A thing or two about manners

I don’t even want to think about how long it has been since my last post.  It’s been a long time for which I offer my sincerest and most humble apologies.  But there is no excuse for bad manners, which is absolutely what I’ve demonstrated.  However, it’s probably time to move on, to get passed this and talk about serious matters.

But I can't ignore the fact of my manners, so over the course of the next few weeks I hope to bring you some sweet little tid bits from my gospel on all things etiquette (in a time where being sexist was probably not as much of a faux pas as it is now).  The book that holds the key is Amy Vandebilt’s Complete Book of Etiquette (for info, Amy Vandebilt is not directly of ‘the’ Vandebilt family, figures of American aristocracy who made their fortune in shipping and on the railway.  According to wikipedia, which never lies, they are the seventh wealthiest family in history).

A SEA of love for South East Asia

I have been putting off writing this post for some time.  It’s as if it symbolises the end of the adventure.  Truthfully, it has more to do with the fact that I don’t know where to start.   Logically, the beginning would seem like a good place, but after ruminating on this issue for some time, I’ve decided that I don’t want this to be a blow-by-blow travelogue-esque type blog.  No.  So in the end it’s not quite that simple.

We’ve travelled to South East Asia a few times over the years.  There is something about the place that keeps drawing us back in.  It goes beyond the mere fact that I have Thai heritage, because I have a love for more than just Thailand.  In all of our adventures to the place I have always been impressed by one thing.  No, it’s not the culture or the food.  Nor is it the history or the pristine natural environments.  Yes, all of these things are amazing.  But it’s the memory of the people that has always struck a chord with me.

Village boy at the warung near Sunda Kelapa

An impromptu village sing-a-long