Read this blog: The one where we are able to drink in public again but can’t find the Drunk Monkey Thursday 13th March 2025 We had not been particularly impressed with the value for money offered by the breakfast at The Empire Brunei so we agreed we would try and get something at the airport. Once we had gone through passport control, Ramadan restrictions no longer applied and so we were able to get coffee and some brunch from Starbucks. The staff seemed pleased to have something to do and we spent enough to qualify for a free branded hand held fan. The airport seemed almost deserted and we could not imagine that any of the retail outlets were making a profit. Once again, the flight was not full so we were able to have a window seat each. The flight itself was short and low. So low that we were not above the cloud cover and Robert could see the coastline for the whole flight [see Video of the day]. We ordered a Grab from the airport to The Waterfront Hotel. Our room gave us a fine view across the Sarawak River to the New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly […]
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Read this blog: The one where we see a hundred grains of rice move two tons of rock Thursday 4th April 2024 Today combined two of Robert’s key interests: railways and WWII: its impact and legacy. As early as 1885 the British government had undertaken a survey to assess the feasibility of building a railway line linking Burma and Thailand. However, the route would have passed through steep jungle terrain and crossed many rivers. The project was judged to be too difficult and was abandoned. Over fifty years later towards the end of 1941, the Japanese invaded Thailand and then advanced into Burma in early 1942 in preparation for launching an attack on Singapore in February of the same year. The shipping route from Japan to Burma around the Malay Peninsula was 2,000 miles long [3,200 km] and was vulnerable to Allied submarine attack. An overland route was needed to ensure that supplies reached the Japanese Army in Burma. When Singapore fell, the Japanese took 110,000 Allied Prisoners of War [PoWs]. This was almost an alien concept for the Japanese who adopted the bushido warrior code which demanded death before surrender. Eventually it was decided that PoWs could be put to […]
Sunday 28th May 2022 Robert realised that Washington adjoins two other states and that by doing a little extra travelling during the day we could add these onto our US state map on the beenApp. First we took the Metro to Alexandria Old Town in Virginia. King Street leads straight down to the harbour. This is quite like parts of Boston and is reminiscent of an English town with graceful Georgian properties and tree lined streets. Down by the harbour there are several Art Deco buildings which have been given a new lease of life. This torpedo factory is now serving the community as an art centre. As public transport was running a holiday service there were some long gaps between connections. Therefore, in order for us to achieve our footfall in another state, we ordered an Über to take us over the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge across the Potomac River to National Harbor in Maryland where. . . . . . The Awakening – a 72-foot statue by J. Seward Johnson Jr. of a giant – lies buried in the sand, struggling to free himself. From National Harbor, we then took a boat trip on the Potomac River. This […]
Monday 1st April 2019 Having climbed to these Himalayan heights there is always the journey back down and, as a mark of respect for this impressive little narrow gauge railway, Robert dressed to match The Himalayan Queen, as this ‘Toy Train’ is known. We were bemused by the yellow signs (see above) on several of the carriages which read, “Ball and sausage packing”. This is still a mystery but it appealed to our sense of humour. Shimla Railway Station is very clean and orderly having had, as a sign informed us, a “Heritage upgradation cum restoration” in 2018. As previously mentioned, the view is always different on the way down and we were pleased to be able to spot the Viceregal Lodge and its turreted profile perched high above us. The train left just seven minutes late but by the time we reached Kalka it was right back on schedule. We did think that the management of the DHR could benefit from some consultancy advice. We caught the train from Kalka back to Chandrigarh and were greeted by the same “Meals on Wheels” member of staff who had pointed at Robert’s stomach on the previous trip. We realised we may […]
Wednesday, 29th August 2018 The food on board offers very little in the way of variety for vegetarians and two three course meals a day is more than any of us require so we agreed that we would forego the lunch onboard and try to find something lighter and more interesting to eat at lunchtime. Having informed the staff we would not be back till after lunch, we were again first off the boat to walk into Vienna. The cathedral has an ornate geometric tiled roof but we were heading beyond here towards the Opera for Cafe Sacher to try the eponymous torte. Matilda was convinced Sacher torte would be very rich, having sampled some made by friends in the past and so only one slice was ordered. In fact, the original was less rich than she expected and we could perhaps have had more. Having finished the torte between us we headed towards the Naschmarkt near Karlsplatz. This offers fruit, vegetables, sweets, fish, olives, spices and much much more. It is close to the Vienna Secession – a building designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich at the turn of the 19th century to house exhibitions of work by the Secession […]