The land of pizza, pasta and cheap red wine has probably been my favourite country overall yet. I arrived in the north, Genova, by train from Nice. I had a pretty bad chest infection, had underestimated the fact that i was entering a new country with a new language (at least i knew some French and Spanish), and there were no tourists around. I ended up staying for a couple of days where i had hoped to get fully better and take some time to plan the next two weeks. It became apparent very quickly that Italy had so much to offer in travelling terms and that some sort of a plan was required.
Up the top of the to do list was a trip to Cinque Terre (five villages) along the west coast. Best described by the lonely planet as "strung along 18km of serrated cliffs the Cinque Terre is one of Italys treasures. The five higgledy-piggledy villages are cut off by mountains choked with olive groves and dry-stone-walled vineyards, where farmers have eked out a living over the centuries". A train links the region which is unaccessible by car and thousands of tourists flock to the UNESCO world heritage site every year to walk along the picturesque coastal-cliff path. I stayed in Riomaggiore, the northern most village where all there is to do is relax overlooking the sea while reading a novel and eating pizza. I met a few people the afternoon that i arrived and the next morning we caught a train 10minutes north. From here, we started a long slow hike through the villages and around the cliffs which displayed stunning views. What is a 3hour walk took us about 10 hours as we stopped for expressos, croissants, various varieties of gelato and pizza at every village.
My next stop would be the capital, Rome, a city i was eagerly ready to tackle. Of course, no trip to italy would be complete without a picture along side the leaning tower of Pisa. Pretty amazing to think that it is still standing after all these years - and pretty funny to see so many people do the typical pose with their hands out pushing against it.
I arrived in Rome and immediately grappled with its history...how can it be so ancient? I mean, to think how young NZ is and Rome has the Collosseum, Pantheon, and St Peters Bascilica - not to mention all the ruins exploding through the seems in the centre of the city. Its truly amazing to stand there and trying to invisage what it was like a couple of thousand years ago!! Four nights in Rome was about right and gave me ample of time to do my very own made up walking tour on the first day, followed by a couple of proper guided tours full of facts and stories. That night i went to the collosseum with a couple of Canadian girls and an American guy from my room and we reinacted Gladiators with a stick i found in the nearby bush. On the Wednesday thousands flocked into St Peters Square, an area that has seen millions of christians flock for centuries, to glimpse at the Pope as he did his routine pledge to religious beings worldwide. We fled soon after to taqke a glimpse at the truly remarkable Vatican City (smallest country in the world) which houses the famous Michaelangelo the last supper artwork. Truly amazing to think that he was commissioned to do this painting when he was known for sculpting and hadnt painted before!! I was on a tour, not necessarily my favourite way to travel but this is probably one of those times that you make such allowances, and for me it was because of two reasons; im not religious and im not that hugely into art. Regardless, on both fronts it was a totally amazing day and that much better for being in a tour and getting all the information about it. I met a couple of Ozzie guys and a couple of Kiwi girls on the tour and from the same hostel and so the next day we decided to do another tour. We got the ancient Rome tour which packed in the Pantheon, Colosseum, aswell as a walk through the heart of ancient Rome. It was the first day it had rained in the best part of a month of travelling but the gelati still tasted great. The Pantheon, a church, is truly remarkable. Its roof is a dome and and is uncovered in the centre so floods everytime it rains. Its amazing to think that even today they still dont know how this building was built. The collosseum is one of my favourites - a dome which seats about 60,000 who congregated daily for centuries to watch and cheer on fellow Romans fight to the death against animals and prisoners. Entertainment they say! That night we walked to a random suburb and found a restaurant which was great value with cheap carraffes of house red wine...which by the way tastes soo soo nice. And cheap.
My next stop was Florence, a place i knew very little about except for Michaelangelos statue of David. Arriving by train, as i did everywhere in Italy because it is cheap and efficient and easy, i found my hostel - the best hostel every. Recommended to me by many a traveller during the last week (the best way to get up-to-date travel info), it had a pool, steam room, big bar and restaurant - and the rooms were very flash. I again was fortunate with the room mates i had and we hung out for the couple of days that i was in Florence for. I soon realised that Florence is famous for its scarves and leather goods...so i came away with some scarves and a new wallet. The statue of David was very impressive, although funny to think many are attracted to the room where he stands to just find themselves standing at a statue of a naked man trying to decipher what in earth he is doing and is about. Like so many towns and cities, i enjoy simply ambling around the streets as much as visiting museums and monuments. I find that you see the true place if you get lost amongst it and the locals.
Venice was my next stop...the exit to the train station led me to overlook the grande canal, described as "the most beautiful street in the world and lined with the most beautiful houses" Venice has no cars so any travel is by boat or walking - i love it! It did smell, and was hard to navigate around, and very expensive, but it was unique. I stayed three nights in a hostel, which although was average i happened to have an old Frenchman that snored as loud as i can yell and woke up several times in the night to pee into a bottle. Its not a particularly nice sound to wake up to or view to accidentally see...but it did add to the experience of staying in hostels. There are thousands of alley ways and canals in Venice that are so hard to navigate that event locals need maps if theyre to venture out doors. The best way to tackle the city is to just walk and get lost coz thats inevitable anyway. San Marco square was an amazing place to sit and listen to the orchestras that play in nearby cafes. Venice was probably the most overcrowded place full of tourists and that detracts from ones visit. but it is a place of wonder and undescribable really!
Why i enjoyed Italy so much was the fact that i met so many like-minded travellers every inch of the way, it had some of the best food and wine, so enriched in history, art, religion and culture, easy to travel around and meet locals...im definitely heading back there someday soon, and so should you.
Visit a selection of photos at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=121909&id=730529421&l=38bd2f07ad and http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124827&id=730529421&l=fc3cbdc34d
Peace!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Barcelona to Genoa
One of the highlights of Barcelona was to trample up Montjuvic Hill which overlooks the city and port and was the site of the 1992 Olympic Games. There were a number of stadiums and parks to explore but he highlight of this little trip was the Olympic museum. One of the best museums i have visited, it was laid out in chronological order and referenced Sir Edmund Hillary and the All Blacks, stating that "...they have never been beaten." When was that written i thought?" You could spend a couple of days up there for sure, especially with the perfect weather!
I travelled from Barcelona to Marseille, a 9 hour bus trip but not as tough as rural laos. Its crazy to think that there are no official borders, passport checks and customs in this part of the world. In fact, you dont even notice crossing into a new country until you stop for a break to buy something or hear someone speak. There are of course minor suttleties if you look out for them. I arrived in Marseille, which my guide book didnt really say much about, and for the first time since ASIA i hadnt booked a place to stay...true travelling aye. I found a hostel type place with three rooms in a good location to the town centre and the station. The guy was eitehr very friendly and helpful or a bit of a sleeze..but i held my own. Marseille, like most other European cities so far, has a tram system which is perfect for using. The new port area, basically the city centre was very new and flash and a great place to explore. Marseille is Frances second largest city but its oldest and situated on the coast of the Med Sea it was iconic in war time. Its surrounded by hills with old castles and forts with great views but the most impressive of all was the Notre Dam Cathedral atop the Cities highest peak. A lovely walk up, the view is amazing of the entire city and port and the building is a looker. After two nights in Nice it was time to move on to Nice...
i arrived by train along the coast and had great views of the Med Sea and of all the beach goers, it was of course a Sunday afternoon. I stayed at a hostel, which is voted in top 10 worldwide frequently, with 1€ beers, free internet and breakfast, and loads of information on things to do and see. It was fantastic. It was atop a hill towards the back of the city and use to be an old monastery, however i dont think they had 1€ beers and a condom vending machine back then. The Old Town was situated near the beach, a 10 minute tram ride straight down the middle of the cities shopping stretch. Again, the old towns are the places to see and just wander around on foot...the best place to observe locals shopping and dining. And the buildings are just so old!
I met two South Africans the next morning at Breakfast and we decided to travel to Monaco for the day, the worlds 2nd smallest country at 1.95km squared. It is the land of the rich wih ferraris, massive yachts and boats, the Monte Carlo Casino (although my backpacking attire wouldnt quite cut the mustard) and the Formula 1 racing track. Monacos asy to walk around so thats exactly what we did...it had lovely beaches and beautiful green spaces overlooking the Med Sea - a lovely sight. On the way to monaco we stopped at Eze Village, an incredibly old and tiny village atop a cliff on the seas edge. It was filled with tiny walkable alleys, no cars, full of little botique shops and cafes and a marvelous cacti garden.
The second full day in nice we hit the beach...it is meant to be winter right...where we lay amongst topless women (monst of them alot older than us) and i had a swim in the beautiful warm blue sea. We went out for tea that night, being our last night in France (they were back off to SA), to a bit of a classy restaurant. One of the things that gets me travelling is the inability to read menus. I did a Dave and just ordered something "Steak Tartare" not knowing what it would turn out to be. Well earlier in the day Greg had spotted a meal at a cafe that was a lump of raw mince and suggested hed like to try it, well thats exactly what i unknowingly ordered....all i could think of was going to pak n save at home and buying a kilo of mince and returning home to cook nachoes or lasagne. Well on my plate lay this very ingredient, and i can justifiably say while it wasnt the worst thing ive tried in my life i wont be ordering Steak Tartare again!!
The next morning i boarded a train for Italy, Genoa infact, 3 hours East. For the first time on the trip i was a little panicked coz i arrived with no place to stay and didnt have a clue about my orientation, the tourist offices were closed as they were being renovated and i couldnt speak a word of Italian, unlike French or Spanish at which i am pretty fluent in haha. Well i was a little frazzled but managed to catch a local bus that way, and then back again, before working it out...kind off. Im staying at a youth hostel, again atop the hill at the back of the city. Its very quiet now which in some ways is a good thing. Today i caught the furnicular down then walked around some streets with very old buildings (once palaces). I just visited the largest aquarium in Europe, which was quite fascinating, and tonight im going to find an Italian restaurant - shouldnt be too hard ehh, to dine at. Tomorrow im off to Cinque Terre coast, a cluster of five tiny villages all connected by a path overlooking the Med Sea - sounds great aye! Ill let you know about it next time around.
Peace...
I travelled from Barcelona to Marseille, a 9 hour bus trip but not as tough as rural laos. Its crazy to think that there are no official borders, passport checks and customs in this part of the world. In fact, you dont even notice crossing into a new country until you stop for a break to buy something or hear someone speak. There are of course minor suttleties if you look out for them. I arrived in Marseille, which my guide book didnt really say much about, and for the first time since ASIA i hadnt booked a place to stay...true travelling aye. I found a hostel type place with three rooms in a good location to the town centre and the station. The guy was eitehr very friendly and helpful or a bit of a sleeze..but i held my own. Marseille, like most other European cities so far, has a tram system which is perfect for using. The new port area, basically the city centre was very new and flash and a great place to explore. Marseille is Frances second largest city but its oldest and situated on the coast of the Med Sea it was iconic in war time. Its surrounded by hills with old castles and forts with great views but the most impressive of all was the Notre Dam Cathedral atop the Cities highest peak. A lovely walk up, the view is amazing of the entire city and port and the building is a looker. After two nights in Nice it was time to move on to Nice...
i arrived by train along the coast and had great views of the Med Sea and of all the beach goers, it was of course a Sunday afternoon. I stayed at a hostel, which is voted in top 10 worldwide frequently, with 1€ beers, free internet and breakfast, and loads of information on things to do and see. It was fantastic. It was atop a hill towards the back of the city and use to be an old monastery, however i dont think they had 1€ beers and a condom vending machine back then. The Old Town was situated near the beach, a 10 minute tram ride straight down the middle of the cities shopping stretch. Again, the old towns are the places to see and just wander around on foot...the best place to observe locals shopping and dining. And the buildings are just so old!
I met two South Africans the next morning at Breakfast and we decided to travel to Monaco for the day, the worlds 2nd smallest country at 1.95km squared. It is the land of the rich wih ferraris, massive yachts and boats, the Monte Carlo Casino (although my backpacking attire wouldnt quite cut the mustard) and the Formula 1 racing track. Monacos asy to walk around so thats exactly what we did...it had lovely beaches and beautiful green spaces overlooking the Med Sea - a lovely sight. On the way to monaco we stopped at Eze Village, an incredibly old and tiny village atop a cliff on the seas edge. It was filled with tiny walkable alleys, no cars, full of little botique shops and cafes and a marvelous cacti garden.
The second full day in nice we hit the beach...it is meant to be winter right...where we lay amongst topless women (monst of them alot older than us) and i had a swim in the beautiful warm blue sea. We went out for tea that night, being our last night in France (they were back off to SA), to a bit of a classy restaurant. One of the things that gets me travelling is the inability to read menus. I did a Dave and just ordered something "Steak Tartare" not knowing what it would turn out to be. Well earlier in the day Greg had spotted a meal at a cafe that was a lump of raw mince and suggested hed like to try it, well thats exactly what i unknowingly ordered....all i could think of was going to pak n save at home and buying a kilo of mince and returning home to cook nachoes or lasagne. Well on my plate lay this very ingredient, and i can justifiably say while it wasnt the worst thing ive tried in my life i wont be ordering Steak Tartare again!!
The next morning i boarded a train for Italy, Genoa infact, 3 hours East. For the first time on the trip i was a little panicked coz i arrived with no place to stay and didnt have a clue about my orientation, the tourist offices were closed as they were being renovated and i couldnt speak a word of Italian, unlike French or Spanish at which i am pretty fluent in haha. Well i was a little frazzled but managed to catch a local bus that way, and then back again, before working it out...kind off. Im staying at a youth hostel, again atop the hill at the back of the city. Its very quiet now which in some ways is a good thing. Today i caught the furnicular down then walked around some streets with very old buildings (once palaces). I just visited the largest aquarium in Europe, which was quite fascinating, and tonight im going to find an Italian restaurant - shouldnt be too hard ehh, to dine at. Tomorrow im off to Cinque Terre coast, a cluster of five tiny villages all connected by a path overlooking the Med Sea - sounds great aye! Ill let you know about it next time around.
Peace...
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Madrid to Barcelona
If i had three wishes in the world, one of them would be used up on the ability to know every language on earth just like that. Honestly - it would be alot less frustrating, but then again, half the fun is trying to understand locals, signs, directions, menus etc.....
Madrid wasn't really my cup of tea. Perhaps this was because my hostel was quiet and there was very little to do, or perhaps Madrid is just not much of a young persons place, or perhaps it was çoz i was on my own. Regardless of these points, i spent three nights in Madrid - the capital of Spain only because its centrality in the country. It did have a great museum, the del prado; a couple of nice parks that i spent hours in reading and trying to get a tan; and some amazing buildings. I spent most of the three days simply walking around engaging in my favourite past time - people watching. The metro systems so far are so great and simple to use. David will remember our first couple of days in london and how i just couldnt grasp how to use it.
On the 6th, i caught yet another bus (they are usually about 1/3 the price of trains) to Barcelona. i had heard lots on the road from other travellers (it truly is the best source of info) about the city and i was looking forward to getting there and seeing it all in action for myself. I arrived at about 6pm after a lonnng bus ride.. i used the metro all by myslef and found the hostel - Yellow Nest, about 10mins ride from town. It was a great place with a huge common room and lots to do. I met my dorm buddies, two Germans, and i soon headed out with one of them to Las Ramblas. This place, las Ramblas, is a 2km stretch of path with copius amounts of shops and cafes hanging of the side. It is the true place to come if youre a tourist - infact i went there every day. Common to the strip are numerous people kitted out in bizarre dress taking photos with tourists and earning abit of money, lots of little pet shop/stalls, and florists. I also observed very closely one afternoon a scam that goes a bit like this...
there would be a ring leader who with three upside down matchbox sticks he would ask people around him to guess under what box the little marble was under. Every time he did this he would deliberately be clumsy and show everyone what one it was under...but...there were three other guys around him who would pick wrong (most of the time) so that the dearing tourist thought gee this is easy. The guy would ask for 50 euros, and if you guessed right you won an extra 50 - effectively doubling your money just like that. Now i had watched three different groups up and down this strip for about an hour and i knew that the folded up bills were fake (they had to of been). So you put in 50 and get 100 fake back. the other guys would be constantly looking around for copes who patrolled up and down and the officers came a couple of times and they all fleed in different directions, and another guy swooped in and picked up the mat in a newspaper. Wow it was great to watch and sorry that was drawn out - hope it makes sense. Anyway they knew i was watching them intensely and i got a look as if to say bugger off or else. So i fled to.
Anyway, i ended up going out that night with the German guy and two American girls and we didnt get home til 6am, and as a result ive been sick ever since. that will teach me i guess. The next day i went on a boat cruise around the port (which was pretty lovely), and i went up to the top of the tower at a cathedral right in the heart of Barri Gotic, a humble jumble old place with small alleyways running this way and that. You could easily get lost.
Madrid wasn't really my cup of tea. Perhaps this was because my hostel was quiet and there was very little to do, or perhaps Madrid is just not much of a young persons place, or perhaps it was çoz i was on my own. Regardless of these points, i spent three nights in Madrid - the capital of Spain only because its centrality in the country. It did have a great museum, the del prado; a couple of nice parks that i spent hours in reading and trying to get a tan; and some amazing buildings. I spent most of the three days simply walking around engaging in my favourite past time - people watching. The metro systems so far are so great and simple to use. David will remember our first couple of days in london and how i just couldnt grasp how to use it.
On the 6th, i caught yet another bus (they are usually about 1/3 the price of trains) to Barcelona. i had heard lots on the road from other travellers (it truly is the best source of info) about the city and i was looking forward to getting there and seeing it all in action for myself. I arrived at about 6pm after a lonnng bus ride.. i used the metro all by myslef and found the hostel - Yellow Nest, about 10mins ride from town. It was a great place with a huge common room and lots to do. I met my dorm buddies, two Germans, and i soon headed out with one of them to Las Ramblas. This place, las Ramblas, is a 2km stretch of path with copius amounts of shops and cafes hanging of the side. It is the true place to come if youre a tourist - infact i went there every day. Common to the strip are numerous people kitted out in bizarre dress taking photos with tourists and earning abit of money, lots of little pet shop/stalls, and florists. I also observed very closely one afternoon a scam that goes a bit like this...
there would be a ring leader who with three upside down matchbox sticks he would ask people around him to guess under what box the little marble was under. Every time he did this he would deliberately be clumsy and show everyone what one it was under...but...there were three other guys around him who would pick wrong (most of the time) so that the dearing tourist thought gee this is easy. The guy would ask for 50 euros, and if you guessed right you won an extra 50 - effectively doubling your money just like that. Now i had watched three different groups up and down this strip for about an hour and i knew that the folded up bills were fake (they had to of been). So you put in 50 and get 100 fake back. the other guys would be constantly looking around for copes who patrolled up and down and the officers came a couple of times and they all fleed in different directions, and another guy swooped in and picked up the mat in a newspaper. Wow it was great to watch and sorry that was drawn out - hope it makes sense. Anyway they knew i was watching them intensely and i got a look as if to say bugger off or else. So i fled to.
Anyway, i ended up going out that night with the German guy and two American girls and we didnt get home til 6am, and as a result ive been sick ever since. that will teach me i guess. The next day i went on a boat cruise around the port (which was pretty lovely), and i went up to the top of the tower at a cathedral right in the heart of Barri Gotic, a humble jumble old place with small alleyways running this way and that. You could easily get lost.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Paris....the city of lights, love and a whole load more
Almost two months since my last blog! I'd better quickly bring you up to speed with what's been happening lately. Im living with Hazel and Dave (Jane's aunty and uncle), their daughter Becky and dog Quiddy in their humble abode at 32 Dorset Road, Wimbledon, London. They have been such the best people in taking me in and making me feel like one of the family. Ive been lucky enough to score a job working at their pest control / tree surgery business where i have been for the past 2 months. Earning pound is much better than spending it!! Anyways, the job is real interesting 'coz i get to spend alot of the time driving around London and seeing the sights and sounds and im learning a few new things also; like types of trees, methods of pruning them, how to make a good old proper english tea, plus a whole raft of other things. Ive been to the Shakespeare Globe to watch Trolius and Cressida, St Paul's Cathedral, Hyde Park, Speakers Corner, Seen the Olympic Village being built, the McLaren F1 Technology Centre, participated in a Ceilidh dance, a murder mystery party, learnt how to play snooker.....the list does go on but im having a ball and i'd like to thank Haze and Dave for their kind generosity and love!!
Anyway...Paris.... i thought it was time to hit some of Europe as its so amazingly close so booked a Eurostar while the sun and warm weather is around and departed from London on the 22nd of September. i managed to convince Becks to come with me for the week and be my personal guide and we've had a ball since. Waking up at 4:30am on Tuesday morning to catch the tube in to town wasn't the best part of the trip but, well, essential i guess. The train stations are so massive and thousands of people moving about going from place to place - they are literally like underground villages. We caught the Eurostar - a very high speed train which took us under the English Channel (which actually didn't take long at all). We arrived in paris, manouvered around Gare du Nord station, and made our way to the hostel not too far away.
Being 10:30am we dropped our bags and headed out in the hot sun to a place called the Sacre Couer - a massive Cathedral atop Montmarte Hill just a hop, skip and jump away. Wow!! The coble paved paths leading to the 234 steps up towards the front door is a magnificent climb but the view of the entire south of Paris was a true spectacle. In fact, in the six days we had visited the hill 4 times.
After a looksie inside the church we ventured around the arty streets of Montmarte and got to see the famous Moulin Rouge building. Our two dorm mates, an Oz couple, went to the show and had an absolute ball...i think he did more than her for some reason. On the second day the four of us walked into the centre of town about an hour away and did a bicycle tour of the city. It was such good fun and i would recommend touring a city like this coz you get to check out the main attractions and where they are and then head back for a closer look. Anyway, the tour took us past Notre Damm, along the river Seine, under the Eiffel Tower (actually seeing it up close is such a buzz and something everyone should do in their lifetime) and to the Lourve Museum to name the main highlights. We later walked back to the Eiffel Tower and sat nearby for a good couple of hours. It is surrounded by the river and green spaces and thousands of people can be seen picknicking, lining up to go to the top and flashing their cameras. We later went to the top via a lift and got to the top just in time to see the sun disappear in the horizon. What a remarkable view of the city but to be there for a sunset was quite stunning. Hoardes of people were around on what was a relatively small platform but even more waiting to come up. at about 9:30pm we ventured down and on our walk home we stopped on one of the nearby bridges for a lovely view of the tower sparkling - as it does for a couple of minutes on the hour.
The next day was set aside for Notre Damm and the Lourve Museum. Notre Damm was pretty impressive. Its incredible old and sits in a prime spot along the river. A massive Cathedral in all its beauty with stained glass windows...just everything so old that its amazing how its in pristine condition after all these years. The Louvre Museum is famous for housing amongst 40,000 pieces the Mona Lisa. We entered via a secret entrance with no one in line and missed the 100m line into the main entrance...huh...local knowledge. If it werent for the massive crowd of people surrounding the Mona Lisa from a distance it would be easy to miss. It was good to see but there was plenty of other amazing art and sculptures in my eyes just as good. The guide books say you need about two days to see the lot but after a couple of hours we gave up in search of a beer.
That night we walked the streets (Paris during day is gorgeous but at night is just pure beauty-and i now know why its the city of love and lights!) and then went on a river cruise hoping to time it right so that we were under the Eiffel Tower on the hour to see it sparkling. Well it wasnt timed quite right but none the less we saw it shine.
Becks and I went to Disneyland Paris on the Friday. We got up early and hit the road so that we could make the most of the day. Joe (Hazel and Dave´s son) works for Disney and gave us a free pass each but..and heres the but..i found out that morning that i had left it in london. Pretty gutted about leaving it behind i forked out 50 euros for the entrance fee, still worth it in my eyes. The sun was bright and hot and the park was filled with thousands of families. I was almost the most excited person there as we rushed from line to line and gave the rides a go. A bit like Movieworld in Brisbane it had all the Disney characters and the rides were themed to some of the famous shows, such as Buzz Lightyear. We went on a couple of the rollercoasters (Kim youd be proud that your brother is a bit more brave these days) and looped this way and that at high speeds. at the end of the day we ventured up to Montmarte Hill yet again for a sunset with a bottle of 2 euro red wine. we sat and marvelled as musicians played into the night.
On the Saturday Becks and I went to the Arch de Triumph - the famous roundabout with no marking or as it appeared no road rules. Apparently a crash occurs every 30 minutes and i was waiting in anticipation...but nothing much happened. We went through the underpass and popped up in the middle. It marks the point where 12 roads meet so you can imagine the chaos. We then walked via a fresh food market where we got some goats cheese, baguette, salami and tomatoes to go with our red wine and had a picnic in the park with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Wow- another thing that everyone should do in their lifetime! A beautiful backdrop it seemed like everyone in Paris was there that day.
The next morning Becks went home and i left Paris on a train headed to Bordeaux. Paris was amazing and a true highlight of my five months away but like all places it has its ´not so good bits´. It was pretty dirty and smelt of urine in places and had a lot of homeless and beggers.
I arrived in Bordeaux with not the highest of expectations after talking to a couple of people. I found my youth hostel which was a 10 minute walk from the station by chance after i couldn´t find the info office and get a map. the hostel was in a rough part of town and was situated next to a YMCA and rock music school so there were alot of French youths around and making noise at night...am i getting old? But i shared a dorm with an Italian/Brazilian and an English guy. The best thing about hostels is meeting fellow travellers and getting tips of them. I went for a walk into the main town centre which is lined with narrow lanes and tall old buildings. The river disects the city in two and was a lovely place to walk along. That night i watched some French football on tv at the hostel and chatted to a couple of people after eating my microwaved lasagne...sorry Dad and Jane. The next day i went on the little tourist train on a tour around the city and then rented a bicycle in the aftenoon to explore it more. A highlight was walking 231 narrow spiral stairs to the top of the tower with a great view of the city and exploring the 900 year old Cathedral wight next door. A couple of the parks were also very nice to just relax in. That night i talked to an ozzie girl for a couple of hours and shared stories and tips...she had been to alot of places around the world and seems to meet hundreds of people so that was also reassuring for me.
The next morning i headed further south to Biarritz by train. Train is definitely the best way to travel however it is more expensive that bussing it. I arrived in Bayonne (8km from biarritz), jumped on a local bus and travelled the short distance to the nearby coastal and surfing paradise. I walked to the hostel following the not so great google map that took me to a dead end. I found it close by tucked at the end of a rural road ad surrounded by a lake and lovely bush walks. Being quite early in the morning (it was dark when i left Bordeaux) i again dumped my stuff and caught the bus back into the main town centre where i had lunch in a park. i sat on the beach and later caught another tourist train around the main highlights. I opted to go to the sea museum (a highlight in my guide book) but everything was in French which kind of defeated the purpose of learning about marine life. Feeding of the seals on its rooftop was fun to watch though. The museum is right on the coastline and had a great view of the Atlantic sea - am i really on the other side of the world? It said at the top of the Eiffel Tower that Wellington was 18000kms away! I went ona bit of a walk around the coast which was very beautiful before laxing in a pub with a pint. The dum thing is that everyone smaokes and unlike in NZ they can smoke in restaurants and pubs still.
I cooked up some dinner at the hostel and got chatting to another Oz chick, Lauren, who plans to travel a similar route to me. We were joined by Charlie from England who just arrived in France for a 7 month teaching placement and Tom, an American from OC and who is a keen surfer. We had a good old chat before arranging to hang out at the beach for the next day. The beach was a short walk away and the water was surprisingly warm, and my first sea experience in France. Tom surfed the waves and i was tempted to give it a go but didnt get around to it. I had swallowed so much water by that time anyway. After a couple of hours of attempting to get a tan we walked along the coast into the town. The three of us had lunch at a local Frence cafe, Lauren had the most amazing salad that i was incredible jealous of. We waled around the coast some more towards the lighthouse which too had a great view of the sea and south towards the town.
That night the four of us took 6 bottles of red wine down to the lakeside where we chilled long into the night. The next morning i wasnt feeling the best but it was time to travel to Spain (another new country just like that). Lauren had decided to come with me as she had a couple of days free which was great coz its fun to travel with someone. The train was about 30 minutes late but soon arrived for the short trip to the border. We got off at Hendaye and caught a tram across the border and to San Sebastian, another little coastal town which was so gorgeous. There are no border checks but a couple of kitted out and fierce looking Spanish guards boarded our carriage. Spain is cleaner but i have been disappointed by the large amount of graffiti. San Sebastian is surrounded by the coast and has a river running through it which set it up to be very pictureresque. I couldnt believe that i was in another new country, the 11th country ive visited. I took Spanish lessons last year in waiting for this moment but not practicing it in NZ has lead me to forgetting most of it. Anyway, we arrived at about 2pm and it was noticeable quiet, perhaps everyone was having their siesta. A lot of the shops were closed, even the tourist information centre, bad timing. Well we found out hostel, Olgas Place, right near the beach. It was so homely and packed with other travellers (mainly ozzies). Lauren and I shared a massive room with two French Canadians. We dumped our stuff and walked back through the town and around the coast to the furnicular-a tram that took us up the top of a hill overlooking the city. Another perfect view we met two of Laurens friends from Sydney who are also travelling around. We sat as i sipped a sprite (Dave - sprite in Spain isnt as nice as elsewhere) and they caught up. We made plans to meet up at one of the many tapas bars in the old town later that night. It was our first tapas experience and if youre not sure it goes something like this. You walk into a bar, point to one of the delicately made food items and get a drink. You keep eating until you are full or want to go next door, say how many you ate and pay. Such a good way of eating and spending a night i cant quite figure out how it hasnt clicked on to the rest of the world yet!? So we went to a few different places trying all these different bite size snacks. I also tried coke and red wine, spanish cider and sangria - all very nice. People dont eat until late around here so it meant that we didnt finish eating until about 1130pm - but it was incredibly fun. I even had some calamari.
The next day (yesterday-Friday) we met even more Ozzies and laxed out on the beach and walked to the top of a hill where stood a statue of Jesus. Another great view. That night a whole lot of us chilled out on the balcony with a view of the beach before hitting a bar that gives you sambuca shots with every drink you buy-how convenient. This morning i caught a 6 hour bus south to the capital Madrid. The drive was ok and surprisingly i slept for most of it (some sort of effect from the night before). The drive was a lot like the dessert road in NZ. Arriving in Madrid i worked out the right metro route to get to my hostel (which was pretty simple and less confusing than i was at first about Londons). The hostel, Mucho Madrid, is on the seventh floor of a building that edges what must be one of the main streets in the city, Gran Via. Theres an amazing park at the end of the street which i walked around this afternoon.
Im here for three nights and have a few things up my sleeve so i promise to let you know next time. Adios!
Anyway...Paris.... i thought it was time to hit some of Europe as its so amazingly close so booked a Eurostar while the sun and warm weather is around and departed from London on the 22nd of September. i managed to convince Becks to come with me for the week and be my personal guide and we've had a ball since. Waking up at 4:30am on Tuesday morning to catch the tube in to town wasn't the best part of the trip but, well, essential i guess. The train stations are so massive and thousands of people moving about going from place to place - they are literally like underground villages. We caught the Eurostar - a very high speed train which took us under the English Channel (which actually didn't take long at all). We arrived in paris, manouvered around Gare du Nord station, and made our way to the hostel not too far away.
Being 10:30am we dropped our bags and headed out in the hot sun to a place called the Sacre Couer - a massive Cathedral atop Montmarte Hill just a hop, skip and jump away. Wow!! The coble paved paths leading to the 234 steps up towards the front door is a magnificent climb but the view of the entire south of Paris was a true spectacle. In fact, in the six days we had visited the hill 4 times.
After a looksie inside the church we ventured around the arty streets of Montmarte and got to see the famous Moulin Rouge building. Our two dorm mates, an Oz couple, went to the show and had an absolute ball...i think he did more than her for some reason. On the second day the four of us walked into the centre of town about an hour away and did a bicycle tour of the city. It was such good fun and i would recommend touring a city like this coz you get to check out the main attractions and where they are and then head back for a closer look. Anyway, the tour took us past Notre Damm, along the river Seine, under the Eiffel Tower (actually seeing it up close is such a buzz and something everyone should do in their lifetime) and to the Lourve Museum to name the main highlights. We later walked back to the Eiffel Tower and sat nearby for a good couple of hours. It is surrounded by the river and green spaces and thousands of people can be seen picknicking, lining up to go to the top and flashing their cameras. We later went to the top via a lift and got to the top just in time to see the sun disappear in the horizon. What a remarkable view of the city but to be there for a sunset was quite stunning. Hoardes of people were around on what was a relatively small platform but even more waiting to come up. at about 9:30pm we ventured down and on our walk home we stopped on one of the nearby bridges for a lovely view of the tower sparkling - as it does for a couple of minutes on the hour.
The next day was set aside for Notre Damm and the Lourve Museum. Notre Damm was pretty impressive. Its incredible old and sits in a prime spot along the river. A massive Cathedral in all its beauty with stained glass windows...just everything so old that its amazing how its in pristine condition after all these years. The Louvre Museum is famous for housing amongst 40,000 pieces the Mona Lisa. We entered via a secret entrance with no one in line and missed the 100m line into the main entrance...huh...local knowledge. If it werent for the massive crowd of people surrounding the Mona Lisa from a distance it would be easy to miss. It was good to see but there was plenty of other amazing art and sculptures in my eyes just as good. The guide books say you need about two days to see the lot but after a couple of hours we gave up in search of a beer.
That night we walked the streets (Paris during day is gorgeous but at night is just pure beauty-and i now know why its the city of love and lights!) and then went on a river cruise hoping to time it right so that we were under the Eiffel Tower on the hour to see it sparkling. Well it wasnt timed quite right but none the less we saw it shine.
Becks and I went to Disneyland Paris on the Friday. We got up early and hit the road so that we could make the most of the day. Joe (Hazel and Dave´s son) works for Disney and gave us a free pass each but..and heres the but..i found out that morning that i had left it in london. Pretty gutted about leaving it behind i forked out 50 euros for the entrance fee, still worth it in my eyes. The sun was bright and hot and the park was filled with thousands of families. I was almost the most excited person there as we rushed from line to line and gave the rides a go. A bit like Movieworld in Brisbane it had all the Disney characters and the rides were themed to some of the famous shows, such as Buzz Lightyear. We went on a couple of the rollercoasters (Kim youd be proud that your brother is a bit more brave these days) and looped this way and that at high speeds. at the end of the day we ventured up to Montmarte Hill yet again for a sunset with a bottle of 2 euro red wine. we sat and marvelled as musicians played into the night.
On the Saturday Becks and I went to the Arch de Triumph - the famous roundabout with no marking or as it appeared no road rules. Apparently a crash occurs every 30 minutes and i was waiting in anticipation...but nothing much happened. We went through the underpass and popped up in the middle. It marks the point where 12 roads meet so you can imagine the chaos. We then walked via a fresh food market where we got some goats cheese, baguette, salami and tomatoes to go with our red wine and had a picnic in the park with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Wow- another thing that everyone should do in their lifetime! A beautiful backdrop it seemed like everyone in Paris was there that day.
The next morning Becks went home and i left Paris on a train headed to Bordeaux. Paris was amazing and a true highlight of my five months away but like all places it has its ´not so good bits´. It was pretty dirty and smelt of urine in places and had a lot of homeless and beggers.
I arrived in Bordeaux with not the highest of expectations after talking to a couple of people. I found my youth hostel which was a 10 minute walk from the station by chance after i couldn´t find the info office and get a map. the hostel was in a rough part of town and was situated next to a YMCA and rock music school so there were alot of French youths around and making noise at night...am i getting old? But i shared a dorm with an Italian/Brazilian and an English guy. The best thing about hostels is meeting fellow travellers and getting tips of them. I went for a walk into the main town centre which is lined with narrow lanes and tall old buildings. The river disects the city in two and was a lovely place to walk along. That night i watched some French football on tv at the hostel and chatted to a couple of people after eating my microwaved lasagne...sorry Dad and Jane. The next day i went on the little tourist train on a tour around the city and then rented a bicycle in the aftenoon to explore it more. A highlight was walking 231 narrow spiral stairs to the top of the tower with a great view of the city and exploring the 900 year old Cathedral wight next door. A couple of the parks were also very nice to just relax in. That night i talked to an ozzie girl for a couple of hours and shared stories and tips...she had been to alot of places around the world and seems to meet hundreds of people so that was also reassuring for me.
The next morning i headed further south to Biarritz by train. Train is definitely the best way to travel however it is more expensive that bussing it. I arrived in Bayonne (8km from biarritz), jumped on a local bus and travelled the short distance to the nearby coastal and surfing paradise. I walked to the hostel following the not so great google map that took me to a dead end. I found it close by tucked at the end of a rural road ad surrounded by a lake and lovely bush walks. Being quite early in the morning (it was dark when i left Bordeaux) i again dumped my stuff and caught the bus back into the main town centre where i had lunch in a park. i sat on the beach and later caught another tourist train around the main highlights. I opted to go to the sea museum (a highlight in my guide book) but everything was in French which kind of defeated the purpose of learning about marine life. Feeding of the seals on its rooftop was fun to watch though. The museum is right on the coastline and had a great view of the Atlantic sea - am i really on the other side of the world? It said at the top of the Eiffel Tower that Wellington was 18000kms away! I went ona bit of a walk around the coast which was very beautiful before laxing in a pub with a pint. The dum thing is that everyone smaokes and unlike in NZ they can smoke in restaurants and pubs still.
I cooked up some dinner at the hostel and got chatting to another Oz chick, Lauren, who plans to travel a similar route to me. We were joined by Charlie from England who just arrived in France for a 7 month teaching placement and Tom, an American from OC and who is a keen surfer. We had a good old chat before arranging to hang out at the beach for the next day. The beach was a short walk away and the water was surprisingly warm, and my first sea experience in France. Tom surfed the waves and i was tempted to give it a go but didnt get around to it. I had swallowed so much water by that time anyway. After a couple of hours of attempting to get a tan we walked along the coast into the town. The three of us had lunch at a local Frence cafe, Lauren had the most amazing salad that i was incredible jealous of. We waled around the coast some more towards the lighthouse which too had a great view of the sea and south towards the town.
That night the four of us took 6 bottles of red wine down to the lakeside where we chilled long into the night. The next morning i wasnt feeling the best but it was time to travel to Spain (another new country just like that). Lauren had decided to come with me as she had a couple of days free which was great coz its fun to travel with someone. The train was about 30 minutes late but soon arrived for the short trip to the border. We got off at Hendaye and caught a tram across the border and to San Sebastian, another little coastal town which was so gorgeous. There are no border checks but a couple of kitted out and fierce looking Spanish guards boarded our carriage. Spain is cleaner but i have been disappointed by the large amount of graffiti. San Sebastian is surrounded by the coast and has a river running through it which set it up to be very pictureresque. I couldnt believe that i was in another new country, the 11th country ive visited. I took Spanish lessons last year in waiting for this moment but not practicing it in NZ has lead me to forgetting most of it. Anyway, we arrived at about 2pm and it was noticeable quiet, perhaps everyone was having their siesta. A lot of the shops were closed, even the tourist information centre, bad timing. Well we found out hostel, Olgas Place, right near the beach. It was so homely and packed with other travellers (mainly ozzies). Lauren and I shared a massive room with two French Canadians. We dumped our stuff and walked back through the town and around the coast to the furnicular-a tram that took us up the top of a hill overlooking the city. Another perfect view we met two of Laurens friends from Sydney who are also travelling around. We sat as i sipped a sprite (Dave - sprite in Spain isnt as nice as elsewhere) and they caught up. We made plans to meet up at one of the many tapas bars in the old town later that night. It was our first tapas experience and if youre not sure it goes something like this. You walk into a bar, point to one of the delicately made food items and get a drink. You keep eating until you are full or want to go next door, say how many you ate and pay. Such a good way of eating and spending a night i cant quite figure out how it hasnt clicked on to the rest of the world yet!? So we went to a few different places trying all these different bite size snacks. I also tried coke and red wine, spanish cider and sangria - all very nice. People dont eat until late around here so it meant that we didnt finish eating until about 1130pm - but it was incredibly fun. I even had some calamari.
The next day (yesterday-Friday) we met even more Ozzies and laxed out on the beach and walked to the top of a hill where stood a statue of Jesus. Another great view. That night a whole lot of us chilled out on the balcony with a view of the beach before hitting a bar that gives you sambuca shots with every drink you buy-how convenient. This morning i caught a 6 hour bus south to the capital Madrid. The drive was ok and surprisingly i slept for most of it (some sort of effect from the night before). The drive was a lot like the dessert road in NZ. Arriving in Madrid i worked out the right metro route to get to my hostel (which was pretty simple and less confusing than i was at first about Londons). The hostel, Mucho Madrid, is on the seventh floor of a building that edges what must be one of the main streets in the city, Gran Via. Theres an amazing park at the end of the street which i walked around this afternoon.
Im here for three nights and have a few things up my sleeve so i promise to let you know next time. Adios!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
England...continued
The first couple of days was rather overwhelming. It was raining when we first arrived; everything was so expensive; and the swine flu was the biggest news headline. Well it seems that four weeks later nothing has changed; its still wet, things are still ridiculously expensive and the swine flu still features daily on BBC. However, one thing has changed - i have a job!
Since my last blog entry another thing has changed and Dave and I have gone our seperate ways. I moved into my great step uncle and aunties house (Dave and Hazel - and Becky their daughter and Quiddy their dog), while David stayed at his sisters for a bit longer before joining up with his Mum in Wales for a short stint before heading south to Bristol and Newquay. I decided to fill my pockets up a bit more first.
Just this last weekend been i went with the family down to Devon where we went to Wendys 60th, a Keighlee (not sure of spelling), basically a barn dance. We drove down on Friday along the motorways and the beautifuk back country roads to a little hunting lodge where we slept for the weekend. It was another 1hour drive to Teignmouth where wthe part was on the Friday night. There was a three-piece band and one of the guys got us sorted into groups and taught us the moves and the dances. It really was alot of fun - another new thing for me. Wendy asked not for a present but a donation which would then go with money from the bar towards her friends project which is building a school playground in Tanzinia. We raised over £500 ($1500 NZ) so that was great news. I thought that this was such a generous thing to do - imagine if we all did this for one or two of our birthdays in our lifetime??!!
On Sunday Great Granny shouted us Sunday lunch at the yacht club where i had my first serving of Yorkshire pudding, yummy!. Theres me wrapped up in a hoodie and jacket on the seaside in a deck chair you can hire, and the view from Great Grannys window overlooking the south sea (and the car park - which makes for interesting people watching).
So theres a shortened account of what i have been up to for the last three weeks and i would be interested if you gave me a shout about your happenings.....peace....Daneo
I am working for my great step uncle at place called microbee-google it if you are interested in finding out more but over the course of the last two weeks i have been doing something intersting things such as climbing ladders up tall buildings, drilling, cutting down trees, mulching and shreeding paper - things that i havent done much of before and its great being outside - when its not raining much of course. Its also good to be earning £ and this helps out for when i go off around Europe and the UK.
Since my last blog entry another thing has changed and Dave and I have gone our seperate ways. I moved into my great step uncle and aunties house (Dave and Hazel - and Becky their daughter and Quiddy their dog), while David stayed at his sisters for a bit longer before joining up with his Mum in Wales for a short stint before heading south to Bristol and Newquay. I decided to fill my pockets up a bit more first.We did however explore a bit more of London Town where we tubed into the Natural History and Science Museums (spectacular places!). Wer also went to find Big Ben which after looking for quite some time at our map and in the far distance pointing and discussing that it should be in that direction we looked straight up and lo and behold it was standing over us. Duhh! We also headed to "LoveBox" on the 18th and 19th for Daves birthday. LoveBox is a two-day music festival at Londons Victoria Park, much bigger than anything i had been to previously. There were no limits on buying alcohol, lots of yummy food on sale, and plenty of good music. I lost Dave at the end of day one and ended up meeting his sister Renee and Paul in town. He returned to Worcester Park the next morning a bit worse for wear and after waking up in some random suburb. We repeated day one and headed back into town on the tube where we made it just in time for Ladyhawke, a good NZ act. The weather could have been better as we went in our t-shirts, we still hadnt learned by then.
The following Sunday we meet up again and travelled to Clapham where we went to Ben and Jerrys Sundae in the Common, a family friendly music festival serving free icecream (with the draw back being long queues and pie eating weather conditions). It was good fun. 
Its funny seeing so many sights that you think of synonomously with England; yellow number plates, the tube, black cabs, red telephone booths, red double decker buses; and of course all the place names; Picadilly Circus, Leicester Square...
Its funny seeing so many sights that you think of synonomously with England; yellow number plates, the tube, black cabs, red telephone booths, red double decker buses; and of course all the place names; Picadilly Circus, Leicester Square...
Just this last weekend been i went with the family down to Devon where we went to Wendys 60th, a Keighlee (not sure of spelling), basically a barn dance. We drove down on Friday along the motorways and the beautifuk back country roads to a little hunting lodge where we slept for the weekend. It was another 1hour drive to Teignmouth where wthe part was on the Friday night. There was a three-piece band and one of the guys got us sorted into groups and taught us the moves and the dances. It really was alot of fun - another new thing for me. Wendy asked not for a present but a donation which would then go with money from the bar towards her friends project which is building a school playground in Tanzinia. We raised over £500 ($1500 NZ) so that was great news. I thought that this was such a generous thing to do - imagine if we all did this for one or two of our birthdays in our lifetime??!! 
We all met up on the Saturday and hung out. Becky and I went to the "Pier" which is like Englands version of Time Out arcade. Its the only use i have found for the dam 2 pence coins. It was so much fun but pretty addictive. I set my limit of £5 but we just had to go back the next day. A good thing to do on a lovely (not so) summer day! We were late for the annual water festival but i did win a coconut by knocking the cans off the shelf and did take a photo of one of the boats dressed up as "Hogwarts" - for you Hannah. We ate leftovers from the night before and i had a pleasant English afternoon tea (im getting use to these). We also had a lovely walk after reaching the otherside of the inlet my what is the oldest running ferry service in the country. See the view yourself....
On Sunday Great Granny shouted us Sunday lunch at the yacht club where i had my first serving of Yorkshire pudding, yummy!. Theres me wrapped up in a hoodie and jacket on the seaside in a deck chair you can hire, and the view from Great Grannys window overlooking the south sea (and the car park - which makes for interesting people watching).
So theres a shortened account of what i have been up to for the last three weeks and i would be interested if you gave me a shout about your happenings.....peace....Daneo
Friday, July 17, 2009
The Midlands and the South West
In the words of Diana Sidaway (Dave's Mum) who was a fantastic guide for our roadtrip around the midlands and the South West - thanks Di
Met the boys at Heathrow having driven in leaving 5.15am and then not finding a park at terminal 3 which is an awful dump, left it illegally only to be called back on the loudspeaker and had to go miles and get a bus back so missed the great moment of them walking out!! Bearded and cheerful we piled into Harriet (hopefully my beard doesn't show as much!) and wended our way thru Mon am traffic in S London to Wimbledon luckily the day after the tennis finished and got the key then on to Renee's super flat in Worcester Park. Some discrepancy over pronunciation by boys of latter and am teaching them English!! After unpacking we explored the street that is Worcester Park identical to so many other S London high St's but has everything they need and station 10 mins walk and 1/2 hr to city.Dane cooked a delicious meal and bedybyes me in the car park in Harriet.
Next morning just after 9 we got a day ticket for £6.50 for London. Arrived Waterloo station and walked miles to Jubilee line just opened with glass doors like Singapore all along the platform. A couple of stops to London Bridge where we went to Guy's Hospital and walked all round my old haunts with the boys laughing about my canoodling spots! Went up 30 stories in the surgical block and looked at the view then walked passed the operating theatre museum to be inspected later to Southwark Cathedral which is a friendly church. Walked through the old cobbled streets of the wharf through converted warehouses and the Clink prison to the Anchor Inn by the river which Shakespeare and I frequented in our youth and pointed out the way to the Globe theatre and the Tate Modern then we got a coffee and found a seat by the river and watched the traffic on the river which actually was quite quiet apart from pleasure boats..usually barges carrying all sorts of stuff and police boats zooming up and down.
We walked on along beside the Thames with good views of the Tower of London on the other side and a few photo stops where I was baffled with Dane's camera ,something I haven't lived down! We had our picnic looking atTower Bridge and as we arrived on it it began to rain. We had a look at St Katherine's dock and walked round the tower with me spouting information about Traitors Gate etc and on up to Tower Hill station, which for future reference is miles up steps!! Went one stop and I went on strike re steps so we walked all thru the city in the rain up Cheapside etc to the London Museum which is very swish but only really goes up to fire of London and putrid pestilence of the Black Death,1665/ 1666 as the modern part is to be opened next year which is what I wanted them to see..however we walked on to St Pauls and got a no 8 bus down Oxford St then down the Haymarket to Trafalgar Sq watching the population's umbrellas from front seat upstairs.
Had a look at Trafalgar Sq and nice clean Nelson but weird with no pigeons. Apparently all the buildings have spikes on and it has done the trick. Had a cuppa in the National Gallery and then the boys walked up the Mall to Buckingham Palce thru St James Park which is all green trees and very pretty..past all the palaces etc while I took a shortcut thru Horseguards parade and past Downing Street which is all fenced off and the war memorial and the balcony where Charles 1st was beheaded and the new war memorial for Woemn in the wars which is lovely and the centotaph to Westminster Abbey which closes at 3pm!!
The boys watched the changing of the guard at the palace and as they started down Birdcage Walk with only the odd tree for shelter we had the most incredible thunderstorm! I have NEVER heard such claps of thunder and the rain was a deluge...was in all the papers and on TV apparently! I was sheltering in the doorway of the Abbey and was glad I was handy to a house of God! The boys eventually arrived absolutely soaked! They had jackets of course as this is England! I did an acrobatic walk along the railings by the gate to avoid a puddle which Dane said we should have charged for as so many people watched me! We paddled to the underground admiring the houses of parliament as we went and big Ben and they experienced just 1 stop of the rush hour in the tube! They fought their way out and said that was enough!
We finally got back after a very cheap day out about 7pm and Dane cooked another yum meal! He has been pining to cook!
The next day we packed up and drove to Windsor where the boys explored the castle which is huge and has the state apartments etc too, lots of foreign school trips. You wonder how much they remember... It was £15 to get in which i think with the royals taxpayer stuff is a rip off! I waited in the car park avoiding the vulture like traffic wardens. Have been told I am way over when I arrive 3 mins late! Drove on through the Countryside into the rolling downs of Wiltshire. We stopped in Marlborough a lovely old town with a long long street with the market and had a cream tea at the Polly Tea rooms which have been going for hundreds of years and are famous. On again and walked all round the Avebury stones 5000 years old and then through the pretty village. Drove on up hill and down dale through very wooded pretty countryside to Bath.
Here we found the boys a hostel and they explored the city in the lovely late sunshine seeing the Crescent and the Circus and all the golden stoned streets and buidlings while I collapsed at the camping ground!
Thurs morning they went round the Roman baths and we met up and then drove thru the S Cotswold countryside to cuzzie Tom and Katies farm where we changed into little Midge the Seicento Fiat. They managed to fold themselves in and we drove to Birdlip my home village through the lanes past Caudle Green which is my favourite village with a big green in the middle. The boys have loved the red phone boxes and here I remember Renee years ago, taking a photo of the mailbox embedded in a wall of a house. Then down through Cheltenham, sadly missing Jane and Nick who were out and thru the town down the Promenade with its chestnut avenue and white Regency houses and on thru Winchcome and up into the hills to Snowshill Manor which had a nice garden and lovely manor house and I though would be a stately home but apart from the cottage in the grounds where Charles Wade lived while compiling 22000 bits of memorbilia that is all the house is full of and I hated the claustrophobic feeling. There were some good bits like all sorts of bikes from penny farthings up. We luckily got in free by chatting up one of the National Trust ladies!! We then went a couple of miles to see the lavender farm which is what I wanted to see and it was AMAZING! fields of deep purple just about to be harvested.
We drove back through Bourton on the Water and walked round the village and over the bridges, it was early evening and mercifully hardly any tourists...on to Lower Slaughter so pretty with cotswold stone cottages rose bestrewn, sleeping in the late sun in a row the other side of the brook with little bridges across and willow trees and ducks.
Came back to Painswick and dumped their bags at Damsells Lodge their B&B and on to Dane's first pub The Butcher's Arms Sheepscome right down in the valley through green treed tunnel lanes just wide enough for 1 car. Dave last went to that pub when he was 14 months with Grant and I! All hanging baskets and beams...then on to Downbarn farm where cuzzie Katie gave us a lovely meal of lasagne and lots of chat and at 9.30 was just getting dusk.
Friday morning the boys enjoyed their B&B and yum breakfast and we walked round painswick village Queen of the Cotswolds so picturesque then on to the George Hotel where we walked through the cathedral like arches of a beautiful beechwood to The Peak a landlocked headland with great views for miles around and I was able to point out May hill with it's clump of trees on the top miles across the Severn Valley and Gloucester in the misty distance where we were going next. Dane did very well as it is a good hours walking and he only had flip flops and socks as he has awful blisterfs from cheap Thai shoes! We had a coffee at the George to recover and down the very steep Roman road of Birdlip hill to Gloucester which we bypassed just seeing the tall lovely Cathedral tower above the buildings.
We went on to Lonton a wee village where my parents lived and are buried in the churchyard in the shelter of the spire of the pink Hereford stone church. A very friendly church which we looked at and Dave's said hello to the granparents...the lavender I planted is blooming madly and looks lovely.
We dumped our stuff with Janet and admired the pretty garden. She very kindly put us all up and the boys admired the view from the bedroom I lived in for 6 weeks.
We went on through Ross on Wye and on to Symonds Yat where we had out bacon sammies, cooked in Harriet first thing! Apart from the lovely view of the Wye river going in both directions from this very high cliff we enjoyed the competitive chatter of the Twitter bird watchers assembled there with telescopes dangerously swinging round.
On to Monmouth and into Wales where the boys loved wth Welsh signposts. Over the Wye through the ancient town and on to Abgavenny or I Fenny..then branched up miles and miles gradually going up and up a narrow hedge lined lane thru a big valley past several places where you can have riding holidays through the border country which is very pretty. Finall after coming out on moorland very high up we saw the incredible views from Hay Bluff and Lord Hereford's Knob!
It was fortuitously very clear...Dave ran up the knob a bit and back then we drove thru the town of Hay which has a famous pony sale but is mostle famed for the whole town sellling second hand books from all the houses which are shops etc.
Found Woodseaves the hamlet my father's family comefrom and saw the White House and the Great Oak over a 1000 years old and hollow and then explored the wee graveyard at the back of the chapel which is now a house. Dave was able to say hello to his great, great, great grandparents and great great aunt Nettie who went mad and burnt all the family memorbilia in a garden bonfire!
We went back thru the outskirts of Hereford in the rush hour with Midge making awful grinding noises which Dave said was a vibration and Dane a whistle!! Luckliy it stopped and we got back to Upton Bishop to have a typical English meal in a country pub where the food had been recommended and we found it was in fact a Gurkha restaurant! The food was lovely but Nepalese! Dane was so disappointed so we went back to Janet's and had apple pie for pudding! She made us so welcome and we were very comfy.
Sat morning we went across the road and met my friend Pat who had a Welsh Mum and is wonderful at Welsh cakes. We had a cuppa and sampled a few and admired her garden and the wonderful view and had a few belly laughs she is so hilarious then back to Gloucestershire to Slad and swapped vehicles and off to Salisbury. We managed to drive past Stonehenge for Dane and were as close as the 1000's walking round! We walked round Salisbury pass the New Inn which was new in the time of Elizabeth 1st. All round the beautiful cathedral in its green close and then on to Southampton.
Cousins Jenny and David made us very welcome and Cousin Rose came over for a lovely chicken casserole. The next day after an inspection of Rose and Tony's estate with dogs and cat and fish and poutltry and barn and stables and field and beautiful garden..David drove us to Portsmouth and we had a yum fish and chip lunch in paper at an old pub on Spice Island a very old part of Portsmouth and an a fascinating hours trip on a boat going round the harbour with all the warships etc. We meandered thru all the cobbled streets to the huge shopping centre built in old warehouses under the white millennium tower which is like a spinnaker and 170metres high which you can go up and look through a glass floor...ugh! Dane managed to buy some good sneakers at 70% off and we came home through the villages and had an explore and back home where Dave and Dane cooked us a lovely meal.
Monn we had a haphazhard tour of Southampton seeing the Roamna wall and the shops and docks in the distance with the cruise liners and past the park David had a swing on when he was 13 months when we came to see where Grant had been a lifeguard at the Southampton pool in his youth and found it built over! Then we drove on the M3 into Surrey to Virginia water where we had a salad at an exorbitant price with a frightening waitress and I saw the boys off on the train to London and they obviously arrived safely.
Met the boys at Heathrow having driven in leaving 5.15am and then not finding a park at terminal 3 which is an awful dump, left it illegally only to be called back on the loudspeaker and had to go miles and get a bus back so missed the great moment of them walking out!! Bearded and cheerful we piled into Harriet (hopefully my beard doesn't show as much!) and wended our way thru Mon am traffic in S London to Wimbledon luckily the day after the tennis finished and got the key then on to Renee's super flat in Worcester Park. Some discrepancy over pronunciation by boys of latter and am teaching them English!! After unpacking we explored the street that is Worcester Park identical to so many other S London high St's but has everything they need and station 10 mins walk and 1/2 hr to city.Dane cooked a delicious meal and bedybyes me in the car park in Harriet.
Next morning just after 9 we got a day ticket for £6.50 for London. Arrived Waterloo station and walked miles to Jubilee line just opened with glass doors like Singapore all along the platform. A couple of stops to London Bridge where we went to Guy's Hospital and walked all round my old haunts with the boys laughing about my canoodling spots! Went up 30 stories in the surgical block and looked at the view then walked passed the operating theatre museum to be inspected later to Southwark Cathedral which is a friendly church. Walked through the old cobbled streets of the wharf through converted warehouses and the Clink prison to the Anchor Inn by the river which Shakespeare and I frequented in our youth and pointed out the way to the Globe theatre and the Tate Modern then we got a coffee and found a seat by the river and watched the traffic on the river which actually was quite quiet apart from pleasure boats..usually barges carrying all sorts of stuff and police boats zooming up and down.
We walked on along beside the Thames with good views of the Tower of London on the other side and a few photo stops where I was baffled with Dane's camera ,something I haven't lived down! We had our picnic looking atTower Bridge and as we arrived on it it began to rain. We had a look at St Katherine's dock and walked round the tower with me spouting information about Traitors Gate etc and on up to Tower Hill station, which for future reference is miles up steps!! Went one stop and I went on strike re steps so we walked all thru the city in the rain up Cheapside etc to the London Museum which is very swish but only really goes up to fire of London and putrid pestilence of the Black Death,1665/ 1666 as the modern part is to be opened next year which is what I wanted them to see..however we walked on to St Pauls and got a no 8 bus down Oxford St then down the Haymarket to Trafalgar Sq watching the population's umbrellas from front seat upstairs.
Had a look at Trafalgar Sq and nice clean Nelson but weird with no pigeons. Apparently all the buildings have spikes on and it has done the trick. Had a cuppa in the National Gallery and then the boys walked up the Mall to Buckingham Palce thru St James Park which is all green trees and very pretty..past all the palaces etc while I took a shortcut thru Horseguards parade and past Downing Street which is all fenced off and the war memorial and the balcony where Charles 1st was beheaded and the new war memorial for Woemn in the wars which is lovely and the centotaph to Westminster Abbey which closes at 3pm!!
The boys watched the changing of the guard at the palace and as they started down Birdcage Walk with only the odd tree for shelter we had the most incredible thunderstorm! I have NEVER heard such claps of thunder and the rain was a deluge...was in all the papers and on TV apparently! I was sheltering in the doorway of the Abbey and was glad I was handy to a house of God! The boys eventually arrived absolutely soaked! They had jackets of course as this is England! I did an acrobatic walk along the railings by the gate to avoid a puddle which Dane said we should have charged for as so many people watched me! We paddled to the underground admiring the houses of parliament as we went and big Ben and they experienced just 1 stop of the rush hour in the tube! They fought their way out and said that was enough!
We finally got back after a very cheap day out about 7pm and Dane cooked another yum meal! He has been pining to cook!
The next day we packed up and drove to Windsor where the boys explored the castle which is huge and has the state apartments etc too, lots of foreign school trips. You wonder how much they remember... It was £15 to get in which i think with the royals taxpayer stuff is a rip off! I waited in the car park avoiding the vulture like traffic wardens. Have been told I am way over when I arrive 3 mins late! Drove on through the Countryside into the rolling downs of Wiltshire. We stopped in Marlborough a lovely old town with a long long street with the market and had a cream tea at the Polly Tea rooms which have been going for hundreds of years and are famous. On again and walked all round the Avebury stones 5000 years old and then through the pretty village. Drove on up hill and down dale through very wooded pretty countryside to Bath.
Here we found the boys a hostel and they explored the city in the lovely late sunshine seeing the Crescent and the Circus and all the golden stoned streets and buidlings while I collapsed at the camping ground!
Thurs morning they went round the Roman baths and we met up and then drove thru the S Cotswold countryside to cuzzie Tom and Katies farm where we changed into little Midge the Seicento Fiat. They managed to fold themselves in and we drove to Birdlip my home village through the lanes past Caudle Green which is my favourite village with a big green in the middle. The boys have loved the red phone boxes and here I remember Renee years ago, taking a photo of the mailbox embedded in a wall of a house. Then down through Cheltenham, sadly missing Jane and Nick who were out and thru the town down the Promenade with its chestnut avenue and white Regency houses and on thru Winchcome and up into the hills to Snowshill Manor which had a nice garden and lovely manor house and I though would be a stately home but apart from the cottage in the grounds where Charles Wade lived while compiling 22000 bits of memorbilia that is all the house is full of and I hated the claustrophobic feeling. There were some good bits like all sorts of bikes from penny farthings up. We luckily got in free by chatting up one of the National Trust ladies!! We then went a couple of miles to see the lavender farm which is what I wanted to see and it was AMAZING! fields of deep purple just about to be harvested.
We drove back through Bourton on the Water and walked round the village and over the bridges, it was early evening and mercifully hardly any tourists...on to Lower Slaughter so pretty with cotswold stone cottages rose bestrewn, sleeping in the late sun in a row the other side of the brook with little bridges across and willow trees and ducks.
Came back to Painswick and dumped their bags at Damsells Lodge their B&B and on to Dane's first pub The Butcher's Arms Sheepscome right down in the valley through green treed tunnel lanes just wide enough for 1 car. Dave last went to that pub when he was 14 months with Grant and I! All hanging baskets and beams...then on to Downbarn farm where cuzzie Katie gave us a lovely meal of lasagne and lots of chat and at 9.30 was just getting dusk.
Friday morning the boys enjoyed their B&B and yum breakfast and we walked round painswick village Queen of the Cotswolds so picturesque then on to the George Hotel where we walked through the cathedral like arches of a beautiful beechwood to The Peak a landlocked headland with great views for miles around and I was able to point out May hill with it's clump of trees on the top miles across the Severn Valley and Gloucester in the misty distance where we were going next. Dane did very well as it is a good hours walking and he only had flip flops and socks as he has awful blisterfs from cheap Thai shoes! We had a coffee at the George to recover and down the very steep Roman road of Birdlip hill to Gloucester which we bypassed just seeing the tall lovely Cathedral tower above the buildings.
We went on to Lonton a wee village where my parents lived and are buried in the churchyard in the shelter of the spire of the pink Hereford stone church. A very friendly church which we looked at and Dave's said hello to the granparents...the lavender I planted is blooming madly and looks lovely.
We dumped our stuff with Janet and admired the pretty garden. She very kindly put us all up and the boys admired the view from the bedroom I lived in for 6 weeks.
We went on through Ross on Wye and on to Symonds Yat where we had out bacon sammies, cooked in Harriet first thing! Apart from the lovely view of the Wye river going in both directions from this very high cliff we enjoyed the competitive chatter of the Twitter bird watchers assembled there with telescopes dangerously swinging round.
On to Monmouth and into Wales where the boys loved wth Welsh signposts. Over the Wye through the ancient town and on to Abgavenny or I Fenny..then branched up miles and miles gradually going up and up a narrow hedge lined lane thru a big valley past several places where you can have riding holidays through the border country which is very pretty. Finall after coming out on moorland very high up we saw the incredible views from Hay Bluff and Lord Hereford's Knob!
It was fortuitously very clear...Dave ran up the knob a bit and back then we drove thru the town of Hay which has a famous pony sale but is mostle famed for the whole town sellling second hand books from all the houses which are shops etc.
Found Woodseaves the hamlet my father's family comefrom and saw the White House and the Great Oak over a 1000 years old and hollow and then explored the wee graveyard at the back of the chapel which is now a house. Dave was able to say hello to his great, great, great grandparents and great great aunt Nettie who went mad and burnt all the family memorbilia in a garden bonfire!
We went back thru the outskirts of Hereford in the rush hour with Midge making awful grinding noises which Dave said was a vibration and Dane a whistle!! Luckliy it stopped and we got back to Upton Bishop to have a typical English meal in a country pub where the food had been recommended and we found it was in fact a Gurkha restaurant! The food was lovely but Nepalese! Dane was so disappointed so we went back to Janet's and had apple pie for pudding! She made us so welcome and we were very comfy.
Sat morning we went across the road and met my friend Pat who had a Welsh Mum and is wonderful at Welsh cakes. We had a cuppa and sampled a few and admired her garden and the wonderful view and had a few belly laughs she is so hilarious then back to Gloucestershire to Slad and swapped vehicles and off to Salisbury. We managed to drive past Stonehenge for Dane and were as close as the 1000's walking round! We walked round Salisbury pass the New Inn which was new in the time of Elizabeth 1st. All round the beautiful cathedral in its green close and then on to Southampton.
Cousins Jenny and David made us very welcome and Cousin Rose came over for a lovely chicken casserole. The next day after an inspection of Rose and Tony's estate with dogs and cat and fish and poutltry and barn and stables and field and beautiful garden..David drove us to Portsmouth and we had a yum fish and chip lunch in paper at an old pub on Spice Island a very old part of Portsmouth and an a fascinating hours trip on a boat going round the harbour with all the warships etc. We meandered thru all the cobbled streets to the huge shopping centre built in old warehouses under the white millennium tower which is like a spinnaker and 170metres high which you can go up and look through a glass floor...ugh! Dane managed to buy some good sneakers at 70% off and we came home through the villages and had an explore and back home where Dave and Dane cooked us a lovely meal.
Monn we had a haphazhard tour of Southampton seeing the Roamna wall and the shops and docks in the distance with the cruise liners and past the park David had a swing on when he was 13 months when we came to see where Grant had been a lifeguard at the Southampton pool in his youth and found it built over! Then we drove on the M3 into Surrey to Virginia water where we had a salad at an exorbitant price with a frightening waitress and I saw the boys off on the train to London and they obviously arrived safely.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Bangkok to the Motherland
Dave and I at the Southampton Port
The Roman Baths, in Bath
The Thai family in Bangkok
Windsor Castle
Changing of the guard-Buckingham Palace
One of those famous red telephone booths
Avebury stone ring-sw englandWe spent our last night in Bangkok, and South East Asia, before heading to the mighty Londontown, at the Salawas. Since we were there last they had moved out east of the mighty city. Dave and i, all packed up to the brim with our new purchases flagged down a nice air con cab for the journey - well eventually anyway. They're reluctant to go any long distances and the drivers that were had no clue where the address was that we wanted to head to. After a 70minute drive through suburbs where we stopped three times to ask for directions (and at one stage our driver went into a reception area for no less than 15 minutes) we eventually made it to their humble abode. The taxi driver was extremely happy i bet he went home for a well deserved local brew. Their new house was rather nice and in a gated community described by dave as something off Desperate Housewives - much to his pleasure i suggest. That night we ate a lovely home cooked meal. The family has two maids so you are constantly getting fed and you don't have to do a thing which is something that i imagine takes a while to get use to. It was great to spend a couple of days with the family because you get the true experience of how they live, what they do, how they interact, what they think etc.
We were dropped off at the Bangkok airport on Sunday night. Driving down the maze of motorways to get there the airport was an amazing sight - something a bit reminiscent of Star Trek. And inside it was amazingly massive and not particularly easy to find your way around. We checked in, were under our baggage limit (just), and as we moved closer towards our terminal we were sadly saying farewell to the place that had been our home for three months and getting closer to what is the unknown part of our journey.
We touched down in Heathrow at 6:30am Monday morning and was greeted my Daves mum, Diana. As we drove through the outer suburbs of London towards Worcester Park (the apartment of daves sister, renee, who is in Turkey for two weeks) i sat in her little campervan and admired the old stone buildings just as you could expect on a typical postcard. we were finally in england, the motherhood, rich with history and although i was a bit sad to leave the adventure of travelling around asia i was excited about what lay ahead. that afternoon we rested up and i must say that it is so great to finally have a base where you can just relax in rather than moving places every other day. we went for a walk into the village where i went in every second shop excited by what i might find which was either the same or different from back home. although i couldn't help it, its also hard not to compare the prices of things from in nz and asia to here...its actually quite depressing, $6 for a coke or $5 for a loaf of bread. we got to cook tea that night which, believe it or not, is such a luxury when you've been on the road for so long. in fact, i estimated that we had to choose no less than 200 times where and what we would eat next in asia-a prospect that can be frightening but is more tiring.
the next day, being tuesday, di took us on an adventure into london (city). i went on the train and the tube for the first time as we arrived at the famous waterloo station (boy its massive), walked to see the hospital where she trained to be a nurse, which was bombed in the war, many years ago. we towered to the 30th floor where we had a great view of londons sights. we walked along the river towards the famous tower bridge and got hit my some unfavourable unsummer like weather. the museum of london told of englands amazing history up until the fire pof london in 1666 which lasted for five days and wiped out most of the city, which had been hit one year earlier by the black plague. catching a double deaker busthrough the eart of the shopping centre was a highlight. we reached trafalgar square and then walked down to buckingham palace where we were just in time to see the changing of the guard. it was so formal and a bit of a laugh really. there had just been some sort of a luncheon as masses of people dressed up as though they had jsut been to the boxing day horse races scrambled out. our short walk to westminster abbey turned into a bit of an ordeal when it absolutely persisted down, had thunder as loud as that encountered in Laos and massive hail stones. dave and i got drenched while Diana was safe and dry having skipped out the walk to the palace. westminster abbey was consequently closed and by that time we were soaked and ready for home. we caught the tube and train, in the rush hour, back to worcester park. we only managed to see a glimpse of the city but its history is absolutely amazing, and i can now see how you could get stuck in a place like this with so much to see, do and experience.
pi sit here in renees apartment exactly one week since we arrived
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Great Temples of Angkor Wat
In any random order.......
Wow......how amazing were they? We had heard plenty of stories from fellow travellers about the beauty of the temples and by the time we had reached Cambodia we were pretty excited!! We brought a three day pass and had the original plan of just going for two days, but as it turned out we used all three days.
We got a tuk tuk for the first day and had drafted our plan of where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see...but had a bit of difficulty with our driver. He suggested that there wasn't enough time in the day to see all the temples we wanted too...we were positive there was (although we really didn't have a clue). As it turned out we saw less temples on day one than what we had wanted to and we were back at our guest house by 2pm! Wat! We wanted a full on day of sightseeing and were told there wasn't enough time! Consequently we used another driver for day two.
We first visited the Roulous wats which were the first built...made of sandstone...they were quite spectacular. About 800 years old we stopped to imagine just what it would be like back then with people building them and life revolved around them. All the temples, and there would be about 30 of them, are spread out over many acres. On the second day we drove one hour (40km) to see one of the 'top three' - quite a journey through the amazing Cambodian countryside. The temples are exactly like how they would appear on 'Tomb Raider', so im told anyway. We actually visited one where Angelina Jolie would have been. It had massive trees growing over, around and through thick stone bricks and is described in the travel books as the "most photographed" of all the wats.
I thought that visiting so many wats would be tiring and that i would get sick of them, especially after seeing them many times throughout the last 10 weeks...but alas we did what apparently not many tourists do and what those fantastic 'guide' books suggest not to and saved the big puppies (Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom) for last. Us Kiwis are just great pioneers aren't we!?
I was excited, then drained, then enthused, and then excited again about the prospect of waking up at 4:30am and cycling in the dark some 12km to see the suns rays as it awakes again shine over the old stone of Angkor and its surroundings. We parked our bikes up on day three opposite the long and drawn out entrance way as hundreds of tourists piled out of their noisy and polutant tuk tuks and walked the same path as us. In all its glory it, this majestic gem in the middle of nowhere, stood as it had for many centuries before and glowed in the morning sun. Everyone is told to visit it at sunrise and those guide books suggest that nothing will prepare you for it....and they were right....heleulah! While it was disappointing that there were many other people there at the same point in time and that this took the shine so to speak off the visit-i think that there is no time in history when there ain't a group visiting this wonder!
At every wat there would be many children and women trying to sell you books, bracelets, water, food...you name it and they've got it and they will hassle you and prod you to buy. This also took the shine off the visits, especially when they were hidden amongst the stone of the temples and ready to pounce. We heard sayings such as "if you don't wear this you hate Cambodia" - this from a little girl, or, "you buy postcard sir?" - "no thanks - already have" - "its not the same" - "its exactly the same", or, "you buy bracelet from me" - "no thanks" - "for your girlfriend" - "i don't have a girlfriend", then they would reply with "you know why you don't have a gf", "no", "coz you don't buy bracelet". It seems as though there is an answer for everything.
So...we visited the wats and left Cambodia...which is a lovely country with nice people but alot of poverty and still struggling with the horrific tragedies of the Khmer Rouge's trying to wipe out their own race and trying to ensure that the past is a more pleasant place to live. I would recommend a visit to Cambodia!!
So Dave and I have been shopping our hearts off in Bangkoks markets and preparing to leave for the mighty UK on Sunday night.
Peace and Love....and remember....try not to work too hard 'coz life is short.
Friday, June 26, 2009
From South Vietnam to Phnom Penh
The beautiful Halong Bay
Sam, Dave and I in Hue
We decided to make the hard decision and stay in Hoi An until after my Bday (which if you didn't know was on the 17th, and if you didn't know and are wondering how you can reconcile yourself, my bank account number is 12 3095 3674 2253 00 *). Another good decision of ours was to book a flight from Hoi An from neighbouring Danang to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) as opposed to going on another loud, bumpy, messy, overcrowded, unpredicatble and life threatening 12 hour bus journey. It was our first domestic flight in our 8 weeks of travelling which is good considering alot of 
travellers fly from one main city to the next. Dave's pack came in a whopping 19.4kg, just 600g under limit while my hand luggage was a pinch of salt less than the allowable 7kg. I was not amused however when thye security guard refused me to take my sealed water through to the waiting terminal, the same place where you can buy the exact bottle.
Sam, Dave and I in Hue
Since the last blog, June 15, i have elapsed one more year, had a massage by a random guy in a restaurant, been yelled at by an old lady that seemingly-although i didn't know it at the time-wanted to pluck my eyebrows with a piece of cotton, had to return a meal because it didn't reach my high standards, burned myself on a motorbike exhaust, waited peacefully for two hours at the Vietnam-Cambodia border, been in a plane, on a boat, a motorbike, a mini-van, a cyclo, a ute, a bicycle...walked many miles and have had to wake up in the morning and choose any one of a million eateries on numerous occasions, drunken a few beers but many more bottles of water - otherwise known in these parts of the world as "osmosis, ozone and uv treated pure drinking water", said 'no thanks' to 1098 motorbike taxis/tuk tuk drivers and seen streets full of hairdressing parlours, baguettes, fresh market produce and phone shops, excreted no less than 8 litres of sweat and brushed my teeth 22 times...Mum would be proud!
We decided to make the hard decision and stay in Hoi An until after my Bday (which if you didn't know was on the 17th, and if you didn't know and are wondering how you can reconcile yourself, my bank account number is 12 3095 3674 2253 00 *). Another good decision of ours was to book a flight from Hoi An from neighbouring Danang to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) as opposed to going on another loud, bumpy, messy, overcrowded, unpredicatble and life threatening 12 hour bus journey. It was our first domestic flight in our 8 weeks of travelling which is good considering alot of 
Anyway, we safely made it to HCMC, where typically the rain was awaiting our arrival. We found the local bus into town and jumped 
of in the centre of the backpacking area. We looked at a couple of places to stay before settling on a little place tucked away down an alley way. I assume we got a good deal 'coz an English couple, that were at the same hotel in Hoi An, caught the same flight to HCMC, and ended up at the same hotel again paid more and the guy at reception rang our room phone to ask us not to tell them what we were paying, and although i had suspicions at first that he prob did the same to them, i saw a sheet on the desk downstairs that proved he was genuine. HCMC, and in the SOuth of Vietnam, the 
people seem to be friendlier and are willing to have a chat with you. They dislike the people of the north - who were under the communist regime and politics is not a discussion point anywhere in the country. Where Hanoi in the north had many little alley way style streets, HCMC has wide, developed roads. I prefer neither.
of in the centre of the backpacking area. We looked at a couple of places to stay before settling on a little place tucked away down an alley way. I assume we got a good deal 'coz an English couple, that were at the same hotel in Hoi An, caught the same flight to HCMC, and ended up at the same hotel again paid more and the guy at reception rang our room phone to ask us not to tell them what we were paying, and although i had suspicions at first that he prob did the same to them, i saw a sheet on the desk downstairs that proved he was genuine. HCMC, and in the SOuth of Vietnam, the 
people seem to be friendlier and are willing to have a chat with you. They dislike the people of the north - who were under the communist regime and politics is not a discussion point anywhere in the country. Where Hanoi in the north had many little alley way style streets, HCMC has wide, developed roads. I prefer neither. While in HCMC we visited the War Remnants museum, a detailed and pictured account of the war involving the Americans. It was one of the better museums so far and the accounts of war are just 
horrific. We went to the famous Chu Chi tunnels, this time on a group tour (we had to try it) which is in a district 2hrs drive by bus NE of the city. Here we got to explore the tunnels (one that they had made bigger for obese foreigners and heard of the stories how the soldiers would stay underground in the mass of 240km plus tunnel maze for months on end. We saw a range of booby traps that they had crafted, and some people shot AK47's and other annonymous guns at a shooting range. Crawling underground with the sound of gunfire seemed a little too lifelike for me.
horrific. We went to the famous Chu Chi tunnels, this time on a group tour (we had to try it) which is in a district 2hrs drive by bus NE of the city. Here we got to explore the tunnels (one that they had made bigger for obese foreigners and heard of the stories how the soldiers would stay underground in the mass of 240km plus tunnel maze for months on end. We saw a range of booby traps that they had crafted, and some people shot AK47's and other annonymous guns at a shooting range. Crawling underground with the sound of gunfire seemed a little too lifelike for me. We also visited a nice peaceful cathedral where i found myself contemplating the contrast in life for sometime as i listened to the sound of hymms, visited the beautiful post office (why is it that most main PO's are some of the best buildings?).
Of course we ate in HCMC - in fact - one night we went to a little Mexican place, had very nice nachoes but the serving was small. Dave insisted that we find another place, again i thought id be different and order nachoes (vegetarian) but the chips were stale and the red beans were, well, uneatable. The guy was good about it after he tried them! Thats where i also got a random massage. Anyway, we went to a third restaurant, having learned my lesson i ordered vege noodles, and 30 mins later they arrived! That will teach me!
We caught a motorbike taxi each to the bus station which was 10km west. I had my pack on, as if sitting on the back of one of them wasn't already nerve raking enough, and 30mins and 10 near crashes later we arrived at what appeared to be a bus station of some sort, barely got our helmets of before having tickets in hand, exchanged what we hope was the correct amount, and got dragged into a mini van with 17 locals, headed towards the famous Mekong Delta.
In Can Tho, a city of 300000, not quite how i imagined the Mekong to be, we woke up at 5am one morning and were rowed along the Mekong to a floating amrket by a Vietnamese lady. The market was sprawling with all kinds of boats pulling up next to one another and buying/selling. It really was a sight. Later that day we made the journey to Chau Doc, just shy of the border where we got a motorbike up to the top of Sam Mountain which has wonderful views of neighbouring Cambodia and Vietnam. We also walked through a little village, with lots of chickens and rice, and saw the locals going through their daily business. Chau Doc with Cambodia in the distance.
After a very long 12 hour day of boating to the border, waiting around for two hours whilst the formnalities of visas are organised, some more boating and then in a minivan, we arrived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. A population of maybe 2 million - its is very westernised - and alot poorer than many of the places we had ventured to prior. It does have shockingly so extremes of poverty with wealth, and in the space of one street you can find Lexus cars, people sleeping on th street, cleanly dressed office workers, rubbish piled ankle deep...and i think you get the message. We have had the story "you my lucky customer" and "You my first customer today" often previously but here you get the story of needing to feed families, send children to school and that they haven't had a job in 2 weeks. Is sad!! There are alot more beggers, alot of them children who have learned enough english language to sell you a book or a drink.
After a very long 12 hour day of boating to the border, waiting around for two hours whilst the formnalities of visas are organised, some more boating and then in a minivan, we arrived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. A population of maybe 2 million - its is very westernised - and alot poorer than many of the places we had ventured to prior. It does have shockingly so extremes of poverty with wealth, and in the space of one street you can find Lexus cars, people sleeping on th street, cleanly dressed office workers, rubbish piled ankle deep...and i think you get the message. We have had the story "you my lucky customer" and "You my first customer today" often previously but here you get the story of needing to feed families, send children to school and that they haven't had a job in 2 weeks. Is sad!! There are alot more beggers, alot of them children who have learned enough english language to sell you a book or a drink.
We visited the national museum, which was full of sandstone buddha statues and ceramics, and the grand palace, which was clean, and has alot of gold and silver.
However, yesterday we had a very silent and sombre affair when we visited the 'Killing Fields' and the 'Genocid Museum'. The KF were 14km from townand you can tell by the pictures, and the name, that it isn't a nice place. Tousands of innocent men, wome and children were marched or trucked out here to the countryside during the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970's where they were tortured and slaughtered. On the land lies a number of mass graves and on the path from one to another you can see bones sticking out of the ground. A temple like enclosure houses thousands of the skeletons which were collected in one excavation and there they remain for show.
After the journey out here, we asked to be dropped of at the Genocide Museum which was once a school. 4 seperate buildings, each three storeys high- it was the home to more than 20000 men, women and children before they were taken out to the fields. No more than 20 survived and you can read some of the accounts of the selfish and inhumane acts that once took place on the grounds. A couple of the buildings classrooms were seperated into small enclosures where they were chained, one of the levals showcased the different mechanisms of torture, there were many black and white photos of the innocent victims, and there were as i ssaid accounts of what happened from victims, those forced to work there, journalists and other parties. It was a horrible place and one hard to grasp that these atrocities have taken place in (almost) my lifetime - yet it still one way or another remains in front of the courts. I apologise in advance for displaying the photos on this page but it in no way shape or form begins to depict what our eyes saw on that day, nor does it give much account to what went on no more than 35 years ago.
Its so horrible that no one even knows how many people where killed during this time. The facts range from 750,000 to 3 million!!
Fom Phnom Penh, we travel by bus in the morning to Siem Reap where we will take a few days out to explore the famous Wats of Angkor Wat. With only 10 days of the Asia trip to go we have had a fantastic time and seen so much that alot of it is overwhelming when we look back.
Its so horrible that no one even knows how many people where killed during this time. The facts range from 750,000 to 3 million!!
Fom Phnom Penh, we travel by bus in the morning to Siem Reap where we will take a few days out to explore the famous Wats of Angkor Wat. With only 10 days of the Asia trip to go we have had a fantastic time and seen so much that alot of it is overwhelming when we look back.
May you all have peace, love and happiness and dream of how lucky we all are!!
* Its not a real bank account number - weel not mine at least!
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