Hi everyone , well as some of you know i,m back in Perth . Couple of reasons . One my footy team has gone to water since i left and the finals start this week . Thought they could do with my expert help. Second i figured if i thought a ladyboy was looking attractive i needed to take a serious break. Anyway my mate Clive has a 100 ton bus which i was thinking of renting from him , painting it in flower power symbols , adding a speaker to the roof and hit the road playing 60's music. Does anyone have a bandana left over in their wardrobe? Might head for Byron Bay where Diana lives and start up a hippie cult. Anyone want to join me? BYO bong. Spent 17 hours travelling to get back home and has taken days for me to recover and work out where the hell i am and also the local Aussie food is playing havoc . Kathy back to the medical kit . Hope to catch up with everyone in Perth soon so will be in touch. Take care guys Darryl

Hi there guys. Well back in Bangkok for a few days before i decide what next. The news is Chaing Mai is a bit of a good destination so will do some research on it . Well i'm afraid Buddha has come into the 21st century big time. Just saw a new toyota full of orange robed monks with a fake gold Buddha in the back tray and they are making a shit load of money from everyone. Thought these guys were supposed to live in poverty. Maybe their idea of poverty is last years model car. Met two American guys last night so we spent the night having a few beers and a laugh until the place closed at midnight . Anyway we were directed to the in nightclub in Bangkok from there . Bloody huge place , live band and probably 200 /300 people packed in . We got talking to three women and i spent time dancing with the tall one for an hour and a half before her friggin mate told me i was dancing in front of everyone with a lady boy. Apparently i was the only one who didn't notice the adams apple. Was pretty dark though in my defence. Really pissed me off for two reasons. First he was the best dancer in the place and second he was bloody attractive. Went and hid in the toilet from embarrasement for an hour . Hey things are looking up though gone from lesbians to lady boys. Afraid to think what comes next . Got up this morning and looked in mirror and overnight i seem to have developed wrinkles in my face a steam press couldn't remove. There are a lot of poms here and they are taking great delight in sticking it up me about the cricket .Just have to grin and bear it as they are entitled to finally get some back on us after many many years. Well will keep you posted assuming anyone is still reading . Cheers Darryl

Hi everyone , last blog before i leve Phnom Phen tomorrow for Thailand. Have stayed here longer than i planned as i have really taken a shine to this country and it's people. Last place i would have expected but hey lifes like a box of choclates you never know what you are going to get. Asusual i have no definate plans after Thailand although yesterday i started to think about coming home but grabed a cold beer and went to the pool instead and got rid of that thought real quick. Had dinner with a charming French lady who is a friend of the lady i met in Nah Trang. Amazing the people you meet and their stories they have when you travel alone. Jesus i love that french accent , i just let her talk and talk all night. She has applied for a teaching job in Mexico city and said to visit her if she gets it. So far invitations to Byron Bay and Mexico city. Not bad for an old grey wrinkled guy hey. The thing i will miss most about here is "wait for it" BREAD. Must be the french influence but they make the most yummy bread i have ever had. Tried some fried cockroaches and spiders at a street stall and to be honest if you shut your eyes and forget about what you are eating they are not bad . Came wrapped in paper just like fish and chips at home. Well back to the pool again before the rain hits like it does every friggin afternoon .Take care guys and talk again from Thailand Dazza

Hi everyone , well five and a half hour boat trip and i'm in Phnom Phen . Hotel is fantastic but after Faulty Towers a tent in the Sahara desert would look good. For some reason i really love Cambodia and in fact going to extend and stay longer here. Did the temples at Angkor Wat and one of the most amazing places i've seen , way exceeded my expectations. Today went out to the killing fields (remember the movie) bloody depressing place .The killing spree Pol Pot went on is beyond belief. Another near run in with police (this is getting to be a regular event) Tuk Tuk driver on way back from killing fields was also not wearing his helment (shit half the population doesn't)Anyway cop jumps in front of him to make him pull over. No way .Driver just aimed at him and sped up so cop had to jump out of the way and we kept going. I asked driver what the friggin hell happened and apparently it's a bit of a scam they try and pull over tourists as more chance of a pay off. Sending this from a restraunt that has free wi fi and just ordered bbq chicken wings. Well four wings came out and so big i could only eat two. I never saw chicken however based on the wings i calculate it was about five foot eleven inches and somewhere between 200 and 300 hundred pounds. Going to visit chicken farm find out breed and what they feed them then when i come home home Clive and i are opening up a chicken farm . Clive start looking for Kelpies as we will need them to round up the chooks. Two interesting dishes on menu. Lucky dish (don't know what this is or why it's called that but i'm not friggin going there). Also fish with Holy basil. Didn't know the catholics blessed basil. Going to hit the town tonight for a few ales but wont be the same without the lesbians. Kinda had a soft spot for them. (no pun intended) Ok guys take care Cheers

Hi everyone , last update before i leave Faulty Towers in the morning. Catching a boat to Phnom Phen early. Apparently a five hr trip and i have no idea what sort of boat it is. Hope the next place ibooked today turns out better than this friggin place. Some of my laundry did come back not all but 70% and the girl downstairs who doubles for Manuel seemed so excited i gave up asking about the rest of it. She seemed it was some minor miracle i got any back. I will probably find the rest of it for sale at the night markets when i go in for food later. This place is amazing , there are so many people with only one leg from old people to young children all results of land mines which still today kill or injur 30 people a month. Bloody sad and frustrating seeing helpless children hurt like this. Friggin screwed up world we live in. Have found Cambodians to be lovely people and despite all that has happened to them they remain positive and friendly. Was telling Clive in an email i was having problems with my PC so i went to a guy in a shop about the size of a phone box who fixed it on the spot in 15 miutes and charged $1 US Dollar. Try getting service like that in OZ. Bloody hot and humid every day so yesterday went down to the so called swimming pool and met two german girls who i realised once we got talking they were an item. Typical me met two attractive germans and they are lesbians. The three of us went out for dinner and then hit a few clubs and i tell you hanging around with a couple of lesbians is one hell of a hoot. After we were all quiet pissed i told them the only reason they were lesbians was they had not been with a real man yet. This seemed to absolutely crack them up and both had tears from laughter. (was it something i said?) Not sure where i'm headed after Phnom Phen i'll work it out when i get there as per normal. Been away a month but doesn't seem that long. Anyway take care all and talk again soon. Cheers

Hi everyone , well arrived Siem Reap last night. Because i'm travelling alone i have not as you are probably aware been staying generally in five star hotels. However Diamond bay was an exception.I have come back to earth with a big thud as the place i booked here is a friggin disaster. Faulty Towers has nothing on this place. The photo's i viewed on line were taken somewhere else as they look nothing like reality. I kid you not above the bed is a sign indicating what is not allowed . You know cigarette with a cross through it etc . Well this sign has a picture of a hand gun with a cross through it , a picture of a hand grenade with a cross through it and a picture of a needle with a cross through it. I'm not joking here . Good thing i left all my friggin hand grenades at home. Unbelievable. Wanted to get laundry done so asked girl on the desk when it would come back . Answer was maybe it come back. Not today not tomorrow but maybe it might come back . Worked out the shower as well. You turn it on and sometimes water comes out sometimes not and if your looking for pressure and hot water good friggin luck. Anyway sounds like i;m whinging again but the people here are fantastic and i think i could get to enjoy this a lot more than Nam. Jason reckons he has swapped my cats number plates for bloody Docker plates so somebody go around and check for me . Anyway will not bore you any further today . Take care guys Darryl

Hi everyone , hope i'm not boring you all to death with my stories. Anyway decided to leave Nam for a while so off to Cambodia Friday. Might return to Nam after . Need a rest from this crazy country , why anyone fought wars over it beats me. Was recommended a good restraunt to visit so had name and address written down caught a motorcycle taxi who promptly ignored what i wanted and took me to a massage parlor. (obviously a commission thing) So now i just get off bike tell them to go make love to themselves dont pay and walk off. This tends to cause some angst and interesting conversations but i am sick to death of this happening all the time. So next hailed a cyclo bike. Before i showed him where i wanted to go he said ok ok 20,000 dong. Told him i wanted to go to friggin Hanoi which got his attention. Showed him address and he took me to a friggin pool hall. Same thing told him to make love to himself as well. Never did get to the restraunt. There are going to be a lot of pissed off Vietnamese making love to themselves by the time i leave Friday but hell not my fault. Anyway found a restraunt to eat and met an interesting lady from Byron Bay NSW. All she does is travel throughout Asia so a great wealth of knowledge . Unfortunately she has left for Hoi An but we swapped emails so we can keep track what's happening. She told me she has run into hundreds of lone travellers like me and her.Most common reason marriage breakdown so we agreed we should try and get as many together as we can somewhere and have a bloody big party on a beach somewhere. Ok just joking. Getting on fine with the young backpacker groups. The males see me as an old guy who is no threat to their chances with the girls so they are comfortable and buy me beers(dickheads) and the girls find me safe and interesting to talk to (hey my competition is 20 year old males with a mental capacity of 10 )which the girls tire of after a while. i end up talking to the girls why the macho guys talk bullshit and get pissed. See there are benefits in geting old and wiser. (well maybe just older). Anyway to end may i quote " Edward Abbey" May your trails be crooked ,winding ,lonesome ,dangerous leading to the most amazing views. May your moumtains rise into and above the clouds. Take care guys Love Darryl

Hi everyone , well arrived Nha Trang last night. The resort is friggin huge.Not high rise but spread over acres and acres of greenery. Very serine and i think designed for romantic couples. The girl on the lobby bar was shocked when i said i was alone and asked what was wrong with me. Told her maybe should email my friends for clarification. Think she may think i'm friggin gay. You get around resort in golf buggies or pushbike it's so big. Had breaksast this morning in a room as big as 2 balrooms at the Perth Sheraton .The pool is right next to the beach and is also so big Ian Thorpe would get tired swimming from one end to the other. Resort seems to be only a quarter full so probably why i got such a great deal. Think there are more staff than guests. My room is very swish marble bathroom and a huge bed . Had to delve into my Gastro medical kit this morning which i purchased at home thanks to Kathy who pointed me to IT Medical in Nedlands . Thanks Kathy owe you a meal at Blue Duck. Dreamt last night of a bloody big Sirloin steak from Herdsman fresh on the BBQ. This place is a godsend after the traffic and general mayhem of Saigon. Lonely Planet book also invaluable as it has so many good tips like where i could find a swap bookshop here. Was going crazy as i had run out of reading material and for me thats like running out of food or drink . Will decide tomorrow where to next at the end of the week. Jungle villages in Cambodia sound attractive. After Saigon a war zone somewhere would be welcome. Maybe i should do a David Hicks. Take care all Dazza

Hi everyone , last update before i leave Saigon Saturday for Nha Trang which is on the coast further north. I think this hotel i,m in was used to hold prisoners during the war as the rooms are the size of a cell and above the bed someone named Captain Gomez has scrathed his name on the wall and crossed of the months. Staying at the Diamond Bay Resort Nha Trang which is a bit upmarket but hell after a week here i need it. I think when the Viet Cong won the war they didn't go home to their loved ones they stayed here and become scam artists to beat the westerners for a second time. Of all the places in the world i've been this is scam city by far. Interesting day yesterday. Caught the ferry to Vung Tau (one and a half hours away) and found this fantastic seafood restraunt so close to the ocean i could nearly soak my feet under the table. Great seafood , cold beer , cooling breeze , great views and nobody to share it with . Oh well. When i left the restraunt thought i would walk along the coast for a bit. After awhile a guy on a motorbike askedif i needed a lift . Big mistake i agreed. This is where i have another encounter with corrupt cops. He did not have a second helment which didn't bother me as i have been flying around Saigon without one for a week no problem.(i know dangerous but if you looked inside some of these helments there is no way you would put them on your head). Pulled up by two motor bike cops for no friggin helment. While my driver and the young cop screamed at each other i pulled older cop aside and suggested it might be nice for me to pay for him and his wife to go to a nice restraunt. His english not good but finally got message through and everyone relaxed. He then asked if i mind if he took his girlfriend to restraunt and not his wife. (at this point i didn't give a shit who he took) Slipped him money , big smiles all round and as i shook his hand i said i hoped his girlfriend gave him an STD. He said thank you,thank you and waved as i got back on bike (no helment) and drove off. Wish i was around when the doc explains to him about STD. Hope the llttle shit remembers me. Recall an old saying (i know i have many) diplomacy is the art of saying "nice doggie" until you can find a rock. At Lees suggestion had drinks on terrace top of Majestic hotel. Very swish and romantic unfortunately i was with Kim my trusty driver and he;s definately not my type. Well all take care will touch base from Nha Trang

Hi there everyone. Saigon update . Well i always wanted to be a millionaire so i went to an ATM machine and withbrew 2 million Dong. Problem Sat night used card at another HSBC atm and the bloody thing kept my card. Linked to an account with lots of money so have spent all morning trying to sort it out. Luckily there is a Commonwealth bank branch here and they say card should not have been taken. Should have it back this arvo. Everybody in this city wants to rip you off any way they can. Taxis have meters that sometimes work 3 times the normal speed. No longer use them and have a personal motor bike taxi driver. He keeps wanting me to use his spare helment but i looked inside the friggin thing and it has stuff growing in it. Think if i used it i would get scurvy of the head so i've taken the opttion to go with head injury from an accident , probably more chance of survival. Have been to the war museum (bit biased i think) also reunification palace. ( you may remember the picture of te viet cong tank breaking through the front gates). Seeing more AFL games here than i can at home so another reason to stay here. Maybe i should move here for every football season. Thinking i will move on up the coast next week to Nha Trang which is on the coast so should be cooler and not ssuch a mad house. Was originally thinking of Cambodia next but for some reason South American keeps entering my head, anyway no rush to decide and i need to do a bit more research. Also Israel is a consideration. Well will update before i leave Saigon. Cheers all

Hi everyone , have arrived in Saigon a few hours ago. I thought i had seen traffic chaos in Babgalore India and recently Bankgkok but this place makes them look like the Nullabor plain. Unbelieveable. Things discovered so far . I think the Vietnamese spent to long in the tunnels in the war. My room is so small you could not swing a cat. In fact i think the RSPCA would prosecute any keeping a cat in such a small place. All that luxury and space in Bangkok to get this for the same price? Something wrong here. Was in room for fifteen minutes and got cabin fever so went for a walk. Oh well thats the joy of travel paradise one day hell the next. Have also discovered i'm trapped on the block the Hotel is on because there is no way to cross the street. Serious. Will observe the natives tomorrow see how it's done. No walk signals looks like you just walk out into traffic. Not sure if you do this with you eyes open or shut at this point. Went looking for an ATM machine and found a bank up the street called Donga Bank . No kidding. Going to walk in Monday and ask receptionist for the head Donga. ( for those not in the know in OZ a Donga can be a portable accomodation unit or a part ofthe male anatomy) Had meal at sidewalk market and not a sign of another whitey witthin 10 kms. Sat at a tiny table about 18 inches from the floor in a tiny plastis seat the same size as when i was in 3rd grade at school. After two beers went to leave and realised stuck in chair so had another beer while i decided to either pay for the chair and go back to the hotel with it stuck on my arse or ask for help to get it off. Maybe the place will grow on me in a couple of days , miracles apparently happen.

Hi everyone , short update, next time you here from me i will be in Vietnam. Done a few touristy things like floating markets , bridge on the river kwai. Spent today with an agent looking at apartments to lease. Definately thinking on coming back here and settle for a while. Never thought i would like Bangkok this much . Found great new renovated place fully furnished flat screen tv's maids qrtrs pool gymn 2 bedroms 3 bathrooms i can get for about $380 aus per week. Very big apartment and worth a lot more than they are asking. Will need to go to Thai embassay in Saigon to find out how long i can stay here. Maybe i should try for Thai citizenship. Pretty organised before i left Aus however i have discovered something that has turned into a blessing. My ipod, ok you are all thinking for the music right? Well yes thats partly correct hoiwever i have discovered if i go into a bar during the day for a cold beer and don't want to be asked by every bar girl from here to Hong Kong to buy them a drink and they will love me long time i stick my ear plugs in and avoid eye contact they don't come near me. I have even done this when the battery was flat. Just sat and moved my head every now and then like i was listening to something. So there you go another small tip for Darryls travel guide yet to be published.

Hi everyone , this is a short update as i'm not sure if you will receive this in English or Thai . I'm going native very quickly here and loving every minute of it. Moving on to Vietnam end of the week but to be honest it will have to be good to beat this place. Ralph the bloody place has not moved on since we were were in the navy in our 20's. Sarah it's like Bangalore on steroids and you know how we felt about that place. Tucked into a good feed last night of crispy bbq grasshoppers or at least that's what i was told. Bloody big grasshoppers if you ask me but hell when in Rome. Heading to floating markets and River Kwai Tuesday. Had tw0 turbaned Indians follow me yesterday for about two miles and in the end i had to confront the buggers to let them know i was on to them and pissed off. Then i thought maybe they were relatives of the ones Sarah and i trained in India and wanted revenge . Silly twits. Anyway going to keep this short in the hope ui'm up and running. Cheers guys Dazza

Hi everyone. Well after all the drama with the passport i,m sorted and ready to go. For those not aware i had sent my Australian passport to the viet cong in Canberra to attach an entry visa. When it arrived back i promptly put it through the washing machine. Needless to say i then had to apply for a replacement passport and then send it back to the viet cong for a replacement visa. They sent it back with a short note to the affect it's no wonder we lost the war. Anyway short of a disaster which you all know i'm capable of i have booked a flight to Bangkok two weeks time and will then leg it overland into Cambodia. Have read some horror stories about this but i figure hell i neeed the pressure . Have purchased all the travelling gear i think i will need short of an an AK47 but i can pick up a second and one in Cambodia i'm told with very few rounds expended. Bit concerned about being the oldest backpacker in the world but gee someone has to be .

Hi all , well closer and closer. Replcement pasport should be here very very very soon. Have had a bad week,very dissapointed in myself thought i was stronger than this. Maybe old age is kicking in. Hey about to start an incredible journey. Love you guys .Will keep you up to date .

Hi everyone, well my escape to Asia is getting closer . Had shots today for every disease known to mankind . Have created a blog page so i can keep everyone updated as to my wanderings. This is an experimental message to make sure it's working ok. For anyone who wants to keep updated access www.darryl-darryltravels.blogspot.com . Will start to add to this once i leave hopefully sometime in the next 3 weeks. Cheers Darryl