The Shanghai Mansion Hotel in Chinatown, Bangkok

Before this trip I was getting quickly bored at work looking for hotels for this trip so I asked my mate who I sit next to if he could recommend anywhere in Bangkok to stay. Without hesitation he recommended the Shanghai Mansion Hotel in Chinatown. He said it was different but so good that when he goes back to Bangkok he will stay in it again. Having had enough of looking through agoda at hotels I was sold by his recommendation and booked the place for two nights.

I can honestly say its one of the coolest and most different hotels I've ever stayed in. The rooms were all done in Chinese style and the bed was huge. The bathroom was lovely and it even had a fake birdcage in the corner. I loved it! Just like my friend I would definitely stay here again.

If anyone is thinking of going to Bangkok, I would say give it a try. It was right in the middle of Chinatown too which is an interesting place. A taxi isn't very expensive getting into the tourist area (if you can negotiate with the drivers) and as we found out on the last evening there is the river taxi within walking distance which once you've worked out how to use is very convenient.

I shall be thanking my mate for this treat when I go back to work! The link to the hotel website is below

http://www.shanghaimansion.com/

Bangkok revisited.... with my parents!

So back to Bangkok! Just finished a two day look around the Thai capital. Its exactly as I remember it. Busy and people trying to con you wherever you go. I think my experience in Asia helped a lot this time though. The bus journey was long but after the HCMC - Siem Reap one it wasn't that bad. Getting across the border took a while but mainly because we had to wait for a coach for ages.

Me with my Dad at the Royal Palace

 We stayed in China town which was great and interesting. It was very busy because of Chinese new year. We did a number of the sights. We saw Wat Arun, big lying Buddha and went to the Royal Palace. We also took the boat taxi down the river. 

Me at the Royal Palace - they like gold!

It's an interesting city and feels so much bigger than HCMC. I'm glad I've been back and visited again. I would like to come here and explore the city more but I've done all the touristy stuff now. Tomorrow we fly to Phuket where we will be staying for 5 nights! Now this is a place I've not been so am looking forward to it.

Me with big lying Buddha - gold in color naturally

Angkor Wat revisited (x3) with my parents!!!

Just finished a quick two day visit to Angkor Wat with my parents. Well it was really only one day as the other was spent on a bus. a little over 15 hours it took to get here from HCMC. The road between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap was being repaired and was in a right state. It was thick red dust which was coming into the bus through the fans. I can't say I enjoyed that but my parents did. They liked seeing 'life go by' and the people of Cambodia going about their business.

Me striking a well cool pose

 Angkor Wat was as impressive as ever. Personally I find the temples fascinating and the area they are in peaceful despite all the tourists. I love the town of Siem Reap as well. I'd be tempted to come back here and just hangout. 

Face on the Bayon Temple

 Its the third time I've been to Cambodia now and I still think they are collectively the nicest people I've ever met. I brought a Cambodia football kit which I'll look forward to using when my knees up to it. Again I think my parents liked it.

Tomorrow we get the bus to Bangkok, It will be the first time I'm going back to where it all began!! The journey will be long again - about 8 hours but after this there are no more long journeys.

Parents have arrived! Showing them around HCMC

Last night my parents arrived from England to visit me for two weeks. Its great to see them and very strange seeing them in HCMC. Today I got to show them around and be a tour guide. The good news is that as my dad has been riding bikes for many years he's been well up for driving in the traffic and has been thoroughly enjoying it.

Today we drove around the city, ate some local food, went up the bitexico tower (my third time doing this) and went to the Independence Palace. I'm pretty sure that's my 5th time visiting the IP now in 2.5 years. I recon I could walk around it with my eyes shut and make a couple of dong being a tour guide if teaching doesn't work out. They had made some improvements in putting signs with some information outside each room which was strangely something we thought about last time I visited with my mate Beanie.

Anyway, they've had a good time and enjoyed the Palace and to quote my Mum or Dad (I can't remember who said it) 'it was a nice bit of peace and quiet amongst the chaos of the city'. Tomorrow we are leaving to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat. It's a 12-15 hour journey by bus but a lot cheaper than a flight - I can't wait for that bit!

Parents coming for TET

Good news, in a few weeks time it is the Vietnamese holiday of TET. They celebrate the new year in line with Chinese new year which goes by the lunar calendar. Basically, I get two weeks off work and everything shuts for about 5 days in Vietnam so its a good excuse to go on holiday!

More good news is that my parents are visiting for TET. I'm planning on showing them around HCMC for a new days then taking them to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat before moving onto Bangkok. We will finally be flying to Phuket for 5 nights after which we will come back to HCMC when TET is over for a few days. 

Its going to be interesting showing my parents around Asia. They've never been here before so it may be a bit of a culture shock but I've got a lot planned to keep them busy.

P.S - By the way, next year is the year of the horse which is the same animal as the year I was born. I'm not really sure what this means or if it's good or bad. Frankly I doubt it really means anything you could prove but hey, I'm a horse..

Knee fixed - out of hospital

I've just come home from my knee operation at FV Hospital in Vietnam. It all went well and my knee has been repaired. I had two problems with my knee. There was cartilage tear which needed shaving and a resection of my lateral meniscus.

My knee is a bit swollen and I'll be on crutches for a about a week but overall it's not too bad. I had a spinal anesthesia which means I was awake whilst they did the operation. It was a really bizarre experience and being injected in the spine was not pleasant. I definitely prefer being knocked out. I had my own room with a telly and Internet so was quite comfortable. I've also been given some physiotherapy exercises to be doing to help with my recovery.

I got some really nice souvenir pictures of the inside of my knee. I'm not really sure what I'm looking at and it could be a picture of a number of things in fairness. 

I should be back to work on Monday so this weekend I'll be relaxing.

Knee surgery in Ho Chi Minh City

I'm going to go into hospital this weekend to have knee surgery. I hurt my right knee playing football last year (not my bad knee but my good knee which is now my bad knee) and its not been right. I went for a scan last March and was told it should get better on its own, which in fairness it did. However I got out of bed in October and felt a pain in my knee so I went bad last week to get the doctors opinion and he recommended surgery. He booked me in then and there for the following week.

I was pretty amazed as in the past with my other bad knee the NHS always did there best to avoid surgery until after 7 years of trying I finally got it fixed, even then I'd have to wait for months for an appointment. I guess this is the benefit of my school giving me good private health insurance. The operation is costing my insurance company 2,500 pounds which is not bad.

The hospital I'm having the operation at is called FV hospital. I've met the surgeon a few times who is Vietnamese German and has worked in Germany for many years. It's a Western standard hospital. I've attached a link below.

https://www.fvhospital.com/

The hospital is only a mile from my house. The surgery is just to repair some torn cartilage and should only last about 30 minutes. I also shouldn't require any time off work which I feel good about. I'm looking forward to getting my knee repaired and getting back to playing sport.