Last Blog and Testament

Well, dear reader, this is the last post from 'Briandvivgoflashpacking'.

Thankfully, the protests we feared following the Supreme Court's decision on whether to seize the former Prime Minister's allegedly ill-gotten billions was postponed till March, and we suffered no delays before leaving Bangkok on schedule on February 28th.

We are now back in the real world with Louise and Dave in Bestwood Village and diligently seeking gainful employment and a home of our own.

Before wrapping up our trip once and for all, I thought I'd summarise a few details about our travels, so here goes: -

Methods of transport used:

Planes - 20

Trains - 3 (1 sleeper)

Automobiles - 9 (4 private hire taxis, 5 self-drive cars)

Cruise ships - 1

Cruise boats - 1

Ferries - 9

Long-distance buses - 9

Recreational Vehicles - 1

Campervans - 1

(The above list doesn't include local journeys in cars, buses, ferries and trains around places we stayed.)

Approximate miles covered in transit:

42,000 (this figure isn't remotely reliable; I suspect air miles, sea miles and road miles are not the same length, and most of the distances between destinations have been calculated retrospectively).

Continents visited:

North America

Australia

Asia

Countries visited:

Canada

USA

Fiji

Australia

Singapore

Malaysia

Cambodia

Thailand

Laos

Vietnam

Currencies used:

Canadian dollar

Australian dollar

Fijian dollar

American dollar

Singaporean dollar

Malaysian ringgit

Cambodian riel

Thai baht

Lao kip

Vietnam dong

Oceans swum or paddled in:

Atlantic

Pacific

South China Sea

Forest fires witnessed:

Lillouet, British Columbia

Vancouver Island

Fairbanks, Alaska

Los Angeles

Blue Mountains, Australia

Books I read:

13 non-fiction

37 fiction

World Heritage sites visited:

Canada - 1

Australia - 6

Malaysia - 2

Cambodia - 1

Laos - 1

Vietnam - 2

Hospital visits required:

Brian - 1 (Calgary)

Me - 1 (Luang Prabang)

Number of posts on this blog:

81 (including this one)

And finally, thank you to everyone who has read this blog (16 of you signed up as followers while many remained anonymous) and emailed me with comments (curiously, only two comments were ever made publicly on the blog itself).

TWOPS, I never figured out who you are - please identify yourselves!!

Sightseeing at the Grand Palace, Bangkok

Not quite the Horseguards at Buckingham Palace, but he was a nice young man.

Detail on one of the many ornate buildings in the complex.

Love this ancient dude.


So many beautiful buildings in such a small space.


Quick shot of the Grand Palace with no other tourists around.

Scary guards.

More intricate palace buildings.

Whether it's the Sistine Chapel, the Blackpool Tower, or the Grand Palace, it needs retouching from time to time.

Lovely monument on the way to the Grand Palace.

Too hot to trot in Bangkok

As we approached the centre of Bangkok by road we saw an impressive high-rise skyline; many prosperous-looking commercial buildings and apartment blocks, only a slight haze of dust and smog, and nothing that gave away the city's identity. At first glance this could be a major capital anywhere in the world.

Yesterday we spent a lovely afternoon and evening with some new friends we met in Halong Bay, and who live in some style in Bangkok. Their apartment is right in the middle of the city, but as soon as we were swimming in their pool (much nicer than the one at our hotel) we forgot about the congested traffic, skytrains, subways, and crowded streets and felt as if we were in a holiday resort again.

Today has been dedicated to sight-seeing, and we've been truly impressed by the splendid buildings at the Grand Palace. As with many of the 'must-see' places on this trip, several of the lovely temple views were marred by scaffolding, but we're getting used to that now. Come to think of it, the church in Kneesall was surrounded by scaffolding when we left, and I bet that's not been taken down yet.

It's really too hot for rubber-necking though; 35 degrees and humid; and, not joking, we're looking forward to wearing shoes, coats and maybe scarves next week.

With regard to the decision on Thaksin's billions, we have heard on good authority that the Supreme Court will seize some and release some, in the hope that a compromise will keep both sides happy. I'll keep you informed!

Photos from Koh Kood

The jetty at Bann Makok, Koh Kood.

Kayaking to the beach.

Sunset at Koh Kood.

One of the rooms over the water.

Our private beach.

Our beach with the tide out.

Inside our room.

Our bathroom.

Outside our room.

Alternative shower the traditional way on our deck.

Brian doing what he does best.

Massage anyone?

Communal living room.

Another lovely beach on Koh Kood.

Have a look at Koh Mak

The garden at Lazy Day resort.


A pier at Koh Mak.

The hospital boat, come to pick up patients.

Having a cup of tea in bed before running down to swim in the sea.

Our outdoor restaurant at Lazy Day.

An enticing path, if it wasn't too hot for walking.

The beach outside our bungalow (tide is in).

Sunset at Koh Mak.

Pictures from around Koh Chang

A typical fishing boat - just one of many plying the waters in the Gulf of Thailand.

A colourful harbour scene in the tiny port of Bang Bao, in the south of Koh Chang.

A glimpse from the ferry of a beach on one of the small islands in the Gulf of Thailand.

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A view of the mountains of Koh Chang taken from Paddy's Palms Irish Bar.

The excellent pool at Paddy's.

Preparing for Re-entry

Well, here we are, back in Koh Chang. We're now staying in the less salubrious surroundings of White Sand Beach, the biggest resort on the island, which has the longest sweep of golden shore; the most bars, restaurants, tour operators, internet cafes, ATMs, pharmacies; the most souvenir/tshirt/swimwear shops, Armani tailors; and by far the most concrete.

White Sand Beach seems like a slightly tacky, bustling metropolis after the pristine havens of Koh Mak and Koh Kood, but we have work to do which requires the trappings of civilisation, so instead of sampling a few more of the 49 small islands in the Gulf of Thailand we have moved into Paddy's Palms Irish Pub and Resort.

Don't laugh - Paddy's Palms, though not a retreat of luxury and style in unspoilt natural surroundings, is clean, comfortable, and very cheap, with a good pool. You wouldn't even know it was an Irish establishment, except that the shower curtain ends nine inches short of the ground, so that the bathroom floor is always awash; oh, and the seat on the lavatory is two sizes too small, so caution when sitting down is required.

Paddy's Palms has a menu that serves potatoes in many forms - mashed, fried, boiled, roast, jacket; even bubble and squeak - very important when potato craving strikes in a land where rice and noodles rule.

What work do we have to do you may wonder. Well, we have photos to edit and download for publishing on the blog; we have transport arrangements to make for our journey to Bangkok;and I need to get my hair done so Louise and Dave aren't shocked by my scarecrow appearance when they pick us up at Heathrow.

Yesterday I called in at a salon to see about having my hair coloured and trimmed. The glamorous stylist I consulted wore short shorts, high heeled shoes, and a low-cut top that revealed a comely bosom. Long, glossy black hair framed a face with a five o' clock shadow and a hint of stubble showing through the perfectly applied make-up. 'Confused of Kneesall' has now developed a rule of thumb; if a Thai girl is taller than me (that is, over 5ft 2in), she is probably a boy. Anyway, I didn't make an appointment, as the price was almost twice what I pay at Sue's Hair Fashions in Ollerton and I thought I could do better.

News has been filtering through of political unrest in mainland Thailand. On February 26th the Supreme Court in Bangkok will give a ruling on whether the assets of the deposed former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, will be released to him or seized by the government. (Yes,if you're wondering, this is the same guy who tried to buy Manchester City Football Club). The question is whether he used undue influence in his position as PM to boost his family fortunes to the tune of 76 billion baht.

These assets are currently frozen, pending the Court's decision, so February 26th is regarded as a flashpoint. If the decision goes against Thaksin, his supporters, the Redshirts, are likely to take to the streets in protest and a coup has been predicted. If Thaksin gets to keep the money, then the opposition, the Yellowshirts, are expected to protest. Either way, the situation could be volatile. We've spent a good deal of time over the last few days trying to get an earlier flight out of Dodge to avoid being stranded in the capital if the airport is closed as in previous confrontations. Unfortunately there's nothing available, so we've decided to stick to our original plan and hope our flight at 0035 hours on February 28th isn't affected.

If trouble flares we shall follow the sensible advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and hide under our bed until it's all over.