SUVA, BEACH HOUSE, AUSTRALIA, THAILAND, DENTIST
After my shenanigans in Suva with very little sightseeing achieved, though
there are some great tours available, but far too expensive as all these extra
flights etc had pushed the budget a bit thin.
I always talk about not wanting to be one of those traveller’s that go
everywhere but can't afford to do and see what is on offer in those places, not
normally an issue for me, but Fiji is definitely for the short term holiday
maker to really get the most out of it.
Though there were a few guys basically 'living' at Beach House just for the surf every day, but the living arrangements were minimalist and they were definitely doing it on a shoestring budget, but it can be done if that's your passion. Speaking of Beach House, I decided to break up the bus ride back across Viti Levu with another couple of nights there, it really was such a great place.
I was expecting to see Ben, but my 2 Scottish buddies were back also, they had been on a 9 day tour around Vit Levu and the smaller islands, i was going to join them but rolled my ankle pretty badly a few days before we were going to leave! Another country, another injury!!
So it was 2 more nights here of the usual fun and late night story telling amongst travellers, then the Scottish lads and myself split a cab to the airport. They were flying to Sydney to continue their Tour of Australia (great travellers, they had really been some places, way out bush too!) and I was stopping in Melbourne on my flight back to Perth.
As luck would have it, my Dad was in the city and picked me up from the airport sometime around midnight, a few hours sleep and we were in the car the next morning heading north for home. A fishing trip pre planned that coincided nicely with my return home!
A few weeks back home with the folks and seeing friends again was great, though after the fishing was done I was actually put to work! My mum and her cousin had been renovating a house together, so I jumped in everyday to help out, it was nice to be doing something constructive again, though a bit of a shock to the system!!
Another fishing trip was organized but I had already bought my cheap flight online and my departure date was set, I would get a last couple of days fishing in with the old boy and his mates from down south, then I was off. Back to my other 'home', Thailand, where i was going to finally get some major dental work done, it had been a long time coming, but a huge chip out of my front tooth after biting into an olive on the yacht finally sealed the deal!
Danca was hitting Thailand the same day as me, so we headed for Pattaya and caught up with all our mates for a week or 2, then it was 3 weeks of dental work for me. 2 crowns, a root canal, a 3 tooth bridge, 1 cap, clean and xray all came to the grand total of..... around $1740 Au! Ridiculously cheap, a fraction of the cost back home and the work was outstanding, absolutely painless.
Anybody considering major dental work should look into Thailand, even with flights etc you will still save money and get a holiday! I used Hollywood Dental in Pattaya after being referred there by friends and can't recommend them highly enough.
In between all the visits to the dentist, i had to make my first ever 'Visa Run' which involves sitting in a mini van all day and going to the Cambodian border for a whole 10 minutes to 'exit Thailand and come back in again' thus extending the time you are allowed to stay in country. I had planned on being gone before that became necessary, but the way things panned out with getting my teeth fixed, plus I was a little slow in booking an appointment, it had to be done.
Oh well, another one of those things that I have now done, the Thai government is really cracking down on those foreigners that are living here and continually doing visa runs or working illegally. I see it as a good thing, but unfortunately it will make it harder for guys like me and those doing the right thing, to stay longer.
Ok a few recent fishing photos to at least keep some pictures coming
Though there were a few guys basically 'living' at Beach House just for the surf every day, but the living arrangements were minimalist and they were definitely doing it on a shoestring budget, but it can be done if that's your passion. Speaking of Beach House, I decided to break up the bus ride back across Viti Levu with another couple of nights there, it really was such a great place.
I was expecting to see Ben, but my 2 Scottish buddies were back also, they had been on a 9 day tour around Vit Levu and the smaller islands, i was going to join them but rolled my ankle pretty badly a few days before we were going to leave! Another country, another injury!!
So it was 2 more nights here of the usual fun and late night story telling amongst travellers, then the Scottish lads and myself split a cab to the airport. They were flying to Sydney to continue their Tour of Australia (great travellers, they had really been some places, way out bush too!) and I was stopping in Melbourne on my flight back to Perth.
As luck would have it, my Dad was in the city and picked me up from the airport sometime around midnight, a few hours sleep and we were in the car the next morning heading north for home. A fishing trip pre planned that coincided nicely with my return home!
A few weeks back home with the folks and seeing friends again was great, though after the fishing was done I was actually put to work! My mum and her cousin had been renovating a house together, so I jumped in everyday to help out, it was nice to be doing something constructive again, though a bit of a shock to the system!!
Another fishing trip was organized but I had already bought my cheap flight online and my departure date was set, I would get a last couple of days fishing in with the old boy and his mates from down south, then I was off. Back to my other 'home', Thailand, where i was going to finally get some major dental work done, it had been a long time coming, but a huge chip out of my front tooth after biting into an olive on the yacht finally sealed the deal!
Danca was hitting Thailand the same day as me, so we headed for Pattaya and caught up with all our mates for a week or 2, then it was 3 weeks of dental work for me. 2 crowns, a root canal, a 3 tooth bridge, 1 cap, clean and xray all came to the grand total of..... around $1740 Au! Ridiculously cheap, a fraction of the cost back home and the work was outstanding, absolutely painless.
Anybody considering major dental work should look into Thailand, even with flights etc you will still save money and get a holiday! I used Hollywood Dental in Pattaya after being referred there by friends and can't recommend them highly enough.
In between all the visits to the dentist, i had to make my first ever 'Visa Run' which involves sitting in a mini van all day and going to the Cambodian border for a whole 10 minutes to 'exit Thailand and come back in again' thus extending the time you are allowed to stay in country. I had planned on being gone before that became necessary, but the way things panned out with getting my teeth fixed, plus I was a little slow in booking an appointment, it had to be done.
Oh well, another one of those things that I have now done, the Thai government is really cracking down on those foreigners that are living here and continually doing visa runs or working illegally. I see it as a good thing, but unfortunately it will make it harder for guys like me and those doing the right thing, to stay longer.
Ok a few recent fishing photos to at least keep some pictures coming
But I let them all go and paid a whole $3.30 for this huge plate of fish and chips later!
