Reflecting on our travels
Trip Start
Feb 06, 2008
1
19
22
Trip End
Ongoing
Bogia,
Papua New Guinea
Sunday, February 8, 2009
All the excitement that went into the planning of the celebration trip to Bangkok for the wedding of Robert and Michelle, coupled with the follow up plans for Australia and getting people to visit, did not come close to the actual feelings once the travelling began and we spent nearly 2 months of travel and seeing new places. Then of course the pleasure from meeting people who we have missed, meeting friends from long ago, and coming to some small understanding about why they went to live on the other side of the world.
From November 28th to January 28th we have been on the move and it has been a wonderful experience, a wonderful kaleidoscope of experiences. Famous places. Quiet back yards. Crammed and teeming cities and wild empty coastlines. Pam has no favourites. It was all so special. For me the huge trees in the beech forests of the south coast hit the top. We have had a brilliant time.
From a family point of view the gathering in Hua Hin was very special. To see all together was lovely, and Michelle looked lovely as well. The words said brought tears , from the bride and the mothers in law. Robert had his special time for showing how much his wife meant to him. Michelle's parents met the new members of the family and tho' the language was different the smiles where conveying the shared emotions. The hotel arrangements where smooth, elegant and definitely extravagant! We all looked very posh in our clothes, but I decided to keep mine when Rachel and Ruth were doing their swap shop dressing routine. A good time was had by all.
After the day of celebrations we said goodbye to Dan and Rachel as they went off south to their jungle resort..romantic again...while the rest of the party went in search of elephants for a satisfying tourist experience which provided thousands of photos which demonstrate quite clearly that elephants are big and humans are very small. Time spent in Bangkok had also provided multi-spired temples of glittering magnificence. Redefining glitter and glitz in absolute acres of gold leaf. Trips on long tailed boats which act as resting homes for any large car engine mounted in a truly Heath Robinson style, swivelling and roaring on the stern of a smoothly graceful boat hull which had its origins in a time of completely different technology and aesthetics.
For Pam and myself the second half of the holiday has been in Australia. We had the pleasure of meeting friends we do not often see...in one case 1984! And the conversation had all the comfort of friendship offered by Trevor and Robin, and specially Sandra and Rod.Favours from Glenis who apart from being a walking talking encyclopaedia of world travel also has a flat which overlooks the fireworks display on New Years Eve. Sandy last seen in Ashford and Zambia giving us a night-time tour of Melbourne.The Stauntons who looked after us and and showed us the countryside around Sydney. Kate and Xavier who welcomed us at Manley. And Kaye who wonderfully replaced Gill as host in Melbourne because Gill had run away to work in London.
Finally of course the place itself. The size, space, countryside and city, land, coastline, mountain, sea. Kangeroos and koalas, the Great Reef of course. And we only saw a little slice of it all!
