children who went through Tuol Seng....
And, some miles outside Phnom Penh, the Choeng Ek memorial at the Killing Fields, is where they came. 17,000 people were murdered here, often bludgeoned to death to save ammunition, and were buried in 129 mass graves. The excavation of the site and the erection of this memorial containing the skulls of 6,000 victims is a permanent reminder of what we allowed to happen.
And now, with the only sound the birdsong around the graves, this is the scene.
I was struck by one visitor's comment written on the wall at the prison, S 21, "we do not learn anything from history, I can say this, Jan, a German". Amen to that.
These are some of the "political" children who went through Tuol Seng....
And, some miles outside Phnom Penh, the Choeng Ek memorial at the Killing Fields, is where they came. 17,000 people were murdered here, often bludgeoned to death to save ammunition, and were buried in 129 mass graves. The excavation of the site and the erection of this memorial containing the skulls of 6,000 victims is a permanent reminder of what we allowed to happen.
And now, with the only sound the birdsong around the graves, this is the scene.
I was struck by one visitor's comment written on the wall at the prison, S 21, "we do not learn anything from history, I can say this, Jan, a German". Amen to that.
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