12th May 2012

The operation went smoothly and I returned to Jomtien the day after which was a mistake as I had a setback after the trip and had to go to Pattaya Hospital.

I am now recovering OK and will return to Bangkok Hospital next week to find out if everything is now alright.

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7th May 2012

After spending almost six hours at Bangkok Hospital today I have been cleared to have the prostate operation tomorrow.

I am expecting to spend two days in hospital - if all goes well.

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30th April 2012

I have not been doing any travelling but have been working - I have completed the update of the Perth City Directory which means all the Austalian directories are now up to date - I am now working on the Birmingham City Directory which will take a month or so.

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23rd April 2012

Today I went to Bangkok Hospital (Bangkok) where they do the Greenlight Laser operation and saw another specialist - This doctor was, in my opinion, the most professional of the doctors I had seen. He was very surprised that the two previous doctors had not taken a urine sample or done a PSA test (as was I). He arranged for the tests and I waited for the results, which were not good - He told me I had a bladder infection that meant I could not have an operation for at least a week and also that the PSA test reading was very high meaning I may have prostate cancer.

He prescribed a new antibiotic and arranged for me to return next Monday.

After this news I have cancelled my planned trip to Hurghada, Egypt, next month as I would not be able to travel on my original booking dates.

So I will be visiting the doctor again next Monday without knowing what will happen next.

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8th April 2012

Today I cancelled my operation as I would have to remain in Australia for at least six weeks after the operation. I cannot afford the time to stay that long. Therefore I am returning to Thailand on 16th April and will arrange to have the operation in Pattaya.

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3rd April 2012

I went to see the specialist yesterday and I am now booked into hospital next Thursday 12th April. As my operation is urgent (and I do not have health insurance) I will have to pay the total cost myself - the doctor is going to send me a quote in the next couple of days but he estimated it would be around $8,000 (ouch!). The operation is routine and I will only be in hospital for two or three days. I will probably have to stay in Australia for two to three weeks after the operation to confirm all is well.

I am booked to go to Egypt on the 1st May for a month so at this stage I am hopeful that will go ahead as planned.

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27th March 2012

I am booked to fly to Sydney on Thursday.

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26th March 2012

There are a few reasons why I have not made any comments for a while - I have been busy working - I have not been on any trips - I have been very sick.

Over the past few weeks I have had a blocked intestine followed by a blocked bladder - the final outcome is that I have been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate. The doctor here in Pattaya has told me today that my only option is surgery as my prostate is too large for any other treatment. I have decided to return to Australia sometime in the next few days for the operation. All going well I should be able to return to Thailand in two to three weeks.

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4th March 2012

My trip to Vietnam was quite tiring and probably not worth the effort. The flights in both directions were more than 30 minutes late departing and the immigration process took more than an hour each end - I eventually got home in Jomtien around 12.30am today.

The immigration process at Bangkok airport seems to be worse each time I fly - I fail to see why it should take more than an hour to get into the country - They say they want to encourage tourism but I heard a lot of unhappy visitors in the immigration queues. Also the service level of Air Asia has fallen away whilst their fares have increased - at least half of the last ten flights I have taken have been late in departure - I think they may have grown to fast and the management structure has not kept up. I already have several trips booked for this year (some of which I will not be taking due to work) but I doubt that I will be booking any more flights with Air Asia.

I have decided to go to Hurghada, Egypt in May (for the whole month) to finalise the purchase of the apartment I am buying, to get a "Feel" for living in Hurghada and have a rest.

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2nd March 2012

I am in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for a few days. This trip was originally booked as a "visa validation" trip but I decided to still come as I had already booked and paid for the flight. The Vietnam "Visa on arrival" process is becoming so slow (1 hour) and disorganised that I will be getting a visa in Bangkok before I come next time.

The hotel I am staying at the Xuan Hue Hotel near the airport. This hotel has very good customer reviews on Agoda but as far as I am concerned it is no more than a standard budget Asian hotel (rock hard mattress and pillows, TV with bad reception, noisy A/C, etc.) - whilst it is relatively cheap (less than $15) there better hotel deals in Ho Chi Minh City. On the positive side the owner is extremely helpful and speaks good English.

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The above photos were taken in Malta where I spent six months during 2008



The above photos were taken during my flying holidays of Australia in 2006 including My Solo Flight Around Australia

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These photographs were taken during my five month Motorhome tour of the USA during 2007

More of the photos from that trip can be seen at: USA Tour Photographs 2007

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