Mr DW up close and personal with a very old Buddha image
Ta Prohm
Angkor Wat
Local delights!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Day 18 Siem Reap to home
We all had, at different times, a leisurely breakfast. This hotel has the best range of food for breakfast that I have ever seen in my life I think. I started , at 7am, with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice ( I watched him squeeze the oranges ( which are slightly mandariny)) , then had a plate of pawpaw, pineapple, rockmelon, then after a while, I had some bircher muesli and delicious yoghurt and chopped up fruit salad. After a while, I had some delicious prawn dumpling things, then a cup of coffee and a freshly made crepe and a small Danish and a small croissant.. After a bigger while ( by this stage is was 8.45 ish, ) I decided to have some of the delicious looking blue cheese and a little bread roll to accompany the half glass of champagne ( it was our last breakfast after all). There was a huge array of cold meats, hot savoury food, little cakes etc
Some of us did yet more shopping and had our last fruit drinks, had an afternoon doze and left the hotel at 6.30pm to start our way home. We arrived in Canberra airport at 4.45pm ( 12.45 pm Cambodian time) All went smoothly.
Some of us did yet more shopping and had our last fruit drinks, had an afternoon doze and left the hotel at 6.30pm to start our way home. We arrived in Canberra airport at 4.45pm ( 12.45 pm Cambodian time) All went smoothly.
Day 17 Siem Reap
We drove about 60km to visit Beng Mealea. This is reputed to be a prototype for Angkor Wat and is largely destroyed by the jungle, tho’ enough has been cleared that you can walk around / climb over piles of large rocks. It was surprisingly peaceful.
We then went to Banteay Srei, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is built out of a lighter stone than the others and has lots of very detailed carvings.
Dinner at yet another good local restaurant.
We then went to Banteay Srei, a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is built out of a lighter stone than the others and has lots of very detailed carvings.
Dinner at yet another good local restaurant.
Day 16 Siem Reap
A bit of history : the Khmer kingdom from 802 to 1432 AD was one of the great powers of SE Asia. There were a series of powerful kings, the first being Jayavarman II who proclaimed himself a god-king, the earthly representative of the Hindu god Shiva. He built a ‘temple mountain’ which set a precedent for the following kings who all tried to outdo each other and build a bigger and better temple dedicated to their preferred Hindu god or Buddha or both. Angkor Wat is the best known but there are many others. Henri Mouhot, in 1868 brought the decaying and overgrown temples to the public’s attention. A few were still in use.
We visited Angkor Wat first – quite breathtaking. Angkor Wat is the best preserved because it was never abandoned. It is a huge building which seems to go on and on. There are many carvings of apsaras ( heavenly nymphs) on the stonework. Angkor Wat, like others is surrounded by a moat.
Then we went to Ta Prohm , originally a Buddhist temple, now in ruins. It is quite atmospheric– large trees growing through ruins, complicated root systems seem to hold up buildings, light comes through trees in strange ways, dark shadows of crumbling decaying moss covered buildings
Angkor Thom is huge walled city. We visited 2 of its gates, a few buildings and the central monument Banyon.
It sounds like lots of buildings and things – which it was but they all were a bit different.
Dinner at yet another delicious place. Our hotel is about 2kn from the centre of town - $2 for a tuktuk. Beats walking in the heat.
We visited Angkor Wat first – quite breathtaking. Angkor Wat is the best preserved because it was never abandoned. It is a huge building which seems to go on and on. There are many carvings of apsaras ( heavenly nymphs) on the stonework. Angkor Wat, like others is surrounded by a moat.
Then we went to Ta Prohm , originally a Buddhist temple, now in ruins. It is quite atmospheric– large trees growing through ruins, complicated root systems seem to hold up buildings, light comes through trees in strange ways, dark shadows of crumbling decaying moss covered buildings
Angkor Thom is huge walled city. We visited 2 of its gates, a few buildings and the central monument Banyon.
It sounds like lots of buildings and things – which it was but they all were a bit different.
Dinner at yet another delicious place. Our hotel is about 2kn from the centre of town - $2 for a tuktuk. Beats walking in the heat.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Day 15 Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
Another interesting day.
Today we spent most of the day driving from Phnom Penh NW to Siem Reap. A large part of the road was only built 4 years ago with Japanese aid. It is a major highway, 2 lanes, 1 in each direction shared by trucks, tourist buses, motorbikes, few cars, tractors, bullock- drawn drays pilled precariously high, motorbike pulled carts pilled precariously high, pedestrians, animals etc. It takes a while to get anywhere – but that is OK because there is plenty to see. The style of housing changes, the wares in the roadside shops change, the vegetation changes. For a large part of the time we drove along the edge of the Tonle Sap river which flows into the Mekong at Phnom Penh ( except when the Mekong floods and it flows the other way) . The houses along the roadside are mostly on taller stilts than we have seen but the area is very poor. We drove past several brick factories and stone quarries, saw many rice fields and lotus ponds. One of the road side places we stopped at specialised in spiders – alive and dead – and assorted other revolting looking insects.
We stopped at a place called Sambor Prei Kuk where there are many ruins of temples built in the 6th and 7th centuries, pre-Angkor. It was nice wandering around the jungle looking at these structures built of small bricks (hopefully I’ll sort some photos out this evening). The area is off the main road and very poor – no electricity, very few cars in sight, dirt tracks, small houses with bamboo walls.
We arrived at our hotel – Ross has saved the best till last. This hotel is described in a book as French colonial. Nice wood, tiling, courtyards, wide verandahs, seating, little nooks and crannies, beautiful flowers everywhere, huge swimming pool.
I had a swim and then we all had dinner here. Delicious.
Today we spent most of the day driving from Phnom Penh NW to Siem Reap. A large part of the road was only built 4 years ago with Japanese aid. It is a major highway, 2 lanes, 1 in each direction shared by trucks, tourist buses, motorbikes, few cars, tractors, bullock- drawn drays pilled precariously high, motorbike pulled carts pilled precariously high, pedestrians, animals etc. It takes a while to get anywhere – but that is OK because there is plenty to see. The style of housing changes, the wares in the roadside shops change, the vegetation changes. For a large part of the time we drove along the edge of the Tonle Sap river which flows into the Mekong at Phnom Penh ( except when the Mekong floods and it flows the other way) . The houses along the roadside are mostly on taller stilts than we have seen but the area is very poor. We drove past several brick factories and stone quarries, saw many rice fields and lotus ponds. One of the road side places we stopped at specialised in spiders – alive and dead – and assorted other revolting looking insects.
We stopped at a place called Sambor Prei Kuk where there are many ruins of temples built in the 6th and 7th centuries, pre-Angkor. It was nice wandering around the jungle looking at these structures built of small bricks (hopefully I’ll sort some photos out this evening). The area is off the main road and very poor – no electricity, very few cars in sight, dirt tracks, small houses with bamboo walls.
We arrived at our hotel – Ross has saved the best till last. This hotel is described in a book as French colonial. Nice wood, tiling, courtyards, wide verandahs, seating, little nooks and crannies, beautiful flowers everywhere, huge swimming pool.
I had a swim and then we all had dinner here. Delicious.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Day 14 Saturday Phnom Penh
This morning I went for an early walk along the waterfront. There were quite a few groups of locals out doing their exercises – a vigorous looking form of tai chi. There were several groups of blokes playing a game with a volleyball size net. They used heads or feet, no hands and had 3 on each side of the net. I have a photo that may ( or may not, more likely) turn out of a group of 8 monks walking earnestly along in their orange robes and sandals all carrying briefcases . They were passing a group of about 15 kids between about 10 and 16 all dancing to some hip hoppy discordant ( to my ear) Asian music. This was at about 6.45 am. Also in the photo are a team of women sweeping the path, emptying bins and watering the grass.
After breakfast we went first to the Royal Palace complex. Behind high walls is a quiet place with well-tended lawns and assorted buildings. We went into the throne hall where official dignitaries are received. It was surprisingly pleasant – distinctly Asian but with a European feel. Within the complex we also visited the Silver Pagoda, so named because of the silver floor. There is a gold Buddha – 90kg of gold.
Then we went to Tuol Sleng Museum, otherwise known as S-21. In 1975 Pol Pot took over a school and it became the largest centre of detention and torture in the country for the 3 1/2 years of Pol Pot’s regime. I took no photographs. The Khmer Rouge took detailed records of the inmates and there were many photographs of the 3 years. It was particularly chilling and aweful but necessary to see, I think, to understand the history of the country.
We then went to the National Museum which was a delightful building, very peaceful ( which it needed to be – we were all very sombre) . We were shown a large array of things, mostly statues from the Angkor period, by a lady with a terrible voice. She spoke in a high-pitched montone, like a robot that needed oiling, and was very hard to understand.
We walked back to our hotel and some of us had lunch at a pleasant café on the way. I had 1 remaining postcard on my ‘absolute minimum list’ to send, so bought one of the museum, found out that the post office was about 1 km away and set off. I reckon you almost walk double the distance by the time you dodge street stalls, motor bikes, cars, tuk tuks, people, beggars, piles of junk, builders etc etc. Once I saw the building I went in search of a coffee and found a place whose main purpose was to sell coffee beans, but they had a few tables. I had a nice cappuccino for $1US. As an aside, most prices are quoted in US$ but the official currency is real – there are 4000 real to 1 US$. It appears that reals are only used for change of less than $1. Many things on menus are, e.g. $2.80 – so you leave $3 and the change becomes the tip. I came back from the post office mostly via back streets, pocked my head into a covered market, passed some food stalls selling completely unrecognisable things, looked for a place to have another snack, decided to by-pass the restaurant that had 4 large black 4WDs outside and double the usual number of security guards ( someone more important than me must have been inside) , found a nice little place, had a lovely pineapple juice and was just started on my crepes when a large truck parked outside and started very noisily pumping out sewage. Ah well, I wasnot far from my hotel – time for another bath. Trouble is the bath is surrounded by 3 full walls of mirrors – I found yesterday it was a bit offputting.
After breakfast we went first to the Royal Palace complex. Behind high walls is a quiet place with well-tended lawns and assorted buildings. We went into the throne hall where official dignitaries are received. It was surprisingly pleasant – distinctly Asian but with a European feel. Within the complex we also visited the Silver Pagoda, so named because of the silver floor. There is a gold Buddha – 90kg of gold.
Then we went to Tuol Sleng Museum, otherwise known as S-21. In 1975 Pol Pot took over a school and it became the largest centre of detention and torture in the country for the 3 1/2 years of Pol Pot’s regime. I took no photographs. The Khmer Rouge took detailed records of the inmates and there were many photographs of the 3 years. It was particularly chilling and aweful but necessary to see, I think, to understand the history of the country.
We then went to the National Museum which was a delightful building, very peaceful ( which it needed to be – we were all very sombre) . We were shown a large array of things, mostly statues from the Angkor period, by a lady with a terrible voice. She spoke in a high-pitched montone, like a robot that needed oiling, and was very hard to understand.
We walked back to our hotel and some of us had lunch at a pleasant café on the way. I had 1 remaining postcard on my ‘absolute minimum list’ to send, so bought one of the museum, found out that the post office was about 1 km away and set off. I reckon you almost walk double the distance by the time you dodge street stalls, motor bikes, cars, tuk tuks, people, beggars, piles of junk, builders etc etc. Once I saw the building I went in search of a coffee and found a place whose main purpose was to sell coffee beans, but they had a few tables. I had a nice cappuccino for $1US. As an aside, most prices are quoted in US$ but the official currency is real – there are 4000 real to 1 US$. It appears that reals are only used for change of less than $1. Many things on menus are, e.g. $2.80 – so you leave $3 and the change becomes the tip. I came back from the post office mostly via back streets, pocked my head into a covered market, passed some food stalls selling completely unrecognisable things, looked for a place to have another snack, decided to by-pass the restaurant that had 4 large black 4WDs outside and double the usual number of security guards ( someone more important than me must have been inside) , found a nice little place, had a lovely pineapple juice and was just started on my crepes when a large truck parked outside and started very noisily pumping out sewage. Ah well, I wasnot far from my hotel – time for another bath. Trouble is the bath is surrounded by 3 full walls of mirrors – I found yesterday it was a bit offputting.
Day 13 Friday Vientiane to Phnom Penh
The usual – bus to airport, wait around, plane trip, wait around, bus to hotel. Our Cambodian guide talked to us about Cambodia and its recent history in the bus. The hotel we are staying in is in a great location right on the water front – Tonle Sap River which joins the Mekong 500m south . I have a little balcony that looks along the river. The room is very opulent. Some of us wandered up the street and found a café for a late lunch, then it was back to the hotel for a bath before going to the Foreign Correspondent’s Club for a drink and then dinner. The tuk tuk drivers are not pushy and the few beggars I have seen are not pushy either but I have not wandered far.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Day 12 Thursday Vientiane
Today we went to 4 different places. Firstly a lovely wat – Wat Si Sakit. It was built in the early 1800’s. The temple is surrounded by cloisters with many images of Buddha. It had a really peaceful feel. Hah Pha Kaeo followed – an ex-temple, now a museum, then Pha That Luang. This was not to my taste! It is the national monument of Laos, and is supposed to be a symbol of both Buddhism and Lao sovereignty. It is a goldy coloured stupa surrounded by concrete. It doesnot have, for me, a good peaceful feel.
After that we drove to a funny thing that looks like the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top and had a good view of the city. Vientiane is built on the edge of the Mekong but there seems to be a lot of construction along the waterfront and the view of it from the top of the Arc was all I have seen.
Mrs MW and I did some shopping in the afternoon, ignoring the protestations of Mr DW who is well known for his opposition to spending money.
Tomorrow we are off to Cambodia.
After that we drove to a funny thing that looks like the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top and had a good view of the city. Vientiane is built on the edge of the Mekong but there seems to be a lot of construction along the waterfront and the view of it from the top of the Arc was all I have seen.
Mrs MW and I did some shopping in the afternoon, ignoring the protestations of Mr DW who is well known for his opposition to spending money.
Tomorrow we are off to Cambodia.
Day 11 Wednesday Phonsovan to Vientiane
This morning we drove from our hotel to the third of the 3 main sites to view the unexplained large stone jars. On the way we stopped twice – firstly to take some photos of 3 little Hmong girls dressed up in the traditional clothes. Today is the first day of the 3 or 4 days celebration of the Hmong new year and we passed a family walking along the street. They were happy to be photographed. A little later we drove passed a larger group of about 20. They were playing a ball game and were , once again, happy for us to take photos. There were 2 lines of girls facing each other throwing a ball back wards and forwards to each other in pairs using only 1 hand. Apparently it is traditionally played with a boy and a girl but we saw only the girls. There were some boys watching but when we passed they were not taking part.
Yesterday we were the only tourists at the 2 sites of jars that we went to, so today it was a bit of a let down to have other tourists looking around with us. There was an adult Hmong woman dressed up a singing – without apparently wanting money. Maybe it was a new year thing.
Back in Phonsovan we had hoped to visit the office of MAG (Mines Advisory Group) to see their display of the clearing of UXO’s and watch a video, however the office was closed for the new year celebrations. We had a leisurely lunch then short drive to airport, wait, short flight, wait for bags, bus to hotel. Usually stuff – waiting.
Vientiane , the capital of Laos , has a population of 600,000. It is the only city in Laos to have traffic lights. It took 15 minutes to drive from the airport to our hotel. It has a peculiar feel. Old French buildings , usually in a sad state of disrepair, new office blocks built in a style that I think is meant to be Laotian – the roofs look like temple roofs but the rest is a rectangular boring box, often white with goldy coloured decorations and many old buildings. Brand new large 4WD alongside tuk tuk’s and street sellers. Modern coffee shops next to a local Asian restaurant – ingredients on a table in the front with the wok on a burner and a few simple tables - , massage places, restaurants of all different cuisines, next to a shop selling, eg, tyres.
Mrs MW and her husband and I went to a ‘French’ restaurant where we had ravioli for dinner. It was delicious.
Yesterday we were the only tourists at the 2 sites of jars that we went to, so today it was a bit of a let down to have other tourists looking around with us. There was an adult Hmong woman dressed up a singing – without apparently wanting money. Maybe it was a new year thing.
Back in Phonsovan we had hoped to visit the office of MAG (Mines Advisory Group) to see their display of the clearing of UXO’s and watch a video, however the office was closed for the new year celebrations. We had a leisurely lunch then short drive to airport, wait, short flight, wait for bags, bus to hotel. Usually stuff – waiting.
Vientiane , the capital of Laos , has a population of 600,000. It is the only city in Laos to have traffic lights. It took 15 minutes to drive from the airport to our hotel. It has a peculiar feel. Old French buildings , usually in a sad state of disrepair, new office blocks built in a style that I think is meant to be Laotian – the roofs look like temple roofs but the rest is a rectangular boring box, often white with goldy coloured decorations and many old buildings. Brand new large 4WD alongside tuk tuk’s and street sellers. Modern coffee shops next to a local Asian restaurant – ingredients on a table in the front with the wok on a burner and a few simple tables - , massage places, restaurants of all different cuisines, next to a shop selling, eg, tyres.
Mrs MW and her husband and I went to a ‘French’ restaurant where we had ravioli for dinner. It was delicious.
Labels for more photos
Sorry - the photos got out of order
Typical Hmong house on edge of Phonsovan
A few of the unexplained jars
Wat Xieng Muan, Luang Prabang
Bombed Buddha image at Muang Khoun
Monks at Luang Prabang
Typical Hmong house on edge of Phonsovan
A few of the unexplained jars
Wat Xieng Muan, Luang Prabang
Bombed Buddha image at Muang Khoun
Monks at Luang Prabang
Labels for photos
View of Mekong at Sunset from my bedroom at Pak Beng lodge
Khamu village on Mekong
Mekong
Lao village children
Half our group on boat from Thailand to Laos
A couple from our group on an elephant ( sorry K not me)
Khamu village on Mekong
Mekong
Lao village children
Half our group on boat from Thailand to Laos
A couple from our group on an elephant ( sorry K not me)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Vientiane
Arrived here safely. Good internet connection. Will try and post some photos later but dinner awaits now.
Day 10 Phonsavan
This area was heavily bombed in the late 60’s by USA and there are, according to the signs, still UXO (unexploded ordinances) in some fields. It has become an administrative centre for the area and most of the buildings in the town are new. Vietnam is about 80km to the east and there are many Vietnamese here. Tourists come her to see the Plain of Jars. There are several sites around Phonsavan where the ground is littered with large stone jars. No one knows what they were used for. The smaller ones were about 1m high but a few were almost 2m. We went to 2 sites today – one we reached by a walk up a hill from where the bus dropped us ( we stayed on the marked path!) and the other site we reached by a very pleasant 15min walk through rice paddies, over styles and past buffalo grazing.
After lunch in a pleasant local noodle soup shop, we went to Muang Khoun, an old capital, with a few remains. We went to an old Buddhist stupa built in the 15th century and to the remains of a Buddhist temple b built in the 16th century. Some of the pillars are there along with a large seated Buddha. I quite liked him. He had a damaged face, blown away arm, but still seemed very peaceful.
I am now back in my room and my fire has been lit. I donot know how long the wood will last, it seems quite light ( red box it is not) but it will be nice to watch. This place is like what I imagine a hunting lodge to be – timber, stone, eiderdown-like bedcovers. These are needed because there are gaps in the floorboards and around the windows through which the wind whistled last night. The shower has an instant gas hot water thing. It was a bit tricky turning the 2 dials on the heater and the hot and cold tap in the right sequence to get hot water without too much gas. I have a lovely view of the valley below from a window and would have from the balcony but that is missing a railing or 4 and is not to be used ( according to a large sign on the inside door)
After lunch in a pleasant local noodle soup shop, we went to Muang Khoun, an old capital, with a few remains. We went to an old Buddhist stupa built in the 15th century and to the remains of a Buddhist temple b built in the 16th century. Some of the pillars are there along with a large seated Buddha. I quite liked him. He had a damaged face, blown away arm, but still seemed very peaceful.
I am now back in my room and my fire has been lit. I donot know how long the wood will last, it seems quite light ( red box it is not) but it will be nice to watch. This place is like what I imagine a hunting lodge to be – timber, stone, eiderdown-like bedcovers. These are needed because there are gaps in the floorboards and around the windows through which the wind whistled last night. The shower has an instant gas hot water thing. It was a bit tricky turning the 2 dials on the heater and the hot and cold tap in the right sequence to get hot water without too much gas. I have a lovely view of the valley below from a window and would have from the balcony but that is missing a railing or 4 and is not to be used ( according to a large sign on the inside door)
Day 9 Monday Luang Prabang to Phonsavan
We left early for a long drive, firstly south to Muang Phu Khoun and then east to Phonsavan. It is spectacular, mountainous country with very windy roads and wonderful views. I was not feeling crash hot, so slept a lot of the way. It is mostly Hmong country. They have played a large part in the instability in this area and the road west from Phonsavan has only been considered safe from insurgents in the last few years. We passed many villages with basic houses but many had satellite dishes. Our hotel is perched on a hill behind Phonsavan and is very atmospheric – stone and timber individual huts with fireplaces. It is almost cold – a very pleasant change from over 30C.
Day 8 Luang Prabang
We piled into 2 tuk tuks for the 20 minute ride out of town to visit the grave of Henri Mouhot, the French explorer who ‘discovered’ Angkor Wat. We stopped at village where many people are weavers. The house we stopped at had the whole process – silk worms eating mulberry leaves ( mulberry tea is on most menus) , 2 women using looms and a lady selling their woven things.
Some of us then hired bicycles and followed Ross around and about for an hour or so. We went through a minor industrial area on the edge of town – same as anywhere – car repair places, car sales yards, fix-it shops but with more timber yards than you would see in an Australian town.
We all did our own thing in the afternoon which for me included a swim in the pool and reading my book ( non Laos related). In the evening we watched the sun go down over the river and then had dinner at an upmarket restaurant. It was delicious, yet again.
Some of us then hired bicycles and followed Ross around and about for an hour or so. We went through a minor industrial area on the edge of town – same as anywhere – car repair places, car sales yards, fix-it shops but with more timber yards than you would see in an Australian town.
We all did our own thing in the afternoon which for me included a swim in the pool and reading my book ( non Laos related). In the evening we watched the sun go down over the river and then had dinner at an upmarket restaurant. It was delicious, yet again.
Day 7 Luang Prabang
This morning we went first to the Royal Palace Museum. This was built in 1904 during the early French colonial era as a residence for King Sisavangvong. According to our guide it was originally built with half its façade in the French style and half in the Laotian style but , more recently, the French half was remade to be Laotian. There were many rooms decorated as they would have been in the early 1900’s and some interesting ornately embroidered official clothing.
Luang Prabang has many many wats ( temples) . We went to what is reputed to be the most magnificent, Wat Xieng Thong. It had royal patronage until 1975 when the communists took over and the royal family was sent to the north to be reeducated. The main building is in traditional Luang Prabang temple style and is quite attractive with a sort of layered roof. It was ornately decorated with gold stencils on the walls but there was a peaceful feeling to it.
We had another delicious lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Mekong. We had 4 dishes between 4 of us, rice and a great fresh lemon and mint drink for 134,000 kip. 1$Aus = about 8,000kip. We gave them 35,000 kip each – about $4.50. There are some upmarket shops with beautiful stuff that we strolled past. We found a place that I had read about where you can buy books that are then distributed to school children in poor areas. We bought a few. I bought an icecream from a street seller for 2000 kip ( 25cents) . It was like a chocolate coated chocolate paddlepop but the icecream was fairly basic.
There are lots of tourists wandering around, many guesthouses, many places operating tours to places a little way out of town, lots of colour – the buildings, tropical plants etc. The locals seem pleasant and gentle. It is quieter and more peaceful than either Dali or Lijiang in Yunnan that I visited last year.
Luang Prabang has many many wats ( temples) . We went to what is reputed to be the most magnificent, Wat Xieng Thong. It had royal patronage until 1975 when the communists took over and the royal family was sent to the north to be reeducated. The main building is in traditional Luang Prabang temple style and is quite attractive with a sort of layered roof. It was ornately decorated with gold stencils on the walls but there was a peaceful feeling to it.
We had another delicious lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Mekong. We had 4 dishes between 4 of us, rice and a great fresh lemon and mint drink for 134,000 kip. 1$Aus = about 8,000kip. We gave them 35,000 kip each – about $4.50. There are some upmarket shops with beautiful stuff that we strolled past. We found a place that I had read about where you can buy books that are then distributed to school children in poor areas. We bought a few. I bought an icecream from a street seller for 2000 kip ( 25cents) . It was like a chocolate coated chocolate paddlepop but the icecream was fairly basic.
There are lots of tourists wandering around, many guesthouses, many places operating tours to places a little way out of town, lots of colour – the buildings, tropical plants etc. The locals seem pleasant and gentle. It is quieter and more peaceful than either Dali or Lijiang in Yunnan that I visited last year.
Day 6 Friday Pak Beng to Luang Prabang
Another day on the river leisurely watching the world go past.
We stopped before lunch at a Lao village. This was more prosperous than the village we stopped at the day before. It was a Buddhist village complete with temple. The houses were on stilts and underneath many were either looms where beautiful scarves were woven or stills where whiskey was distilled. Some in our group sampled the whiskey and most bought a scarf or 3.
After lunch we stopped at some caves where there are thousands of Buddha images. The first cave was crowded, dark and I thought, quite oppressive, so I got out. We walked a short way to another cave in which I did not feel so uncomfortable.
We arrived at Luang Prabang in the late afternoon. The hotel we are staying in is brand new with spacious rooms and a nice feel.
Luang Prabang is built on a narrow strip of land formed where the Namkam river joins the Mekong. It was formed in the 12th century and has had very mixed fortunes since then. There is evidence in the town of Thai, Cambodian, Burmese and French cultures. It was declared a world heritage site by the UN in 1995.
We stopped before lunch at a Lao village. This was more prosperous than the village we stopped at the day before. It was a Buddhist village complete with temple. The houses were on stilts and underneath many were either looms where beautiful scarves were woven or stills where whiskey was distilled. Some in our group sampled the whiskey and most bought a scarf or 3.
After lunch we stopped at some caves where there are thousands of Buddha images. The first cave was crowded, dark and I thought, quite oppressive, so I got out. We walked a short way to another cave in which I did not feel so uncomfortable.
We arrived at Luang Prabang in the late afternoon. The hotel we are staying in is brand new with spacious rooms and a nice feel.
Luang Prabang is built on a narrow strip of land formed where the Namkam river joins the Mekong. It was formed in the 12th century and has had very mixed fortunes since then. There is evidence in the town of Thai, Cambodian, Burmese and French cultures. It was declared a world heritage site by the UN in 1995.
Day 5 Thursday Chiang Rai to Pak Beng
We had an early start and drove for 2 hours through mainly farming land – corn, hops, tobacco, mangos and bananas . We watched the sun rise as we drove mainly eastwards to Chiang Khong on the Thai side of the border with Lao. There was a fairly orderly queue to clear immigration and then we walked down a hill and got into long narrow boats and we taken across the Mekong river to the Laos side. The queue of people who had visas (like us)was fairly orderly but there was a noisy, pushing throng of people trying to get visas nearby.
We then climbed into the back of a little local bus ( made for short people, I discovered) to be taken a kilometre or so to another place on the river where we bordered a larger more luxurious boat ( along with about 14 others of mixed nationalities) to cruise for 2 days to Luang Prabang. After a delicious lunch we stopped at a Khamu village. Our excellent local guide told us about the life of the 75 families / 350 people who lived there and we wandered around. It was a poor village, the people were animists and had several shamans to help them deal with the spirits, both good and bad. They were subsistence farmers and occasionally sold their excess crops. There was a primary school.
It was very relaxing watching the river, the rocks, the small villages in amongst the jungle, the clearings with crops, the occasional group of people on the river banks, the few other boats.
In the late afternoon we arrived at the lodge where we stayed about 1 km from Pak Beng. We walked up a sandy path to the hotel while an army of helpers carried our bags. The lodge consisted of a central area – admin, restaurant etc and about 16 usually individual bungalows. Mine was at the far end of the complex and had a balcony from which I had a lovely view of the mighty Mekong. The windows were wood louvers with gaps between the louvers so sleeping under the provided mosquito net was a must.
Before dinner we were treated to a display of singing and dancing from some of the local tribes. It was very low key – all kids dancing with, I think, some of their parents acting as musicians but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
We then climbed into the back of a little local bus ( made for short people, I discovered) to be taken a kilometre or so to another place on the river where we bordered a larger more luxurious boat ( along with about 14 others of mixed nationalities) to cruise for 2 days to Luang Prabang. After a delicious lunch we stopped at a Khamu village. Our excellent local guide told us about the life of the 75 families / 350 people who lived there and we wandered around. It was a poor village, the people were animists and had several shamans to help them deal with the spirits, both good and bad. They were subsistence farmers and occasionally sold their excess crops. There was a primary school.
It was very relaxing watching the river, the rocks, the small villages in amongst the jungle, the clearings with crops, the occasional group of people on the river banks, the few other boats.
In the late afternoon we arrived at the lodge where we stayed about 1 km from Pak Beng. We walked up a sandy path to the hotel while an army of helpers carried our bags. The lodge consisted of a central area – admin, restaurant etc and about 16 usually individual bungalows. Mine was at the far end of the complex and had a balcony from which I had a lovely view of the mighty Mekong. The windows were wood louvers with gaps between the louvers so sleeping under the provided mosquito net was a must.
Before dinner we were treated to a display of singing and dancing from some of the local tribes. It was very low key – all kids dancing with, I think, some of their parents acting as musicians but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Day 4 Wednesday Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai
We spent most of the day driving, largely through a national park. Hills and valleys with some crops and medium farmhouses. Several guest house/ resort like places that seemed newish but hard to see because of the lush vegetation that lined the road ( made photo taking difficult too) We stopped at some thermal springs that have morphed into a bus stop/ tourist trap for a break and later had lunch at a pleasant road side large restaurant alongside a river. Our table of 4 shared 4 dishes ( not huge servings but more than adequate for lunch) for the grand total of 125 baht – about $4. They had a large display of desert pies – seemingly out of place - and I had 2/3 of a piece of delicious mango pie.
Later in the afternoon we stopped at a very odd place. A notable Thai artist is building a temple in the middle of nowhere. The temple is rendered with white concrete inlaid with millions of pieces of shiny glass. It looks like some fairytale winter wonderland thing. Inside the walls were being painted with Buddhist stuff with , eg, superman flying past a stupa and spiderman climbing up a pagoda. There was a gallery of his paintings. Not to my taste.
Chiang Rai had a nice feel to it. Another nice hotel. A few of us went for a walk to a museum of Thai hill tribes. We watched a video and then strolled round exhibits dealing with customs, agricultural practises, lifestyle etc of the 7 major tribes.
In the evening we gathered in the lobby for a drink before dinner. I had a cocktail at a cost of 200baht ( 1$ AUS = 30 baht) A glass of wine costs 180 baht. We then walked to an open air ‘food court’ . I had a large plate of fresh mixed tempura – vegetables and prawns - for 50 baht.
Later in the afternoon we stopped at a very odd place. A notable Thai artist is building a temple in the middle of nowhere. The temple is rendered with white concrete inlaid with millions of pieces of shiny glass. It looks like some fairytale winter wonderland thing. Inside the walls were being painted with Buddhist stuff with , eg, superman flying past a stupa and spiderman climbing up a pagoda. There was a gallery of his paintings. Not to my taste.
Chiang Rai had a nice feel to it. Another nice hotel. A few of us went for a walk to a museum of Thai hill tribes. We watched a video and then strolled round exhibits dealing with customs, agricultural practises, lifestyle etc of the 7 major tribes.
In the evening we gathered in the lobby for a drink before dinner. I had a cocktail at a cost of 200baht ( 1$ AUS = 30 baht) A glass of wine costs 180 baht. We then walked to an open air ‘food court’ . I had a large plate of fresh mixed tempura – vegetables and prawns - for 50 baht.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Luang Prabang
It is Sunday. We have had a very relaxing few days here. I have a few longish posts ready on my computer but there appears to be a problem wit the wireless network. We continue to eat and drink very well. One of the highlights has been a delicious lemon and mint icy drink. Very refreshing.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Chiang Rai to Pak Beng
Got here safely. I have the best hut in the whole complex. Mr DW and his wife are jealous. River trip great. More details when I am sober and less tired.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Day 3 Tues Chiang Mai
This morning’s visit to an elephant training camp was great. It was a bit touristy and not something that Ross normally takes his tours to but worthwhile. We arrived after about a 45 minute drive through fairly affluent countryside – large farmhouses, rice fields, military camps etc -. The first thing, once we were there was some members of our group bought bananas to feed to a row of waiting elephants. My friend, Mr DW, tentatively approached an extended trunk but before he could separate a banana from the bunch, the trunk whipped away the whole bunch. You could easily imagine the glee in the elephant’s eye. We then went to watch some elephants have a wash in the nearby stream. They were scrubbed by their mahoots. Some of the younger elephants delighted in rolling around and playing, just like little kids. We then went up the hill to an arena like space with tiered seating. There were other tourists, but not too many. It never felt overcrowded. We then watched some elephants doing all sorts of things – the things related to their life as working animals in the jungle were good. We watched some hauling and stacking large heavy logs, lifting different limbs on command so their mahoots could easily climb up. That was ok. We watched a few playing ‘soccer’ – kicking balls, 1 throwing darts and a few similar activities that looked like they might be having fun but we were not sure about watching some elephants paint pictures. Their mahout would put a brush loaded with paint into their trunk and then the elephant would put paint onto some paper on an ease, making quite recognisable pictures. Maybe it was OK as an exercise in showing how ‘trainable’ asian elephants are, but I hardly think that at the end of a day hauling teak logs in the jungle an elephant would relax by painting a picture.
Then came the best part. Another lady in our group and I climbed up into a wooden box-like seat on top of Noi ( 14 years old) and went off in a line of about 8 elephants up the hill into the jungle , down again and back along and through a river for 1 hour. The path was narrow ( elbows in or a tree would take some skin off) , muddy and steep ( hold on). Once I got used to the rocking and rolling motion it was lovely. It was very peaceful, we could have been miles from anywhere, travelling in the same manner and at the same pace as people have for many centuries. Noi was very obedient and seemed to obey the mahout, unlike the elephant in front of us who seemed hungry and would sometimes take a few steps off the path when he spied some particular leaves he fancied. He would stay there till he had finished eating despite the protestations of his mahout. Apparently another of the elephants’ mahout also saw some leaves he fancied for ‘medicinal’ reasons and stopped to collect some, asking his passengers to carry them. Apparently the place runs a breeding program and we saw a group of about 10 young elephants we were told were 5 years old.
We went to a local restaurant for a good cheap lunch and then to Wat Doi Soi Thet on top of a hill about 30 minutes drive from the centre of Chang Mai. This temple complex was similar in atmosphere to those we saw in Burma last year. – lots of little buildings with different shrines and statutes around the place, with tourists walking around respectfully ( usually) but with just as many Buddhists sitting quietly at different places. Our local guide looked up in a book to remind me that I was born on a Saturday and hence the Buddha image that was of particular relevance to me was 1 with a snake coiled around on which he was sitting, with the snake coming up behind him. I was told that people born on a Saturday can often appear aggressive, powerful and angry on the outside but are quite soft on the inside, like a snake. My friend, the wife of Mr DW, thought this was very funny. I wonder why?
We had another cheap delicious meal in the evening at the local equivalent of an outdoor food court before buying some souvenirs. The stalls in the night markets are quite close together but there is little aggressive selling.
Then came the best part. Another lady in our group and I climbed up into a wooden box-like seat on top of Noi ( 14 years old) and went off in a line of about 8 elephants up the hill into the jungle , down again and back along and through a river for 1 hour. The path was narrow ( elbows in or a tree would take some skin off) , muddy and steep ( hold on). Once I got used to the rocking and rolling motion it was lovely. It was very peaceful, we could have been miles from anywhere, travelling in the same manner and at the same pace as people have for many centuries. Noi was very obedient and seemed to obey the mahout, unlike the elephant in front of us who seemed hungry and would sometimes take a few steps off the path when he spied some particular leaves he fancied. He would stay there till he had finished eating despite the protestations of his mahout. Apparently another of the elephants’ mahout also saw some leaves he fancied for ‘medicinal’ reasons and stopped to collect some, asking his passengers to carry them. Apparently the place runs a breeding program and we saw a group of about 10 young elephants we were told were 5 years old.
We went to a local restaurant for a good cheap lunch and then to Wat Doi Soi Thet on top of a hill about 30 minutes drive from the centre of Chang Mai. This temple complex was similar in atmosphere to those we saw in Burma last year. – lots of little buildings with different shrines and statutes around the place, with tourists walking around respectfully ( usually) but with just as many Buddhists sitting quietly at different places. Our local guide looked up in a book to remind me that I was born on a Saturday and hence the Buddha image that was of particular relevance to me was 1 with a snake coiled around on which he was sitting, with the snake coming up behind him. I was told that people born on a Saturday can often appear aggressive, powerful and angry on the outside but are quite soft on the inside, like a snake. My friend, the wife of Mr DW, thought this was very funny. I wonder why?
We had another cheap delicious meal in the evening at the local equivalent of an outdoor food court before buying some souvenirs. The stalls in the night markets are quite close together but there is little aggressive selling.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Monday 9 November Bangkok to Chang Rai
This morning I woke early, thought ‘ I need some exercise’ so went for a walk. This was interesting. I had a rough ‘touristy’ map and saw that we were not far ( or so I thought) from the river – but there was no scale. Nevermind. I set off and made ‘almost mistake’ number 1 – I did not remember to ask the doorman for a card from the hotel with the details – but he remembered to give me one. He refused to believe that I could walk to the river – said it would take at least 1 hour. ‘Almost mistake’ 2 – I forgot to find out the going price for a taxi back to the hotel. I set off at about 6.30 in the early morning half light. There were a few people going to work, quite a few school kids, people sweeping the already quite clean pavements, people setting up food stalls. I walked quite briskly because I needed the exercise. After about 35 minutes I got to the ‘river’ ( glorified drain) and knew my time was limited so took a few quick photos and started to return. Mistake 1 – I decided to come back a different way rather than the safer option of retracing my steps. I headed off in the right direction – went along several roads that bent in the wrong direction so went down narrow lanes ( at no time did I feel threatened) – stopped to ask someone – ‘almost mistake’ 3 – I was told where I was going ( the hotel is next to a well known shopping complex) was in completely the wrong direction. Luckily I did not take her advice. I went along more back streets looking for a more major road and finally found one I recognised and got back at 8am. ‘Almost mistake’ 4 – I was in need of food. So I was quite luck because if one or more of the ‘almost mistakes’ had been ‘mistakes’ I might have been a bit worried. I had time for a second shower and a big breakfast before we went to the airport for out flight here – Chang Mai – a 1 ¾ hour flight north of Bangkok.
Chang Mai is the second city of Thailand ( 1.6 million people) to Bangkok (11 million). I went for a walk with some other of our tour and we ended up not where we thought we were going but it did not matter. We got to a river and watched some people buying fish and birds from a little stall and releasing them. Apparently ‘liberating’ different things get you different sort of help.
We then had a cocktail and are soon to go out for dinner. I have decided to go for a ride on an elephant tomorrow. Watch this space.
Chang Mai is the second city of Thailand ( 1.6 million people) to Bangkok (11 million). I went for a walk with some other of our tour and we ended up not where we thought we were going but it did not matter. We got to a river and watched some people buying fish and birds from a little stall and releasing them. Apparently ‘liberating’ different things get you different sort of help.
We then had a cocktail and are soon to go out for dinner. I have decided to go for a ride on an elephant tomorrow. Watch this space.
Sunday 8 November
Today was an exercise in patience and acceptance. If you choose to live in Australia and want to go anywhere else it takes time. I left my home at 5.30am and arrived in this hotel in Bangkok at 5.30 pm local time ( 9.30 Canberra time). We waited around at Canberra airport, Sydney airport, put up with inconsiderate people on the airplane, waited in a long queue to get into Thailand and sat in a bus for almost an hour to get to the hotel. All fairly normal.
The most noteworthy happening occurred right at the start. My little (international carry-on size) bag was weighed at 10.4 kg. The check-in chick proceeded to put a ‘Heavy’ label on it with 11kg written on it. In response to my perplexed query she replied that baggage handlers expect small bags to weigh less than 8 kg and that 11kg is too much to lift one-handed. Makes you wonder about the strength of the baggage handlers.
I had dinner (pizza) with some others in the group at an Italian restaurant in the hotel. There will be plenty of time for authentic tastes later , along with the noise and hussle and bustle of people and traffic.
The most noteworthy happening occurred right at the start. My little (international carry-on size) bag was weighed at 10.4 kg. The check-in chick proceeded to put a ‘Heavy’ label on it with 11kg written on it. In response to my perplexed query she replied that baggage handlers expect small bags to weigh less than 8 kg and that 11kg is too much to lift one-handed. Makes you wonder about the strength of the baggage handlers.
I had dinner (pizza) with some others in the group at an Italian restaurant in the hotel. There will be plenty of time for authentic tastes later , along with the noise and hussle and bustle of people and traffic.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Testing for next trip
I am testing that this blog still works. I am off to northern Thailand, Laos and Cambodia in just over 2 weeks.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Trip home
The rest of Wednesday was fairly mundane – pack up, walk to London Bridge tube ( I had a conversation with a group of men outside a pub about my backpack – rather more loaded than when I left Canberra), negotiate the fairly crowded trains ( bit tricky) , Heathrow Express ( a tube would have been cheaper but I am learning ( very slowly) sometimes to take the more expensive but more reliable and faster option) , Vat refund office. When I came to check in at one of those boarding pass dispensing machines like at Canberra airport, the screen refused – said I needed to have more documentation. There was a nearby man who said I needed a visa to enter Australia. I said but that’s OK I will enter Australia on my Autralian passport. He said but now their system automatically connects to an Australian immigration site that won’t let people with British passports checkin to a flight to Australia without a visa. I said but I entered England on my British passport – doesnot matter he said. No point in any more questions I wanted to get on the plane. I groveled under my clothes and produced my Australian passport which got me a boarding pass.
Someone should write a book or do a study on people’s behaviour on aeroplanes or on etiquette on planes. The lady next to me insisted on using the arm rest between us, but that had the controls to my screen. Several times I had to ask her to move. Her husband was on her right, so at least she never asked me to move so she could get out. She also several times leaned right across me and called out to her friend who was sitting across the aisle and a few seats forward of me and talked in a loud voice in a language which I could not understand. ( I might not have been quite so put out if I could have eavesdropped) . The BA flight offered cranberry juice as one of the juice options which I have not seen before. The flight was OK. The lady sitting next to me on the leg from Singapore was a smaller woman and kept well within her seat. I got straight through customs and onto an earlier flight to Canberra.
I was pleased with how the trip went. I think 5 weeks may have been better. I think it would have worked better if I had taken a few days off between Venice and London and stayed somewhere in the country that provided all meals, somewhere I did not have to think. I was a bit too tired in London and did not appreciate the museums enough. I used all my clothes except my sun hat and should have used that sitting in the sun for lunch in Ireland – I was just too lazy to walk upstairs and get it. One of the nice shirts I bought was very useful in London and for dinner in Ireland so I will consider taking something similar next time. I had 16kg coming home – quite a few extra books and odds and ends.
Once again, I have appreciated knowing that some people were reading of my activities. Thank you. It helps me not feel lonely.
Till next time..
Someone should write a book or do a study on people’s behaviour on aeroplanes or on etiquette on planes. The lady next to me insisted on using the arm rest between us, but that had the controls to my screen. Several times I had to ask her to move. Her husband was on her right, so at least she never asked me to move so she could get out. She also several times leaned right across me and called out to her friend who was sitting across the aisle and a few seats forward of me and talked in a loud voice in a language which I could not understand. ( I might not have been quite so put out if I could have eavesdropped) . The BA flight offered cranberry juice as one of the juice options which I have not seen before. The flight was OK. The lady sitting next to me on the leg from Singapore was a smaller woman and kept well within her seat. I got straight through customs and onto an earlier flight to Canberra.
I was pleased with how the trip went. I think 5 weeks may have been better. I think it would have worked better if I had taken a few days off between Venice and London and stayed somewhere in the country that provided all meals, somewhere I did not have to think. I was a bit too tired in London and did not appreciate the museums enough. I used all my clothes except my sun hat and should have used that sitting in the sun for lunch in Ireland – I was just too lazy to walk upstairs and get it. One of the nice shirts I bought was very useful in London and for dinner in Ireland so I will consider taking something similar next time. I had 16kg coming home – quite a few extra books and odds and ends.
Once again, I have appreciated knowing that some people were reading of my activities. Thank you. It helps me not feel lonely.
Till next time..
Wednesday 8th April – last day in London
After a nice breakfast, J went to work. I read emails for a short while but decided that I’d rather be out and about in London. My first stop was for a coffee and then I walked along the river checking out the places to have lunch. ( I had been given suggestions) . I kept walking to a good bookshop I had been told about. I am not sure if my granddaughter knows about Madeleine and her school friends, but ‘Madeleine goes to London’ looked like a suitable present. I went onto Southwark Cathedral. I did not have much time ( my lunch reservation awaited - interesting priorities) but it had a good feel to it. It was not just a monument. They have close ties with an Anglican diocese in Zimbabwe and on a wall there was a lovely wall hanging in the form of a map made from material, string, beads, photos, press clippings etc. There was a prayer that said ‘ God bless Zimbabwe, protect her children, transform her leaders, heal her communities and grant her peace’ which I thought said it all.
Lunch was lovely. I sat at an outdoor table in a restaurant that served English food and, because it is coming up to St George Day, they had specialized food from different counties. I had a glass of Ortega from Biddenden Vineyards in Kent – a bit sweeter than I prefer – but it was English. First I had smoked mackerel pate with oatmeal biscuits, then trout and shaved fennel and potatoes, then the highlight – well, most different – Sussex Pond pudding. It was like a small individual steamed pudding upside down but inside was chopped up bits of cooked lemon, skin and all. It was hot, with a hot lemon sauce over the top. There was some cream, what I think is clotted cream, on the side. It was delicious. The espresso was good too. I watched the boats go past and the people. ( see photo - it does not look like there was room for people but there was )It was a lovely way to end my holiday. I walked in the opposite direction along the river for a while before going back to pack.
Tuesday 7th April
In the morning we went on another drive, this time to the north. We saw a nature reserve with lots of lovely old oak trees just coming into leaf - see photo. The wool and craft shop in Glengarriff was closed. Probably just as well going on what I saw through the window – I did not need any more temptation. We set off after lunch to drive to Cork – a different more direct route than we had taken on Sunday. The plane was more than an hour late which meant that we missed our connection in Dublin. The RyanAir staff made it clear that they are a point to point ( their words) airline and are in no way responsible if you miss your connecting flight. They had not checked our bags through from Cork to London – they told me at Cork that they don’t do that – in retrospect, obviously if they are a point-to-point airline. Anyway, there was another flight to London that night which we could get on for 100 euros each. We checked out all the other options and could find no cheaper way. RyanAir have many signs up that they have one of the best reliability records – 90% of their planes arrive on time. Pity if you are in the 10%. The positive side of this was that the plane went to Stanstead – so I got to go to another airport. Because we were later than expected we caught a cab back to J’s home – a nice spacious flat in a restored warehouse complex just SE of Tower Bridge. This was another plus – I had not had a ride in a London cab – an institution – but ₤10 divided by 2 was worth it.
Monday 6th April SW Cork
After breakfast P and C took us on a lovely drive over smaller roads than we had gone. The day started out a bit inclement – but cleared. We went to a lookout overlooking Bantry Bay and then drove a bit further and looked over Dunmanus Bay to the south. There was a small splodge in the sea we could just make out – Fastnet rock. I had never known where it was – just knew of it from the yacht race. We stopped at a farm at Durrus to buy some cheese, went to the fish shop in Skull ( second photo) and then another lookout. The sun was out long enough to have lunch on the terrace overlooking the bay.
In the afternoon they took us on a lovely walk over their property - first photo
In the afternoon they took us on a lovely walk over their property - first photo
Sun 5th April To Bantry Bay
Breakfast was included but I passed on the black and white pudding that went with the full breakfast of bacon , eggs, etc etc. We drove by the most direct route to Cork. We stopped in a town about 11.30 for a cup of tea and the only thing open, apart from a newsagent, was a pub. We did not see anything like a café , open or not.
After Cork we went south to the coast to Kinsale, supposed one of the oldest fishing villages in Ireland. It has expanded rapidly in the last few years with facilities for tourists and lost much of its character but we did find a nice café for a late lunch. We drove on through little picturesque villages ( see photo) , along lanes that were quite narrow, along roads with lovely views of the sea, past fields of cows, some sheep usually black faced- a lovely drive. It was green , very green.
We arrived at 6pm at our destination on the shores of Bantry Bay. The couple ( P and C) we visited are elderly relations of John’s mother. They had an Australian flag hanging over the front door. I had met them in Melbourne in 1983 but had no memory of the occasion, despite them showing me a photograph taken at the time of a large group including my family. Kevin and Carol had met them in 2003 when they visited Canberra. John and I were in Italy at the time. The ‘house’ they live in is large. It looks to me more like a small castle. It was built in about 1930 and little has changed since. P and C have led very interesting lives in many parts of the world and they have many artifacts collected over the years. They are very used to having people to stay and are excellent hosts. There were really interesting to talk to and interested in us.
After Cork we went south to the coast to Kinsale, supposed one of the oldest fishing villages in Ireland. It has expanded rapidly in the last few years with facilities for tourists and lost much of its character but we did find a nice café for a late lunch. We drove on through little picturesque villages ( see photo) , along lanes that were quite narrow, along roads with lovely views of the sea, past fields of cows, some sheep usually black faced- a lovely drive. It was green , very green.
We arrived at 6pm at our destination on the shores of Bantry Bay. The couple ( P and C) we visited are elderly relations of John’s mother. They had an Australian flag hanging over the front door. I had met them in Melbourne in 1983 but had no memory of the occasion, despite them showing me a photograph taken at the time of a large group including my family. Kevin and Carol had met them in 2003 when they visited Canberra. John and I were in Italy at the time. The ‘house’ they live in is large. It looks to me more like a small castle. It was built in about 1930 and little has changed since. P and C have led very interesting lives in many parts of the world and they have many artifacts collected over the years. They are very used to having people to stay and are excellent hosts. There were really interesting to talk to and interested in us.
Sat 4th April
This morning another lovely walk - through woods, over fields, etc but not as many gates as yesterday and more views. After lunch my hosts drove me to Gatewick along lanes, past hedges, through little villages – it was very scenic. I caught my first RyanAir flight – to Dublin. My niece, J, met me at the airport – she had arrived earlier and had collected a car. We drove, via the port area and a nice view out to sea over the sand, into the main town. After a few circuits we found a park and went looking for a reasonably priced restaurant serving Irish food – along with many other people. We found a lovely place. J had an Irish beef stew and I had a seafood pancake – their pancakes, called boxtys, have potato in them, but are still quite thin. It was quite late by the time we got to the b and b .
Friday 3rd April near Guildford
I left my nice little shoebox - probably more a bootbox - and caught the bus to Waterloo station and then the train to Guildford where John’s cousin met me and drove back to her home. I met her new ( since I was last here in 2002) husband. We chatted over lunch and then went for a walk through woods, down laneways, over fields, through many gates. It was a bit misty but perfectly still and there were lovely views. In the evening another cousin and his wife came for dinner – they live on an adjoining property on the weekends. It was a lovely evening, good food, good wine, and good company.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Thursday 2 April Dinosaurs
Today I went to a place for breakfast that I have passed in the bus quite a few times and have read about . Daylesford Organic – a nice place that sells organic food, a lot of which has been grown in Daylesfood – they grow the cows, make the cheese etc etc. It does meals too. It had a nice feel – there were many staff bringing in the day’s produce, serving customers, but with an air of quiet efficiency rather than haste. But then again it was only 1/3 full of people. There was an emphasis on thinking about what you eat, eating good stuff, etc. The long central table was set with paper place mats that said ‘For what we are about to receive’ which I thought was a nice way of reminding people to think about what they were eating and where it had come from. A lady came and sat near me and asked for a ‘flat white’ - I’ve never seen a ‘flat white’ on a menu here. The staff member asked her what she meant so she got up to go and talk to the barista. While she was gone the guy over the table from me said to me in his very proper English accent ‘I’ve never heard of a flat white’ I told him that I had! I had mushrooms, poached egg and hollandaise sauce on toast – to compare with the previous one. It was delicious – different and yummy. The coffee was good. Not a given in this city.
On the way to the bus stop a guy on his bike stopped and asked me directions – that I knew! Mind you, talking to him made me miss my bus. It did not make much difference. I got to the Museum of Natural History at 10.10 and waited in a queue for 25 minutes. At least there were interesting local people to talk to. (When I came out at 12.30 there was no queue.) I wandered around – mainly the dinosaurs and mammals. I never got a good photo of a yak when I was in China last year so was pleased to get one here, even if it was behing glass. In Burma we saw a takin in captivity – a maingy looking specimen, so it was good to see a ‘healthy’ (even if stuffed) one of those too. I had to go into the room that is called ‘creepy crawlies’ – alongside all the other ‘proper’ names like ‘ecology’ , ‘fish’ ‘mammals’ etc- in all the literature. I was impressed by the large number of staff at various places talking to the visitors and just wandering around. I was not impressed by the large numbers of people, or rather I think it is the noise that they generate that puts me off. There were many many school group – but it does cater for younger people very well. There was an old ( even older than me) gentleman looking at the millipede v centipede display and pushing buttons to see the answer to questions, just like me.
Then I caught a bus to the northern end of Marylebone High Street because I had been told that it was full of nice little shops – which it was. The best was this great bookshop – Daunt books with lovely old shelves. The travel section was large. I bought the first book in the series of an Italian police inspector to read in the plane coming home. I have not read any of this series.
I had lunch in a shop very similar to the shop I had breakfast in. I was hungry – I forgot to eat more than usual yesterday and worked out that I had walked 20 kilometres so no wonder I have been hungry today. I looked at all sorts of things and then caught a bus home.
Tomorrow I leave in the morning to catch a train to near Guilford in Surrey. I am staying with a first cousin of John’s . Then on Saturday evening I fly to Dublin. I do not know when I will next have internet access and be conveniently able to put a post on this blog.
On the way to the bus stop a guy on his bike stopped and asked me directions – that I knew! Mind you, talking to him made me miss my bus. It did not make much difference. I got to the Museum of Natural History at 10.10 and waited in a queue for 25 minutes. At least there were interesting local people to talk to. (When I came out at 12.30 there was no queue.) I wandered around – mainly the dinosaurs and mammals. I never got a good photo of a yak when I was in China last year so was pleased to get one here, even if it was behing glass. In Burma we saw a takin in captivity – a maingy looking specimen, so it was good to see a ‘healthy’ (even if stuffed) one of those too. I had to go into the room that is called ‘creepy crawlies’ – alongside all the other ‘proper’ names like ‘ecology’ , ‘fish’ ‘mammals’ etc- in all the literature. I was impressed by the large number of staff at various places talking to the visitors and just wandering around. I was not impressed by the large numbers of people, or rather I think it is the noise that they generate that puts me off. There were many many school group – but it does cater for younger people very well. There was an old ( even older than me) gentleman looking at the millipede v centipede display and pushing buttons to see the answer to questions, just like me.
Then I caught a bus to the northern end of Marylebone High Street because I had been told that it was full of nice little shops – which it was. The best was this great bookshop – Daunt books with lovely old shelves. The travel section was large. I bought the first book in the series of an Italian police inspector to read in the plane coming home. I have not read any of this series.
I had lunch in a shop very similar to the shop I had breakfast in. I was hungry – I forgot to eat more than usual yesterday and worked out that I had walked 20 kilometres so no wonder I have been hungry today. I looked at all sorts of things and then caught a bus home.
Tomorrow I leave in the morning to catch a train to near Guilford in Surrey. I am staying with a first cousin of John’s . Then on Saturday evening I fly to Dublin. I do not know when I will next have internet access and be conveniently able to put a post on this blog.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Wednesday 1 April Thames Path.
I have a brochure that outlines the part of the Thames Path (trail that follows the Thames from its source in the Cotswolds for 294km through London to the Thames barrier) near here. I set off this morning walking westward. It was interesting – a whole range of housing from council flats to fancy new blocks of large apartments. It was quite peaceful for most of the way – assorted boats along the river. I stopped at Putney for morning tea. It was a peculiar mix of an old style English café (apple pie, jam tart, chips and eggs and sausages) and an Italian café ( football team photos on the wall). It had old lino tables with the tomato sauce and a few other bottles, a delightful Italian family Mum, dad, 3 adult daughters all serving plus someone in the kitchen. There were always people waiting to be served – mainly local workmen – most were having chips and eggs. I had a very nice cup of coffee ₤1.30 ( the cheapest I’ve seen it has been 1.95) and a large piece of apple pie ₤1.40. Usually cakes are around ₤3. Many of the customers were known to the family and some had a shot of alcohol in the coffee ( Italian style) .
I walked onto Barnes. I cut off a loop of the river by walking along another path that went through a Common. I could have been miles from anywhere. Barnes has a real village feel to it. There is a pond in the middle of the shops with kids and ducks and mothers with prams. It was a bit early to stop for lunch so I walked on a bit and came to a nice looking pub right on the river so had some cider while I waited for 12 noon then had lunch. I crossed the river and walked back along the other side of the river, but only as far as Chiswick. I caught a bus and then train to get home. I walked a fair way and am about to have a bath.
I walked onto Barnes. I cut off a loop of the river by walking along another path that went through a Common. I could have been miles from anywhere. Barnes has a real village feel to it. There is a pond in the middle of the shops with kids and ducks and mothers with prams. It was a bit early to stop for lunch so I walked on a bit and came to a nice looking pub right on the river so had some cider while I waited for 12 noon then had lunch. I crossed the river and walked back along the other side of the river, but only as far as Chiswick. I caught a bus and then train to get home. I walked a fair way and am about to have a bath.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday 31st March
I thought I better have an English breakfast in England, so I went to a local nice place and had a modern version - a thick slice of brioche style toast, topped with bacon, then mushrooms ( big flat ones with a name I’ve forgotten and a lovely strong taste) and a duck egg on the top. The coffee was good too.
The next bit of the day was less successful. I got to St Paul’s to find it closed to visitors. It was crawling with police and I saw 3 trucks loaded with more police in a side street – and I only looked down 1 side street. Apparently there was going to be a debate on to do with the G20 meeting. The people going in to the debate had to provide 2 types of id with photo and their bags were thoroughly searched. The 2 locals I had tea with on Sunday were saying that firms in the city ( the inner part of London where the financial firms are) were worried and some were telling their staff to come to work in casual clothes on Wednesday and Thursday. The protestors have said they will target the tubes – according to a policeman I talked to. He said use buses – but many roads will be closed. Hmm.
I caught a bus to East Aldgate in the East End and walked along Brick Lane. There were many different shops and restaurants from many different ethnic groups. There were few people around at 9.30 in the morning. Then I caught a bus back through the city and went to Covent Garden and wandered around some of the little lanes and little shops. There is a coffee place that I had been recommended and I lingered over the best cup of coffee I have had in London. I came back to South Kensington railway station and had some soup for lunch at one of the restaurants in the Carluccio chain. I have a recipe book written by Carluccio quite a few years ago when there were not many nearly as many Italian restaurants in London as there are now. I have been pottering here - I m behind in my photos - and have gone down to the King’s road shops and actually gone into some of them to look.
I forgot to say on Sunday, when I was walking from the Embankment ferry stop to the Wolsley, I walked down a street that was the street to go if you were a traditional English male with lots of money – heaps and heaps of money. There were complete outfits like I saw in the V &A , really lovely suits, very fine wool socks for ₤60 and, in 1 shop, a nightshirt ( no price though – there were not many prices in any of the windows) . It looked lovely fine cotton in bright stripes. Now I am on the look out for more nightshirts.
The next bit of the day was less successful. I got to St Paul’s to find it closed to visitors. It was crawling with police and I saw 3 trucks loaded with more police in a side street – and I only looked down 1 side street. Apparently there was going to be a debate on to do with the G20 meeting. The people going in to the debate had to provide 2 types of id with photo and their bags were thoroughly searched. The 2 locals I had tea with on Sunday were saying that firms in the city ( the inner part of London where the financial firms are) were worried and some were telling their staff to come to work in casual clothes on Wednesday and Thursday. The protestors have said they will target the tubes – according to a policeman I talked to. He said use buses – but many roads will be closed. Hmm.
I caught a bus to East Aldgate in the East End and walked along Brick Lane. There were many different shops and restaurants from many different ethnic groups. There were few people around at 9.30 in the morning. Then I caught a bus back through the city and went to Covent Garden and wandered around some of the little lanes and little shops. There is a coffee place that I had been recommended and I lingered over the best cup of coffee I have had in London. I came back to South Kensington railway station and had some soup for lunch at one of the restaurants in the Carluccio chain. I have a recipe book written by Carluccio quite a few years ago when there were not many nearly as many Italian restaurants in London as there are now. I have been pottering here - I m behind in my photos - and have gone down to the King’s road shops and actually gone into some of them to look.
I forgot to say on Sunday, when I was walking from the Embankment ferry stop to the Wolsley, I walked down a street that was the street to go if you were a traditional English male with lots of money – heaps and heaps of money. There were complete outfits like I saw in the V &A , really lovely suits, very fine wool socks for ₤60 and, in 1 shop, a nightshirt ( no price though – there were not many prices in any of the windows) . It looked lovely fine cotton in bright stripes. Now I am on the look out for more nightshirts.
Monday 30th March Lewes
15th century bookshop in Lewes
A Lewes resident
Today I had a lovely day at Lewes. Lewes is the county town of East Sussex. It’s current claims to fame are its castle, built soon after the Norman invasion in 1066, a house bought for Anne of Cleves, little Saxon lanes running between rows of houses and shops called twittens, and a huge and rowdy bonfire night in November. I was met at the train station by a cousin of John’s – the daughter of the couple in Oxford- and her husband. We went back to their home by a very circuitous route to give me an idea of the layout of the town. We sat and chatted and chatted and then walked via the castle to the high street and had lunch at a restaurant run by another family member with their daughter. We walked back to their home and talked some more and then I came home.
This place charges ₤5 for 24 hour internet or ₤30 for 1 week. What I do is start a 24hour period at say 8pm one evening, put a post on my blog, answer emails etc and then the following evening, assuming I am organized, I can put that day’s post onto the blog before the 24 hour period runs out. Then I start another 24 hour period the following evening, thus only paying for 1 day every 2. I had a win yesterday. My 24 hour period was due to run out at 7pm, I got on the bus outside the Wolsely at 6.30, rushed home, sent a few quick emails and realized I was still connected. I had forgotten about day light saving and I had 1 hour more than I thought.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday 29 March
This morning I had a slow start ( helped by daylight saving starting) . I went to a church service in Holy Trinity church in Sloane Square. I went because the daughter of friends used to sing in the choir. It is a nice church – building started in 1888 – Gothic – known as the Arts and Crafts church. William Morris designed some of the bits. It was a ‘smells and bells’ service – too much smells’- the incense started to get up my nose. Apparently some years ago the church addressed the ‘bums on seats’ problem by hiring professional choiristers. The music was lovely – they sang an anthem during communion and lots of other bits. There were several hundred people at the service. I did not see one male over 25 without a jacket. I was definitely the least ‘well dressed’ female.
After church I went on the ordinary ferry service from Embankment to Greenwich. This took about 40 minutes. It was good. I had the ‘walking along the thames’ guide with me so I did not need a commentary – there is quite a lot of detail in the pamphlets. It was interesting to see the development along the river. At Greenwich I bought a quick sandwich and then went straight back to Embankment on the next but one ferry.
I walked to the Wolsely, next to the Ritz., where I met 2 friends of my elder daughter – 1 who I visited before in London and another friend. We had to wait for a little while for a table, but we had a good table in the corner of this lovely old room – high ceilings, twiddly bits, gleaming silver. We had afternoon tea and enjoyed chatting, the occasion, the sandwiches, scones and tiny little cakes and plenty of tea. I donot need any more food today.
After church I went on the ordinary ferry service from Embankment to Greenwich. This took about 40 minutes. It was good. I had the ‘walking along the thames’ guide with me so I did not need a commentary – there is quite a lot of detail in the pamphlets. It was interesting to see the development along the river. At Greenwich I bought a quick sandwich and then went straight back to Embankment on the next but one ferry.
I walked to the Wolsely, next to the Ritz., where I met 2 friends of my elder daughter – 1 who I visited before in London and another friend. We had to wait for a little while for a table, but we had a good table in the corner of this lovely old room – high ceilings, twiddly bits, gleaming silver. We had afternoon tea and enjoyed chatting, the occasion, the sandwiches, scones and tiny little cakes and plenty of tea. I donot need any more food today.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday 28 March
This morning I went out early to take some photos of the streets around here but it was cold and raining so I was quick. I caught the tube to Euston and then the train to Milton Keynes where my cousin ( my father’s sister’s son) and his wife met me. We went back to their home for a cup of tea and chat and chat and more chat. Then we went to a nearby town, Olney, with old houses, old shops and lots of character. We had a lovely lunch, then went to a nice dress shop – she is looking for a dress for their daughter’s wedding –she had no luck but I bought some nice trousers and another white shirt. Then we had a cup of tea and a toasted tea bun – I think that is what it was called. The tea shop was old and I could imagine some of the English detectives in the novels I read when they go to a tea shop in the country. There were all sorts of traditional things but also gluten free cakes were advertised. We walked past a fish and chips shop which advertised that on certain days they had gluten and wheat free batter available.
It was a lovely day – it is really nice to feel on the same wave length as people that I have not seen since 2002 but have talked to and emailed since.
It was a lovely day – it is really nice to feel on the same wave length as people that I have not seen since 2002 but have talked to and emailed since.
Friday 27 March Creatures and Borough Markets ( unrelated)
For the first day in a while I set off with a definite plan. Silly move. I got to St Paul’s (by tube – quicker) only to find it closed for a service. After St Paul’s I was going to catch a bus to Waterloo station to go to the wool shop and browse in their books. I thought I’d walk instead ( about 3 km) and take some photos. The first half was along the river. The first thing that took my fancy was a rather unpleasant looking fish wrapped around a light pole – OK, see how many creatures I could find. I found 7 in a bit over 1 km – 3 different fish, a camel, a sphinx, a dragon, a winged 4 legged creature.
After crossing the river I had a nice cup of coffee at an Italian place. I wonder if sometimes my Italian would be easier for them to understand than my Australian. Waterloo station is confusing. Yesterday I walked around 3 sides of a rectangle, today I managed better but was 1 level higher than I wanted to be – looking over the roof tops of the shops.
I pottered in the wool shop for ages and bought a book of patterns. The shop is quite small but there is a table in the middle. 2 nights a week they have ‘bring your knitting and chat’ night which several places in Australia I know of do, but this place , called I Knit, had a grog license and sold wine, beer and spirits. Tea and coffee too.
I then walked through an area with a lot of council flats and ordinary shops to the Borough markets – apparently the best market for food in London. These were wonderful. I met my niece and she showed me some of the places she shops at, we had a drink at a nearby pub where Brigid Jones Diary was filmed, we had a lovely lunch at a Spanish tapas place, we went to an amazing cheese shop and a few other places.
Then I came home. There is a great variety in tube stations. Some of them are quite claustrophobic. I was on an escalator a few days ago going down ( a long way) quite steeply to a lower level and I reckon a tall person could have touched the roof – or that is what it felt like. I made the mistake of taking my hand off the rail to look at the time and felt funny. This afternoon I had to change lines at Westminster station. This was much more open. I had 3 escalators to go up – not quite as long as the unpleasant one, but you could see them all at once and others too.
After crossing the river I had a nice cup of coffee at an Italian place. I wonder if sometimes my Italian would be easier for them to understand than my Australian. Waterloo station is confusing. Yesterday I walked around 3 sides of a rectangle, today I managed better but was 1 level higher than I wanted to be – looking over the roof tops of the shops.
I pottered in the wool shop for ages and bought a book of patterns. The shop is quite small but there is a table in the middle. 2 nights a week they have ‘bring your knitting and chat’ night which several places in Australia I know of do, but this place , called I Knit, had a grog license and sold wine, beer and spirits. Tea and coffee too.
I then walked through an area with a lot of council flats and ordinary shops to the Borough markets – apparently the best market for food in London. These were wonderful. I met my niece and she showed me some of the places she shops at, we had a drink at a nearby pub where Brigid Jones Diary was filmed, we had a lovely lunch at a Spanish tapas place, we went to an amazing cheese shop and a few other places.
Then I came home. There is a great variety in tube stations. Some of them are quite claustrophobic. I was on an escalator a few days ago going down ( a long way) quite steeply to a lower level and I reckon a tall person could have touched the roof – or that is what it felt like. I made the mistake of taking my hand off the rail to look at the time and felt funny. This afternoon I had to change lines at Westminster station. This was much more open. I had 3 escalators to go up – not quite as long as the unpleasant one, but you could see them all at once and others too.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thursday 26th Tate Modern
I have forgotten to mention the flowers and trees. When I got here, 10 days ago, most of the trees and shrubs were still bare. Now, many of the trees in the street are flowering. – not the great big trees yet. On the way to Portsmouth I saw lots of daffodils on the banks near the train line. Around the corner there is a medium size magnolia that is just coming out. Many people have cyclamen in their window boxes.
Today I caught the bus to St Paul’s and walked over the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Modern. I havenot quite got the hang of looking out of the correct part of my multifocal glasses in the top decks of buses. It is quite hard to see things near to the front wheels of the bus. I find sitting on the right side of the bus better than the left. Took me a while to work out why I felt a bit odd though. I quite liked the Tate Modern building – an old power station was converted to a gallery. They kept the chimney stack and the huge turbine room has been kept as a large space.
I have never tried to understand ‘modern art’ apart from the odd painting. There were a few Picassos that were OK but not that I would not want to put on my walls. I could not understand the rather odd themes of the different rooms ( tho I didnot try very hard - I am almost at painting saturation point) – apparently they change the themes and shuffle the paintings around quite regularly.
I walked to Waterloo railway station and wandered around looking for the bus I wanted to get on. While the map is waterproof, it is still hard to see out of glasses covered in rain. I walked around 3 sides of a rectangle by mistake but stumbled on a lovely wool shop. I went in, dripping water, the lady behind the counter said hullo and added I was allowed to touch in a friendly voice. I told here that I would be back – it was lunch time. We got talking - I said I was from Australia and we could get nice wool but.. and then she filled in .. not pattern books – just what I was going to say. They had a huge range.
I bought some nice lunch on the way home from a little shop nearby that has prepared food. I am having the afternoon off to get up to date with photos and plan my remaining days in London, besides its cold and raining outside..
Today I caught the bus to St Paul’s and walked over the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Modern. I havenot quite got the hang of looking out of the correct part of my multifocal glasses in the top decks of buses. It is quite hard to see things near to the front wheels of the bus. I find sitting on the right side of the bus better than the left. Took me a while to work out why I felt a bit odd though. I quite liked the Tate Modern building – an old power station was converted to a gallery. They kept the chimney stack and the huge turbine room has been kept as a large space.
I have never tried to understand ‘modern art’ apart from the odd painting. There were a few Picassos that were OK but not that I would not want to put on my walls. I could not understand the rather odd themes of the different rooms ( tho I didnot try very hard - I am almost at painting saturation point) – apparently they change the themes and shuffle the paintings around quite regularly.
I walked to Waterloo railway station and wandered around looking for the bus I wanted to get on. While the map is waterproof, it is still hard to see out of glasses covered in rain. I walked around 3 sides of a rectangle by mistake but stumbled on a lovely wool shop. I went in, dripping water, the lady behind the counter said hullo and added I was allowed to touch in a friendly voice. I told here that I would be back – it was lunch time. We got talking - I said I was from Australia and we could get nice wool but.. and then she filled in .. not pattern books – just what I was going to say. They had a huge range.
I bought some nice lunch on the way home from a little shop nearby that has prepared food. I am having the afternoon off to get up to date with photos and plan my remaining days in London, besides its cold and raining outside..
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday 25th March Portsmouth
The beetroot sweet was better than nothing, certainly better than the seppia, baccala and fegato but I won’t be rushing out to buy more.
I spent quite a while today in trains , which was OK. Sometimes I find the people who make the announcements may be speaking the same language, but that doesnot mean I can understand the accent when spoken at speed. A few times today I struggled . My first train was cancelled and it was difficult for me to understand the announcements. I had to get another and be careful to get in one of the front 3 carriages because after a while the back part was going somewhere else. Coming home the train was also cancelled so I had to get one going to Brighton and change, but then there was an announcement on the train to change at a different station, then on that second train I woke up after we had been joined to another train and the sign in the train said we were now going to Bognor Regis not London Victoria . Luckily that was a mistake. Nevermind, it is the first time a train journey has been a bit muddled for me. I was a bit unsettled because I did not have a route map, not any map and did not have a picture in my head of where the different places were. ( Something about lack of control I fear)
Portsmouth was good. I had gone to catch up with 3 people. I spent several hours talking in a café to a cousin of John’s and his wife. They were well . He was recovering quickly after a recent operation to remove a tumor on a kidney. Then I spent 3 hours talking to an English friend who I met in Canberra. She had driven from her home 20minutes away to meet me. We went to a nearby little marina , had a bit of a wander but the weather was not good – blowy and cold. We had lunch, talked some more and she dropped me back at the train station.
I spent quite a while today in trains , which was OK. Sometimes I find the people who make the announcements may be speaking the same language, but that doesnot mean I can understand the accent when spoken at speed. A few times today I struggled . My first train was cancelled and it was difficult for me to understand the announcements. I had to get another and be careful to get in one of the front 3 carriages because after a while the back part was going somewhere else. Coming home the train was also cancelled so I had to get one going to Brighton and change, but then there was an announcement on the train to change at a different station, then on that second train I woke up after we had been joined to another train and the sign in the train said we were now going to Bognor Regis not London Victoria . Luckily that was a mistake. Nevermind, it is the first time a train journey has been a bit muddled for me. I was a bit unsettled because I did not have a route map, not any map and did not have a picture in my head of where the different places were. ( Something about lack of control I fear)
Portsmouth was good. I had gone to catch up with 3 people. I spent several hours talking in a café to a cousin of John’s and his wife. They were well . He was recovering quickly after a recent operation to remove a tumor on a kidney. Then I spent 3 hours talking to an English friend who I met in Canberra. She had driven from her home 20minutes away to meet me. We went to a nearby little marina , had a bit of a wander but the weather was not good – blowy and cold. We had lunch, talked some more and she dropped me back at the train station.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday 24th Selfridges
I was tempted to do nothing today but thought a trip in the buses to Selfridges might be not too stressful. I had been told that if I wanted to go to one department store that Selfridges should be it. I’m not sure if the people who suggested it expected me to buy something – it had lovely stuff – but like the expensive parts of DJ’s. Anyway, I made sure I went into the front entrance and went straight to the info counter. They were far superior to the British Museum – had a lovely, easy to read map that detailed where everything was, and listed all the eating places and what sort of food they served and it was easy to see where the loos were and on which level – not like the Museum – you had to go down heaps of stairs.
My first stop was for morning coffee ( I had had to change buses and breakfast had been several hours before) and they were quite happy for me to have 1 scone rather than the usual 2 per serve. For a moment or 2 I forgot about clotted cream and wondered why they had served me butter. Then I wandered around the food hall. The fish display was interesting. I saw several things that I had seen on menus like skate wings, and dover sole. I also saw conger eel which John and I ate in Chile in 1976 and I havenot seen it anywhere since. The sardines and herrings were bigger than I thought they were. The country of origin and how the fished had been caught /farmed etc were very clearly displayed. I wandered on and saw, in a healthy food counter beetroot sweets. I bought 1 for ₤1 ( I did not want to run the risk of walking out without a bright yellow bag – but then found the food hall uses brown bags). It is a cube roughly 3cm x 3cm x3cm and the ingredients are : cashews, dates, cinnamon, beetroot, fennel seeds according to the label. No sugar or fat. I checked out the oyster bar thinking ahead about lunch., but decided that for the prices they were charging I could shout my 2 frivolous friends to the oyster bar in Sydney DJ’s ( which one of them introduced me to) and still be ahead.
I wandered around the displays of lovely things but felt rather intimidated. I was standing looking at some shirts which were expensive but nice. A middle aged Frenchman asked if I needed help. I explained that I was having afternoon tea on Sunday in a hotel and did not want to buy a new outfit ( well, definitely not at that shop) and thought a new shirt might work. He thought for a bit and produced a nice striped red and white shirt in a slightly crumpled looking fabric and said ‘this one madam’ .’ Why? Why not one of those nice multi coloured thin striped ones with beautiful cuffs? ‘ He very politely said – with casual pants , a nice casual shirt created a better effect than a better shirt with casual pants unless they were nice jeans. At least I think that is what he was saying. Anyway the shirt was nice. At that point 2 young English females joined the discussion. I am not sure they were as convinced as he, but I bought the shirt. He said as he was wrapping it that it will be a good shirt to travel with. ‘You don’t want to carry too much weight’ he said . To which I replied ‘ pity about all the morning teas I’ve been eating’ deliberately taking another meaning. He went bright red, poor man. I hastily apologized. Earlier he told me I needed something around my neck. He asked what sort of necklaces I had with me. Initially he did not believe me when I said none. The whole experience was worth the extra money in amusement value.
I was exhausted by the whole thing and had lunch. I had been told that salt beef sandwiches were an institution at Selfridges, so thought I better have one. It was OK. They said it was on rye bread - I suppose it could have had 5% rye flour max. I wandered in and out of a few other shops but had had enough so came home. Not sure what I will do with my big bright yellow bag.
My first stop was for morning coffee ( I had had to change buses and breakfast had been several hours before) and they were quite happy for me to have 1 scone rather than the usual 2 per serve. For a moment or 2 I forgot about clotted cream and wondered why they had served me butter. Then I wandered around the food hall. The fish display was interesting. I saw several things that I had seen on menus like skate wings, and dover sole. I also saw conger eel which John and I ate in Chile in 1976 and I havenot seen it anywhere since. The sardines and herrings were bigger than I thought they were. The country of origin and how the fished had been caught /farmed etc were very clearly displayed. I wandered on and saw, in a healthy food counter beetroot sweets. I bought 1 for ₤1 ( I did not want to run the risk of walking out without a bright yellow bag – but then found the food hall uses brown bags). It is a cube roughly 3cm x 3cm x3cm and the ingredients are : cashews, dates, cinnamon, beetroot, fennel seeds according to the label. No sugar or fat. I checked out the oyster bar thinking ahead about lunch., but decided that for the prices they were charging I could shout my 2 frivolous friends to the oyster bar in Sydney DJ’s ( which one of them introduced me to) and still be ahead.
I wandered around the displays of lovely things but felt rather intimidated. I was standing looking at some shirts which were expensive but nice. A middle aged Frenchman asked if I needed help. I explained that I was having afternoon tea on Sunday in a hotel and did not want to buy a new outfit ( well, definitely not at that shop) and thought a new shirt might work. He thought for a bit and produced a nice striped red and white shirt in a slightly crumpled looking fabric and said ‘this one madam’ .’ Why? Why not one of those nice multi coloured thin striped ones with beautiful cuffs? ‘ He very politely said – with casual pants , a nice casual shirt created a better effect than a better shirt with casual pants unless they were nice jeans. At least I think that is what he was saying. Anyway the shirt was nice. At that point 2 young English females joined the discussion. I am not sure they were as convinced as he, but I bought the shirt. He said as he was wrapping it that it will be a good shirt to travel with. ‘You don’t want to carry too much weight’ he said . To which I replied ‘ pity about all the morning teas I’ve been eating’ deliberately taking another meaning. He went bright red, poor man. I hastily apologized. Earlier he told me I needed something around my neck. He asked what sort of necklaces I had with me. Initially he did not believe me when I said none. The whole experience was worth the extra money in amusement value.
I was exhausted by the whole thing and had lunch. I had been told that salt beef sandwiches were an institution at Selfridges, so thought I better have one. It was OK. They said it was on rye bread - I suppose it could have had 5% rye flour max. I wandered in and out of a few other shops but had had enough so came home. Not sure what I will do with my big bright yellow bag.
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