The travels and musings of Matt and Heidi
Located in the grounds of the old Ayutthura city is the temple of Wat Phra Si Sanphet. It includes the tombs of three Kings. Wat Phra Si Sanphet was the holiest temple on the site of the old Royal Palace in the ancient capital. It housed a gold Buddah 16 meters high (over 300 kg of gold) and... Continue Reading →
Just before leaving Oxford to emigrate to Sydney Mel gave me Oxford Bear. Since 2007 he has come with me on my travels. I introduced him to Matthew. They get on well. And now Oxford Bear is exploring Asia. Ayutthaya was one of his favourites.
One of the highlights of our trip to Bangkok was a visit to the Ayutthaya historical park. It was once one of the largest cities in the world. The ruins still beautiful. History Ayutthaya city (full name Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Thai: พระนครศรีอยุธยา) is the capital of Ayutthaya province in Thailand. Located in the valley... Continue Reading →
We have been here for exactly four weeks now. A lot has happened. We have got ourselves mobile on bikes, I have enrolled in Lao language classes, Matthew has started his internship at Vientiane International School and even done the odd spot of teaching. What is it like here? We arrived by small plane (the... Continue Reading →
Messing about by the River A cycle by the Mekong (on my new bike) Ice in the beer Lao Frogs for lunch What could be better?
Ph1 bar had it all going on. Jazz, with Charlie Chaplain's Gold Rush playing in the background (classy) and Osie doing his bartender impression of Bryan Brown from the movie Cocktail.
Of course bugs weren't the only thing we got to eat, and Bangkok's street vendors really produced some lovely food. Many of the apartments in Bangkok don't have kitchens so street vendors cook food from breakfast through to midnight. They often live above the place where they sell the food so it's freshly cooked and... Continue Reading →
We took a Street Life tour on our first night in Bangkok to sample some of the local cuisine. Our guide, Minnie, scoured the food vendors for some insect delicacies on a dare...
Matthew on the Balcony Last weekend before moving out, in his own little world.
Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk, England located on the estuary of the River Orwell. It is one of England's oldest towns, if not the oldest. Under the Roman empire, the area around Ipswich formed an important route inland to rural towns and settlements via the rivers Orwell and Gipping. The Ship Inn, Levington, near Ipswich is a favourite place to go when we visit... Continue Reading →
Wish You Were Here 