The Grand Palace

 Today, during a short break from the thunderstorms and armed with snorkels, we visited Bangkok's Grand Palace.

It's most definitely Grand. 

And to maintain the refined atmosphere, there's a no-shoulders- or-knees-on-display rule which is firmly policed.

Luckily there is a shop selling the right sort of togs at less than reasonable prices.........

Anyway once suitably covered we entered the Palace. It was stunning.

And very, very glittery. 

There's an Emerald Buddha too. (yes, that's how Grand it is)

We then took the free bus to see the Masked Dancers perform.  

Mere words cannot do justice to what we witnessed. Both myself and JB were left stunned by the experience, combining as it did the very worst aspects of pantomime, interpretive dance and musical theatre.

And when we came out of the theatre it was raining again.......

We weren't allowed to take photos during the performance but here's a few more of the Palace.

Bangkok Baby

 

So.............Bangkok...........

Where to begin?

After a paltry 16 hours sleep we emerged from our hotel and stumbled into Khao San Road.

Not for the faint hearted this place.

Still, we managed to avoid the deep fried scorpions and the over friendly scantily clad girls and got a few beers in.

As expected, beer in Bangkok very cheap. 

And plentiful. 

Anyway........

I should probably mention the rain.

Serious, knows how to get the job done rain.  And so I bid you a fairly soggy good night.

8

Done over in Dubai

 A very warm welcome to you blog mates.

And to any new readers I may as well say now that it doesn't really get much better than this post.

And this post, frankly, is rubbish, concerning as it does the beer-based bare-faced robbery that was visited upon us in Dubai.

Picture the scene: Dishevelled (slightly) and definitely dehydrated we stumbled off the plane and into Dubai Airport seeking a tasty beverage.

Two pints were ordered and payment of £27 was requested.

My travelling companion (renowned beer scholar JB) tells me that this price is higher than that of petrol.

And let me tell you blogmates at that point I would have probably drunk petrol.

Needless to say we shunned his overpriced offer and settled for a still eye watering £30 bucket of beer which I am reliably informed contained a mere 3 pints.

Next stop: Bangkok where the beer is considerably cheaper.........

Stirling

 Dodging the rain and ever present midges, we've taken refuge in Stirling, a very nice place, crammed with really good buildings. 

Stirling is packed with history, and in fact today marks the 707th anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn.

The battle is widely commemorated in Scotland, it being the last time that the Scots got one over on the English (although memories of that £28 fish supper still haunt me).....

Anyway, I thought I'd  share some of the sights and statues from Stirling. 

 

This is Robert the Bruce, who led the successful  attack on the English. 

And here's Rob Roy, wielding what appears to be not so much a clay more, as a clayless..   

Other Stirling highlights....

And finally, proof, if it were needed that they still haven't forgiven us for Culloden......

Balanced view

 In the interest of balance, and chiefly to avoid legal action, I've  been advised to show some of the good bits from Inverewe gardens.

So here they are.....

Its not all disaster.....

I decided to visit the much vaunted Inverewe Gardens.

Promising boat trips, glorious rhododendron walks, a country house and informative visitor centre, it was a must.

Add in a cafe and you've cracked it for me.

I waved a cheery goodbye to JB who had instructions to return in 4 hours to collect me (doubtless seasick, gorged on cake and well informed on horticulture)

Trembling slightly I approached the entrance, only to be told that the house, boat trips,visitor centre and cafe were closed......

The gardens were open, but the fabled rhododendrons had shed their petals.

I put a brave face on things, but their vegetable garden wasn't a patch on mine, and I sensibly retired to the pub to wait for my lift home.

I thought that I'd seen all the despair that one person can realistically be expected to bear.

Blogmates, I was wrong.

Arriving back at the campsite, we discovered that the tent had fallen victim to the mighty gusts of wind plaguing the site, and collapsed.

And it was raining.......

On the plus side, I had a very nice slice of cake in the pub.

A frankly pathetic specimen in the walled garden.

Gairloch

 And so to Gairloch. A small town with a scattering of shops (a conservative estimate put it at 7, and one of those was, bafflingly, a chinese supermarket)

The campsite is lovely, right by the beach and very occasionally sheltered from the cruel wi ds by the sand dunes.

Never one to turn down an opportunity, JB was off like a shot to the shoreline in order to perfect his kite flying. 

And yes,that distant figure is indeed the lad himself.....