Walked out onto the beach this morn and saw a wee hill in the distance and so off I set. I kept high above the tide line so that i didnae get ma feet wet. The old trusty sandals are near the end of their life and i haven’t managed to replace them yet so I don’t want them being attacked by the salt water. 

The beach is long, very long and the sand white. Every inch of the seafront has a building on it. Each varying in size but I’m sure even the most modest of dwellings is worth a small fortune. 

The beach is almost deserted, well it feels that way because it’s vast. As I walk I see that the sand is covered in tiny balls of sand which have been produced by crabs.  As I stroll along they scatter to the safety of the burrows they’ve produced at low tide, not that I’m going to eat them but they’re a couple of large birds with menacing beaks that I’m sure would. 

That wee hill that I saw when I first set off doesn’t seem to be getting any bigger but the sun is getting hotter.

I’m certainly the odd one out when it comes to clothes here,  well I mean compared to fellow walkers. Most have got a wonderful reddish glow about them which I’m sure they’ll regret later. I’ve got the factor 50 on and my feet are changing colour already and I’ve only been out for a couple of hours.

I make it to the golden Buddha on the out crop and have a coffee which is just what I needed. 150 steps later I’m at the top of the hill looking the full length of the beach. 

The golden Buddha has a lovely view.

Time to head back for lunch and so as much as I’ve enjoyed the noise of the ocean I think it’s time for Pink Floyd and so on goes Dark Side of the Moon. This has got to be one of the best ways I have listened to this album in years. Only having outrageous  sex with a gorgeous hippy can top this.  The water is tepid at least and some parts are positively roasting. My feet, mind and body are all happy and content and I’ve just come to the conclusion after all these years and that is, that I don’t dislike the beach but merely the people that it attracts. Walking along this almost deserted beach listening to Floyd has been a very enjoyable and relaxing way to spend my day. 

As I come off the beach and carefully remove the sand from my slightly red feet my stomach says hello so I respond by giving it some rice chicken and spicy papaya salad. 

Hua Hin this has been a good day. 

As I sit here drinking my beer my thoughts are distracted by the waves gently lapping around the pier which is my hotel for the next few nights. 

My guest house sits right in the water and when I arrived this afternoon the tide was coming in but it had only got to the outer pillars. As I sit here at night sipping a beer and watching the wee boats with their green lights on looking for squid,  I’m finding myself quite relaxed. Mind you it could also be the gentle rocking of the hotel to the rhythm of the waves. I’ve slept in a water bed and I’ve slept at sea but I’ve never slept in a hotel literally in the sea so it will be interesting either way. 

Well I nearly missed my train to Hua Hin after getting here in plenty of time. Trust me to sit my arse on the wrong train. I had been sitting on it for nearly 20 mins and then I twigged that i had made a faux pas. Anyhoo I’m now on the train and all is well in the world. 

I enjoy Bangkok for a few days and it’s so different from the relatively normal UK way if life.  The smells of the street food the thousands of people and cars that navigate this big city. 

I’m staying in sukhumvit which I enjoy for the crazy nightlife,the markets and watching the endless parade of women and punters chase one another to feed their needs. One is pleasure and the other money of course. And just to make it more interesting Thailand throws the Ladyboys into the mix to confuse the drunk and to give the straight men an excuse to sleep with a bloke and pretend there not gay. The Ladyboys I think are quite easy to pick in this part of Thailand and i think you would have to be really drunk to make that mistake. Mind you if you only have a quick glance you may think you’re onto a good thing. Their boobs are big and stick out, feet and hands are big and they walk with such an attitude that they own the ground they walk on.

I’m staying on Soi 4 and along its length are many bars ,massage parlors,with and without happy ending but be careful if you don’t want the extra service and of course many  places to eat. It’s a great place to sit and have a beer and watch the world go by.  My hotel is at the top of the road and so when I’m strolling back to my hotel I run the gauntlet of young ladies, Ladyboys and now I see that the locals have young black women to compete with.  There’s always been a lot of black Africans here for some time so I guess they have found a niche in the market here. 

In the daylight hours it looks very different as daily life starts again but even as I’m having my breakfast there are a few die hard guys having their first beer of the day.

We’re only an hour from Bangkok and I’m really surprised i managed to get a sleep because I was flying peasant class, but i had a window seat and was able to make a very comfortable pillow for my head so i was able to sleep for most of the trip. I’ve had a light breakfast and so I feel almost human again. 

I’ve been to Bangkok many times but i always enjoy coming back again time and again. I’m in Thailand this time for 10 days before I head onto China.

I’ll stay in Bangkok for a couple of days before I head south for Hua Hin. I’m looking forward to having some great Thai food and relaxing Thai massages. A bit of R & R after the 3000 miles I drove in the UK. 

There is an entry in the Doomsday book referring to Pinner so it has a long history.  I was lucky to spend a few days here with my friends Roseanne and Michael. They have lived here for many years. 

It is a bustling place with many lovely old houses. On the main street there are a couple of pubs one of which dates back to 1580.

Pinner is also only a short tube ride to the centre of London and only a few minutes to access the M25, so as you can see it has an ideal location too. A very pretty wee town.

Heading to London on the train, first class of course. Don’t want to spend time with the peasants. Well the real reason is that for an extra few quid I can upgrade and get free tea, coffee and food apparently, so why not. 

So it’s sayonara to  Glasgow and my friends and I hope I’ll see you all again soon. 

This was what one young chap said to me walking out of the toilet at Glasgow Central station “Can you believe it? 40p fir a piss,that’s just fuckin’criminal “

I just visited the Glasgow Gallery Of Modern Art which I may add is in a beautiful old building but I obviously don’t understand the medium too well because I’ve left the building wondering what I just saw.  However there were two old patrons in front of me looking at a picture of Princes Square shopping centre explaining the content of said piece and the conclusion was, the picture was a visual medium of the subject. Fuck me am I glad I came here to be enlightened. 

This is not a building site but part of the exhibition

Just got in from a great night at the pub with old friends, one of whom I haven’t seen in 25 years or so. Great night catching up and sinking a few pints along  the way. 

I’m going to miss this part of Scottish life although I don’t think it’s very healthy in the long run. 

Guess what? I’ve got to do this again on Sunday when I go on the Waverley booze cruise with Ken,Linda Margaret and Keith