That's not a horserace...

Photos - It must have been the full moon, Erith and Marcus in the Campo, definitely not the Chiocciola entrant, the drummers in the now near-abandoned Campo.

Erith says:

Last night we went for a gelato at the Campo and we saw a practice run for the horse race on Monday. You could cram 70,000 people into a tiny space including the horses and the race track. The Snails (which is a team name) horse had a torn muscle so it couldn't run. We took a few photos but the camera battery was almost dead. There was lots of rubbish left over after the people had gone.

Marcus says:

Last night after a very nice stir-fry dinner we decided we needed a supplementary gelato. Erith and I hadn't made it to the Piazza del Campo due to the crowds earlier and Cel said that the best gelato in town was there, so at about 7:00 pm we set off on the 10 minute walk down. The streets were all but abandoned which we attributed to it being dinner time, but as we neared the Campo it started getting busier. We got within eyesight and realised that it was packed full of people - the practice run was on. We got there just as they were opening the gates after the run, so we could cross the track and get into the centre of the piazza.

We entered at the corner occupied by the contrada (city ward) of the Chiocciola (Snail) and it was obvious that something had gone badly for them, as there were a number of people from all walks of life openly crying. The horses from the other contrade were being paraded around by the contrada members all dressed in their colours, but Chiocciola stayed in their corner until most of the crowds had cleared, then assembled their drummers and flagbearers and held what could best be described as a funeral procession around the Campo, followed by the Siena marching band and several hundred other well-wishers. Apparently their horse had pulled up with a torn muscle in it's leg during the practice run and as no replacement can be made, it was all over but the crying, and there were plenty of people doing just that.

It's hard to imagine how it could be that important to that many people, but it is. It's a real contrast to the Melbourne Cup, where nobody really cares about which horses are in or out (except the owners) - most people just worry about the impact of a scratching on their bets. Apparently you can't join a contrada - you have to be born into it, so I guess it's a pretty big part of their lives.

It's tempting to stick around until Monday for the race, but I don't think we will. The chances of even seeing the race (which will last for about 90 seconds) are slim and I doubt that the crowds will make it worth it.

Day of rest

Photos - First, our resting place in the park on top of the fort. Second, Erith loved the pigeon perch so much that she had to take a photo of it.

Erith says:

Today we relaxed. We still went out to a fort, but it was very nice. We saw lots of people in weird costumes. We had a map that gave us a tour, but it didn't really come in handy because we didn't get lost. I thought the fort was very pretty and on the way back we had gelato. Then we came back to Cel's.

Marcus says:

After a few days of racing around, we decided to have a quiet day today, but that was only partly possible due to the fact that the Palio di Siena (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palio_di_Siena) is being run on Monday so there are all sorts of lead-up events going on today, most notably "three days before the race, private owners offer the pick of their stables, from which representatives of the participating Contrade choose ten of approximately equal quality. A lottery then determines which horse will run for each Contrada". We headed in there, but the crowds thickened as we progressed, to the point where Erith said "let's go down here" and pointed down a hill. I was happy to go along and we found ourselves wandering alone through very interesting though steep and winding streets.

We worked our way back up via a staircase long enough to merit taking the three photos necessary to get it all in then headed up to la Fortezza - the fort directly across the street from Cel and Blain's flat. We spent about an hour talking on a park bench in near silence - the thickness and height of the walls of the fort are fantastic at deadening the noise, so it's a very serene place. After that flurry of activity, we treated ourselves to our daily gelato (that habit will have to go once I get back to Sydney) and headed back here.

Siesta is still observed in Siena, so I'm going to wrap this up and go for a nap. Hey, when in Rome...

Up to Siena...

Erith says:

This morning we woke up early at about 4:30 and got packed and were ready to go on the trains. On the way to the Metro, we looked for a swimming costume for me. We didn't get one because they were all too small. We took the Metro to Termini and switched to a different train. The train we had was quite good and we got our own separate room. There was also a man in our room that had no money or ticket. He had to hide in the men's toilets when the ticket conductor came around.

When we got off that train, we got onto another one. It was very dirty and had rubbish behind the seats. On the way up, my dad saw a deer's head poking up out of a grain field. The towns looked very old and the buildings were old brick. When we finally got off the train, Cel picked us up from the train station. She brought us back to her flat and that's where we are now.

Marcus says:

Well, we packed up this morning and headed to Statzione Termini to buy tickets to Siena. As seems to be the way here, the details of of train included everything except the platform number until 5 minutes before it was due to board, but it induced more annoyance than panic - it seems to be the way things are done and I'm getting used to not really knowing what's going on.

We boarded a train for Milan knowing that we had to transfer at Chiusi for Siena. The train ride to Chiusi was in a fast and very nice train - our only complaint was that there were too many tunnels interrupting what was otherwise an beautiful view. I love the hot, dry landscape, the old buildings, the farmland growing corn, sunflowers, and grain giving way to olives and grapes as we got further north. For some reason it invoked images of old movies - Doris Day or Elvis tearing around in little red convertibles. I know that doesn't do it justice, but I guess I found the scenery to be the most memorable part of those movies. I didn't take any photos partly because I suspected that the waterspots on the outside of the window would distort them and partly because I felt like just sitting back and enjoying it. Erith and I both put on our music and got into our own grooves.

We got to Siena mid-afternoon (I don't know what time - I struggle with what day it is) and Cel picked us up at the station. For those who may not know, My sister Celene and her husband Blain currently live in Siena, as Cel works for Novartis. The photos on this posting are from their flat - it's huge, very nice and directly across the street from the wall around the town centre. It's been great catching up with Cel so far, but Blain left this morning for Canada to tow their caravan from Vancouver Island off the West coast to their farm in New Brunswick on the east coast. It was a pity that we missed him, but we're planning to meet on the highway in the Canadian Rockies as we'll be traveling in opposite directions on the same highway.

Clearly not a lot to report today, but I couldn't resist getting on a computer that at least has a familiar keyboard. We're planning to take things a little bit slow tomorrow, probably just wandering around inside the walled part of the city. We've been racing around for days and were up at 4:30 this again this morning (no, I don't know why...), so it's going to be nice to slow down just a bit. We're planning to head into Florence and out to Pisa over the next couple of days - just day trips.

Off to the Vatican...

Erith says:

Day 8

As soon as we got up we went to the very long line-up to go to Vatican City. We were quite close to the front so we got in quite early. We got there at 6:30 and they opened at 9:30. Dad and I got an audio guide so we could hear different stories about the rooms. The part I liked the most was the roof of the Sistine Chapel! It was sooooooo amazing!!! :-)

After that we went to the Pantheon! The Pantheon has a huge skylight and is over 1,800 years old. Once again we went to the Trevi Fountain for a few minutes.

Marcus says:

Well, we were up at 4:00 am this morning so we decided that we'd have another crack at getting into the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. We got there by about 6:30 and found ourselves about 30th in line, which was a far better prospect than the day before. We'd had an apple before we left and bought ham and cheese rolls, oranges and juice sufficiently far from the Vatican as to be reasonably priced. We also had 3 litres of water with us and were across the street from a cafe, so were pretty much set. I had my first coffee since we arrived in Italy... followed shortly by my second. Strong and sweet - how have I been forgetting to get coffee in the morning? Especially here...

The wait was still a couple of hours, but it was a cool morning and we had activities, so the time went well enough. We got in at about 9:30 and although there were a lot of other people, it all worked rather smoothly. The museums are fantastic, both the old art and the new. We had hired the audio units and were very glad of it as it made a huge difference hearing about some of the history of the paintings and the actors involved.

The Sistine Chapel was something else again. The walls are fantastic, but there's no question that the ceiling steals the show. I don't know how much of the vibrancy should be attributed to the restoration team, but it really is mind-blowing - we were so glad that we decided to go.

After that, we got a bit of lunch just down the hill from the Vatican along a very stylish shopping strip - I was thinking of a few people who may be reading this that would have fit right in there. We took the Metro back to the Station near Trevi Fountain, then walked there en route to the Pantheon. Erith loves Trevi Fountain and insisted that we stop on the way back as well. The Pantheon was amazing (I know I'm overusing that word) - it's huge and in very good condition. While we were inside, Cel rang from Siena, which was good as I'd been unable to call her. (Lizzie, Erith tried to call you when we got out of the Vatican, but I kept getting a "Network Busy" message - we'll try again tomorrow.

We took the Metro back to the closest station to the hotel and got straight back without getting lost. Aside from a minor adventure between Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon, we had a "lost-free" day - WooHoo!!

We've decided to stay tonight in Rome and amble up to Siena tomorrow rather than trying to cram everything into today. Given that we were up at 4:00 and we're exhausted yet again, it was surely a wise decision.

Rome has been a real blast - the number of incredible buildings blows me away. It doesn't take at all long to get the hang of the place either and it's very cool. I love (though don't share) the chic and style of the place - I can see how it would really grow on you.

In Rome...

Erith says:

Day 6

In the airport at Bangkok I was sitting next to a lady with a sausage dog! As soon as we got on the plane at 12:20 am I fell straight asleep.In the morning (4:00) I woke up. For brekky on the plane I had sausages, quiche and a veggie pattie. I didn't like it much :-(

I saw the sausage dog lady while waiting for our baggage. When we got off the train, my dad "thought" he knew where he was, but he got us completely LOST!!! We had to take a taxi to our hotel.

Once we had unpacked we went to the Colosseum (Colosseo). It was quite busy, a long line-up and quite small! Way back before cars, they would feed the Christians to lots of starving lions.

On the way back we got lost "again" but found our way back.

Day 7

Today we went to the

TREVI FOUNTAIN.

It had sooooooooooooooooooooo much detail and we stayed there for about 3 hours. You could drink out of a mini Trevi Fountain. I loved it sooo much. Soon after the fountain we went to our hotel room by train then came on the computer. For dinner tonight we're going to have pizza and a yummy gelato.

Marcus says:

Well, after a long flight from Chiang Mai via Bangkok, we arrived in Rome yesterday morning at 6:30 am. We took the train into the main terminal, as there was a problem with the stop that we needed. I foolishly thought that we could walk back the one station and somehow stumble onto the piazza where out hotel was. Hands up the guy who's never navigated in Rome before... by the end of the day we had been lost three times in a major way. The second was en route to the Colosseum, as we were working from a map that didn't have many of the street names and because they often don't seem to be signposted anyway. The last because we didn't know the name of the piazza that we were staying in - we took a cab back to the last point of reference on our map and tried to backtrack without success. I remembered that there was a police station just around the corner, so eventually got there. It was all made worse by the fact that we hadn't had enough sleep and it had to be close to 40 degrees.

All the same, the Colosseum was amazing. It wasn't just designed as a structure to hold a lot of people - it has huge, vaulted ceilings in the halls leading out to what would have been the seats. Erith and I agreed that the "playing field" didn't seem as big as we had imagined it might be, but I think the fact that the chambers that were once under it are now exposed may make it look smaller than it really is.

Long lines and too many people though, especially in that heat. I'm not really sure that it was worth the mony either - I mean, they must have paid that thing off millenia ago. We got soaked for gelato close to the Colosseum too - I disregarded someone's advice not to buy anything too close to tourist attractions.

Erith got heat rash (though it was cooler today and it seems to have cleared up) and we were tired and hungry so we got back to the hotel, went next door for dinner of pizza and gelato, then fell into bed. I had intended to rinse out some clothes, but fell fast asleep while I was waiting for Erith to drop off. I woke up at 11:30 and did them - I was soaked with sweat as it was still at least in the high twenties. Our hotel is run by nuns, so it's very simple but very clean - basically, two single beds, a small TV mounted up near the ceiling, a dresser and a very small bathroom. It's economy lodging, but it's perfectly adequate.

Today we got up early and went to Vatican City on the Metro, after having bought unlimited daily tickets for €4 each. We were in line for about 20 minutes - a huge line that was clearing very quickly. When we got to the front we discovered why - it was for groups that had bookings. The line for the unwashed was coming from the other direction - it was just as long but filled with people who looked as though they had camped out for a rock concert. To my abject delight, Erith decided that the line was too much and that we should abandon the idea - I'm sure it would have taken until at least lunchtime to even get in and we were wearing shorts, so wouldn't have been allowed into Saint Peters Bacilica anyway.

We walked back to the Metro and got on the train to Trevi Fountain instead - what an amazing piece of work! It's huge and beatifully detailed, easily accessible and free. We spent three hours there, sitting in the shade on the rocks at one end. Erith wants to go back tomorrow, so we probably will - the only other "must see" on her list is the Panthenon and it's only a short walk from the fountain, so it should work well. From there we went to Piazza Del Popolo, really only because we wanted to have a quiet lunch by the river and that was the closest Metro stop. It was amazing - huge buildings and sculptures around a massive square. Everything is so well preserved that it's easy to imagine it without traffic and tourists - it would have been an incredible sight in it's day and remains so now.

After that, we came back to the hotel, hot and tired and konked out for a quick sleep. Okay, I slept while Erith drew.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Rome, though we might stay overnight and leave for Siena on Thursday morning. We haven't seen museums, churches, or a million other things that Rome has to offer, but we don't have a day to spend on each of those activities and given the lines that we've seen so far, that's what we'd need. As much as I'm not a fan of going anywhere in the winter, Rome might be best visited in February, I think. At least now I know that I'd like to come back sometime.

Photos...

Marcus says:

Well, it seems that Blogger wants to put the images all at the top of the page and in reverse order to how you insert them, so you may need to interpret what commentary goes with which photo. I'd redo them, but this computer is running ME with a slow wireless connection and I've lost posts over the last two days, so I'm not inclined to mess with it too much.

California Highway Patrol, then Erith sitting on the scooter - I'm pretty sure that she could have driven it, but she didn't.She loved riding it though - she did that thing that everyone does when they first ride a motorbike, of putting her arms out like wings as we're hurtling along a country road at about 65 km/hour. She didn't ever really want to stop and look atthings - just cruise around. I don't know how, but we found our way around without any problems. I feel as though I've taken a course in defensive driving after two half days on a scooter though. Whew! You really have to watch what's going on. I still don't get the rules - scooters take off well before the light turns green and red lights generally count for little, it seems.

Erith and I at the waterfall. You may not be able to see me - I'm sitting in the waterfall, if I picked the right photo.

First, a picture of Erith with the baby elephant. He's small, but he can kick up a fuss. Then, Erith in the van on the way to the elephants (sorry about the sequence), then a couple of elephants lining up for bananas and sugar cane. We have plenty of elephant photos, but we don't want to turn this into a slide show. The next is a self-taken photo of Erith and I on the back of the elephant.

The cable bridge is at least as dodgey as it looks. We had to cross it during our hike up to the Hmong village. It was quite high, unstable and it wasn't hard to imagine putting a foot through the bamboo. Excuse the photo - our guide took it. Erith was on the lookout for UBOs while we were hiking in the jungle - Unidentified Buzzing Objects...

Erith and I have spent plenty of time in the pool, particularly in the late afternoon when it's too hot to be outside for any other reason. I don't know what the chemical is that they use, but it's very hard on the eyes and turned Erith's hair into something akin to a fishing net - it was as dry as a bone and impossible to get a brush through. We got some decent conditioner after the first time and Erith has now used the whole bottle, but it was money well spent, as it made her miserable the first night it happened.

This is one of the many temples around Chiang Mai. We hired a tuk tuk the first day we were here and went around to a few of them. Tuk tuks are an okay way to get around, but if you're too tall you spend a lot of time slouching in order to see something other than the inside of the roof.

Wrap-up of Thailand

We're leaving tonight - we fly to Bangkok and then up to Rome, where we will probably post from next. There's no end to the odd sights, even just from watching traffic. You get used to seeing a family of four on a scooter going the wrong way up the freeway, or seeing a scooter driver cooking on their mobile barbeque in traffic and I wasn't that surprised at our Bangkok cabbie doing 140 km in an 80 km zone on the way to the airport. Our tour driver seemed to favour a move I coined the "double double", where when he'd pull out to pass, you'd see someone doing the same thing from the other direction, so there were two vehicles in each lane lined up at each other. Seeing a ute filled with chicken pieces with chicken juice pouring out the back was a bit stomach churning, but not the strangest. The strangest was seeing a flat-bed semi-trailer with someone standing on the huge earth mover on the tray as the whole thing rumbled down the highway. Now that was cool...

Erith says:

Day three

At 8:30 we got picked up by the elephant lady. We drove about one hour. Our first stop was a forty minute hike. At the end they gave us cold bottles of water and then set off to the elephane farm. Dad and I had the biggest elephant out of all the people in our group. Our elephant jockey was a terrible singer! It was soooo fun. I got lots of photos with the baby elephant! After the ride, we drove a bit to a restaurant where you had to eat with your fork and spoon! I found it EASY! Straight after lunch our group went to a waterfall! We played around there for one hour, but then we went rafting. While rafting, we stopped at a tyre swing and a plank of wood through a long rope. That was the best day I've had so far!

Day four

Today dad hired a scooter and we went around on that for 4 hours. I had lots and lots of fun. When we got back we went in the pool. Then dad and I went to the night bazaar. I bought some nice things then came back to the hotel and went to bed.

Day five

Today I was soooo excited about flying to Rome! But, in the morning we had a buffet breakfast and went on the scooter and came back and started blogging.

Elephantastic!

Erith says:

Yesterday we went for an elephant tour and it was so fun! Our first stop was a bushwalk and there was another group. When we got to the top there was a little village where you could buy goods. I got lots of nice things and there were other things too. There was a crossbow and it was 5 baht for 2 goes. My first shot was terrible and I probably hit a chicken, (not really :-) but my other two shots went into the fruit. Once we got back, we had a big drink of cold water because we were dehydrated.

Our second stop was the elephant ride that went for one hour. First we bought bananas and sugar cane for the elephant, who kept putting her trunk back for more. I thought the elephant ride was really fun, because I'd never done it before. Then we drove back a little way to have lunch. We ate with a spoon and a fork, like normal Thai people do. I had rice and a curry. We got photo frames with us on the elephant. After lunch we went to another village where they were weaving scarves, sarongs and table cloths. We saw lots of animals there, like dogs and chickens and some pigs. We stayed there for a while and then walked up to a waterfall. We swam and had fun there for about an hour.

Then we went rafting. I thought rafting was the second best out of all we did that day because we had a funny driver and stopped at a tire swing and a rope with a piece of wood tied to it that you you swing on and fall into the water. That was the best day that I've had so far!

Today we hired a scooter and almost got lost, then came back to the hotel and started blogging. Now we're just about to go into the pool. It's very hot here, but just a bit too hot. Tomorrow we're going to fly to Italy and I hope that will be a lot of fun!

Marcus says:

Well, we went on the elephant ride yesterday and it was a blast! We had signed up for a tour and I had suspected that it may have been a bit dodgey, as we got it from a small shop and she gave us a receipt with no price written on it. Being somewhat powerless though, I have found that trusting Thais has been a sound strategy - I haven't felt that we've been taken advantage of yet.

We were picked up in a very nice, brand new 15 seat van, though there were only 12 of us including the driver and the guide. We drove for about an hour - maybe half of that getting out of the city and surrounding suburbs and the other half through beautiful farmland turning into lush jungle as we progressed. The tour guide was perfect - her English was functional but not exhaustive, so we weren't subjected to endless witty remarks delivered for the hundredth time. Our first stop was a small parking lot off the road with a trail leading into the jungle. We hiked for about half an hour up quite steep hills in temperatures that must have been at least mid-thirties, then eventually ended up at a Hmong village - a tiny little place where they sold very nice handicrafts for a pittance. Nice bangles and earings were about 50 baht (A$1.50), pillow covers, bags, etc.

Erith has proved to be quite a shopper - she has been hard to stop once she gets going. It looks likely that we'll have to post a package back to Australia once we get toItaly, as our bags are now critically overflowing. I'm considering ditching the only jumper that I brought - in temperatures like this, it's hard to consider needing it. Erith was quite flushed by the time we got back to the van, despite having kept her hat on and drinking water by the bottle. I was a bit worried that she could drop from sunstroke and miss the rest of the day, but she recovered during the short trip in the van to our next destination.

The next activity was the elephant riding. Erith and I shared an elephant, with us sitting in a seat and the handler (wrangler? jockey?) sitting on the elephant's head. The elephants are surprisingly mobile, getting through narrow paths and handling steep inclines without problems. The ride was an hour long, with about 8 different points where you could purchase bananas and sugar cane to feed your elephant. We bought one bag, but quickly realised that it was more hassle than it was worth, as the elephant spent all of its time with its trunk pointed at us looking for food. Our handler looked like Mowgli from the Jungle Book and was quite kind, using words instead of the tool that looked like a socket wrench with a hook welded on the back of it to direct our steed. It would all have seemed rather timeless if not for the fact that the jockey behind us spent the whole ride on his mobile phone. It was very cool - we both enjoyed it a lot and it was far better for the fact that they didn't make the elephants play soccer, wear hats or do other miserable party tricks that exploit them.

Next stop was lunch at a little roadside open air restaurant. Boiled rice and a few simple dishes with veggies and chicken - nothing fancy, but very nice. After lunch, a visit to another village where they did some nice weaving, but we were starting to feel shopped out. We walked from there to a nearby waterfall, where everyone went in either in clothes or bathing suits. The water was beautiful and cool, but the rocks were very slippery. I broke the ice by landing gracelessly on my butt - after that, everyone must have felt they could follow suit without embarrassment, so almost everyone took a spill over the course of the next hour. Erith found a good place to slide into a pool, so did that about... I don't know... 75 times?

Next stop was rafting down the river for an hour on rafts comprised of 9 lengths of bamboo about 8 metres long, making for a raft about 900 mm wide. Because we had 10 people and everyone wanted to stay grouped, Erith and I got one to ourselves, with just a young guy with virtually no English steering it. There was another pole, so I was up in a flash and Erith was on her feet in a minute or so as well. Erith spent much of the time scooping small red fruits out of the river and throwing them at our guide, who was splitting his time between splashing her and singing Thai pop songs. Neither of know the first thing about Thai pop, but we were pretty sure that he was singing it badly. He was a nice guy though, and when we noticed a rope swing over the river, he was happy to pull over for a play. Erith and I had a couple of goes each, the jumped back on the raft. Further down was a tire swing a couple of metres above the water and on a branch stretching well over the river. We had to stop again for a couple of swings - it went well out toward the middle so was a lot of fun. How wise was it to swim in the water? Dunno - probably not too wise, but it's now 20 hours later and we're both fine, so I'd say we got away with it. Besides, how many rope swings over a river can we be expected to pass up? The river was very scenic and peaceful, and every once in a while you'd round a bend and there would be a couple of elephants on the bank. There was a warning sign once - "Danger - stay out of the elephants". We were only too happy to comply.
Erith was falling asleep on the ride home and I was tired too. It had been a big day - very full, very interesting and it fulfilled one of the objectives of the trip. The cost? For the two of us, a total of 1,300 baht - about fifty dollars. We got back to the hotel and washed off the filth that we'd accumulated through the day, then went for dinner nearby and off to the Night Bazaar as per usual. Erith was looking for a birthday present for her mum, so we set off on what is becoming a familiar circuit. Then back to the room and early to bed.

This morning, we went out to rent a scooter and spent the day exploring. We got one nearby - it cost us about 9 dollars for 24 hours and took less than 3 dollars to fill. We found our way out of the city by getting off the freeway as quickly as we got stuck on it, then following a small, quiet road flanked on one side by a railway line and the other by a small but narrow river that obviously had fish in it. There was a man in it up to his chest with a throw net and further down a couple of boys with cross-bows. We went through a few small towns, sticking to the back streets and quiet roads between them, before deciding to head back to Chiang Mai for lunch. We had to do a couple freeways, but eventually found our way back. Getting to the hotel was easy, despite the fact that the streets all look alike - one of the only English signs is for the Night Market, which surrounds our hotel.

This afternoon is going to be a lazy one by the pool and maybe another ride on our scooter. I have a white helmet similar to those worn by the US police and with my sunnies, I look a bit like the liquid guy out of Terminater 2.

Batteries are dead in the camera, but photos tomorrow, technology willing...

In Thailand...

Erith says:

When we were in Bangkok it was a nice hotel but it was very noisy outside. We only stayed there for one night and had a nice breakfast in the morning. While we were having breakfast, a little girl about two or three years old was sitting on the front of a motorbike and was smiling at us and stared to wave. We waved back to her.

That morning we flew up to Chiang Mai. As soon as we got here, we went out looking for elephant rides. We booked one that had elephant riding, rafting and a one hour hike and they come and pick us up at our hotel. At 8:30 this morning they'll come and pick us up.

Marcus says:

Well, we're in Chiang Mai at the moment after a busy couple of days. The flight up to Bangkok was very long, But Erith coped with it pretty well. I'd forgotten how much I dislike sitting on a plane for that long too, but it's pretty hard to get somewhere far a way in a short time, so there isn't much choice. We spent the first night in a very nice hotel room in Silom Road in Bangkok - it was only a Holiday Inn, but we'd been upgraded to a great room on the 20th floor, high above the mayhem.

Erith found Bangkok a bit overwhelming, I think. She was tired from the flight up, but she had expected something more exotic, so wasn't really prepared for the dirt, the manic traffic, the smell of the open sewers, the drips falling from leaks in every awning, the occasional rat, etc. Not having been there for probably 13 years or so, I loved it immediately. It's such an odd place, but the people really are wonderful.

We're both still having trouble with the time zones - Erith slept in until 4:00 this morning, but I've been up at 3:00 the last two days. More this afternoon - we're about to run out of internet time. Weather's great, wish you were here...

Last full week...

Marcus says:

Well, all of a sudden it's racing up and I'm pedaling like crazy trying to keep up. There are a million little issues like making sure that my phone will roam worldwide (it seems that it will, at a price though), organising clothes that Erith and I can throw in the dryer with turning them into Barbie outfits, clearing out the fridge, meeting with Erith's teacher, etc. Of course, work is flat out at the moment - this is day two of my long weekend spent in the office trying to get caught up. At least it hasn't bothered me that the weather has been so terrible - I've only noticed en route to the coffee shop next door as I've been inside the rest of the time.

Slowly things are dropping into place though. Little pieces if the puzzle about to to get from one place to another and where to stay when we get there are coming together nicely, at least in part due to the efforts and advice of friends and family. I keep getting told general things that help us out without limiting our options, like how to get somewhere and how much it will cost rather than where to stay when we get there. It means that we can stay fluid, but when it comes time to do something we can draw on some piece of information to help us out. It's very helpful and suits the temperament of the trip very nicely.

I have to give Al Pasutto a big thumbs up, especially after grizzling about having to rebook flights to get to the golf tournament in Canada. He offered to pick us up in Calgary and offered us a room at the Capri Centre (http://www.capricentre.com/), but most importantly, he put me in his foursome for the tournament. Onya Ali!

Getting closer...

Erith says:

I am going to get a charm bracelet and in every country I am going to get a charm. In Thailand for a charm I am going to get an elephant because elephants are popular in Thailand. In Canada, I might get either a moose or a maple leaf charm. The Canadian flag is a maple leaf. In America, I might get a Mickey Mouse charm because we're going to Disneyland. In Italy, I might get a Leaning Tower of Pisa or maybe a gondola. France would be an Eiffel Tower and I'm not sure about England.

Every night I'm going to do the blog. In different countries I'll have to get used to different foods.

Marcus says:

Well, the itinerary is out of date, of course. One of the main reasons for traveling this year is to play in the Dave Pasutto Memorial Tournament, organised by his brother Al. I played in the inaugural event and then suddenly last July it was the tenth and I hadn't been back since. Ali was pretty sure that he told me that the golf tournament would be on the 13th but we weren't scheduled to arrive in Calgary until the 15th, so for the third or fourth time I reshuffled everything. Ali's pretty sure that he told me, but I maintain that he didn't - you can check his blog if you want the other side of the story...

I won't bother updating the dates on the blog as the changes don't really make that big a difference - we lose a day in Europe and a day in Toronto and get the extra days in Western Canada instead. It's a pity to miss out on the time in Toronto as Erith would have a chance to meet her extended family on her mom's side, but there were limited flights from Europe so we had to cut it down to little more than 24 hours. Erith would like to go to Niagra Falls and so would I as southern Ontario is very scenic, but we'll have to see whether we can swing it. We'll have a long flight from London, then a day off then another flight to Calgary, so I don't know if a couple hours in a car is the best idea. The other thing is that we'll be there on a Wednesday and we need to be conscious of the fact that just because it's a weekend day for us, it isn't for everyone. Maybe we'll decide on the day - I like this fuzzy scheduling business...