New Blog Address

Hi Everyone, to make your life easier I decided to consolidate the updates of my trips into a single blog: http://www.lorrainetravels.blogspot.com

It's been such a wonderful month spent travelling in Asia. The trip exceeded all my expectations in every respect. I was the oldest member of the group but with no negative consequence at all. What a great group whose appetite for fun and adventure was well matched by the encourgement of our Tour Leader Bo.
The sites, sights and people we encountered along the way have left us all with the most amazing memories. The huge contrasts in lifestyle between some of the residents of Hong Kong and the those of the rural and suburan areas of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand left me quite unsettled at times.
It is good to see how help in many forms is being offered by some First World countries to those more needy. The resilience shown by the Vietnamese in the 34 years since their war ended is being matched by that of the Cambodians as they recover from the horrors of their more recent history.
Thanks to Irene for being up for the trip and all the laughs we shared. Wonder what I will do without a blog to update of an evening? Thanks to you all who "followed" and left encouraging comments.

Wat Arun on the river - we took a river taxi for a thirty minute journey up river. A great way to see some of the major sights of the city and the homes of thousands of people who live on the waterside.

Yes, the traffic is wild is Bangkok but so are health-and-safety-at-work standards.

Note the electrician on right of photo carrying out repairs on top of traffic lights. He was wearing plastic flipflops, no hardhat while enjoying a cigarette.

The Bangkok Racing and Sporting Club.

This facility is right in the heart of the city, a horseracing track and 9 hole golf course.

Mobile Ladder and brush seller, Bangkok.

Baby rabbits for sale in Bangkok street market

Familiar sight on streets in Asia.

Monks can be seen on the streets with their begging bowls. People come and make donations of food, plants and money both for the benefit of the monks and to earn indulgences for themselves.

Sleeping fruit seller in Bangkok

Luxury Bangkok-style

We were so happy to have had two pieces of checked in luggage on the flight from Phnom Phen to Seam Reap.

More images from Tonle Sap Lake, the biggest in South East Asia.

I like the photos although some could be better as they were taken as we zoomed along in a fast moving boat.

These cattle, pigs and chickens were marooned on what was in fact a piece of raised land - the foilage to the right is the top of a tree. They were being looked after by this man on his boat.

These young monks had been taken to a secluded spot for a swim. Guess they hadn't reckoned on the Gap Adventurers passing with cameras at the ready.

Animal housing on stilts

Tonle Sap Lake

Note the little fellow in the rice paddle boat - he paddled accross the "street" using a tree branch as an oar in a few seconds.

More photos of Tone Sap - Great Lake -

I was so taken by the statistics of this natural wonder:

Dry Season area of 2,700 sq kms and 1 metre deep

After Wet Season 16,000 sq kms and up to 9 metres deep flooding fields and forests.

It supports 3 million people and 60% of Cambodian protein intake.

Healthy and Safety in Hoi An.

The guy on pavement, centre photo was sending barrows filled with bricks to his workmate on the second floor by a basic winch system. He hadn't bothered with hardhat and was wearing flipflops.

We had lunch in a restaurant in Phnom Phen which has been set up to train childern in all areas of catering. The childern are all former street childern usually orphans (because of HIV) or abandoned by their parents. There are typically 700 staying in the facility at any one time.

Lunch was delicious and I book their cookbook - it was nice to have the chance to make a donation.

This lunch was a huge treat in Saigon.

Wonder how long it would take Edward to find and fix a fault in this mess in Vietnam!