Bangkok - day 37 - last day of our 5 week holiday

Google is a fantastic search tool to find out information on just about anything. I did just that this morning to see what fabric shops I could find and Tony looked for electronic shops in Bangkok! As it turns out there are so many fabric and electronics shops available in Bangkok. So many to choose from in fact!

So off we went to Sampeng Lane near Chinatown dedicated to anything to do with sewing. There were fabrics and people galore! I bought some fabrics for me and some for my 1 Puddle Lane dresses.....so I mixed some business with pleasure. My luggage is now groaning!

Another Tuk Tuk ride......this time he took us to where we wanted to go!

Tuk Tuk

Next stop this huge 5 floor shopping centre called MBK for some electronics shopping for Tony. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any temples.....it will be on the list for next time. We both had a fun day even though Tony is still suffering from a cold.

The taxi was going a bit fast for Tony to take this shot but its a man at a sewing machine! He's hired!

We are now waiting to be taken to the airport for our flight at midnight back to OZ!

I've had so much fun writing this blog and it will be a wonderful record for Tony and me to have and look back on in the years to come. We are already planning our next holiday! Tony did a fantastic job getting us safely around Europe and taking these amazing photos! Thank you sweetie!

I hope you've all enjoyed the blog too!

So until my next holiday blog:

Au Revoir - French

Arrivederci - Italian

Giassou - Greek

ลาที่ดี Lā thī̀ dī - Thai

See ya! - from Tony

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Bangkok - day 36

We left Zurich last night for our 11 hr flight to Bangkok and I think I'm really getting used to the long haul flights as it went quite quickly. Tony on he other hand is still not feeling well and is not enjoying the flights at all but he slept well on the flight. We had dinner, then I had my sleeping pill and slept for quite a while. I watched a movie and when it was finished it was almost time to land. As we were coming to Bangkok I thought it was fitting to watch the movie The Hangover 2 as it was set in Bangkok. But I can tell you Tony and I won't be getting up to any shenanigans that went on in the movie hahaha! You have to watch the movie to know what I mean.

We landed and went through immigration and customs quickly and were picked up again and taken straight to our hotel. We are staying at the Holiday Inn Silom.....well! we were treated like VIPs and we didn't have to touch our luggage. They couldn't do enough for us and all the while they were smiling and bowing. Not sure whether we bow as well.

Lots of traffic as it was peak hour.

Our room at the Holiday Inn.

The night markets are just around the corner from us so we will be visiting them tonight and our driver told us they go till 2 am. Not sure if that's a good thing!

We went to the night markets with a ride on a Tuk Tuk. Now, people have warned us but we thought it would be fun. We told he driver we wanted to go to the night markets but he had other ideas and wanted to take us to his mate that makes clothing. We said, no to the night markets please! So he asked us if we wanted to eat and proceeded to take us to the best seafood in town.....we said, no night markets please. We eventually got there but because he took us in a round about way we got lost coming home from the markets.

The Tuk Tuk driver

The night markets....they went on for ever

The markets were selling lots of the same t shirts, fake watches, bags and jewelry. But the funny part of the night was as we walked past the night clubs .... They're the ones with the beautiful young girls dancing on the bars....... they were trying to get Tony to go in! Then they started on me to go into the night clubs! Bangkok is a very interesting place at night! Did we go into the night clubs? Not telling!

Tomorrow there are more markets and temples that we want to see......but also depends on how Tony is feeling. We have all day and a check out at 2 pm. Our flight for Brisbane leaves at midnight so we've got a big day ahead.

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Athens - day 35

We arrived safely into Athens on the Superjet ferry. It left at 6pm and got into Athens at 11pm. We were picked up at the port and driven straight to our hotel. Which was nice not having to line up with everyone else for a taxi. The ferry was very fast and pretty impressive.

The pink and white thing is our Superjet Ferry

Seeing Athens this morning after being in Santorini for 7 days was a shock. It is so noisy and dirty...not nice. We managed to find our way to the Acropolis via the Metro ...... getting lost along the way..... but we got there!

As we only had about 2 hrs free time we didn't walk up to the Path-anon....instead we walked around the Plaka area near there. It is very touristy but lovely...... had lovely cafes and lots of trees. This was a really nice area. It seems in the touristy areas they take pride and keep it clean but the rest of Athens looks very dirty, neglected and tired!

A car that's been burnt out and left in the street.





The Plaka area was really lovely to walk around.



I'm impressed with the Metro....very clean too!

We are now on our way to Zurich to get or connecting flight to Bangkok. Not sure what the Internet connection will be like at the airports on the way to Bangkok.....so will try and do another blog soon.

Our holiday isn't finished yet! We are still on our holiday adventure and even when we get back home everyday will be an adventure. So maybe we should treat everyday as an adventure of new things to discover and life could prove to be wonderful and rewarding!

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Santorini - day 34

The days are just rolling by now! We have checked out of our hotel and are now waiting to get on the ferry to take us back to Athens. We also managed to squeeze in a little more shopping this morning but I'm thinking we should have stayed put as I fell over in the street and twisted my ankle. I think it's time to go
This is what's happening over the next few days.
Ferry from Santorini to Athens this afternoon
Tomorrow at 5pm we get a flight from Athens to Zurich and then board another flight to Bangkok.
We have one night in Bangkok to break up the trip home.
Then we catch a flight on Saturday night from Bangkok to Brisbane and get in at midday.

Our holiday is rapidly coming to a close but we have had the best time and are sad in one way of leaving but happy to be going home!

Here are some highlights of Santorini:










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Santorini - day 33 - unexpected chaos in paradise!

Today was going to be a day of last minute shopping, getting our washing done for our departure tomorrow and generally having an easy day ....... Or so we thought.

Tony heard on the German news the night before that there might be a general strike in Greece on 5th Oct....the day we fly back to Athens. This morning Tony rang Olympic Air to see if our flights might be affected and the lovely Greek lady said 'All flights on 5th Oct in and out of Athens have been cancelled!!'. So we asked if there was a flight today or Thursday for us? 'No all booked out...the earliest flight is Sat!!. Oh! Dear! Was all we could say. And I thought ..... It's all part of the travel experience!


We were told the only way to get back to Athens tomorrow was by ferry and it was at 9am and didn't get into Athens till 4pm. But before we booked anything we spoke to our very lovely and helpful travel agent from Australia via Skype to see if she had a better option. Which there was! A ferry that left later in the day and was faster.

We all decided the best thing to do was to go to the travel agent in Fia and book a later boat ....the Superjet boat which takes only 5 hrs to get to Athens. So off we went to book the tickets but they told us that they weren't booking ferry tickets for the 5th as they thought the ferries would be on strike too.....oh! dear! Was all we could say again. She suggested that as she was just a booking agent that we go to the place that runs the ferry travel.


Oh I forgot to say that there were 5 boats in port today so 5 loads of boat people plus Tony and I head straight to Fira ..... They want to leisurely shop and we want to find the ferry booking office. We eventually found it after being told it was up this street and on the left and then told down that street and on the right!


Pelican Travel said there wasn't a ferry strike tomorrow, at this stage, so we quickly booked the Superjet Ferry back to Athens that leaves at 5pm tomorrow afternoon and gets in at 10pm. So cross fingers and lots of prayers to the Greek gods that there is no ferry strike.....which could still be on the cards!

So needless to say we didn't take any photos today...only of the 5 boats in port. So I found this one for you that summed up the day for us!


Every cloud has a silver lining.....ours was that we were due to leave for Athens at midday tomorrow now we don't have to leave till 5 pm.....so we get a few more hours in paradise and it has all turned out well!

On the other hand poor Tony is not well again...I've given him my sore throat and he is really feeling ordinary.....and now I'm feeling a lot better!



Another sunset on our last day in Paradise.





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Santorini - day 32 - photography day

Tony had to take the hire car back by 2pm so he decided to go back to Oia....which is the place we went to yesterday for the sunset.....and just take a whole heap of photos. I went along to do a whole heap of shopping.....or should I say looking, as there is not much room left in or suitcases.

So.....for something completely different I'm going to bore you silly with heaps of photos from Oia. Except the first photo. This is where we have brekky. It is soooo hard to take!

Enjoy!!





















Tony relaxing in the spa...what a life!



Sunset on another beautiful day in paradise


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