This is my cousin's dog. His name is Benny and he stands about six inches off the ground. He's also very old, well for a dog anyway, and he only has about four teeth left. Benny also has a lung condition that requires medication. He coughs a lot, the poor little fellow, and sometimes he... Continue Reading →
Giant Aquatic Water Beetle for main course
For Charlotte, Maddison, and Alannah. Lots of Love from Uncle Mack. Trying out some of the cuisine at Makphet, in Vientiane Laos. https://youtu.be/QC0zpuN7qms
Buddha Tree
The Buddha Tree at Ayutthaya. The Buddha Tree grows amongst the ruins of Wat Mahathat and is one of the most iconic images of Thailand. The head was once part of a sandstone Buddha image occupying the Wat in Ayutthaya, which was the capital of Thailand (then called Siam) at the time. In 1767 the... Continue Reading →
Super Sized Snails
I believe these magnificent mollusks are a type of Giant African Land Snail. They were introduced into Asia via China c1931 as a source of food and can grow as large as 20 centimetres long. These ones were a lot smaller at approximately 10 - 12 centimetres long at full stretch. I'm on the hunt... 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?
Jazz, Gold Rush and Cocktail
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.
Tasty treats on the street
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 →
I am Bear Grylls
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...