Humph's adventure so far...(2005941)

 
Went for a quick trip to Cardiff where I bumped into my friend Daisy. The picture was taken when we were driving back over the Severn Bridge.

 
Back to London and a few serious weeks in the office. Hrummphh and all very dull but am looking forward to future adventures in Rome and various parts of the UK. Here is a picture from the office in London

 
We went out for a cycle through Dahlem and onto the Max Liebermann Villa in Wannsee. The weather held up and there were leaves falling everywhere. This photo was taken on the way back in a little green strip in between the houses near the Schlachtensee. And the bicycle is a Moulton Mk 3 by the way.

 
We travel direct from Dublin to Berlin which saves a bit of toing and froing. We have a lovely candlelit dinner with some stunning Mosel Riesling. And so to bed.

 
Back for a week in Dublin with Sammi - she is very jealous of my new neckerchief. We make some Pho Bo (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) and she is very pleased with the by-product - 3 huge marrow bones for her.

 
Back in Twickenham to recharge the batteries. Went to see the Help for Heroes game at Twickenham which was a jolly fun day out even if the rugby left a lot to be desired. Am now sporting my new neckerchief which is made of silk and has multi-coloured polka dots - I think it's very stylish and will keep me warm now that the temperature is dropping.

 
A couple of hours in the lounge at Zurich and we make our connection back to London.

 
Back in Berlin with all of our goodies from South East Asia. Spend my time mostly relaxing with Big Bear as you can see and also take the opportunity to deal with a back log of emails. Have you spotted the picture of Sammi from Dublin on the computer screen?

 
On the way to Berlin and we go with Swiss via Zurich. All very civilised and the masses of presents that we bought in Vietnam make the trip in our luggage.

 
Back to the UK where the temperature has dropped significantly since I was here last. Should be having a quiet life for a week or two and then we are due a trip back to Berlin. Now that's something to look forward to.

 

Arrive in Vienna at 5:30 and we have a 4 hour wait for our flight to London which isn't enough time to go into town. Watched some TV over the internet in the lounge and then had another snooze.

 

Back to Bangkok for the long haul flight home and thankfully back to travelling in Business Class. Do a bit of last minute shopping at the airport to get rid of the last few Baht and am pleased to have found a shop called Doi Tung which is a handicraft project set up by one of the members of the Thai royal family. Have a nice relaxing time in the lounge and then slept soundly on the plane to Vienna.

 

Back to Ho Chi Minh and at the Norfolk we get a slightly better room - not a great view but at least there are no bars on the window and we can see a bit of life outside the hotel. We get a chance to explore and find an excellent seafood restaurant . Finished the night with some cocktails at the Temple Club.

 

Back to Bangkok for some meetings and a bit of shopping. We are staying in the Siam Design Hotel which is a bit of a triumph of ambition over achievement but as you can see we have an excellent view over the National Stadium. Had a good look round the Jim Thompson factory outlet and all of the cool places in Siam Square. Had an excellent traditional Thai massage at Ruen Nuad on 42 Thanon Convent - thank God for the Wallpaper guide. It now turns out that we will be going back to Ho Chi Minh for a couple of days before we go back to Europe. I like Thai food but I am looking forward to more Pho - to the uninitiated this is Vietnamese noodle soup.

 

Hurrah! We have booked a cabin on the Emeraude which everyone says is the best and most luxurious cruise ship in Halong bay. We meet at the Hanoi press club and then take a 3 hour drive to Halong. The ship http://www.emeraude-cruises.com/) is a replica of a 1903 paddle steamer and everything is covered in teak and brass - an Edwardian 5 star hotel on water. We have lunch almost on arrival and then retire to one of the loungers for a siesta. Meanwhile we are cruising around the bay. Lots of fresh prawns for dinner washed down with some of the Rothschild Chilean venture - just the ticket. To bed early and then up at dawn to see the sunrise - everything stunning. We'll have breakfast soon and then docking and a long drive back to Hanoi for our onward flight to Bangkok.

 

Back to Hanoi and the Horison hotel. We have a bit of time for sightseeing in between the rest of the busy schedule and we get to see the Hoan Kiem Lake (excellent view from Cafe Pho Co) the Temple of Literature and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It looks like we will get another day towards the end of the trip and we might take a cruise on Halong Bay - this sounds exciting.

 
Arrived in Ho Chi Minh late and we are staying at the Norfolk. We got a special upgrade to a superior room but I can't say I am too impressed with the room. The balcony wall is over 6ft tall and on the top there are bars - a bit like a prison. Not many other bears around Saigon and I think I'm already missing Hanoi.

 
Arrived in Hanoi On Sunday night. Phew, it's hot and humid. Very tough on little bears. The hotel is on Cat Linh and there is a super pool on the 2nd floor above the main reception. Can't wait to get out and explore

 
Arrive in Bangkok at just after lunchtime on Sunday. Flight here was smooth and I got a whole 5 hours sleep. Just 3 hours to wait and then I board the plane to Hanoi which is where the real fun begins.

 
10 hours stopover in Vienna before the overnight flight to Bangkok gives me time to have a little look at the centre of Vienna and meet with my friend Doris. Then back to the airport and on the plane. Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!

 
Back from Dublin on the 29th July and just a few days in London before my big trip to South East Asia. I have a few days to sort out my packing and get those all important vaccinations.

 

 Have now arrived in Dublin and have a met a new chum. Her name is Sammi and she is very friendly.

 

 Spent a few days chilling out in Twickenham before my trip to Dublin.

 

    

 

 My first picture. Taken on the balcony in Berlin

 

Humph

 

Hurrah! Have just arrived in Berlin. Sunday mornings are spent listening to Irish radio over the internet drinking Barrys tea. This morning we had sour cherries as well. Will take some pictures later and try to upload them meanwhile I am filling in my application for an air miles account.

 

Humph.

 

Hurrah! Have just arrived at my new base in Berlin having spent rather a long time in the local Deutsche Post depot. We spend Sunday mornings listening to Irish radio over the internet while eating sour cherries and drinking Barry's tea. Heaven! Will get round to posting a picture later meanwhile I am filling out my air miles application.

 

Ta ta for now

 

Hump.