WE'RE BACK IN BRISTOL: (Duh, Bristol, UK)

First thing we did when back was eat cheese and get a Guinness. There's a few other creature comforts we missed on our travels: marmite, footy, a wardrobe, clean water from a tap to do your teeth with. We really craved having a roast lunch. Where better in England than The Daltons for a roast dinner following our flirtation with vegetarianism? We got to spend some time with Georgie and Bloxy, got Bloxy in as a ringer for the mighty Redland Beagles, had a much needed bout of sophistication (after roughing it for a while) with Aunty Liz and Christian, and saw Grandma for her birthday.

PHAT BOI: (Koh Bulon Leh island, Thailand)

Great fish

Good times

 We're finally enjoying staying put for a short while. Never mind Phuket or Koh Phi Phi, we've found a remote Thai Island and are relaxing in a cheap beach hut, eating tasty simple Thai food, taking walks and doing a bit of exercise.

I'm making a conscientious effort to get rid of the cosy little bulge on my tummy…the small indiscretion that keeps my 'four-pack' from being a fully fledged 'six'. What is affectionately known as my 'snickers', a constant source of amusement to my mates, will be a thing of the past….for about a month.

ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK: (Bangkok, Thailand)

We got a message from our good friend and old housemate (he's really paid his dues) Ben Aldous saying he was coming to Bangkok when we were just getting the train south! Such a shame. We got out of Bangkok just when there was trouble beginning to kick off between the 'Red shirts' and the 'un-elected' Government. It looks like it's turning nasty.





The highlights of our stay included going to 'The Tiger Temple', where Neko got to fulfil a lifelong dream of hugging a giant sized kitty.








We also got to go to a Thai boxing match which was pretty fascinating - so much action, ceremony and tradition. It felt strange watching 14 year old boys kicking the sense out of each other, but somehow noble at the same time.

RIDE THE TSUNAMI: (Halong bay, Vietnam)

There's just been a huge earthquake in Chile, hot on the footsteps of the Haiti disaster. After checking in on our home grown Chilean buddy Marcello back home to see if all's well with his folks, we boarded our traditional Vietnamese houseboat or 'Junk'  in the monolithic Halong Bay, just as the announcement came through that SE Asia and Japan were on a Tsunami warning following the pacific quake. A night on board a boat in the far east seemed like a superb idea - thankfully, I'm still able to deliver on my promise to return my kid brother safely to Oz, for now.