journeywithmadonna

……from Holyhead to South Stack! Today Marilyn, Alison, Jim and I left Steve behind(due to a bad back) and Alison drove us to South Stack, outside Trearrdur Bay, where we began an unbelievable hike. It started with a hike down to the lighthouse, 400 steps, and of course that meant climbing up 800 steps….well, not really but that’s what it felt like! Worth every step it was, as we continued to hike along the cliffs basically in t-shirts as it was such a glorious day. At times it was quite strenuous but the weather and the beautiful scenery helped us through as we hiked into town, bought some groceries to cook supper and headed back to the car by taxi thank The Lord as there was no way we could have hiked all the way back. Today’s hike wasn’t the longest but in many ways was more strenuous because of the cliffs and was definitely the most beautiful. The evening was spent relaxing and once again sharing stories of family and friends , drinking wine and sharing a great meal of salmon, chicken and fresh vegetables and as always headed to bed at a decent hour so as to get an early start in the morning.

Another early start but the journey today won’t be as long as we’re headed to Trearrdur Bay and should only be hiking about 12km as we plan to be back early to welcome Alison and Steve who are driving up from England. Today’s hike was wonderful in that there was no mud and no bulls………just sheep, cows and horses along with loads of sunshine. The walk along the coast was fabulous and not at all strenuous so when we arrived back at the cottage we weren’t too tired to greet Alison and Steve who arrived shortly after us. Needless to say there was not a dull moment as we caught up on each other’s lives and shared stories bout family

Up and out by 10am with plans for our longest hike to Abberfraw.  Before too long we were ankle deep in mud and Jim agreed, much to Marilyn and my delight, to go ahead a ways and check things out to ensure the whole journey would not be a muddy one. Following a brief discussion we decided to go through a farmer’s fence that was clearly signed “no entry, private property” because it seemed the only way to get to where we thought we were going. Fortunately this did not present any problems and we travelled on through many narrow roads,across fields and then through Prince William territory(RAF base) where there were a few tourists taking pictures hoping to catch a glimpse and many aircraft flying overhead. We soldiered on once again ending up in farmer’s fields and by this time realized that signage was going to continue to present challenges. This became very much the case after we came out of one of the fenced areas and turned around to see the sign CAUTION…BULL…. after that we paid closer attention! Once we got over that fright we hiked for quite awhile along the beach to Rhosneigr and thankfully found a pub at the end of town where we all had a cool one. It was here that we found out that it would be another 2-3 hour hike to Abberfraw which meant we would not be back until after dark.   As a result we decided to take the train back to Valley and walk from there to Swn Y Mor.  The train ride was great and we landed back in the cottage by about  5pm and all enjoyed a cold drink, ie. beer, followed by showers and an early supper once again at the Pub……….great night’s sleep after our 24km hike!

Up early today to catch the 6am bus to the Irish Ferries so as to ensure we would catch the 8:05 ferry to Holyhead, Wales. Great ride across the Irish Sea that lasted about three hours on a beautiful boat. Arrived in Holyhead on time, picked up some groceries and headed out to Four Mile Bridge by taxi and the driver never took a breath while he told us about his three marriages and the time he spent in New York! We were thrilled to arrive at Swn Y Mor, which we booked on line, and were very happy to see that it was just as. Beautiful as the pictures had been.It was a very large cottage on a estuary with lots of birds, ducks, small boats and was tidal. Given that it was early afternoon we decided to do our first hike which brought us up past Rhoscolyn along very narrow streets and a few pastures(10.5km). Part way through we had a wicked rain storm that, thankfully, didn’t last too long and we re able to dry off before we returned back to the cottage. Dinner at the Anchorage Pub and an early night as we were quite tired.

Marilyn, Jim and I arrived in Dublin at 8:45am on Oct. 17 no worse for the wear after travelling all night…………well that’s my first fib! Immediately took a taxi to Irish Ferries to catch our ferry to Holyhead, Wales where we would be spending the night. Our first introduction to the Irish was not a good one in that the taxi driver was foul mouthed, especially about women, rude and, of course, over-charged us!! Of course our ferry was cancelled due to the weather and we could not leave until the next day so poor us had to spend the night in Dublin……….not too hard to take! The employee at Irish Ferries, who listened to our tale of woe about the taxi driver, reassured us that would be rare(he was right!) and gave us the bus route which brought us to a great B & B(the Anchor). We then walked around for an hour or so, had a long nap and once fully rested went to O’Shea’s pub just around the corner for fish and chips……………..and a Guinness! Slept like a baby.

……OOPS that should read “our final massage” was fabulous!  Jim opted out but Marilyn and I went for the full body oil massage which our bodies really needed because of the beating we took from the sun day after day….poor us!  Following that we had to say goodbye to the “Chaba” resort staff and take many pictures (by Marilyn).  Off to the airport we go, not knowing that an earthquake was about to happen in Indonesia and that shortly after our departure the airport would be evacuated………and the threat of a tsunami was real.  Fortunately that did not happen!   

Bangkok was uneventful.    We had a little shopping, a good meal, a little wine…..and lots of revisiting of our journey over supper……….and most of that you have heard from our blog.  Marilyn was off to the airport to London for a midnight departure and we captured a few hours sleep before departing to Hong Kong.    That flight was twelve hours and the first five were pure turbulence…….and then we crashed for a few before arriving in Vancouver.  From there our flight to Calgary was delayed because our plane was hit by lightning…….and we were just relieved we weren’t on it……..and that we were still stuck in Vancouver.   Just checked our e-mail to find out that Marilyn is safely at home in Ottawa and that Kathleen will pick us up at the airport in Calgary……..that’s if the snowstorm there doesn’t prevent her or us from landing safely.     We know we’re back in Canada…..and glad to be here.   Thanks to all of you for journeying with us……and we’ll chat soon.       The Three Monketeers!!!!!!!!!

…………..in that new  suit!  Of course that’s Jim I’m talking about and I’m not sure exactly what brought that about.    It might have  been due to the many salesman that approach you on the street when you’re just strolling by …….. or it might have been having extra time on your hands with not too much to do……or maybe because you want a souvenir of Thailand and you don’t like the ‘souvenir type stuff/junk’ in the shops……………or maybe because that’s what people do when they come to Thailand, ie. buy a suit!   It also might have been because Marilyn has been going on about “Harry, the Hong Kong tailor” that used to be in Placentia when we were teens and she seemed surprised that I can’t remember who he was, but I can’t!  No doubt there was a connection when we found ourselves at the tailor shop with Jim getting measured for a suit and then when he was given the card to come back later that evening for a fitting, the card said “Hong Kong” tailor……?…karma!    Maybe, but whatever the reason Jim woke up one day and said “I think I’ll buy a suit”…………………and I remember thinking “is he OK?”.   Nonetheless we walked down the street and within minutes he was being fitted for a suit……………and I thought “where’s Robert?”…………and then I thought “this man measuring Jim reminds me of Robert”………..very quiet, very professional……….just taking the measurements and telling them to his assistant who was duly noting them on a piece of paper.    Before you know it we agreed on the material, the price and when it would be ready!   Of course you have to come back on day two for the fitting, which we did, and while Marilyn and I were sitting there watching Jim try on this beautiful ‘rough draft’ of his suit we were shown catalogues of women’s suits, shirts, dresses, blouses, skirts, etc. and we were surrounded by this beautiful material……..and you guessed it, we were hooked!   So we put in our order and found ourselves coming daily to the tailor for the next three days for fittings….didn’t matter, we had time on our hands!

Interestingly enough we got to know our tailor/salesman and he became quite interested in who we were, where we were from, what we did for a living and why we were in Kata Beach…….and, of course, we were interested in him.   He told us he was just a worker in the HK tailor shop and had only been in the area for six months……..his wife and 14 year old son were in Bangkok.  He went on to say that in 2004 he invested all of his money(over one million bhat, approx. $40,000) in a small shop at Patong beach which was about 20 mins.away…………and within an hour a few months later it was wiped out by the tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004…..and, of course, he didn’t have insurance.   That conversation took place yesterday and today we flew out of the area at 1:05pm to Bangkok and when we arrived we had an emergency e-mail from the Canadian government warning Canadians about an earthquake that had taken place at 3:30 pm in the Indian Ocean.  The warning was related to the possibility of a tsunami in the Phuket area, the beaches were closed and our flight was one of the last to get out before they closed the airport!  We were glad to be in Bangkok……but did feel concerned not only for our tailor but also for the many other wonderful Thai people that we met there.   Fortunately at this hour the warning is being lifted and life there should return to normal.

Well I’m not finished, but it’s been a long day and I need to go to bed!  The trip is quickly coming to an end and there’s still so much to tell you but time is running out before we return to Canada.  I’ll try and find time to touch base over the next few days but if I don’t,  just touch base with us when we return and we’ll fill in the blanks over a coffee or a beer.  Take care!

………….which means “it’s been grand!” as my mother used to say when she had a good day.   There’s been no sign of Easter bunnies or Chocolate Easter eggs or Easter Egg hunts…………..but there’s been loads of sun and the surf has been the highest we’ve seen since we’ve got here.   That, of course, meant another great day at the beach body-surfing and relaxing and people-watching.   Marilyn and I were chatting the other day about how we “stand out” here…………you know when you’re at the beach with nothing to do the strangest conversations come up and we’ve had quite a few………Jim somtimes wonders what the hell we’re talking about or how we got there.

First of all we don’t stand out because we’re short………..Asians are typically small people and there’s many of them at the beach so that’s no different.  And it’s also not because we’re white(and sometimes red) because there’s lots of people our color who are attempting to be another color by basking in the sun.

There are four reasons we stand out and the first is because we’re Canadian?  Since we’ve been at Kata Beach we have not met one Canadian  although we heard there are two in a hotel up the road.  The second reason we stand out is because we speak English………almost everyone we come across at the pool/beach is from Sweden, Germany, Russia, France, Japan, Thailand and whenever I hear anyone speak English (which is rare) I quickly turn my head thinking they’re talking to me but fortunately I come to my senses before I open my mouth.  The third reason is because neither of us has a tattoo………and almost everyone at the beach does, with the exception of many children.  We have seen so many tattoos on so many body parts small and large (both the tattoos and body parts) that we’ve realized that we are in the minority in that department and have fully accepted our status……..meaning no one is booking an appointment at the tattoo parlours that are so plentiful.  The fourth and last reason that comes to mind why we stand out on the beach is relevant only to Marilyn and I and that’s because we are wearing a one-piece bathing suit!!!   Other than the two of us I have only see one much younger woman wearing a one-piece suit and we looked at each other knowing we belonged to a very different club/culture.   There are hundreds of women on the beach daily of all shapes, sizes and ages and there are only three of us wearing a one piece suit……..well that’s not exactly true as there are others wearing a one piece which just covers their bottoms, meaning they’re topless.   Anyway that realization also led to a few interesting conversations as well.

All in all Easter Sunday was great and was really the calm after the storm as we had a ferocious thunder and lighting storm last night followed by heavy rains.  During the night I woke up several times thinking please don’t let the rainy season start this early and just hold off a few more days until we go…….so far so good!   Hope you have a wonderful and joyous Easter Sunday.

………….almost Easter, Good Friday actually.   Maybe that’s because it isn’t raining, the sun is shining, it’s 32 degrees outside, there are no chocolate bunnies and I’m sweating just like my Dad, Uncle Don, Uncle Andy and my paternal grandfather always did when the temperature got higher than 70 degrees F and you were out of the wind………….I’m thinking it’s genetic!   Never mind, here’s hoping the Easter Bunny will be good to you and that the weather will be as well because this time of year you’re never sure what to expect.

Things have been quiet and yesterday morning Jim woke up feeling a little restless,  I think from all the peace and quiet we have been experiencing and suggested that we take the ‘local bus’ into Phuket town to see what was happening ………….. and I’m sure to see what we might experience.   Anyway Marilyn and I were feeling rested from several days of relaxation, solitude, massage and a scattered glass of wine and thought ‘Why Not?’ and off we went to catch the bus.   Here there are no bus stops; you just flag them down as they go by so we started walking and kept our eyes open, kind of behind our heads, to see when they were coming and lone behold we see one coming, flagged it down and when it stopped it was packed and people were hanging off the back and we thought “no thanks” and waved it by.    Then we walked for about a half hour and when the next one came by there was enough room inside of it for the three of us to sit down.   Now mind you, this is not a city bus like anything we are familiar with in Canada……………basically it is like the back of a very large truck with a bench along each side and a cover overhead.   So when the sawed-off bus stopped we got in and were able to sit on the bench and were happily smiling at each other that we were on our way.    Little did we know that although we thought it was full, this was not the case.   The bus/truck stopped everytime someone flagged it down and people kept crowding on and a bench was pulled out of nowhere and put down the middle of the back of the truck so basically there were now three rows and pretty soon there was standing room only, but with nowhere to stand.   But did that stop them from stopping……….no way!   People kept coming on and we were squeezed in like sardines and the couple from Sweden sitting next to me, almost on top of me, told me to just hold my breath because more were coming on and so I did.   They kept coming and by the time we got through the next beach area there were over fifty people in the back of the truck and everyone was happy and Jim and Marilyn and I were all separated but smiling and thinking we were kind of missing that part of the trip…………but at the same time, glad it was over.

Before too long  we arrived safely in Phuket hoping to do a little shopping(because we really haven’t done any) but as you know, “same, same but different” so we wandered around, had a light lunch and caught the tuk tuk/bus/truck back to Kata beach and thought there’s still time to go to the beach……..and so we did!   There we swam, walked, read our books, chatted, napped………………….and discussed where we might eat tonight………..that’s the biggest problem we face these days…………….but all we know for sure is that there won’t be any turkeys or baked ham on the menu this weekend and we’ll save that for when we return to Canada…………and it’s fast approaching!

Today is Good Friday………………we’ll be looking for fish!!!    Enjoy……………

…………guess you gotta have one of those days every now and then.   First of all we slept in………….Jim is usually up early but today with the curtains drawn it was quite dark in the room and he took full advantage of it by sleeping late, and so did I.   So when we got up to breakfast all the whole wheat bread  was gone which made a dent in my fibre intake and you know how important that is on vacation………..had to make do with extra fresh watermelon and pineapple.    And then it started to rain!   That probably doesn’t sound like a big deal but when you’ve been used to sunshine day after day after day it is kind of a shock.  We were out for a walk when it started and had gone into a little store to look around and then there was this strange noise and I looked at Jim with that strange look on my face that was clearly read as “What the hell is that?” and when we checked it out it was pouring and of course splattering all over the tin roof.   Of course that meant we had to shop a little longer hoping it would pass and needless to say Jim was thrilled about that.  Shortly thereafter the three of us had a disagreement because not only could we not remember what day of the month it was but we couldn’t remember what day of the week it was…………had to turn on the I-pad to figure it out……..that’s a first and hoping it will happen again.  Anyway the rain stopped before too long and we were off to the beach where the sun came out and the water was warm and we swam and swam and lay on the white sand.   There’s this really neat restaurant at the end of the beach called “Fisherman’s” so we decided to go for a beer as we got too hot.   I’m not a beer drinker and they deliver bottled beer in those cooler wrap around things so as I was pouring mine the beer bottle came out of the holder and fell into the glass splattering beer everywhere………what a mess!   Jim says that was the worse thing that happened all day…………hope we get through without any other terrible things happening…………..not sure I can take this pressure.    Hope you’re having a better day and that’s all there is to say.