Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
It’s certainly been a good adventure/jolly Ray, one of our best so far!
Re Bangkok, only there for a few days before heading on but we’re in a new (to us) hotel in new (again to us) area, should be interesting. 3 nights = only 2 days, one prob on a public tpt boat up the river, t’other not sure. Only unfortunate thing for Bangkok is we are then going on to a much cheaper country so the laundry that’s piling up will have to wait. Peeps will think hot springs have erupted in the city! 🤣🤣
17th May 2024 8:07 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
And it’s almost time to wave bye to Indonesia. We were a bit nervous re this country. It’s a lot busier than Malaysia, transport has been mostly by car or train, buses weren’t really an option so we’ve pretty much been reliant on Gojek cars which we’re not used to. Plus the Indonesian driving styles varies from sedate to spirited to downright terrifying but it seems to work. We only saw one “accident” and that was where the lady driver of a three up moto didn’t have a long enough leg to reach the road when she stopped. No injuries, lots of fussing and embarrassment. The trains have been brilliant and can be booked easily via an app.
For anyone heading to SE Asia we’d really recommend giving Indonesia a try. Bali is more of a tourist destination but very busy. Java is much less touristy, in a good few places it looked like we were the only obvious visitors. Lots of the locals love seeing us and we feature in quite a few pics with families and on school kids’ interview videos. And some pics that look like they are taking selfies but the screen camera is pointed at us!
OK, some hassle in places but nothing too bad, but peeps are very friendly and lots exchange smiles and waves with the strange looking foreigners.
To Thailand tomorrow then onwards. Jolly is just over half way through, plenty of pics to come. Sorry all!!
19th May 2024 3:10 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
PS Re spotting the highest number of peeps on one scooter, presently stands at 5. Looking for 6.
19th May 2024 3:25 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
Evening all, and greetings from a pretty wet and thundery Sekhumvit area of Bangkok.
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Today was a bit of a lazy day, just a wander up to the RTAF Museum an hour up the SkyTrain line.
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More pics to follow of said museum, just busy enjoying pud and a rather nice French sparking VC.
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And found out this afternoon that tomorrow is a compulsory dry day due to a local religious holiday, gonna miss this blanc de blanc!
21st May 2024 12:33 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
OK aircraft fans a load of pics from the RTAF museum to the N of Bangkok, other side of the runway from DMK (cheap seats) airport.
Very good free museum, lots of historical stuff going back over 100 years. But by far the most frequent a/c are F-5s. More Freedom Fighters than you can shake a stick at, this is about half of them!
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These 2 needing a little TLC!
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A few a/c to clamber in. A C-123 that was just asking to be clambered in.
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And to show Thailand is an equal opportunity second hand purchaser:
Harrier from Spain.
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Spitfire from UK. Not sure if someone sits inside where the little round window is.
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And a Firefly from our friends Down Under.
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One of my fave exhibits, an ex-USN Corsair that looks like boooootiful.
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One of the cutest transport types out. Not sure what it is but it’s SWEEEEEEEEET!
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A Dauntless dive bomber. Not in the main area but security guard didn’t shout at us or shoot us so figured we were OK.
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A Bronco that’s deffo not in cammo (there was also one in cammo).
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And an ex-USAF A-1 Sandy that crash landed in the Vietnam War and became a museum exhibit. Interestingly all US markings are gone.
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A couple of F-16s to bring things a bit more up to date.
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And a Griffin with Swedish markings on one side & Thai on t’other.
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There were a few exhibits from when Thailand & Japan agreed not to have a scrap in the playground back in the early ‘40s. Also lots of historical A/C that participated in the Indochina war with France. A war we’d never heard of. Here’s a few historical aircraft in no real order. A fair few of these aircraft are the only example left on the planet!
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Great AvMuseum, good couple of hours spent before heading “home” prior to the lightning starting.
Off tomorrow, back up to DMK then off to pastures new, well new for this trip.
22nd May 2024 2:46 pm
Down&Dirty
Member Since: 17 Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere out back
Posts: 1289
Some excellent pics again MY24 Defender 90 X-Dynamic HSE
MY18 Disco 5 HSE Santorini Black Now Gone.
22nd May 2024 5:14 pm
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 4743
DSL wrote:
One of the cutest transport types out. Not sure what it is but it’s SWEEEEEEEEET!
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26721
Great pics. Maybe I’ll get there one day.
22nd May 2024 7:07 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
Cheers both off you.
Off on the SkyTrain and bus combo to DMK, hoping that trip, flight then transfer go ok as have an on-going worse case of the runs out. And nothing to do with the Bangkok Half Snickers!
And PS, that’s not a Bronco above, not sure what it is but is similar but no cigar.
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
And greetings from Cambodia. Here (Siem Reap) for 7 nights so should be zapping up loads of temple pics.
23rd May 2024 11:07 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
A few random pics from Ankor Wat temple area. Bit complicated as to what is from where (AW and surrounding areas). We did a tour yesterday out to the countryside then temples surrounding AW, we were knackered by the time we had seen 6 temples, today it we were templed out at 4 and bailed out from seeing Bayon temple, prob the most stunning temple in the complex but it was high 30s, high humidity and we were knackered. We’ll do that on our own sometime over the next few days.
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A little bit sweaty! We were both drinking water like it was going out of fashion, luckily the bus had a decent supply.
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And a gratuitous pics from Bayon from 2019. Truly stunning place but no shade and lots of steps, deffo need to be fresh not knackered.
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25th May 2024 2:15 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
OK, I’ve skipped few days but jumped to today, while it’s nice and fresh in my noggin! No organised tours today, just booked a PassApp TukTuk up to the main temple complex of Ankor Thom.
Great riding in a tuktuk, nice and breezy with great views. Some even have doors!!
Stopping for peeps taking a pic. Not often that shot is possible, that’s a main road into Ankor Thom complex!!
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And our ride, the first self proclaimed e-tuktuk in Cambodia. And good ride it was too.
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And to Bayon Temple. Unfortunately level 3 was closed off for renovations, luckily after we were there last time. Great inscriptions around the base, lots of stories of daring-dos and daily life.
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This looks like it’s a bit of a booze up going on.
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And not forgetting the aspera, the Khmer dancing girls that are on the walls of virtually every temple.
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Still an active Buddhist temple.
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As L3 was closed off we couldn’t get uc&p with the faces of Buddha so just views from below.
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View of the local residents. It’s a batty place to live!
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And the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that is much of Bayon Temple.
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Lots more restoration going on cf 5 years ago, will be interesting to see what it’s like in 5 years time. Here’s the work in progress as seen from the tuktuk on way back.
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Off to one of the other nearby temples, Baphuon temple. Just a short but hot and sweaty walk. Mind you the heat isn’t a problem for the local monkeys, they have a fab spa pool!! First time we’ve seen monkeys enjoying a dip to cool off. Almost jealous! Also they had no interest in peeps, didn’t see us as a good source of unhealthy, but tasty, food and were quite happy getting within a couple of feet of us.
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Temple itself is pretty good, not one of the main attractions but not a lot of peeps and a nice climb.
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And back down to look at the giant reclining Buddha on one side.
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And to the Terrace of the Elephants. About half the terrace is under renovation as it’s falling forwards.
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And a few Garuda for good luck.
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And final pic from today, the Phimeanakas Temple in the royal palace complex. But we were getting knackered, heat was about 35C but humidity was getting high so we called it a day. We’ll head back tomorrow.
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28th May 2024 10:23 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
And, going back in time, a long day yesterday. Car, guide and driver hired for trip to Prasat Preah temple complex up right next to the Cambodian/Thai border, 4 hours drive. Like most of the countries in this area, they are not exactly happy next to each other and in this area there have been armed shenanigans over turf, some handed back (temples), some not (shrines). The whole area is watched over by lots of Cambodian soldiers and police, it’s odd seeing sandbagged bunkers next to thousand years old building remnants. No pic, sorry but didn’t want to upset anyone.
Add to that the complication of Khmer Rouge and their legacy of mines. In the civil war a massive amount of Soviet and Chinese mines were laid by the Khmer Rouge, no maps, and still being cleared by NGOs. The plastic Chinese mines are still maiming peeps and difficult to clear. In one of the areas, supposedly cleared, one mine flag was blowing in the breeze, hinting “I’m still here”. That was just off the road. Talking with our guide, the civil war basically came to a stalemate and the KR joined the government, where we were driving was the their last stronghold and the local peeps still saw them as their cause.
Temple was in a dire state due to fighting between Gvt and KR, and then in 2008 fending off the Thai incursion. It’s being repaired now but a lot of work to be done.
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Great panorama over the Cambodian plains, not surprised the Thais wanted this patch of real estate for the strategic views.
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And a few more pics from other temples on the drive back.
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End of the day, luckily got back to Siem Reap just before darkness.
28th May 2024 11:11 am
Down&Dirty
Member Since: 17 Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere out back
Posts: 1289
Those trees growing over said temples are something else , bet there even more impressive in the flesh MY24 Defender 90 X-Dynamic HSE
MY18 Disco 5 HSE Santorini Black Now Gone.
28th May 2024 12:59 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72849
They are almost as impressive as our back garden will be when we finally manage to visit our home!!
Yes, very impressive but unfortunately they are pretty destructive for the temples. They are leaving a few in place but in the main temple complexes they are being removed and the buildings stabilised. But as a visitor they certainly add to the drama of the place. Especially the Ta Prohm temple made famous by the first Tomb Raider film.
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Deffo a case of not seeing the temple for the trees, well almost! Until ISTR 1907 the entire Angkor Watt and Angkor Thom complex was completely hidden by jungle. Lot of trees have been removed.
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, bet there even more impressive in the flesh 
