South Africa - 24th Sept - 13th Oct 2009

This is the city, gold, diamonds, platinum, apart. Tied to its history a story.
This country is rich with natural beauty,
the earth and the sea abound.
Its nature not nurtured.
A cradle of men, kind, friendly, mellow.
You're colour coded and molded, or branded.
How could we imagine to meet such warm fellows?
Your reputation is bloody awful!
The big five?
the liars
the bluffers
the winos
the elegants
the leppers
the land of the cheeters the hypo crisy and a load of old croc!
I only ever liked the humming birds,
in Johannesburg I heard the caged bird sing
we extended our stay there 3 extra days
before flying to the Cape of good Hope.

Johannesburg

Like a comet like a rocket like a meteor hit,
like the world tour didn't start or couldn't end without it.
They say it's not safe. Its prison after prison,
in your house, in your car, in your mall, in your mind,
Constitution, Apartheid, Soweto can't go there without a guide.
High walls, electric fences, security guards
and here is the cradle of man kind, let's see....
Rashaad invites us to a braii in Vereheeling with his brothers.
We are 5 having a fantastic time,
in the VW, music blearing, windows wound
down and they'll “be back in a sec”.
It's dark and the parking attendants reeling you in,
we're in no danger while they find the freshest prawns.
It's braii day and our first day and Rashaads brothers birthday!
At 11pm, we eat a finger licking feast after which, we're off clubbing.
I beg your pardon and did I say this is our first night in Joberg,
after a visit to the Apartheid Museum put up by the Casino?
Saturday we're at the World cup cricket match, West Indies play Australia.
Free tickets courtesy of Rashaad, hard not to enjoy the 1 day test.
Overs, runs, and wickets,
Caro waving the WI flag at fours and sixes.

We round off the evening in Melrose's place to dine Moyos.
Good music, good food, good fire.
Sunday with Lisa, she's a photographer, takes us to Kgasawne
to take pictures along with Warwick her boyfriend.
Zebras and baboons and picnickers peeking through the trees.
It's like Picnic of Hanging Rock, we are hiking and it's beautiful 360 degrees.
Monday night dinner with Bernice and Lorenz
a banquet of a braii meat piled high and fish to die for
like Jesus sermon on the mount without the 5 loaves
and Jamming Indian Udu percussion
Rashaad and his bros had the beat
Lisa and Warwick had the beat
Bernice and Lorenz had the beat
Graham and Tony had the beat
Their Graton Guest house
hard to beat
were guests Jeremy and Rejanne
visit the patter of tiny feet
had the beat
Our 1 day Pilansberg Safari had us beat
the lion leopard and buffalo playing hide and seek
and sun beating down mellow and sweet
and downtown Joberg has a beat better
than its cold war years before
we got the beat, we got the beeat,we got the beeeeeeeat,yeah!We got it!

Cape Peninsula

Kalk Bay to Cape Point, to Hermanus then Cape Agulhas,
Franschhoek then Cape Town to finish this piece of resistance.
Kalk's fishermen and Olympia cafe are fine,
where Kalky's fish and chips was a pleasure,
as was the sea shore at your door step.
Cape Point is hard to describe in words, it's so
lkdnkjbetjkenkirhpipjbjhjcbjygfejjjhfvhly stunning.
The National Park has ostrich and springbok and baboons the buggers!
Hermanus is a must, you'll have a whale of a time.
Agulhas, where Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet is the most southernest point of S of A!
Franschhoek, in the pretty wine region, would be prettier still,
if there were still elephants majestic in the valley.
And Cape Town. Can it live up to it's high reputation?
My honest 1st impression was Cornwall meets Miami.
Europe has dug their claws in deep here
But Africa cafe, Mama Africa and
Marco's Africa Place was a saving Graceland.
Marco has the finest African cuisine and live music
that got everyone out of their seat,
music makes the people come together,
where Caro eats ostrich, springbok and kudu 3 colours meat.

We climbed table mountain to taste the fresh air
drove to the lions head and 12 apostles,
there must be a God
At Victoria Wharf busker's sing like
Ladysmith Black Mambazo whom
P.S. made the world take note,
doe ray me far so latte-dah!

Hong-Kong 17th - 22nd September 2009

Il y a du monde partout ici, c'est fou. Le premier soir nous avons été à “Star Quay” voir un show de son et lumière. Wouahlala! J'en croyais ni mes yeux ni mes oreilles. C'est comme si Jean-Michel Jarre avait été élu maire et qu'il avait réquisitioné tous les buildings du centre ville pour son spectacle. Quand on pense que ce show est gratuit et qu'il a lieu tous les jours à la même heure, c'est vraiment impressionant. Nous nous aventurons à goûter des fish balls aromatisés, aux poivrons, aux haricots, aux piments, aux champignons. Aie aie aie, on a du mal à reconnaitre ce qu'il y a dedans, et notre estomac aussi. J'ai bien peur que nous allons avoir du mal à trouver de quoi se substanter car tout est écrit en chinois, et aussi surprenant que cela peut-être, ils ne parlent pas tant l'anglais que ça ici. Nous rencontrons Jo et Craig qui nous emmènent dans un bar ou l'on peut écouter de la musique live tout en sirotant sa bière ou son dinner. Tour de la ville, Nan Lian garden, charmand petit jardin traditionnel boudhiste chinois, la Nonnerie Chi Lin, faite toute en bois et sans une visse ou un clou, magnifique.

Tian Tan buddha haut de 34 metres sur l'ile de Lantau. Le prix du billet nous donnant le droit a un repas vegetarien, mes deux acolites etaient ravie mais moi je suis quand meme rester sur ma faim. Et un aller retour en haut du peak pour se delecter de la vue imprenable de la ville et de ces building. Pour les courageux, vous pouvez vous aventurer a faire un peu de shopping a Mong Kok et son Ladies market, mesdames, vous etes servies en marchandise en tout genre, mais il ne vaut mieux pas souffir ici d'agoraphobie. Nous, le monde nous a acheuvees.

First night, light symphony.

Second day, sun seeped and the tranquility of Chin Lin nunnery, then evening drinks with Craig and Jo.

Day three, to the peak at the view, then down to the freak of Mong Kok ladies market.

Day four, our visit to the Island Lantau with its Buddha 34 meters high on a vegan feast.

Five, alive exhibition show and ferry to Soho for coffee with Jo.

Its super trams. its manga-nifficent, Hong-Kong phew-wee number one super five.

Thailand 1st - 15th September 2009

Everyone raves about Thailand and it's true, it's like a rave. Too many DJ's not enough mikes. We start off light in Lanta, get a fright in Phuket, more tranquility in Samui and Bangkok is a scream. Space and clusters of tourist spots blot the horizon. For our money it was not cheap. Vegetarian means with chicken and tourist means you buy.

Bangkok

3 nights in Bangkok.
3 words to sum up. Buddha, temples, and shop. Buddha reclining we managed to see. The gold and emerald, we declined. The temples, more Buddhas and shrines, the river boats and markets, also dismissed. Chinatown, from the 25 bus, was our visit and malls were for dogging the heat. Our mission each day, to find something decent to eat. This finally came in the form of an good Indian restaurant. It's not so true that you get a lot for your Baht. Too much tourism has put a pay to that. And the city, is too crazy for this London, Paris team. We've been on the road for too long to be bowled over. Strike one strike two, strike three nights you're out.

Koh Samui

We chose Samui to chill by the pool and kill time at the beach. It took us a while to find the right road to enlightenment. The golden Buddha on the beach when at last we saw it was singing a hypnotic chant. What luck we had chosen to stay away from the resorts and that sort of thing. Our little bungalow at Panalee with our breakfast by the sea was heavenly. These were our quadrophenia days, like Lanta with a cherry on top. It's where we found real Pad Thai at a Thai price with no chicken, chicken in. We dinned our first and last night there. Does the time go fast when you're having fun.

Phuket

Arriving to Phuket from Lanta was an adventure in itself. Our “chauffeur” was an escape from cartoon, manga, ninja. No wait, he was a karate kid now in his 40's. Mowing everyone down in his wake. When we get to Phuket island, luckily is one peace, it was a relief to find our hotel. An oasis in a tourist hell. Streets were lined with holiday makers on a break from the costa del sol. Pubs and clubs, in neon lights and eons of stalls to buy shades, watches, flip-flops. Malls, Starbucks, Mc Donalds and Carrefour. We stayed at the Unique Hotel, little chic boutique amid cable electric streets of Patong. Two nights were long enough to get caught in the rain.