Across the Thai Border to Huay Xai

Across the Thai Border to Huay Xai

I arrive with moments to spare at the Chang Rai bus station and as I walk in I see the local bus pulling out. I stick out my hand and, amazingly, it stops, and the conductress pulls me on, along with my heavy backpack. It’s full of locals, and there’s only one other tourist - a guy called Liad who, as fate would have it, is also from Israel and lives not 4 km from me! We drive along a pretty well-paved road, passing paddy fields and palm trees, staring at small Thai farms and watch locals get on and off at villages along with livestock and huge bowls of noodles…

Return to Chiang Mai

Return to Chiang Mai

I feel no need to engage in tourist activities, such as visiting an (ethical?) Elephant Sanctuary or partake in a cookery class.  I check myself into a great little place which is family-run and has comfy bedding and air-con (all for the princely sum of $15 per night) and spend my time walking in the backstreets, eating Pad Thai day after day from a tiny spot with a few tables where you point to the picture on the menu and an old woman proceeds to make it in front of you…

Back in Bangkok

Back in Bangkok

I move to a far more residential part of the city, where there are almost no tourist spaces, and end up in a co-working space called Pillow and Bread, which really is a good place to get used to Thailand.  I wander the streets aimlessly, stopping in the grocery stores to stare at local products.  I eat at night markets, along with all the locals - I point to pictures of dishes that look like (or are marked vegetarian) and seem to end up eating well.  …

And I'm Off...

And I'm Off...

I don’t have any Baht and rather than stand and queue to make an exchange, I try my luck with the conductor.  I offer her two dollar bills (which is more than 60 baht) and she gladly accepts and tucks them into her little purse.  The bus fills up and off we go.  Almost one hour and 45 minutes later (the traffic is horrendous, not just because it’s Bangkok but also because it’s the morning rush hour) I’m deposited - as Moovit says - right where I should be.

Depleted

Depleted

That’s it.  I’ve decided. A one-way ticket to Bangkok, courtesy of Emirates Airlines. From there, who knows?  I’ll have a backpack, a day pack and my MacBook for writing; I’ll carry some cash and a credit card. I need nothing but the bare essentials - after all, anything I forget I can buy along the way.  I am spiritually depleted but this, I am sure, is not permanent.   And just like that, I understand I’m off on another one of my solo travels.

"Into Thin Air" - a Thrilling Account of an Everest Disaster

"Into Thin Air" - a Thrilling Account of an Everest Disaster

Krakauer is a fine storyteller and doesn’t shrink from difficult questions in this book - including asking whether anyone who puts themselves in such danger to stand “on the roof of the world” is actually rational.  Because, let’s face it, climbing Everest isn’t for your average thrill-seeker - you’ll need $65,000 minimum and, quite possibly, a death wish... 

When Tears Won't Flow

When Tears Won't Flow

That fateful morning, his mother woke to chaos, and, along with her partner, locked herself in the safe room in the kibbutz at which they live.  There she spent hours on end, listening to Arabic commands, rapid gunfire and screams of horror from her neighbours.  After the IDF finally released her, she begged them to take her to the home of her daughter and granddaughter.  But they were not there…

A Cotswold Road Trip

A Cotswold Road Trip

Then it’s onto Burton-on-the-Water, which is arguably the most picturesque of all the villages in the Cotswolds.   This, no doubt, accounts for the hordes of Japanese tourists we encounter.In huge groups, they descend from their coaches and head straight down to the River Windrush, which flows through the village. This must be why it’s called Venice of the Cotswolds…

Pellicci's Cafe - a slice of Old World Italy in London's Bethnal Green

Pellicci's Cafe - a slice of Old World Italy in London's Bethnal Green

Priamo and Elide Pellicci hailed from Tuscany - a beautiful region named Garfagnana, near Sienna, and - like so many immigrants at the end of the 19th century - set sail for Britain, in search of a better life.  Priamo actually began working in the cafe in 1900 whilst his wife Elide brought up seven children (without help!).  After his death, she took over the place and ran it - who said women are the weaker sex? - and in turn it’s been passed down…a real family business.

Love is all around…Street Art in Brick Lane

Love is all around…Street Art in Brick Lane

Who didn’t love Bet Lynch, the busty blonde barmaid, whose presence in the Rovers Return pub who first made an appearance in the much-loved (and much-mocked) British soap opera ‘Coronation Street. Graduating from barmaid to landlady, she was a real character, dressed in her trademark leopard print and sporting a beehive hairstyle.Walking around the pub with a cigarette perpetually hanging from her mouth, she was probably one of tv’s most well-known stars in that period.,,

"Curious, Playful and Ever-Magical - a Day with the Dolphins..."

"Curious, Playful and Ever-Magical - a Day with the Dolphins..."

The Reef is home to a group of ‘bottlenose’ dolphins, all born there and left to their own devices.  It’s entirely their choice whether they want to be in contact with visitors, by swimming up to the piers or approach guided tours of snorkelers and divers.  Their daily routines include playing, socialising and even courting...! 

Getting Lost with "Travels"

Getting Lost with "Travels"

In 1997, I was poking around in second-hand bookstores, looking for good reads to take with me on a trip to East Africa.  I stumbled upon a dog-eared copy of Michael Crighton's 'Travels' and purchased it for $1.25.  Little did I know that it would become one of my favourite books and that I'd re-read it so many times that, finally, I'd have to go out and buy a new copy, 18 years later...

Tea and Biscuits fit for a Monarch - Fortnum & Mason Outdoes Itself!

Tea and Biscuits fit for a Monarch - Fortnum & Mason Outdoes Itself!

Ooooh, these look good too. They’re a selection of biscuits in a beautiful keepsake tin which I’m informed plays ‘God Save the King’ as it spins! What’s inside. Well apparently, sweet treats that invoke the memories of the Commonwealth (of which the late Queen Elizabeth II was particularly fond). These include Canadian cranberry, Fijian ginger, South African macadamia nut and British clotted cream delights…

Red, White and Blue on London’s Piccadilly Street

Red, White and Blue on London’s Piccadilly Street

Piccadilly is awash with red, white and blue union jack flags, fluttering gaily in the breeze. The lovely Burlington Arcade (which runs parallel to Bond Street and is a marvelous example of Regency architecture) has rolled out the red carpet (well, it’s actually more red/pink) and hung flags with ‘CR’ (‘Charles Regina’) all along its enclosure, and with the light streaming in from the glass windows above, it looks heavenly.

God Save the King - The Coronation Beckons

God Save the King - The Coronation Beckons

After the public outpouring of grief, the ten days of national mourning and the knowledge that a glorious and golden Elizabethan era was over, plans were put in motion for a Coronation. It’s now twenty four hours before the ‘Big Day’ and I decide to head into central London, to try and capture some of the atmosphere with my camera. I decide to wander around aimlessly, and begin in Covent Garden…