I’m writing this from my guest house in Hua Hin, which is built on stilts over the sea. I can hear the waves crashing below me as the tide comes in for the evening – aaahhh!!! I loved my time in Nepal, but it is good to escape the craziness of the bandh, the Kathmandu dust and the constant power cuts. As I left on Sunday the whole country had grounded to a halt; not even any taxis were running but luckily there was a tourist bus (even though it was a tad overcrowded) to take us to the airport.

Saying goodbye to Bodhi in Kathmandu

Gele and I had an interesting few days in Bangkok. Very sad I know, but I got very excited to spot some British shops: Marks and Sparks, Next, Boots and even Tescos. I think I have a good excuse :oS – I haven’t been to the UK in over 1.5 years and I have just spent 2 months in Nepal! I lost my temper with the tuk tuk drivers; I wanted to go to the river so we could catch the local boat to Th Khao San, however they kept insisting we take a long boat for a bargain price of $100 – grrrrr!!! Even when we finally got a driver to take us, he took us to the long boat terminal and not the local boat stop – double grrrrrr!!! We had a few hours break from the heat and humidity in the Siam aquarium. Gele has never seen tropical fish, sharks or rays being from a land lock country, so it was a ploy to try and convince him to go in the sea. However, I think it only added to his fears :oS Also we ate lots of yummy Thai food, which was definitely a welcome change from Thamel fine dining.

Glassboat Tour at Siam Ocean World

Yesterday, we left Bangkok by train to head for the beaches in the South. I love train journeys; it’s my favourite way to travel. There were only 3rd class tickets left, so we had wooden seats and natural air condition from the fully open windows. It was great to watch the Thai landscape whiz past: lush green farmlands, towns, Thai people going about their day-to-day life and Buddhist temples. I just wished it had been a wee bit cooler, it was like sitting in a fan oven.

Yummy coconut shake

Today, we hired a motorbike to explore Dolphin Bay; unfortunately we were a bit late in the season to spot any bottlenose dolphins. However, it was a fun way to spend the day, being on the back of a motorbike. We did get hopelessly lost a number of times and all the road signs being in Thai certainly made navigating a challenge. Somehow we found Dolphin Bay; it was a beautiful remote beach with the backdrop of jungle covered islands. It really warranted a longer visit – maybe next time.

Hua Hin and Our Motorbike