After a long and boring 9 hour flight (where we made friends with the air stewardess who gave us a free glass of champagne mmm!) We arrived at our final destination (sob sob).
Hong Kong is a beautiful vibrant city, and much cleaner than we had anticipated! Emma got very excited that there is a disneyland in HK, but Sam said no (mean boy!)
We spent our time walking around (no money left for cabs!) and at the ladies market. Emma could have stayed at the market all week, Sam was fed up after 10 mins... we compromised...Emma bought Sam a pair of Uggs as bribery and we shopped all day (both days)!
We ate in a yummy sushi restaurant which was so good we went back on our second night!
Apart from shopping and walking around we were exhausted so spent time catching up on sleep and trying to sort through our suitcases and attempt to make then lighter (easier said than done!)
We cant really believe our trip is over, and are feeling really sad, however, it turns out that the Qantas staff were staying at our Novotel on Nathan Road and as we baorded our flight home, they recognised us and ga us a free bottle of champagne for us to drown our sorrows in!!!
We've had the most incredible adventure and cant wait to share our photos with everyone!
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Monday, 26 October 2009
Melbourne
So we have reached our final destination in Australia - Melbourne. What took under 3 hours flight time has undone the 5 1/2 weeks of driving up to the north of the east coast and brought us to the very bottom!
Melbournes centre is quite small and is really easy to navigate with its new york style grid system of roads. Trams are the main form of transport and there is a free one that goes round the whole city (we spent a large proportion of our time being rocked to sleep on this tram - not much to do if the old cash flow is low!!).
It is a great city to walk around and just look around; plenty of shopping (which we didn't do) and loads of great restaurants (which we didn't eat in - free pasta at the hostel has meant we have become rather bloated!!).
We found a great little crepe place in the central station, which we have had every day on emmas demand!! The central station itself has been converted from a factory that used to make bullets, and has incredible brick work inside - though em was more interested in the UGG shop that was inside the old factory than the bricks that made it!!
We also spent time at the Queen Victoria Markets, a huge market that sells everything from veg to clothes to tacky tourist bits! We spent many an hour looking for uggs for livi (much to sams dismay!) Eventually we found the right size and colour!
Very sad to be leaving Oz, but onto our next adventure...Hong Kong!
Melbournes centre is quite small and is really easy to navigate with its new york style grid system of roads. Trams are the main form of transport and there is a free one that goes round the whole city (we spent a large proportion of our time being rocked to sleep on this tram - not much to do if the old cash flow is low!!).
It is a great city to walk around and just look around; plenty of shopping (which we didn't do) and loads of great restaurants (which we didn't eat in - free pasta at the hostel has meant we have become rather bloated!!).
We found a great little crepe place in the central station, which we have had every day on emmas demand!! The central station itself has been converted from a factory that used to make bullets, and has incredible brick work inside - though em was more interested in the UGG shop that was inside the old factory than the bricks that made it!!
We also spent time at the Queen Victoria Markets, a huge market that sells everything from veg to clothes to tacky tourist bits! We spent many an hour looking for uggs for livi (much to sams dismay!) Eventually we found the right size and colour!
Very sad to be leaving Oz, but onto our next adventure...Hong Kong!
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Cairns
Our first night in Cairns we still had our baby Jucy and stayed at a campsite. It rained - a lot! We sat in our car and played cards (remember Cairns has had no rain for 6 months so we were very unlucky!)
The following day we had an emotional goodbye to our home for the past 6 weeks - Jucy:( But Sam was very happy that he didnt get any speeding fines! We moved to a hostel and it was quite nice to sleep in a real bed! The hostel was great, it had a pool and gave us free dinner! It was strange having to walk around our room with all the space!
We met up with the Danish couple we had met on the boat and had a lovely dinner with them. We spent our days lazing around the pool (there are no beaches in Cairns), and were a bit sad to leave the gorgeous sunshine and head for a much colder Melbourne...
The following day we had an emotional goodbye to our home for the past 6 weeks - Jucy:( But Sam was very happy that he didnt get any speeding fines! We moved to a hostel and it was quite nice to sleep in a real bed! The hostel was great, it had a pool and gave us free dinner! It was strange having to walk around our room with all the space!
We met up with the Danish couple we had met on the boat and had a lovely dinner with them. We spent our days lazing around the pool (there are no beaches in Cairns), and were a bit sad to leave the gorgeous sunshine and head for a much colder Melbourne...
Townsville, Mission Beach, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation
Townsville is the capital of North Queensland. It is a fairly large town with some gorgeous beaches and a lovely promenade. Whilst sitting on a deck overlooking the beach, Sam noticced in the 'whats on in Townsville' brochere, that Miss Saigon (Emmas favourite musical in the whole world) was playing. After much begging and pleading on Emma part, we went to see the show - it was great!!
The following day we left for Mission Beach, just a few hours north. Another small town, with stunning beaches (that you cant swim in because it is jelly fish season!!!!) This town had lovely restaurants, shops and beautiful secluded beaches that we enjoyed strolling on!
Port Douglas is just above Cairns, where the drive to it is along a winding beach front road (not always that safe as you are too busy looking out the window at the incredible views). The town itself has many luxiourious hotels and shops, none of which we frequented, but we did stay at a litle camp site, whose pool wasn't working - always good in the 32 degree heat. We did a couple fo day trips wilst we were there. One going up the Cape Tribulation - the daintree rainforest. A very short crossing over croc infested waters with our car was most exciting. The drive through the rainforest was amazing, particualry as you are in the only place in the world where the rainforest touches the coral in the sea; even the sea here has crocodiles in it as the rivers through the rainforest meet the sea. Remebering the dangerous jellyfish, we were a little surprised to see ppl swimming in the sea despite the warning signs for both crocs and jellyfish - bizarre! Despite this, it is safe to wander the beaches (most of which are secluded), and the scenery is like no other.
We left the rainforest and took a jungle safari boat trip were we spotted 5 crocs - ranging from a baby of 90cm to over 2m adults.
Returning to Port Douglas we sunbathed on the beautiful beach which you can swim in as there are stinger nets but we still were a little afraid! We went to the market, and again we surprised to see a crocodile sign postioned less than a metre from a children playground - love the safety in australia!!!
Reluctantly we left this town (one of three where we decided we could have a holiday home!) , and headed for Cairns!
The following day we left for Mission Beach, just a few hours north. Another small town, with stunning beaches (that you cant swim in because it is jelly fish season!!!!) This town had lovely restaurants, shops and beautiful secluded beaches that we enjoyed strolling on!
Port Douglas is just above Cairns, where the drive to it is along a winding beach front road (not always that safe as you are too busy looking out the window at the incredible views). The town itself has many luxiourious hotels and shops, none of which we frequented, but we did stay at a litle camp site, whose pool wasn't working - always good in the 32 degree heat. We did a couple fo day trips wilst we were there. One going up the Cape Tribulation - the daintree rainforest. A very short crossing over croc infested waters with our car was most exciting. The drive through the rainforest was amazing, particualry as you are in the only place in the world where the rainforest touches the coral in the sea; even the sea here has crocodiles in it as the rivers through the rainforest meet the sea. Remebering the dangerous jellyfish, we were a little surprised to see ppl swimming in the sea despite the warning signs for both crocs and jellyfish - bizarre! Despite this, it is safe to wander the beaches (most of which are secluded), and the scenery is like no other.
We left the rainforest and took a jungle safari boat trip were we spotted 5 crocs - ranging from a baby of 90cm to over 2m adults.
Returning to Port Douglas we sunbathed on the beautiful beach which you can swim in as there are stinger nets but we still were a little afraid! We went to the market, and again we surprised to see a crocodile sign postioned less than a metre from a children playground - love the safety in australia!!!
Reluctantly we left this town (one of three where we decided we could have a holiday home!) , and headed for Cairns!
Airlie Beach and The Whitsundays
After leaving the town of 1770 we began the long drive to airlie beach - 9 hours drive away!! We drove and we drove and we drove through a whole lot of nothingness (except the cows) and we drove some more....
Airlie beach is a small buzzing town close to the Whitsunday islands and the Great Barrier Reef. We stayed in a campsite voted top campsite in Queensland - it had a massive pool with slides, tennic courts, mini golf plus more! We stayed in Airlie beach topping up our tan for 4 days before embarking on our Whitsunday adventure! Emma got bitten an amazing 88 times (Sam counted!!!) by horible sandflies:(
Our boat was called the Alexander Stewart. A sailing boat that took 17 years to build in someones back garden. http://www.tallshipadventures.com.au/webpage.php?wp=Alexander%20Stewart It was an incredible journey which we shared with 16 others from around the world. Though are rooms were pretty small (to say the least), the food, wine, trip, snorkling, whitehaven beach, star gazing, helping out with the sails was absolutely incredible and possibly the highlight of our whole trip. We met some really nice people from Denmark, Germany, France and Hertfordshire!
During our snorkelling trips in the great barrier reef we had to wear stinger suits. These highly attractive suits look like wetsuits but are made from lycra. We had to wear them because it is jellyfishg season - box jelly fish and the irukandji, 2 of the most deadly jellyfish around! The latter of which is about 2cm long, invisible to the human eye and can kill you - nice!
After disembarking the boat we were swaying for the rest of the day (we are not destined to be sailors!!!) After one more night in Airlie Beach which we spent with ppl we met on the boat we left for our next destination - Townsville.
Airlie beach is a small buzzing town close to the Whitsunday islands and the Great Barrier Reef. We stayed in a campsite voted top campsite in Queensland - it had a massive pool with slides, tennic courts, mini golf plus more! We stayed in Airlie beach topping up our tan for 4 days before embarking on our Whitsunday adventure! Emma got bitten an amazing 88 times (Sam counted!!!) by horible sandflies:(
Our boat was called the Alexander Stewart. A sailing boat that took 17 years to build in someones back garden. http://www.tallshipadventures.com.au/webpage.php?wp=Alexander%20Stewart It was an incredible journey which we shared with 16 others from around the world. Though are rooms were pretty small (to say the least), the food, wine, trip, snorkling, whitehaven beach, star gazing, helping out with the sails was absolutely incredible and possibly the highlight of our whole trip. We met some really nice people from Denmark, Germany, France and Hertfordshire!
During our snorkelling trips in the great barrier reef we had to wear stinger suits. These highly attractive suits look like wetsuits but are made from lycra. We had to wear them because it is jellyfishg season - box jelly fish and the irukandji, 2 of the most deadly jellyfish around! The latter of which is about 2cm long, invisible to the human eye and can kill you - nice!
After disembarking the boat we were swaying for the rest of the day (we are not destined to be sailors!!!) After one more night in Airlie Beach which we spent with ppl we met on the boat we left for our next destination - Townsville.
Rainbow Beach, Hervey Bay, Town of 1770
Rainbow Beach is a tiny village at the foot of a stunning national park. Driving through the park was beautiful and we saw many wild horses which was amazing! The village is called rainbow beach as the cliffs are made from mulit couloured sand! We spent a day and night at this pretty town, and moved on to Hervey Bay.
Our journey to hervey bay was an experience! We set off with over a quarter of a tank of petrol, which in any normal car would be sufficient to get to the next town. However, not for our Jucy! She (of course a woman!) eats petrol like girls eat chocolate when its that time. We were driving through the national park (normally very nice) when the red light came on. We panicked! But 2 miles on the red light went off. Then on again. Then off. This went on for a little while, and blood sugar levels were dropping. May we remind you Oz national parks is where the 9/10 most deadliest snakes in the world reside, so its not the kinda place u wanna break down or walk through. We finally got to some roadworks where we were told a petrol station was a litle more than 10 miles away - great! we turned the a/c off, the radio off, closed the windows and sweat our way to the petrol station, where we finally got there!!!!!!!! Gave ourselves a pat on our sweaty backs and decided to always fill up, even when going to the supermarket.
Hervey Bay is the gateway to Fraser Island. It is not really one town but lots of little towns spread across an area of coastline, therefore there was not really a nice area to walk around and the beaches werent that nice! So we spent the day by the pool at the campsite (yes campsites have pools!!) Our slot for the night was positioned right next to a tree full of magpies. So Sam had to go to the reception and request us to be moved!!!! We didnt really like Hervey Bay so first thing the next morning we left for the town of 1770!
Town of 1770 was the first place the drunken Captain Cook set down on when he discovered the prison of Australia! Not the most original of names and not the most of happening towns (probably the same as when we first got there). However, there is 1 thing that every backpacker (and mid-life crisis victims) has to do - the scooteroooooooo!!! http://www.scooteroo.com.au/ A 3 hour journey on motorbike looking scooters, flexing a leather jacket with sunglasses, we could join hells angels any day! the 3 hour ride takes in the surrounding areas of the town and the local wildlife (kangaroos!). They were also filming for the best job in the world documentary, which should be on our screens soon. At the end of the trip we ended up right on the beach watching the sunset with a packet of chips! It was so much fun and we wished we could do it again!
Our journey to hervey bay was an experience! We set off with over a quarter of a tank of petrol, which in any normal car would be sufficient to get to the next town. However, not for our Jucy! She (of course a woman!) eats petrol like girls eat chocolate when its that time. We were driving through the national park (normally very nice) when the red light came on. We panicked! But 2 miles on the red light went off. Then on again. Then off. This went on for a little while, and blood sugar levels were dropping. May we remind you Oz national parks is where the 9/10 most deadliest snakes in the world reside, so its not the kinda place u wanna break down or walk through. We finally got to some roadworks where we were told a petrol station was a litle more than 10 miles away - great! we turned the a/c off, the radio off, closed the windows and sweat our way to the petrol station, where we finally got there!!!!!!!! Gave ourselves a pat on our sweaty backs and decided to always fill up, even when going to the supermarket.
Hervey Bay is the gateway to Fraser Island. It is not really one town but lots of little towns spread across an area of coastline, therefore there was not really a nice area to walk around and the beaches werent that nice! So we spent the day by the pool at the campsite (yes campsites have pools!!) Our slot for the night was positioned right next to a tree full of magpies. So Sam had to go to the reception and request us to be moved!!!! We didnt really like Hervey Bay so first thing the next morning we left for the town of 1770!
Town of 1770 was the first place the drunken Captain Cook set down on when he discovered the prison of Australia! Not the most original of names and not the most of happening towns (probably the same as when we first got there). However, there is 1 thing that every backpacker (and mid-life crisis victims) has to do - the scooteroooooooo!!! http://www.scooteroo.com.au/ A 3 hour journey on motorbike looking scooters, flexing a leather jacket with sunglasses, we could join hells angels any day! the 3 hour ride takes in the surrounding areas of the town and the local wildlife (kangaroos!). They were also filming for the best job in the world documentary, which should be on our screens soon. At the end of the trip we ended up right on the beach watching the sunset with a packet of chips! It was so much fun and we wished we could do it again!
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Brisbane, Noosa, Montville
Staying in a campervan in Brisbane is not ideal. All the campsites are located quite a distance to the city centre and we had to catch a bus to get to town!! We successfully got the right bus ( an achievment in itself!) and headed to the centre of town. We strolled around the city, looking in the shops and walked along the river seeing Brisbanes version of the London Eye - its a little bit more like a ferris wheel! That night returning (again successfully on the bus!) we decided that although Brisbane seemed like a very nice place - we were satisfied that we had seen all we really wanted to see and did not really want to go on the bus again (Emma and Sam do not like public transport!) And so after a lovely day and night we continued our journey north.
Just north of Brisbane is a gorgeous holiday town called Noosa. It sits where the river meets the sea and is made up of little islands created by the river. We spent our first day sitting on the sandy river bank (which was just like the beach!) and had lunch on a lovely roof terrace!
The following day we went to the famous Australia Zoo - Steve Irwins Zoo! We were both really excited for the crocodile show which made Steve Irwin famous. We arrived at the zoo a little bit early and sat and waited. And waited. At about 9.20 Sam went and asked what time the park opened. '9.00am' was the response. A very confused Sam said but its 9.20! The lady responded 'um no its only 8.20! Basically noone had told us that there was a time difference between New South Wales and Queensland - we had been living for nearly a week on the wrong time! - typical sam and em!
The zoo was amazing and there are way to many animals to even begin, but the main show is one where they bring in snakes, birds (much to emmas delight), elephants and of course crocs! You will have to see our photos to see how cool, but here is a taster!http://www.team-endeavour.com/012%20Australia%20Zoo%20croc%20show.JPG
That night we ate once again on the river beach in the camp kitchen and got chatting to an israeli family, who didn't quite believe that we were jewish at first, but after a little while (and a portion of my bar mitzvah) we were accepted!
On the way to our next destination (rainbow beach) we stopped off in a great little town called Montville. High up in the mountains and a quite a scary drive to get to, the town is centred around a single road with lots of chocolate and fudge shops (much to emmas delight - its surprising how we haven't become poor after all the chocolate and fudge this girl has eaten - oh wait we have!!!!!). There is a definite european feel to the town, particularly as many of the residents are french and spanish!
Just north of Brisbane is a gorgeous holiday town called Noosa. It sits where the river meets the sea and is made up of little islands created by the river. We spent our first day sitting on the sandy river bank (which was just like the beach!) and had lunch on a lovely roof terrace!
The following day we went to the famous Australia Zoo - Steve Irwins Zoo! We were both really excited for the crocodile show which made Steve Irwin famous. We arrived at the zoo a little bit early and sat and waited. And waited. At about 9.20 Sam went and asked what time the park opened. '9.00am' was the response. A very confused Sam said but its 9.20! The lady responded 'um no its only 8.20! Basically noone had told us that there was a time difference between New South Wales and Queensland - we had been living for nearly a week on the wrong time! - typical sam and em!
The zoo was amazing and there are way to many animals to even begin, but the main show is one where they bring in snakes, birds (much to emmas delight), elephants and of course crocs! You will have to see our photos to see how cool, but here is a taster!http://www.team-endeavour.com/012%20Australia%20Zoo%20croc%20show.JPG
That night we ate once again on the river beach in the camp kitchen and got chatting to an israeli family, who didn't quite believe that we were jewish at first, but after a little while (and a portion of my bar mitzvah) we were accepted!
On the way to our next destination (rainbow beach) we stopped off in a great little town called Montville. High up in the mountains and a quite a scary drive to get to, the town is centred around a single road with lots of chocolate and fudge shops (much to emmas delight - its surprising how we haven't become poor after all the chocolate and fudge this girl has eaten - oh wait we have!!!!!). There is a definite european feel to the town, particularly as many of the residents are french and spanish!
Surfers Paradise & The Gold Coast
After leaving Byron, we were also leaving New South Wales and entering Queensland. Queensland is famous for crocodiles and other scary things like that! It is also known as the sunshine state so not all bad!
Surfers Paradise - to those who have not been there you would expect what we expected - a sweet little surf town much like Byron - wrong! As we approched we thought we had taken the wrong turn and got to Brisbane. Its all high rise buildings and really is a city - there is nothing that screams paradise, although the beaches are lovely and we did see some more whales! We spent the day here and although we are glad we saw it - it was more than enough time!
The Gold Coast is Australias Florida - its all about the theme parks. We resticted ourselves to one park and Sam chose Wet n Wild the water park! Emma agreed but was very concerned that as she is about to be a bridesmaid (wearing a strapless dress) that it was ESSENTIAL that she buy a strapless bikini so she didnt get funny tan lines for the wedding photos!!! So she spent the first day dragging Sam around swim wear shops (and obviously in the end bought the first one she had seen!) It was worth it - we had a really fun day at the park and Sam ran between the rides dragging Emma behind. Emma did not have to worry about funny tan lines - we were both happy. The happiness was short lived as Emma got an eye infection and had to go to the doctor!
After a fun filled 2 days we were haeding to Brisbane!
Surfers Paradise - to those who have not been there you would expect what we expected - a sweet little surf town much like Byron - wrong! As we approched we thought we had taken the wrong turn and got to Brisbane. Its all high rise buildings and really is a city - there is nothing that screams paradise, although the beaches are lovely and we did see some more whales! We spent the day here and although we are glad we saw it - it was more than enough time!
The Gold Coast is Australias Florida - its all about the theme parks. We resticted ourselves to one park and Sam chose Wet n Wild the water park! Emma agreed but was very concerned that as she is about to be a bridesmaid (wearing a strapless dress) that it was ESSENTIAL that she buy a strapless bikini so she didnt get funny tan lines for the wedding photos!!! So she spent the first day dragging Sam around swim wear shops (and obviously in the end bought the first one she had seen!) It was worth it - we had a really fun day at the park and Sam ran between the rides dragging Emma behind. Emma did not have to worry about funny tan lines - we were both happy. The happiness was short lived as Emma got an eye infection and had to go to the doctor!
After a fun filled 2 days we were haeding to Brisbane!
Byron Bay
Byron Bay is an awesome little surfing town in the northern part of New South Wales. Unfortunately for us we arrived during school holidays (unknown to us!) and the price of the camp sites were doubled! ($46 for a square patch of gravel!!!!!!) However, the camp site did have some advantages, it was right in the centre of town - unlike many campsites which are a long way out, and it had access to a stunning beach. We spent our first day lazing around the beach and wandering through the boutique shops. That evening we went to a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant where they cook the food in front of you (delicious!) On the way home from the restaurant Emma 'fell in love' with a ring in a shop window that she simply 'had to have' and marched sam straight back to the shop first thing in the morning! (It is really pretty!!)
It had become clear that Sam has caught the surfing bug and was desperate to get back into the waves. He found a guy willing to give him a private lesson for the same cost as a group lesson, so off Sam went to hire his gear. He came back with, what can only be described as a canoe - the biggest surf board ever made!!! Kitted out in his wet suit, he had tourist written all over him!! Off we went to meet the surf instructor (Sam waddling in his wet suit and hitting anything in his path with his GIANT surf board). Brad the surf instructor was a very cool middle aged guy with a full on beard that could have easily mistaken him for a tramp!!! While Sam surfed, Emma watched from the beach, working on her tan and trying to take photos of Sam where it looked like he knew what he was doing (harder than it sounds!!!) Emma had 1 second and 1 second only to get the shot where it looked like Sam was standing and not falling!!!
From the beach Emma noticed something moving in the distance out to the ocean - it was a mother and baby humpback whale breaching so close to the shore it was incredible!!! Brad told us that if the baby whales were out it also meant that the Great Whites would be out hunting for their dinner! Sam (whose surfing ability closley resembled that of a drowning seal) was anxious to end the lesson and get out of the water, however Brad seemed totally unfazed (australians are totally relaxed when it comes to deadly creatures like snakes, sharks, crocs its really bizarre!!!)
After a 2 hour lesson Sam was exhausted and could barely carry his canoe, sorry surf board back to the shop (but he was encouraged by the fact that he had to get back his $500 deposit for the surf board - no that is not a typo - $500!!!!!!!!)
The following day we visited some nearby towns Lennox Head plus a few others we cant remember the names of! We spent the afternoon up at the famous lighthouse in Byron which is also the most Easterly point in Australia. There were a number of magpies up there - Emma screamed a little bit! The view was incredible and we also spotted a number of whales which are migrating south to antarctica for the summer!! After a bbq dinner with some lovely Swedish ppl we had met we went to bed and prepared for our next stop - the Gold Coast!
It had become clear that Sam has caught the surfing bug and was desperate to get back into the waves. He found a guy willing to give him a private lesson for the same cost as a group lesson, so off Sam went to hire his gear. He came back with, what can only be described as a canoe - the biggest surf board ever made!!! Kitted out in his wet suit, he had tourist written all over him!! Off we went to meet the surf instructor (Sam waddling in his wet suit and hitting anything in his path with his GIANT surf board). Brad the surf instructor was a very cool middle aged guy with a full on beard that could have easily mistaken him for a tramp!!! While Sam surfed, Emma watched from the beach, working on her tan and trying to take photos of Sam where it looked like he knew what he was doing (harder than it sounds!!!) Emma had 1 second and 1 second only to get the shot where it looked like Sam was standing and not falling!!!
From the beach Emma noticed something moving in the distance out to the ocean - it was a mother and baby humpback whale breaching so close to the shore it was incredible!!! Brad told us that if the baby whales were out it also meant that the Great Whites would be out hunting for their dinner! Sam (whose surfing ability closley resembled that of a drowning seal) was anxious to end the lesson and get out of the water, however Brad seemed totally unfazed (australians are totally relaxed when it comes to deadly creatures like snakes, sharks, crocs its really bizarre!!!)
After a 2 hour lesson Sam was exhausted and could barely carry his canoe, sorry surf board back to the shop (but he was encouraged by the fact that he had to get back his $500 deposit for the surf board - no that is not a typo - $500!!!!!!!!)
The following day we visited some nearby towns Lennox Head plus a few others we cant remember the names of! We spent the afternoon up at the famous lighthouse in Byron which is also the most Easterly point in Australia. There were a number of magpies up there - Emma screamed a little bit! The view was incredible and we also spotted a number of whales which are migrating south to antarctica for the summer!! After a bbq dinner with some lovely Swedish ppl we had met we went to bed and prepared for our next stop - the Gold Coast!
Port Macquaire, Port Stephens, Byron Bay
Port Macquarie was our next stop. The caravan park (yes remember we are still in the campervan) was right on the sea shore and had an incredible promenade all the way into town from it.
Our first stop was at the billabong wildlife park (www.billabongkoala.com.au) a family run park with Koalas, kangaroos, dingos etc. It was amazing!! We had our first ever encounters with koalas and instantly fell in love. These mini bears sleep 18 hours a day (like emma) and eat up to 500 leaves a day too (unlike emma, unless leaves are the new cookies!!). You have a chance to hold them here too, and the owner of the park got out a 5 week year old baby koala which was just adorable. These koalas are of course used to human contact, however wild koalas are not as friendly as one might think; their claws are incredibly sharp and can cut right through you - so careful next time u encounter one!!
Also at the park there were loads of kangaroos (our first hands on encounter), which you could feed by hand. They were just amazing, bouncing up to you and holding you by the hand whilst they munch away at the food. In one of the female kangaroos we saw a tiny joey pop out of her pouch and begin to nibble on the crumbs that the mother was leaving behind (loads of pictures to show u of this - got a little snappy happy in the park!!).
Finally we had an encounter with dingos. Not many people know what dingos are (we certainly didn't); they are descendants of an asian wolf and look like a mix between a wolf, fox and dog with the climbing, hunting and cuteness factors of all three animals. Wild Dingoes can be vicious however the ones in the park had been trained and were as friendly as pet dogs! In Australia, you have to have a license to have a dingo as a pet and are forbidden from breeding them with house dogs as they fear that the Dingo specie may soon become extinct!
Our second day started off at the Koala Hospital www.koalahospital.org.au. This is where all the koalas that are unable to fend for themselves (many have been run over by cars) come and stay for as long as they need. The facilites are incredible, with a large icu centre and best of all you can visit it for a gold coin donation (good chance to get rid of some old pesatos!!). There was a 23 year old koala with arthritis staying there, who was unable to climb up any of the trees to reach the leaves, so had to be hand fed. Her arthritis came from overclicking her fingers (anyone know another 23year old who does that!!).
Later on in the afternoon we did what seems to be the law here in australia - surfing!!! We booked on for a 2 hour lesson and it was awesome!!! Fine your falling over 90% of the time (100% in emmas case) but the thrill of even getting to your knees on the board and standing up for 5 seconds is amazing. By the end of the 2 hours we were exhausted, but I (Sam) knew that it would not be my last surf in Oz!!
On route to our next destination (Byron Bay - see later) we stopped off at Port Stephens, a lively little port famous for its whale and dolphin trips, so we decided to stop and do a dolphin trip. It was great - we saw a load of dolphins who swam curiously up to the boat.
We spent the night at Coffs Harbour famous for a big banana but we are not really sure why! We left Coffs early to get to Byron, stopping at a sweet little town of Yamba for breakfast- visiting the local market and bought a load of fudge!!!
Our first stop was at the billabong wildlife park (www.billabongkoala.com.au) a family run park with Koalas, kangaroos, dingos etc. It was amazing!! We had our first ever encounters with koalas and instantly fell in love. These mini bears sleep 18 hours a day (like emma) and eat up to 500 leaves a day too (unlike emma, unless leaves are the new cookies!!). You have a chance to hold them here too, and the owner of the park got out a 5 week year old baby koala which was just adorable. These koalas are of course used to human contact, however wild koalas are not as friendly as one might think; their claws are incredibly sharp and can cut right through you - so careful next time u encounter one!!
Also at the park there were loads of kangaroos (our first hands on encounter), which you could feed by hand. They were just amazing, bouncing up to you and holding you by the hand whilst they munch away at the food. In one of the female kangaroos we saw a tiny joey pop out of her pouch and begin to nibble on the crumbs that the mother was leaving behind (loads of pictures to show u of this - got a little snappy happy in the park!!).
Finally we had an encounter with dingos. Not many people know what dingos are (we certainly didn't); they are descendants of an asian wolf and look like a mix between a wolf, fox and dog with the climbing, hunting and cuteness factors of all three animals. Wild Dingoes can be vicious however the ones in the park had been trained and were as friendly as pet dogs! In Australia, you have to have a license to have a dingo as a pet and are forbidden from breeding them with house dogs as they fear that the Dingo specie may soon become extinct!
Our second day started off at the Koala Hospital www.koalahospital.org.au. This is where all the koalas that are unable to fend for themselves (many have been run over by cars) come and stay for as long as they need. The facilites are incredible, with a large icu centre and best of all you can visit it for a gold coin donation (good chance to get rid of some old pesatos!!). There was a 23 year old koala with arthritis staying there, who was unable to climb up any of the trees to reach the leaves, so had to be hand fed. Her arthritis came from overclicking her fingers (anyone know another 23year old who does that!!).
Later on in the afternoon we did what seems to be the law here in australia - surfing!!! We booked on for a 2 hour lesson and it was awesome!!! Fine your falling over 90% of the time (100% in emmas case) but the thrill of even getting to your knees on the board and standing up for 5 seconds is amazing. By the end of the 2 hours we were exhausted, but I (Sam) knew that it would not be my last surf in Oz!!
On route to our next destination (Byron Bay - see later) we stopped off at Port Stephens, a lively little port famous for its whale and dolphin trips, so we decided to stop and do a dolphin trip. It was great - we saw a load of dolphins who swam curiously up to the boat.
We spent the night at Coffs Harbour famous for a big banana but we are not really sure why! We left Coffs early to get to Byron, stopping at a sweet little town of Yamba for breakfast- visiting the local market and bought a load of fudge!!!
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Blue Mountains, Lake Macquaire & Hunter Vallley, Australia
Two hours out of Sydney lie the Blue Mountains - a stunning national park (which you may have heard about because earlier this year a young English guy got lost in the rainforest for about 9 days and had to be rescued!!) Learning from our mistakes we booked a camp site in Katoomba (the main habited area of the Mountains) before we got there! On arriving in the quaint mountain village we wandered around the town before visiting Scenic World http://www.scenicworld.com.au/ where we saw the incredible scenery and went on the cablecar across the mountains and hiked to a waterfall! That night we cooked our first meal in our very own kitchen (ok it was only pasta! - but it was exciting nonetheless), and were asleep by 8pm!! The following day we left the Blue Mountains and headed for the lake district (australians version) about 2 hours away -choosing Lake Macquaire to become our home for the next few days.
We spent our first day relaxing by the stunning lake and admiring the black swans! The following day we met up with a friend we had met in New Zealand who lives in a town called Newcastle, only about 20mins from the lake. We spent the day exploring Newcastle and watching sea planes take off and land on the harbour!
Hunter Valley was our next destination. The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest and one of its most well-known wine regions. We met our friends at the Hunter Valley Gardens were we played Aqua Golf http://www.hvg.com.au/VisitorInformation/Activities1.aspx. That afternoon we went on a sunset horseride in the hills overlooking the vineyard. Sams horse was even called Sam too and was incredibly handsome (just like his owner!!) The ride was fantastic and we even saw our very first Kangaroos!!! As Emma was the only one in the group to have ridden before, she led the group and the instructor stayed at the back. As we went across one field, out of nowhere a giant black and white bird swooped down and started trying to peck Emmas head! The lady was screaming from behind for Emma to look at the bird, however Sam misheard and told Emma to NOT look at the bird, and it kept coming, swooping and trying to peck at her!!! The lady told us that it was a Magpie (although in the UK we call them Crows), and it was nesting season and we had ridden though her territory. Emma had been wearing a black helmet, and the others had been wearing white and the predator of this bird is black so it kept attacking Emma. They will only swoop from behind, so if you keep looking at them they stay away. The lady told us that when they go get the horses from the field they wear helmets and draw faces on the back of them to keep the bird away. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO scary, and ever since, if Emma sees a bird fly anywhere near her she screams and runs away!!! We learnt that one girl in New South Wales had her eyes taken out by one of these birds, and to make it worse, they are protected species!!! - though it was quite funny to watch!
That night we went to bed as normal only to be awoken at about 4am by birds going crazy! We looked out the window to see the sky was bright red!! http://images.2ue.com.au/2009/09/23/748603/DustStorm_53-600x400.jpg At first we had no idea what it could be and thought it may be a bush fire! We got up and literally could not see in front of us - it was really surreal! We learned that it was a dust storm that had taken over a vast proportion of the east coast, and that even sydney was covered over by it - the worst for over 30 years!!! We had booked to do a wine tour which was still going ahead despite the strange weather! The wine tour which took us to about 6 wineries to sample wine, as well as cheese tasting, chocolate and fudge tasting, olives, bread and a whole lot more!! The tour was fantastic - the only disappontment were the views. The usual stunning mountain and vineyard views were clouded by the huge dust storm!! By the end of the tour we didn't want to see another bottle of wine, but we are now connoseurs (spelling??) of wine and shall be expecting everyones collection of wine upon our arrival home!
Our next destination was port macquarie - about a 3 hour drive from the hunter valley region!
We spent our first day relaxing by the stunning lake and admiring the black swans! The following day we met up with a friend we had met in New Zealand who lives in a town called Newcastle, only about 20mins from the lake. We spent the day exploring Newcastle and watching sea planes take off and land on the harbour!
Hunter Valley was our next destination. The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest and one of its most well-known wine regions. We met our friends at the Hunter Valley Gardens were we played Aqua Golf http://www.hvg.com.au/VisitorInformation/Activities1.aspx. That afternoon we went on a sunset horseride in the hills overlooking the vineyard. Sams horse was even called Sam too and was incredibly handsome (just like his owner!!) The ride was fantastic and we even saw our very first Kangaroos!!! As Emma was the only one in the group to have ridden before, she led the group and the instructor stayed at the back. As we went across one field, out of nowhere a giant black and white bird swooped down and started trying to peck Emmas head! The lady was screaming from behind for Emma to look at the bird, however Sam misheard and told Emma to NOT look at the bird, and it kept coming, swooping and trying to peck at her!!! The lady told us that it was a Magpie (although in the UK we call them Crows), and it was nesting season and we had ridden though her territory. Emma had been wearing a black helmet, and the others had been wearing white and the predator of this bird is black so it kept attacking Emma. They will only swoop from behind, so if you keep looking at them they stay away. The lady told us that when they go get the horses from the field they wear helmets and draw faces on the back of them to keep the bird away. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO scary, and ever since, if Emma sees a bird fly anywhere near her she screams and runs away!!! We learnt that one girl in New South Wales had her eyes taken out by one of these birds, and to make it worse, they are protected species!!! - though it was quite funny to watch!
That night we went to bed as normal only to be awoken at about 4am by birds going crazy! We looked out the window to see the sky was bright red!! http://images.2ue.com.au/2009/09/23/748603/DustStorm_53-600x400.jpg At first we had no idea what it could be and thought it may be a bush fire! We got up and literally could not see in front of us - it was really surreal! We learned that it was a dust storm that had taken over a vast proportion of the east coast, and that even sydney was covered over by it - the worst for over 30 years!!! We had booked to do a wine tour which was still going ahead despite the strange weather! The wine tour which took us to about 6 wineries to sample wine, as well as cheese tasting, chocolate and fudge tasting, olives, bread and a whole lot more!! The tour was fantastic - the only disappontment were the views. The usual stunning mountain and vineyard views were clouded by the huge dust storm!! By the end of the tour we didn't want to see another bottle of wine, but we are now connoseurs (spelling??) of wine and shall be expecting everyones collection of wine upon our arrival home!
Our next destination was port macquarie - about a 3 hour drive from the hunter valley region!
Sydney, Australia
We landed in Sydney on a cloudy Wednesday lunchtime and were extremely excited to arrive at our hotel (yes hotel not hostel!!!) Ok it was only a travelodge, but compared to our huts in Fiji it may as well have been the Ritz!! We went for a walk around the city, visiting a few shopping malls along the way and determind NOT to see the opera house or harbour bridge (we wanted to wait til it was sunny so it would be like we imagined it!!!) Very tired we went back to our palace and ordered room service!! The following day we took the very touristy open top double decked bus around the city to see all the sights. Fortunately we did not have to go around keeping our eyes closed to aviod the opera house and bridge because it was a beautiful sunny day! Sydney is a stunning city - the harbour is just beautiful, and the bridge and opera house did not disappoint either. Later in the day we went to the top of the sky tower to look at the incredible views across the city which go straight out to Bondi and the ocean. As we walked throught the streets we noticed that Wicked the Musical was playing. We went to investigate ticket prices and found out that they do something called the wicked lottery everyday, which means that if you write your name on a piece of paper and they draw it (they pick 15), you get front row tickets for A$30! So off Sam went to flirt with the staff and sure enough we won the tickets for that night! The following day was a very special day for us-we collected our baby! Baby juicy that is - http://www.jucy.com.au/jucy/jucy-choppa.asp?keepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=400&width=430 After speaking to a number of ppl we decided (much to everyones amusement at home) to rent a camper van! In Australia this is very much the done thing and the campsites are really holiday resorts with pools, tennis courts, bbqs the whole works! After collecting our baby (we were a little nervous) we took her on her first outing to Bondi Beach and had a walk around trying to spot great whites!!! That evening as Rosh Hashana came in we went to Emma's cousin Taryn for dinner and enjoyed our first home cooked meal in months! We left at about 10.30pm and off we went to our first campsite - or so we thought!!! Naively we thought you could just show up to these places unannounced at anytime you like - this is not the case!!! All the campsites were closed for the night in a panic at about 12.30 we asked the sat nav to take us to the nearest hotel - a marriott (great!!) They were asking $300 a night so off we drove and eventually found a travelodge. Sam flirted again and they let us stay in their secure car park and use their facilities for $5!!! The following day, after wandering through the hotel in our pjs we set off for the first part of our road trip - the Blue Mountains!
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Fiji
So after our Kiwi adventures we were very excited to head for the sun, sea and sand of Fiji. After a 3 hour flight we landed at Nadi airport and were taken to our "resort", which we didn't really appreciate until after we returned from the other islands (read on to find out why). After a delicious dinner by the beach we headed to bed ready for our island hopping adventures the following day.
We had a prebooked trip organised called 'The Lazy Threesome', which meant that we would be visiting three of Fiji's 330 islands over the course of a week. We boarded our bright yellow catamaran and spent the 5 hour boat trip to the Yasawa Islands enjoying the sunshine, the beautiful turquoise waters and viewing the other islands enroute to the blue lagoon region. We arrived at our first resort - Coral View - very excited! The boat stops in the middle of the sea and then tiny speed boats from the islands come to collect you - carrying our very large heavy suitcases on thier heads was a very scary thing to watch! They asked us if we were carrying our kitchen and bathroom in them, we informed them that we were not and that we were JP's - they looked confused!
The boat can only go so far and then you have to paddle through the sea to get to land! We were greeted by a chorus of 'Bulas' which means welcome in Fijian - and a song! We were taken to our Bure (which is basically a fancy word for hut) and were pleaseantly surprised that not only did we have our own bathroom but we also had electricity (not all islands in Fiji have bathrooms or electricity!!) We spent the day exploring the island. Sam made friends with a dog and Emma collected sea shells! Meal times in Fiji were an interesting time of day. Upon hearing the drums all the guests would come to the dining room where a meal would be placed in front of you - and if u didnt like it then you would go hungry!! We were often quite hungry!!! - but don't worry M and D Whiteman, Sam ate plenty...of pringles.
The following day we took a trip to the blue lagoon http://images.travelpod.com/users/philandkatrina/1.1243219125.blue-lagoon.jpg we added the pic just to make u all jealous!!!!! We were literally the only people on this beautiful deserted beach - it was incredible! The following day we headed to our next island of Korovou. HUGE excitement when we saw it had a swimming pool!!! Sam went swimming with the mantarays http://www.communingwithdolphins.com/images/manta1.gif which are basically huge stingrays which are about three times the size of him and are incredibly rare. (Emma decided to stay at the beach bar!!) The following day we woke up to the sound of rain - no not a little drizzle but a full on monsoon!! The rain was so heavy we could not see out of the windows. When it rains in Fiji there is nothing to do. We played some cards, read our books and by 9am we were bored. So, as it was Sunday, we decided the best way to kill an hour would be to take a trip to the local church and listen to the gospel singing. The rest of the island had the same idea and us tourists outnumbered the locals about 10 to 1. We spent the rest of the day feeling a bit miserable and formukating a plan to sue the lonely planet which had informed us that September was 'the perfect time of year to visit Fiji' because of the beautiful weather!!!
Unfortunately, the weather did not much improve for the rest of our time in Fiji (neither did the food), and our tans started to turn dirty and we both started peeling!!
upon our return to the main island we were both so hungry, we popped into the Hard Rock Cafe for the biggest meal our stomachs could physically take - we weren't the only people who came off the boat with the same idea, and the restaurant was pretty packed of starving, peeling, people!!
But nevertheless we had a wicked time there, but both looked forward to getting to Oz and having the time of our lives - just having a good shower would be enough!!
We had a prebooked trip organised called 'The Lazy Threesome', which meant that we would be visiting three of Fiji's 330 islands over the course of a week. We boarded our bright yellow catamaran and spent the 5 hour boat trip to the Yasawa Islands enjoying the sunshine, the beautiful turquoise waters and viewing the other islands enroute to the blue lagoon region. We arrived at our first resort - Coral View - very excited! The boat stops in the middle of the sea and then tiny speed boats from the islands come to collect you - carrying our very large heavy suitcases on thier heads was a very scary thing to watch! They asked us if we were carrying our kitchen and bathroom in them, we informed them that we were not and that we were JP's - they looked confused!
The boat can only go so far and then you have to paddle through the sea to get to land! We were greeted by a chorus of 'Bulas' which means welcome in Fijian - and a song! We were taken to our Bure (which is basically a fancy word for hut) and were pleaseantly surprised that not only did we have our own bathroom but we also had electricity (not all islands in Fiji have bathrooms or electricity!!) We spent the day exploring the island. Sam made friends with a dog and Emma collected sea shells! Meal times in Fiji were an interesting time of day. Upon hearing the drums all the guests would come to the dining room where a meal would be placed in front of you - and if u didnt like it then you would go hungry!! We were often quite hungry!!! - but don't worry M and D Whiteman, Sam ate plenty...of pringles.
The following day we took a trip to the blue lagoon http://images.travelpod.com/users/philandkatrina/1.1243219125.blue-lagoon.jpg we added the pic just to make u all jealous!!!!! We were literally the only people on this beautiful deserted beach - it was incredible! The following day we headed to our next island of Korovou. HUGE excitement when we saw it had a swimming pool!!! Sam went swimming with the mantarays http://www.communingwithdolphins.com/images/manta1.gif which are basically huge stingrays which are about three times the size of him and are incredibly rare. (Emma decided to stay at the beach bar!!) The following day we woke up to the sound of rain - no not a little drizzle but a full on monsoon!! The rain was so heavy we could not see out of the windows. When it rains in Fiji there is nothing to do. We played some cards, read our books and by 9am we were bored. So, as it was Sunday, we decided the best way to kill an hour would be to take a trip to the local church and listen to the gospel singing. The rest of the island had the same idea and us tourists outnumbered the locals about 10 to 1. We spent the rest of the day feeling a bit miserable and formukating a plan to sue the lonely planet which had informed us that September was 'the perfect time of year to visit Fiji' because of the beautiful weather!!!
Unfortunately, the weather did not much improve for the rest of our time in Fiji (neither did the food), and our tans started to turn dirty and we both started peeling!!
upon our return to the main island we were both so hungry, we popped into the Hard Rock Cafe for the biggest meal our stomachs could physically take - we weren't the only people who came off the boat with the same idea, and the restaurant was pretty packed of starving, peeling, people!!
But nevertheless we had a wicked time there, but both looked forward to getting to Oz and having the time of our lives - just having a good shower would be enough!!
Friday, 4 September 2009
New Zealand - North Island
So we decided to fly rather than ferry our way to the north Island first stop to the capital Wellington, which Emma regretted slightly as the flight was so turbulent due to strong winds. The flight crew never even left their seats because it was so bad - however it was just a 40 minute flight.
As we arrived in Wellington relatively late on in the afternoon we decided to just walk around and get our barings - the city itself is only 2km wide, and far less populated than the likes of Auckland further north, so it wasn't too hard to navigate. Emma managed to find a hairdresser, which gave Sam a couple of hours to chill out.
On our second day we went to the National Museum (and we weren't even lost). There were a range of different things there like an earthquake simulator and an underwater simulator taking you to one of New Zealands many underwater volcanoes. New Zealand has a fault line running right underneath it, with around around 15,000 earthquakes every year in the country, one hitting 5 on the richter scale just last week. However, every building is earthquake proof here (so we are told), so lets not panic yet parents.
Next stop was Napier. A small coastal town with one shopping street. Our hostel was above a night club which at approx 9pm was completely dead - and we weren't going to wait till midnight when it was meant to get busier. What we hadn't counted on was the noise from the club which happened to be above our room. It was so loud we could acutally hear the words from the songs - Emma got woken up a few times and in her daze attempted to look for the phone in our room (which we didn't have) to call concierge (as if!) to complain - in the end the music stopped at around 3am, when all of 6 people left the club - what a cool place!!
The next day we headed to Rotorua! This is the most popular place for tourists in NZ and we defintely saw why.
On our first evening we went to an authentic Maori village, where we learnt all about their culture, heritage and history, as well as the dance which many of you will know the NZ rugby team do before every game - with they eyes popping out and tongues wagging. We then had an amazing dinner buffet laid out for us (the main reason we went!), with every kind of meat, potato, vegetable etc.
With some others from the bus we have been travelling on, we decided to go...white water rafting (sorry dad). This was a grade 5 rafting adventure, which means it is the roughest one allowed!! With 3 waterfalls, one of which is a 7m fall (the largest waterfall you can raft over in the world!), we were so excited given the disappointment over our failure to do all the exciting stuff in the south island. Emma was pretty scared (to say the least) about the thought of landing upside down in the raft.
The waters were rough but we managed the first 2 waterfalls with relative ease. The 2 guides on our boat prepared us for the 7m fall - hang on for your life; if u fall off do not try and swim up, wrap yourself in a ball and let your life jacket do its job. Before we did it, one of our guides got a silver leaf (a Maori tradition) and asked emma to throw it in the water. If it landed silver side, we would land safely, if it went green, then prepare to get cold. It landed Silver side up!! Phew!!
The leaf lied! We went over a little too far to the left, but managed to get over the waterfall ok. However when entering the water the raft tipped upside down throwing each of us in different directions. The water was very very cold. I (sam) ended up under the raft where I held on to the rope) Emma ended up out of the raft. It was a hell of an experience where two of us lost our rowing ors, but apart from being very cold, we were fine!
From rotorua we have finally headed to our final destination in NZ - Auckland. It is the most densley populated city in NZ with a little over 1.5 million people (NZ only has 4 million pop.) We didn't hear great things about Auckland from everyone, and there is a saying known as JAFA which is used frequently in the south island - Just Another F****** Aucklander; so we didn't expect much -lucky that, as for such a 'busy' city, there is very little do actually do - apart from being dragged round Pandaro shops for an afternoon and watch your gf get her nails done (we bring a new meaning to the word backpackers).
Today we leave for FIJI! We are so excited, though a little apprehensive about what we get for our 250 pounds for an entire weeks accomodation and food.
Hope all is well back home, miss u all
Sam and Em!
xxx
As we arrived in Wellington relatively late on in the afternoon we decided to just walk around and get our barings - the city itself is only 2km wide, and far less populated than the likes of Auckland further north, so it wasn't too hard to navigate. Emma managed to find a hairdresser, which gave Sam a couple of hours to chill out.
On our second day we went to the National Museum (and we weren't even lost). There were a range of different things there like an earthquake simulator and an underwater simulator taking you to one of New Zealands many underwater volcanoes. New Zealand has a fault line running right underneath it, with around around 15,000 earthquakes every year in the country, one hitting 5 on the richter scale just last week. However, every building is earthquake proof here (so we are told), so lets not panic yet parents.
Next stop was Napier. A small coastal town with one shopping street. Our hostel was above a night club which at approx 9pm was completely dead - and we weren't going to wait till midnight when it was meant to get busier. What we hadn't counted on was the noise from the club which happened to be above our room. It was so loud we could acutally hear the words from the songs - Emma got woken up a few times and in her daze attempted to look for the phone in our room (which we didn't have) to call concierge (as if!) to complain - in the end the music stopped at around 3am, when all of 6 people left the club - what a cool place!!
The next day we headed to Rotorua! This is the most popular place for tourists in NZ and we defintely saw why.
On our first evening we went to an authentic Maori village, where we learnt all about their culture, heritage and history, as well as the dance which many of you will know the NZ rugby team do before every game - with they eyes popping out and tongues wagging. We then had an amazing dinner buffet laid out for us (the main reason we went!), with every kind of meat, potato, vegetable etc.
With some others from the bus we have been travelling on, we decided to go...white water rafting (sorry dad). This was a grade 5 rafting adventure, which means it is the roughest one allowed!! With 3 waterfalls, one of which is a 7m fall (the largest waterfall you can raft over in the world!), we were so excited given the disappointment over our failure to do all the exciting stuff in the south island. Emma was pretty scared (to say the least) about the thought of landing upside down in the raft.
The waters were rough but we managed the first 2 waterfalls with relative ease. The 2 guides on our boat prepared us for the 7m fall - hang on for your life; if u fall off do not try and swim up, wrap yourself in a ball and let your life jacket do its job. Before we did it, one of our guides got a silver leaf (a Maori tradition) and asked emma to throw it in the water. If it landed silver side, we would land safely, if it went green, then prepare to get cold. It landed Silver side up!! Phew!!
The leaf lied! We went over a little too far to the left, but managed to get over the waterfall ok. However when entering the water the raft tipped upside down throwing each of us in different directions. The water was very very cold. I (sam) ended up under the raft where I held on to the rope) Emma ended up out of the raft. It was a hell of an experience where two of us lost our rowing ors, but apart from being very cold, we were fine!
From rotorua we have finally headed to our final destination in NZ - Auckland. It is the most densley populated city in NZ with a little over 1.5 million people (NZ only has 4 million pop.) We didn't hear great things about Auckland from everyone, and there is a saying known as JAFA which is used frequently in the south island - Just Another F****** Aucklander; so we didn't expect much -lucky that, as for such a 'busy' city, there is very little do actually do - apart from being dragged round Pandaro shops for an afternoon and watch your gf get her nails done (we bring a new meaning to the word backpackers).
Today we leave for FIJI! We are so excited, though a little apprehensive about what we get for our 250 pounds for an entire weeks accomodation and food.
Hope all is well back home, miss u all
Sam and Em!
xxx
Friday, 28 August 2009
New Zealand - South Island 22nd August - 2nd September 2009
We havent been very good at updating our blog recently and we are moving around so much its hard to find the time so we decided to just write about New Zealand twice - the south island and the north island.
We arrived in New Zealand after a long flight from Singapore to Sydney and then Sydney to Christchurch. We had about an hour to wait at the airport in Sydney for our flight to NZ - and what was the first thing Emma did?? Buy Uggs of course!!
As we descended to land we flew over the Southern Alps and it gave us an idea of what an incredibly stunning country New Zealand is! The cold air was a welcome change from a month in Asia and although it felt a little strange wearing gloves and hats in August -we enjoyed being able to walk around without needing to stop every 5 mins to find some air conditioning!
One of the first things we noticed about Christchurch when walking around the town was how quiet it was. It was Saturday afternoon and there was noone about!! It really was like a ghost town! We were told that ppl in New Zealand spend the weekends with their families and so Sat and Sun are always very quiet - a bit of a change from Brent X at the weekend thats for sure!
After a wander around and a VERY early dinner followed by an extremely early night we were ready the next day to take the Magic Bus which was to become our source of transport for the duration of our trip http://www.magicbus.co.nz/. The magic bus is for travellers and it takes you around NZ, books your activites and accomodation and basically makes your life really easy as well as introducing u to some cool ppl from all over. Weve made friends with hawaian girls, ppl from Oz and Belgium to name a few. The towns in New Zealand are pretty small and very quiet - the best parts of the trip are not the towns that we stopover in themselves but the unbelievable scenery that we see on the drives from town to town. Everywhere you go and everwhere you look the views are simply stunning - we will try at some point to put some photos up though they won't do the scenery justice.
We arrived in New Zealand after a long flight from Singapore to Sydney and then Sydney to Christchurch. We had about an hour to wait at the airport in Sydney for our flight to NZ - and what was the first thing Emma did?? Buy Uggs of course!!
As we descended to land we flew over the Southern Alps and it gave us an idea of what an incredibly stunning country New Zealand is! The cold air was a welcome change from a month in Asia and although it felt a little strange wearing gloves and hats in August -we enjoyed being able to walk around without needing to stop every 5 mins to find some air conditioning!
One of the first things we noticed about Christchurch when walking around the town was how quiet it was. It was Saturday afternoon and there was noone about!! It really was like a ghost town! We were told that ppl in New Zealand spend the weekends with their families and so Sat and Sun are always very quiet - a bit of a change from Brent X at the weekend thats for sure!
After a wander around and a VERY early dinner followed by an extremely early night we were ready the next day to take the Magic Bus which was to become our source of transport for the duration of our trip http://www.magicbus.co.nz/. The magic bus is for travellers and it takes you around NZ, books your activites and accomodation and basically makes your life really easy as well as introducing u to some cool ppl from all over. Weve made friends with hawaian girls, ppl from Oz and Belgium to name a few. The towns in New Zealand are pretty small and very quiet - the best parts of the trip are not the towns that we stopover in themselves but the unbelievable scenery that we see on the drives from town to town. Everywhere you go and everwhere you look the views are simply stunning - we will try at some point to put some photos up though they won't do the scenery justice.
Our first stop was a gorgeous small town called Kaikoura about three hours north of Christchurch. The town is situated in between two mountains surrounded by sea -with views if the snow capped mountains it really was stunning! We hired bikes and cycled around the town, went to a seal coloney and tried to buy some warm clothes! This was our first hostel experience and we were pleasantly surprised - it was clean, we had our own bathroom and it even had a hot spa!! So we spent the evening in the hot spa and at about 8pm decided to get some dinner - easy you would have thought! Off we went to the fish and chip shop only to discover that EVERYWHERE closes at about 6pm (restaurants included!!) So we were left we the only option - pasta from the petrol station -yum!!
Our next stop was Nelson at the far north of the south island. We arrived in Nelson fairly late and had little time to see the town. Our drivers told us that there wasnt much there and really it was just a stopover town. So once again we spent our evening in the hot spa! Who said hostels were bad?!?!
Onto Greymouth and the weather was really bad! Very wet and grey and windy and cold, so we decided to stay in with a pizza and a dvd!! Franz Josef was our next stop - and we were SO excited. We had been told by several ppl that the BEST thing to do in the whole of New Zealand is climbing the Franz Josef glacier. However (much to mum and dad W's delight) the weather was so bad that they were not taking any climbs up there at all. We were SO disappointed although we did see the glacier from a safe distance and it was incredible.
After the disappointment of Franz Josef we were off to Queenstown aka the adventure capital of the world. Here you can do almost anything you can think of sky dive, bungee, canyon swing, heli ski etc etc. We booked to go to this place where the scenery is meant to be stunning, however an Avalanche blocked our course...we then booked on to go for a helicopter ride, however again the weather didn't permit it. It is almost as if mum and dad (W) are controlling the weather over all the activities they may not be so happy about.
However we managed to go on a jetboat (still pretty cool though watch this clip!!!) http://www.shotoverjet.com/ and it was AMAZING!!!! We got soaked with freezing water but had the best time! This was also the river they used to film bits of Lord of the Rings!
The following day we took a gondola to the top of the mountain and saw the stunning views and had six goes on the luge - rather than explain, better you watch the clip!! http://www.skyline.co.nz/. We loved Queenstown - it was beautiful as well as loads of fun. Its small but it lively and bustling (even at night which is a big deal for NZ!!) The winter games were taking place while we were there, so the town was full of snowboarders and skiers giving it a really good atmosphere.
After Queenstown we left for Dunedin, which is a quite large town and very popular with students. We went to the Cadbury factory which was cool cuz they have lots of chocolate that we dont have at home and we learnt that Dream (cadburys white choc) was invented in New Zealand! They also have the largest chocolate waterfall in the world - very willy wonker!
Next was Lake Tekapo http://www.laketekapountouched.co.nz/. A village (if u can call it that!) on the lake surrounded by mountains. The lake was bluer than the sky and just beautiful - again we have some amazing photos from it!! We had a group bbq with all the ppl from the bus (including Hula lessons from the Hawaian girls!)and had a great time.
So now we're back in Christchurch - its a week day so much busier than when we were here before. We learnt today that Christchurch is the closest large city to Antarctica! It is the most beautiful sunny day and officially the first day of spring in New Zealand. We've seen gorgeous tiny lambs and ducklings very cute as well as blossoms on the trees - it really is the most beautiful place on earth!! Those women reading this may (or may not) be interested to know that we went to a Pandora shop in Christchurch today and the charms etc are sooo much cheaper here because it is now partly owned by australians. Obviously this meant Emma had to buy a charm!
We went on a gondola ride along the river (although they didnt sing to us - Emma seems to think we're in Venice!) We also visited the Cathedral, and we're meeting the ppl from our bus for a final dinner before we all go our separate ways tomorrow. We are flying to Wellington, New Zealands capital city for the first stop of our North Island adventure.
So far we have simply loved New Zealand. Its very quiet and rural but its the most beautiful place either of us have ever seen. We have heard that the north island isnt as beautiful and much more densly populated. To give you an idea the population of Auckland is larger than the population of the whole of the South Island! Anyway we will update you again next week!
Lots of love Em and Sam x x
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Singapore 17th - 21st August 2009
Hello all!
So we left KL and headed south for the very short journey to Singapore (or so we thought!) Our flight was delayed well over an hour which was almost three times as long as the flight itself! On arriving, being good little travellers we got a shuttle bus to our hotel rather than a taxi. Once we settled in to our room (a little disappointed that we had no view whatsoever) we decided to go for a stroll around Clarke Quay. Its really pretty and very modern - much like the areas around canary wharf. We stopped to eat at what was advertised as a pub (a slightly smarter three hammers) and ordered a few snack bits like wings and potato wedges - nothing special! Our bill was soo expensive that we decided we had to eat at mc donalds for the rest of our trip! And that was really a very good introduction to Singapore (AKA the most expensive place on earth!!)
We went to Orchard Road which is the Oxford/Regent/Bond street of Singapore. At home while we may have a starbucks on every corner - they have a Gucci or a Cartier!! Mall after mall was full of designer labels and we were a little disappointed as we had been told how AMAZING singapore is for shopping - and im sure it is amazing if u have a limitless credit card (Black card anybody??) There are no 'high street' shops and we ended up in an internet cafe to buy some time!
That night we went on a night safari - the only one in the world and it was amazing!!! By day its a zoo (but not the kind where u walk around and see animals in their cages) These animals are roaming free and all thats between u and them is a small feeble looking electric fence to keep the lions away!!! We started the safari by taking a 40 min tram ride around the park. We saw all kinds of animals ( lions, tigers, bears, elephants, giraffes, wolves, hyenas, wild dogs, hippos, crocs, leopards, flamingoes, buffalo to name a few!) We then followed trails on foot to see the animals really up close. Seeing these animals so close and at night is like nothing we've experienced before and we loved every second!!
The following day we wandered through china town and then took the subway to Marina Bay. The subway is fantastic - clean, on time and most of all air conditioned!! At the Marina we took a Riverboat Cruise along the Singapore river to see the sights. Well we discovered that Singapore doesnt really have any sights to speak of other then modern office block after modern shopping mall after modern hotel! We keep forgetting that it is a very new city, in fact celebrating its 44th birthday at the end of this month, therefore there is no incredible architecture to look out.
Singapore is an extremely modern and very clean city - however while some people have described it as clinical (which i think is a bit harsh) it does lack some character. Everything is very modern and purpose built which gives it a certain disneylike feel rather than a lively cultural city. To keep it so clean there are fines for everything, and not the sort of 25quid kind. For example, eating in the subway is a 500 pound fine; smoking is a 2,500 pound fine and the list goes on.
Tonight we are heading to raffles hotel where we have been told to order the famous SINGAPORE SLING - though we may just settle for a glass of tap water.
We head for New Zealand tomorrow, but don't actually arrive until the following day, so we will update later next week!!
Hope all is well back home
love Sam and Em!!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
So we left KL and headed south for the very short journey to Singapore (or so we thought!) Our flight was delayed well over an hour which was almost three times as long as the flight itself! On arriving, being good little travellers we got a shuttle bus to our hotel rather than a taxi. Once we settled in to our room (a little disappointed that we had no view whatsoever) we decided to go for a stroll around Clarke Quay. Its really pretty and very modern - much like the areas around canary wharf. We stopped to eat at what was advertised as a pub (a slightly smarter three hammers) and ordered a few snack bits like wings and potato wedges - nothing special! Our bill was soo expensive that we decided we had to eat at mc donalds for the rest of our trip! And that was really a very good introduction to Singapore (AKA the most expensive place on earth!!)
We went to Orchard Road which is the Oxford/Regent/Bond street of Singapore. At home while we may have a starbucks on every corner - they have a Gucci or a Cartier!! Mall after mall was full of designer labels and we were a little disappointed as we had been told how AMAZING singapore is for shopping - and im sure it is amazing if u have a limitless credit card (Black card anybody??) There are no 'high street' shops and we ended up in an internet cafe to buy some time!
That night we went on a night safari - the only one in the world and it was amazing!!! By day its a zoo (but not the kind where u walk around and see animals in their cages) These animals are roaming free and all thats between u and them is a small feeble looking electric fence to keep the lions away!!! We started the safari by taking a 40 min tram ride around the park. We saw all kinds of animals ( lions, tigers, bears, elephants, giraffes, wolves, hyenas, wild dogs, hippos, crocs, leopards, flamingoes, buffalo to name a few!) We then followed trails on foot to see the animals really up close. Seeing these animals so close and at night is like nothing we've experienced before and we loved every second!!
The following day we wandered through china town and then took the subway to Marina Bay. The subway is fantastic - clean, on time and most of all air conditioned!! At the Marina we took a Riverboat Cruise along the Singapore river to see the sights. Well we discovered that Singapore doesnt really have any sights to speak of other then modern office block after modern shopping mall after modern hotel! We keep forgetting that it is a very new city, in fact celebrating its 44th birthday at the end of this month, therefore there is no incredible architecture to look out.
Singapore is an extremely modern and very clean city - however while some people have described it as clinical (which i think is a bit harsh) it does lack some character. Everything is very modern and purpose built which gives it a certain disneylike feel rather than a lively cultural city. To keep it so clean there are fines for everything, and not the sort of 25quid kind. For example, eating in the subway is a 500 pound fine; smoking is a 2,500 pound fine and the list goes on.
Tonight we are heading to raffles hotel where we have been told to order the famous SINGAPORE SLING - though we may just settle for a glass of tap water.
We head for New Zealand tomorrow, but don't actually arrive until the following day, so we will update later next week!!
Hope all is well back home
love Sam and Em!!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Kuala Lumpur - 14th-17th August
We both loved Vietnam and would definitely recommend it as a place to visit. Every location we stayed in was completely different as I tried to explain with the north/south divide still prevelant within the country.
However, it was on to our next country, Malaysia. The flight took a little under 2 hours and upon arrival we were apprehensive about catching a taxi as we heard there were a lot of ways they would try and rip people off - claiming they could not fit luggage; pressing buttons to make the fare go up etc - of course we did get ripped off and had to upgrade from a budget taxi to a luxury taxi so it could fit our luggage in - bull****!! Nevertheless we both had a good sleep in the car on the way to the city (approx 75km from the KL airport).
Our hotel was centrally located in the city, opposite the next incredible mall. 6 floors of cheap clothes;watches;shoes;bags;dvds - and yes all fakes!!! The city is highly developed and there is mass loads of construction work going on around; people we have spoken to have said that the malaysian gvnt. intends to create a very business friendly environment just like Singapore.
Our room was on the 20th floor of the 21 storey hotel, with an incredible view over the city. When we arrived we wanted to immediately immerse ourselves in the cultural heritage of the malay food - but then we walked past a Nandos...and it was Great!!!
After a couple of days of shopping, touring on an open decker bus and chilling out, I was sooo excited to do a tour that I had found to go swim and feed elephants and ride them through their sanctuary. The tour was advertised as being an incredible experience...What a sucker I am!!
It was basically London zoo apart. Hundreds of people crowding round 4 elephants (who must have been terrified) to have their photos taken and then ride them on a 30 second trip in a circle. The swimming element entailed 20 people knee high in water splashing the elephants. We (especially me) were so dissapointed - 60 quid down the drain unfortunately, and they didn;t accept card so we couldn't even send the bill off to our wonderful fathers!
Despite this, Kuala Lumpur is a must go city. We weren't sure what to expect considering it is a Muslim country with some very high penalties for crimes which you would get an ASBO in the UK for. However, it is a modern multicultural city, which we would have loved to spend longer in. In fact we have both decided we would love to come back to Malaysia in order to explore some of its increidble Islands!
Lots of love
Sam and Em
p.s. if you send us a message, please remember to add your name. I also don't know who is sending the cheeky messages, but they keep us amused!
xx
However, it was on to our next country, Malaysia. The flight took a little under 2 hours and upon arrival we were apprehensive about catching a taxi as we heard there were a lot of ways they would try and rip people off - claiming they could not fit luggage; pressing buttons to make the fare go up etc - of course we did get ripped off and had to upgrade from a budget taxi to a luxury taxi so it could fit our luggage in - bull****!! Nevertheless we both had a good sleep in the car on the way to the city (approx 75km from the KL airport).
Our hotel was centrally located in the city, opposite the next incredible mall. 6 floors of cheap clothes;watches;shoes;bags;dvds - and yes all fakes!!! The city is highly developed and there is mass loads of construction work going on around; people we have spoken to have said that the malaysian gvnt. intends to create a very business friendly environment just like Singapore.
Our room was on the 20th floor of the 21 storey hotel, with an incredible view over the city. When we arrived we wanted to immediately immerse ourselves in the cultural heritage of the malay food - but then we walked past a Nandos...and it was Great!!!
After a couple of days of shopping, touring on an open decker bus and chilling out, I was sooo excited to do a tour that I had found to go swim and feed elephants and ride them through their sanctuary. The tour was advertised as being an incredible experience...What a sucker I am!!
It was basically London zoo apart. Hundreds of people crowding round 4 elephants (who must have been terrified) to have their photos taken and then ride them on a 30 second trip in a circle. The swimming element entailed 20 people knee high in water splashing the elephants. We (especially me) were so dissapointed - 60 quid down the drain unfortunately, and they didn;t accept card so we couldn't even send the bill off to our wonderful fathers!
Despite this, Kuala Lumpur is a must go city. We weren't sure what to expect considering it is a Muslim country with some very high penalties for crimes which you would get an ASBO in the UK for. However, it is a modern multicultural city, which we would have loved to spend longer in. In fact we have both decided we would love to come back to Malaysia in order to explore some of its increidble Islands!
Lots of love
Sam and Em
p.s. if you send us a message, please remember to add your name. I also don't know who is sending the cheeky messages, but they keep us amused!
xx
Monday, 17 August 2009
Saigon - 11th - 14th August
So after another very short flight (30 mins compared to the 14 hour train journey from Hoi An - we are still confused why anyone would take the train - something to do with this thing called money we have heard so much about - not sure what it is, we just use a little piece of plastic that seems to get us everything!!) we arrived in Ho Chi Minh - the new name for Saigon, though most people still call it Saigon here.
The city could not be more different to Vietnam's capital of Hanoi. Saigon is a western city, high rise office buildings with all the Americanised restaurants, bars etc, quite ironic given the history between the countries. However, we have a learnt a lot about the history of vietnam whilst being here. Prior to it becoming communist, there was a mass divide in the country between the communist north and republican south. This divide has yet to dissapear, and this is blatantly obvious as you make your way down the country. Never the less, talking about politics events
today is a very stupid thing to do for the locals, especially if you speak out against the communist party (you will be arrested). In fact when they came to power, many people (from the south) were sent to "re-education camps" to change their mind status from republican to communist. From what we have been told, these camps were not the sort of holiday camps you would want to go to - one tour guide told us his father was in one for 2 years and his uncle for 10!!
We found our way around the city fairly easily - there is a definite parisian feel to it, given vietnam was controlled by the french for many years. We visited the palace (which was more like a government building than a palace!) and the shopping malls, and market. We also visited the history museum from the Vietnam War (titled the American War in Vietnam), which needs to be taken with a pinch of salt given its very pro-vietnam attitude, for example right by the entrance is the american decleration of independence -
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...
And right next to this statement were pictures of deceased, burnt, tortured etc. bodies from the vietnamese that were killed by the Americans - a sort of 2 finger salute to their former enemies. However, this was the only anti-american element to our whole trip. Our tour guide told us that there are two views if the war - for the older generation the war never ended and for the younger generation the war never happened!
We also took a trip to the Cu Chi tunels which were the network of tunnels that the Communists lived in for up to twenty years during the war. The tunnel were extremely narrow and very low and this was the tunnel that had been renamed the 'international tunnel' as it had been widened for tourists!!! It was unbelievable to see how they had managed to live for all those years and well worth the long and bumpy coach journey there! Sam also had a go shooting an AK47 which made him very happy! One of the most interesting parts of the trip was our tour guide who spoke to us about everyday life in Vietnam and gave a real insight into the workings of the country, as like a lot of places many things are 'covered up' for tourists.
We also have to give a shout out to Kath and Maz - a couple we met whilst in Halong Bay (see earlier). We managed to meet up with them in Nha Trang and were staying at hotels next door to each other in Saigon. We hope we get to see you guys soon and hope u get back to Southampton safely!!!
We had a really great time and met some really nice people on the way, but were excited for our next adventure -Kuala Lumpar Malaysia!
Love Sam and Emx
The city could not be more different to Vietnam's capital of Hanoi. Saigon is a western city, high rise office buildings with all the Americanised restaurants, bars etc, quite ironic given the history between the countries. However, we have a learnt a lot about the history of vietnam whilst being here. Prior to it becoming communist, there was a mass divide in the country between the communist north and republican south. This divide has yet to dissapear, and this is blatantly obvious as you make your way down the country. Never the less, talking about politics events
today is a very stupid thing to do for the locals, especially if you speak out against the communist party (you will be arrested). In fact when they came to power, many people (from the south) were sent to "re-education camps" to change their mind status from republican to communist. From what we have been told, these camps were not the sort of holiday camps you would want to go to - one tour guide told us his father was in one for 2 years and his uncle for 10!!
We found our way around the city fairly easily - there is a definite parisian feel to it, given vietnam was controlled by the french for many years. We visited the palace (which was more like a government building than a palace!) and the shopping malls, and market. We also visited the history museum from the Vietnam War (titled the American War in Vietnam), which needs to be taken with a pinch of salt given its very pro-vietnam attitude, for example right by the entrance is the american decleration of independence -
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...
And right next to this statement were pictures of deceased, burnt, tortured etc. bodies from the vietnamese that were killed by the Americans - a sort of 2 finger salute to their former enemies. However, this was the only anti-american element to our whole trip. Our tour guide told us that there are two views if the war - for the older generation the war never ended and for the younger generation the war never happened!
We also took a trip to the Cu Chi tunels which were the network of tunnels that the Communists lived in for up to twenty years during the war. The tunnel were extremely narrow and very low and this was the tunnel that had been renamed the 'international tunnel' as it had been widened for tourists!!! It was unbelievable to see how they had managed to live for all those years and well worth the long and bumpy coach journey there! Sam also had a go shooting an AK47 which made him very happy! One of the most interesting parts of the trip was our tour guide who spoke to us about everyday life in Vietnam and gave a real insight into the workings of the country, as like a lot of places many things are 'covered up' for tourists.
We also have to give a shout out to Kath and Maz - a couple we met whilst in Halong Bay (see earlier). We managed to meet up with them in Nha Trang and were staying at hotels next door to each other in Saigon. We hope we get to see you guys soon and hope u get back to Southampton safely!!!
We had a really great time and met some really nice people on the way, but were excited for our next adventure -Kuala Lumpar Malaysia!
Love Sam and Emx
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Nha Trang - 7th-11th August
So we left the incredible town of Hoi An, leaving suits, shirts, dresses and who knows what else to be flown back to London.
Once again we opted to fly to Nha Trang on a 40 minute flight, as opposed to the 12 hour bus journey that some of our fellow "travellers" have decided to take. In our defence, these plane tickets cost 25 quid each, so well worth it.
Nha Trang is a bustling city right on the beach. Far noisier than Hoi An; but far more life too. It has a similiar feel to a European beach resort. We stayed at the best hotel we think we will stay in on our entire trip - the Novotel. Just for some background to this hotel, we initially were going to stay somewhere else (more expensive), but decided to save money and stay somewhere less elaborate. So I (sam) booked to stay at the Novotel online, for a great rate, which could not be cancelled, changed or moved at all (under any circumstances) - I think you know whats coming next.
I accidentally booked to stay on the dates we are in Saigon (11-14th) - oops!! I tried to speak to Agoda (who were about as helpful as Emma is in giving financial saving advice), but finally got hold of the Novotel (through our reception in Hoi An), who were able to change our dates, subject to an upgrade of a room. So basically in the end, I think we could have stayed at the plush hotel for less - just shows our parents that in fact, it is better for us to stay in 5* resorts.
Anyway, back to Nha Trang.
We took a cyclo tour around the main part of the city, with its bustling markets and (at last) a supermarket - where finally we could buy proper food (such as oreos and pringles). The beaches in Nha Trang are not as golden sanded as in Hoi An, mainly because the locals have not learnt how to keep them clean.
After dragging ourselves away from the amazing airconditioning in our amazing room we decided to go to The Sailing Club for dinner - a gorgeous restaurant right on the beach. We sat down right on the sand, admiring the beautiful view and surroundings. Our food came and it was delicious (something you cannot take for granted in Vietnam!!!) There we were, excited about how wonderful the next four days would be and Sam froze 'Emma dont look' he said (of course i was gonna look - silly boy!!) Right across from us there was an enourmous rat!! Emma screamed and insisted on moving back to the saftey of the restaurant!! The australian waitress told us that at sunset the rats come out onto the beach. Emma spent the rest of the meal with her legs up on the seat looking around in fear!
We spent the next few days at the Sailing Club and Louisiane Brewery. These two restaurants/beach clubs were awesome and perfect for Sam and Emma. Sun beds are under a pound for the day, and drinks/food/alcohol/ are brought to you when required - we settled in quite nicely. Although Emma insisted on going back to the hotel pool at the first sign of the sun going down to avoid the rats!!
The second day was much the same as the first, but this time we went back to our hotel to check out the swimming pool, which though small, was perfect to chill in after a heavy day on the beach. Going back to our room, we spotted someone who was on our Halong Bay Boat Trip, and got chatting again. We ended up meeting them later for a drink at the Sailing Club which also had a massive beach party with vietnam dancing, judo, sword fighting, fire throwing etc. The show was awesome (and we got some great photos to show you all). We learnt that the club is a hotspot for the rich of Vietnam, mainly those who work for the gvnt, or city boys, or mafia (no joke!)
Our third day was much like our second (and first). We lazed around on the beach drinking fresh juice and having a pretty stressful time!! We met a nice girl who was travelling on her own so we went for dinner with her which was cool and ended up clubbing (yes like proper students) with her, the mafia and other rich vietnamese who just wanted photos with us, and boughts us drinks - we could get used to this!!
We were both pretty upset at leaving our beautiful seaview room with a HUGE walkin shower but Saigon was awaiting us (Emma booked the hotel this time so no mess ups!!)
Again we flew, this time the flight was only around 30 mins as opposed to an 8 hour bus journey - we know you understand!
We will write about Saigon in a few days time when we arrive in Kuala Lumpur!
Missing (an ickle bit) and loving you all
Em and Sam
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Once again we opted to fly to Nha Trang on a 40 minute flight, as opposed to the 12 hour bus journey that some of our fellow "travellers" have decided to take. In our defence, these plane tickets cost 25 quid each, so well worth it.
Nha Trang is a bustling city right on the beach. Far noisier than Hoi An; but far more life too. It has a similiar feel to a European beach resort. We stayed at the best hotel we think we will stay in on our entire trip - the Novotel. Just for some background to this hotel, we initially were going to stay somewhere else (more expensive), but decided to save money and stay somewhere less elaborate. So I (sam) booked to stay at the Novotel online, for a great rate, which could not be cancelled, changed or moved at all (under any circumstances) - I think you know whats coming next.
I accidentally booked to stay on the dates we are in Saigon (11-14th) - oops!! I tried to speak to Agoda (who were about as helpful as Emma is in giving financial saving advice), but finally got hold of the Novotel (through our reception in Hoi An), who were able to change our dates, subject to an upgrade of a room. So basically in the end, I think we could have stayed at the plush hotel for less - just shows our parents that in fact, it is better for us to stay in 5* resorts.
Anyway, back to Nha Trang.
We took a cyclo tour around the main part of the city, with its bustling markets and (at last) a supermarket - where finally we could buy proper food (such as oreos and pringles). The beaches in Nha Trang are not as golden sanded as in Hoi An, mainly because the locals have not learnt how to keep them clean.
After dragging ourselves away from the amazing airconditioning in our amazing room we decided to go to The Sailing Club for dinner - a gorgeous restaurant right on the beach. We sat down right on the sand, admiring the beautiful view and surroundings. Our food came and it was delicious (something you cannot take for granted in Vietnam!!!) There we were, excited about how wonderful the next four days would be and Sam froze 'Emma dont look' he said (of course i was gonna look - silly boy!!) Right across from us there was an enourmous rat!! Emma screamed and insisted on moving back to the saftey of the restaurant!! The australian waitress told us that at sunset the rats come out onto the beach. Emma spent the rest of the meal with her legs up on the seat looking around in fear!
We spent the next few days at the Sailing Club and Louisiane Brewery. These two restaurants/beach clubs were awesome and perfect for Sam and Emma. Sun beds are under a pound for the day, and drinks/food/alcohol/ are brought to you when required - we settled in quite nicely. Although Emma insisted on going back to the hotel pool at the first sign of the sun going down to avoid the rats!!
The second day was much the same as the first, but this time we went back to our hotel to check out the swimming pool, which though small, was perfect to chill in after a heavy day on the beach. Going back to our room, we spotted someone who was on our Halong Bay Boat Trip, and got chatting again. We ended up meeting them later for a drink at the Sailing Club which also had a massive beach party with vietnam dancing, judo, sword fighting, fire throwing etc. The show was awesome (and we got some great photos to show you all). We learnt that the club is a hotspot for the rich of Vietnam, mainly those who work for the gvnt, or city boys, or mafia (no joke!)
Our third day was much like our second (and first). We lazed around on the beach drinking fresh juice and having a pretty stressful time!! We met a nice girl who was travelling on her own so we went for dinner with her which was cool and ended up clubbing (yes like proper students) with her, the mafia and other rich vietnamese who just wanted photos with us, and boughts us drinks - we could get used to this!!
We were both pretty upset at leaving our beautiful seaview room with a HUGE walkin shower but Saigon was awaiting us (Emma booked the hotel this time so no mess ups!!)
Again we flew, this time the flight was only around 30 mins as opposed to an 8 hour bus journey - we know you understand!
We will write about Saigon in a few days time when we arrive in Kuala Lumpur!
Missing (an ickle bit) and loving you all
Em and Sam
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Hoi An (Vietnam) 3rd-7th August
After flying from the craziness that is Hanoi, arriving in Hoi An was very much welcomed. It is a beautiful small beach/river town about 30km from the main airport town of Danang.
We decided to stay 2 nights in the town part and 3 days on the beach (see later). The town is quite incredible, old buildings line the streets where only people and mopeds are allowed. There is a river running through the town and we took an hour boat ride wich took us into a more rural part of town and could witness some of the 'real' vietnam.
The streets in Hoi An are lined with tailors, making anything from dresses (of which emma got 2) to suits (Sam got three) to shirts (Sam got 5 (one free dad!! see I did well!!!) to shoes (of which Emma got none!!!!! - she has had a bit of an upset stomach). The quality of the clothing is incredible, and after being measured up, we had our first fitting the next day, and 2 further fittings to make sure we were happy with everything they made - they are on their way back to London now - we hope!!!
The hotel we stayed in was a little bit further out of the town than we had hoped for, and after walking in the 34 degree heat twice, we decided to cab it from then on. It was quite an open hotel, with lizards everywhere and was the first time in which they gave us mosquito nets to sleep in (this didn't stop emma getting bitten on the bum - at least she thinks it was the mozzi).
There are loads of small cafes and pattiseries all over the town, and the food we ate was miles better than that in Hanoi. We went to the "expensive" restaurant which has a view over the main town area. I think the bill came to 10quid for the two us including drinks.
The people in the town were all friendly, something which we weren't entirely expecting whilst travelling through vietnam, but from the hotel staff to random people on the street, it was a very nice town. We were there during a full moon festival, where all the street lights are turned off at night and everywhere is lit with lanterns and candles, there were even floating laterns on the river. It was a really amazing experience. People lit incese and left offerings of fruit and drink on their doorsteps, and we also visited the temple that night which was incredible.
After trying to find a place to stay on the beach, we came across a nice little hotel called the Palm Gardens Resort. Since Emma had been suffereing with an upset stomach we decided (she decided) that a cure better than medicine would be to check out of our sweet little hotel and check in to a quaint, small, intimate - oh who are we kiddin - 5* deluxe hotel, with a massive pool, private beach and not the sort of place two 23 year old students should really be spending a few nights, but hey, its Emma and Sam!!! Emma felt better immediately - what a miraculous recovery!!!
The beaches in Hoi An have golden sands and beautiful sea - you wouldn't be mistaken for thinking you were on an idylic carribean island. We spent our days lounging in the sun and eating lovely food both in the town and on the beach.
Emma was a little distressed to leave her hotel but all things come to an end and we were off to our new destination - Nha Trang - another beach town, but this time more of a city. We have been told that Nha Trang is a party town - and Sam is a little excited that there is a water park close by! After another bumpy flight, where Emma thought we were going to land in the sea we arrived. We will update you soon (now that we have a computer that works wahoo!!)
Lov to you all
Sam and Emxx
Halong Bay (Vietnam)
Dear all,
Sorry we have not updated you for a while – the internet at our last hotel was not very good! So we went to Halong Bay which was beautiful. After a 3 hour very bumpy bus journey we arrived at the port, where the captain had to take all our passports and take them to the local police station! We were then taken onto a small boat that would take us to our cruise ship (I say cruise ship but what I really mean is a large boat!!) So off we went sailing to our boat enjoying the view and the breeze. We see ahead of us our cruise boat and marvel at what we would be calling home for the next three days. However, our smiles turn to fear when we realize our small little boat is heading straight for the cruise boat and doesn’t seem to be slowing down – it crashed straight into it, causing the engine to die and for us to drift out to sea and wait to be rescued by another boat passing by!! After that excitement we were then aboard ship where we enjoyed a lovely seafood lunch (emma and sam ate rice!!), whilst sailing out to Halong Bay which is approx 2 hours away from the port.
The tour guide gave us a room at the back of the boat that had a balcony (although the door wouldn’t work so to get to the balcony you had to climb through the window!) and titled it the "honeymoon suite" (dont worry parents). Once we arrived at the bay we went on a tour of the caves that were really incredible and enormous with stalagimites and stalagtites appearing all over.
The one common thing in all asian countries is people trying to sell you things. This doesn't stop on the cruise boats in the open sea. Woman in their rowing boats (which by the way must be exhausting), float around each of the 150approx boats in the bay selling anything from beer to cigarettes to oreos and pringles (of which we bought the latter two). "you want something" (said in a sterotypical but truthful asian accent) is their way of communicating, which became a joke between the two of us; Sam using it wherever he could, and one time saying it in front of one of these woman by accident.
We then had a choice of sunbathing on the deck or going for a "leisurely" hour kayak around the bay. It was a gorgeous day and so we decided to kayak – BIG MISTAKE! We stepped into our kayak and the first 5 minutes were pretty enjoyable as we admired the emerald green sea and the beautiful rock islands. Then we realized that the tour guide must have formerly been in the army. He kayaked so fast we could barely keep up – our arms were aching and Sam kept yelling at Emma for not rowing in time with him! (Emma did NOT enjoy kayaking one little bit!! - and her effort level showed it!) We then arrived at this amazing lagoon. We stopped to admire for all of two minutes and then the army officer had us working again! By the time we came back to the boat we were exhausted and were HORRIFIED to discover that the crew only turns on the air conditioning at night time! After a loooong cold shower and a lovely dinner we played cards on deck with some new found friends and went to bed - only to discover that our room was directly above the air conditioning generator. As we had not had the air conditioning on during the day we hadn’t noticed but now our whole room vibrated, not in a peaceful rock to sleep kind of way, but more like a vibrating to the extent that you fall off the bed kinda way!! - so much for the honeymoon suite (though maybe we didn't get the whole vibrating idea!)
The following day we were woken up at seven for breakfast (Emma doesn't like mornings and therefore slept through breakfast - sam did no such thing, so don't panic dad!!). We were then told that we were going on a three hour kayak!!!!!! Emma begged (and stropped a little bit - who would have thought) and pleaded not to go but Sam is mean and off we went! We were taken to a smaller boat where we would spend the day. Emma refused to kayak so Sam went off with the others. Emma then changed her mind when the tour guide said she could go in his kayak (which basically meant she could sunbathe while the poor guy did all the work!!) With a different tour guide the kayak was much more enjoyable; we went at a slow pace and explored caves and lagoons. We saw monkeys, jellyfish, crabs, bats and fish. We then kayaked through a floating village where 400 people live. The village includes a school and a hospital and was really quite amazing. The people of the village all make a living through fishing, which 2-3 times a month they go inland to sell, in order for them to be able to purchase other neccesities like rice and medicine - these people have very little to their names - bathing, drinking and playing in the same water, however the children were so friendly shouting out hello to us.
After a bbq lunch on the boat and time to swim in the sea we returned to our cruise boat! The following day we had a three hour cruise back to the port and we returned to Hanoi after a really enjoyable few days.
Back in Hanoi we were desperate… for a burger – rice and noodles gets a bit much after a while! Sam found an American burger place – we were SO excited. However once our order arrived we discovered why the Vietnamese people are so small and so thin – the portion was tiny (even by Emma’s standards!) We then returned to our hotel to pack up and get ready for our next adventure – Hoi An!
Oh btw, Surpise Surprise Sam got an eye and ear infection from jumping (just the once) into the sea, which everyone did on countless times. So the Credit Card bill which says "International SOS Doctors/Hospital" isn't fraudulant Dad, so don't worry. The hospital btw was very clean, and it has all cleared up!!
Sorry we have not updated you for a while – the internet at our last hotel was not very good! So we went to Halong Bay which was beautiful. After a 3 hour very bumpy bus journey we arrived at the port, where the captain had to take all our passports and take them to the local police station! We were then taken onto a small boat that would take us to our cruise ship (I say cruise ship but what I really mean is a large boat!!) So off we went sailing to our boat enjoying the view and the breeze. We see ahead of us our cruise boat and marvel at what we would be calling home for the next three days. However, our smiles turn to fear when we realize our small little boat is heading straight for the cruise boat and doesn’t seem to be slowing down – it crashed straight into it, causing the engine to die and for us to drift out to sea and wait to be rescued by another boat passing by!! After that excitement we were then aboard ship where we enjoyed a lovely seafood lunch (emma and sam ate rice!!), whilst sailing out to Halong Bay which is approx 2 hours away from the port.
The tour guide gave us a room at the back of the boat that had a balcony (although the door wouldn’t work so to get to the balcony you had to climb through the window!) and titled it the "honeymoon suite" (dont worry parents). Once we arrived at the bay we went on a tour of the caves that were really incredible and enormous with stalagimites and stalagtites appearing all over.
The one common thing in all asian countries is people trying to sell you things. This doesn't stop on the cruise boats in the open sea. Woman in their rowing boats (which by the way must be exhausting), float around each of the 150approx boats in the bay selling anything from beer to cigarettes to oreos and pringles (of which we bought the latter two). "you want something" (said in a sterotypical but truthful asian accent) is their way of communicating, which became a joke between the two of us; Sam using it wherever he could, and one time saying it in front of one of these woman by accident.
We then had a choice of sunbathing on the deck or going for a "leisurely" hour kayak around the bay. It was a gorgeous day and so we decided to kayak – BIG MISTAKE! We stepped into our kayak and the first 5 minutes were pretty enjoyable as we admired the emerald green sea and the beautiful rock islands. Then we realized that the tour guide must have formerly been in the army. He kayaked so fast we could barely keep up – our arms were aching and Sam kept yelling at Emma for not rowing in time with him! (Emma did NOT enjoy kayaking one little bit!! - and her effort level showed it!) We then arrived at this amazing lagoon. We stopped to admire for all of two minutes and then the army officer had us working again! By the time we came back to the boat we were exhausted and were HORRIFIED to discover that the crew only turns on the air conditioning at night time! After a loooong cold shower and a lovely dinner we played cards on deck with some new found friends and went to bed - only to discover that our room was directly above the air conditioning generator. As we had not had the air conditioning on during the day we hadn’t noticed but now our whole room vibrated, not in a peaceful rock to sleep kind of way, but more like a vibrating to the extent that you fall off the bed kinda way!! - so much for the honeymoon suite (though maybe we didn't get the whole vibrating idea!)
The following day we were woken up at seven for breakfast (Emma doesn't like mornings and therefore slept through breakfast - sam did no such thing, so don't panic dad!!). We were then told that we were going on a three hour kayak!!!!!! Emma begged (and stropped a little bit - who would have thought) and pleaded not to go but Sam is mean and off we went! We were taken to a smaller boat where we would spend the day. Emma refused to kayak so Sam went off with the others. Emma then changed her mind when the tour guide said she could go in his kayak (which basically meant she could sunbathe while the poor guy did all the work!!) With a different tour guide the kayak was much more enjoyable; we went at a slow pace and explored caves and lagoons. We saw monkeys, jellyfish, crabs, bats and fish. We then kayaked through a floating village where 400 people live. The village includes a school and a hospital and was really quite amazing. The people of the village all make a living through fishing, which 2-3 times a month they go inland to sell, in order for them to be able to purchase other neccesities like rice and medicine - these people have very little to their names - bathing, drinking and playing in the same water, however the children were so friendly shouting out hello to us.
After a bbq lunch on the boat and time to swim in the sea we returned to our cruise boat! The following day we had a three hour cruise back to the port and we returned to Hanoi after a really enjoyable few days.
Back in Hanoi we were desperate… for a burger – rice and noodles gets a bit much after a while! Sam found an American burger place – we were SO excited. However once our order arrived we discovered why the Vietnamese people are so small and so thin – the portion was tiny (even by Emma’s standards!) We then returned to our hotel to pack up and get ready for our next adventure – Hoi An!
Oh btw, Surpise Surprise Sam got an eye and ear infection from jumping (just the once) into the sea, which everyone did on countless times. So the Credit Card bill which says "International SOS Doctors/Hospital" isn't fraudulant Dad, so don't worry. The hospital btw was very clean, and it has all cleared up!!
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Contact in Vietnam
Hi everyone,
just a quick message...we cannot make cheap calls from vietnam (something about security restrictions), but we can still get online to read any blog messages and you can still call us for free and leave a voicemail which we can hear online:
1. Dial 0800 028 9653
2. Press option 2
3. Enter our account number: 201 986 0504
4. Leave us a message!
love Sam and Em
xx
just a quick message...we cannot make cheap calls from vietnam (something about security restrictions), but we can still get online to read any blog messages and you can still call us for free and leave a voicemail which we can hear online:
1. Dial 0800 028 9653
2. Press option 2
3. Enter our account number: 201 986 0504
4. Leave us a message!
love Sam and Em
xx
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Hanoi (Vietnam)
So after a somewhat stressful airport experience in Bangkok and a short flight later, we arrived at around 20:15 in Hanoi to a 33 degree temperature. We were pleasantly surprised how quick it took to get through passport control and get our luggage - we were even met by our very own "chauffeur" to take us to our hotel The Hanoi Cozy Hotel.
The journey from the airport was less pleasant however; there are no lanes in Vietnam, and thousands and thousands of mopeds carrying anything from 4 people to chickens, to someone carrying a baby in their arm (whislt driving). We held our breath for most of the journey, but arrived in one piece.
We got to our hotel, where the staff also held their breath at the size of our cases, which they kindly took up the stairs to our 3rd floor room (there is no lift - shock horror!!). They could not be more helpful here, and that goes for many of the locals we have met. After unpacking a little, James (Sams best friend) and some other boys from Birmingham Uni. came to meet us to go out for a drink. We ate in a really nice local restaurant, where everytime you ordered a bottle of water (which sam tends to have 6 of every meal), they would have to go out and buy one themselves - needless to say, the waitresses were also out of breath after our dinner.
Hanoi is a chaotic but an amazingly exhilirating city - we are in the heart of the old city, where a mix of rustic old buildings are adjoined by new hotels and coffee shops, all adding to the cities charm. Each street seems to have its own designated commerical trade, and after taking a 3 hour cyclo today (someone else of course doing the cycling) we managed to see DIY street, the clothing street (selling everything from Armani to Abercrombie to Next!), the paint street, the knife street etc.
We also visited the Temple of Literature which is basically the first University in Vietnam and over 1000 years old. We saw the opera house, Hanois equivalent of Park Lane and mopeds - lots and lots of mopeds that seem to hoot for absolutely no reason at all! We have found that crossing the road is like playing a game of tetrus - trying to fit the gap between the mopeds, cars, cyclos etc. We have found that if in doubt stand still and they will just go around you!
Tonight (Tuesday) we went out for dinner with our friends again this time to a restaurant reccomended by our Vietnam book. Clearly money was exchanged when recommending this restaurant as everything on the menu was either unavaliable or about 3 days old!!
Tomorrow (Wed) we plan to go see Ho Chi Minhs body (even though he died years ago gross!!!), and wander around the markets. We have beedn advised to go see the water puppet show tomorrow evening, which Hanoi is famous for.
We have decided to book a trip to Halong Bay leaving on Thurs. Anyone who has seen the Top Gear Vietnam special will know where we mean. We were offered three different tour options standard superior and deluxe. We'll leave it to you to guess which one we went for.... The trip is 2 nights and three days staying on a boat, we will let you know how it went when we return on Saturday night!
We will update you when we return from our Halong Bay trip, and miss you all!
Sam and Emxxx
The journey from the airport was less pleasant however; there are no lanes in Vietnam, and thousands and thousands of mopeds carrying anything from 4 people to chickens, to someone carrying a baby in their arm (whislt driving). We held our breath for most of the journey, but arrived in one piece.
We got to our hotel, where the staff also held their breath at the size of our cases, which they kindly took up the stairs to our 3rd floor room (there is no lift - shock horror!!). They could not be more helpful here, and that goes for many of the locals we have met. After unpacking a little, James (Sams best friend) and some other boys from Birmingham Uni. came to meet us to go out for a drink. We ate in a really nice local restaurant, where everytime you ordered a bottle of water (which sam tends to have 6 of every meal), they would have to go out and buy one themselves - needless to say, the waitresses were also out of breath after our dinner.
Hanoi is a chaotic but an amazingly exhilirating city - we are in the heart of the old city, where a mix of rustic old buildings are adjoined by new hotels and coffee shops, all adding to the cities charm. Each street seems to have its own designated commerical trade, and after taking a 3 hour cyclo today (someone else of course doing the cycling) we managed to see DIY street, the clothing street (selling everything from Armani to Abercrombie to Next!), the paint street, the knife street etc.
We also visited the Temple of Literature which is basically the first University in Vietnam and over 1000 years old. We saw the opera house, Hanois equivalent of Park Lane and mopeds - lots and lots of mopeds that seem to hoot for absolutely no reason at all! We have found that crossing the road is like playing a game of tetrus - trying to fit the gap between the mopeds, cars, cyclos etc. We have found that if in doubt stand still and they will just go around you!
Tonight (Tuesday) we went out for dinner with our friends again this time to a restaurant reccomended by our Vietnam book. Clearly money was exchanged when recommending this restaurant as everything on the menu was either unavaliable or about 3 days old!!
Tomorrow (Wed) we plan to go see Ho Chi Minhs body (even though he died years ago gross!!!), and wander around the markets. We have beedn advised to go see the water puppet show tomorrow evening, which Hanoi is famous for.
We have decided to book a trip to Halong Bay leaving on Thurs. Anyone who has seen the Top Gear Vietnam special will know where we mean. We were offered three different tour options standard superior and deluxe. We'll leave it to you to guess which one we went for.... The trip is 2 nights and three days staying on a boat, we will let you know how it went when we return on Saturday night!
We will update you when we return from our Halong Bay trip, and miss you all!
Sam and Emxxx
Monday, 27 July 2009
Leaving us a message on this blog
Hi everyone,
Just a quick message to make sure you write your name on your message so we know who it is from - this ain't facebook!
Leaving for Hanoi in a few hours! Will update you soon
Emma and Sam
xx
Just a quick message to make sure you write your name on your message so we know who it is from - this ain't facebook!
Leaving for Hanoi in a few hours! Will update you soon
Emma and Sam
xx
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Bangkok!!
Hello from Bangkok!!
So we set off for our 3 month trip on Friday night - after hearing about sams success in his exams, our luck continued on the plane, the person sitting in the seat next to us didn't show up to the gate, therefore we had a spare seat in which to spread out (and for sam to get away from emma!!).
Arriving in Bangkok after a rather turbulant flight, the first thing that hit us was how everyone working at the airport were wearing masks; always a pleasant sight to see. However, we got to our hotel at around 6pm local time, and were pleasantly surprised at how clean it was (though the whole throwing used toilet tissue in a bin is a little different).
We set off to the Khao San Road (the main backpacking street in Bangkok), and sat in a local restaurant for dinner to sample local food. Sam had spagehetti Bol. and Emma had chicken fried rice - emma thinks she is more cultured than sam, which could be true, because she kept getting offered to play ping pong - to which we are reliably informed isn't table tennis (haven't worked out quite what it is yet, but Sam is keen to!!).
We were exhausted after dinner, proven further by the number of stalls and shops, to which Em was too tired to even look!! Though a pair of ray ban sunglasses each for 2 quid wasn't bad going.
Today (Sunday) we set off for a 6 hour tour of Bangkok, including the grand palace, sleeping buddah and a number of temples, a boat ride with a dubious floating market, lunch on a floating restaurant and a tour of the golden mount. By the end, the heavens opened, which was nice and convenient, given we had to leave our shoes outside the temple (guess who had to go get them!?!?).
Our tour guide (as most men here are) was quite obsessed with Sex...and Emma. Every reference to buddaism was cross referenced to "sexy ladies". Nevertheless, he was a good tour guide, and we made South Korean Mafia friends, who paid for a tour in English, despite not speaking the language!!
After the trip, still feeling the old jet lag, we slept - now currently in a internet cafe close to our hotel. Tonight, more food, more shopping (Em is awake unfortunately) and we leave for Hanoi (Vietnam) tomorrow evening, to start our next leg.
Until then, hope all is well with everyone at home,
Sam and Emma
p.s. happy bday Richard, sorry we missed it, but we appreciated the 6am (our time) phonecall from your fiance!
Miss u all!
xx
So we set off for our 3 month trip on Friday night - after hearing about sams success in his exams, our luck continued on the plane, the person sitting in the seat next to us didn't show up to the gate, therefore we had a spare seat in which to spread out (and for sam to get away from emma!!).
Arriving in Bangkok after a rather turbulant flight, the first thing that hit us was how everyone working at the airport were wearing masks; always a pleasant sight to see. However, we got to our hotel at around 6pm local time, and were pleasantly surprised at how clean it was (though the whole throwing used toilet tissue in a bin is a little different).
We set off to the Khao San Road (the main backpacking street in Bangkok), and sat in a local restaurant for dinner to sample local food. Sam had spagehetti Bol. and Emma had chicken fried rice - emma thinks she is more cultured than sam, which could be true, because she kept getting offered to play ping pong - to which we are reliably informed isn't table tennis (haven't worked out quite what it is yet, but Sam is keen to!!).
We were exhausted after dinner, proven further by the number of stalls and shops, to which Em was too tired to even look!! Though a pair of ray ban sunglasses each for 2 quid wasn't bad going.
Today (Sunday) we set off for a 6 hour tour of Bangkok, including the grand palace, sleeping buddah and a number of temples, a boat ride with a dubious floating market, lunch on a floating restaurant and a tour of the golden mount. By the end, the heavens opened, which was nice and convenient, given we had to leave our shoes outside the temple (guess who had to go get them!?!?).
Our tour guide (as most men here are) was quite obsessed with Sex...and Emma. Every reference to buddaism was cross referenced to "sexy ladies". Nevertheless, he was a good tour guide, and we made South Korean Mafia friends, who paid for a tour in English, despite not speaking the language!!
After the trip, still feeling the old jet lag, we slept - now currently in a internet cafe close to our hotel. Tonight, more food, more shopping (Em is awake unfortunately) and we leave for Hanoi (Vietnam) tomorrow evening, to start our next leg.
Until then, hope all is well with everyone at home,
Sam and Emma
p.s. happy bday Richard, sorry we missed it, but we appreciated the 6am (our time) phonecall from your fiance!
Miss u all!
xx
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