Wonderful Scandinavia, Germany & Thailand 1988
Boarded a near new D.C.10 aircraft for a 12 hour flight to Bangkok in Thailand, a short rest, then back on a 747 Jumbo bound for Copenhagen in Denmark, another one hour flight got me to my destination, Oslo in Norway, quite a marathon way to travel but I would rather spend more time in the countries I am visiting first and have a stopover on my way home. I arrived in the morning, too early to book into my hotel so left my baggage there and started my own little tour to discover the superb Norwegian capital of half a million people. There are many hard to pronounce words and I know during this holiday spelling and speaking them will be difficult. Most locals speak beautiful English with an Oxford accent. A long walk around the sea frontage was a must to get my body adjusted after such a long flight. The day was pleasant and warm, being high summer everyone seemed to be out enjoying some of the nearly 24-hour daylight, I could just imagine winter, it hardly makes twilight. I discovered the massive Akershus fortress; it had been destroyed by fire in 1624 and rebuilt along with the replanning of the city, which was named Christiana, reverting back to Norway in 1905 when independence was gained from Sweden. The medieval fortress houses the Defence and Resistance museum, a moving, factual memorial to World War 11. An attractive seafaring adventures housed in the Bygdoy, here the some Viking ships are displayed, plus Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki, this balsa raft was used for a voyage from Peru across the Pacific to Polynesia in 1947, also there is the Ra 11, the papyrus-built (replica of an vessel of ancient Egypt in which he crossed the Atlantic in 1970. Close by were many fine examples of ancient buildings, including a 13th century church. I took a mini cruise of Oslo from the Fjord, viewing many Islands in the inner part of the Oslofjord. I made it back to the Hotel in time to meet up with the bus tour, which I was touring, and covering Norway, Sweden and Denmark for two weeks. After a friendly gathering and discussion of what we will see there was still time to take a trip to see the famous Ski Jump, Holmenkollen, there is an annual festival in March, attracting visitors from around the world, the surroundings offer fine walks and views over looking the city. I enjoyed a lovely meal of Norwegian salmon, plus other seafoods.
Our bus tour started next morning with a drive around the city, some of the highlights I had already seen. Passing through Oslo’s main thoroughfare of Karl Johan’s Gate and the 19th century Royal Palace, watched the changing of the guards, the Palace grounds are open to the public. We visited the Vigeland Sculptures in Frognel Park; his 192 sculptures of bronze, granite, and wrought iron depict the various stages of the human cycle from birth to death. The bronze statue of a boy having a tantrum was superb The impressive Oslo Cathedral built in 1694 has been restored had splendid doors with fine bronze reliefs and a large statue of Christian 1V.
Our tour bus departed for Sweden, motoring south through mostly fields of wheat and forest, stopping briefly for lunch at the border town of Svinesund, the light rain had stopped so the bus took the scenic route via the Islands of Orust and Tjorn, connected by bridges, some very nice fjord backdrops. Finally reaching our destination for the night, Gothenburg, it’s population of half a million is situated on the river Gota and Sweden’s principal port Canals wind right through the older part of the city and a popular way of sightseeing is by broad, flat bottomed boats that ply their waters. It has sea links with the U.K and Denmark, seems to have a small town atmosphere despite the major harbour and industry all around.
A 6.30 am start this morning, a nice fine, mild morning, we needed to catch a vehicle ferry for a three hour crossing to Jutland, north Denmark. Motoring through very flat lush dairy countryside, a lunch stop was a small town called Hobro, wild roses and lupins were in full bloom along the roadside. Legoland was our next stop, a fantastic masterpiece of construction, millions of pieces of this world known children’s toy put together to form village buildings in miniature, a river with boats and an airport with planes. The distinctive colours of red and white, it’s called the Disneyland of north Europe. Moving on again, this time to our night stop, a lovely old converted thatched house, near Frederica, beautiful views of green pastures and crops. The group of 39 on the bus tour are getting to know each other; I think there will soon be more socialising! .A lovely country meal was served to us that evening.
We left this delightful rural setting, our first stop was Odense and Hans Christian Andersons (1805-75) house traditionally believed to be his birthplace, has been restored and turned into a fascinating memorial illustrating his life through letters, manuscripts, documents, pictures and other memorabilia. His fairy tales enchanted the world; the street has beautiful half-timbered houses, a collection of 16-17th century buildings, which illustrated the lifestyle of those times, along with very old cobbled streets. A short ferry trip to the Island of Sealand, and on to Roskilde, which has many palaces and castles, we visited a cathedral in Romanesque and Gothis styles which goes back to 1170, remarkable preserved and is the burial place for kings, many of the tombs are magnificent works in marble and alabaster Just a short drive and we were in Copenhagen, the Danish capital, as well as being a great industrial city of one and a half million people, it is a seafaring port, one of Europe’s most graceful places with its myriad copper spires and domes punctuating the skyline above the narrow streets and canals. A city tour took in the Amalienborg Royal Palace and Royal Residence we just missed the changing of the guards at noon, but did wander around the grounds, we viewed the Parliament buildings, all very impressive. Beautiful. Trivoli Gardens are undoubtedly one of the cities great attractions, this world famous amusement park was laid out in 1843 with very colourful flowers and fountains, popular open-air performances of plays and ballets, a night time view was like a fairyland with thousands of lights. A symbol of Copenhagen instantly recognised throughout the world is the famous bronze statue of “Little Mermaid”, pensively observing the ships that come and go. I later took a walk around the many quaint cobbled streets and canals close by our waterfront hotel viewing tall ships, many ferry’s and overseas liners, included was another visit to the ‘Little Mermaid”
Next morning was free to discover the city, I walked along the fascinating pedestrian precinct of five streets packed full of interesting shops and tourist traders, huge department stores, I wanted to buy some Copenhagen porcelain but decided against that when I priced the smallest specimen, I settled for a reproduction. Even at this early hour there were lots of people of all ages sitting around drinking beer, in parks, on seats in the streets, it seems to be a normal social occurrence, tramps were everywhere waiting for the empty bottles, I found out they were worth a Krona each and I guess that helped in a country with a very high cost of living .I took a canal cruise for an hour, some great views of lovely old buildings and tree lined streets, lots of small boats and a multitude of sea birds everywhere.
The evening was spent first with a lovely meal in a nice restaurant, followed by a visit to the Copenhagen Circus, quite amazing, with many world-renowned trapeze artists, acrobatics and lots of clowns, an excellent show.
An early start next morning for a ferry crossing into Sweden, passed Kronborg Castle which guards over the city of Elinore, then a long 545 klm. Drive to Stockholm
Firstly travelling through thick forest, which had high fences on either side of the road to keep out the moose and deer. A stop for a leg stretch at a lovely lake setting near the old city of Jonkoping, and then on to a lead glass factory where we were fortunate to watch a demonstration of glass moulding, my attempts of making a kiwi were a disaster. Moving on we were now in farming country, lush green pasture and market gardening, scattered along the way were many small lovely lakes. We arrived in Stockholm about 6pm, a city of 1-½ million people, still full sunshine and many hours of daylight still ahead. Our hotel was situated in the older part of the city among lots of beautiful 16th-17th century buildings, a maze of narrow traffic free streets full of antique and art shops, boutiques and restaurants. Many musicians were playing, some only young children.
A nice 24 degs. to start a tour of the city, first stop the fine-looking City Hall, built in 1923 with it’s piazza like Blue Hall, and majestic Golden Hall whose walls are entirely covered with 18 million glistening mosaic tiles depicting the history of Stockholm. Next the massive18th century Royal Palace which houses a museum of beautifully arranged armoury, we were lucky to view the changing of the guards. There are about fifty bridges linking the Islands of the city together. Some of us walked back to the older part of town to take in the great atmosphere. For dinner that night we took a launch to the outer island of Vaxholm, through an area called the Archipelago, a very nice old wooden homestead overlooking the fjords that serve some delightful seafood including salmon and herrings cooked in various ways, plus some very nice wines. Our return was by our tour bus, rather confusing as I never saw a bridge on the way over.
Sadly we left this lovely exciting city and headed north towards the city of Mora, lots of simular scenery, very lush and green, first stop was the lakeside Sigtuna, Sweden’s oldest town, with quaint shops and a very small town hall. Along the way was the city of Uppsala, one-time royal capital; the site of Scandinavia’s oldest university completed in 1477, there was also an elegant cathedral also of the 14th century. We passed many lakes, calling into another small village with quaint wooden houses, all painted in a redwood colour contrasting the greens of the pastures around the lake. A lunch stop in a small town had many inviting shops selling porcelain, lead crystal and hand made jewellery. We visited a wooden horse factory; hand made and all very brightly painted, an attraction I couldn’t resist to buying some. After an interesting day our coach took us to our stop for the night, a peaceful lakeside hotel at Mora. I still can’t get used to the sun setting after midnight and daylight at three am.
Mora is a large town which has an interesting museum illustrating works of the great artist Anders Zorn, as well as peasant art and architecture, Hantverksbyn is a delightful district of shops and houses recently built in traditional style. The town is also the starting point for the marathon Wasaloppet ( Wasa Race) every March when 12.000 skiers follow a traditional route covering 85 klms of cross country competitions, the temperature in winter can drop to as much as –40, that is cold…
Moving on again we were soon on the Norwegian border, the town of Lillehammer and the open air museum, life’s work of a dentist Anders Sandvig, a collection of 120 timber buildings set in a leafy park, displaying life as it was around the 15th century. On the road again we finally reached our stop for the night, a delightful mountain resort built near a lake and promoting some wonderful scenery. The evening meal here was quite traditional, followed be music and dancing in the coffee room, I remember that was the first time I had heard the “ Chicken Dance” that has became popular world wide. I enjoyed some very nice beers and danced the night away.
Next morning I awoke to peace and quiet, the only sounds were from the bells clanging around the sheep’s necks. Today we travelled along a river road, passing some of the finer views of this trip so far; we were in a gorge with farming going right up the mountainside with many changing landscapes, passing through many small villages, one with an old stave church from the 12th century. Reaching the Geiranger fjord we caught the vehicle ferry at Hellesylt for a very beautiful cruise through Norway’s most stunning fjord, huge passenger liners use the deep waters for the awesome spectacle of the mountains which drop in sheer rock cliffs into the fjord, there facades streaming with waterfalls, we passed two cruise ships which were dwarfed by the vastness of the cliffs. Our delightful hotel for the night, overlooking these stunning views was very equipped with saunas and indoor swimming pools. A fellow passenger Charles and I decided on a walk up the hills to a spot we had seen advertising the fjords, it had a rock protruding and travel magazines have photos showing people sitting out on the ledge overlooking the cruise boats hundreds of metres below, we attempted the same thing but could only stay there for a minute, especially me, I am not keen on heights. A very tasty seafood meal was served had an enjoyable swim in the heated pool, amazing, the temperature got to 28 degs during the day and a mild night, somehow I don’t think I would enjoy their winter degrees.
Light drizzle was falling as our coach took us on a tour to Trollsteigen, the road wound over the surrounding mountains with great views of the Geiranger fjord, then to the valleys where strawberries and cherries flourished, up some steep mountainous roads for some wonderful scenery, the road then travelled down the other side to Valldal with very little room to spare for our bus to turn around the sharp bends, some shear drops of hundreds of metres, it was an anxious 15 minute trip but worth the panorama , luckily there were many good photo stops . The return wasn’t so bad; I managed to enjoy the rugged scenery in a more relaxed mode. The evening meal was another delicious seafood assortment, followed by some great entertainment in the ballroom of the hotel by an Italian band.
Time to move on, a last look at the stunning views of the fjord; the reflections were picture postcard, blue skies and great reflections. Our bus took us to where Charles and I did our ledge sitting, our fellow bus passengers were amazed that we were so stupid to climb out there, oh well one must have a few dares in our lives. Travelling on over some very rugged terrains, at times reaching 1500 mts. The road was steeper and more rugged than yesterday, but equally breathtaking views. Passing many huge glaciers and ice fields, also Norway’s highest peak contrasted by a cloudless sky. Winding back down into valleys of lush green and pebbles mountain rivers it was nice to see the fields growing all sorts of vegetables, hay stacked for drying, also more strawberries and cherries. Our destination for the night was another lovely hotel at Sogndal, near a lovely fjord. Dinner was another example of traditional seafoods, then we were entertained by local musicians performing folk songs.
Next morning started with light drizzle which spoilt the spectacular views along the toll road of Dalsnibba, climbing some treacherous heights overlooking more ice fields, a two hour ferry trip was marred by low cloud and rain, we passed through the narrowest fjord passage that boats attempt, then back on the bus going through peaceful countryside and valley rivers following the road. Thinking our climbing days were over, our bus took us on a 1—20 road up to a high peak for more amazing views of the valleys below. The road was so narrow, just enough room for a car, a squeeze for a bus, we met a car coming the other way which had to back up to a passing lane. The weather had cleared which allowed more wonderful views of this very rugged country. I nearly forgot to mention, Trollsteigen and most of the highland towns and villages displayed and sold a large variety of Norway’s Trolls. The legend of these very ugly little fellows is that they hate being happy, can’t see very well and don’t like daylight, live under rocks and bridges, and scare people. A childhood story I remember is “ Three Billy Goats Gruff”. I just had to bring home some example statues, one I really liked had his finger up his nostril but couldn’t get one small enough, they have a prime spot in my house now. Our night stop was a small town called Os. This is the last one for some of our tour folk so it was a dress up evening, a nice meal and farewell drinks, it is only 30 klms from Bergen, our final destination
After a morning mist the next morning cleared to bright sunshine, the short drive to Bergen by the sea and our bus driver let us off in the middle of the city for some exploring of the colourful market area, fantastic displays of all types of fish, smoked salmon seemed to be the specialty in vacuum packs, a huge selection of flowers from around the world, close by is the undoubtedly top attraction, the Hanseatic district where a row of ancient 16th century wooden houses with their high pointed gables providing a frontage for a network of narrow alleys leading back into the cobbled courtyards, workshops and living quarters. Striking examples of rustic colours reflected into the calm waters of the harbour. I took the funicular cable car up into the hills above the city, the unusual beauty of the whole sprawl of the panorama view, the steep hillside was scattered with delightful old wooden houses. Our bus collected us later for a tour around the city, lots more beautiful old wooden buildings and cobbled streets, it was soon time to say goodbye to some of our fellow passengers, the last nine of us were taken to a striking near new hotel where another farewell dinner together was enjoyed, my flight to Frankfurt was to be 6 am, in the morning.
It was only an hour’s flight to Copenhagen, then another hour plus a 30-minute circle of the airport waiting for space to land. My friends Jutta and Maggie were there to meet me, a delight to meet up again, they had organised a little side tour instead of heading back to their hometown of Wiesbaden. Driving east on the autobahn calling into some very beautiful villages called Goeßweonstien and Pottanstein, both with their distinctive church steeples. A hotel was booked in a town called Hummeltal, this was close to the Czech border, time to meet up with Juttas brother Axel and family at their cosy home where we enjoyed a lovely traditional German dinner with lots of delectable lager beer.
A beautiful morning, lovely blue sky was a pleasure to see, we enjoyed a huge breakfast of crispy bread rolls, cold meats and cheeses, then drove to Nürnberg, Bayern’s second largest city. Many of Germany’s talented artists were born here; Albrecht Dürer; woodcarver Veit Stoss; sculptor Adam Kraft. We took a walk through the older part of the city, enjoyed the church of St. Lorenz with it’s beautiful stained glass windows and huge stone tabernacle. Walking on through the attractive markets and the town hall to view the underground prison where inmates were held before hanging in the city square, (a bit gruesome), there were also some frightening torture chambers. Moving on, next was the court buildings where many trials for world war 11 criminals were held. The imperial castle is situated on a hilltop, dating back to the 12th century, it is flood lit at night. Also in the Hauptmarkt, (main square) is the magnificent Schöner Brunnen fountain, it is ornamented with 40 statues and dates back to the 14th century, there is an ring set in the wrought iron surround that you can turn so many times for your private wishes? another lovely fountain is the Gänsemännchenbrunnen in the court square of the Rathaus, ( town hall), cast in bronze in 1550 and depicting a peasant taking two geese to market. Lots of interesting shops specialising in glassware. We watched a group of entertainers in full Victorian dress practise for a musical. I was able to enjoy once more a favourite German meal of Nürnberg sausage and sauerkraut, with a huge stein of beer of course. Back to Hummeltal in time for some more enjoyable lager beer and cold snacks of meats and cheeses, (wonder if that was okay for my cholesterol)?
Not a very promising morning, although it was mild with no rain. Today we drove to Bayreuth, an important arts and music centre, our first stop was the Robert Wagner theatre for opera, the acoustics are suppose to be the best in the world, all the interior was timber, even the seats. Next on our list was the Margrave Opera House, beautifully decorated, again with timber interior but not as famous as Wagner. A stroll around the market place, alive with the daily produce and craft ware. there were many beautiful buildings including Wagner’s home. Just on the outskirts of the city was the Eremitage, a castle and park of elaborate fountains and flower beds, we were fortunate to be there when the fountains were turned on to their full splendour. The return trip was via the small neat town of Bischofsgrün, a delightful tall, narrow church dominated the square, we were only 30 klms from the Czech border, the country of my ancestors. Another night at Hummeltal and dinner again with Jutta’s brother and family.
Next morning we left the peaceful little town for the drive back to Wiesbaden, first winding our way through nice lush countryside and small villages, then the uninteresting but swifter autobahn. It was nice to return to Wiesbaden again and visit familiar landmarks, I took 16 rolls of film to get developed and finished off the day with some more delightful German beers while packing a small bag for a three day visit to Berlin.
I caught local train for my connection with the Berlin express. Going through the barbed wire border into East Germany was a remarkable change of scenery, quite depressing, the houses old and drab, primitive farming, small Russian cars everywhere, we only stopped once for passport inspection, even the train didn’t run as smooth as the west ones, renovation was badly needed all over. After six hours the train re-entered West Germany and Berlin, an immediate change in everything, brightness of buildings, big shiny cars and well dressed people. I had a hotel booked and still being light I was eager to explore the vitality of this exciting city. Close by was the popular Kurfursten Damm with it’s numerous cafes and little bars. Performers were entertaining everywhere possible, there seems to be just about every nation enjoying this exciting city. I enjoyed a very nice meal of ham hock, sauerkraut and vegetables and some of that divine amber liquid.
The morning was warm and sunny so after a typical German breakfast I set out by foot to explore the inner city, firstly walking the entire length of Kurfüstendam Street, stopping now and then for a photo shoot, just about all the buildings in the tree lines streets were post war, no beautiful half timbered houses here. I arrived at the Berlin Zoo, very well presented and Europe’s most modern. A little foot sore by then so I decided on a three hour bus tour, first stop Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall, three of the world’s most talked about places, very historical to actually see them, the wall is fully covered in graffiti, our tour guide explained about how many people died trying to escape from East to West Berlin, so sad, we stopped at the place where Hitler and his family committed suicide at the end of World War 11 . There was a raised lookout for viewing the East, a drab and sad looking sight; hopefully I will be able to make a tour there. Our guide explained all about the British, American and Russian sectors and bus tours were available passing through to the Eastern zone at Frieddrichstrasse, commonly known as Checkpoint Charlie. Unter den Linden, an Avenue named after the lime trees which once lined it is now full of exciting and huge department stores, including the largest in Europe called ‘KADEWE’, six floors of just about everything you could imagine. The damaged steeple of Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche was a reminder of the destruction of the war, a new cathedral is built next to it, also the towering mass of the Europa-Centre was very impressive. We passed the University of Berlin, and the famous Tiergartens. After this very interesting tour I decided on a lovely bier garten I had seen and settled there for a few of their fine products, a storm suddenly appeared, lucky for the shelter as it was quite severe, unfortunately I had to stay longer than I had intended to, .so I enjoyed more of the delicious food that was everywhere.
Booking a four and a half hour tour of East Berlin I was anxious to go there and experience for myself all the rumours I have been listening to over the years. After a thorough examination of my passport and a cold stare into my eyes by a big Russian woman, I was determined not to blink and give her reason to interrogate me further; our tour bus was allowed to proceed through Brandenburg Gate as long as we promised not to take any photos until we were in the East. Our Guide was full of propaganda, of life in this Russian controlled country, boastings on the free education programme, employment and lifestyle, hospitals, doctors and dentists free. Women work at equal pay to men, there is no unemployment, apartments are issued as to the size of the families. Food, clothing is very cheap but limited. Cars are mostly Russian Trabants, a range of colours as long as you like light blue, grey and white and very expensive and have a waiting list of approximately five years .a pleasant picture was put to us about life in the east, one Dutch person on the bus exclaimed that there was one thing they didn’t have, “ Freedom”. And why did most people want to leave? Of the 17 million people living in East Germany only 1.5 million belonged to the communist party. A stop to view the huge Egyptian Museum was a surprise to see all that irreplaceable art carefully tendered, I was told most of it was brought back from Egypt during the war. We stopped at a café for refreshments, not a bit like the lavish cakes and pastries of the west, it was hot so I settled on a coke, shelf temperature and tasted horrible . A passport check was made again before entering into the West, don’t know why, no one would have wanted to defect there, the bus was thoroughly searched, we needed to walk across no mans land while this was done, no wonder everyone was employed. Anyway, I was pleased to have the opportunity to visit East Berlin, people didn’t seem very happy but at least they had food, employment and shelter, I think I’ll settle for the bright and flashy West. I enjoyed a final huge meal, plus enjoying some final thirst quenching beers.
Time to leave this exciting city, an early start for my train journey back to Wiesbaden, it still amazed me on how quickly the scene changed going back into the east, the only part that wasn’t depressing was the freshness of crops growing, wheat in the fields and animals grazing. Border control was no hassle and we were soon back through the coils of barbed wire into the west after a thorough search of the carriages in case someone was trying to defect to a brighter future. There was no problem with the efficiency of, D.B. or Deutsche Bahn, (German Rail) if you arrive for your train one minute late, you have missed it. I changed trains in Frankfurt for the tube express to Wiesbaden, again congratulating myself on my ability to change trains without any dilemma. I met with my friends once again and after a refreshing shower we were again on the road to enjoy my farewell dinner of lots of cold meats, cheeses and pickles in a quaint little beer and wine pub in Mains.
My holiday in Germany is all but over, today I’m catching a late afternoon flight to Bangkok, Maggie had to go to work, but Jutta and I took a drive to Mains for a last look around, called in to say goodbye to another friend, Frau Schön, then it was time to catch the airport train and sadly another goodbye to my dear friend Jutta and be on my way for an eight hour flight. The plane was full, I was allotted a seat in the back with the smokers, a horrible thought, wish planes were smoke free. Arriving early next morning, a car was there to meet me for the 25klm hair raising drive to the city, my first glimpse of an army of people and vehicles, moped bikes darting in and out of traffic, horns blasting and brakes screeching. My downtown hotel was very pleasant as was the lovely room on the eighth floor. A welcome shower and change of clothes and I was ready to explore what makes this place so exciting. . Down in the reception area I noticed a large door with shopping centre written above it, opening it I was soon carried along with hundreds of shoppers in what seemed to be two stories of shops, you name it, it was there. I felt penned in and fought my way out to the street only to be met with a simular problem, many more people, I think all six million inhabitants were in town. I did find a tailor who made to measure clothes; I ordered some shirts and trousers at a very reasonable price for such high quality. Taking a stroll along the over crowded streets I came across the Civic Centre, again teaming with people, shop keepers were out on the streets trying to sell their product, all ready to bargain. After hours of walking this vibrate city (or should I say being carried along the streets with throngs of people) I settled for a nice dinner at my hotel, it was the only place I could get a beer as it was a religious day, tomorrow I am booked on a city and palace tour, just now I was pleased to collapse into my bed after about 36 hours without sleep.
A steamy morning, I was collect from the hotel by a mini bus, although quite early the streets were alive with people already. the first stop, the fabulous Palace, dazzling gold and ornate sculpturing , multi coloured roofs and stark white walls, just so rich in design and culture, a vast contrast to our next stop, China town and some of the depressing slum areas, then an interesting tour of a furniture carving factory, plus gem, silk and clothing manufacturers. I had bought a cold can of drink, one taste and I new it was not what the label said, it had a sweet raspberry flavour and very soon after I started getting cramps in the stomach, I warned others on the tour not to drink theirs, that will teach me to drink anything except bottled water and beer. After some of my magic medicine I felt a little better so I took an afternoon tour of the canals and countryside, firstly a speedboat trip to connect with a large barge, cruising along a river, homes built alongside, people doing their washing on the shores, children swimming in the muddy waters, there were caged parts which had small fish farms, into the farm lands we were taken through farms of ducks, chickens and animals, then rice fields and vegetable plots. A lovely luncheon was served on the barge, delicious fruits and pastries; a favourite drink called “ Bangkok Dynamite” (rum base) lived up to its name. A stop at a typical village was educational; the children entertained us with very colourful dancing and singing. a great afternoon which was certainly a different side to the hustle and bustle of the huge city. I collected my tailored clothes, they were beautifully styled and finished to perfection, I was delighted.
Well, time to say farewell to another adventure, my flight back to Auckland, New Zealand was waiting, a wonderful holiday coming to a close. It will take a while to stop daydreaming, but it will be back to work again and start planning another fabulous holiday, somewhere different and exciting.
Till next time
Cheers
JIM.Fitzthum
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