Thailand

I feel obliged to write something about Thailand. It was a good trip, and once again it made me feel how small I am.

Weather forecast was thunderstorms, but there wasn't a hint of it in the air. Occasionally there was a lone greyish cloud, but that was it. Temperature hovered between 30 and 35 degrees. The food was ok. Apart from Mango Tree in Victoria (and the thought of mangoes), I was never interested in Thai food anyway. Now I have seen for myself how much Thailand has to offer to tourists, from the naughtiest (and v. illegal) to the most relaxing. Take a cross-section of the tourists in Thailand and you probably get all kinds of people you will meet in your life. Not expecting much before the trip I found myself up in the sky under a parachute, swimming in the crystal clear sea off Coral Island, walking 5m under the sea feeding the sealife and feeling the coral, riding on the back of an elephant, having a baby tiger on my lap and feeding it (with a milk bottle!), firing a .22 rifle, not to mention the shark fin soup and Thai massage I had...

This is an absolute must-try (and the little person you see in the picture is me)

Poor Piglet being threatened by Foster Mummy Tiggeress (Poor Piglet has to dress like a Tigger).

While Mummy Piglet feeds her babies and Tiggeress's babies (apparently Mummy Piglet's milk will make the Baby Tiggers tamer, so that people like skiver can take photos with them when they grow up)

Thanks for all the prayers. The trip was unexpectedly smooth. I must go to bed now to make up for the 4.30am rise this morning.