After a hectic schedule over the last couple of months we were looking forward to taking it easy in the run-up to New Year’s Eve in Bangkok to welcome in 2020 with our friends Dave and Sky.

Chang Mai.  The last time we were here was on Streak and Storm in November 2014. Today we are flying in to spend a few days with our friends Micheal and Nuch. We first met Micheal in Myanmar in 2014.  They are waiting to wisk us across the city out to their new home in the countryside. They entertain us royally and we spend our time visiting some of the local sights and enjoying good food and company.  We even had an afternoon of food and music at a local cafe.  We had a diverse group of musicians, both Thai and some originally from as far away as Switzerland and Malaysia entertaining us with their renditions of good 60’s and 70’s hits.

Our visit with Micheal and Nuch is over all too quickly, but we need to get to ourselves down to Hua Hin before Christmas where friends have lent us a resort cottage. We plan to just veg and do nothing but relax, sleep and eat. Which we do. Apart from relaxing, we start on a list of activities that need to be undertaken when we get back to Brisbane.  By the time we leave the list has over 70 items on it.

We are in Bangkok for new year to catch up with Sky, whom we knew in Manly but had returned to Bangkok to be with family. We and our friend Dave decided back in June 2019 that we would come and visit Sky for New Year.  Sky had organised a dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River which was a great way to see the city at night.

The rest of the time was spent visiting eating out, visiting silk stores and admiring the communication network wiring that festoons every pole in the city.  Seems there is no plan and extra cable is just left coiled up for future use.  Perhaps Australia’s NBN program could have learnt a thing or two about keeping costs down.

We had a quiet New Yearks eve with Dave, we celebrated with fireworks and single malt. The proper way to see in a new decade.

An overnight stop in Singapore to collect the other suitcases from six months of travelling give us a chance to see the Marina Bay Sands resort and nearby 101 hectare / 250 acre Garden by the Bay. Amazing to find such a park in somewhere so densely populated as Singapore.  We had heard that the newly opened Jewel at Changi airport was worth a visit with the world’s highest, 40 meter,  indoor waterfall  aptly named ‘Rain Vortex’ as the centrepiece.  It certainly is spectacular and worth the detour even if you are just transiting Singapore.

So what will 2020 bring?  Many have asked us what’s next. Our answer is we have no idea, except that we will visit family in Europe sometime in the year. We would like to digest this adventure first before making plans for the future. Streak and Storm are still waiting for us in storage.

Latest News: Within days of our return Anne had secured a three month project management contract and started work immediately.  Well done Anne!  I will be working, slowly, through the list of now some 80 items we wrote up over Christmas in Hua Hin so that will keep me busy. 

What about your adventures? We want to hear from family, friends and readers of their holiday adventures undertaken this year.  Keep well, be happy and travel safely.

– Anthony