Travel diary 5..... 16th January 2005

Coastal area of King Island

Since leaving Vietnam I have travelled to:

Bangkok :  City, which never sleeps for YOU. If you are lucky enough, overnight stay for one night at nearby Airport Hotel can be a room big enough to be classed as apartment for 4; with a fridge stocked up with heavy duty drinks and just in case the customer ( that is you) is in the mood to visit the red light district of Bangkok to pass the lonely night away, there is a packet of condom provided for a small fee!

For those who wish to skip the night on the tiles and hang around locally there is a massage parlour, useful place to visit for two hours if you have a long flight ahead of you.
Talking about massage parlours, in my experience the Thai ladies are excellent with feet and legs; where as the Indian head massage is the best you can have, however if you prefer the whole body treatment, the tiny hands of the ladies from Vietnam will try and crack every bone in your body; sheer indulgence or just pampering your beautiful body!
Sydney: Forever beautiful and it is hot hot hot, it is summer after all.
Very friendly and very cosmopolitan , compared to 10 years ago when I was here last. Though Australia is proud to have abolished its WHITE ONLY policy of the Sixties, the problems of the Aborigines and the recent one of the BOAT PEOPLE from Vietnam are a headache, which will not go away?

King Island: Yes I did find my way to the island!
All I can say about the Island is that if you ever have an ultimate desire to STOP THE WORLD and you wish to GET OFF, Kind Is the place to GET OFF!
Besides the best cheese, cream, beef, and very friendly people ( who will lend you their mobile phone) there is wild life at your door step ( including poisonous snakes) and wild deserted coast just around the corner, sheer magic!

Tassi short for Tasmania:  If you have ever visited Middle England, you will understand why the English fell in love with the picture post card and very thinly populated Island. However there is one big, big difference you will find here and that is , not only everyone's back lawn but also the whole of the Island , including the seawater and the air to keep you alive is kept in PRISTINE condition.
History reminds us that this Island once belonged to the Aborigines from the year DOT.Then came the hardy white convicts from Australia and the white free settlers from everywhere else in the 19th century. They killed more and pushed some of the owners the aborigines of this beautiful Island out of sight
During my 8 days here the remaining 4000 Aborigines were no where to be seen on the high streets of Devonport, Richmond, Hobart, Burnie, Port Author, or for that matter Cradle Mountains! Their memories are quietly stored away in a small corner of art galleries and museums, shame , shame, shame!
I leave, Sydney today for New Zealand, another colony loved and lived by the British and doubt another place which will remind me of my home back in England( I gather very cold), see you there I hope I mean in NZ.

Love ,
Davinder xx