Mike and Trin's Travel Blog

Vanuatu

2009-01-13T21:17:00.000-08:00

(see map) trin: We dove, snorkeled, tried the kava (it seriously tastes like dirt and I don't recommend it). Mainly we spent the time in Vanuatu relaxing and reflecting on the past year. It has truly been the trip of a lifetime. We've learned a lot about the world and how to travel it together.

That being said, we are genuinely excited to be returning home. California is a special place and we appreciate all that it has to offer now more than ever.

Thanks for reading!

Love Mike & Trin

Wooleys Bay

2009-01-03T05:49:00.000-08:00

(see map) trin: We planned to meet up with my Dad on the North Island of New Zealand. Eventually we settled on the Tutukaka Coast where he rented a beach house for the holidays. Other than the lack of surf, it couldn't have worked out better. Coming to the end of our trip, Mike and I were either worn down or wound up depending on the day. Settling into Wooleys Bay without an immediate departure date looming over our heads allowed us to decompress. Mike took advantage of the internet connection and started his job hunt. I enjoyed having my own kitchen and laundry machine. It gave us time to prepare for coming home.

Our Bach (derived from Bachelor Pad, a rustic second home on the beach) was on a hill overlooking a beautiful bay to the east and lush farmland to the west.

Our view from the front deck.

Laundry Day

Trying to capture the sunset.

While there we celebrated Christmas and New Years. It was difficult for the three of us to wrap our heads around Christmas. It was warm and sunny and everyone around us was on their summer vacation. Very different from our typical chilly Christmas with football games on the tv.

But, on Christmas Eve we did our best. In an effort to evoke the Christmas spirit, I made lots of food and streamed Christmas music over the internet.

Dad embraced the local customs and went surfing.

Unable to find a small ham, the three of us ate leftovers for a week.

Pavlova a traditional dessert in Australia and New Zealand.

Without football we turned to our latest game, Yahtzee! We are still playing with our Dutch Score Pads (from our friends in Muang Noi). So, half the fun was pronouncing things like Grote Straat instead of Big Strait.

On Christmas Day we took a scenic drive up the coast to the adorable town of Russel on the Bay of Islands. There we went for a little hike and enjoyed ice cream cones along the shore.

The cutest police station I've ever seen.

At some point during the visit my Dad told me his day wasn't complete until I said "Oh... Dad..." This was one of the moments.

Bay of Islands

After Christmas, our neighbors continued to enjoy their summer holidays which were rooted in wholesome family fun. It wore off on us and when we weren't lounging around we went for hikes and played Frisbee on the beach.

On New Years Eve we went diving at the Poor Knight Islands which was much colder than we are use to but had really different plant and fish life. It was a great way to wrap up '08, an memorable year for both of us.

That evening we grilled some steaks and then headed over to the neighbors for a drink. From there we went down to Wooleys Farm where we enjoyed their enormous bonfire.

Considering we made no plans and spent no money, we all agreed it was a pretty cool New Years Eve.

Wellington to Rotorua

2008-12-19T19:13:00.001-08:00

(see map) trin: We departed the ferry in Wellington on December 14th which happened to be Steve's birthday.

Having lived in Wellington while working on The Lord of the Rings and King Kong he had a few friends to meet up. That night we went out to one of his favorite restaurants, Mt Fuji Teppanyaki, where we drank warm sake and took turns trying to catch our dinner as it was flung at us by the chef.

In Wellington we visited the newly open Colossal Squid Exhibit. It was pretty big. Its eyeball is the size of a soccer ball.

Continuing to dodge the wet and windy weather we visited The Da Vinci Machines Exhibit. I have seen it three times now but I am still amazed by the broad range of ideas that came out of that guy's head.

Ok. If you ever visit Wellington you must eat at Pizza Pomodoro. Apparently, the Italian Prime Minister cried after eating a slice on his last visit to New Zealand. Seriously Good Stuff.

From Wellington we started our road trip through the North Island. First stop, Wanganui where we visited the local highlights. One of which was the war memorial in Queens Park.

My Dad, Harley, joined us on the North Island. Here we are in front of New Zealand's largest lake, Lake Taupo.

After many stops at parks and scenic view points, we eventually arrived in sulphur scented Rotorua. As New Zealand's biggest tourist destination, the city has many things to offer: Maori cultural centers, thermal landscapes and extreme attractions. On our first day we focused on the later.

First stop was the Zorb, where we all took turns rolling down the hillside in a giant inflatable ball.

We followed that up with the Swoop, a giant crane operated swing, and Shweeb, racing each other around a track in little glass capsules.

Janelle and I laughing uncontrollably, after her hair raising scream on the free fall.

Mike and my dad get ready to take the Swoop.

Final stop was the gondola ride and luge. With three courses and hairpin turn, Rotorua's luge definitely takes first place in our book. Having a group of friends to race with only added to the fun. Both Steve and I drove off the course as the competition heated up.

borrowed from Kate Bodger

That evening we learned about the Maori culture at a dinner and show.

The Maori warrior comes out of the meeting house to assess if we are threat. After determining we're a bunch of tourist he offered a greeting to our chief.

For the grand finale that evening there was an erupting geyser and stellar sunset.

The following day we headed out of town to the Wai-o-Tapu thermal reserve to see the Lady Knox Geyser erupt and walk through the colorful but smelly thermal pools.

After ten fun filled days, we said goodbye to Janelle & Steve. They started for Auckland and then home for the holidays while we headed to Wooley's Bay in the Northlands with my
Dad.

Christchurch

2008-12-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

(see map) trin: The first day in Christchurch we took a scenic drive to the hilly Banks Peninsula. The drive was long, windy and beautiful. Everything Lonely Planet promised it would be. In the late afternoon we reached the historic town of Akaroa which was the first French settlement in New Zealand. The local descendants still proudly fly the French flag in front of their homes.

In true French fashion we enjoyed a cheese platter and glass of wine at a harbor side cafe before heading back to Christchurch for the evening. Akaroa is definitely a worthwhile day trip.

Janelle and Steve arrived the following day. It was exciting to see her after eleven months and we spent half the day visiting in our hotel room. That afternoon we set out on one of my self-guided walking tours which included lots of stops for snacks and drinks.

A highlight was renting boats at the Antique Boatsheds and taking a leisurely paddle along the Avon River.

Back in Queenstown we had tried Three Boys Beer but we hadn't seen it since. Mike called the company to see where it was sold. The guys was genuinely happy to hear how much we liked the beer and recommended that we try it on tap. So, we finished the tour at Twisted Hop Brewery.

Janelle & Steve brought us crew shirts from their latest project, Benjamin Buttons. Mike and I were stoked to have new shirts and changed into them right away.

Our friends, Jesse and Anna O'steen recently moved to New Zealand with their adorable daughter Lily. We visited them at Anna's family home just north of Christchurch. It was a nice treat to hang out and bar-b-que with friends.

Lily playing with rocks in the planter.

We took a walk on the nearby beach where there happen to be a kite surfing competition.

Janelle and I on the dunes.

Janelle and Lily. She's just so serious.

The following morning we got up early and took the scenic train up the east coast to Picton where we caught the ferry across the Cook Strait to Wellington.

Milford Sound, Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers

2008-12-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

(see map) trin: We took Lonely Planet's advice and decided to kayak on Milford Sound. There are cruises but the idea of paddling up to the sheer massive cliffs was too much to pass up. So, the morning after our hike, before the sun was up, we hauled ourselves out to bed and headed out to Milford Sound.

It was well worth the effort. The glacier carved landscape makes Milford Sound a truly unique place. Not to mention the waterfalls, tree avalanches and wildlife. While on the water we spotted one seal and a few Erect-crested Penguins.

The highway between Te Anau and Milford Sound is a tourist attraction in its own right. Some of the highlights include: Homer Tunnel, Mirror Lake, Sapphire Blue Waterfalls and Meadows carpeted in blooming Lupin.

These little buggers hang out in the parking lots hoping a dumb tourist will give them a snack. The Kia live in the snowy alpine areas and have a reputation for having a bit of an attitude.

Lupin in a riverside meadow.

That night we took a cruise across Lake Te Anau to the Glowworm Caves, where worms that emit a small green light live on the ceiling.

After days of exploring nature on our own being herded through a cave with dozens of other tourist was a bit of a let down. Mike had expected a galaxy of "glowworm stars" but instead he thought it was more like a Los Angeles night sky. That being said, the worms themselves are still pretty cool.

The next day we took an early morning bus back to Queenstown, rented a car and headed northwest towards Fox Glacier and Franz Josef Glacier. On the way we were amazed by the number and size of lakes in New Zealand. Unlike, their Australian neighbors, the Kiwis have no shortage of water.

After several hours of beautiful terrain we arrived at the west coast and stopped to take in a view of the Tasman Sea.

We opted to stay in the town at Franz Josef Glacier supposedly the livelier of the two but did our ice climbing course on Fox Glacier.

I was a little nervous that morning before setting out. While the conditions were not ideal, (it rained the whole time we were on the ice) we both agreed that the climbing was exhilarating and is something we'd like to try again.

Mike reaching the top on his second climb.

Mike repelling down the wall while I belay him.

Lunch time on the ice. Thoroughly soaked we called it a day after eating. The walk back was probably the most challenging part of the day. Due to the rain all of the streams running off the glacier had risen and we had to wade across the freezing water. Not an easy task in stiff climbing boots.

The next day we checked out Franz Josef Glacier from an easy access lookout. Between the trek, kayaking and climbing course we were worn out. I was a little aggressive when planning our South Island itinerary but there was a lot to fit in before heading to Christchurch to meet up with friends.

Routeburn Track

2008-12-04T23:31:00.000-08:00

(see map) trin: The Routeburn Track is one of New Zealand's eight Great Walks. Lonely Planet describes it as "eye-popping alpine scenery." I would describe it with just one word: wet. We had been warned about the rainy weather in the Fjordlands but chose to ignore the forecast and proceeded on our three day "tramp" as planned.

Like the more popular Milford Sound Track, Routeburn is a hut hike. The huts, manned by rangers, offer bunks for sleeping and a large kitchen to prepare your food. The facilities are really nice but we opted use our gear and camp.

Day One: Routeburn Shelter to Flat Huts (6.5km)

Forecast: Some rain

The first day we hiked through a forested valley with a snaking aquamarine river.

We arrived at our camp around one in the afternoon and finished setting up the tent just as it started to rain. After a good soak the sun and blue sky made a rare appearance.

Day Two: Flats Hut to Mackenzie Hut (13.5km)

Forecast: Rain

We hiked in the rain most of the morning which varied between mist and heavy downpours. As we climbed up to Emily Pass the rain turned to snow which believe it or not was an improvement, as it was less wet.

At the Harris Saddle we took refuge in a day use hut and tried to warm up with some hot soup and tea. After lunch we started the descent down into Hollyford Valley.

Lake Harris in the distance.

While wearing my black rain gear and pack cover Mike told me that I looked like a Yard Size Hefty Bag moving along the side of the mountain. I was offended by the term "yard size."

Back below the tree line we were amazed by all of the small scale plant life growing on every surface.

Day Three: Mackenzie Hut to the Divide (12km)

Forecast: Heavy Rains. Sunshine in the late afternoon.

After a night of heavy rains, all of the streams were rushing and crossing became more and more challenging. When we reached Earland Falls there was a flood detour but the detour was flooded too! We literally had to climbed up the side of the waterfall. I wish we had a photo now because its hard to believe how crazy it was. At one point, I reached up to grab on to a rock and saw the arm of my rain jacket fill with water. After that I gave up on trying to stay dry.

As it continued to rain the trail itself became increasingly difficult to navigate. This is the trail!

Of course, the sun came out as soon as we reached the roofed shelter at the end of the hike. While we were disappointed that we missed a lot of the views, it was still a memorable experience. I am glad we did it. Easy to say now that it's over.

The weather was beautiful when we reach our motel in Te Anau and we immediately hung out all our gear to dry in the sun.

Mike only brought one pair of pants on the trek. While I washed and dried his legs, he walked around the town in his Spidey pants. He definitely got some strange looks while doing it.

My Dad was in the area a few days later and took this photo. So, we were able to see what we missed out on.

Queenstown, New Zealand

2008-12-01T01:22:00.000-08:00

(see map) mike: Leaving the hustle and bustle of Sydney behind we flew east to our first stop on New Zealand's south island, Queenstown. So named because it was considered suitable for Queen Victoria herself. It wasn't easy getting out of the airport though. The customs department was by far the most thorough we've encountered. A diligent officer removed our tent and painstakingly examined it for bugs and seeds then sprayed disinfectant and gave our hiking boots a good scrubbin. With such a large percentage of NZ's income coming from agricultural exports (meat, dairy, wool, wood), their extra caution was understandable.

Finally we were out the door and into a taxi. After asking to be taken to Pounamu Apartments and passing signs for places like Lake Wakatipu and Wanaka we had our first encounter with a unique part of New Zealand culture, the Maori, the indigenous Polynesian people. Numbering 600k out of a total NZ population of 4M, their history, culture and presence is much more prevalent here than what we've observed back in the states or in Australia.

Queenstown is a beautiful small town nestled on the shores of the huge Lake Wakatipu. It reminded us a bit of a small town along North Shore Tahoe. Besides the stunning setting, its claim to fame is being the adrenaline capital of the world which started with the first commercial bungee jump. Not being quiet that brave (yet) we signed up for a jet boat trip, scenic-helicopter flight and a gondola ride up the mountain followed by some luging (gravity powered go-kart type things) back down.

Propless jet boats are the only way to navigate the sometimes ultra shallow water in the nearby rivers. The goal of the Shotover Canyon jet boat experience is to haul ass down a river bringing the ~15 occupants as close to the nearby canyon wall as possible while mixing in several high speed 360 degree turns along the way. I was sceptical but found myself yelling with panic after we came within inches of the first giant boulder in our path. Actually I was thankful to be in the middle of the boat instead of the sucker on the outside who ran the risk of a flattened face.

Next up, a helicopter tour around the lake with a stop up on the nearby Remarkable mountain range.

Followed by the Gondola with awesome views of Queenstown and the surrounded area, passed a bungee jump platform to reach the luge.

Queenstown luge. Goal: Race as quickly down the mountain as possible without losing control and crashing. Definitely better than Singapore's, longer and faster with a couple of really steep drops where you can launch a couple of inches into the air. Trinity claimed victory.

The following day I rented a bike and checked out some of the surrounding trails. It felt great to be back on a mountain bike though I quickly realized how rusty I am. My Sea Otter finish time may be slow come April.

This ultra healthy Lupin is everywhere.

We spent the rest of our time hanging around town at a couple of the many tasty restaurants and bars. One thing we began to appreciate was the sun. A couple we met back in Europe warned us that if you have good weather in New Zealand, you need to take advantage and check out the sights and views because there is a good chance you won't see it the next day, or even later the same day for that matter. We initially thought naw, they had bad luck and we generally have good luck. Well, that perspective was about to change.

Sydney, Australia

2008-11-28T01:26:00.000-08:00

(see map) trin: We stayed in Sydney's Potts Point, an ideal location for visiting the sights. While we hit the main points of interest, we spent a majority of our time just walking around the city, window shopping and lounging at cafes & restaurants. I have to admit that we are starting to lose steam and are looking forward to our homecoming.

The famous Coca Cola sign at Kings Cross which is an iconic landmark in Sydney, similar to the Hollywood Sign or Billboards in Time Square.

The first day we set out on foot towards Woolloomooloo Bay.

From there we move onto the Royal Botanical Gardens.

The gardens are extensive and we spent most of the morning wandering around which I thoroughly enjoyed. I have to give Mike credit. He has been a good sport while visiting all the botanical gardens on our trip. When the lunch hour rolled around he was off the hook. Joggers flooded the foot paths and we moved onto the famous Opera House.

Some of the 1,056,006 glossy tiles that cover the Opera House roof.

Although there was a sign saying do not climb, the ten-year-old in Mike could not resist. After several attempts we captured his jump on film and took off before we got kicked out.

That afternoon we walked through a few more neighborhoods: The Rocks, Central Sydney and Darling Harbour.

The following day we took a Sydney Harbor Cruise.

The Prime Minister's house. We were surprised by the location (right on the harbor) and the general lack of security. Very different from our White House.

After the cruise we took public transport to the Sydney Fish Market where we bought some fresh sushi and a bottle of wine which we enjoyed on the picnic tables along the water. In Australia it was common to see people drinking a glass of wine or beer with lunch. Having entered the work force post the three martini lunch, we prudishly found this a little shocking.

Following our leisurely lunch we walked through the bohemian neighborhood, Glebe where I got my hair cut. Nothing big. Just a trim.

It was an unconventional Thanksgiving Day which we wrapped up with dinner at street side cafe.

The following day it was really stormy out. So, we skipped Bondi Beach and the zoo. Instead, we took the day off and watched movies. The only thing missing was the turkey day leftovers. Feeling lazy that evening we took a long walk back to The Rocks for a pint at the highly recommended Lord Nelson's Brewery.

Happy Thanksgiving from Down Under

2008-11-26T23:03:00.000-08:00

If we were ever going to be homesick, today is the day. We love turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy and spending time with family.

At the same time, we are having a blast down here. New posts coming soon. Miss you all.

Love,

Mike & Trin

Whitsunday Islands & Fraser Island

2008-11-25T22:32:00.000-08:00

(see map) trin: We had heard lots of good things about the Whitsunday Islands but we had also been warned it is quite expensive. To mitigate the cost we decided to make use of our camping gear and stay on Hook Island one of the outer islands.

We had a stop over at Whitehaven Beach, the most beautiful beach on Whitsundays Islands.

The beach is made of silica sand and contains no minerals. Because of this it never heats up or burns your feet. We took advantage and threw around the frisbee.

The main reason we chose Hook Island was the offshore snorkeling. The campsites we stayed at were part of Hook Island Resort. We didn't get the Castaway feeling we had originally hoped for but the convenience of transportation and facilities won out.

Stinger-Suit-Man. Swimming in the ocean required donning a lightweight lycra bodysuit to protect us from box and irukandji jellyfish.

The view from the island was beautiful and the wildlife was also entertaining. If not, a little scary. I was reading at the campsite when two crazy looking birds and a giant lizard had a stand off right in front of me. It went on for quite a while until Mike walked back from the beach and broke them up.

Making pasta in the campers' kitchen. A giant goanna lizard resided just outside the door hoping for a bit of food. He managed to give us a fright a couple times.

Transportation - I thought it would be interesting to give everyone an idea of how we get around. Here's a breakdown of our trip from Hook Island to Fraser Island. Please note, not all of our travel days are this grueling.

3pm - Ocean Rafting: We waited several hours for our scheduled transport which never showed. Eventually, the resort radioed the Ocean Rafting boats when they came into range. We wrapped our backpacks in plastic garbage bags and boarded one of the rafts. The seas were rough so we had an exciting but bumpy ride back to Airlie Beach.

6pm - Night Bus: After a quick shower in Airlie Beach we hurried to the station and boarded the Greyhound Bus to Hervey Bay. - I love the night bus... this is sarcasm.

6am - Walking in the Hervey Bay Suburbs: After the twelve hour bus ride we walked past all the big box stores en route to the Safari Jeep rental location.

10am - Fraser Island Ferry: The jeep now loaded with supplies and groceries, we boarded the ferry and rested on the top deck.

11am - Fraser Island: We made it!

People explore Fraser Island in 4WD vehicles. Many younger travelers get put into groups of ten or twelve and then head out in large Range Rovers to become new best friends. Mike and I opted for our own smaller vehicle. So, we could go at our own pace.

Maybe the dingo ate your baby?

The large Wungul Sandblow near our first campsite.

I love dogs but I was a little scared to leave the dingo fenced camping grounds. There are signs everywhere saying things like: Be Dingo Safe or Don't Leave Your Children Unattended

75 Mile Beach was practically deserted once the tides came up and driving on the beach had ceased for the day.

Dinner time. Car camping was fun. With an ice chest and stove our culinary options were infinite.

The view from Indian Head. The water was so clear that we could see turtles and a giant ray in the water below.

A stream crossing. Our little Suzuki was one of the smallest vehicles out there and it did alright on the beach and in the streams. We did manage to get it bogged when we tried to head inland on the softer sand but with the help of some other jeepers (who we happened to be blocking) dug ourselves out.

SS Maheno washed ashore in 1935 where it still sits today.

Climbing another sandblow. Two kilometers seems a lot longer when walking on sand.

Lake Wabby, the oasis at the end of the dunes.

We finished the second day inland at Lake McKenzie. The crystal clear water has no minerals and very little plant or fish life. Its also leaves your skin and hair nice and soft.

That night we camped in the forest and headed back on the ferry in the morning. We really loved Fraser Island and both agreed it was one the highlights of our time in Australia.

Northern Queensland Coast

2008-11-20T22:32:00.000-08:00

(see map) trin: After saying goodbye to our friends in Cairns, we rented a car and headed north to Cape Tribulation, where the Great Barrier meets the shore and the hills are covered with ancient rain forests.

On the drive up there are beautiful beaches everywhere but due to jellyfish and crocodiles, swimming is highly discouraged.

There are also warning signs for Cassowaries, giant prehistoric like birds. If they wanted to, they could kill you. A little scary when hiking in their natural territory.

The rain forest canopy in Daintree National Park.

I know we are all suppose the love the rain forest and I do. But, I have come to realize that I just don't like hiking in it. Its hot and sticky. There are vines and stumps to trip on. Unlike our house plants, all the palms have thorns. Not to mention, the numerous bugs and spiders.

Tarzan - Ahahh...

Mike hanging around.

A pit stop at the Mossman Gorge. I love swimming in the river and sitting on a hot rock in the sun. It instantly takes me back to my teens.

On our way down the coast we stayed in Port Douglas, a chic chic tourist town. At the marina, we enjoyed the sunset over a bucket of shrimp.

Other than that, we didn't really do much. Mike planned out the remainder of our time in Australia. I read by the pool and we strolled around the town like good tourists.

Its long beach is mostly deserted with the exception of the immediate area around the stinger net which keep the potentially deadly jellyfish out.

Wading out, it feels a bit like a kiddie pool.

Between Cairns and Port Douglas is Trinity Beach.

Mike cruising on the other side. After all the long drives in Australia, he's now comfortable on the left side but fears he'll be messed up when we get home.

We continued south to Airlie Beach, the starting point for visits out to the Whitsunday Islands. There is an awesome free lagoon where families and backpackers lounge along side one another.

I was impressed by all the parks and facilities in Australia. Everything is really well maintained and clean which is great for me.

Cairns

2008-11-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

(see map) Mike: We were excited our friends Doug & Sarah would be able to meet up with the four of us after the dive boat. In true Doug fashion, he found this sweet three bedroom apartment overlooking Cairns for us to enjoy. Easily the nicest pad we've had in the last year.

He had this to say....

After reading Mike & Trin’s blog prior to our rendezvous, we felt as if we were cheating ourselves to meet in such a westernized location, but nonetheless were stoked we had the opportunity we did.

We did our best to instill some home cooking in their lives….a little burritos with hot sauce that tasted like ketchup. A little off from San Luis Mexican food, but would do for now.

Great Barrier Reef Dive Boat

2008-11-13T13:31:00.000-08:00

(see map) Shondra: When Mike and Trin left for their trip, we thought it would be a great idea to try to meet up with them somewhere along the way. We decided on Australia and made plans to go scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. Mike and Trin are “ScubaPros” and Ryan and I are just beginners, so we thought it would be a good chance to get some diving tips and follow their lead underwater.

We happened to be on the same flight as the Murphy’s from Sydney to Cairns, so we met up at the airport and after ten months of not seeing them, it was great to catch up. Once we made it to Cairns, we checked into our hostel, and headed out to see the town. We had an espresso, dinner, Mike shaved his beard, and we headed to bed early in preparation for our 6 AM dive boat pick up.

Ryan and I were wide awake at 4 AM (jetlag) and took some photos of the low tide off the Cairns boardwalk.

Then we were off to the reef on our dive boat, the ScubaPro II.

We motored out to the first reef, and it took about three hours to get there, in pretty rough waters. None of us had our sea legs yet, so we may have gotten just a little sea sick. But as soon as we started diving, we all felt much better.

The dive boat had a great schedule, it went something like this:

6:00 – Dive
7:00 – Breakfast
9:00 – Dive
10:00 – Snack
12:00 – Lunch
2:00 – Dive
5:00 – Dinner
7:00 – Dive
8:00 – Cake

We loved it, the food was great and although it seems like a lot of eating, we were starving every time we got back from a dive.

Since Ryan and I were doing the certification course, we didn’t get to dive with Mike and Trin until the end of Day 2. But we had some great dives when we did get to go together. We saw some amazing coral and heaps of tropical fish and other sea life. Some of the highlights were turtles, reef sharks, lionfish, cuddlefish, eels and parrot fish. Mike and Trin said this was one of the top ten dive spots in their fifty dives. Ryan and I had never dove anywhere else, so we were very impressed.

Trin all geared up to dive

There’s one of the many reef sharks! They’re little guys….not very scary at all.

One of the reefs we dove on

Overall, it was really amazing to dive the Great Barrier Reef and especially to be able to do it with friends. We were glad to be able to spend some time with Mike and Trin and we even learned some things we hadn’t known before. We found out that Mike is fascinated with China and Trin loves to do laundry, very interesting!

Western Australia

2008-11-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

(see map) mike: After four months in Southeast Asia and one in Nepal, we felt a mix of elation and sadness on our flight to Perth. We were we looking forward to things like drinking water from the tap, eating food without fear of a stomach crisis, speaking English as a first language and walking the streets without being hassled by vendors. Our concern was that this new found comfort would leave us longing for the travel experiences and challenges we faced in Asia. Time will tell.

The financial crisis news was everywhere and while it had me worried about my job prospects upon return, it led to a huge US dollar rally against Australia's. To our surprise we'd enjoy a 30% discount vs. arriving just a couple of weeks back. This was welcome news after being crushed in Europe. The only bummer was we already booked our pricey Great Barrier Reef dive trip a couple of months before the change.

PERTH:

Perth was a nice mellow reintroduction to the developed world. Kind of like a Midwest capital. We quickly resumed our Europe routine. Sipped cappuccinos with a magazine as we watched the world go by, perused an art gallery in the nearby town of Fremantle and generally soaked up the missed comforts of western living.

I thought America was bad about abusing the Christmas theme, it's still October!

ROAD TRIP:

I was definitely apprehensive about driving on the wrong, I mean other, side of the road but we decided to rent a car and a take a road trip around the southwest region. After a few minutes with the car I had managed to do the following things:

1. Sit in the passenger seat and wonder, where's the steering wheel?
2. Activate the windshield whippers instead of the turn signal
3. Hit the curb and ride the shoulder on the left hand side

Undeterred, we headed south towards Albany. After an hour we began to appreciate how spread out the people are on this massive island. There are only 21 million people here (nearly all along the coasts) which is shocking when compared to California's 36 million. Put another way this works out to roughly 6 people per square mile vs. over 200 in California. It was common to drive for thirty minutes without encountering another soul.

Our first kangaroo crossing sign! Many locals consider them to be a nuisance but I think they are completely surreal.

Albany is surrounded by state parks and beaches. The chilly water is a beautiful Caribbean blue.

Little Beach, Two People's Bay National Park

Giant rock archway, The Gap, Torndirrup National Park

Halloween isn't widely celebrated here but our hostel put on a costume party none the less. Trin painted on some scars. I put on my black base layers and snorkel mask in an attempt to look like a scuba diver. It took a couple of beers to get over the fact that I was running around in public in tights.

Next we headed inland towards the small town of Pemberton. We checked the nearby Lonely Planet highlight, Valley of the Giants, which is a 100+ foot high walkway through the trees, pretty cool.

I put my fear of heights to the test with a climb up Gloucester Tree which originally served as a fire lookout until the 70s. Two foot rebar steps wind up 200 feet to a platform overlooking the surrounding karri forest. My first thought was, ok, where is the liability waiver form? The first twenty steps were no problem. Half way up though, I admit my heart rate was really pumping but decided I couldn't turn back after two kids zoomed fearlessly past me.

The platform on top was swaying in the breeze so I snapped this photo and hurried back down.

We unwound with some with a Pemberton Shiraz along with a small mountain of cheese followed by a visit to the olive oil tasting room. We were determined to return to our pre Himalayan trek weight.

Trin, can I have a bite?

Next stop, the southwest's premier wine area, Margaret River. Here we enjoyed a group wine tour (Bushtucker) which also included stops at at brewery, cheese factory and chocolate factory. Wine, Beer, Cheese, Chocolate! Who could ask for anything more?

Giant bowls full of chocolate chips. We were advised not to take too many at one time to avoid a melting mess.

Chocolate in the making.

Four winery stops with five tastings each followed by a beer sampler ensured everyone had a great time.

Overall, the Southwest region reminded us of a Northern California Road trip. Most visitors to Australia tend to stick to the east coast but we thoroughly enjoyed our road trip and were happy with the decision to stop over here.

THE RILEYS:

While in Italy we met an Australian couple, Ian & Shelley, who invited us to stay over at their place in Swan Valley north of Perth. We enthusiastically took them up on the offer and made our way to their beautiful home and horse breeding ranch. They fed us delicious home cooked Australian dinners and let us(Trin) catch up on dirty laundry. Ian and their two sons, William and James, also took some time to introduce me to Cricket. It was humbling to be outmatched by an eight year old bowler!

While everyone was out at work & school, we checked out the nearby Caversham Wildlife Park for some up close encounters with Kangaroos and Koalas.

Here I am with a wombat, cute and cuddly, until you're close enough to smell it.

Our stay with the Riley family was great though definitely left us longing for the comforts of home. Hopefully some diving will get us back in the travel mood!

Seti River and Chitwan National Park, Nepal

2008-10-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

(see map) trin: River rafting was next on our itinerary and we debated between the adrenalin packed Kali Gandaki (four days) and the mellow Seti River (two days). We opted for the easy route down the Seti which would also give us time to visit nearby Chitwan National Park.

Getting ready to depart followed by waiting to depart. There was some sort of hold up (we never really understood what) and we got a late start down the river. While waiting, I took a little nap in the raft.

Sometimes it is such a small world. A few days back on the trek we met Jonathan and Brenda from San Mateo. We were happily surprised when they joined our river rafting trip as well. It's rare that we meet other Americans but when we do they're usually from Northern California.

Our camp on the river bank. On the second day we went through a series of five or six rapids and were done by lunch time.

We caught a ride with Jonathan and Brenda towards Chitwan National Park and were dropped in a town somewhere nearby. From there we took a horse drawn carriage the remainder of the way to Hotel Parkside.

Included in our stay were outings and safaris. The first morning our guide took us down a much calmer river in a carved out canoe.

From the boat we spotted one gharial crocodile warming itself in the morning sun.

On the walking safari we passed through grassland and forest. We saw a group of monkeys and a tiger's territory marking claw marks on a tree. Our guide spotted a sloth bear and was more than a little annoyed when both Mike and I failed to see it.

Rhinoceros are the main attraction of the park and you're nearly guaranteed a sighting on our next stop, the Elephant Safari. It was us and a hundred other tourists riding in little wooden boxes on the top of elephants. We quickly came across three Rhinoceroses with a baby.

The skin is so trippy. It really looks like plates of armour.

During the safari the elephants feed in the grassy areas while the tourist have their pictures taken.

Our elephant was small compared to the others but his tail packed a punch. He would occasionally give my feet a whip. I think they had clipped his tail to keep him from seriously hurting the tourists.

On the way back we stopped at the riverside to see the sunset over the jungle.

The following morning we were up early for the jeep safari. On that trip we spotted wild boars, different types of deer, an owl and two eagles.

Our final outing was the Elephant Breeding Sanctuary where all of the elephants are chained with the exception of the small babies who are coaxed by the guides over to the tourists. Most people seemed to be enjoying themselves but we thought it was sad.

Mike and I already knew we don't do well on guided tours. Now, we've discovered that we lack both the patience and interest to be good wildlife observers. Maybe it is something we'll mature into.

Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Nepal

2008-10-16T04:32:00.000-07:00

(see map) trin: There are many trekking options in Nepal ranging from one to twenty-one days. We considered a few options but after talking with Ramez, another guest in Bandipur, we decided on the ten day trek to the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) with a side trip to Poon Hill on the way.

ABC is a teahouse trek meaning we would eat and sleep at guesthouses. Not having to carry food or camping gear gave us the courage to tackle the ten day itinerary. Through our hotel in Pokhara we hired our guide, Ganga Tamang.

The plan was to hike approx. 70 miles, climb to 13,629 feet and sleep in nine different villages in the process.

And we're off

The permit checkpoint in Nayapul has yet to enter the computer age.

Villagers working together to butcher a buffalo for Dasain. Meat was being thrown onto several piles that would be distributed to the different families. I was taken aback by the amount of meat that just one animal provides.

Attacked by small children asking for sweets while climbing from Tikhedhunga to Ghorepani.

Mike became a walking clothesline after we would wash key items at night.

Our guide, Ganga, waiting for us to catch up. He always wanted to swap bags with Mike to give him a break saying, "don't worry, be happy." Mike never gave into temptation and carried his large pack the whole way.

All of the teahouses are pretty basic. Most of the time the wall that divided us from our neighbor was a single sheet of plywood. When the guy next door snored or coughed it was like he was right there in bed with us.

Our lodge in Ghorepani felt a bit like a fun house. The hallway had a strange tilt to it.

On our third morning we woke up early and hiked up to Poon Hill in the dark.

Seeing the sunrise light up the entire Annapurna Mountain Range was well worth the effort.

The monsoon trickled into October this year and on the first few days we had cloudy skies and rain in the afternoons.

Hiking through the clouds.

A typical guesthouse exterior. On the patio or in dining hall trekkers would gather and share stories. It was common to see the same people each night.

A clear morning in Chhomrong followed by a rainy afternoon in Bamboo.

Taking refuge and having lunch. I guess the baby goats had the same idea.

The bridges became more and more primitive as we progressed up the trail.

A couple days into the trek, we realized there weren't going to be any "easy days." We were either going up or we were going down. There was no such thing as flat.

The day we hiked to Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC), Mike suffered from fatigue and the altitude. At lunch I made the call to stop for the night and proceed to Annapurna Base Camp at dawn.

Feeling better but still a little loopy.

Despite the freezing temperatures at MBC we chose flip flops over our stinky boots.

It's embarrassing. We're twins right down to our socks.

It was still dark out when Ganga woke us for the final 1400 foot climb to Annapurna Base Camp.

ABC, We made it!

Sun beams breaking over the top of Machhapuchhre onto ABC.

Annapurna South (left) and Annapurna 1 (right).

A rescue helicopter that crashed a few months ago when it missed the small landing pad. We asked around but no one seemed to know what they were going to do with it.

Volleyball at ABC. I am jumping in the top photo. Don't you think I am higher than Mike?

Reaching the camp felt like a big accomplishment but we were careful not to congratulate ourselves too much. We still had four days to go.

Seasonal shelter for the local shepherds.

Sheep and goats causing a traffic jam on the trail.

A porter carrying supplies. We never ceased to be amazed by the loads these guys carry.

Our longest cable bridge. Every time I have to cross one of these things, I can't help but think of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Millet. A main crop in the Annapurna area but we never figured out how it is prepared as food. We tried the millet wine and it wasn't that bad.

Sharing the trail with a local woman carrying water from the well.

Nepal's national dish, Dal Baht. All you can eat rice, lentils, veggies and spicy pickle. Good energy food.

We're almost done. Sunrise in Pothana on our last morning.

Machhapuchhre from the trail as we descended to Phedi. We were rewarded with an excellent view on our final day.

Bandipur & Pokhara, Nepal

2008-10-07T04:33:00.000-07:00

(see map) trin: We traveled from Kathmandu to Bandipur to Pokhara on the days leading up to the Hindu holiday Dasain. The buses and roads were full of people on their way to celebrate with family and animals on their way to be sacrificed.

The bus dropped us off in the town of Dumre where we took a jeep up the hill to Bandipur.

The village is high on a ridge and the houses are still constructed in the traditional Nepali style. With no cars and the main street full of playing children, we were immediately taken by the town.

We could just see the peaks of the Annapurna range breaking through the clouds. Even from a distance the size was amazing.

We did a long day hike from Bandipur to Damauli. Along the way we stopped at Ramkot, a remote mountaintop village. We both agree the visit is one of the highlights of our trip, probably due to the authenticity of the experience. Nothing was set up for tourism, we were just visitors passing through and the residents made us feel welcome.

Mike getting a lesson in hulling rice on one family's front porch. There were also women grinding corn using hand grinders made from two large stones.

There are so many children in Nepal, particularly in the villages. I bent down to show these three their photo and was immediately surround by another dozen. All of them smiling and pushing in to get a look. It was one of those special moments.

Visiting a traditional round house constructed from stone and mud. We sat on handwoven cushions made from corn stocks. Most things are grown or made in the village. There are no roads so anything else has to be carried in on someone's back.

Another stop in the village was our guide's best friend's house. He wasn't at home but that didn't stop his mom from serving us pumpkin curry and a fresh batch of chang (a drink made from millet & corn).

Her outdoor kitchen is rustic to say the least but the food was good. Mike had seconds.

As we rested on the sidewalk in Damauli the locals took quite a bit of interest in us (always a good sign that you're off the well established tourist path). I spotted a man across the street taking our photo. It was a little unsettling to be on the other side of the camera but I gave him a big smile which he seemed to appreciate.

A vendor selling vibrant powders for tilakas, colorful markings applied to Hindu's foreheads.

Crowded local transportation.

From Bandipur we bused to Pokhara where we spent two days sightseeing and arranging our trek. As a warm up, we hiked up to Sarangkot at 5280 feet. On a clear day there is an excellent view of the Annapurna Mountain Range. We weren't that lucky and settled for a view back down to Phewa Lake and Pokhara. Clouds were rolling in so we hurried back ahead of the afternoon rain.

No matter how remote, each village builds a bamboo swing for the children to play on during Dasain.

Rice paddies at Lakeside, the tourist area of Pokhara.

Canoe ride across the lake.

The World Peace Pagoda that overlooks Pokhara and Phewa Lake.

In both Kathmandu and Pokhara the streets are lined with trekking supply shops selling imitation North Face. The shop owners took a special interest in our legitimate North Face gear. "Where did you get this jacket? Good quality. How much did it cost?" I think they were worried one of their competitors found a better supplier.

Packing for the trek. We are always concerned with weight and space but when you need to carry a bag for ten days it becomes a much bigger issue.

How did this happen? Can you guess which bag is Mike's?

Trekking in Nepal

2008-10-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

Namaste -

We'll be out of touch for the next ten days, trekking in the Annapurna sanctuary. Our plan - Annapurna Base Camp and back.

We'll catch you up on all of our Nepal adventures when we return. Hope all is well at home.

Love,

Mike & Trin

Kathmandu, Nepal

2008-10-01T03:08:00.000-07:00

(see map) mike: Nestled between China and India, Nepal is probably best known for being home to the Himalayan mountains. Eight of the world's ten tallest peaks are here including the big kahuna, Mount Everest. Inbound tourist itineraries (our include) likely have trekking as a top priority.

Nepal is our first destination mentioned on the US State Department's travel warnings site alongside places like Iraq and Somalia so we weren't exactly sure what to expect. Ongoing fighting had occurred between the government and Maoist (communist) supporters. In the past trekkers would definitely come across Maoist checkpoints where would be required to pay a fee that to support the insurgency. We selfishly found comfort in reading that as of August a Maoist prime minister was sworn into office and violence had dropped dramatically.

We landed in a powerless Kathmandu, Nepal's capital. The darkened streets radiated a medieval, eerie feel. Our taxi sped past low-ceilinged candle lit shops and apartments on our way to the hotel. I have to admit I was a little nervous about what the next month would bring.

The highlight of my Kathmandu time was definitely our walking tour. What an experience! Lonely Planet sums it up perfectly, "intoxicating, amazing and exhausting." The narrow, often dirt, streets are pure mayhem and particularly busy (we think) due to the approaching Hindu holiday, Dasain (roughly equivalent to our Christmas).

Yes, this is a road.

Dentures appear to be big business here, this was one of many shops we passed.

Lunch. Our first momos, similar to dumplings, steamed or fried. Really good.

Next stop, Swayambhunath Stupa. Also referred to as Monkey Template due to the resident monkeys throughout. This was our first Stupa (Buddhist monument) and sighting of a common Nepalese symbol, Buddha's all seeing eyes.

Trin spinning the prayer wheels.

Where to go today Trin? How about Durbar Square...

Durbar Square contains the Royal Palace (unoccupied) along with a dozen or so temples. One has intricately carved Kama Sutra demonstrations which was commissioned by a King keen on encouraging fertility & population growth. During the upcoming Dasain festival, 108 goats, chickens and buffalo will be sacrificed here.

Insanely pink cotton candy.

Sacred cows seem to relish their privileged status. This was one of many we saw in the streets.

Flowers on sale for the festival.

Our splurge was the one hour Everest Mountain Flight which takes you eastward from Kathmandu airport along the Himalayan Mountain Range before circling back and heading home along the same path. Since we weren't taking time to check out eastern Nepal this would be our best bet to see Everest.

The grand finally! There she is (triangle in the back), perfectly clear.

After trying to leave town for over an hour, I had to redefine my westernized definition of traffic. Lines of buses all tried to leave town via the same road which is in dire need of a traffic light. A couple of overworked traffic cops tried valiantly to keep things progressing.

Hong Kong

2008-09-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

(see map) mike: Hong Kong, like Singapore, was shaped largely by British colonialism. It was returned China in 1997 though to a large extent still functions as an independent entity. Known to be safe, clean and easy to navigate it was an ideal stopover before heading to Nepal.

Our hostel room was clean, functional and TINY. The beds where half of a twin.

It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and after our first glimpse of its renowned skyline we believe it.

Bruce Lee, Hong Kong's legendary martial artists and film star has his own bronze statue on the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong's version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Next up, Hong Kong's nightly laser show, Symphony of Lights, which displays synchronized lasers shooting from the tops of skyscrapers along with classical music played over loud speakers. Slightly cheesy but worth seeing.

We took the popular tram ride up to Victoria Peak to check out the panoramic views of Hong Kong Island (foreground), Victoria Harbour and Kowloon (background). Amazing!

Prius police cars helping to offset the carbon footprint of the laser show.

Cruising the packed streets and soaking up the neon lights of the Kowloon District.

One night we checked out the night life in Lan Kwai Fong area. The bars are packed with British expats who spill out into the street. Even with the balmy subtropical temperatures, the neighborhood still has a London feel.

Discouraged by the London-like beer prices we were elated to come across this 7-11 with its own storefront crowd. People were filing in and out buying their next rounds. If they only had a bathroom, it would be truly perfect.

The following day we took to the streets for our customary walking tour.

A live over the top infomercial reminiscent of to ones you'd see on sleepless nights channel surfing at home.

Those are fish in the bags, ready to be brought home as a new pet.

Hi-tech kids hanging out at a free wifi zone.

One surprise was coming across hundreds of women relaxing on cardboard mats laid out on pedestrian overpasses. We found out later that these women are Filipino workers employed primarily as domestic helpers. Sunday is their day off so everyone meets up with friends here to spend the day.

Getting goofy in front of the Two International Finance Center. HK's tallest and the sixth in the world.

Tian Tan Buddha, aka Big Buddha is out near the airport. The best way to reach it is by this insanely high cable car. The name sums it up, it's one of the largest outdoor Buddha's around.

Our four days flew by. Hong Kong falls somewhere between Singapore and Tokyo on our enjoyment gauge. Not bad for a long layover.

Koh Tao, Thailand

2008-09-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

(see map) trin: Based on Lonely Planet's description we were expecting a chill little island for scuba divers. We were surprised by the size and number of the resorts on Sairee Beach many of which were built in the last two years.

We stayed at Ban's Dive Resort ,the mega dive operator on the island. Their boat has a sixty person capacity and it was always full. Diving at a sight with that many people took some getting use to.

Back to school. In order to justify our seven day stay on Koh Toa, we decided to get our Advance Open Water Certification. Unlike Open Water, we were not required to watch cheesy instructional videos or perform scuba skills in the pool. The advanced course consists of five dives, two required (deep and navigation) and three electives. We chose: night, peak performance buoyancy control and fish identification.

Some of the lessons were a little obvious. Above is the section on not riding animals. What? You mean I shouldn't grab onto a sea turtle and go for a ride. Duh...

Our night dive was the biggest challenge more because of the conditions than the dark. There was big swell and the visibility was only five meters. I probably looked like a rag doll as I tried to descend along the mooring line. After one failed attempt and several mouthfulls of seawater, I eventually made it to the sea floor where I planted my knee into a head of coral. The best part of the dive was when we turned out our lights and sat on the bottom in complete darkness. It sounds scary but our eyes adjusted and it was really quite peaceful. The most difficult part was getting back on the boat. The swell had picked up while we were below and the boat was now coming up out of the water with each wave. As I treaded water in the dark and watched the huge boat crashing down in front of me I thought, What the hell are we doing this for? That quickly turned to elation once we were safely back onboard where our classmate were enthusiastically congratulating one another. "We didn't die!"

During the course we saw two different whale sharks The first (about five meters long) was during our deep dive. Two days later we had just taken off our gear when someone yelled "whale shark, whale shark!" Everyone started cheering and jumping back into the water. There was a horde of sixty people swimming at the surface and the whale shark kept cruising through the crowd. He'd reach the edge and turn right back into the group. He's like a moving reef with an entourage of fish that swim with him at all times. It was awesome!!

Photo borrowed from National Geographic

School's out. Time for some Fun Dives.

Heading in for a cold Singha.

For our last three days, we moved to the quiet eastern side of the island where we stayed at Black Tip Dive Resort. We welcomed the change from the crowds at Sairee.

The secluded beach cove was a little paradise.

Departing from Koh Toa.

It is hard to believe that we are leaving So. East Asia. I can remember planning the trip and thinking it was so far away. And, now we are already moving on to Hong Kong and then Nepal. We are saddened by the reality that we have just four months left.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

2008-09-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

(see map) trin: Temples, Temples, Temples. We spent three days exploring the temples of Angkor Wat which was a good amount of time. Although, Mike might not agree with me. He was a little templed out by day two.

We bought a copy of Ancient Angkor to use as our guide. The book was written by a french scholar and the English translation is pretty awkward. Still, like everyone else at the temples we dutifully carried our copy to read about the history and architectural elements of each temple.

We also used the book as a defense mechanism against the numerous children that would try to sell us illegal copies at all of the temple gates. But, it didn't always work. I'd show them my copy and their response was - "Buy another one for your friend. Your mom." They're relentless and truly have a reply for everything.

Day One: The large circuit by car: Preah Khan, Neak Pean, East Mebon, Ta Som, Bantaey Samre and Pre Rup.

Carvings in the Hall of Dancers at Preah Khan

Mike fills in for a missing guard statue at the north gate of Preah Khan.

Neak Pean is an island temple but as you can see the lake was empty when we visited.

A typical village gas station on the road to Banteay Samre. Johnnie Walker liquor bottles are reused as one litre gas containers.

It the center hall at Banteay Samre we received a blessing from an elderly man. He lit incense and tied hot pink string bracelets around our wrists. Our taxi driver said it is suppose to give us good luck. Like, avoiding traffic jams and things of that nature.

Day Two: The small circuit on bicycles: Prasat Kravan, Banteay Kdei, Ta Prohm, Ta Keo, Angkor Tom.

Prasat Kravan completed in 921.

Banteay Kdei

The mid-day heat is starting to get to us.

Large silk-cotton tree growing over the Ta Prohm temple. The massive trees growing over the ancient buildings is always an impressive sight.

Amok, a traditional Cambodian dish, is served in a banana leave. It was so good on day one. We biked out of our way to enjoy it again on day two.

Quiting Time. About one hundred groundskeepers merged onto the road with us in the late afternoon.

A quick visit to Ta Keo

Mike misses mountain biking. He rode down this grade a couple times. Every time he would circle around the women at the food stalls across the road would come out yelling "cold water. beer. sir. over here." He's a tease.

The east gate of Angkor Tom.

Day Three: Sunrise at Angkor Wat, afternoon in the town of Siem Reap and sunset at Phnom Bakheng. All by tuk-tuk.

Early morning at Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world. The scale is so massive it is difficult to capture in a photograph.

On the walls of the central complex is an 800m long series of bas-reliefs. About a half a mile of carvings.

The parking lot at Angkor Wat was full of dozing tuk-tuk drivers who were waiting for their passengers to return.

Heavy cloud cover didn't help our sunset plans but we still climbed the hill to Bakheng, the first capital at Angkor.

Mike says goodbye to his final temple.

That evening we went to a traditional Cambodian dance performance. Having attended shows in Bali, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, this has become a tradition for us.

Kampot, Kep & Sihanoukville, Cambodia

2008-09-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

(see map) trin: We visited Kampot intending to see Bokor National Park. Upon our arrival, we learned that park was closed. Ok. We just rode the bus for five hours to get here. Now, what are we going to do?

A friendly local girl at our hotel gave us some suggestions on what to do. Not really sights we would normally go out of our way to see but since we were there... We rented a motor scooter and set out for a day of small town sightseeing.

First stop was a local cave with a giant suspended boulder.

Some local boys followed us on their bikes and gave us a tour complete with flashlight.

Rice paddies along the way.

Mike and his bike.

We planned to stop at the Kampot Pepper Plantation but we never saw the turn off. So, we kept on to Kep, a mellow little beach town.

Mike walking back from a swim on the narrow beach. The sand was imported from Sihanoukville before the war but very little of it remains today.

I guess it works because the locals don't actually sit on the beach. Instead they rent covered spots on the sidewalk.

The thing to do in Kep is eat fresh seafood. At random we picked one of the seaside shacks and ordered some Kampot peppered crab. The crabs are kept in woven baskets in the shallow surf just outside the restaurant. A woman waded out to collect our lunch.

It was finger lickin' good. Literally.

The sky was ominous as we hopped on our scooter and started back to Kampot. The journey is about fifteen miles and the sky opened up when we still had thirteen more to go. No big deal in a car... but a motor scooter is a different story.

We were soaked to the bone, long bolts of lightening blazed across the sky and the small road narrowed as it started to flood.

To wait out the storm we pulled over at an abandon school where we sat under a wooden shelter with a stray dog and some chickens. We were laughing at ourselves. It was all we could do.

The next day we caught a bus to Sihanoukville where we rented a small basic bungalow on Seredipity Beach. We have mixed feelings about the town. While the beaches are physically beautiful, the town has a seedy undertone. We saw many older western men (usually fat and wearing a speedo) with young Cambodian "girlfriends."

There was also a constant stream of aggressive vendors on the beach. After traveling for eight months, we are no stranger to saying no to hawkers but in Sihanoukville it was overwhelming. To avoid constant harassment, we spent a lot of time on our porch where we read and hung out with the kitties.

I don't like to write bad things about places. So, I'll end by saying it was a really nice porch and we watched several amazing lighting storms from it.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

2008-09-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

(see map) mike: Once considered the Pearl of Asia, to us Phnom Penh lacked the energy of Hanoi or the vibrancy of Bangkok. After spending some time here and learning about its traumatic recent history we would better understand why.

We also noticed a distinct divide between the rich and poor. As we ate dinner at a street side cafe, a constant stream of new Lexus SUVs and sedans cruised by carrying Phnom Penh's elite. At the same time barefoot children with trays of pirated books, maimed men, and overeager tuk tuk drivers jockeyed to gain our attention.

After dinner I stopped at an atm and to my surprise received US dollars instead of Cambodian Riel. Turns out the USD is the currency of choice. Included was a new five dollar bill which we were convinced was counterfeit monopoly money. The giant purple five in the bottom right hand corner just did not look right. Regardless, it was nice to use the greenback after eight months of calculating exchange rates.

Our first site was the impressive Royal Palace complex.

Trin chatting with a hard working water salesboy near the entrance.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Precarious painting. We thought it was interesting that he was touching up the palace with a can of gold spray paint.

Have you heard of the Khmer Rouge? I hadn't beyond associating the term with some bad guys in SE Asia. The regime, lead by a man named Pol Pot, was Cambodia's ruling party from 1975 to 1979. Its goal was to create a completely farming based society and in doing so directly or indirectly caused the deaths ~1.5 million of its own citizens. More info available at wikipedia.

Near Phnom Penh are numerous killing fields where the Khmer Rouge executed and buried its victims. We visited Choeung Ek where our tour guide told us how he lost his entire family during the period. The below stupa contains the eerie site of 5000 skulls exhumed from the site's mass graves.

Between visits to the National Museum, Royal Palace and Killing Fields we caught up on the blog poolside. Our hotel, Blue Lime was brand new and the pool was an awesome oasis in the middle of the hot hectic city.

Trin Foot Update : Scabs are gone but there is still some pink, tender and swollen skin.

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

2008-09-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

(see map) mike: Known as Saigon until 1976, Ho Chi Minh City feels a lot like Hanoi. They share the same motorbike excitement, cyclo taxis, sidewalk restaurants, and women sporting conical hats. Having honed our street crossing ability in Hanoi we thankfully acclimated much easier.

Our first site was the Reunification Palace which is analogous to our White House. The fall of Saigon occurred here (wikipedia info) when tank 843 crashed through its gates and raised the North Vietnamese flag signifying "liberation and reunification" of Vietnam.

Preserved today as a museum, its 1960s/70s decor includes a red velvet movie theater and this gambling room/lounge Austin Powers would surely be proud to call his own.

The latter half of the tour took us into the extensive underground wartime command center of the South Vietnamese.

The original communication and electrical system are still on display which I instinctively presented to the group as the first SmartBits.

After the palace we happened upon a packed techno blasting restaurant & bar complete with motorbike valet. The youthful 100% Vietnamese crowd (excluding us) was slowly sipping cocktails and enjoying conversation. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Trin asking me "can we take them all home?" at a mobile dog shop.

Next we checked out the War Remnants Museum which contains exhibits and graphic photos detailing America's use of agent orange, napalm (flammable liquids), and extensive civilian bombing during the war. The visit was a sobering view (though one sided) of the brutality of war and seeing it from the perspective of the North Vietnamese was definitely eye opening.

See more photos. Warning: Very graphic.

From here we'd catch a bus to Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

Hue & Hoi An, Vietnam

2008-08-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

(see map) trin: In the spirit of backpacking, we decided to take a night bus to Hue about twelve hours south of Hanoi.

"Oh #*%#! I am going to be on this bus for how long!?" - The bed was about a foot too short. The driver laid on the horn throughout the night. It was extremely claustrophobic as extra passengers rolled out straw mats and slept in the aisles. At one point, Mike awoke to a guy climbing over him on his way to the bathroom. Even with my personal space preferences/issues, I was able to get over all of this.

But, I could not get over the low quality, close to porn, video that played several times on the bus' television monitors. On what planet, is unattractive bikini clad women moving around seductively to awful music appropriate? All of the backpackers were baffled!

To recover from the hellish bus ride, we locked ourselves in our air con hotel room and watched US television on cable while eating Oreos from the mini bar. We emerged later that afternoon to see the Citadel, a walled imperial city that was nearly destroyed during the war. There has been some restoration but progress is slow.

To see the sights, we took a boat tour along the Song Huong River. Unfortunately, our camera battery died shortly into the trip. Someone (not me) forgot to charge it. We saw the Thien Mu Pagoda, Tu Duc Tomb, Minh Mong Tomb and Hon chen Temple. To be honest it was so hot that day, we were just going through the motions.

The sole photo of the tour - The bows of the tour boats along the river shore.

On the boat we visited with a couple from Humbolt who were finishing up So. East Asia and returning home to drive down through Mexico, Central America and perhaps into South America. It's funny, we've been a lot of places but I was still intimidated by their itinerary. This happens a lot. I think an unknown place is going to be scary or hard to navigate. Once there it's like, what was I so worried about?

Next stop was Hoi An where the main tourist attraction is custom-made clothing. I am not kidding. It's in Lonely Planet.

The picture doesn't lie. I was excited! I wasn't the only one. Mike got into the spirit and ordered a new suit and several shirts.

How it works: First, you pick the design. You can bring in a photo or choose from their photo binders and pattern books. Next, they take your measurements and ask your preference on length, buttons, pockets, etc. Then you pick out the fabric. The quality of fabric determines the price. The next day you return for the first fitting. The final fitting is either later that day or the following day. We shipped our new clothes home but a lot of people end up buying another suitcase. People get seriously carried away. While waiting for Mike, I eavesdropped on the following conversation -

girlfriend - I don't think they wanted to sell me anymore.

boyfriend - What else did you get?

girlfriend - A few more dresses.

boyfriend - How many is a few?

girlfriend - Like five.

This was in addition to the number of things I saw her trying on the day before.

During our stay in Hoi An we alternated between the beach, pool and tailor shop. The town is charming and walking back and forth was enjoyable.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

2008-08-25T02:06:00.000-07:00

(see map) trin: Halong Bay is a must for anyone visiting Vietnam. The unique sea/landscape is a pleasant retreat from the busy streets of Hanoi. We decided not to rush and stayed two nights on a "junk." The boats are not authentic junks but have been fitted with sails to give tourists the illusion.

Embarking from Halong City.

We had read that the bay would be overcrowded. While there are a lot of boats (500 on any given day), it certainly didn't feel that way once we left the harbor.

Mike cooling off after climbing to the top of one of the islands. I was still nursing scabs from my accident (it takes forever to heal in this climate) but the heat won out and I jumped in too. The European tourists were probably thinking, what the heck? as I was floated on my back while Mike propped my injured feet and ankles above sea level.

Several of the three thousand islands in Halong Bay.

A massive cave filled with stalactites where Vietnamese hid during US bombing of North Vietnam.

After the cave tour, Mike and I moved to our own junk. Cruising around we couldn't help but feel environmentally guilty. It was just us on a giant boat with a crew of five.

We should have been king and queen for the day but Mike preferred the role of pirate.

Local fishing village where the people live in floating houses. Most of the homes have fish farms where Californian Ranchers have manicured lawns.

A fisherman hauling in his net.

Back on our original boat, with a new set of passengers, Mike worked his way up to the top deck where he finally took the plunge.

Early evening in the cove where we kayaked through a cave into an area completely enclosed by the giant karsts rising around us.

The sunrise on our last morning in Halong Bay.

Hanoi, Vietnam

2008-08-22T23:53:00.000-07:00

(see map) mike: For us, visiting Vietnam was just another country to experience. After emailing home to let our parents know the plan, we realized they have a very different perspective:

"It still seems strange to me that you are going to some of the places I went out of my way to avoid when I was young. Time changes everything."

"When I hear all these South-East Asian names, it takes me back to the 60's and the ongoing Vietnam War."

"Coming from a different generation, the idea of going to Hanoi sort of boggles my mind!"

We hoped our time here would help us better understand its history and gain perspective on our involvement in the region.

Vietnam Airlines from Laos to Hanoi.

We got our first taste of crazy and intense Hanoi on our taxi ride from the airport to our hotel in the old quarter. We found out later there are 1.7 million motorbikes in the region (source). It did not take us long to accept this number as reasonable.

The energy of the narrow streets is indescribable, dwarfing that of any SE Asia city we've been to thus far (Bangkok in 2nd). Since the sidewalks function as motorbike parking lots or curb side restaurants, pedestrians, bikes, cyclos (bike taxi, below), motorbikes, and cars all try to get to their destination utilizing the same very limited space. The combination of motorbike whine, relentless honking, yelling only add to the experience.

Yield rules are based on size. So buses yield to no one and pedestrians yield to everyone. Stop lights are very rare, we came across two. There are painted crosswalks but you could stand there all day without one person stopping.

Since Trin was still recovering from her motorbike accident in Chiang Mai, crossing the street the first day was a little gut wrenching for both of us. Our hotel clerk made it sound easy, "just walk slow and steady while crossing and the bikes will go around you". Yea right!! When possible we tried to cross next to a local functioning as a bodyguard.

The first floor of many homes have been converted into stores often carrying only one type of merchandise. Imagine a series of seven stores selling just boxes, bubble wrap and tape. We also came across the party supply block, muffler lane and door knob alley.

We made it safely to our first meal at Cha Ca La Vong. The raw fish in sizzling oil was served along with a clay pot full of hot coals. Rice with chopsticks definitely gives us a hard time. Our neighbors (rear of photo) make it look easy. I still feel self conscious lifting the bowl up the my mouth and scooping it in though this approach definitely seems to work best.

We opted for a cyclo to make it home. Trin commented how she wished she had horse blinders to minimize of the shock of oncoming vehicles on a collision course.

One of the must do activities according to guide books is the Vietnamese water puppet show. I had my doubts but in the end enjoyed it, even though the entire production (minus intro) is in Vietnamese. The entire show takes place on water, as the name suggests. The puppet masters stand behind a curtain and bring life to these wooden characters connected via a pole. Check out this youtube video to see for yourself.

On a day tour we checked out some pagodas (equivalent to a Wat in Laos or Thailand) and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Ho (more info) seems to be the George Washington of Vietnam so when he died (against his wish to be cremated) North Vietnam preserved his corpse and built this resting place. USSR actively participated in construction we read it is similar to Lenin's Mausoleum.

All visitors are lined up in twos and instructed to march through the viewing area. It was a strange experience. The guards strictly enforce no speaking and hands at sides etiquette. The interior consists of a high-ceilinged, dimly lit, room with marble walls. The cranking air-con had the room at least thirty degrees cooler than outside. His body is encased in the center, with a guard at each corner. No lingering is allowed so you are in and out in under a minute.

One Pillar Pagoda

Tran Quoc Pagoda

After day four, finally comfortable with navigating the old quarter on foot, we were off to Halong Bay for some R&R.

Muang Ngoi, Laos

2008-08-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

(see map) - trin: While waiting for our Vietnam visas we took a trip north to Muang Ngoi Neua, a secluded riverside village. Due to all of the heavy rains in the region the rivers in Laos were a the highest level in thirteen years. This only added to the sense of adventure.

To get there we rode in a mini van with fifteen people for four hours to the village of Nong Khiaw. Then we hopped on a small slow boat and headed up the Nam Ou to Muang Ngoi. On the way up river we passed by jagged karsts, dense jungle, remote farmlands and plenty small naked children bathing and playing on the shores.

The village has a small network of trails between properties. There is one main road but everyone including the local livestock travel by foot.

We spent a lot of time on the deck at our guest house which overlooked the river where we enjoyed epic sunsets followed by evening lighting storms.

We tried to walk to a local cave but it didn't work out. I still can't wear boots or shoes and we quickly got into deep mud and muck. An old woman in her rubber boots came along and started laughing at us struggling through the mud in our flip flops. After that, we headed back to the village where all of the small children yelled out Sabaai-dii (hello) as we passed by.

Like the locals we washed up in the river.

We felt like the visit to this village was the first time we were off of the well worn backpacking trail. It was so peaceful and beautiful. For me, Muang Ngoi stands out as a highlight of the trip.

On the way back to Luang Prabang we rode in a sawngthaew (a covered pickup bed). We actually preferred it to the mini van. Riding with the locals and their animals was much more memorable. At one point, I heard a splat. I turned my head to discover the chicken on the lap of the woman sitting next to me had laid an egg. The egg broke when it hit the bed of the truck. It surprised us all and everyone had a good laugh.

Luang Prabang, Laos

2008-08-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

(see map) - trin: Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage City and now that we've been there it is easy to see why. In addition to the Royal Palace and the network of hilltop temples, it is a charming town where the main street is lined with cafes and boutiques. At night the streets fill up with locals selling textiles and fresh foods. I'd recommend this quaint town to anyone touring So. East Asia.

A daily fruit shake at the food stalls. Fresh mango and pineapple with a little coconut milk to make it creamy. Mmm.... At a dollar a pop these ladies have Jamba Juice beat.

The corner market area and tuk tuk.

The tree-of-life mosaic on the back wall of Wat Xieng Thong. The temple was built in 1560.

The monks chanting in the early evening.

One afternoon we headed out of town to Tad Sae Waterfalls. Our tuk tuk could only take us part way because the road was flooded. We hired a boat to take us the remainder but boarding the boat was a challenge. The river had started to drop and the mud on the banks was knee deep. Thankfully, we managed not to sink. An Italian lady who shared the boat back with us wasn't so lucky. She had a hard time just getting her shoe back out of the mud.

The little boy a the bow was adorable. He cracked up when he heard Mike say "jeeze louise" in response to an inflated fare to cross the river. Then he sang to himself in the front of the boat on our way down the river. You could tell he was so happy to be helping his dad on the river.

The trail to see the upper waterfall got a little sketchy. I got use to the water rushing by my feet. I was mostly afraid of slipping on a loose log and losing one of my favorite flip flops.

There were also elephants at the falls. They are so sweet. I feel so bad when I see them chained up for peoples' entertainment.

But, they did seem to enjoy bath time below the falls.

The colorful night market where along with the local handy crafts westerners can buy communist paraphernalia. T-shirts sporting the hammer & sickle or Che's portrait seemed to be popular items. But, Che is everywhere. I think we've seen him in almost every country.

On our last night, we enjoyed the French influence at one of the local wine shops. Mostly French and Australian wines but they did have one bottle from California.

Slow Boat down the Mekong River

2008-08-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

(see map) mike: In Chiang Mai we debated over drinks whether to fly (fast & expensive) or boat (slow & cheap) eastward to Luang Prabang in Laos. Travel reports on the two day slow boat down the Mekong River were mixed ranging from fantastic to a terrible butt bruising experience. We opted for the slow option since we had the time and hoped the scenery and experience would outweigh the inconvenience. Our bus from Chiang Mai towards Laos had a strange layout with two seats on one side and three on the other. I had the misfortune of being stuffed between Trin and the only heavy Thai woman I have encountered.

Trin departing from the small town of Chiang Khong in Thailand to the much less developed Huay Xai on the Laos side where we stayed the night.

The following morning at the boat "dock" getting ready to load. Actually the dock consisted of a muddy slope and wood plank, but it did the trick. Squeezing out (imagine a sardine can) on departure consisted of men placing tree branches between the boat roofs and shouting a lot to help roll out of the harbor. After some loud creaking and crunching of wood, we were off.

Travel Agenda:
Day 1 - 6 hours on boat, stop in town of Pak Beng for night
Day 2 - 7 hours on boat, land at Luang Prabang

I'd describe the boat as a floating single wide trailer. It had twenty something old airplane seats plus wooden benches. Luckily, we scored two of what we called the "first class" airline ones.

Our conversations with neighbors got off to a rough start. A Swiss couple was chatting with a Canadian couple behind us about the USA. Canada commented how "the USA would defend them in any military dispute". Ok, maybe. From there it spiraled into a conversation about how their countries no longer "liked the USA." Maybe it would be more accurate to state "We do not like the foreign policy of the current administration" and even though many (or most?) Americans feel the same way, I couldn't help but be offended. I tried in vain to think up a witty comment that could immediately change their perspective but was at a loss for words. They received our collective sneer instead.

We passed the time with a combination of reading, napping, and enjoying the passing forest and mountain scenery.

One alternative to the slow boat is this appropriately named fast boat which does the same trip in six hours. Considering how much debris is floating along, it is said to be considerably more dangerous, but it looked like a lot of fun.

Single wide parked next to a double wide.

Due to heavy rains, the Mekong was overflowing its banks into each village we passed.

Ultimately we were happy with the decision, it was a memorable voyage.

Extended Travel FAQ

2008-08-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

We are past the six month mark on our one year trip. So, we thought we would do a FAQ entry and answer all the questions we are often asked by other travelers and in emails from home.

Q: Where else are you going in the next six months?
A: 9 weeks split between Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos – 1 month in Nepal – 1 month in Australia – 1 month in New Zealand – 2 weeks Fiji (budget dependent)

Q: How detailed are your plans for upcoming countries?
A: We started the trip with 19 booked flights (required by oneworld). We are free to change the dates of our flights but we cannot change the route without paying a fee. So, we have a rough idea of where and when we are going to be in a general area. In regards to what we do when we get there, we only plan one city ahead. For example, the day before we left Bangkok, we booked our hotel in Chiang Mai and read up on things to do. For some countries, we have a rough list of things we want to do which is based on reading we did at home and tips from other travelers. We have done some limited advanced planning to meet up with friends and family.

Q: Are you on budget?
A: So far so good. Europe was definitely tough, particularly with the weak dollar, running ~60% more per day than South America or SE Asia. Assuming Australia/NZ is on par cost wise with Europe we will be on track.

Q: Are you homesick? (What do you miss the most?)
A - Mike: My homesickness comes and goes in waves. It seems to be directly related to how fulfilled I feel in a given destination. This fulfillment is tricky for me to quantify but seems to be primarily related to how different and unique a place is versus home along with things like new experiences, breathtaking sites, history, culture, meeting interesting people, great food/drink, value for money (I really love a good deal) and how well Trin and I are getting along.
A - Trin: I thought I would get homesick more than I have. As long as we are busy and seeing new things, I am fine. It's when things are repetitive or I don't feel well that I miss home the most. Of course I miss my family and friends but I also miss macaroni & cheese, good Mexican food and sitting on my couch (it's a comfort thing).

Q: How well are you getting along with one another?
A - Mike: I gota say generally great, better than I expected. Before we left I truly thought we would run out of stuff to talk about and have endless awkward dinners staring off into space which hasn't been the case. Unlike home, with distractions like work and mountain biking, if one of us is upset we'll both be down and not enjoy where we are. Working through conflicts quickly, comprising, and not sweating the small stuff have been important themes. Also I think the constant group decision making has brought us closer than ever to being a cohesive team.
A - Trin: Traveling together non-stop isn't always easy but I think we are doing great. If I am honest with myself, Mike deserves most of the credit. He is much better at dealing with adversity. I have a tendency to get mad when I am lost or things go wrong. I think he's figured that out and just ignores me when this happens. Just like at home we each have responsibilities and if one of us starts to slack we let each other know. Sometimes there is a little tiff but nothing major.

Q: What is your favorite place so far? Travel experience?
A - Mike: Tokyo really stands out for me. Generally we prefer small towns to big ones but there is something special about this city. Our 10 best things of Tokyo entry goes through the specifics but the key thing was that the simple things such as walking around and eating were experiences in themselves. I've noticed there is a vibe between Trin and I at each location that is effected positively or negatively based on how we like it. If one person is really into it, the vibe will be muted if the other person isn't. I think Tokyo was were they really combined to hit a trip high.
A-Trin: This is a tough one. Patagonia was really beautiful and the scale was massive. I think it also stands out because it was a challenge. Lately, I have been excited about diving but I don't have a favorite dive spot yet. Tokyo was by far my favorite big city. We tend to like places that are different. It's like a race against globalisation.

Q: How has the trip changed your perspective?
A - Mike: Previous to this trip I spent little energy learning about politics, world events or the global economy. I often blindly felt US and capitalism to be the good guys and opponents of them the bad ones. At a minimum I think I'll be more sensitive to the fact that there are two sides to every story.
A - Trin: Yes, mostly in regard to consumerism. It's easy to preach when I am not at home faced with twenty varieties of soap or zip lock bags. It's like, do we really need all that stuff? Time will tell but I would like to simplify my life when I get back.

Q: What do you think is the most difficult thing about long term travel?
A - Mike: I'd say a two way tie between lack of routine and lack of satisfying brain exercise. For me, there's something subconsciously great about this process: wake up in the my own bed, commute, work, commute, eat at home, relax, sleep, repeat. On the brain topic, sure we are constantly deciding where to sleep, eat, go, etc, plus supplemented with reading/blog but it still doesn't give me same satisfaction I derived from a tough day at work.
A - Trin: Downtime. I struggle with it. It just feels like we're wasting time and money. I realize we can't be on the go all the time and sometimes you need to take a Sunday. But, I can't help feeling guilty when we slow down. To this Mike says We are running a marathon. Not a sprint.

Q: How do you pack for a year?
A - Mike: It sounds intimidating but really isn't too bad. We packed like we were going on a one week trip and do laundry often. The tricky part is when your destinations have a wide range of weather (hot/cold/rainy)and if you need any specialized gear (diving/camping). We shipped our camping gear ahead to Hong Kong (for Nepal) and since then can comfortably fit our cold-hot clothes, snorkel gear, 1-3 books, and electronics + laptop between two large backpacks and a day pack for a total of around 75 pounds.
A - Trin: Well, I started with a big box and every time I came across something I thought we would need or want on the trip I threw it in there. When it came time to actually pack, I eliminated over half of the stuff in the box. We basically have everything divided into smaller bags: clothes stuff sacks, dirty clothes stuff sack, extra stuff sack (travel towels, sleeper sheet, cold weather gear), electronics bag (ipod, adapters, water purifier), utility bag (clothes pins, headlamps, gerber, camping spoon), pharmacy bag, first aid kit and cosmetic bags. All these smaller bags fit like a puzzle into our packs along with our hiking boots and books. I also arranged ahead of time to have our visitors bring us supplies (diving masks, medicine, books).

Q: Do you know what you'll do when you return to the US?
A: We're buying a dog. Right away. We both plan to return to similar jobs. Mike's company will be a factor in our location. Ideally, we'll live in Los Gatos, CA. We'll rent and then, market willing, purchase our first home. After that, we'll start planning for a family. Basically, normal life again just one year later.

Curious about anything else? Post a comment. We love those.

Northern Thailand

2008-08-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

(see map) - trin: We arrived in Chiang Mai with the intention of continuing the watathon and attending a Thai cooking class. Followed up with river rafting and trekking in the hill tribe area to the northwest. Plans changed when I was run over by a motor scooter while walking on the sidewalk.

Top Five Reasons Why Being Run Over by a Motor Scooter in Thailand Sucks:

5. Your ankle disappears and your foot looks like a fat sausage.

4. Your favorite pair of pants (one of three) now has a tire mark up the back leg.

3. The man who hit you feels very bad but lacks the English to communicate it. And, you lack the Thai to say "it's ok. it was an accident." In the end, you avoid walking by his restaurant to avoid the embarrassed offers of free food and drinks.

2. You have to cancel all your plans involving shoes or water while you hobble around like and old lady and wait to heal.

1. You jump every time a motor scooter comes near you. This is not a good frame of mind to be in when visiting So. East Asia where everyone (men, women, school children, grandmas) drives a motor scooters.

On the positive side, the injuries were not super serious. Just some scrapes, swelling and bruising. While the accident was the main event (I won't say highlight), we did manage to do a few things while I recovered.

Like, checking out some Thai cover bands.

This group specialized in Simon and Garfunkle tunes. When you hear Homeward Bound after being hit by a motor scooter in Thailand, it pulls at your heart strings.

Riding around Chiang Mai in tuk-tuks.

Attending class at the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School . The instructor and owner, Sompon Nabnian has a Thai cooking show on the BBC.

The hands on portion was similar to Senior Home Ec. Instead of ravioli, we made Tum Yum, Fish Cakes and Coconut Curry. Lots of peppers!

Attending a Monk Chat at the Wat Suan Dok. We asked the monks questions about their daily lives and Buddhism and in turn they asked questions back. Mike was caught off guard when one serious young monk asked "Why do you love your wife?"

Trying the local dish, Khao Sawy.

Joining in a traditional dance performance. Mike isn't Walking Like an Egyptian. He was actually one of the better volunteers.

Traveling to small towns of Mae Hong Son and Pai.

Jong Kham Lake and Wat Jong Klang in Mae Hong Son, the capital of the far northwest province. It also a starting point for trekkers who wish to visit the hill tribes.

Hiring a taxi to take us around to the easily accessible sites.

Mae Hong Son and its airport below in the distance.

Back in Chiang Mai: Visiting the Wat U Mong, a forest temple and retreat for the monks.

Laundry day at the temple.

Taking afternoon tea at The Chedi.

With rooms starting at 11,440 Baht a night, the hotel was out of backpacker price range. Having tea was the perfect way to enjoy the hotel for an afternoon.

Added New Google Map & Earth Details

2008-08-09T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you've noticed the new "current location" map in the right corner of the blog. We hope this helps put locations to some of these sometimes unfamilar names. Couple of tidbits on them:

"View in Google Earth" will let you fly around our entire path, but you'll need to download the program first (it's free) if you don't already have it installed.

"View Larger Map" utilises Google's My Maps. You can click on an individual placemark and from there follow the link to the blog entry associated with that location.

There is one caveat though. Google limits each map display to 200 elements (to ensure speedy load time) which we just reached. So, you'll only see part of our path in one view. To link to the other portion, drag the left scroll bar all the way down and click previous (or next), per below red box.

Bangkok, Thailand

2008-07-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

(see map) - mike: The glaciers of Patagonia and walled cities of Croatia have been replaced by the Wats (temples) of Thailand. On our first day we ran a watathon to see four of Bangkok's 300+. There is so much eye candy at these places it was hard to decide where to point the camera.

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) at the Grand Palace:

Wat Pho's Reclining Buddha (half a football field long):

Across the river at Wat Aron.

Wat Benchamabophit:

The Thai people love their king. His picture is everywhere (the queen's as well to a lesser extent). The sides of buildings, calendars, inside most restaurants and businesses. Plus, there are stores dedicated to selling royal family paraphernalia. Including life size cardboard cutouts of the king and queen. We've been told the family's role is similar to that of Britain's.

We did fall head first into a notorious tourist trap, the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. Lonely planet suggests arriving early to appreciate it. I interprete early as being ten years ago. It was a gong show. We expected to see Thai people purchasing fruits and veggies from wooden canoes with some tourist watching intently from the sideline. In reality it was a traffic jam of tourist loaded canoes crashing into one another trying to buy souvenirs. We had our camera ready for the occasional fruit and chicken satay boat.

No horses or ox here, the beast of burden is the elephant. Carrying royalty and timber is a thing of the past so they've been retooled for tourism. Once over the fear of falling off, I enjoyed the ride. Trin felt bad for him(her?). Turns out elephant riding is hotly debated due to on how cruelly (some say) the elephants are treated while being trained for the job.

One night we checked out Bangkok's Chinatown, the liveliest one we've visited thus far. The restaurants and food stalls spill out on the sidewalks. A majority of the them advertise bird's nest and shark fin soup. There was even one shop with a jar full of dried sea horses. I was feeling tough and ordered Tom Yum Goong soup "medium spicy." Six slurps later I was sweating profusely. Trin said I managed to look pale and red at the same time.

Singapore #2

2008-07-26T04:47:00.000-07:00

(see map) - trin: We had an afternoon and evening back in Singapore. So, we took in the sights we had missed on the first round. Mainly, Raffles Hotel and the river front area.

This time around, we splurged on a nice hotel but we still ate at the food hawkers. Why mess with a good thing? The facilities are clean and the food is tasty.

Raffles Hotel. We couldn't go inside the lobby due to our flip flops/slippers. But, we did visit the Long Bar, the birth place of the Singapore Sling, and the hotel museum.

From there we strolled down to the Singapore River.

That evening we walked up to Clarke Quay the main bar and restaurant area.

Performing Arts center and Singapore Flyer in the distance. Any Singaporean will tell you it is the largest in the world. Bigger than the London Eye or Eye on Malaysia.

Singapore's iconic Merlion, half lion half fish.

It was Friday night so Clarke Quay was crowded and the people watching was good.

We ordered a small pitcher of Carlsberg (they didn't have Tiger) and when the bill came Mike was shocked. Pitcher of beer in Singapore = $35US

Redang Island, Malaysia

2008-07-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

(see map) - trin: Everyone on the backpacker trail seems to hit three spots: Cameron Highlands, Taman Negara and the Perhentain Islands. We chose to break from convention and visit Redang Island for two reasons. One, Ngiew and Vanessa, a nice Malaysian couple we meet in Peru recommended it. Two, Lonely Planet said, "it is considered one of the best dive spots in the world thanks to its ancient coral gardens and good visibility."

Getting there was kind of a pain and required bus, taxi and boat but a day later we made it.

We arrived on trash day. All of the resorts use tractors to bring the trash to the shore/curb. A garbage boat/truck comes along the beach and collects the piles.

Since we don't have an underwater case for our camera, we don't have many photos for Redang Island. There is not much to do except dive, snorkel and eat.

The dive shop required that we set up and breakdown our equipment for each dive. We hadn't done that since becoming certified. It was a little nerve racking on the first dive. We were looking over and cheating off our neightbors.

Fresh mango juice after a morning dive. Yummy.

Hanging out on the beach

Planning for Thailand

Based on Lonley Planet's descritiption of the diving, we had high expectations. We thought it was great but not as good as Menjangan Island off Bali.

We did do a solo shore dive which was a fun confidence builder. It was our first since becoming certified. We saw two sharks or one shark two times. Plus, lots of corals and reef fish.

Time to leave already. Taking the boat to the airport.

Instead of spending two days on the bus, we flew from the island's small airport back to Singapore. It is the smallest airport we have seen yet.

Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia

2008-07-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

(see map) - mike: Taman Negara is comprised of a huge rain forest in central Malaysia. Our home base was the rustic town of Kuala Tahan which sits just across a milk chocolate brown river from the park. The visit got off to a rough start when we discovered the hotel misplaced our reservation. As we scrambled around town trying to find an alternate it seemed the last room had been taken just seconds before our arrival. We became a bit worried as darkness neared.

Based on a lukewarm lead we hired a long narrow canoe and journeyed upriver to a series of huts smack dab in the jungle. Fortunately they had space and we slept protected by a mosquito net and surrounded by the surprisingly loud jungle sounds.

Our breakfast included unlimited rambutan fruit. The spiny exterior is easily pulled apart to reveal a white flesh which tastes like a grape. After eating our fill we set out to the park's canopy walk which consists of traveling on a series of rope bridges strung between trees ~100 feet in the air. This quarter mile journey was a highlight of the visit.

We finished off the day with a several hour sweaty hike. Though there are exotic animals here like rhinos, leopards and elephants, we didn't see anything. Supposedly they are rarely spotted. We met another couple who did a several day trek and were happy to see a day old elephant footprint. The best animal sighting is achieved at night by camping out in rustic tree houses (called hides) built above natural salt licks. We didn't set aside time to do this but it sounded like a cool experience.

Tarzan could go wild here swinging around on vines.

The following day we cruised up river to visit an indigenous tribe. Rustic living to the extreme. The tribe generally stays in one area for around six months due to either food sources (i.e. monkey) being exhausted or a tribe member's death. This area has roughly 80 inhabitants. Over 1000 members are spread in groups across the preserve.

Monkeys, squirrels, and birds are shot with a poison tipped dart from a blowgun. I failed miserably on two attempts to shoot a stuffed animal. The tribesmen can shoot very precisely at 60 feet.

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

2008-07-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

(see map) - trin: We arrived in Tanah Rata, the tourist base for the Cameron Highlands, in the mid-afternoon. After checking in we headed to the local clinic. Mike got a blister on his toe back in Gili which had refused to heal in the tropical climate. By the time we arrived, it was really infected. Luckily, the owner of our hostel was also the town doctor. The exam, first aid supplies and antibiotics cost only $20US.

The following day we took the Countryside Tour. It included visits to a butterfly farm, tea plantation, rose & flower collection, honey farm, strawberry farm and the local Buddhist temple.

First stop was the butterfly farm that also featured other local insects and reptiles.

Grasshopper - Can you believe it's face really looks like this?

Butterfly feeding

Green eyed geckos

The highland's main attraction is the tea plantations. The geometric patterns on area's hillsides produce over five million cups of tea a day.

BOH is the leading tea producer in Malaysia. At their plantation we toured the factory and learned all about the process of making tea.

Tea Time

A dahlia at the flower farm. One of my favorites.

Tiled walls at the Buddhist temple

After the tour we decided to try Tanah Rata's specialty, the Steam Boat. It is similar to the Chinese Hot Pot. The nice lady who ran the restaurant gave us a quick tutorial on how to cook the food in the steaming broths. Once we got the hang of it, it was pretty good.

Um... what was that? At first we were over cooking things a bit.

That afternoon Mike and Florent (half of the French couple we met on the tour) hit the local golf course. This was daring considering it had poured every afternoon since arriving in Malaysia.

They got lucky and were able to finish fifteen holes.

The next day we hiked through a rain forest and down into a neighboring agricultural valley.

At the end of the hike we were walking through someones asparagus field.

Here I am at my dorkiest. So of course, Mike wants it documented. In my defense - I was wearing rain gear over the shorts and dark socks and never thought I would need to take it off but it was hot down in the valley. So, what the heck?

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2008-07-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

(see map) - mike: We reached Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, by bus from Singapore. We asked several people what to do while here and each responded immediately with "shopping" as the primary attraction. There are malls everywhere in Bukit Bintang district, similar to Orchard Road in Singapore, but more prolific. The second attraction behind shopping is definitely the Petronas Twin Towers, second and third largest buildings in the world (for now). At the base of them is, you guessed it, a new and sleek shopping mall.

Here we are in the elevator heading up KL Tower, the other dominate structure in KL, to check out the city from above.

The Petronas Towers from the KL Tower. The silver facade is lit up dramatically at night.

There was a festival of some sort near our hotel. These three guys where dancing around to the live band's Arabian (I think) music.

The following day we walked down to the Petronas Twin Towers and the Suria KLCC mall below it.

Trin, we gota go, we are late, Trin??

In the food court there were dozens of eateries but McDonald's had the longest line.

In another mall, we watched Hancock. The movie wasn't great but the theatre was brand new and you could select your seats at the time of purchase, pretty slick.

The Sultan Abdul Samad building with KL Tower in the background.

Chinatown has an extremely popular open market, Petaling Street. We were touring the area and when we saw it Trin said, "I don't want to do that." I couldn't blame her, it looked like a mob scene, and we didn't really need any bootleg DVDs or fake rolexes anyway.

The busy corner of Sultan Ismail and Bukit Bintang.

Hookahs are hugely popular here, even Planet Hollywood had them.

Singapore

2008-07-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

(see map) - mike: Singapore, the smallest country in Asia, packs 4.5 million people into a modern, safe, and clean city. Due to British influence, English is the official language and spoken widely so exploring here is extremely easy. The population is comprised of Chinese, Indian, and Malaysian each with distinctive neighborhoods. Our hotel was in the "Little India" area.

We took to the sidewalk and strolled up Orchard Road, the main shopping area. Mall after mall line the street many with the same American and European stores. How locals decide where to shop, I couldn't tell you. One thing for sure is being an air conditioner salesmen here must be lucrative. Every store, restaurant, and hotel has theirs cranking at full blast, seemingly 24x7. The off button in our room was disabled!

Our first food court of many. They are quick, inexpensive (~$3 each),and clean.

Eventually we ended up at the botanical gardens. There was a soon to be married couple being photographed here. Her dress was less than conventional sporting knee high white leather boots.

For dinner we selected from dozens of local Indian restaurants. The food was great. I'm now addicted to Roti Prata, this paper thin pancake type bread served with curry dipping sauce.

The following day we met up for lunch with Eugene Lee (Spirent Account Manager), near Sim Lim Square, the Frys of Singapore.

The "Night Safari" is a popular destination as well. You can check out nocturnal animals when they are most active. Trin was particularly excited about these "mousedeer" we had heard a lot about. We expected a tiny Bambi that would fit in palm of our hand. To our dismay, they were more like a large rat with mini deer legs and antlers.

More food courts for lunch & dinner, it was a little overwhelming to select a stand.

Nearby Sentosa Island is an amusement park type getaway with rides and shows. Two huge casinos are scheduled for completion in 2010. We rode this insanely high cable car to reach it.

I admit, I was scared. Ski lifts I can handle, but this is 15 stories up!

The cable car stops at Mt. Faber Park before crossing to Sentosa. This is a great place to take in some city views.

Henderson Waves Bridge was built to link Mount Faber and Telok Blangah Hill parks .

Don't feed the monkeys! Though we didn't see any.

Raced Trin on the luge, this downhill engineless go kart thing. She won.

Harbor and city scape on the return ride. Singapore's port is #1 worldwide in terms of tons of cargo shipped.

Compared to the cost of food, alcohol is quite expensive. This 6-pack at 7-11 is on sale for ~$14.

We changed hotels to check out Chinatown. These beef jerky type shops are everywhere. Here Trin is demonstrating what she will do to an unlucky piece of smoked meat.

Day and night shots of Sri Mariamman Temple, the largest Hindu temple in Singapore.

Thian Hock Keng Temple is also nearby.

Our last night in Chinatown before heading north into Malaysia.

Bali, Indonesia Part 2

2008-07-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

(see on map) - trin: From Gili we took a fast boat back to Bali and stayed in Candidasa "where doing nothing is doing something." - Mike Murphy. The town was a snoozefest but it served as a base to see the cultural sights on the eastern side of the island.

Our first stop, Tenganan, is the oldest village on Bali. The town makes amazing textiles called double ikat. If you ever visit this village, be prepared. The man who greets tourist at the gate for tours produces these textiles. He'll take you to his home and put on the hard sell. When you don't make a purchase he'll pout and reluctantly show you the rest of the village. Can you tell the experience left me a little jaded?

On the brighter side, we did see a ceremony performed by the young girls in the village.

Next stop, Pura Goa Lawah, a Hindu temple that backs up to deep caves full of unnumbered bats and snakes.

Our rented sarongs and sashes. Traditional Balinese dress is required to enter the temples.

Bats hanging on the cave walls near the entrance.

We also visited Pura Besakih located high on the slopes of Mt. Agung. It is know as the mother temple of Hinduism.

It is actually a complex of temples where the locals are guides on rotation. Our young guide spoke Indonesian, Balinese, English, French, some Japanese and Italian. On the days he doesn't guide, he is a farmer.

Climbing the temple steps. In one of the smaller temples we had an opportunity to pray, receive a blessing from a Hindu priest (a woman) and leave a small offering. We left with rice stuck to our foreheads.

Rice paddies on the drive down from the temple.

Tirtagangga, an elaborate water palace that was built on an ancient spring. The beautiful site is surrounded by rice paddies.

While most of the temple have been rebuilt with black volcanic bricks, the statues at the water palace are still limestone.

Taking the stepping stone path.

Sunset over the lagoon in Candidasa.

From there we headed to the opposite side of the island, Pemuteran. There isn't much of a town just a few resort hotels but it is an ideal base for diving at Menjangan Island, a national park.

At first, we were staying at the most establish resort which wasn't all that great but they thought they were. They wanted us to move rooms twice. So, Mike went on a mission. He found Adi Assri Beach Cottages a brand new locally owned and operated resort where the staff out numbered the guests and they were almost too nice.

Breakfast on the new front porch

Blog-athon '08

30th Birthday Dive Day at Pulau Menjangan. Java in the distance.

Mike resting between dives. He looks a little high on residual nitrogen.

Reading my birthday emails. Thanks all.

Ouch. A little present from the jellies.

The chef made me a beautiful birthday cake that read Happy Birthday Ms Trinity. They all sang happy birthday. It was all really sweet.

Gili Islands, Indonesia

2008-07-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

trin: (see map) We spent a majority of our time on Gili Trawangan hanging out at Manta Dive. Shaun and Angela would complete their PADI open water certification while Mike and I just hung out and drank Sweats, an Indonesian re hydration drink.

There are no cars or dog on the island.

Local transportation.

The cats out number the humans.

Shaun and Ang were busy most of the days but at night we tried the different restaurants on the island.

An Indian restaurant on the beach where they offer different flavors of tobaccos.

There are certainly cheaper places to stay on the island but
the bungalows behind the dive shop were really nice and the location was super convenient.

Where are we diving tomorrow? Mike posing in front of the dive schedule board.

Shaun and Ang getting ready for scuba skills in the pool.

Mike and I departing on the small dive boat while Shaun and Ang prepare for their final check out dive on the shore.

PADI certified. Let's celebrate!

We headed out for some drinks around the town and ended the night a Rudy's Weekly Party. A highlight of the evening was dancing with a group of fifteen year old local boys who were so seriously trying to emulate 50 Cent. It was really funny.

The following day we saw Shaun and Ang off. They would spend the day on Bali before their flight that evening. Mike and I were not in a hurry to leave the island. So, we extended our stay for a few more days.

Lombok, Indonesia

2008-06-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

(see on map) - mike: Due east of Bali lies the island of Lombok. Our first stop here, Sengiggi, supposedly was a happening resort town in the 90s. Now it is oddly empty. Aging resorts, some abandoned, populate a nearly deserted beach. Restaurants and bars were offering us enticing discounts to be the first in. Hawkers (guys selling stuff like rings and sunglasses) outnumbered the few tourist we saw probably by 2:1 and had an aura of desperation.

Regardless, the four of us made the most of it and in the end enjoyed our private beach and inexpensive drinks.

Where are all the people?

Shaun arranged our second Lombok destination; a three day trek to Mt. Rinjani crater. Similar to the alternate trail for Machu Picchu we would be led by a guide and have porters (vs. horses in Peru) to carry everything but our clothes. (see on map)

Day 1: Shuttle from Senggigi to the mountain town of Senaru. Meet up with guide and porters. Hike uphill for several hours to just below the crater rim.

Similar to the San Pedro Volcano hike in Guatemala (entry), there are hardly any switchbacks, just lots of straight up hiking. Thankfully we stopped several times to rest and eat snacks.

The porters carry gear with these teeter-totter style baskets connected with a branch. They make it look easy. It took me just a few seconds to appreciate the difficulty. It was heavy and awkwardly painful on my shoulder. Our guide mentioned the porters can go as fast or faster, carrying 100 lbs in sandals, than we can with no packs and fancy hiking boots.

Cemara Lima, the camp we stopped at. I'm trying to dry my grossly sweaty shirt.

Day 2: Wake early, hike up to the rim and down into crater. Visit hot springs. Return to previous night's camp.

Mt. Rinjani!

The new volcano in the center (Gunung Baru) was created during a series of eruptions in the mid 90s.

Reaching the rim was easy, next came a long, sometimes very steep (see above), descent.

We shared the hot springs with vacationing Indonesians who come here to fish and soak in the pools. Trin and Ang definitely turned their heads entering in bikinis, not in a good way though. All of local women were bathing fully clothed.

Here we are back at the crater rim. Several local kids were also hanging out.

It was freakishly windy on our last night. The sound of flapping tent fabric was super loud. Suffice to say we didn't sleep well.

Day 3: Hike back to Senaru and catch our shuttle to the port town of Bangsal, ferry hub for reaching Gili Islands.

We made it! Our guide (bright blue pants) and porter team.