50 something on her travels

For weeks I've been trying to take photos of talented bikers, but never get the opportunity.  However we got a very quick blurry snap yesterday.  Introducing beach sellers on scooters - riding down the road with one hand on the bike, whilst holding up a tray of food with the other one. The food isn't covered and the tray is often overflowing.  They drive along the road, looking left and right for a customer. And when they see one, they effortlessly drive off the road into the bumpy beach car park.  I've never seen them drop a thing.  I don't think I'd last long in that job. 🤣

Before Christmas, George had a shoe malfunction when we went out one evening. The sole on his one of his Timberland shoes came apart. His foot looked like a crocodile snapping away down the road. 🐊 So he was on a mission to get a cheap alternative to last the holiday. And I was also on the hunt for new pumps as mine were on their way to the bin.  At a local market in Bangkok we stumbled upon a secondhand trainer shop. Yes - I thought no way are my feet going in someone else's sweaty shoes. But then I went in and changed my mind.  The shop was heaving with trainers that looked so new, you'd never know. Some were very expensive brands. The manager must carefully select what he buys secondhand and then cleans them up like brand new. And yes they smell lovely!  In the end we both bought a pair of pumps each at around £9. I've included a photo now after a few weeks of us wearing them. A little more lived in, but certainly better than buying brand new.  Since ...

We moved to our final destination of our 'tour' of eastern Thailand.  We took another brand new bus down the country's smooth main roads.  We had a birds eye view being at the front on the way. It is was an uneventful three hour journey apart from seeing this very large statue of a quail. We were here for just two nights.  Our hotel was conveniently located close to the airport for a Friday departure.  However it was that close it felt like the aircraft was landing on top of the hotel.  Luckily there weren't many inbound flights a day, and we also had a very quiet room. Apart from seeing this very nice Wat, there wasn't much time for sightseeing.  We were continuing the bad night sleep pattern as George couldn't shift the cold that had gone to his chest.  So he spent the day in bed.  He felt that bad on Thursday night, we took a slow walk to the private hospital twenty minutes down the road.  We sat in reception for ten minutes, and after pro...

At 2pm on 20th January there was a nationwide test of the mobile phone emergency alert system in Thailand.  Like the test we have in the UK, mobile phones emitted loud warning tones for a few seconds.  We weren't aware of the upcoming alert. I was working on my laptop and jumped out of my skin when the phone went off. The last time this happened was during the night in Iceland. A volcano erupted and triggered many earthquakes in the nearby area. Thankfully this was just a test. 

With no Grab taxis here, we had to negotiate our way with the Tuk Tuk mafia. I sent George in to do battle as I only have my frosty go away face when I see them.  Today we took a ride to Wat Roi Phutthabat Phu Manorom.  The white Buddha is around 84 metres high and you can take a lift to the top to see the Mekong and Laos.  There is also a Naga statue that raises its head towards the Mekong. It's very much a developing tourist attraction and a bit of a construction site. 

After going to bed wearing my UK arrival clothing (thermal underwear and woolly hat), I woke with a spring in my step. I was glad to have purged the cold in two days.💪  It took George over a week to get rid of his.  Colds aside, it was time for another bus journey on 19th January - to Mukdahan. The bus journey was around three hours in a brand new coach. At a cost of £3 each, it was a bargain. But there were no snacks provided for a change!  Mukdahan is a small town on the east Thai/Laos border.  The countries are separated by the Mekong River. Or as the locals say - 'Mykong'. Foreigners use this destination as a typical visa run between the two countries. The crossing is made by road over the Friendship Bridge 2. The first bridge is north Thailand to Vientiane and done by train. That crossing I made on a few occasions when working in the capital in Laos.  There really arent many foreigner tourist here at all.  So much that one Brit driving alo...