2 March

Last post. Finally made it to Bangkok yesterday morning after a long flight over Mongolia & China. Left Mandy at the hotel for a couple of hours & took the Skytrain west, across the river, I’d never been that way before so decided it was time. Got off when I felt I’d gone far enough & walked around, no farangs out there. Had a massage, grabbed a soft drink & headed back to walk along the road to the Chatrium, with a hair cut along the way. I love going into barbers where no one speaks English & see what I come out with.
We headed to the pool for a few hours, a snack for a late lunch then back to the room where we both crashed out for 3-4 hours. Reading on the balcony rounded out the day before room service & an early night.
I was up early on the balcony. I love this crazy city at the best of times, it’s total madness but the mornings I love more, when it’s just waking & getting going. The Chao Praya is devoid of the LED-encrusted party boats banging out tragic music, long tail boats shuttling commuters home & the buildings atopped with their red flashing beacons.
It’s calm, nearly serene, with the occasional tiny boat towing empty barges up river to be laden with goods. The hotel ferries, either from a bygone era, or made to look as such, start to work travellers around. The city retains hints of days gone by when the likes of Conrad, Maugham, Coward & Michener, or other travellers, would have been frequenting the Oriental, perhaps in white linen suits supping the local delicacies.
There is obviously many sides to this city, but I love it at this time of day.
It’s going to be a lazy day, we’re seriously disappointed that we lost a day here due to the conflicts nearby, but we know we’ll be back again soon, as we have been so many times.

28 February

Well it seems as though we’ve been in a weird social experiment. Once the announcement was made that our flight was cancelled, the throng raced to the counter to ask questions & demand answers. The local Thai representative was snowed but gave 2 announcements, first in Italian then English about what was to occur. We were being shuttled of to the Marriott, about 1/2 way between Rome & the airport, basically in butt@&$;! And it seemed like 1/2 European train station & 1/2 weird atrium with crass painting on the ceiling & walls.
We thought it was a conference-oriented hotel; it’s vast with 2 long wings & views to Rome with snow-capped mountains behind. Makes the Toyota office building next door look quite small.
But upon chatting with the girl in the foyer tobacco shop, she informed me that no one was ever there. She thought it was time for her to find a new career choice as she was bored senseless all day with no customers.
We checked in and dropped our bags at the room, though nice, were decoratively-challenging to stomach, what you must get if the decorator was asked to use as many finishes as he could. Great views though, then went downstairs for a mass lunch around banquet rounds served by buffet tables. Moved to the sundeck, another magnificent day of sunshine, and mused as to whether an Albanian reality-show host, that no-one knew (sure, we all know Albanian TV personalities) was about to bound from the bushes and start bouncing between groups of travellers asking ludicrous questions. I digress, wrong pills yesterday obviously.
An afternoon doing work drawings, me, & reading, Mandy, pretty much rounded out the day.
Up early with a call saying we were off today. Breakfast & onto the buses, onto the airport, loved this, the reservation network was down. Took a while but got to the counter to find out that Mandy’s seat, which she’d only reserved in June, was given away. I cringed fearing Vesuvius was about to erupt. So, the manager later, then the hostess on board, removed the interloper; the world resumed normal axis gyration.
Found out we’re going north, over Mongolia & back down over China, so the flight will be a bit longer, who cares!
More from Bangkok.

27 February Reeds on rooftops

We both set our alarms on our phone for 6:07am, however we didn't tell some ingrate in Australia who decided to ring more than an hour prior to that. I got up and started doing some work, went up to the roof for a ciggie, only to be annoyed by the lift, which has a perfect ring-tone of the first 3 notes of 'My,my,my (Delilah), so now the bloody song is in my head, and will be until we walk out the front door in an hours time.
Nice calm morning up there, sun just thinking about whether it would rise or not, no, back to bed it went. Back to the room to work out it wasn't just passed 6am, bugger, so kept on working until Mandy woke. Breakfast and now packing winter & summer suitcases accordingly, so we don't have to open one. Picked up in an hour & off to Bangkok for some rest & warmer climate.

Reeds of rooftops

26 Feb on the way to and Rome for 24 hours

Up early for a 10am train from Florence to Rome, lovely countryside along the way. Checked in at Rome Times Hotel, stayed here nearly 3 years ago, lovely hotel not far from everything. Found our way back to the Trevi fountain, we must’ve been directionally challenged last time as it was very easy. Stopped off for a snack at Caffe Trevi. Shoals of tourists have been replaced by tribes of school children. Started a new game: Where’s Weiry! Small things!
Strolled around to the Pantheon, missed it last time, quite amazing as well as stunning. The floor is interesting as it slopes outwards from the centre, not sure that was a BC thing or later renovation AD. Ambled on via side streets & the forum area to the hotel & now Mandy is whining, sorry, wining in the smoking atrium while Pearl Jam, Pumpkins & Jeff Buckley (so far) & Wilco & Radiohead (update) are serenading me over the house music. Around the corner for dinner, old faithful, then bed as we’re flying back to Bangkok tomorrow, & heat & 3 days of not running around.

24 February

Other than a 1/2 hour of rain in Bilbao & a temperature-plummeting afternoon in Madrid, we have been so incredibly lucky with the weather for a Spanish & Italian winter. Another glorious day today & currently a balmy 15 degrees.
Walked up to and over the Ponte Vecchio today, obviously the jewellery/watch centre of Florence. Then along Via Guicciardini trying to find an entry into Giardino Di Boboli. Made our way into the Istituto d’Arte but that dead ended. Couldn’t work it out so gave up. Meandered our way back to collect our washing & down to the local laundromat & lunch next door at Bar Cremeria, awesome lunch!! Back to the hotel so Mandy could recharge then out for dinner along the river at Bistro 34r & some fantastic pasta, biggest tortellini with cream & ham sauce I’ve ever seen. Prosciutto & honey dew melon was also exceptional. Bloated & about to go to bed to sleep it off. Train to Rome tomorrow for 1 last night in Italy.

Evening 23 February

A very quiet day so far, really nice breakfast at the Hotel & then a trip to the markets; a 10 minute retail frenzy ensued. Mandy was happy though with some bags & I was spoilt, again, with a beautiful buffalo long coat. Mandy calls it 'Bomber with a yeast infection'. The feel of it anyway. And about the same cost to get the yeast infection fixed.
Great lunch at La Borsa, somewhere in Florence, amazing prawn risotto for Mand's & a glorious fillet steak for yours truly, then made our way back to the river and home for an afternoons' reading in our suntrap.
It is quite chilly today with a strong wind and low temperatures. It's Sunday so the local are out en force, so we'll do some more exploring tomorrow when, hopefully, there will be less people around.

1,200 Euro sneakers, really?

23 February

It's been all go here today, 6:30am breakfast & pack. The wind was absolutely howling offshore and the fog was blown out to sea, we could actually see Capri and Vesuvius, intermittently.
Then a luxurious train ride through Rome and onto Florence. Mandy really found the sale of the century this time; huge room with a balcony/verandah basically the same size overlooking the Fuime Arno, absolutely gorgeous!
Settled in, then went for an amble along the river, then through the streets. Unfortunately we picked the street with all the big name & price labels, so we ventured off into lanes, plazas, other lanes. Florence is truly a beautiful city, and a lot quieter than what we've previously had, through tomorrow remains to be seen if I'll say the same thing.
Made our way back to the Hotel, Lungarno A. Vespucci 50, for aperitifs. Might eat in tonight, a bit tired but some work to do first.

Windy Naples

Naples

Fuime Arno

Our verandah

View from our verandah

Lounge side of our room

Bed side of our room

 

Verandah

Fuime Arno

Florence

Florence

Florence

Love the sign

Acrylic Tumbler

Florence

Mandy relaxing