50 something on her travels

I had mead for the first time last night, and it was surprisngly good.  In the glass it looked like a pint of cloudy lemonade. I took a sip and realised it had a proper kick at 4.5%. If you’ve never had it, mead is basically fermented honey, water, and yeast. It’s actually the oldest alcoholic drink going.  Found at a lively micro brewery tucked behind a hotel, down an alley near ICONSIAM.  Cheers 🍻

I was walking past Tamburins, a South Korean luxury perfume brand, in ICONSIAM in Bangkok and couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted "Sunshine," a 13 metre long animatronic dachshund. The giant dog actually breathes and twitches its ears like it is asleep. It's a bit weird, but it certainly catches your attention! 🐕😯

Packing for four months away is always a bit of a challenge. This year's bag came in at 13kg, which is slightly heavier than usual. I'd love to blame it on all the essentials, but the truth is I think age is catching up with me. These days a fair chunk of my luggage allowance is taken up with medication, which isn't quite as exciting as filling the bag with travel gear. In fact, space became so tight that something had to give. The hairdryer didn't make the cut. Anyone who knows me will understand what a major sacrifice that is! 😄 In addition, what you pack you have to carry. As we are travelling on public transport I have to load, offload and lift the luggage. So lighter is better! 

10 November 2026 After a leisurely day, we caught the airport coach from Oxford to Gatwick. Why not fly from Heathrow? It would certainly have been more convenient, but we chose British Airways for two reasons. First, we actually like night flights. Arriving in Bangkok in the late afternoon or evening means less battling through a full day of jet lag before bed. Second, the price. We paid £643 each return, while the nearest alternative was pushing £1,000 per person. That bargain didn't stop us being packed into economy like sardines, though. To be fair, looking at Premium Economy as we boarded, that didn't exactly scream comfort for a long haul flight either. The flight itself took just 10½ hours, around 50 minutes quicker than usual thanks to a helpful tailwind all the way. Getting from Suvarnabhumi Airport into the city is surprisingly easy. You can sit in Bangkok's legendary traffic, or do what we did and take the Airport Rail Link into the centre before changing onto th...

This week I visited Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok. The temple dates back to the Ayutthaya period, but a lot of what you see today is newer. The most striking feature is the massive Buddha statue (about 69m tall), completed in 2021, made of bronze and visible from quite far away. There’s also a large stupa (around 80m high) with detailed interiors, glass, green tones, and a central crystal structure. Getting there is easy via the MRT Blue Line or taxi. Definitely worth a visiting if you're exploring the Thonburi side of Bangkok.

We've had an amazing 4.5 months over winter in Thailand and Vietnam.  There have been many highlights which I've summed up in my video.  We fly back this evening to the UK.  Thankfully we had direct flights so leave on the scheduled day. Thanks for reading my blog, I hope its given you a great insight into what a wonderful destination Asia is.  Until the next trip!