Where was I Wednesday

So there I was in my hotel room in Toronto attempting to get an early night sleep so I would be all refreshed and rested and looking fabulous as I started a tour the next day and meeting strangers who I am going to spend that next 9 days of my life is daunting enough....it hit me.... 

Favourite American Photos

Usually I bring you my 'Where am I Wednesday' post at this time but this Wednesday I will be starting a new adventure in another country, so before I move on to that I wanted to bring you my 6 favourite photos from my recent Top Deck tour across America.

In order of how they were taken on the trip....

Sunset at Cocoa Beach Florida

Where am I Wednesday

Where am I Wednesday

Getting clothes made in Vietnam

Like most ladies I admit to having a slight obsession with clothes. So whilst holidaying in Vietnam I was just a little (OK a lot) excited about getting some clothes tailor made.


Hoi An was by far my favourite city on my travels in Vietnam and is well-known for having some of the best tailors in the country. Being a bit of an odd shape I find it extremely difficult to find dresses and jackets that fit me well so this was my opportunity to get some made with a perfect fit.


Here's my tips for getting clothes made in Vietnam:

Children of Cambodia

When I tell people I volunteered at a Childcare Centre in Cambodia for a month one of their first questions is "What were the children like?"...

I'm a little dumbfounded by this question as, they are children, just like any other children. A little bit sweet, a little bit naughty, a little bit cheeky, a little bit cute, a little bit funny, a little bit crazy! They were just like any other children.

It was no surprise to me, especially being a teacher (or should that say 'former teacher') that, despite the fact that the children in the room where I spent most of my time spoke next to no English, I was able to pick up on their little personalities and traits. Some days I just wished I knew what the hell they were saying! 

Not a day has passed since I left them that I haven't thought about these kids. Wondering what they are up to, how they are, wondering what the future has in store for them and their country. But for now I just look at their beautiful faces and smile that I got the opportunity to spend some time with them. 

LEROY!! Constantly pointing and amazed by everything

a trip to Stanthorpe

Recently I travelled to Stanthorpe to witness a beautiful friend of mine get married.

Growing up on a sheep property nearby, Stanthorpe was our major centre for shopping, doctor, dentist etc and two of my younger sisters were born there, so it has a special place in our hearts.

Located about 220km south west of Brisbane close to the border of NSW, Stanthorpe is the heart of the Granite Belt area which is famous for it's amazing fruit, vineyards and wineries. There are many national parks nearby, including Girraween and Bald Rock, which provide some great bush walking tracks and sights.

I arrived just in time to wander down to the little creek by my hotel and snap this picture.

for the final stretch

After our long and draining day visiting Hellfire Pass the day before our final day of the tour started off quite relaxing as our only task for the day was to return to Bangkok.


We left our hotel at about 10am for the 2 and a half hour journey back.


Upon arriving in Bangkok we had to wait a short while before checking in, then some of headed back to Khao San Road for lunch and I was desperate to have a foot massage. 


Then relaxed and got ready for our final group dinner - a night river cruise. It was a lovely way to end the trip cruising the river, catching the sights of Bangkok by night.

Our wonderful tour guide Raht

My roomie for the past 10 days.

And so that ended my tour in Thailand. It was a wonderful trip with some awesome people! The trip I did was with Intrepid Travel. This is the second tour I have done with them and again they did not disappoint. I love the local feel they give to their tours and also their stand for responsible tourism. If you want to check out the tour I did click here....

If you missed any of my other posts about this tour check them out below:

• The flight, the first impressions & the group meet up
• 
  
• The grand palace, the crazy cat-fish & the long train journey
• 
  
• The pedicure, the blessing & the dinner show
• 
  
• The cooking class, the night market & the lady boys
• 
  
• The factory tours, the hill tribe and H'Mong Lodge
• 
  
• The elephant hospital (*warning...cute elephant pictures!)
• 
  
• The Sukhothai Historical Park
• 
  
• The Thai-Burma Railway Museum, the War Cemetery & Hellfire Pass

Have you ever been to Thailand?

What was your highlight?

Linking up with My Brown Paper Packages, With Some Grace and A Brit and a Southerner

for Sukhothai Historical Park

Our earliest start yet, we were up and had to be ready to leave by 8am, leaving the gorgeous resort behind us for a short drive into Sukhothai Historical Park. 

We went straight to the bicycle hire shop to get fitted for our bikes and helmets. I will admit to being a little apprehensive as it has been many many years since I have ridden a bike, but it really was something you do not forget.

It really was just like riding a bike!

Sukhothai means 'Dawn of Happiness' and the park is home to about 193 ruins on 70 square kilometres of land.

We set off to visit 3 of the main sets of temple ruins. At our first stop we noticed some gorgeous little school children walking towards us and their teachers allowed us to take photos with them. 

Of course my eyes are closed!

I think the teachers were more into the photos than the kids were!

We then rode on to Wat Mahathat, which was the biggest of the 3 temples we visited. 

Some impressive fingernails right there!!

After we spent time exploring here we returned to find that the bike hire people, who rode behind us in a ute in case of a breakdown, had turned all our bikes around to face out! How cute are they! Some of us joke about being a pushbike version of Sons of Anarchy as we all mounted our pushies and took off one at a time after each other!

We then rode on to Wat Sri Sawai.

Our final ride was a little longer and involved leaving the park and riding on a main rode for a little bit to the amazing Wat Si Chum.

Again with the gorgeous gold fingernails!

 Afterwards we rode to a little picnic area and were fed the most amazing home cooked meal by the people from the bike hire place. The food was the best yet (although I think I have said that a few times already!)

We then rode back to the shop, hopped back on the bus to drive about 450km to Kanchanaburi which took about 7 hours due to the road and traffic conditions.

Make sure you have Sukhothai on your Northern Thailand travel list!!

Linking up with My Brown Paper Packages for Wednesday Wanderlust, Ms Mystery Case for Worth Casing Wednesday and Trish from My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday!