food – Hereandthereclaire.com

Saturday 1st March – Saturday 8th March 2025

I had booked myself into a different hotel for the 2 nights before my Tiger Safari starts. I did this when I’d first arrived at the Tour Hotel, which I didn’t like at the time but to be fair I was given a different room on our return, which was better and at least I knew the area, but the new place was non refundable. So I guess I’ll have to go.

Before leaving I had a walk around the area, I wanted to get a few little bits and use the ATM and I knew where the shops etc were from walking to restaurants with the group.

Unfortunately it’s a whole different ball game when you are on your own. Initially things were ok, a few Tuk Tuk drivers asking if I needed a lift. Then it got a little more pushy, one particular guy insisting he knew where my hotel was and that I was walking in the wrong direction, he may well have known, but I also knew where my hotel was and I knew that I was walking there a different way! I explained this calmly numerous times, he wouldn’t stop, and started to get a bit loud and pushy eventually a very nice Sikh gentleman told him to leave me alone.

I found a shop selling spices and bought some black cardamom needed to make Masala Chia, I also got some ready mixed Masala Chia powder. I adore the Masala Chia here, it’s delicious! 😋

I would have liked to stop for a cold drink, but there just isn’t anywhere, apart from a few random places, which are chock full of men.

I went back to the hotel and gathered my stuff then got a Taxi to my new abode!

The new hotel isn’t in a great area, it’s down near the train station but the hotel itself is nice.

I have finally succumbed to the cold that has plagued everyone on the tour, so I’m snotty and have a sore throat. I decide not to do too much for the rest of the day I just grab a cup of masala chai in Café near the hotel, so they do exist in some places in Delhi!

I eat dinner in the hotel which was pleasant then went to bed.

I’m still feeling under the weather but have a plan to visit an area called Connaught Place. It’s in New Delhi and it has nice buildings with apparently some good shops and an M & S! I thought a wander around somewhere nice and having a nice lunch might cheer me up! It doesn’t. Although this area does have some branded shops it’s still Delhi and I get hassled constantly by guys asking where I’m going, telling me I’m going the wrong way, how they can determine this I have no idea 🤷‍♀️ Asking where I’m from, would I like to visit some random market, would I like to see their uncles shop, can they get a picture. 🤯 I’m a little bit over it all tbh.

I eventually find a decent cafe, grab a well needed Lemon, ginger, honey tea and take a breather. I decide to go out again and give it another try, I know there is a pharmacy somewhere nearby and I need some vitamin C. But once again I get hassled straight away. I give up and grab a Tuk Tuk and after much discussion and showing the driver the hotel name and address in English and Hindi he says he’s good. Only he isn’t really and I end up using my google maps to direct him, he then tried to charge me more than agreed, irritating!

I find a pharmacy near the hotel, grab the vitamin C and return to the calm of my hotel room. ☺️

I have dinner in the hotel again and prepare for an earlyish pick up in the morning to go on my Tiger Tour.

I booked this Tiger Tour back in November, booked and paid I might add.

I booked through a company called TourRadar, whom I’ve used before and they have been great. The Tour was outsourced to a company Called Fragrance of Taj. They had messaged me a couple of times, but over the last few weeks have been very poor at returning messages or providing the information I have asked for, things like timings, what to expect, etc.

still, they had good online reviews so I was hopeful that all would be well.

The driver, Shubha arrived on time, so a good start. The car was nice and comfortable. Off we went. It’s supposed to be a 5 hour drive to Jim Corbett National Park from Delhi. But it took us 61/2! 😳

The car is a semi hybrid which clearly has the tank capacity of a moped, as we stopped 3 times for fuel! On 2 of these occasions it took nearly 1/2 an hour to get the fuel, then Shubha said he needed to stop for a rest, then we had a loo break, then more fuel! By which time I was tired, snotty, thirsty and hungry.

We arrived at the hotel around 4pm, I grabbed a Masala Chai which thankfully came with biscuits 🍪😍 Then had a mooch around.

The hotel is very nice, quiet, clean with a restaurant and even a lovely looking pool.

By this point I had messaged with Sanjeev from Fragrance of Taj numerous times asking about timings for the Safari the next day. I then called him, he said he would send the information to me, he didn’t.

I eventually got a brief message about being ready at 5am and that my driver would explain everything.

I went and found Shubha, I asked him what was happening. I had received 2 QR codes for Safaris, one for the morning, one for the afternoon. Now, bearing in mind I speak no Hindi and Shubha’s English is ok but not great and Sanjeev was less than forthcoming, I was finally told that we would leave the hotel at 5.15am. I would do a morning Safari, come back to the hotel by 9ish have breakfast and relax then go out again around lunchtime and do an afternoon safari. This sounded great.

I duly set my alarm and got up at the crack of sodding dawn, got ready and made my way to reception at 5.10. The hotel and reception were in darkness with nobody around. I waited 5 minutes, then a security guy came along, I called Shubha, he said he would be 5 minutes, nearly 15 minutes later he appeared, now I’m a tad pissed off.

We get in the car, he then drives like a loon to the safari pick up point. When we arrive, he clearly has no clue what’s happening. He speaks to a couple of people, they’re also not completely sure what’s occurring with my tickets. Eventually someone comes over and explains that I will be doing a morning safari, in a Cantor (a big bus not a jeep) this will start when the bus reaches the gate, some 30 mins away and then finish around 4hrs later. I will then have to wait and do my afternoon safari on another cantor. I won’t be coming back to the hotel for breakfast I will now be out all day!! WTF. I am not impressed.

I have come out with a small bottle of water and no food, expecting to be back at the hotel in around 3 – 4 hours! Shubha says no worries there will be water and food.

My seat on the bus is in the aisle, at the back. It’s cold, I have a wrap and a scarf but it’s still chilly. All the other passengers look set for winter! Sensible.

The bus is not great, not bad, but not ideal. The guide, who isn’t really a guide, only speaks Hindi.

We arrive at the gate, load up more passengers and go into the park.

The park is huge, but the Cantor buses can only use 1 road, due to their size. We travel along the road, through jungle and across lots of big dry river beds, which in Monsoon season would be raging rivers. The sun is starting to come up, but it’s still cold, my feet and legs by this point are freezing 🥶 We spot a few deer and I see my first wild boar.

There is one other western guy sitting at the front, Ramos from Switzerland, who is very nice. The driver tells me I can sit next to him, this enables me to have a better view. We travel through the park for approximately 2 1/2 hours then arrive at a station/post/ habitat thing where we stop for 30 minutes, there is a place selling tea so I grab a chai, use the rather unpleasant loo then get back on the bus.

The bus then travels back along the same route, with a slight detour to go closer to the river briefly.

There isn’t an awful lot of wildlife visible, very few birds, just a few more deer.

We then arrive back at the gate at around 11.30. I’m hoping I can grab some snacks and more water. No snacks! Ramos takes pity and gives me a small packet of his biscuits. I then hang around and wait for an hour for the next Safari, which is going to be exactly the same as the first, the same route, the same sort of bus just different passengers. I debate giving it a miss, but figure I’m here and I might just see a Tiger!

The next Safari begins, I’m at the back, but luckily not in the aisle, this bus has a few children, they aren’t thrilled to be sitting on a cold bus for hours 😳😬 and make this known quite vocally!

We trundle back the same way, seeing the same things, I am trying to be positive and hopeful that we’ll see something amazing, we don’t.

We have a break and return the same way, again with a short detour where we see some fish eagles.

Just as we are crossing the last dry river bed 5 minutes before the tour ends, the woman in front of me shouts ‘Tiger’ I’m trying to see where she is pointing, but everyone has jumped up and are also trying to see, there is a lot of noise and commotion, I’m desperately trying to see where she is pointing, but then the moment is gone, the Tiger has disappeared back into the jungle and that’s it!! Done.

We drive back to the town where I picked up the bus, I’m offloaded and it’s all over.

I’m cold, tired, hungry, thirsty, dirty, dusty and a tad pissed off.

This wasn’t the experience I had booked and paid for.

I feel that Sanjeev has messed up the booking or forgotten about it till the last minute then cobbled something together. The driver confirms he was booked only a few days ago as was the hotel.

There was supposed to be a trip to a museum and waterfalls, lunch, breakfast a Jeep Safari. I got none of this. I feel very frustrated and cross. I have emailed TourRadar I also sent Sanjeev a message, he’s very apologetic but is blaming the park authorities for the mistakes, which is bullshit.

I have some food, a cup of tea a hot shower and go to bed. 😩

I wake up having had a decent nights sleep. I had confirmed with Shubha the night before that we would leave at 8.15 to go back to Delhi.

I get a Good Morning message from Shubha at 6.30, I reply.

I get up pack my stuff, grab a cup of Chai then go the front of the hotel at 8.15. No Shubha, I wait 5 minutes, send a message, he messages me back ‘Wait 5 minutes’ Really? Again?

He pitches up 15 minutes later. No apology, no hello, in fact nothing, total silence. I feel an overwhelming urge to throat punch him!! I don’t, obviously, although it would have made me feel better. 😂

We drive back to Delhi in silence, he drives alternately like Lewis Hamilton then like a 90 year old blind person without an accelerator 😱🫣🙄🤦‍♀️

It’s safe to say The Tiger Tour has not been quite the experience I had hoped for!!

I relax when I get back to the oasis of calm that is The Colonels Retreat Hotel. It’s so lovely, it’s where I stayed on my arrival in India.

I make my way to the shady, flower filled rooftop, the guys bring me a delicious pot of Masala Chai and some homemade banana loaf and peace returns. ☺️

I spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on my blog, checking emails, organising onward travel plans and then have a very tasty dinner and sleep. 💤

After a delicious breakfast back on the rooftop I am going to be heading to my next and final hotel here in India. I am spending it at an airport hotel, not ideal but practical for my morning flight, I don’t want to be battling through Delhi traffic in the early hours, that would be too stressful.

I grab a taxi and make my way to Areocity and my last Delhi hotel.

What can I say, the place is a complete shit hole. It bears absolutely no resemblance to the photos online, the room is not great, the nice restaurant does not exist at all instead they show me an eating place in the basement that is rank, dirty, smelly and full of flies! I am beyond pissed off. The guy at reception keeps asking me for payment, I’m not giving him shit. I confront him and ask why the hotel is nothing like the the hotel advertising, he can’t answer. Then more men appear from somewhere, all just standing around listening to me get more irate. Then some big bloke appears, he seems to be the owner, again I ask what the hell is going on, he says there is a restaurant, I explain that I wouldn’t call that a restaurant and it is nothing like the picture on their booking.com site, he says that the restaurant is in a different hotel, not really very fucking helpful. We have an ongoing argument, then he agrees to move me to another hotel, which he promises has a restaurant. (Tbh,mits nothing to do with the restaurant, it’s the fact they have outright lied!) By now there is myself and about 6 men all crowded into the small reception area, a tad intimidating.

I go back to the room get my stuff and try to find an alternative hotel, but short of paying £150 for a Holiday Inn or a Radisson, the rest are much the same. I go to the owners new hotel, it’s probably worse, if that’s possible. I agree to stay, then take myself off for a short stroll along the chock a block 3 lane highway that’s directly in front of the hotel, no path. I find a big Radisson Blu Hotel 5 minutes away and shelter there for the rest of the afternoon/evening before returning to my hovel, barricade the door and try to sleep. I don’t sleep, too much noise, men shouting, lots of people going past my room!

I’m up and left by 5am. I’m happy to be at the airport and on my way to Thailand.

A rather unfortunate and unpleasant end to my time in India. ☹️

I will need some time to absorb and reflect on all of my experiences of India. It is a country like no other I’ve visited.

Apologies for the miserable tone of this blog! But it’s not always sunshine and samosa’s!

I will leave it there.

Next stop Thailand. 🇹🇭

Have a great week.

🩷💜❤️💚🧡

Books read.

The Great Alone. Kristin Hannah. Other great story from this author. I really enjoyed her books.

The Midnight Hour. Eve Chase. A reasonable read, nothing remarkable.

Tuesday 26th November – Wednesday December 11th 2024

I don’t have lots to report for the last few weeks as I have been trying to rest and heal my ribs.

I was attempting to not take too many painkillers as I didn’t want to get too reliant and they can upset your tummy, this meant that I was still in a fair amount of pain. However after some stern words from a medic friend I gave in and started taking them regularly and properly 🙂. This resulted in a lot less pain and a speedier recovery!

They are not completely healed but are definitely feeling much better. 👍

Unfortunately I haven’t been back to the swimming pool, and am missing my swims. I think I’m going to try and go back next week, take it slow and get back into it.

I can also use the spa which will be great.

I really am enjoying seeing the seasons change here in Australia. I’ve only ever been here in the Australian winter before so spring and summer have been a revelation! So pretty.

I might have mentioned this before but Australia smells amazing!! 😍😍 I think it’s the peppermint and eucalyptus trees. 🌳💚💙

Rebecca and I had a little jaunt down to Busselton & Dunsborough last weekend. We wanted to go to a lovely craft market in Busselton , called Origins Market. It isn’t huge but the various crafts and goods were fabulous. There is an art stall with beautiful work, Rebecca had bought a couple of prints from there before for Georgia, which I loved. When we arrived on Saturday the Artist was actually there, Dylan, was such a nice guy and his work is great, we had a nice chat and I took his picture, I did also buy a couple of prints! I’ll pop a link into here for his website if you want to check out his stuff!

There were also some delicious smelling soap stalls which lured us in! All local, all handmade and such fabulous smells, very herbal and Australian.

Rebecca then dragged me around a shop called Red Spot which I guess is a bit like B & M or Home Bargains, but not quite as good 😀

After that we drove down to Dunsborough. The town centre isn’t big and it’s really nicely laid out. To be fair we didn’t go into all the shops (thank god, as shopping isn’t my favourite pastime!) We did find a few beautiful artisan shops, which all smelt fabulous! We managed to get a couple of items. Then stopped for a delicious Italian lunch of Bruschetta & pasta which we shared with a cheeky little cocktail! 🍸

We then had a little drive around admiring all the gorgeous ocean front properties and wishing we could win the lottery and buy one!!

Rebecca had bought a piece of German pottery online which we needed to collect from somewhere near Dunsborough, but inland.

It wasn’t very far but felt like we were right in the bush! The area we went to was again full of the most amazing properties with lots of land right in the bush. We then managed to see a kangaroo family right by the road! The male was very large and the female had a joey in her pouch, they were also very close to the car! 😀 It was fantastic. They stared at us for a bit then hopped off. It made my day! 😍❤️ We were also lucky enough to see a big lizard and some pelicans! All in all a great day!

I said I my last blog that I’d applied for my Sri Lankan visa. I did this online and it was a much simpler process than I had imagined. I received a confirmation email, saying that I’d hear back in 24 hours. I didn’t! I waited a few days, nothing, I checked and re checked my emails, my junk folder, still nothing. I went on to the site and found a link to check the status of your application, I did that and it popped up saying there was a problem and to check with the agent! The only information I was putting in was my passport number & nationality, both of which are correct, I checked numerous times 😳 I don’t have an agent, so after about 4 days of continuous checking, I found the number for the Sri Lankan embassy in Canberra and gave them a ring.

It took a while to explain my problem, initially I was told to apply again, but I explained that I’d already paid, and if I applied again and there was already an application in place it might be a problem! The person I spoke to tried checking the status her end and also got the same message, I was getting a little agitated (Bloody Visas, I knew there was a reason I don’t like doing them!) We went back and forth, then they said they would try something else and magically I was informed that my visa had been approved!!

The problem was that on the drop down menu for your nationality, there are no less than 6 options for the UK! (WTF! 😳) I had chosen “UK – British Citizen (Great Britain) GBR” when apparently I should have chosen “UK – British Subject (GBS)” I find this very confusing! I don’t know if it’s because that’s what I chose on my application, or if that’s what I am now, a Subject not a Citizen? Either way I’m in, hopefully 🙏

After all the drama of the Visa, I thought I’d do something nice and look to book and plan a few more things in Sri Lanka. Whilst doing this I was checking when I’d need to be back in Colombo for my flight to India, which was booked for 14.02.25. It was then I realised that I had slightly miscalculated my dates/days. My Sri Lankan Visa is for 30 days, I arrive on 14th January but if I leave on 14th February, as booked, that’s not 30 days, it’s actually 32 days! 😩🤦‍♀️ I’m not sure how easy it is extending a visa, or what the consequences of overstaying are but I’m not sure I want to find out! This meant more farting about changing my flight to bring it forward by 2 days, online faffing, then more phone calls. Eventually I did it, it cost me a few quid, but it was worth it for peace of mind!

I have now booked more onward travels from India, I will be going to Thailand for some R & R! I’m going back to Hua Hin, it’s lovely and peaceful, and cheaper than Phuket. I would have loved to go to Chiang Mai again, as it’s my favourite place, but unfortunately March is Burning Season and the air quality is shocking. 😳 🔥

I have been enjoying some quintessential Aussie activities, drinking beer at the beach, cooking on the BBQ and last weekend we had a great meet up with friends Lorraine, Jason and their girls, Tia & Holly.

Lorraine is the daughter of my old childhood neighbours, Chris & Norman King. Lorraine and Jason moved to Bunbury a little while before Rebecca & Chris. I happened to bump into Norman in Stevenage town centre and as we chatted I said that Rebecca & Chris were emigrating to Australia, possibly to Busselton (1 hour from Bunbury) and he said Lorraine and her partner were in Bunbury! Norman gave me their contact details, Rebecca & Chris contacted them prior to moving out here and they have been friends ever since!! ❤️ Such a small world. 🌎

Anyway! We met up with them for breakfast down at Koombana Bay, this meant bringing all the food and cooking it on the free, clean, well maintained public BBQs right by the ocean and the park! It was such a lovely morning. 🥓🍳🏖️

The only little inconvenience is the flies! Apparently the beginning of summer always brings with it lots of flies.

Anita, Chris’s mum arrived on Saturday 7th December! Which is lovely, I haven’t seen her properly since our trip last year to Thailand.

It appears that she has bought the sunshine with her and the weather is beautiful. We have had a fabulous few days, chilling by the pool and I have actually been in the pool for the first time 😍 It was a little chilly but so refreshing absolutely wonderful. I think with Anita here now it feels a bit more holiday like! ❤️ 🏖️

We had a trip down into town on Sunday for a Christmas parade and fair with lots of food trucks. It certainly is odd celebrating Christmas with bright sunshine and everyone in summer clothes!

We’ve now started to spend most evenings outside, there is often a lovely breeze, last night we also had a 3 hour power outage! Interesting but at least the night sky looks amazing!

On Friday 13th we are all off on a week’s holiday down south to a place called Esperance. It looks absolutely stunning, white sands, turquoise waters! I think it will be fantastic. 🩵🤍💙

That’s all for now.

Have a great week everyone.

Books read

The One in a Million Boy. Monica Wood. A lovely book. Really enjoyed it.

1st Case. James Patterson. Ok, a quick read.

Wednesday 23rd October – Monday 11th November

Firstly, I apologise for being so slack in my blog writing!

The last few weeks I have been resting, chilling and getting my head around my next journey/adventure.

It’s been great being here and watching the season change from spring towards summer. So many beautiful flowers everywhere and I have to say that Australia smells lush, I think it’s the eucalyptus trees and other fabulous herbal smelling plants and shrubs.

Rebecca and Chris have been busy getting the garden ready for the summer, when they spend most of their time outside. Rebecca has been planting and germinating seeds, all of the plants, shrubs are native to Australia which means they not only look fab they also smell great! Chris is building a large TV cabinet outside, which is looking fabulous, the pool looks fab but is still a little too chilly for me, Chris goes in after his workout, brave man! 💙

Last week it was very warm around 29 degrees then it’s dropped back down to around 22-24, and still cool at night, which is lovely! It will steadily climb back upwards over the next month😍

I’ve been back to the pool and that’s going well. The pool temperature has been lowered, which I’m sure will be fabulous in the full summer heat but is a little nippy at the moment 🥶 It’s OK once you get going just the initial shock when you get in! (Still not as cold as Rebecca & Chris’s pool!)

The pain I had in my glute, leg area seems to have gone away, although this might be due to less walking, however it’s nice to be free of it.

Rebecca and I had a short little trip down to Margaret River at the beginning of November. It was lush!

We left early on Sunday morning to drive down to a small place on the coast called Dunsborough. I have been past it before but never stopped. We had booked a table at a little Café by the beach for breakfast/Brunch. Sora Café was lovely, very trendy, Instagramable & popular!

The food was yummy, a slight Japanese vibe.

Dunsborough beach was fabulous, pretty busy, but it was a Sunday morning. The beach wasn’t huge but had lots of sandbanks and shallow water for paddling. I thought it was very pretty, definitely somewhere to come back to in the summer.

What’s really fabulous here is that the beach areas are so well maintained, and also very well protected. There are no beach bars or homes with direct beach access. The beaches are clean and looked after by everyone. There are clean, free toilets and showers just off the beach.

This is a theme throughout Australia on the coast and at all of their national parks and places of interest.

Rebecca and I had a walk along the beach then a drive through the town looking and admiring all the beautiful houses. I love that every house is different, old, new, big, small, modern, retro.

From here we drove towards Margaret River and stopped at a Winery we have visited before which is beautiful and makes great wine!

Vasse Felix was established in 1967 after studies revealed that the area around Margaret River had very similar climate to Bordeaux. Vasse Felix is the founding winery in the area.

We enjoyed a glass of wine, Rosé for me and a Chardonnay for Rebecca. We had a look around the beautiful grounds and also at the exhibition in the gallery.

The current exhibition was called IQTA24 Tjukurrpa on Fabrics. It showcases 12 artists from Ikuntji Artists.

The artists have reimagined Dreaming Stories into fabric designs, as the designs are repeated down the length of the fabric, so too are the stories being repeated, strengthened and continued into the future.

The designs and stories were amazing.

After our lovely stop in Vasse Felix and a purchase of 2 bottles of delicious Rosé we drove into Margaret River and to our accommodation for the night.

The accommodation was right in town and was a great little place on the ground floor with an outside seating area. Perfect for our 1 night. We dropped off our bags and then wandered into town. To be fair we only wandered about briefly before getting sidetracked by a sign offering free food with your drink purchase! An offer we simply couldn’t refuse.

The bar was a cute little Tapas place and you got a sample of Tapas with your drinks!

We opted for a delicious coconut margarita to start…OMG 😍😋 So good! The little tapas dishes were yummy as well. We sat on the terrace watching the world go by chatting and chilling, we ordered a second drink, a Lemoncello Spritz, nice but not as good as the Coconut Margaritas!

Opposite the bar was another bar, a more traditional pub, playing live music so we popped across to have a listen. Great music, covers of some classics, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, some other cool tunes, all great fun. We stayed for a while then realised we were hungry, the little tapas dishes weren’t quite enough! The pub wasn’t serving food for another couple of hours, so we opted for a table picnic back at the hotel with some rosé. This turned out to be a brilliant idea as we were joined by a couple of Kookaburras! They were so cute and came quite close. My first close up since I’ve been here. I love Kookaburras and get very excited when I see them. 🥰😀

We had a lovely afternoon and later that evening we wandered over the road and had a delicious Pizza! Altogether a fabulous day.

We were up earlyish again on Monday morning as we had to leave the hotel by 10am and we were booked for lunch at another gorgeous winery called, Leeuwin Estate.

We packed up and drove down to Prevelly and Surfers beach. I had visited this beach when I came down on my last trip to Margaret River.

It’s a stunning spot, the colours of the ocean are amazing. It’s in this area that they hold all the surfing competitions.

There were a few surfers out and we also spotted a lone black dog waiting patiently on the beach for his human to come back in. It was so cute to watch him get so excited when that happened! 😍❤️

We also got a flash of a surfers bum whilst he was getting changed! 👍

We arrived at the beautiful Leeuwin Estate and were greeted by another Kookaburra!

The Winery and its grounds are stunning. It’s one of the top wineries in the area and their set lunch was the reason Rebecca and I had come down.

I opted to do the wine pairing, which was $50/£25 which I thought was pretty good value. Rebecca wanted to try their signature, award winning Chardonnay, which was £22 a glass! The value of my wine pairing became apparent when the waitress explained that this Chardonnay was part of my wine pairing. 😍😀

The food was absolutely stunning, it looked and tasted amazing. The wines were delicious. The setting was beautiful, we even got a little bit of misty rain. The service was excellent.

A truly wonderful experience to share with Rebecca. It was fabulous.

I have been thinking about my next trip, having realised that Japan is not viable financially at the moment, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go. I had a conversation with Tracey and she mentioned a couple of places that her and Jaques might be interested in visiting and that got me thinking. 🤔

The result of this thinking, and of looking through the brochure that had the Japan tour in, amongst others I have decided to go to India! 🇮🇳

I have always thought about India but I have been reluctant to go there as a solo female traveler, so the possibility of doing an organised tour solves that issue. I looked up lots of tours online and some of the tours in the brochure also looked great. I eventually found one online that was on offer and was 1/2 price! It looked fantastic. It was also through the travel agents here in Bunbury, Flight Centre. I made an appointment with the chap I’d spoken with before, Mathew and went over to book the tour. Mathew looked it up online and said, yes it was indeed 1/2 price but unfortunately I couldn’t go as the tour I’d found was for 18 – 35 year olds!! 😳 Bloody Gutted. How I missed that crucial piece of info (which was clearly stated on the details) I don’t know. Mathew then went through some other option’s and one of the tours in the brochure was on offer with 30% off. It covered pretty much the same itinerary so I went for it. It is a 15 day tour starting and finishing in Delhi. I also opted to pay the extra for my own room (it wasn’t too much) I have since spoken to a few people who have been to India and loved it, albeit with some horror stories (thanks Stretch! 😂) My current plan is to do the tour then stay in India for a few more weeks, possibly organise a Tiger Safari and then go down to Goa.

The tour is booked for February and before that I am going to go back to Sri Lanka. I was last there in 2018 and I loved it. This time I hope to visit some of the places I didn’t get to and do some things I didn’t do before. It will also be a different season, so I should be able to go into the ocean this time.

I’ve booked my flights, booked some accommodation, I have managed to book the same homestay that I had last time in Negombo, Sri Lanka with the wonderful Family who looked after me so well and Buddi who organised a fabulous tour for me. It will be so lovely to see them again. All I need to do now is organise visas for both countries, which is something I hate doing, Cory, you can confirm that! 😊 But I don’t have Cory on hand to help this time, so I’ll have to be a big girl and just get on with it.

So, that’s a plan in place, I feel a little better now I know what I’m doing.

The beginning of November is always a tricky time for me, and I was feeling a little low and very homesick, missing everyone. But I am feeling more positive and focused now.

If anyone has been to India before and has any tips or advice it would be gratefully received. The same for Sri Lanka.

A few little quirky things to note about Australia.

Rebecca & Chris’s home is just near a couple of schools, a Junior and a senior school. I drive past them every morning to take Rebecca to work. There is never a hold up due to large numbers of cars. Children are bused in or they walk, cycle. The other very striking thing to note is that the school fields, where the children do sports and play out, is not fenced. This is in stark contrast to British and American schools which are like secure compounds!

Twice a year the local council organise a rubbish collection. What happens is you are given a time 2-3rd week of November, this is when the council will come and collect anything that you don’t want or need. Like, beds, sofas, BBQs, doors, fridges, clothes, bits of wood literally anything! You simply place the items outside on the grass verge. People can come and peruse what you’ve put out and take it away if they want it, what’s left will be collected by the council! What a bloody great idea!!

To be fair it looks a little messy for a week or so, but so what.

Remember to let me know any ideas etc re India & Sri Lanka also any book recommendations.

Books read.

The Controller. Matt Brolly. OK.

The One Plus One. Jojo Moyes. I enjoyed it. I was funny and a good read.

Fear in the Fens. Joy Ellis. No 13 in the Detective Galena Series. An enjoyable series, and this one was a good read.

I’m getting a bit slack on my reading!

That’s it for now folks.

Have a great week.

Sending all my love to everyone especially Karen & Brenda. ❤️❤️

❤️🩷💛💙💚🤎🧡

Thursday 10th – Monday 14th October 2024.

My flight to Hanoi was pretty straightforward & uneventful. I did my usual thing of arriving very early, this wouldn’t be an issue accept that the airport is very small and pretty basics so not really anywhere to go and sit while a wait for check in to open!

After check in a find a little cafe and chill, with a coffee. The flight only takes an hour, and I know I’ve tried to avoid flights where possible but the thought of doing a 12 – who knows! Long bus journey was too much! 😳

I’ve arranged with the hotel to pick me up, it’s around the same price as a cab or Grab and it’s just lots simpler.

I arrive at my hotel around 5pm. I’m greeted by the amazing William, who is just so attentive, helpful and kind. He explains all the attractions to me, goes through the map, then he also gives me a link to a website he is designing for tourists in Hanoi. I have to say it is fabulous! Not quite finished but so good.. www.hanoimystery.com

I book a city tour for Saturday, check out my room, large, comfy but no windows, TBF in this instance I don’t mind at all. I am staying right in the heart of the Old Quarter and it’s so built up, my room is at the back and probably overlooks other peoples homes.

I venture out, being mindful of the traffic. I’ve had lots of warnings about how mad it is! I think it’s busy but no worse than HCM or Phnom Penh. The key is to just slowly walk out into the traffic and the mopeds and cars go around you, you can’t go fast as that’s when they’ll hit you. So far I’m handling it like a local! 😂🤞🤞

It’s so busy and vibrant! I love it. I have a walk around by the hotel, then find a nice rooftop Bar to have a drink, it’s a lovely bar, Cloud Sky Bar, but it’s a little expensive but then it is on top of a posh hotel!

I have a couple of Margarita’s and then order some veg fried rice. Lovely William had recommended a place to eat but it’s a bit of a trek, perhaps tomorrow.

On the walk back to the hotel I stop at a sidewalk bar/cafe, there are loads. I sit next to a nice couple from Bristol and we have a great chat and sip our beer watching the world speed past! All these little pavement places have very low stools and tables, I’m pleased to say that I managed to both sit down and more impressively get back up without incident! 😳😂😂

Thankfully the weather in Hanoi is warm and sunny, it is Autum and a busy time here in part because the weather is milder than during the summer when it gets up into the 40s! 🥵

I’m going to go for a wander and make my way to the large lake nearby, Hoàn Kiém Lake.

Just as I arrive in the lobby a procession is going past, lots of drumming, costumes, flowers and celebrations! It’s fabulous. It’s a celebration for the local temple which is just around the corner. The people in the procession look a little serious until I notice that the locals are waving and smiling at them, I try this and am rewarded with lots of enthusiastic waving and huge smiles! 😍💛❤️ It is a wonderful start to my day. ❤️

William has given me a map, which I’m trying to follow, but it isn’t very detailed and the scale is way off, so everything looks like it’s far away. I give up and just go with my instincts and magically make it to the Lake.

There is a beautiful Temple on the lake, Ngoc Son Temple which I wanted to see.

The lake is a very popular place for Hanoians and especially for ladies wearing their ‘Ao Dai’ the modernised Vietnamese National Dress and taking part in the custom of dressing up and taking pictures at important, historic or beautiful places. The whole area around the lake is a sea of colour and beauty. The Ao Dais are stunning, and everyone looks gorgeous, it’s quite a spectacle.

I’ve seen this in other places in Vietnam, but this is on a different level! 😍 Several ladies drag me into their photos, which is fun, I’m also surrounded by a bevy of beauties whilst sitting in a bench! I think they liked my colourful glasses and my mad hair!! It was so much fun. 🤩

I then went in to the Temple, which was beautiful. Inside there was an older Vietnamese man doing calligraphy on scrolls. I stood and watched for a while, it’s amazing. Eventually I decide that I’m going to have one done. I chose my words and the scroll and watch as he writes it. It’s really gorgeous. I chose the Words Brave & Strong. 🩵

I end up spending quite a bit of time by the lake. Then I see they have hop on hop off buses and as it’s now quite hot, I decide to do this. I want to go to one particular place, The Women’s Museum, which the bus stops at. The lady at the kiosk says it’s too far to walk.

I get on the bus and opt not to sit upstairs in the bright sunshine. Then a woman sits next to me and proceeds to have a full on argument with someone on her phone which is on speaker 🔈! FFS 🤦‍♀️. It’s so loud! Even the staff on the bus look shocked and smile at me sympathetically! Eventually, after about 10 mins she shuts up, I wouldn’t mind but I can’t understand what the arguments about, so I can’t even be nosy! 😂

The rest of the bus ride is good, a great commentary.

A lot of the places we go past I’m going back to tomorrow on my tour.

The museum is fascinating. So inspiring to have a museum celebrating Women and their contribution to the country, its culture and its freedom. I’m really glad I visited.

Once I’m here I realise that it’s actually not that far to walk from the lake, so I walk back.

Down by the lake and in fact all over Hanoi there are Vietnamese flags everywhere. This is because on the 10th October, the day I arrived, they celebrated 70 years of the liberation of Hanoi from the French.

You can really feel the sense of celebration in the city, lots of the women’s Ao Dais are red, the flags, the flowers. They are rightfully proud of their independence. 🇻🇳

On the way back I have another place I want to visit, Giang Cafè. This is where in 1946 they first made Egg Coffee, due to the shortage of milk someone had the idea to use egg yolk, whisked to form a creamy accompaniment to the coffee.

Tracey had tried it and said it was yummy. I have held out until I got to Hanoi.

I eventually find the Café, which is small and not that easy to spot. It is packed, I find a small stool and order my Egg Coffee with Rum! (I feel I’ve earned it!) I’m really a not sure what to expect.

It arrives and it looks delicious, smells delicious, and wow, it tastes delicious as well! Kind of like butterscotch, honeycomb, caramel, sweet and fluffy. It is honestly so good!! 😋😋😋 I will be having this again!

By the time I get back to the hotel it’s only 2.30pm, but I’m going to have a rest and cool off. Before going back out later.

I seem to have done something to a muscle or tendon on my hip/glute area on the left side, after walking for a while it starts Twinging, and feels like my leg is going to give out! Not ideal. 🙁 After a rest it’s usually ok.

After a nice rest and a shower I head back out. There is another Rooftop bar I’d like to visit, mainly because they offer such great views!

This one, Midnight Sky Bar proves to be a little elusive, I eventually spot the small sign with the help of a backpacker from the hostel across the road! 😂

The bar is sweet, but completely empty, the guy comes up in the lift with me to open up and make the drinks.

I don’t mind it being empty, I have a great catch up with Rebecca whilst watching the sun go down, sipping a Long Island Iced Tea! ❤️

I wander back towards the hotel and find a place next door to eat. It does a nice vegetarian menu, it’s also right next door to the hotel, which my legs are grateful for! I’ve done over 20,000 steps today.

My city tour starts OK, the bus arrives pretty much when they said 8.10, I’m ready and waiting in the lobby.

However I then spend another 65 mins sat on the bus while it picks other people up, I don’t mind the pick ups what I do have a huge problem with is people not being ready! The pick ups should have taken around 15 mins the rest of the time we are just waiting for people to appear! So bloody annoying! Then they get on the bus brazen as you like!

There are a couple of guys who are very arrogant and entitled. One of them is the designated leader of his little posse, they are only doing a half day tour and he wants the bus to drop them all of at his chosen Restaurant for lunch, even though this is completely out of the way! Luckily the guide says no. They are late returning to the bus after each activity and he pushes in front of me in line twice! What an absolute knobhead!

There are new people joining the tour in the afternoon, which means another hour wasted waiting for people to turn up! 😠 Altogether nearly 2 hours of the day are wasted just waiting. For someone who is always on time, if not early this is really fucking annoying!

Anyway, rant over! 😠😂

The Tour. We start with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. What I hadn’t realised when booking the tour is that the Mausoleum is only open for viewing inside on Saturday & Sunday, luckily for me I booked a Saturday!

The queues to get in are mad! As is the level of security. Almost stricter than airport security! There are lots of military personnel about, some armed and also lots of police.

There is no photography allowed near or inside the tomb. The whole viewing was very intense.

Ho Chi Minh or Uncle Ho is a most beloved and revered person in Vietnam especially in the north.

He died in 1969 aged 79. Russia sent specialists to Vietnam to show them how to preserve his body and build the Mausoleum.

I’m glad I got to experience the Mausoleum even though it’s a weird feeling seeing a preserved body.

After the Mausoleum our next stop was the Museum of Ethnology, which was very interesting looking at the 54 officially recognised ethnic groups within Vietnam.

Once all the people bothered to return to the bus we headed to a place showing you how Lacquer work is made and giving you the opportunity to purchase some work.

Then the painful process of picking up and dropping people off before we could go for a much needed lunch.

I think I really needed my lunch as I was feeling a little cranky! 😂

After lunch we visited the Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, the largest lake in Hanoi.

Next stop was The Temple of literature, Văn Miêu.

This was the first university in Vietnam. It was founded in 1070 under the Ly Thanh Tong’s dynasty to honour Confucius.

It’s a beautiful temple with lovely grounds and students still come here to pray for luck in their exams and their studies.

I really enjoyed this part of the trip, the area felt calm and peaceful.

Our last stop was Hoa Lo Prison or as it was called by the US POWs, The Hanoi Hilton.

This prison complex was built by the French in 1896 and housed Vietnamese political prisoners until the mid 1950s they used a guillotine to behead prisoners and placed the heads outside to instil fear and intimidation.

American POWs were also held here during the Vietnam war, including Senator John McCain who was shot down over Hanoi.

Another interesting place to visit, albeit a little gruesome.

All in all a good day seeing some key sites in and around Hanoi.

I then get dropped off first! Hallelujah! 🙌 although it’s been a fair amount of sitting on the bus I’ve still managed 15,000 steps!

I’m hungry, thirsty and a little tired. I spotted a great little local place up the road doing Pho! So I go there for my dinner, it’s a little early and I’m the only person there, but hey Ho! My Pho is bloody delicious 🤤 pho Pho is essentially a variation of chicken noddle soup. If you don’t like coriander, then it’s not for you!

Home, via the little ice cream place next door. Where an ice cream cone is 10,000 dong, about 60p! Sadly I only have 9,000 or a 100,000 note, so he lets me off the 1,000! 😍😍

My last full day in Hanoi! It’s seems to have gone by quite quickly.

I’m going to try and not go mad with the walking as my glute is still not right.

I start with a nice slow breakfast, aided by the ever present and helpful William.

It’s another sunny day so I’m going to take a slow walk down towards the Lake and visit St Joseph’s Cathedral, it’s in an area that looks busy and bustling.

It is very busy! Loads of local people about on foot and on the ever present mopeds!

The road around the lake is closed too traffic on weekends making it a pleasant place to stroll around. Lots of families having a day out, eating ice creams and dressed in their best clothes!

I make sure today that I’m taking breaks, I have one by the lake over a refreshing Peach Iced Tea, then another wander and another stop for a beer! More wandering and a stop for a coffee!

I grab a Banh Mai for lunch which I have back at the hotel and have a good chat to Tracey. ❤️

I go out pretty early evening to grab a beer and sit and watch Hanoi go by. I end up getting chatting to a very funny & entertaining English guy called Simon. He lives in Kuala Lumpur with his very beautiful wife, who is off getting a foot massage. He was great fun to chat with and we had a proper laugh! I then had my last meal, vegetable fried rice, obviously!

A lovely last evening in Vietnam.

I’ve absolutely loved my time here in Vietnam, it’s been so interesting and diverse and Hanoi has been a highlight!

So I’ve traveled across 4 countries and now I need a little bit of R & R!

Heading back to Australia today, fingers crossed the flights all time out ok, my first leg has already been delayed for an hour, but that’s good as it cuts my waiting time in Ho Chi Minh City.

Have a great week everyone.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful friend Jenna. Have the best day. 🎉❤️🎉❤️

Books read.

Grave Talk by Nick Spalding. I enjoyed this, a bit of easy reading.

The House of Mirrors. Erin Kelly. I started it, but was struggling to be interested. So gave it up! Might try again at some point.

Thursday 1st – Sunday 6th

Having arrived in Hoi An my original plan was to eat at the hotel then begin exploring tomorrow. Unfortunately there was no restaurant at the hotel, so I decided to walk into the old town for some food.

Hoi An Od Town is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. I can understand why, it’s beautiful.

The Old Town is built alongside the river, Thu Bõn River, at night there are beautiful small boats all lit up with lanterns gliding along the river, all the stores have lanterns, it’s so colourful and pretty.

I was a little knackered so stopped at one of the first restaurants I came to, which was a Pho & Noddle place. I then had my first Pho!

For those that don’t know this is a traditional Vietnamese dish of rice noddles, meat or seafood in a delicious broth. I opted for a chicken Pho. It was lovely, the broth is very thin but super tasty.

My plan was to then head back, but I ended up walking almost through the entire Old Town!

It’s very busy in Hoi An in the evening, lots of tours come in from Da Nang to see the beautiful lantern boats and float candles in the river.

I eventually headed back and got a good nights sleep.

I have breakfast included in my hotel and it’s a small affair but tasty and in this family run hotel everyone is so friendly and helpful.

I need to go to a ATM today, which I hate doing, I’m always convinced the machine is going to take my card! It’s also tricky as the currency is in big denominations, so I’m always panicking about exactly how many zeros are in a million? 😳😂

I find a machine and manage to successfully withdraw the required amount!! I then buy a ticket for the Old Town. The ticket is really cheap but it then allows you to enter all the historical sites within the Old Town, the money goes towards the upkeep and restoration of the site.

The Old Town is very different in the mornings, not as many people, more locals going about their day. It is still gorgeous, the lanterns and flowers everywhere are stunning.

Hoi An is known for its tailors, so lots of people get bespoke clothing made here, they also have lots of leather shops with more bespoke services. The leather work looks fabulous, so many cowboy boots in every conceivable colour, bags in all colours and designs! 😍 I am seriously tempted, but I simply don’t have capacity for anything else. (Let’s see if this remains the case over the coming 4 days!)

There are street vendors everywhere, selling beautiful 3d cards, bookmarks, fridge magnets, also ladies selling cones of coconut biscuits, peanuts & crystallised ginger. Although they are keen to sell but they aren’t too pushy.

I end up seeing the same lady a few times and promise if I see her again I’ll buy something.

I do try the biscuits and ginger, which is great but the ginger is strong!

I have a look around the Old covered Japanese Bridge, and some of the other historical sites. But mostly I just ambled around looking at everything.

I walked back along the river which is a much prettier and quieter than the road!

It’s hot & humid here so I cool off in the pool, which is nice and cold!

A couple from Canada, the Yukon, are also in the pool and we get chatting. Evi & Donald are great.

I’m going to to walk back into the Old Town for dinner as I’ve seen a place that Tracey & Jaques have recommended, called ‘Morning Glory’ it’s an old, well established Vietnamese restaurant with fabulous reviews!

Just before dinner I stop for a cheeky cocktail in a bar above the Old Market, another recommendation from Tracey & Jaques! It’s has great views across the river. The cocktail I choose is a rum based one, they focus on Gin mostly. It’s pinkish and looks sweet, but isn’t and is delicious!

I am super impressed to see that it arrives with some very fancy ‘Bally Ice’ which is even more fancy as it’s got flowers in! Shabazz would be so proud! I’m definitely not a ‘Povo’ 😂😂 (you need to check out Shabazz

on Instagram, very funny!)

Morning Glory lives up to its reviews, fast efficient, friendly service and delicious food. I opted for Hoi A Chicken Rice, which is pretty much what it says, Chicken, Rice, herbs and a side of yummy broth. It was light and so flavourful. The atmosphere inside is also great, really buzzy.

I head back after dinner along the river, which is quiet but not deserted so feels safe.

I think so far Hoi An has been fantastic. Easy to navigate on foot, pretty, colourful, easy to get great Vietnamese food, culturally and historically interesting and fun!

I’ve booked myself onto a 1/2 day tour to visit a site called ‘My Son’. Which means, Beautiful Mountain.

This is a cultural site with the remains of up to 70 Hindu temples built between the 4th – 13th century by the kings of Champa Kimgdom and the Cham People. The temples are dedicated to Shiva.

The whole site was extensively damaged by US bombing during the Vietnam War. Various international groups, have helped towards its restoration including India, Italy, The Netherlands but excluding the USA!

Our tour group was interesting, it included a lone Korean guy, 2 French couples, a Swiss couple, a Malaysian couple and an Australian group, Nan, Grandad, Son and 8 month old baby!

The difficulty came not from the delightful 8 month old Oscar, who was an Angel but from the Malaysian couple, the husband got on the bus drunk and drinking beer, playing his music very loudly on his phone, obviously he sat next to me! And one of the french couples kept us waiting for nearly 30 mins! In my opinion if you are not at your pick up point at the allotted time you forfeit your place. (Harsh but fair I feel!)

Anyway, the group were ok, we didn’t really bond..😂 However our guide Misa was amazing, so informative.

The actual construction of the temples is fascinating. The bricks they made are aerated and they don’t allow moss or lichen to grown on them, they gaps between the bricks is tiny. All of these things can’t be replicated by modern day construction. Groups have tried to replicate this but so far they have failed. They believe that the bricks have a layer of either honey or resin between them and that they were then coated in something to prevent organic growth. When you see the temples the original bricks look new and the new ones look old! It amazing to think that with all our technology we are unable to produce something as effective as people did in the 4th Century! 😳😳

I’m so glad I made this trip as it was so interesting. We leave the site and head back towards Hoi An, seating arrangements had changed and I was no longer sitting next to Mr Beer drinker, who had consumed a few more drinks during the trip! 🤪

The last part of our journey is on a boat along the river. We also had snacks on the boat, everyone got a Banh Mai, another Vietnamese staple of a crispy baguette with salad, pate and pork, I opted for egg! It was my first Banh Mai and it was yummy. 😋

I spent my last couple of days in Hoi A simply wandering and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. It’s so peaceful to be in the Old Town early in the morning before the crowds come, watching the locals setting up, fishing, chatting and going about their lives.

I also booked myself onto a Lantern making workshop. Hoi An is synonymous with Lanterns, they are everywhere. So I felt it was only right to have one, and to be able to make it myself is great.

It was actually trickier than I’d thought. I had 2 options: 1. Use their ready prepared frame or 2. make the frame as well as covering it. I went for option 2! This involved bending the bamboo, quite a bit of dexterity fitting it all together, then same sewing the hold the frame rigid, but also collapsible! Then you put the material on the frame, this is also pretty difficult, especially if you want your lantern to look nice! Apparently I was a very good student and did a surprisingly good job. 🥰🥰 I did surprise myself at how well it turned out. A fabulous way to spend a morning. 🩵💙

I’ve been chatting to Evi & Donald some more and we also enjoyed a drink together on my last night.

They are in Vietnam for their Grandsons wedding. They are such a lovely couple, Donald is an artist and Film set builder he also used to be part of a Canadian Snow sculpting team! Evi is a beautiful soul. I’m definitely going to visit them in Whitehorse Canada!

This hotel has been a fabulous place to spend time, busy and people are friendly, the staff are fabulous. They gave me a gorgeous embroidered purse as a gift at my last breakfast this morning. ❤️

Hoi An met all of my expectations. If you’re in Vietnam, don’t miss it!

Next I’m off to Hue. Taking another bus, as it’s only 3 hours. I’m using the same company that took me from Dalat to Nha Trang, so fingers crossed it will be as good.

Update.

I resisted buying cowboy boots or a bag! I did however have a dress made! Just a summer floaty one. I also did bump into the lovely seller again! 😂 And now have several bookmarks and fridge magnets! 😍😍

All in all a wonderful 5 days.

Books read.

The Last Dance. Mark Billingham. Good.

I’m sure I’ve read more than 1 book! 🤷‍♀️

Have a fabulous Sunday.

🩵💙🩷❤️💛

Tuesday 17th – Monday 23rd September 2024.

Wow, so it’s been a while since my last blog! Don’t really know why I’ve been so lax, strap in, I think it might be a long one!

One of the reasons I write my blog regularly is so I don’t forget where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing! It’s easy to lose track when you’re moving about.

The last blog ended in Kampot. I’m pleased to say that my bus wasn’t rescheduled and left promptly at 8.30. After a pretty uneventful journey we arrived back into Phnom Penh around lunchtime. I grabbed a Tuk Tuk to the hotel, I’m staying back at the same place, The White Mansion, mainly as it’s central, good value and the bus picks up from here!

I was welcomed back like a long lost relative! 😍 So lovely and they had given me a larger room! I didn’t do much for the rest of the day, swam, read and just relaxed. The weather in the afternoons is usually pretty unpredictable and rainy. A relaxing day and an early night!

On my list of things to do in Phnom Penh had been to do the river walk, just a nice little promenade area down along the riverside.

With the weather looking promising after breakfast I set off. I walked down towards the large Independence Monument, which is impressive. This area also had some trees for shade. I eventually made it to the riverbank, after dodging traffic (I’m a pro at this now😁) and sweating buckets!

The area I arrived at is the spot where the Tonle Sap river and the Mekong River meet, flowing in different directions.

The rivers are very high due to the season and quite wide. It’s surprisingly quiet on this part of the river.

I stop in a cafe for a drink, as I stupidly came out without my water!

As I sit there I can see the rain clouds gathering, so decide to head back.

You can see all the locals covering their stalls and people heading for cover. The wind picks up quite a bit, then the rain comes in a sudden heavy burst! My little umbrella gets turned inside out, spokes are buckled but luckily for me it still works! ☔️ I walk back through the rain, I’m so pleased that Phnom Penh has non slippery paving! Absolute live saver, literally. 😳😀

I stop at a nice little coffee shop on the way, have a coffee and read my book while the rain pours down outside.

When I get back to the hotel it’s still raining, so I decide to do some planning for Vietnam.

Looking for buses from Ho Chi Minh City is a little confusing, so many to choose from and some sites not in English, so many recommendations! In the end I decide to wait until I get to my hotel in HCM and ask them for advice.

I pack up my stuff, go out for a last dinner in Cambodia. Which is obviously going to be Vegetable fried rice!! 😂

My bus is due to arrive at 9.45 so once again I do as instructed and am ready to go at 8.45, luckily, as the driver appears at 9am! What actually happens is the company send a small bus to collect passengers from various hotels and takes them to the main coach in the centre of town, which now makes sense of the flexibility on collecting times!

The coach is great, I have a single seat by the window, it’s pretty busy but everything is looking good!

It’s a 7+ hour trip to Ho Chi Minh City, which includes the border crossing.

I’d like to say it was a good trip and in the most part it was, the coach, drivers, host and the border crossing were all brilliant.

The problem came from the totally obnoxious areshole sitting behind me.

He was simply vile, rude, ignorant and loud!

Every time the lovely host/helper spoke to us about anything, welcoming us aboard, explaining about toilet breaks, information about the border procedure he would make noises (loud enough for everyone to hear) the whole way through the talk! He pushed his way to the front whenever we stopped, complained about the water, the wifi, he was unbelievably rude to the poor host. He then made huffing, snorting noises for no apparent reason, played his phone loudly and listened to a podcast or something which could have been by Andrew Tate it was so misogynistic! A total wanker.

We eventually arrived in Ho Chi Minh City around 5.30. By then I was tired, and I had a headache. I got into a cab to the hotel. I asked the driver how much, having shown him the address, he said it was on a meter, that’s great, so it should be a regulated fare. Sadly not! The twatty driver refused to take me to the actual hotel, dropping me off down the road, then told me it would be 400,000 Vietnamese Dong, which is $20! Which is a total rip off. Unfortunately I was locked in the back of the cab, with my case in the boot and it was either pay him or be stuck in the bloody cab! I paid, told him he was an arsehole, and then walked to my hotel! 🤬

All in all not my best journey so far!

The hotel reception staff were lovely and made me feel lots better, my room was gorgeous with double windows looking over the city. I unpacked, drank a ton of water and took a paracetamol for my headache then ventured out to have a look around the hotel and find some dinner.

I ended up at the rooftop bar, which has fabulous views. It was happy hour so I had a cheeky cocktail, more water then headed down to the restaurant for dinner. The menu was good, with lots of western dishes and Asian dishes, I opted for rice, no surprise. Then It was off to bed, as the whole day had been exhausting! My bed is enormous, comfy and with the best feather pillows, pure heaven! 😌😴😴

I slept really well and was feeling rested, positive and ready to start my Vietnam adventure!

First breakfast!

It’s a buffet style breakfast but the staff are so attentive and can’t seem to do enough for you, which is lovely but also a bit disconcerting!

After breakfast I headed downstairs to speak to the concierge about where to get a SIM card and booking a bus to my next stop, Dalat.

The concierge, Luck, was amazing. He is from Dalat and travels there often. He said I had a couple of options. I could get a private car, which he then contacted a company to get a price. I could fly, or I could get the bus. The private car was going to cost $160 a flight would be the quickest, but also a little expensive, as I was booking last minute. The bus, which Luck uses all the time takes approximately 5 -6 hours and costs $12! I went with the bus. Luck then organised all the booking for me! He sorted out a Spa treatment at a Spa outside the hotel, went over the map with me and highlighted all the places I could go including the phone shop for my Sim! He was a total legend.

So off I went. Phone shop first, easy. New sim fitted and working. Then I made my way to the War Remnants Museum.

I got there just as the heavens opened!

The museum is another difficult place to go, but also an important one. It takes you through the Vietnamese history and most specifically the Vietnam War. I knew most of the history, but not all of the facts and statistics, which are shocking.

I also didn’t really appreciate how devastating the use of chemical weapons, such as Agent Orange, has been for Vietnam and its people. They have such hideous long term effects.

A sobering experience.

When I’d finished in the museum it was still chucking it down but what can you do! I got out my trusty, bent up brolly and off I went!

Ho Chi Minh City also has fairly non slip paving, thank god!

I eventually came to one of the buildings I wanted to visit; The Central Post Office. It’s a beautiful old building and right beside a cathedral I wanted to see. Unfortunately the Cathedral is closed for renovation.

Next to the Post Office I found a fabulous little street full of bookshops!! 😍 It would have been better if it wasn’t still chucking it down!

I ambled back to the hotel, once it stops raining I go up to the rooftop bar and treat myself to a glass of wine!!

I end up sitting next to an American guy called Nicholas from Kansas. He is great company, easy to talk to and the time and the wine go down very nicely! 🍷🍷

He is then joined by his friend and travel buddy, Patrick also very nice to chat too.

After a few glasses I decide, rather sensibly to go and get some dinner, then head to bed.

As I’m sure you are all aware by now it was my birthday!

I’ll be honest I was dreading spending the day on my own, it’s always a mixed feelings day, as it’s also my Wedding Anniversary.

The day turned out to be absolutely fabulous! I was very very spoilt by my beautiful children, Rebecca, Georgia & Grantley and by all my lovely friends! So many treats, messages, wine, cakes, videos!

I’d decided to do very little all day and that’s exactly what I did, which was lucky as the weather was terrible!

I got presented with the most glorious bouquet of flowers at my Champagne breakfast! 🍾💐 Then lots of people wishing me Happy Birthday! The kids had arranged for me to have a Spa treatment.

The lovely Luck, organised and booked it and then sorted out the Grab, which was not easy due to the horrendous weather!

My spa treatment was an amazing herbal massage which involved hot oil and hot stones. It was fantastic and afterwards my back and neck felt the best they have for ages! Then I had a cheeky pedicure, also amazing.

When everything was finished I went through to reception and they bought me over a chair to sit on while I put my shoes on. Unfortunately it was a tricky little wheeled office type chair, I went to sit on it, it moved back and I ended up falling onto the floor! 😳🫣🫢 in front of a room full of people! FFS! 🤦‍♀️ I was OK, a little surprised and the worst of it was I jarred my neck…again!! It’s funny because you end up doing the very British thing of assuring everyone that you’re “Fine” but inside you want to cry! 😢

I headed back to the hotel and was determined this was not spoiling my day, so I took an ibuprofen and cracked on with things!! 👍😍

I took myself to the rooftop bar ordered a glass of my favourite Whispering Angel wine 😇 and had a fabulous evening. I chatted again to Nicholas & Patrick and also a beautiful English couple, Dom & Grace who had just got engaged! ❤️

The staff presented me with a personalised Vietnamese Hat and the whole bar sang Happy Birthday 🥳😚 Then I went to bed, watched rubbish on Netflix and eat birthday cake! All in all a wonderful day!

Thank to everyone who made it so fabulous. 🩷💚🩵❤️

To my surprise I woke the next day feeling ok, neck is sore but not too bad. It’s also not raining! Yeah!

I set out to explore a little more. As it’s Sunday everyone is out and about, sitting in the park with friends, drinking coffee, visiting places. I walk to the Independence Palace, it’s a really interesting place to visit, and very busy!

As I arrive I spot an older man on his own, he keeps looking over at me and eventually asks me if I’m on my own, he explains that he is and it’s his first visit to the Palace. He asks if we can look around together, I say no problem. I think he wanted me to take some photos of him in the palace, which I did. He was very sweet. He didn’t want to look around the whole place so we parted ways after I took lots of pics of him! 😍 I didn’t get a pic of us together 🤦‍♀️ Imdid get one of him walking away!

It’s started to rain a little so I go off for a wander through the park and the local area. It’s great to just walk and observe life going on.

I decide I need a coffee and opt to go back to the Book street as I’d seen a lovely little cafe there.

I have to say the Vietnamese take their coffee very seriously! Every other building is a coffee shop, and they are all full!

The book street is nice and busy as is the Cafe. I try my first Vietnamese Coffee, made with condensed milk….delicious! 😋 I’m sitting enjoying my coffee reading my book when a family sit down beside me. Then the young lad with them scoots his chair over and asks me where I’m from. This leads to myself and Quan having an hour long conversation about all sorts, books, his favourite is Diary of a Whimpy Kid! School, my children, my travels, his friends, Vietnam history, food…..all of this in English and Quan is 8!! He was amazing, such a chatty, clever thing. Neither of his parents spoke English, he said he learns from YouTube, books and online! Quan & I were then joined by another young lad, Pep, who is 14. He was also very smart and spoke great English.

It was such a wonderful, unexpected encounter and I loved it.

As Quan and his family were leaving they gave me a beautiful canvas bag (that the dad had run over the road to purchase) as a gift! 💝🥰 How beautiful is that!

Back at the hotel I go for my first swim in the rooftop pool, as it’s not raining. The pool is bloody freezing! 🥶 Invigorating but bloody cold!

Needless to say I’m the only nutter in there!

This is followed by a beautiful foot massage at the hotel spa, which was one of the best I’ve had! So wonderful. Thank you gorgeous Tracey & Haley.❤️❤️

I opt to go out for dinner, so have a mooch around by the hotel. I go into a very cute little place that looks very Instagram inspired, flowers, pastel colours, teddy bears everywhere and full of beautiful young people.

I would have loved to stay but didn’t want a coffee and the menu was limited in terms of what I wanted. I then tried another 3 places. I was looking for noddles or rice but without meat or seafood! Honestly harder than finding someone with an IQ at a Trump Rally!

Eventually I find a little food stall in a Fabulous market across from the hotel who was prepared to make me rice with just vegetables 🌽🥒.

I do think I’m going to struggle a bit in terms of food, as I don’t really eat seafood or pork, which are the stable ingredient in lots of dishes. I’m sure I will figure it out!

I have enjoyed my time in Ho Chi Minh City, I would like to come back at some point and explore more around the area, I just didn’t have the time, the weather or the energy this time.

Some observations so far. The city is very modern but with traditional stuff here and there. The young people are super stylish and very beautiful. Everyone I’ve met so far has been kind and helpful (apart from the taxi driver, but he’s an aberration!) Coffee is serious business, they are very proud of their country and their culture.

Today I’m heading by bus to a place inland, Dalat. It’ll be interesting to see how the Vietnamese buses are!

As a little side note. I am due to be traveling through Vietnam heading northwards. Unfortunately the country is suffering with a really bad Typhoon season, and things up north in Hoi An, Hanoi and Sapa are pretty bad. They were hit a week ago by a huge storm, called Nagi and there has been a great deal of damage, flooding and landslides.

Travel advice at present is not to travel to these areas, particularly Hanoi and Sapa. I will keep a watch on things and if I need to, will change my plans accordingly.

That’s it for now my lovelies.

Books read.

The Secret of Flowers. Sally Page. Another lovely one by this author. Really enjoyed it.

That’s it! Bit slow on the reading front at the moment!

Have a great week everyone.

Love and hugs.

🩵💚❤️🩷💝

Tuesday 30th July 2024

My time in Kuala Lumpur has come to an end.

I’m currently writing this whilst sitting on a very nice train heading to Penang, more in this later.

On Sunday, I’d decided my plan was to head back to Chinatown and the area surrounding it for a closer look.

I’d woken up to a lovely quiet KL, being Sunday there was very little traffic going past in the freeway, the weather was looking great, dry and sunny, so a great start to the day! 😍

I ordered a Grab, which I have to do once I’m in the lobby, in case the lift waiting & journey takes forever, which it can!

I got in yesterday to go to the pool, floor 47, the lift was ascending, it went from my level, 31, to level 38, 39, 40, decided to change and descend to level 27, 18, then the ground floor! Then up again stopping at what felt like every floor!

Anyways, the grabs normally appear within 7-10 mins so easier and less hassle to order once I’m downstairs.

Although it was still quite early, 9.30ish Chinatown was buzzing! Lots of people lost of stalls, shops, food hawkers. The area has been here for forever and the buildings s are old and a little run down, which adds to the character.

I wasn’t looking to shop, apart from keeping my eye out for a lovely hand fan.🪭 There was a lady on the bus yesterday who had a beautiful one with a lacquer handles. I didn’t find exactly what I wanted but did get a small fan that fits in my bag better than the one I have.

I found myself down at Central Market, which is housed in a lovely old art deco building. I had assumed it was a central food market, but it’s actually an indoor market selling lots of lovely things! This is where I found my new fan.

I had a mooch around then a wander outside and walked down to the river. This area looked very colonial to me. And it is indeed where the British Colonial administration offices were, in the Sultan Abdul Samad Buikding. This is a beautiful building opposite Merdeka Square. Merdeka Square used to be a cricket pitch and is where Malaysia declared independence on 31st August 1957.

It was now very hot and sunny so I walked back towards Chinatown and had an ice cold coke!

I was also pretty hungry so I found a beautiful restaurant called Grandma’s, in a Mall and had a gorgeous Hainanese Chicken, it’s so delicious.

One of the unfortunate things about traveling alone is not being able to order lots of different dishes to try. I’d love to try some of the other dishes I saw, but hate to waste food!

After lunch I went back to the room and had a refreshing swim.

Around 6.30 I heard out, I’m going to check out a rooftop bar in a hotel across town. It is supposed to have great views of the Petronas Towers.

The bar is great, but not quite what I was expecting. It’s literally next to the hotel pool, I was shown to a sunken seated area by the huge windows and right next to the pool. It was fabulous. My only concern is getting back out of the sunken area and negotiating the narrow wooden walkway after a couple of cocktails!! As those of you who know me, I have a slight propensity for falling!! 😂😂

I’ll worry about it later, for now I’m going to enjoy the magnificent view, the music and the happy hour cocktails! 😍🍹

The Sky Bar at Traders Hotel,is definitely worth a visit if you’re in KL. I also managed to exit the sunken area rather elegantly, having found a little step! 👍

I woke up on Monday morning to heavy rain, which is less than ideal,as I wanted to go to the KL tower and walk around the Eco park. I figured the park in the rain wouldn’t be that bad, so bought myself a fetching plastic rain poncho and headed out.

I’d bought my KL Tower ticket online, through an app. That was fine, but the app was on my iPad which I didn’t want to take out with me, I tried forwarding the tickets to my phone, no go. So I took a picture.

Apparently this was not acceptable, too blurry apparently, so I had to buy another bloody ticket!

The KL,Tower is around the same age as the Petronas Towers but seems older, it’s certainly less glam!

Having bought my second ticket I made my way to the lift. 🤔 not the most inspiring start, the lift looked like it was undergoing some major work, we then stopped at a random floor to let someone off and it was clearly a building site, then the lift just sat there for ages…..😳

Eventually we arrived at the top to walk around the outside viewing platform. There are also 2 Sky boxes with glass floors that hang over the side…..it’s a hard ‘No fucking way’ from me. The signs all said no more than 3 people at a time, but there were at least 5 at one point!!

Luckily it had stopped raining by the time I reached the tower, so I never got to,wear my fetching poncho!

I walked down the hill to the Eco Park. There were 2 options, a Jumgle Walk or a Canopy Walk, you can do both. I asked which was the nicest, the guy pointed left, so that’s the way I went. Yeah, OK, not ideal! The walkway was very steep, heading down, and also a little slippery due to the earlier rain. I’ll refer you back to my earlier comment about falling, this also includes Slipping! Nikki can confirm I slipped on a wet drain cover whilst standing still!! Anyway I made my way very gingerly down the step hill, looking like a bloody decrepit old fogey, whilst being bitten by something on my ankles, and sweating like a beast. I made it down without injury and decided not to complete the round trip and instead jumped into an air conditioned Grab and made my way to an air conditioned Mall for something cool to drink and some food.

I ended up sitting in the park by the Mall for a while just enjoying the peace & tranquility. Surprisingly few birds, not even in the Eco park. I think all the skyscrapers scare them away.

I eventually had some food at Madam Kwan’s, a very busy place where the food was, again delicious. I had serious food envy looking at everyone’s food!

I had a pretty quiet evening reading and grabbing a salad from the hotel across the road, where I also managed to finally have a little,chat to Nikki! 😍

I’m leaving today for Penang, an island in Malaysia and I’m staying in the old town, called Georgetown, Georgetown is a UNESCO world heritage site. It looks amazing and also a lot more pedestrian friendly! ❤️

I booked a train ticket online whilst I was in Australia. I have checked and rechecked my ticket, and was certain the train left from KL Sentra Train Station.

Knowing that the traffic can be crazy I decided to leave early as the station is in the other side of the city. It took 25 mins to get there, and when I arrived I was told I was at the wrong station (I bloody knew this would happen!)

I was surprisingly calm and asked if there as anything I could do rather than go back to the correct station and there was. I simply purchased an add-on for the grand sum of 20p and I was good to go! 😍

My seat is excellent, forward facing, next to a big window in a nice carriage.

Had a slight issue earlier when the young girl in the seat in front, who is playing on a tablet, went to pull the blind down! I simply stuck my hand under to stop it, pushed it back up and gave her a look. Now we understand each other! 😂😂

It’s a 4hr ride to Butterworth, the station I need to then get either a ferry or a taxi to Penang and my hotel.

I’m going to finish this and enjoy the view from my blind free window!

Happy Tuesday People.

💙🩵❤️💚

Books Read.

Everyone here is Lying. Shari Lapena. A OK thriller, not great, not bad.

Any book recommendations would be gratefully received. ❤️

Saturday 27th July

I arrived safe and sound in Kuala Lumpur.

The journey was a long one!

I left Bunbury on Thursday afternoon at 2pm on the bus. I’d decided to get the bus as it’s cheap, convenient and it saved Rebecca or Chris taking time off work or having to drive back alone.

The bus was fine, a little pungent but not bad.

For some reason I had terminal 3 & 4 written in my ticket. We arrived in the pouring rain, at Terminals 1 & 2, which looked familiar, but I checked my ticket it definitely said terminals 3 & 4, which I assumed were just along the way a bit. No, Terminals 3 & 4 are on the other side of the runways, so a 15 drive. As we departed I realised I should have got off! I wasn’t unduly concerned as I had arrived at the airport a Wapping 7hrs early! 😂 Not that I’m that keen, it was down to the bus times!

Luckily for me there was a handy free shuttle back to the correct terminal and I wasted another 30 mins. Only 6.5 to go!

I was flying with Air Asia, who are a great cheap airline. The only problem, no early bag drop.

Perth Airport is very small, the options of things to do before security consists of, 1. Visit the toilet. 2. Buy some toiletries. 3. Buy a mobile phone or SIM card. 4. Sit in the one bar/restaurant. I opted for number 4. I treated myself to a very welcome JD & Coke and settled in for a bit of a wait.

I was finally able to check in at 9 and I then passed through a speedy, empty security section and onto the Lounge I’d booked.

The lounge wasn’t really expensive and it was comfy, relaxed and they served a delicious Chenin Blanc! It was also right next to my departure gate. This meant I could see when the plane arrived, when people started boarding, giving me time to really enjoy the wine! 😂

The flight was great, I had a row to myself. Yes! I managed to doze for a bit and landed in Kuala Lumpur 6 hours later.

I had to fill in a visa on arrival form, digitally…😳 the computers they provided were all in use, with long queues, I had a driver waiting to pick me up and I was already behind schedule, feeling a little anxious I got in the passport control queue and the rather lovely young guy in front of me explained that I could fill it in on my phone using the QR code! 🫨 I couldn’t scan the code properly, so bless him, he literally did the whole thing for me, doing things on my phone that I didn’t even know it did! He was amazing. We got it done just before I reached the front of the queue! I was allowed in so he must have done it right! 😍

I made it through the various airport levels to the correct spot for my driver and off we went.

I didn’t realise that the airport was so far from the city, about a 45 min drive.

I arrived at the place I’m staying at approximately 8.30am and I can’t check in until 3pm so I dumped my bags in left luggage and headed into the city.

Wow it’s 🥵 around 32 degrees! It’s not far to walk to the Petronas Twin Towers. They really are stunning.

I was able to get tickets for the tour of the towers for 11.30, there were surprisingly few spaces available.

This then gave me time to grab a cup of tea, sort out a SIM card and try to find a watch.

The tea was pretty easy to find and extremely welcome. The SIM card likewise. A very helpful young man sold it to me, fitted it, set it up, all for the princely sum of £12! Absolute Bargin and so easy.

Finding a watch was proving a little more tricky, perhaps due to being in a high end Shopping Mall and not wanting a watch from Gucci, Cartier, TAG Heuer (actually that’s a lie, I’d love a TAG 😁) but I am trying to be sensible. 🥰 I did try on a rather beautiful one in Swarovski!! It was blue and shiny and so pretty, I was so, so tempted, but I stayed strong. I then literally popped across the aisle into a shop selling lots of things and found 2 watches on a deal for……£8! 😂😂 They are both perfect for what I need and I saved myself a few Bob. Winning!! 🥇😍

Then it was off for my Tower Tour.

We started with a visit to the Sky Bridge that connects the 2 towers, this is on level 42. It was a little hazy but the views were amazing.

Spotted a guy outside cleaning the windows….mad.

Then it was up to the top, floor 86. Where, unbelievably there were more guys in a cleaning gondola!! WTAF! 😳 Absolutely not.

Work on the towers started in 1993 and they were officially opened in 1999. The design is based on simple Islamic geometric forms of two interlocking squares, creating a shape of an eight-pointed star. Architecturally, these forms represent the important Islamic principles of unity, harmony, stability and rationality.

I think the Towers are incredibly beautiful, especially at night.

I enjoyed my tour but by the end I was getting pretty hungry. I tried to grab something in the Mall, but there were long queues. I ended up walking back towards my accommodation and popped into the hotel opposite, The Crowne Plaza! I had a delicious meal of noddles in broth followed by a Nass Gorang and a Tiger Beer!

Unfortunately, the accommodation I’m in doesn’t have a restaurant or a bar, despite advertising that they do. 🤨 It was one of the reasons I booked that particular place. It’s just easier to stay onsite in the evenings if I’ve had a busy day.

After lunch it was time to check in. My room is ok, a little tired and with a lingering smell, like sweaty fruit! But it’ll do. It’s clean.

I checked out the pool which is up on the 47th floor and is great. 👍

I managed to stay awake till 8.30pm then crashed. I was knackered and I’d walked over 20,000 steps!

I had a good nights sleep and got up ready for the day.

I took a Grab Cab, (these are like Ubers, only cheaper 😂) over to the city centre called Bukit Bingtang, where I grabbed tickets for the hop on hop off bus. I think they are a great way to see around a city and decide where you’d like to explore more.

This area was really busy, lots of people, lots of shopping Malls, lots of food places.

I found the bus ticket office, but realised I’d made a rookie mistake and left my suncream and my light scarf back at the room! Sitting on an open topped bus for 2 hours around midday in a sleeveless top with no cover, not a great idea, especially with my pale English skin!

I grabbed a cheap sarong (I needed one anyway) a bottle of iced tea and jumped aboard.

It was great. A little slow and hot to start but we went through some interesting areas, Chinatown, Little India, the botanical gardens, the bird park and the KL Sentral Station. Handy for me to know where the station is as I’m leaving from there on Tuesday.

The whole route took a couple of hours and was great. It would have been nice to have some commentary on the way explaining things, but it was OK. I think I might go back tomorrow to the area around Chinatown, the central market.

My newly purchased sarong came in very handy!

Interesting to note that KL is very built up, lots of high rise buildings and more being built all the time. But as we were driving around the coolest areas were near the botanical gardens and the Palace where they is lots of trees and planting. With climate change, we need a radical rethink on the ideas of urban planning. Plant more trees!🌳 🌴 🌲

I popped into another big Mall afterwards to grab some food and cool off a little! The food court was amazing. So much to choose from, I ended up getting a massive mango & cream cheese pastry, which was sooo good, sweet options are not like me, but I think I needed the sugar boost.

Shopping Malls are not really my thing, but they are massively popular in South East Asia. Here in KL, many of the Malls are really high end, and the designer shops are busy! The South East Asian Economy is very strong and with comes spending power. 💴💴

Having added my £1.50 to the economy, I headed back to the accommodation and a dip in the pool. 🏊‍♀️

I ventured out in the evening to a lovely bar only a short walk away, called the ‘Canopy Lounge’ I arrived around 7pm, luckily, as it started to fill up quickly by 7.30 -8. The bar does food, Cocktails and Hookah Pipes. I stuck to the cocktails!

My White Sangria, was delicious & refreshing. It looked more like a fruit salad tbh! 😂

It was a cool, fun vibe. I might go back.

So far Malaysia has been great. It’s nice to be somewhere warm and to see a new country.

Another little side note. I’m not sure how keen I am on very tall buildings and being reliant on lifts! (Anne, I have no idea what you’d do!!😳) Whilst the pool here is excellent and offers great views, it also makes me a little anxious 😬

Books Read

A single act of kindness. Samantha Tonge. Another Prime book. A relaxing fun read.

I read most of it waiting for my flight!!

Have a great Sunday people.

Lots of love.