A little drama yesterday that TripaDeal resolved after I put the cranky pants on. Good work on their part to fix their f..up quickly. The Navigator resolved another issue with Qantas remotely. Its 30 – Love in The Navigator v Qantas match
The Radisson OR Tambo Hotel, now under the brand Destiny Is a lovely hotel, nice staff.
Oh, nearly forgot, there is a Jehova’s Witness ” Eternal Happiness” Convention on at the hotel, mostly young people, well dressed, colourful clothes, smiling faces and no cardigans or dour fashion. Might take a closer look? Yeh nah!!!!
A shower and rest was so good yesterday after the flight. Sleep cycle was reset to Africa time.
The Dancer and The Cowboy arrived 5.45pm looking a little worse for wear.
Today we started early, and, its freezing. 8am 3 mini buses arrive, William from Sebatana Game Reserve organises us into which one and off we head from Johannesburg to Pretoria. Freedom is our drivers name. First stop is the Voertrekker Monument, commemorating the Boer movement out of the Cape area in the 1830s, because they had some grievances with the British. Can’t understand that happening! Godfrey is our guide, another cool name.
South Africa is governed from Pretoria so next stop is the Union Building, or, their government house.
North we continue, lunch at a funky little roadside restaurant, then further north to Sebatana. We see Kudu, zebras, wildebeest, giraffe, ostrich and a variety of antelope.
Sebatana Lodge is fantastic, we are a little gobsmacked how nice it is. Our rooms are beautiful with a verandah looking over a creek. I’m glad we had to pay a little extra and take the chalet style accomodation rather than the standard accommodation. Baboons are wandering around the manicured gardens. We are welcomed by the boss who introduces us to the cook, the room staff and a few of the guides, plus drinks and canapes are served in the restaurant around the pool.
Dinner is high level food, main dish is Kudu, The Navigator eats it and most other things, what’s going on.
Singapore Airport at 1.15am is still humming with people transitting all sorts of places, but, after a day of travel it ain’t much fun. We rest at our gate, until we find out about midnight that they’ve changed our gate from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1.
Another security check, boots off for both of us, The Navigator is a little miffed, I’m just marginally miffed, if they are going to frisk you at least have a smiling attractive woman do it. And don’t get us started on the huge carryon bags + other bags other people bring on and fill up the overhead compartments with. And rude pricks who push into lines, they get The Navigator ” stink eye” look and you don’t want that, I saw it when she was talking the Qantas help desk on the phone. Scary!
We land in Joberg 6am in the dark, sort of, a cracking red/orange sunrise in the east. Hardly any sleep, more crap gluten free tucker, including GF bread rolls that would kill a human if you threw it and hit them. They are like rocks. Nearly finished Michael Connelly’s “Ironwood”, while listening to some music.
Through the airport quickly, walk into South African soil and shuttle to our hotel. Personal safety is explained to us, and its clear there are some issues. Barb and razor wire, spikes on man fences, some electrified wires on the top of fences, but otherwise it feels like Dubbo temperature wise.
We met some of our fellow travellers (for the first week in SA), we’re just with Cheryl & Graeme the rest of the trip.
Its raining in Sydney, steady rain, drops and spots on the windows of the hotel.
Our plane – sort of!
The Navigator is up early, hair washed, not dried. She couldn’t find the hair dryer, nearly called the Mascot police station, but as usual it turned up in what she thought was an obscure place. I’ll say no more, but it was a sign of things come.
Breakfast was ok, sort of, at the hotel, then she ( Navigator) booked a few Qantas flights for other trips and mucked one up with the wrong date. A call to Qantas service centre (that is an oxymoron) to change the error resulted in 4 calls and a lot of expletives from her mouth. Not pleasant, but Qantas do owe her an apology, it was finally fixed by a man. I’m saying no more other than occasionally a bloke can fix something. But, usually not this bloke.
The “gates of no return” offer no challenge, we’re through, recover some GST on a camera I bought, change some obscure currency I found in the safe back to Aussie dollars. $297 is not to be sneezed at, but will probably go in tips to guides. Aussies tipping? Never!
The plane is only 10 minutes late taking off, the rain has caused a few delays. Extra legroom seats are great, not business or 1st class, but better ( for me anyway) than the cramped normal seats. The food is crap, it’s gluten free, so not unexpected but the gin and tonic helps quieten my protesting taste buds.
We arrive in Singapore on time, the pilot put the foot down a bit (*note – I did not say “he” or “she”)
Changi Airport is heaving with people. Our next flight to Joberg is at 1.15am, we arrive into Johannesburg at 7am tomorrow, so clearly tomorrow will be a write off as we wait for The Cowboy and The Dancer to arrive later tomorrow after their direct flight in semi comfort in Premium Economy.
Its a warm day in Dubbo, a repack of sorts trying to get close to the 15kg all up limit per person we need for the light aircraft from Kenya to Tanzania
Tonight the Holiday Inn Express hosts us, tomorrow arvo we fly, we arrive 7am Wednesday SA time.
No drama’s to report today other that the 15 minute walk from Domestic to the hotel being a test for the Navigator.
Next adventure is Africa, starting in a few days time.
What I think Africa should look like when on safari!
There has been drama preparing for this trip, health issues from a number of travellers, how to fit cameras, clothes etc into a total of 15kg for light aircraft travel, what clothes and footwear to take, and it goes on and on and on.
Then there are all the vaccinations, malaria tablets, Yellow Fever, Cholera, you name it Africa’s got it for you to catch.
We ( The Navigator and moi) are travelling with my sister Cheryl ( The Dancer) and brother in law Graeme ( Cowboy), it was their idea and inspiration that convinced us that we should confront bankruptcy to stump up and go to a place that is both beautiful and dangerous.
We are travelling to;
South Africa
Zimbabwe ( Victoria Falls)
Kenya – Masai Mara and other places
Tanzania – The Serengetti, Zanzibar
Next Post will be from the road somewhere, but I will follow this with a short poem I wrote.
Ciao
Paulo
Know What I Like?
Do you know what I like, no word of a lie, Friends at the beach or around a warm winter fire, The chatter, the warmth of food and a drink, I like it, that I can stare into the flames or ocean and think.
I like the night stars, in the clear Australian sky, I hope I shine in like that when I die, This big country, with frosts and burning heat, I like the space, it’s people, to hear it’s heart beat.
I like to travel to unfamiliar places, some far away, To hear the voices unfamiliar, the music they play, The colour of faces, of children chattering in the street, I like their innocence, their unkempt hair and dirty feet.
And I do like my home, the tv loud while I sip a beer, A constant voice behind me that I try hard not to hear, The birds in the garden, the tree filtered sunlight, I like the sound of rain on my roof on a winter’s night.
And I liked the two shy little red headed boys, The wrestling, the shared room and shared toys, And I like their mother, with the same coloured hair And an attitude of cross me, only if you really dare.
I like the pub on Friday, for drinks at the weeks end, The battle of wits, challenging ideas, who’s first to bend, I like Saturday breakfast with friends coffee and tea, And rugby on Saturday arvo at No. 1 is where I like to be.
I liked my old man, our days on horses droving a mob, The singing whistling horseman who loved his job, And I liked my Mother, and sometimes she liked me, I really liked her scones and sponge cake for afternoon tea.
I reckon I like my life, drifting by quietly like a cool breeze, To walk the streets freely, and swim in the planets blue seas With friends and family, to walk with them or stand beside, Life is like a horse you like, then saddle up for the long ride? Paul Reid 29th June 2026
Our silk table runner, a Hmong woman took 19 weeks to do this one
Ok, so, we’re home. Overnight flights really do suck. My feet swelled, I hardly slept, could hardly read, the people in front put their seats right back, I felt I could blow in the dudes ear and whisper a “”f…off” message to him. But I didn’t.
The six hours waiting at Qantas Domestic terminal are a drain, that zombie feeling that you’re there but you’re really not, nodding off to sleep, not feeling like eating. The relief of landing in Dubbo, I can’t explain how nice it feels, even the heat when we leave the plane. Tonight we’ll sleep the sleep of the dead, tomorrow recovery and then back to normal.
Some things about the trip to Thailand and Laos
E Sims are great – The Navigator and I had Airlo Asian region e Sims 30 days 5gb data. Cost $30. Did the job perfectly.
Money – travel cards and AUD cash work well. Thailand both are ok to get local cash, Laos not many money changers around so travel card and cash withdrawal work well. In Laos US dollars is the alternative to Lao kip. Do yourself a favour and have a currency converter card made up. We used the Wise card and CBA travel cards and AUD cash.
Shopping – negotiate most places. Not food, its non negotiable and mostly cheap if you eat local food. Wuth normal shopping always ask ” Best Price??” And if they pull out a calculator, negotiations are under way try for 25 -30% reduction, maybe 50 % if you do the walk away then turn back. Always do it in good spirit, and don’t start bartering if you have no intention of buying.
Food – try street food, particularly in Thailand. Its cooked in front of you, even if it’s just chicken fried rice. Google Maps ” best name of food…. in Chiang Mai” and see what comes up, some the street food is rated better by every day travellers than Michelin hatted restaurants. Eg I Google mapped ” Best Khao Soi in Chiang Mai” , it brought up a place of the same name but rated 4.6/5, so we followed Google Maps there thinking it was a sit down restaurant, but it was in a food market, street food stall, plastic tables, clean, a line up for food and tables, for $6 the best dish of the trip by a mile in a plastic dish at a plastic table on a rickety stool. Try it. We did not get sick on the trip. Dave’s eyes sweated a few times because of the amount of chilli he shoved into dishes. Coffee in Laos was really really good.
Best things and places; Chiang Mai – need more time there. Beautiful city, nice climate, great food, good coffee, a lot of digital Nomads live here. Elliebum hotel was lovely, great location in the old city. Explore the night markets, the weekend market is fantastic.
Nagi of Mekong – the 2 day slow boat on the Mekong from Chiang Khong to Luang Prabang, over nighting at Pak Beng is such a great trip to do. I think the Shompoo company do the same trip well, as well. Probably don’t do the backpacker version of this trip , its way cheaper but you’re crammed like sardines and not fed, squat toilets, maybe I’m getting old !!!
Luang Prabang, Laos – I love this place. First sold to me by my sister many years ago. My 2nd time here. Best area to stay is the middle Street between the river and the night market or on the river, on the northern end where the Nam Khan River joins the Mekong. Lots of accomodation options, Booking.com, Air BnB etc. There are lots of food options in this area, local, western, French Italian, and the night market food is good but it’s crowded. This time of the year the temperature is so nice. Save some money for local textiles, Hmong silk, hemp and cotton. Do a trip to Krung Si Waterfall Falls, a magnificent natural Waterfall , visit an elephant conservation place eg MandaLao, do a craft day like Ock Pop Tok Living Craft, visit UXO the UneXploded Ordinance centre.
Bangkok – do the 150 baht Tourist boat for one day, ride the khlong boats from Phanfa pier to Saphan Hua Chang pier or Pratunam, shopping at MBK Centre or Pratunam markets, or serious shopping at Chatuchuk markets, sample the night moves at Khaosan Road until your ear drums can’t take any more. Visit Wat Arun, Wat Pho, the Royal Palace, Talat Noi, the contrast between the old and modern Bangkok.
Early breakfast pending our flight, bags packed, secured with cable ties and locks.
10.15am our driver arrives, dapper looking chap, good English and we find out later he’s also an air traffic controller. His new Kia wagon gets us to the airport quietly and smoothly, 200,000 kip ($14) is money well spent.
We’re checked in, stamped out of Laos and Dave’s at the bar in no time, sampling a last BearLao. For a while anyway. We’re alerted to a pa system call for ” Mr Alan David Robson, please come to the information desk” – Dave heads off with his passport and boarding pass, not sure what the issue is? I have visions of my episode in Thailand last year when I got hauled in because I had an empty 9mm shell casing in the pocket of a pair dirty shorts. Dave doesn’t do guns so it can’t be that!!!! In fact, he left his Ipad in his checked in bag, rooky error, so he has to fix his “blue” and re secure his bag. Crisis averted.
Bangkok’s industrial spread and the scale of industry is a contrast to Laos, a country struggling to find a way to give people a better life. At the moment China seems to be seen as part of the answer.
Bangkok becomes “pick on Pauolo” time, my backpack is run through security a few times, I have to explain little metal Buddha, and why I have two cameras. We get checked again getting into our gate for the flight to Sydney, which took us a little while to find in the behemoth thats Suvirbahmi airport. I’m guessing yesterdays madness at Bondi Beach has put the world on watch security wise. Extremist behaviour by any religion is intolerable.
We leave on dusk, Sydney next stop.
As usual, an overnight flight means no or little sleep.
Breakfast at Le Benetton this morning, its a good breakfast but but the Lao girl serving us is ever so quiet with a beautiful smile however her English makes it difficult to get the order correct. But we got there. Hbum and moi finish my low THC gummies. I’m sure they won’t affect me like hers near undid me back in Chiang Mai. All us good, all day!
Shopping at Lu’s place is first, we finish up with still a bit more shopping, The Navigator does a bit more shopping, again, funny that. Our bags will be stretched to the limit. I think Lu likes Dave, just a little bit!
We take a break then lunch on spring rolls on the Mekong bank at Belle Rive Restaurant. Its pretty up market and attached to a very nice hotel The Belle Rive. Our end of town and the centre street is definitely the place to be. Our spring rolls are good, but not as good as Big Tree Cafe, which is shut today. The Chinese karaoke on the river blasts away at top volume, none of them aware of how crappy it sounds, its an abomination, sound polution.
There seems to be an influx of visitors today, new faces strolling with their cameras and smiles on their dials.
I have a massage, the others go shopping, again. I walk along the river heading south, trying to find the cut outs in the river bank where men in singlets with smokes hanging from lips playing petonque for money. They were there three years ago but not now. That area is way grungier than our area, more a backpackers area.
Dave and I have drinks at Villa Santi Hotel, again, in their beautiful garden while the women go for a massage. A few Jamesons later they arrive back with smiles on their faces.
We decide on Popolo for dinner, funky venue, 70’s music, Italian food mostly. I’m looking forward to some regular food at home. We meet the boss, a French man who has been here 16 years, he runs 2 restaurants, and we have a nice chat about corruption, politics, family etc etc, as you do with strangers.
Last job is to try and pack the shopping in our bags and not bust our 23kg limit or our bags, I think we’ll be ok but The Navigator is a little worried. Tomorrow at the airport will tell us if she was right to be worried.
The trip has been wonderful, the Lao people are delightful and their country is beautiful but poor. We’ve had excellent travelling companions, travelling to remote and beautiful places..
Breakfast as per normal at the hotel then we join Dave & Heken at Le Benetton for coffee. They’d been at the early morning market, eels, innards of anything you think of, wet butchery, you name it sold there.
Decision was made by the Navigator “Let’s start proper shopping today”. The Navigator is like thoroughbred before they go into the starting gates, champing at the bit, ready for the break, red light flashing ” and they’re away!!!”
Lu’s shop is first, hemp stuff ( not the smoking kind), and nice gear. We teach her little Aussie sayings and how to address Australians negotiating too hard by using tilted head and saying ” maaate, come on!”
Kinthong and Californian husband of 16 years are next, a beautiful silk shop where they buy mainly Hmong tribe weaving from villages. Not cheap, but not dear for the work that goes into them. Our table runner is a hand woven silk piece that took a woman 10 weeks to make. Their wrapping paper is from the Por Shah Tree ( Paper Mulberry).
We then make 1.5m kip purchase craft shop in Middle street, lots of gear, mainly cotton stuff.
Lunch is at Popolo, we regroup over a pizza. Meanwhile over the street instagramers are pouting, posing, cocking legs in a supposedly in a provacative way, throwing things in the air and jumping to catch, its so contrived it makes me cringe.
A short rest and she’s off by herself, by the time we catch up agailn at 6.30 the bag market in Luang Prabang has risen significantly.
I spot some young novice monks beating one of the big drums in a monastery before drinks with Dave and Helen at The Library, a ritzy looking hotel near our lodgings.
Dinner is at Red Rose Restaurant on the Nam Khan River, beautiful Thai food tonight. Bit exxy, 1.5m kip for dinner and drinks at a fancy up market place ($98)
It rained most of the night, solid rain, it will be good to wash the early dry season dust and grime off plants, the streets and roof tops.
The morning is The Navigators reconnaissance mission for serious retail activity in our last two days. She buys some things to test her negotiating skills, tick, the market for bags, tick, and remarkably no shoes (none sold here that’s why). Table runners also get a full workout, initial indications are she may have cornered the table runner market. She’s still debating cotton versus silk.
We meet at Ock Pop Tok shop to get the pink tuk tuk to our afternoon appointments doing craft out at The Living Craft Centre on the Mekong just on the edge of town. I’m doing silk weaving on a loom, The Navigator is doing natural dying and Hbum is doing batik piece. It’s a beautiful setting on the Mekong, a collaboration between an English woman and a Lao woman to work with local silk weavers. We had a wonderful afternoon, but we were all pretty weary. Telegram Sam ( aka Dave) chilled at home reading his book and joined us later. The Lao weavers and craft team are wonderful, softly spoken, gentle with a dry sense of humour, and sooo patient fixing my stuff ups.
We get the pink tuk tuk back in the rain and retire to BOUANG Asian Eatery for dinner. An excellent meal, fusion SE Asian food and the same smiles and excellent service.
The Navigator does a run of the Night Market where she pushes the scarf and cotton pants market up – you know the old economic thing demand v supply!
reidy55 