KATHMANDU

Travelled to Bangkok via bus and it took hours to get from the southern bus station to BS Residence near the airport .  It is close and the price was good for BKK .   There are deluxe rooms there that are not 4 floors up.  There's no lift.
Next morning off on convenient flight to Kathmandu.   Happy to be with Nepali people again but the state of the streets is even worse if possible than five years ago.  Everyone needs a mask now and clouds of dust are rising.   I met with Anita one night and she showed me her favourite places like French Bakery and Hole in the Wall pub plus the Tandoori Restaurant.   Frequented all of them a lot.  It was still cool in Kathmandu .  TASHI DHELE is under new management though Tshering and wife are still living in that courtyard.  Not much atmosphere.  Rooms $7/night .  Small chap named Rickesh running it for the owner.   To my disappointment the Celtic Pub is no more though I managed to meet Mary and others on Paddys Day at the Irish pub.   The nice Sat market has moved but is still very good.

Ready for Paddys Day

Anita on rooftop

Holi

Sat Market

Met several nice people in fact most Nepali are most kind.  I especially liked Roshdip who went out of his way several times for me and brought me out to dinner plus coming in taxi to leavBe me away at the airport when I left.  I had many chats with Biplav, the intelligent partner in Hole in the Wall and also Achoo in Artmandu pub where there is local music most nights and is furnished with throwaway tires, boxes etc

Artmandu Pub/restaurant

Roshdip

Biplav in Hole in the Wall

BOLLYWOOD

Supporting a water supply for a village, Frank Sethi and friends put on a very lavish Bollywood party every year.  This year I was able to go since it wasn't held in Oct as usual but postponed until Jan because of death of the King.    We got a group together with Concetta, Paul, Jacinta, Tony and Dau.   A grand night with Indians out in all their finery, good food and dancing

PRACHUAP KIRI KHAN

AGAIN I haven't written in this blog for a long time mainly because the battery in my Mac does not last any time at all so I rarely carry it anymore.   This will be just a brief summary of travels since last notesin CM
After packing up in Chedi View I flew down to Hua Hin for the night and continued via train the next day to Prachuap Kiri Khan where the sea breeze cooled the hot temperature.  What a marvellous train station

 The several hour train ride cost 19 Baht.

The guest house, a bit of a splurge for me, was great.  Very colourful with a cheerful, kind landlord Vasin in House 73.  A quiet place and easy to get around on a bike out to the beach via the air force base where there are Lemurs and their babies.  There's a big terrace on the roof where we gathered each evening for aperitivo's with Jacinta and Tony.  The beach is long and almost empty.  Deck chairs are available for 20 baht a day

MAD HATTER'S TEA PARTY CM

A charity tea in 137 Pillars, an exclusive boutique hotel.  Sally and Dominique organised it for Skills for Life teenagers and they went to so much trouble to create a true Alice in Wonderland experience.  Unfortunately drinks were quite expensive on top of the fee for the tea and there wasn't much mingling so Jacinta, Tony and I were the only ones at our table.  It is a lovely property with a gorgeous swimming pool that has a wall of vines.  There was crocquet, raffles and games of chance

John and John

Sally as a very hot rabbit

swimming pool

Mad Hatter Dominique with Alice and Professor

FAMILY . GREAT GRAND BABIES

Ruby and Brayden are growing fast and are the absolute delight of all the family.  Ruby is living down in Fla and I've never been able to see her.  A smiling happy little girl who already crawling about the house.  Brayden lives in Pittsburgh and I've had the chance to see him several times while I was in Erie in Sept.  A healthy, lovely pair

one year old

Wat Doi Suthep

DOI SUTHEP is the most revered Wat in Chiang Mai.  I hadn't gone up there in years as it's high up on the mountain just outside of town.  Tony, Jacinta and I decided to go up above it to the Royal Palace and walk down the several kilometres to the temple.  It is magnificent of course with all the gold leaf shining in the sunlight.

NEW FRIENDS AND LOST FRIENDS

Early in January we met a nice American couple named Sherry and John who were staying in the very nice Golden Wells close to Chedi View.  They were here for two weeks so they joined us many times on outings.

in CU

 

Sherry was a famous singer and she sang in CU to everyone's delight

Sadly January brought the deaths of two wonderful women in Ireland.   One of them was Joan Crowley, the patient great woman owner of Crowleys Pub in Kenmare which hosted some of the best musicians in the country and whose hospitality was unbounded .  Joan was a great fiddle player herself.  Thankfully her son Peter carries on the fine tradition.    The other very sad death was the passing of a strong, witty, courageous, great woman named Veronica Steele who founded Milleens Cheese down on the Beara Peninsula many years ago and received many awards for it's excellence.   She always had a twinkle in her bright eyes and was terrific company  

Joan Crowley

Veronica Steele