Driving around Auckland has not gone well either time for Mike and I. After we picked up the van and were trying to head north, Mike was driving and it took us forever to reach "the motorway." In our second stab at it, I was driving to the airport and we still ended up going wrong ways and turing around and such. We picked up our new partner in crime ~ Nicole ~ from the airport on Wednesday morning. The three of us will be traveling together down to Wellington and then Nicole is flying back to the US. (Mike and Nicole are friends from studying abroad in college and have traveled together before.) Nikki is a hardworking CPA who just left her job at Ernest & Young for another position. We get along well and it's a nice bonus for Mike and I. She certainly livens up conversation and everything that has sort of gone stale with Mike and I.
In Auckland, we poorly navigated the streets, walked around a bit, I picked up my new iPod from the Mac store since mine was "faulty" and we went to Mount Eden for sunset. Then we worked out what our general gameplan was going to be for the next few days. We headed south and out to the Coromandal Peninsula. We drove and drove until we decided upon a quiet spot to camp. We aren't that picky for where to camp. Basically we look for a quiet spot that is a safe place to park and doesn't have a "no camping" sign. We parked off the super windy road in a spot that is right on the water, waking up to the ocean this morning. Yummy.
While the temperature is a bit chilly, with three of us squished in the camper van we manage to stay perfectly warm. We had simple sandwiches for dinner and slept deeply by the water. After breakfast, we were back on the road again. We stopped off in Coromandel Town which was adorable. It's a very quaint small town. We found a little organic shop and Nicole who is also a choco-holic and I bought some fudge. Then we scavenged the thrift store. Mike bought a NZ wool hat, 5 old magazines from the 60s, and a gift for $3.50. Ahh, how I love cheapness.
We then headed towards Cathedral Cove for a walk. The walk starts on a lovely beach and our first stop on the walk was Stingray Bay. A cute little cove, it had lots of information about snorkeling but was a bit too chilly for us to go for a swim. Next stop was another little cove with cavern walls made of chalk. Needless to say, the beach was beautifully white. Continuing on, we did make it to Cathedral Cove. There was a little party on the far end of the beach that looked like they might be getting married ~ of course we tried to be discreet about our snooping looks, but they seemed a bit involved in whatever type of ceremony they were doing and didn't seem to notice us too much. By the time we finished with this longish walk, the sun was starting to set. A lovely day and the weather was pretty decent. Yippie. We trodded onward towards Waitomo Caves thinking there would be A.) A pub B.) an All Black's NZ Rugby Game and C.) Food at said pub. We found none of the three when we arrived at about 10 pm.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Tassie! :)
I drove a manual transmission car on the wrong side of the road, at night, through a roundabout, and parallel parked it! I totally rule. I actually did all of the driving since Mikey doesn't know how to drive a stick shift. [he declined my offer to attempt to learn ~ a rental car is the perfect car to teach someone in after all, you don't give a hoot if they grind the gears! :-p]
Mike and I hopped on a quick plane ride from Melbourne to Tasmania, nicknamed Tassie. Everything down under has a nickname by the way. Obviously, all the people have nicknames, but they shorten everything else too. It's quite amusing. Tasmania was a warm 2 degrees Celsius. This flips out the Aussies. They don't like cold weather. Mike and I, on the other hand, adjusted grumpily. Obviously we're both used to weather this temperature since we both lived in Providence last winter, but I am still short on the warmer clothes. I left most of mine in NZ with Paul & Claire who I used to rent from. I'm picking up my things on Friday and then I won't complain about the cold so much. Our hostel is across the street from a thrift store where I paid the outrageous sum of $2 AUD for a brand-new, cute knit hat. It's doing a fab job of keeping my head warm.
We checked into Hobart Hostel and ventured around this little town of Hobart. It's a quaint little town, it sort of reminds Mike and I of NH or somewhere. We saw the waterfront, the battery encampments, and found a little stretch of beach. We scored majorly cool sea glass there. Apparently no one here collects it. Mike and I both filled our pockets to the brim. It was an enjoyable afternoon in this lovely little town. We went to the grocery store and came back to cook dinner. Thus we discovered there is no heat at this hostel, really. There is one tiny space heater for our dorm room that is huge enough for 10 beds. Barrels of fun, I tell you. Mike and I worked on a puzzle for fun last evening and I kept boiling water and putting it in my tea cup to keep my hands warm (there were no gloves/mittens at the thrift store, but I will certainly be on the hunt). When we did amble into bed, I went with all of my layers of clothing possible on my body and threw my towel and sarong wrap on top for extra layers. (I used the towel & sarong for a sheet a time or two in Asia when we weren't given sheets.) Brrrrrrr
This morning, we got up and picked up our rental car. It's a cute little Hyundai. I hadn't planned on driving ~ I admit to being a lazy traveler. I always wait for Mike to scope out the map and read the guidebook and summarize it back to me. When we picked up the car, the manual transmission was a bit cheaper than the automatic. I know how to drive a stick, Mikey doesn't. Thus, I ended up driving all day today and will again tomorrow. Being the lazy traveler, I figured Mike would do all or most of the driving. Booo. I did offer to teach him how to drive a stick after we got out of town, but he's not interested. Ahhh well.
We drove towards Lake St. Clair, part of the Tasmania Outdoor parks. We went for an hour long hike. We took the Aboriginal Trail and did the Platypus Loop. The parks here cost a bit to get in, $20 for a car for 24 hours, but they are superbly maintained. The walkways and trails are great, have super views, and are completely deserted. The guy at the visitor's center was super helpful as well. After we did that trail, we went to another park and saw two waterfalls and a forest of the 2nd tallest trees in the world. (The tallest forest is in Cali ~ the redwoods, but these guys are only a few meters shorter than the redwoods.) The tall trees are from ancient forests, the tallest ones began to grow before Europeans were anywhere near Tasmania and thinking about colonization. Soaking it all up was fantastic ~ despite the rain and cold weather.
Another lovely day in Australia ~ I'm looking forward to tomorrow. We're headed to Port Artur and possibly a hot springs. Port Arthur is where they sent the convicts from the mainland. Sounds a bit sketchy. I'd give you some pics, but this crazy computer hub has no USB connection. Hopefully, in Auckland you'll get to see some more fantastic pics. :)
Mike and I hopped on a quick plane ride from Melbourne to Tasmania, nicknamed Tassie. Everything down under has a nickname by the way. Obviously, all the people have nicknames, but they shorten everything else too. It's quite amusing. Tasmania was a warm 2 degrees Celsius. This flips out the Aussies. They don't like cold weather. Mike and I, on the other hand, adjusted grumpily. Obviously we're both used to weather this temperature since we both lived in Providence last winter, but I am still short on the warmer clothes. I left most of mine in NZ with Paul & Claire who I used to rent from. I'm picking up my things on Friday and then I won't complain about the cold so much. Our hostel is across the street from a thrift store where I paid the outrageous sum of $2 AUD for a brand-new, cute knit hat. It's doing a fab job of keeping my head warm.
We checked into Hobart Hostel and ventured around this little town of Hobart. It's a quaint little town, it sort of reminds Mike and I of NH or somewhere. We saw the waterfront, the battery encampments, and found a little stretch of beach. We scored majorly cool sea glass there. Apparently no one here collects it. Mike and I both filled our pockets to the brim. It was an enjoyable afternoon in this lovely little town. We went to the grocery store and came back to cook dinner. Thus we discovered there is no heat at this hostel, really. There is one tiny space heater for our dorm room that is huge enough for 10 beds. Barrels of fun, I tell you. Mike and I worked on a puzzle for fun last evening and I kept boiling water and putting it in my tea cup to keep my hands warm (there were no gloves/mittens at the thrift store, but I will certainly be on the hunt). When we did amble into bed, I went with all of my layers of clothing possible on my body and threw my towel and sarong wrap on top for extra layers. (I used the towel & sarong for a sheet a time or two in Asia when we weren't given sheets.) Brrrrrrr
This morning, we got up and picked up our rental car. It's a cute little Hyundai. I hadn't planned on driving ~ I admit to being a lazy traveler. I always wait for Mike to scope out the map and read the guidebook and summarize it back to me. When we picked up the car, the manual transmission was a bit cheaper than the automatic. I know how to drive a stick, Mikey doesn't. Thus, I ended up driving all day today and will again tomorrow. Being the lazy traveler, I figured Mike would do all or most of the driving. Booo. I did offer to teach him how to drive a stick after we got out of town, but he's not interested. Ahhh well.
We drove towards Lake St. Clair, part of the Tasmania Outdoor parks. We went for an hour long hike. We took the Aboriginal Trail and did the Platypus Loop. The parks here cost a bit to get in, $20 for a car for 24 hours, but they are superbly maintained. The walkways and trails are great, have super views, and are completely deserted. The guy at the visitor's center was super helpful as well. After we did that trail, we went to another park and saw two waterfalls and a forest of the 2nd tallest trees in the world. (The tallest forest is in Cali ~ the redwoods, but these guys are only a few meters shorter than the redwoods.) The tall trees are from ancient forests, the tallest ones began to grow before Europeans were anywhere near Tasmania and thinking about colonization. Soaking it all up was fantastic ~ despite the rain and cold weather.
Another lovely day in Australia ~ I'm looking forward to tomorrow. We're headed to Port Artur and possibly a hot springs. Port Arthur is where they sent the convicts from the mainland. Sounds a bit sketchy. I'd give you some pics, but this crazy computer hub has no USB connection. Hopefully, in Auckland you'll get to see some more fantastic pics. :)
Monday, June 18, 2007
More Footy
Mike and I have been enjoying being a bit more lazy in Melbourne. We snoozed in today and spent the afternoon in the city. We frequented one musuem ~ the AFL World (the Aussie Rules Football League Hall of Fame/Musuem type thing). Mike and Luke are both big Footy fans. We played the virtual games, Luke practiced his announcing skills, I colored between the lines, and we watched about the primership. It kept the boys entertained all afternoon. Loads of fun .... ahh the boys.
And now it's time for some pictures highlights from Asia. Mike's album is at: www.webshots.com/user/blumes007 (but he didn't caption his pics) My album is at:
And now it's time for some pictures highlights from Asia. Mike's album is at: www.webshots.com/user/blumes007 (but he didn't caption his pics) My album is at:
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| Highlights from Asia |
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Lions and Footie!
2-3 hours is no where near enough time to sleep off what I drank the night before. Boo! We caught the shuttle to the airport, checked in, and waited. I was a wee bit tired and so excited when our flight was delayed two hours because of fog in Melbourne. Yeah! We did switch gates 3 times and get our tickets re-issued. Yippie. Eventually we made it to Southern Cross train station and then waited for Mike's friend Luke to meet us and take us back to his apartment. We're staying with Luke now. He lives in one of the nicer suburbs of Melbourne and has a fantastic place.
Saturday ended up being a day of recovery for all three of us. Luke had a bit of fun out on Friday night and we lazed around most of the day. We took a crazy cab ride out to the burb where Luke lives (the guy did not go anywhere Luke was trying to get him to go and finally we just got out and the cabby and Luke had "words.") We hit up the grocery store on our way to the apartment and decided to take the grocery cart with us so that I was able to leave all the groceries in the cart with both of my backpacks while Luke pushed the cart. yeah for being lazy!! I get off so easy sometimes .... Luke made some yummy pasta and a huge dish of sauce for dinner. Delicious. We watched kiss, kiss, bang, bang which was a funny movie and I did nod off for a bit of it on the comfy couch. After dinner, we walked to a little local pub. We met Douglas, an older gentleman, who uses the "Queen's English" as Luke calls it ~ back home perhaps we'd just say "proper English." He was a riot all the same and we enjoyed our evening out. I got to sleep in Luke's bed last night (I'm lucky being the girl travler ~ Mike always gives me the bigger bed, the first shower, etc. etc. It's got its perks) and Luke has a real bed. They had crap beds throughout Asia and it was such a delight to sleep on a super comfy bed with a big down comforter and comfy pillows..... hmmmm.... comfy! :) It's bittersweet ~ we're only staying for 3 nights. I'm enjoying it while it lasts .....
Sunday we were going to get up at 7:30 and go into Melbourne before heading to Gilong for a 'footie game.' Ha ha ha. Since we did nothing all day Saturday, naturally we were exhausted. Luke forgot to set the alarm clock and thus we slept until 9:30. I made the boys some eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. Really yummy bacon. Mmmmmm.... and we headed off to the footie match. The Aussies have their own football league with their own rules. Luke is orginally from Brisbane and Mike studied near there when he did his study abroad. We went to cheer on the Brisbane Lions with Luke's friend Kat. The Lions didn't do so hot (they lost by 50 points or so) but it was a fantastic specticale. The field is oval shaped and you can kick or punch the ball, but you can't run with it. When we arrived in Gilong (about an hour by train from Melbourne) to delightfully cold rain. Luke bought us some cheap ponchos to protect us from the rain and we got our tickets and ended up in the standing room section cheering on the Lions. It was a fantastic time.
And now ... here's a few photos. The connection speed of the internet in SE Asia was usually not very fast and Mike didn't bring a USB cord to upload pics off of his camera. He's primarily the photographer and thus, I know you've been missing my great pics to go along with my stories. Here are a few from today and from Friday night.
Saturday ended up being a day of recovery for all three of us. Luke had a bit of fun out on Friday night and we lazed around most of the day. We took a crazy cab ride out to the burb where Luke lives (the guy did not go anywhere Luke was trying to get him to go and finally we just got out and the cabby and Luke had "words.") We hit up the grocery store on our way to the apartment and decided to take the grocery cart with us so that I was able to leave all the groceries in the cart with both of my backpacks while Luke pushed the cart. yeah for being lazy!! I get off so easy sometimes .... Luke made some yummy pasta and a huge dish of sauce for dinner. Delicious. We watched kiss, kiss, bang, bang which was a funny movie and I did nod off for a bit of it on the comfy couch. After dinner, we walked to a little local pub. We met Douglas, an older gentleman, who uses the "Queen's English" as Luke calls it ~ back home perhaps we'd just say "proper English." He was a riot all the same and we enjoyed our evening out. I got to sleep in Luke's bed last night (I'm lucky being the girl travler ~ Mike always gives me the bigger bed, the first shower, etc. etc. It's got its perks) and Luke has a real bed. They had crap beds throughout Asia and it was such a delight to sleep on a super comfy bed with a big down comforter and comfy pillows..... hmmmm.... comfy! :) It's bittersweet ~ we're only staying for 3 nights. I'm enjoying it while it lasts .....
Sunday we were going to get up at 7:30 and go into Melbourne before heading to Gilong for a 'footie game.' Ha ha ha. Since we did nothing all day Saturday, naturally we were exhausted. Luke forgot to set the alarm clock and thus we slept until 9:30. I made the boys some eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast. Really yummy bacon. Mmmmmm.... and we headed off to the footie match. The Aussies have their own football league with their own rules. Luke is orginally from Brisbane and Mike studied near there when he did his study abroad. We went to cheer on the Brisbane Lions with Luke's friend Kat. The Lions didn't do so hot (they lost by 50 points or so) but it was a fantastic specticale. The field is oval shaped and you can kick or punch the ball, but you can't run with it. When we arrived in Gilong (about an hour by train from Melbourne) to delightfully cold rain. Luke bought us some cheap ponchos to protect us from the rain and we got our tickets and ended up in the standing room section cheering on the Lions. It was a fantastic time.
And now ... here's a few photos. The connection speed of the internet in SE Asia was usually not very fast and Mike didn't bring a USB cord to upload pics off of his camera. He's primarily the photographer and thus, I know you've been missing my great pics to go along with my stories. Here are a few from today and from Friday night.
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| Footie Game |
Rain Rain Go Away
Come again another day!
Sydney's draught has officially been declared over. While the reserves of water still remain low, the governement believes the conditions will improve and they won't run out of water here. Of course, it rained both days we were in Sydney and we weren't the happiest of campers.
We arrived to Sydney late on Wednesday evening. We found a hostel in Kings Cross and settled into a typical hostel -- Jolly Swaggers. We shared the room with 2 German girls who didn't talk much. Oh well. I was in a sour mood on Wednesday night. It was quite an adjustment to really be back in civilization. I certainly don't miss the rice served at every meal, the Asian toilets, or crappy beds. I do miss how cheap everything is there (boo to paying real prices) and the culture and feel of Asia.
Anyway, back to Sydney. We arose early enough to get our muslei breakfast included with our lodgings and headed out to a clear, crisp morning. (It's winter down here, so the temptures are in the 50s F.) We walked through the Royal Gardens and out to a point that is one of the "spots" to take a picture of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. After Mike and I got a few shots, I went to do the hour-long tour of the Opera House. It was great to learn all about it and to actually be inside the impressive concert hall. Then we headed to Pancakes on the Rocks for a delicious lunch. I had chocolate pancakes with strawberries. Yummy. After pan-a-cakes, we walked a bit around the area called the Rocks and decided to walk the Harbour Bridge. Too bad it started monsooning and neither one of us had any rain gear. We gave up on that idea and Mike and I decided to split up. I went to the Musuem of Contempary Art followed by the NSW Gallery of Art. I enjoyed the NSW Gallery, as its much larger, quite a bit. Both were free and it was nice to relax and see them, as well as warm up and dry off.
Luckily for us, Jolly Swaggers Backpackers cooks a fab dinner on Thursday evenings. For $3 AUD, we got a sausage on a roll, salad, and ice cream for dessert. Yummy. While eating we made friends with Fi, Lindsay, and Laura from Scotland. I love making new friends. We all went to the same bar with some other backpackers from the hostel called World Bar. It was a short walk which was key since it was yet again raining. Our first round was on the house, which was a pitcher of beer. Yeah. After that we danced and partied with the Scottish possy. I have to admit we didn't know most of the music but Fi, Laura, and Lindsay did. We stayed late and had a jolly good time of it all.
Friday I had all intentions of getting up early (I even set the alarm clock) and snoozed until almost 12. After I finally got up, showered, and ready Mike was getting up. Being a lucky backpacker, I was able to make a grilled cheese sammie off the remains of the free shelf. Bonus! :) We decided to go to Manly Beach for the afternoon, then we were going to trek over to Bondi Beach. As it was raining, we brought our gear this time and decided to tough it out. Manly Beach was beautiful and full of surfers despite the miserable weather. We had a delicious sandwhich at a little local deli for lunch ~ something that was certainly missing from our diets in Asia. We ventured around in search of a thrift store, it took us twice as long as it should have, and I bought long sleves as I'm serverly unprepared for this colder weather. We ditched the idea to go to Bondi, but enjoyed cruising back on the ferry from Manly. It was a lovely evening and the city lights were all up. Fantastic fun.
Friday evening back at the ranch ... my girls Fi, Lindsay, and Laura were chilling and drinking. They don't do drinking games back home, so I taught them a few tricks that I had up my sleve. Mike went to the convience store and we attempted to teach our friends flip cup. I never thought I'd say "They are too drunk for flip cup" but that's what happened. After the receptionist at the hostel asked our crew and the other crew of drinkers to quiet down a few times, I ended up going out with Fi and Laura. We went to the Old Fitzroys Hotel. Being super cool backpackers, they give you a little book when you check in at the hostel for 15 free drinks at different pubs all throughout the city. Old Fitzroys was the closest one to the hostel and since it was still monsooning but we wanted to go out, we went there. It ended up being a jolly good time. We made friends with the bartender and some how ended up staying past the close of the bar at 12:30 am. The afterparty was fun but not really necessary ... Mike woke me up at 4:40 am to leave for the airport. I got less than three hours of sleep. (Mike didn't go out since he's such a good boy and so he got a few more than I did ....)
Sydney's draught has officially been declared over. While the reserves of water still remain low, the governement believes the conditions will improve and they won't run out of water here. Of course, it rained both days we were in Sydney and we weren't the happiest of campers.
We arrived to Sydney late on Wednesday evening. We found a hostel in Kings Cross and settled into a typical hostel -- Jolly Swaggers. We shared the room with 2 German girls who didn't talk much. Oh well. I was in a sour mood on Wednesday night. It was quite an adjustment to really be back in civilization. I certainly don't miss the rice served at every meal, the Asian toilets, or crappy beds. I do miss how cheap everything is there (boo to paying real prices) and the culture and feel of Asia.
Anyway, back to Sydney. We arose early enough to get our muslei breakfast included with our lodgings and headed out to a clear, crisp morning. (It's winter down here, so the temptures are in the 50s F.) We walked through the Royal Gardens and out to a point that is one of the "spots" to take a picture of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. After Mike and I got a few shots, I went to do the hour-long tour of the Opera House. It was great to learn all about it and to actually be inside the impressive concert hall. Then we headed to Pancakes on the Rocks for a delicious lunch. I had chocolate pancakes with strawberries. Yummy. After pan-a-cakes, we walked a bit around the area called the Rocks and decided to walk the Harbour Bridge. Too bad it started monsooning and neither one of us had any rain gear. We gave up on that idea and Mike and I decided to split up. I went to the Musuem of Contempary Art followed by the NSW Gallery of Art. I enjoyed the NSW Gallery, as its much larger, quite a bit. Both were free and it was nice to relax and see them, as well as warm up and dry off.
Luckily for us, Jolly Swaggers Backpackers cooks a fab dinner on Thursday evenings. For $3 AUD, we got a sausage on a roll, salad, and ice cream for dessert. Yummy. While eating we made friends with Fi, Lindsay, and Laura from Scotland. I love making new friends. We all went to the same bar with some other backpackers from the hostel called World Bar. It was a short walk which was key since it was yet again raining. Our first round was on the house, which was a pitcher of beer. Yeah. After that we danced and partied with the Scottish possy. I have to admit we didn't know most of the music but Fi, Laura, and Lindsay did. We stayed late and had a jolly good time of it all.
Friday I had all intentions of getting up early (I even set the alarm clock) and snoozed until almost 12. After I finally got up, showered, and ready Mike was getting up. Being a lucky backpacker, I was able to make a grilled cheese sammie off the remains of the free shelf. Bonus! :) We decided to go to Manly Beach for the afternoon, then we were going to trek over to Bondi Beach. As it was raining, we brought our gear this time and decided to tough it out. Manly Beach was beautiful and full of surfers despite the miserable weather. We had a delicious sandwhich at a little local deli for lunch ~ something that was certainly missing from our diets in Asia. We ventured around in search of a thrift store, it took us twice as long as it should have, and I bought long sleves as I'm serverly unprepared for this colder weather. We ditched the idea to go to Bondi, but enjoyed cruising back on the ferry from Manly. It was a lovely evening and the city lights were all up. Fantastic fun.
Friday evening back at the ranch ... my girls Fi, Lindsay, and Laura were chilling and drinking. They don't do drinking games back home, so I taught them a few tricks that I had up my sleve. Mike went to the convience store and we attempted to teach our friends flip cup. I never thought I'd say "They are too drunk for flip cup" but that's what happened. After the receptionist at the hostel asked our crew and the other crew of drinkers to quiet down a few times, I ended up going out with Fi and Laura. We went to the Old Fitzroys Hotel. Being super cool backpackers, they give you a little book when you check in at the hostel for 15 free drinks at different pubs all throughout the city. Old Fitzroys was the closest one to the hostel and since it was still monsooning but we wanted to go out, we went there. It ended up being a jolly good time. We made friends with the bartender and some how ended up staying past the close of the bar at 12:30 am. The afterparty was fun but not really necessary ... Mike woke me up at 4:40 am to leave for the airport. I got less than three hours of sleep. (Mike didn't go out since he's such a good boy and so he got a few more than I did ....)
Monday, June 11, 2007
No Gum Chewing Allowed!
Ahhhh ... Singapore! It is a very small, but modern country. The streets are clean, things run very efficiently here. Better than anywhere else we've been in the last 5 weeks. The travel book tries to make it sound like Singapore is trying to project itself as a modern place, but not a totally westernized place. I don't know why this is. Everything here reminds me of home, just a bit cleaner and without the bubble gum.
Shopaholics, beware! So far, all of the tourist places we've visited are mall-centered. The largest fountain in the world is at the base of a 5 tower giant mall & office complex. They have a historic hotel, "world famous", that dates from the later 1800s and it is also attached to a mall. The war memorial that we saw is across from yet another mall. Bored, Mike and I tried to hit the cinema. Unfortunately for us, they are only showing three English flicks over here. Shrek 3, Pirates 3, and Ocean's 13. We've already seen them. (2 in Bangkok and 1 yesterday in Malaka, Malaysia.) What a drag, eh? So here we are at the Internet cafe... since there is no TV at the hostel we're staying in. Unlike the hostels in Malaysia, this one is immaculate. Very clean, has locks for our stuff that are reliable, and AC at no extra charge! Yippie. It'd be perfect if there was a TV for us to sit around and veg out watching.
Ohhh ... I just realized I didn't write about yesterday in Malaka. It was fantastic fun. [I don't know if I'm in a mood today or Mike's in a mood ... perhaps both of us are? Or we're just tired?] Malaka is an older, small historic town. They have churches, which are locked up even on Sundays with signs that say "open to the public daily" and an cute little old city center. The old and historic buildings are something to look at, and they have of course, a fantasticly huge and modern mall. I did cave and buy this super cute little sweater for almost $10 USD (a small fortune!) but I'm sure I'll need it as we're going south to winter in Australia in 2 days. Totally a justified purchase. He he he. We also found Chinatown. There were a few temples we walked by (booooring ~ we've been to too many temples to care now) and some fantastic antique shops. I wish I had the space to buy some of the really amazing antiques. They have all sorts of stuff from 300 years ago. Mike is a coin collector and we stumbled upon a great old shop. He bought a VOC (Dutch East India Company) coin from 1766 along with 10 other coins for about $35 USD. The lady even tossed in a simple silver ring I was eyeing and didn't feel like paying for. Lovely lady, lovely shop. After we got the coins, we ended up at the mall and watched Ocean's 13 and went bowling. Such a lovely evening!!
Perhaps we'll get lucky tomorrow and find something non-shopping related to do ...
Either way, it's almost time for Australia! We fly there on the 13th and are spending two days in Sydney. I can't wait....
UPDATE: Met two super cool Canadians back at the hostel and spent all of Tuesday hanging out with them. Had great girl chat while the boys complained about us girls not being "team walkers." Blah. It was a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon and it was a shame to say goodbye to our North American friends. :)
Shopaholics, beware! So far, all of the tourist places we've visited are mall-centered. The largest fountain in the world is at the base of a 5 tower giant mall & office complex. They have a historic hotel, "world famous", that dates from the later 1800s and it is also attached to a mall. The war memorial that we saw is across from yet another mall. Bored, Mike and I tried to hit the cinema. Unfortunately for us, they are only showing three English flicks over here. Shrek 3, Pirates 3, and Ocean's 13. We've already seen them. (2 in Bangkok and 1 yesterday in Malaka, Malaysia.) What a drag, eh? So here we are at the Internet cafe... since there is no TV at the hostel we're staying in. Unlike the hostels in Malaysia, this one is immaculate. Very clean, has locks for our stuff that are reliable, and AC at no extra charge! Yippie. It'd be perfect if there was a TV for us to sit around and veg out watching.
Ohhh ... I just realized I didn't write about yesterday in Malaka. It was fantastic fun. [I don't know if I'm in a mood today or Mike's in a mood ... perhaps both of us are? Or we're just tired?] Malaka is an older, small historic town. They have churches, which are locked up even on Sundays with signs that say "open to the public daily" and an cute little old city center. The old and historic buildings are something to look at, and they have of course, a fantasticly huge and modern mall. I did cave and buy this super cute little sweater for almost $10 USD (a small fortune!) but I'm sure I'll need it as we're going south to winter in Australia in 2 days. Totally a justified purchase. He he he. We also found Chinatown. There were a few temples we walked by (booooring ~ we've been to too many temples to care now) and some fantastic antique shops. I wish I had the space to buy some of the really amazing antiques. They have all sorts of stuff from 300 years ago. Mike is a coin collector and we stumbled upon a great old shop. He bought a VOC (Dutch East India Company) coin from 1766 along with 10 other coins for about $35 USD. The lady even tossed in a simple silver ring I was eyeing and didn't feel like paying for. Lovely lady, lovely shop. After we got the coins, we ended up at the mall and watched Ocean's 13 and went bowling. Such a lovely evening!!
Perhaps we'll get lucky tomorrow and find something non-shopping related to do ...
Either way, it's almost time for Australia! We fly there on the 13th and are spending two days in Sydney. I can't wait....
UPDATE: Met two super cool Canadians back at the hostel and spent all of Tuesday hanging out with them. Had great girl chat while the boys complained about us girls not being "team walkers." Blah. It was a very enjoyable way to spend the afternoon and it was a shame to say goodbye to our North American friends. :)
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Shopaholic Finds Chinatown! :)
Oooh chinatown! I'm loving it!! We managed to find another decent market with all sorts of wonderfully cheap things to buy. My backpack is getting close to full, its also getting quite heavy.... But I have been so good so far. Almost all the way through Southeast Asia and yet to purchase a designer handbag or wallet. Talk about self-control! I should get a medal! ;) But alas, I will go to the market next and score a bag and ideally, a matching wallet for myself. Last night I bought two pairs of sunglasses for less than 10 USD. Fab, fab.
Yesterday we went to the Malaysian history museum. As far as museums go, it was pretty average. The Museum in Bangkok was 10 times better. Oh well. We learned a lot about pre-historic times and a bit about trading, then the usual colonization by the Europeans bit. We also read up on the Japanese invasion and occupation and the "glory" of modern Malaysia. Across the street is the largest flagpole and biggest flag in SE Asia or Asia (can't remember). Oooh aahhh. Then we got Oreo McFlurries at McD's and waited out the rain. For dinner, we found a reggie bar which had great ambiance. We got a candle for eating, I got the "ladys drink special" meaning my drink was 1/2 as much as Mike's (sweeet!) and a yummy snack. The portions over here are quite small in comparison to what we're used to, but our waitress (?) was a trani, so that keeps it interesting. (They are all over the place here.)
This morning, we awoke and headed over to the Patronas Towers. They're the largest twin towers in the world, the 3rd largest buildings in the world. They were in Entrapment if you saw that one. Anywho, we waited in line for our free ticket to the sky bridge on the 41st floor (about 1/2 way up). It only took us about 1/2 hour and our tickets were for 4:15 pm. Then off to Times Square, which is really just a boring mall. Boo. From there, we navigated over to the KL Tower and went up that. It was really quite fun and we got great views for pictures. Yippie!! After the KL tower, we ate like real locals. My food was 5.20 ringet (about $1.5) and Mike's was 8.40 ($2 something). I can't tell ya what we ate, but it was a little self-serve buffet and yummy. :) Then we went back towards the KLCC and Patronas Towers. They have the most insanely upscale mall there. Not just Tiffanys, but stores I've never seen in a mall at home. Everything from Cartier, Gucci, Gergigo Armani, Hermes, A/X, and so on. Mike and I couldn't have afforded anything there ... well, maybe a cup of coffee but that looked too expensive too and neither one of us drink it anyway. Then we hung out in their lovely park. It has a playground (I got some good height on the swing), a splash pool (no lifeguards needed, they don't sue like Americans do), an actual running track, a pond with fountains, lovely landscaped overhangs of vines for shade, all pulled together very nicely. So pretty. Why don't we have more lovely park space back home??
And now I better jet... Mike's been giving me the "are you done yet" eye from across the internet cafe. I think he probably was done 20 minutes ago....
Yesterday we went to the Malaysian history museum. As far as museums go, it was pretty average. The Museum in Bangkok was 10 times better. Oh well. We learned a lot about pre-historic times and a bit about trading, then the usual colonization by the Europeans bit. We also read up on the Japanese invasion and occupation and the "glory" of modern Malaysia. Across the street is the largest flagpole and biggest flag in SE Asia or Asia (can't remember). Oooh aahhh. Then we got Oreo McFlurries at McD's and waited out the rain. For dinner, we found a reggie bar which had great ambiance. We got a candle for eating, I got the "ladys drink special" meaning my drink was 1/2 as much as Mike's (sweeet!) and a yummy snack. The portions over here are quite small in comparison to what we're used to, but our waitress (?) was a trani, so that keeps it interesting. (They are all over the place here.)
This morning, we awoke and headed over to the Patronas Towers. They're the largest twin towers in the world, the 3rd largest buildings in the world. They were in Entrapment if you saw that one. Anywho, we waited in line for our free ticket to the sky bridge on the 41st floor (about 1/2 way up). It only took us about 1/2 hour and our tickets were for 4:15 pm. Then off to Times Square, which is really just a boring mall. Boo. From there, we navigated over to the KL Tower and went up that. It was really quite fun and we got great views for pictures. Yippie!! After the KL tower, we ate like real locals. My food was 5.20 ringet (about $1.5) and Mike's was 8.40 ($2 something). I can't tell ya what we ate, but it was a little self-serve buffet and yummy. :) Then we went back towards the KLCC and Patronas Towers. They have the most insanely upscale mall there. Not just Tiffanys, but stores I've never seen in a mall at home. Everything from Cartier, Gucci, Gergigo Armani, Hermes, A/X, and so on. Mike and I couldn't have afforded anything there ... well, maybe a cup of coffee but that looked too expensive too and neither one of us drink it anyway. Then we hung out in their lovely park. It has a playground (I got some good height on the swing), a splash pool (no lifeguards needed, they don't sue like Americans do), an actual running track, a pond with fountains, lovely landscaped overhangs of vines for shade, all pulled together very nicely. So pretty. Why don't we have more lovely park space back home??
And now I better jet... Mike's been giving me the "are you done yet" eye from across the internet cafe. I think he probably was done 20 minutes ago....
In the Jungle, the mighty Jungle the Lizzy sleeps tonight....
The Cameron Highlands is a nice mountainous region in Malaysia. We arrived via a 'VIP' bus (it costs a few extra ringet for the Super VIP) on a very windy, twisty road. I have to admit my stomach was a bit jiggly and not happy when we arrived. As usual, people from the hostels greet you and try to convince you to come along with them. We picked Daniel's Lodge and headed off in a small van. The hostel was basic, but it only cost 8 ringet (slightly more than $2) so I didn't complain. Mike liked our crumbly hostel back in Georgetown better, I preferred the showers in the Cameron Highlands for no particular reason. (I think I'm starting to develop thicker backpacker skin.) In Malaysia they always have tons of DVDs for you to browse and watch at the hostels since they are all pirated copies anyway. We watched Blood Diamond. It ruled!! I strongly recommend it for all.
After we watched Blood Diamond, Mike and I got chatting with another couple from England. They had picked up an American traveler along the way and the 5 of us went to grab some dinner. I don't know where this crazy American kid came from, he was so odd. He doesn't watch or own a TV ~ need I say more?? The British couple were delightful for conversation (they brought up things they hated while traveling, most people gloss over and say nice things) and the food was very filling and yummy. Mike got some delicious venison. I was a bit jealous after it arrived.
After dinner, we went around the campfire and had a beer. Oh how I was wishing for a s'more. None to be had, of course. We met the craziest German guy ever. He was rude and insulting as well as nuts. He picked on us for being Americans (big surprise) and went off on a range of other things. Mike and I shared numerous glances back and forth while he was ranting and we were trying to figure out how we could end the conversation and get to bed. Eventually we got around to his dogs and off the hook. Yikes. I am glad we didn't run into him again. Total asshole.
We woke up the next morning and bought a "map" of the Cameron Highlands so we would be able to pick a good walking trek. The map was nearly useless, but only 4 ringet so whatever. We had some breakfast but the portions were so small that both Mike and I being "fat" americans ordered two. Jeepers. Anyway, we selected track 8. It went by a waterfall that was totally lame after being to Chang Mai (or is it spelled Mei?). We didn't even bother snapping a picture of it. 8 is listed as being the steepest in the guidebook. It was a mountain to climb. It was a good adventure though and I enjoyed the strenuous trek... I think. Mike was faster than I and I do believe I slowed us down. Ah well. Whacha gonna do??
After our trek and lunch, we decided we'd go visit a tea plantation. (They are a big thing in the area, that and strawberry farms.) The lady at the hostel told us a local bus goes nearby and its cheap, so we figured we'd do that. Ha ha ha. No such luck. We waited at the bus station for about 1/2 hour for the bus we thought would take us there. The bus hung out at the depo for another 1/2 hour before the driver appeared to board. When he was collecting money, he asked where we wanted to go and told us we were on the wrong bus. We could wait another 1/2 hour or so for the next one. Mike and I gave up and negotiated with a taxi driver. Of course, by the time we arrived the tea plantation and factory was closed. Joy! And it was pouring rain! Double fun. And our taxi was gone. Triple fun! We decided to pay the 5 ringet for the butterfly farm. It was totally lame. I'm super happy it was cheap. With nothing else to do, we started to walk back in the rain. We managed to do okay for a bit, while continually looking for a taxi to hail. Eventually we did get one and ended up back in town. Thank goodness!! Time for another relaxing night with cool mountain air back at the hostel. They even have hot water for showers. Ahhhh....
After we watched Blood Diamond, Mike and I got chatting with another couple from England. They had picked up an American traveler along the way and the 5 of us went to grab some dinner. I don't know where this crazy American kid came from, he was so odd. He doesn't watch or own a TV ~ need I say more?? The British couple were delightful for conversation (they brought up things they hated while traveling, most people gloss over and say nice things) and the food was very filling and yummy. Mike got some delicious venison. I was a bit jealous after it arrived.
After dinner, we went around the campfire and had a beer. Oh how I was wishing for a s'more. None to be had, of course. We met the craziest German guy ever. He was rude and insulting as well as nuts. He picked on us for being Americans (big surprise) and went off on a range of other things. Mike and I shared numerous glances back and forth while he was ranting and we were trying to figure out how we could end the conversation and get to bed. Eventually we got around to his dogs and off the hook. Yikes. I am glad we didn't run into him again. Total asshole.
We woke up the next morning and bought a "map" of the Cameron Highlands so we would be able to pick a good walking trek. The map was nearly useless, but only 4 ringet so whatever. We had some breakfast but the portions were so small that both Mike and I being "fat" americans ordered two. Jeepers. Anyway, we selected track 8. It went by a waterfall that was totally lame after being to Chang Mai (or is it spelled Mei?). We didn't even bother snapping a picture of it. 8 is listed as being the steepest in the guidebook. It was a mountain to climb. It was a good adventure though and I enjoyed the strenuous trek... I think. Mike was faster than I and I do believe I slowed us down. Ah well. Whacha gonna do??
After our trek and lunch, we decided we'd go visit a tea plantation. (They are a big thing in the area, that and strawberry farms.) The lady at the hostel told us a local bus goes nearby and its cheap, so we figured we'd do that. Ha ha ha. No such luck. We waited at the bus station for about 1/2 hour for the bus we thought would take us there. The bus hung out at the depo for another 1/2 hour before the driver appeared to board. When he was collecting money, he asked where we wanted to go and told us we were on the wrong bus. We could wait another 1/2 hour or so for the next one. Mike and I gave up and negotiated with a taxi driver. Of course, by the time we arrived the tea plantation and factory was closed. Joy! And it was pouring rain! Double fun. And our taxi was gone. Triple fun! We decided to pay the 5 ringet for the butterfly farm. It was totally lame. I'm super happy it was cheap. With nothing else to do, we started to walk back in the rain. We managed to do okay for a bit, while continually looking for a taxi to hail. Eventually we did get one and ended up back in town. Thank goodness!! Time for another relaxing night with cool mountain air back at the hostel. They even have hot water for showers. Ahhhh....
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Another Temple???
We arrived safely in Malaysia yesterday. I have to admit we were a bit skeptical before we got to the border. In Kho Samui, the travel agent explained only 1 bus company was still serving the route we wanted to go because Southern Thailand has some small terrorist factions or something. We didn't have any trouble and didn't hear anything about it during our LOOONG day from Kho Samui to Phanag, Malaysia. We had our travel agent lady drive us to a mini-bus, got on a ferry, back on the mini-bus, switched mini-buses and then drove all the way down here. It took us all day ~ roughly 13 hours to travel this distance. It seems like it should have gone quicker, but what else can you do but be a good sport about it?
After crossing into Malaysia, instantly you notice their infrastructure. Their highways are very modern and extremely good -- they remind me of home. The roads through the rest of southeast Asia are a bit patchy, particularly in Cambodia & Vietnam. We certainly survived them, but its nice to be a bit closer to civilization. We spent today cruising around Georgetown, Malaysia's second largest city but still very small when compared to home. We climbed up Kek Lok Si Temple which has a fantastic view out over the city. The temple is very different from the ones we've seen already. The color scheme is all bold colors in contrast with one another and I think it looks a bit tacky. It's also no where near as ornate as the Temple of the Jade Buddha which is covered in gold back in Bangkok. Its so funny ~ I never pictured myself to be one who'd be comparing the decorations of Buddhist temples. We also walked down by the waterfront, which is a bit scuzzy and polluted (think Atlantic City) and then crossed by Little India. We'll go back that way for dinner, I hope the Indian food is yummy! :)
After crossing into Malaysia, instantly you notice their infrastructure. Their highways are very modern and extremely good -- they remind me of home. The roads through the rest of southeast Asia are a bit patchy, particularly in Cambodia & Vietnam. We certainly survived them, but its nice to be a bit closer to civilization. We spent today cruising around Georgetown, Malaysia's second largest city but still very small when compared to home. We climbed up Kek Lok Si Temple which has a fantastic view out over the city. The temple is very different from the ones we've seen already. The color scheme is all bold colors in contrast with one another and I think it looks a bit tacky. It's also no where near as ornate as the Temple of the Jade Buddha which is covered in gold back in Bangkok. Its so funny ~ I never pictured myself to be one who'd be comparing the decorations of Buddhist temples. We also walked down by the waterfront, which is a bit scuzzy and polluted (think Atlantic City) and then crossed by Little India. We'll go back that way for dinner, I hope the Indian food is yummy! :)
Lunar Craziness and Scenic Bungalows
They say that the full moon brings out the crazies. In Kho Phangan, Thailand; when the full moon is out they throw a party that is not for the week. The Full Moon Party is probably the most insane party I've been to in my life. The beach is full of party people and music floods in from all directions. Mike and I choose not to stay on Kho Phangan, but picked Kho Samui ~ a very nearby island ~ instead. The ferry ride between the two is only about an hour. As we walked from the ferry pier to the beach party, they sell everything from Full Moon Energy drinks, buckets, and neon body paint to splash all over your scantily clad body. Mike and I did feel slightly overdressed when we arrived in clothing, as opposed to our swimsuits. Oh well. They sell 'buckets' for about 250 baht ($6-7 USD) all over the place. They give you a cute little pail (the kind a child would play with on the beach) and dump a flask of the local whiskey, your soda of choice, and red bull into the pail and fill it to the brim with ice, and throw in a few straws for good measure. If you some how manage to finish one, I'm not so sure how you're still standing. Most people drink part the way through and trashed and therefore abandon it on the beach to go enjoy the party. [Drugs also are available at the party from random sketchy people walking the beach... but I wasn't game for trying any of that schnanagins.] They warned us not to take off our shoes or set anything down, the locals scrounge the beach and steal it all. Many a backpacker has awoken on the beach without anything and needing to go buy their shoes back from a local. Regardless, the moon is full and lighting the beach and the music plays loud and clear all night long. The different bars belt out different tunes -- techno/house stuff as well as pop and classics mix on the beach. I have to admit that I throughly enjoyed the party and went a bit crazy with the other full mooners. :)
We arrived to Kho Samui on June 1st, which was the date of the full moon party, and therefore enjoyed our first night partying all night. We crashed back at our beach bungalow -- New Hut Bungalows which cost us 300 baht/night until about 2 pm the next day. Kho Samui is a very scenic island and we were apparently there during off-season. We didn't see too many people around and were able to walk the long stretch of beach and enjoy ourselves. Most of the day we lazied around, read a little, listened to the iPod, and just relaxed. You can get a Thai massage on the beach for only 200 baht/hour. So cheap!! Time becomes irrelevant as you just waste the day away. When we went to check out, they tried to charge us for 4 nights and we seriously had to think about how long we spent on the island because it just sort of melts away. We also had the pleasure of catching a fantastic thunder and rainstorm on the 2nd night. The lightening was just illuminating the sky as we were walking back to the bungalow from dinner. It also served to nicely cool off the evening and make it comfortable to sleep, since we were not paying for Air Conditioning ~ just a fan to get by. Next time I'm in Thailand, I'll certainly wash up on Kho Samui and lounge around for a bit ... it was so reasonable and relaxing.
We arrived to Kho Samui on June 1st, which was the date of the full moon party, and therefore enjoyed our first night partying all night. We crashed back at our beach bungalow -- New Hut Bungalows which cost us 300 baht/night until about 2 pm the next day. Kho Samui is a very scenic island and we were apparently there during off-season. We didn't see too many people around and were able to walk the long stretch of beach and enjoy ourselves. Most of the day we lazied around, read a little, listened to the iPod, and just relaxed. You can get a Thai massage on the beach for only 200 baht/hour. So cheap!! Time becomes irrelevant as you just waste the day away. When we went to check out, they tried to charge us for 4 nights and we seriously had to think about how long we spent on the island because it just sort of melts away. We also had the pleasure of catching a fantastic thunder and rainstorm on the 2nd night. The lightening was just illuminating the sky as we were walking back to the bungalow from dinner. It also served to nicely cool off the evening and make it comfortable to sleep, since we were not paying for Air Conditioning ~ just a fan to get by. Next time I'm in Thailand, I'll certainly wash up on Kho Samui and lounge around for a bit ... it was so reasonable and relaxing.
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