Jim's Most Excellent Southeast Asia, Australia, South Africa and European Adventure

...and so THIS adventure concludes...

2008-04-30T13:18:00.004-06:00

April 30, 2008...the seven month journey concluded with a BBQ and get together with family and friends. It was back to work the next morning however; but as soon as I could I signed up for another adventure.
I will be traveling again from January 1-May 1, 2009. I don't know for certain where I'll be going yet; but I'm sure it will be another memorable adventure! Look for updates on the new blogsite at http://www.jameslind.com

My flightmate from London to Calgary!

2008-04-29T13:16:00.003-06:00

Myself and Yocoba (Kobi) as we await our plane from London Gatwick to Calgary.

Derby, England

2008-04-27T13:10:00.016-06:00

The Standing Order is a great old time tavern with high vaulted ceiling and tons of memorabilia. It also serves a great breakfast!

"The Ram" local football mascot with Mrs. Smart (Ben's mom).

The Pride Park Stadium, home of the Rams before...

...and with 35,000 fans! We lost to Arsenal this day; but getting them next year for sure!

Cherry Blossom tree near Ben's house.

Nottingham Castle...home of Robin Hood's friend!

Entrance to Nottingham Castle

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, England's oldest pub!

This is Ben Smart. I first met Ben on a trip we shared in Australia's outback. Check earlier in my blog for pics and stories about that adventure. Ben was the intellectual of the group and with a great personality and twisted sens of humor made the journey through the desert even more pleasant. When I finally arrived in Europe near the end of my adventure, Ben and his mother were nice enough to host me in their marvelous home in Derby. Ben's mom showed me around and actually took me shopping as I needed to buy dress trousers and shoes for the football match that evening...Arsenal vs Derby! Ben had two box seat tickets that he shared with me. We had a great dinner, got to meet a couple of the players and the match was excellent. Although the home team lost, it was a great way for me to end my adventure. We also went for a tour of Nottingham Castle on the day that I left for my flight back to Canada. Thanks to both Ben and his mother for a "most excellent" time in Derby!

Whitby, England

2008-04-25T13:53:00.017-06:00

West coast of Scotland

2008-04-22T13:47:00.000-06:00

Alexandra....not the city!

2008-04-20T16:38:00.001-06:00

Graz, Austria (and neighbourhood)

2008-04-19T15:19:00.003-06:00

Dusseldorf, Germany

2008-04-13T13:39:00.003-06:00

Amsterdam

2008-04-10T12:55:00.001-06:00

Back in South Africa

2008-03-18T12:50:00.001-06:00

Livingstone, Zambia

2008-03-16T21:18:00.005-06:00

Look who I met on Egypt Air to Cairo!

2008-03-13T21:12:00.000-06:00

Amsterdam, Netherlands

2008-03-12T20:44:00.000-06:00

Venice, Italy...funny cars they have here!

2008-03-08T20:38:00.000-06:00

Athens, Greece...some of this stuff is older than me!

2008-03-04T20:13:00.001-06:00

Well, I took the train ride to Athens today, what a scenic trip! I am couchsurfing at the house of a young woman who is currently going to school in the US. But she somehow managed to talk her mom and sister into hosting me for four days. So thanks very much to Angelina(in the US) and Elaine and Eliza!
Both were great in helping me navigate my way around Athens. Elaine was very busy with work, so Eliza entertained me with great conversation and wonderful photography. I hope that you can make a career out of photography Eliza...you are very talented!

Moving north....

2008-02-27T13:14:00.007-06:00

Leaving Johannesburg was very hard. Not so much the city; but the people I met there. All the people at the Museum, especially Sithulile, were just great. I know that we'll see each other again soon. And there is the 2010 World Cup!

But now I've moved on to southern Europe, specifically Greece, specifically Larissa! I'm couchsurfing with a most excellent host by the name of Vaya. She has been just a delight to spend time with and chatting at lengths over coffee or one of the several meals that she forces me to eat! Okay, I don't protest too strongly!
I'll be in Larissa until February 29th, then on to Athens!

Livingstone, Zambia...Victoria Falls

2008-02-15T12:44:00.001-06:00

THE SMOKE THAT THUNDERS is the nickname for Victoria Falls...and very appropriately named. It was a two hour flight to Livingstone, which is on the Zambian side of the Falls, although only a few minutes away.
I went to the falls twice as it was pretty spectacular to see one of the seven wonders of the world. I have a short video; but not sure how to post it here, might have to make another plan for that. I went on the dinner cruise three times, as it was a good deal and the people were great, especially Namakua who was my best friend there!
Also got a chance to visit the control tower in Livingstone...thanks Mya for the hospitality!
So enjoy the few pictures and next is Greece!

Victoria Falls

2008-02-14T12:52:00.010-06:00

Anybody recognize this guy???

The smoke that thunders!

Awesome weather and sunsets

That's the edge...don't go there!

Cape Town...beautiful Cape Town!

2008-02-07T12:22:00.000-06:00

Cape Town...what a cool place!
I started my journey in Capetown staying at The Cat and Moose Hostel. That's not a typo, it's Moose, not Mouse...I never did find out the story behind the name; but if you are ever in Capetown, under NO circumstances stay at the Cat and Moose! Scary is an understatement. So at about 7am the next morning I move to a different place called Ashanti's. It was recommended by a fellow backpacker from Mbizi by the name of Juliet. If you can't trust someone named Juliet, who can you trust!
Ashanti's is a great hostel and I can highly recommend it. I stayed there twice with a four day break when I splurged and stayed down on the waterfront.
The same morning that I moved to Ashanti, I went up Table Mountain for the first time. Pete, Pat, Paul and Jean, the four Brits that I had met at Mbizi in johannesburg were also supposed to be heading up that morning. Well, Jean and Pat were at the top, but Paul and Pete were doing the walk up! Congrats to them for that effort! While the girls and I waited at the top, drinking tea and eating breakfast, the "Table Cloth" started to move in. It's a low cloud bank that starts on the Atlantic Ocean side of the mountain and climbs over the top of Table mountain...like a table cloth. The cloud/fog was so thick you could actually see it moving in the doorway of the restaurant...waaaaay cool! The boys arrived, we had a beer, then the horn sounded to catch the nmext tram down or be stranded up top for the night. We didn't miss that one!
The next day I met a couchsurfer named Tonya and her boyfriend Stuart. Stuart, I hope you realize how lucky you are, and Tonya, if you ever come to Canada...come alone! :) But I digress...we went out for a few drinks and pizza with some friends of theirs. I got back to the hostel at 5am...so says the front desk who had to hjelp me up to my room, glad I had a lower bunk!
Tonya and Stuart were great, showing me around and even helping us get to Robben Island when there was some confusion at the docks. I still feel bad about all that.
Robben Island is a MUST do in Capetown. A most excellent tour with a guide who was a former prisoner there for eight years. Very insightful and sometimes painful even for the tourists to hear the stories.
I went on the Peninsula tour which took us out to Seal Island as well as to see the penguins on the beach.
On my second last day in Capetown I finally met Roxxie Bekker! We have been friends for over two years and finally got to spend a day together. What a great person. Roxxie aand her friend Tammy took me down to the Obs area, and the eastern side of Capetown, and other than one incident with an overly agressive local, it was a wonderful relaxing day of beer, touring and good friends.
The next day Tonya drove me to the airport for my flight back to Johannesburg.

Random Pictures from Cape Town, South Africa

2008-02-06T12:23:00.023-06:00

Seal Island

Uhm...penguin heaven!!

Tonya

My girl Sithulile

Three pictures from Table Mountain

Dinner!

Cruise ship that left for Australia

Stuart and Tonya

Several pictures from Robben Island...

where Nelson Mandela was held for 27 years...

Our tour guide was a former prisoner

This was Mandela's cell

Finally in South Africa!

2008-01-27T12:19:00.001-06:00

Well, after three eight hour flights, Brisbane-Singapore-Abu Dahbi-Johannesburg, I arrived safe and sound and actually well rested at about 9am. Patrick from Mbizi Backpackers Lodge(highly recommended) was there to meet me at the airport. There were also four other people from Great Britain being met at the same time, Peter, Pat, Paul and Jean. So six of us and lugage all piled into Patrick's small car and headed for Mbizi. It's a great place to stay, a little out of the way; but very nice, clean and safe...which is important in Johannesburg.
After getting settled in, the five of us decided to wander over to the local shopping centre. It wasn't far; but not recommended to do alone. We bought a few food items and some alcohol. The staff at the supermarket was extremely helpful, especially Rose who helped me immensley with my cell phone problems...thanks again dear.

The next morning we had signed up for the one day tour of the city including Soweto, and the Apartheid Museum. The tour was excellent, we had a great guide and driver, full of information and interesting side notes. We went for lunch at a local restaurant at an out of the way location. The buffet style lunch was excellent as were the people who seemed to really appreciate the fact that we came to visit them. From there, we went to see the only street in the world where two Nobel Peace prize winners live...Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu...very interesting. The tour of the Soweto shanty town and Nelson Mandela's early home was also very interesting.
Next we headed for the Apartheid Museum. We arrived at about 2:30 pm and were just about to enter when the power went out. Apparently this is quite common in South Africa as I was to find out later in my journey. They did no expect it to come back on any time soon, so that part was cancelled. The tour company was very accomodating and took us to a few other lest touristy sites, which was a very nice bonus, and agreed to pick us up the next morning to take us to the Museum. The Apartheid Museum is amazing! It took me two and a half hours to go through...the first time! It was information overload to say the least. (Unfortunately there are no photos allowed from inside, so you'll just have to take my word for it.)
Upon completion of the tour, I stopped at the Thanda Cafe for a coffee. That's when I met Sithulile. My lucky day. Unfortunately, the tour bus was leaving in about 30 minutes, so we only had limited time to visit. We did exchange email addresses and phone numbers.
The next day, Brian(another guest of Mbizi) and I decided to go to the Gold Reef Amusement Park. It's all part of the Gold Reef Casino complex, which actually includes the Apartheid Museum. Apparently, when the Gold Reef wanted the land for the casino complex, the city insisted that they build the Museum too. A great deal for both I think. The Park was a mini Disneyworld with several high intensity rides including the Anaconda, a roller coaster where you hang below the track...EXCELLENT! We went on that a few times for sure! I got a chaance to have coffee again with Sithulile, also known as Thulie (pr. Toolie). I told her I was going to Capetown for the week and she said that she was also going, so we decided to try to get together there.
Capetown was like night and day from Johannesburg. Well, except for the power outages, then they were both in the dark. I have no idea how they will host the World Cup in 2010. Travel tip for the World Cup...only buy tickets to "day" games, cus even football in the dark can't be exciting!

Random pictures from Outback tour...

2008-01-19T11:25:00.000-06:00

2008-01-18T10:19:00.000-06:00

Up early once again, we took an isolated track through the world's largest cattle station (Anna Creek), then headed for the opal capital of the world, Coober Pedy.
Along the way we stopped at Lake Cadibirrawarracanna (Shimmering Light), which is the longest name in Australia. We proceeded on to see the "dog fence" a fence of hundreds of kilometers built to keep dogs away from the livestock of ranchers.We took an underground tour to learn about the history of Coober Pedy and its opal. Then we spent some free time exploring the town and even looking for opals ourselves.
That night we sleep like the locals, underground. That was pretty cool...literally...the surface temperature was over 42C and the house temperature stays at a pretty steady 21-23C no matter how hot it gets outside, hence most houses are underground. Technically they are underground, but are more like caves dug out of the side of the hills. We played the name game for a couple of hours as we consumed "beverages".
The fourth day was a big day driving up the Stuart Highway with several pitstops en route. Our goal for the day is Uluru (Ayers Rock). We set up camp at Yulara (Ayers Rock Resort), for nights four and five before watching the sunset over Uluru taking time to absorb the beauty and majesty of this place.

We were up for a sunrise breakfast at Uluru, followed by a walk around the base, an approximate 10km walk around Ayers Rock in 38 degree heat. It actually went pretty good...lots of water consumed! We also heard about Tjukurpa (creation/law) leading you to an understanding of the cultural landscape. Time was available for those wishing to climb before visiting the Cultural Centre and then heading back to the camp for lunch and a relaxing afternoon.

On the sixth day we spent the morning at Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), hiking the magnificent Valley of the Winds followed by lunch and an afternoon drive to Watarrka (Kings Canyon). We did our camping at Kings Creek cattle station.

On day seven, the final day, we spent the morning at beautiful Watarrka, through the sandstone domes and down into the Garden of Eden. We then cooled off in the waterhole before returning to camp for a feed. Then it's on to our final destination Alice Springs. Approximate arrival time 6.30 PM.
We all got together for one last night of beverages and goodbyes. I made 16 friends along the way, as well as meeting my future boss Minjeong! I can't wait to visit South Korea!

The Desert Tour(part 1)....damn it's hot here!

2008-01-13T09:30:00.000-06:00

Well, I was up early to catch a ride to the pick up point for the Groovy Grape Tour to Alice Springs. Met Tasha and the bus at 6:45 am, and continued on to other hostels to finish the pickups. Our last pick up was Sara(Minjeong), from South Korea...she was still in bed! No worries though, she was down in 5 minutes ready to go! She sat beside me and we quickly became friends.

The first destination was the Flinder's Range, then on to the smaller towns of Quorn and Hawker. We then heaed out to our first night stop at Angorichina in the Parachilna Gorge where we made camp in a fairly nice facility that was locally run. We all helped make dinner, and some of us got to experience kangaroo steaks for the first time! Sleeping quarters were good; but it was crazy hot...went DOWN to 36C overnight.

Breakfast came early as some people (Minjeong) decided to go bike riding before we left! As we picked the bikers up at the rendezvous site, we notice my friend Minjeong bleeding from several places, knees and hands mostly! Apparently two kangaroos jumped out of a roadside bush and knocked her off of her bike! That, or she fell?!?!? After calling for a Medevac airplane, we decided that she could probably continue with just a few minor repairs until we reached Alice Springs. So we canceled the Medevac flight and banned Minjeong from riding bikes on the rest of the tour!

Destination outback, with a day of driving the dirt ahead of us. From Marree, rich in its history of camel trains, along the Oodnadatta Track, we followed the Old Ghan Railway and its long abandoned railway settlements. This is remote territory, with red, stony plains stretching to the horizon. At William Creek (South Australia's smallest town, population 9) we camped outside under the desert stars sleeping in what are called swags...canvas covers that fit over the sleeping bags. We arrived at about 7pm, unpacked our swags (bedrolls) and headed to the local pub for beer and dinner. It was John from Ireland's thirtieth birthday so we had a fake birthday cake...all chocolate, so none for me! We retired to bed at about 10:30pm with Minjeong being sure to set her alarm, which was right beside me, for 5:30am so we wouldn't miss the sunrise!

Sleep was good, and right on schedule, Menjeong's alarm went off! Whoo hoo, we're up for the sunrise! And it was gorgeous...at 6:30am! Oh well, at least we didn't miss it. We're on the road again at 7:00am or so, heading or our next destination of Cooper Pedy! On the road again...

2007-12-18T01:47:00.000-06:00

December 14-17, 2007
I took the bus trip from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. It was pretty good actually, Nice big reclining chairs and movies to watch, so time went by pretty good.

It was good to get back to KL, sort of a break from all the new places that I have been visiting and exploring. I got to spend more time with Sharon and she is now a couchsurfing ambassador for Kuala Lumpur...congrats to Sharon!

I didn't get to meet up with Jessica again, nor Suzanne Lee the professional photographer that I met in Siem Reap. She invited me to a party at a Brazilian models apartment; but I passed...a little out of my element there I think! That and I'm almost married!

I finally got sick on my holiday adventure! Not the kind of sick that you all are thinking! I got a sinus infection on the fifteenth, so I spent most of the sixteenth and seventeenth drugged up wandering the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Nobody seemed to notice the difference though.

I went and saw two movies...Will Smith's "I Am Legend" and "Hitman". Both pretty good, although Legend was a big budget movie, great special effects.

Sharon bought me a book as a going away gift. I got Lonely Planets "East Coast of Australia", so that should come in handy!

I have two nights booked at a hostel and then I'm couchsurfing with Monique. She will be doing volunteer work with handicapped children on Friday the 21st, so if I can get a security check done quickly, I hope to do that with her. Then there was some talk of amusement parks on Saturday...whoohoo! And on Sunday, Glenn from couchsurfing wants to go golfing. I'll probably let him win...because I have no choice! lol (JD, I think the last time I golfed was with you, was that two years ago or three now?)

My couchsurfing host for Christmas time has had a plan change so i won't see them until the 27th at the earliest and won't surf with them until Jan 2nd. So I need to find a couch or hostel for over Christmas...project for tomorrow! No worries though, it'll still be a white Christmas for me...the white sand beaches of Australia!

Sweden Rocks!

2007-12-15T01:33:00.000-06:00

December 10-14, 2007
I checked at the New 7th Storey Guest House,, which was pretty nice. I took a bed in a three bed dorm room, sharing it with a young man from Sweden, nice guy. The second night we shared as well with an older guy from Colorado. I was left alone for the third night as both my roomies left. It was good to have a break; but the best surprise was the next morning!
Ten o'clock, and I'm just getting ready to head out and "knock, knock"...yeah just like the start of a bad joke. The door opens and in walks my two new roommates for the next two nights. "Hi, my name is Asley and this is my friend Inga...we're from Sweden." Sweden rocks!
We went our separate ways for the daytime; but talked til 4am that night. Was waaay cool!
On the eleventh I met up with Jamie, Hazel and Phoebe, all great couchsurfing people. Forgetting that Jamie was a nutritionist, I proceeded top order deep fried wanton and a Coke for dinner. She didn't say anything until we sat down, then she let me have it! Oh well, I probably deserved it; but in fairness I lost 3kg while in Singapore and KL after! And at least I knew where the old fire station was!(inside joke).
We went to a Caribbean bar/lounge with live music. Music was excellent...beer was expensive! lol
The next day Hazel took me around to different parts of Singapore. We went and saw an art exhibit called "Noise", which is Malaysian young artists in various categories including music, photography and other types of edgy stuff. After that we went for dinner with a friend of Hazels...turned out to be one of the local artists Jessica Choo. So that was pretty interesting.
Also met Jessica Tan from KL in Singapore as she was there for work as an event coordinator. I would have liked to met up with her back in KL; but the plan never came together.

I never thought this would happen!

2007-12-10T01:16:00.000-06:00

I left Kota Kinabalu early for the flight to Singapore. I was lucky enough to find a couch to surf with Elin (SweetMango). She originally offered just one night; but I must have impressed her so much that she invited me to stay another two nights! Elin was a great host. I met her family (mom, sister and cousin and later her brother) on the first night there! We all went to a movie, The Golden Compass, and out for dinner, where we proceeded to order waaaay too much food. It turned out okay though as we had lots left over for her brother who wasn't with us.

I spent the next day with Bridget and met Ling Ang as well. Bridget is such a sweetheart! So much so that we decided to get married! Actually, it's not official yet, we've exchanged rings; but need to wait for some paperwork to get done yet. We've actually known each other quite a while now, so it looks like I might be moving to Singapore soon! I didn't think that THIS would ever happen to me again!

Bridget Lind?? Has a good sound to it!

I've checked into employment in the air navigation system here, and they said they always have room for experienced people, so that looks promising! My journeyman electrician skills are also recognized if I need a backup plan.

Unfortunately, I made a rather fatal prediction on a football match as I predicted that eighth place Reading would beat undefeated Liverpool. And we all know what an expert I am at football...Reading-3...Liverpool-1. I've got some fences to end there; but I'm good at that too!

On the ninth Elin left for Europe. kind of different for a guest to take his couchsurfing host to the airport!

Kota Kin-a-where???

2007-12-04T01:51:00.000-06:00

That's Kota Kinabalu, Borneo, Malaysia...that's south of where most of you are. Back to the warm climates after a chilly three days in Hong Kong. I swear it never got above 25C there. Then again, it didn't go below 20C either, so not all that bad.

The beaches here are great once you go across to an island on the ferry. Just don't miss the last ferry coming back...at 4pm...or you're staying the night! I'm spending about a week here before heading off to Singapore. It's nice and relaxing for a change after some hectic travelling and sight seeing.

The second day here I went to the Poring Hot Springs and the Canopy walk. The canopy walk was pretty cool, 120ft up...100ft across!

Canopy walk!

View from the canopy walk
I did take pictures at the beaches; but they probably aren't appropriate for my travel webpage.

Kuala Lumpur

2007-11-23T06:19:00.000-06:00

I spent six days in Kuala Lumpur, did tons of sightseeing with Sharon from Couchsurfing.com. She was a real help and a pleasure to spend time with! She also connected me with Ken Choong, who I did my first actual couchsurf with! Thanks again Ken, it was a real treat for me! Maybe catch you on the way back through KL before Australia.

Couchsurfing meet in Kuala Lumpur

Couchsurfing at Ken Choong's

Female drivers...
Male drivers!

That line would take about two hours!

Lined up for donuts??

Sharon who showed me all of Kuala Lumpur!

Where Sharon works

Monorail system works great!

Skyline of KL

Time to catch up on pictures...

2007-11-18T05:32:00.000-06:00

Angkor Wat at Sunrise...5:25am

Me, Maarten, Alex and beer! Good times! The Killing Fields (building is full of remains)

S-21 Prison

Phnom Penh

Silk weaving on the Mekong Delta

It's a beautiful day...

Fish farms on the Mekong.

Odd, because they raise them for slaughter.

Don't open which gate?

Making rice paper for spring rolls.

Relaxing on the boat The posh and the poor. Mekong Princess? Obviously!

Mekong Queen? Absolutely!

JD...NOT the burning tire...yet!

Mekong Delta

Two litres of beer...sixty cents!

Thirty minutes AFTER the rain had stopped!

Why is my internet soooo slow?

Cu Chi Tunnel entrance.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia November 12th-14th

2007-11-14T20:26:00.000-06:00

After drinking beer til 2am with Maarten and losing a fight with local mosquitos, I still managed to get up early enough to go walking the market. We took a tuk tuk to the S-21 Museum, which was truly a moving experince. The atrocities that went on there were just unbelievable. It was so intense that we even didn't feel right taking photographs. I think I maybe took two of the exterior of the buildings. Weird.

The next we journeyed out to The Killing Fields (there is a movie by the same name), and it just added to the sense of horror from the S-21 Museum. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions murdered in the most horrific of ways. Hard to imagine that it was only thirty years ago.

Mekong Delta Trip November 9th-11th

2007-11-11T20:20:00.000-06:00

Got up bright and early to leave on a 3 day/2 night trek along the Mekong Delta!
It was an excellent adventure with boat rides, bus rides and snakes.
We went to several villages, a crocodile farm, floating markets and met tons of people from all over the world.
I enjoyed the relaxing parts of it, although it ended on a bad minivan ride for two hours; but such is life! I'm still on holidays!

I met a Dutch couple on the last day of the tour and we decided to hang together in Phnom Penh.

Saigon, Vietnam November 6th-8th

2007-11-09T20:01:00.000-06:00

Arrived in Saigon on an early morning flight. Hotel taxi wasn't there to pick me up; bau a wonderful woman went way out of her way to help arrange a taxi and a FIXED price to my hotel. FIXED price is important over here! Thank you again Thao!

I went on the half day tour of Saigon in the afternoon. Just as tour was ending, a BIG thunderstorm moved in...flooding the streets to about a metre deep. You think Saigon traffic is bad normally...imagine a metre of water and everything at a standstill! Okay, it's never a standstill here; but much slower!

On the 7th I went on a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels used by the Vietcong during the American war as it's known here! We had an excellent tour guide, full of knowledge and insight.
Met a couple, Scott and Jennifer from Vancouver. Scott lost his passport in China and was having a terrible time getting a replacement. Canadian Embassy in China screwed it up even more for him. I felt bad; but not much to do other than wait!

Danang train station and sleeper car

2007-11-05T07:49:00.001-06:00

China Beach...hot and overcast!

2007-11-05T07:42:00.000-06:00

Having fun in Hoi An!

2007-11-05T07:39:00.000-06:00

Any hidden meaning here???

2007-11-05T07:29:00.000-06:00

Before and after...same bridge, 16 hours later!

2007-11-05T07:17:00.000-06:00

Pictures....finally!

2007-11-05T05:59:00.000-06:00

The Amazing Caves!

Shelley

Halong Bay

The Train...

2007-11-04T19:10:00.000-06:00

Well, up at 6am and on the road at 6:30! Said goodbye to Shelley at the train station, I hope I run into her again, she was fun to travel with! She sort of has the same attitude towards it as I do, so that was nice and relaxing.
The train was late arriving though, therefore late leaving...again with the monsoon thingee!I did meet some good people though. I met Thanh Minh Tran(the Canadian way Thanh!) at the train station, he was just heading home for a business trip to China. He was very helpful there in my understanding what was happening at the station. I didn't get the names of the people that I shared a sleeper car with; but they had a cute two year old boy and it was fun to travel with them. Ao the train was obviously late arriving; but my driver was there and got me to the hotel safe and sound.
November third turned out to be a rainy, then sunny, now rainy day in Nha Trang! But I enjoyed it none the less. It's 7pm and raining pretty hard again so probably a taxi back to the hotel...15km...$2.50...gotta love it!
Well that's about it for now, rare to find a USB port on the old computers here, so that's why the lack of pictures! I'm thinking of using a Flickr account to post them all when I get to a friends computer in Singapore!
Latest plan...Siagon...Phnom Penh...Angkor Wat...Phnom Penh for a flight to Kuala Lumpur. (David, are you following along? I would guess KL on the 15th or so; but I will email you!)

P.S. I miss you too Chisa!

WOW.....

2007-11-02T22:32:00.000-06:00

Halong Bay was amazing! The caves were spectacular and the accomodation and food were outstanding as well! Looking back, we probably should have booked a 3day/2night trip; but a plan had been made so Shelley and I returned to Hanoi after the second day. Aycan stayed for a third day and then headed north to Sapa. On the 31st we flew to Hoi An...flight was good and we were served a meal on the one hour flight! (ACA and WJA take note!) Flight was slightly delayed due to the weather, something about a monsoon or something like that. Hotel taxi picked us up and delivered us though. The hotel had hot tea and a fresh fruit platter sent up to our room...sweeeeet!
I got up around 9am and enjoyed a banana pancake and coffee for breakfast...yummy! We decided to do a relaxing day so just wandered around the town and market. We grabbed a late lunch and did some shopping. Late dinner at the hotel..they make a pizza with squid on it...not for me though!
On the 2nd, we went out to Marble Mountains where they literally cut slabs of marble and carve them. Some of the stuff is really amazing!
Then we went for a stroll on China Beach! It goes forever...needed a beer stop for two Canadians! Headed back for an early night as we needed to be up at 6am for the bus to the airport and the train station!

2007-10-29T05:29:00.000-06:00

We arrived in Hanoi safe and sound, and are leaving for a kayak trip in the Halong Bay tomorrow. It's a two day trip, so should be a blast! We'll get back here at 5:00pm; but booked on flight to Da Nang at 7:30 pm...
Beaches EVERYWHERE I think! Pictures and more later!

Safe and sound!

2007-10-26T01:46:00.000-06:00

Never any doubt! Actually the ATR-72 was a great flight! Laos Air is highly recommended! Service, including a meal, was excellent. The visa to enter Laos was $42 though..the most expensive of any country entering Laos! Go figure.

It was Nikki's birthday today, well the 25th depending where you are, so everyone phone her and wish her a happy or belated happy 19th birthday...306-880-7803!
Love you Slick!

Luang Probang is great...very laid back! I'll probably spend the weekend here then off to Hanoi for the start of my Vietnam tour down the coast! Pics later!

Free internet at an airport...nice!

2007-10-25T01:16:00.000-06:00

Bear and I are just sitting here at the Chiang Mai International Airport waiting for our flight to Luang Probang. Once again, you need to check in two hours in advance on an international flights. We'll be flying on the ATR-72 operated by Laos Airlines, so wish us luck.
I'm still waiting on my Vietnam visa approval, so should have ample time to explore Luang Probang. It has been declared a cultural heritage site by the Laos government, so it should have some intersting sites to visit.
Later all!

Pai...

2007-10-23T09:40:00.000-06:00

This was my accommodation while in the town of Pia. It was very comfortable and fairly new. It overlooked the Pia River which made for easy sleeping! And the evening view from the balcony was pretty good too!

The other pics are of the foot bridge that was required to get to the guesthouses. I actually helped for a couple of hours so we could get it done before dark. I cut bamboo into one metre lengths, so they could be split and used for the base to walk on. We got it done just in time, although handrail on one side only. They others finished it the next day and built a welcome sign for the Star Guesthouse! Add "bridge construction" to the resume!

Oh yeah, on another note...I was offer an electrician position (only for 6 weeks) at the http://www.elephantnaturefoundation.org/ It was tempting; but just wasn't going to work with the travel plans. I'm not sure where I'm off to next; but should be there by the end of this week!

www.elephantnaturefoundation.org

2007-10-19T03:30:00.000-06:00

Well, Ginger and I spent three days and two nights at the elephant nature park. It's been set up by a woman named Lek with private donations to rescue elephants from street performing and the trekking companies. See the link and read all about it.

Anyway, the first night we were there an new born elephant arrived. Apparently it had been born earlier in the day; but no one at the trekking company knew the mother was pregnant. the baby roll approximately 100 meters down an embankment before it was recovered. So she was naturally brought to Lek's for treatment. The only time the trekking companies want anything to do with Lek is when one of their elephants is hurt!

To continue, there weren't enough volunteers to look after the baby 24 hrs a day, so Ginger and I volunteered to take the 1am to 3am shift. It was truly amazing to feed a 1 day old baby elephant (350 lbs). As we left on Thursday, the baby was just started to get her legs to stand up, so hopefully I will be able to update this story when I hear from friends at the park.

We also got to feed and bathe the elephants in the river...more pics below!

Elephant Pictures

2007-10-19T02:57:00.000-06:00

I Survived Driving in Thailand!

2007-10-14T05:25:00.000-06:00

THAT'S a new T-shirt that I need to get!

Actually it went very well...started off on a rough spot though. We rented the car and no sooner did we get on the toll highway, then the fuel light starts flashing! Off we get, get the fuel, get turned around and back on to the toll highway...wrong direction though! When Larka asked in I "could read a map", I thought she said "take a nap"...so we were in big trouble now.

But it all worked out, we just took a different route and had tons of fun!

We started out southeast of Bangkok at a town called Si Racha...nice small town atmosphere, with a room on the water! We went for dinner and found a bar with live music. Mostly Thai; but they attempted several songs in English...including Eagles and such. The next day we took a ferry ride to the island of Ko Si Chang where we took a tuk tuk tour of the island with Chinese temples and ended with a swim in the Gulf of Thailand. Back onto the ferry around 3pm and on the road to Ban Kon Krung.

We arrived in Ban Kon Krung in the dark which made finding our Guest House almost impossible. Finally we called them on the phone and told them we were at the 7-11! She said she would come and pick us up right away. About 10 minutes later we get a phone call that she can't see us at the 7-11....odd we thought...turns out we were in the next town! lol...tourists! Anyway, finally got that all figured out and grabbed some food and off to bed. The next morning we're off to explore the Khao Yai National Park...and ran out of gas in the middle of the park! Hey Larka was in charge of guages! Anyway, 5 young Thai kids (everybody is a kid compared to me) helped us out immensely...see the "Gas Crew" photo above!

The next morning we headed off to Lop Buri to see the monkeys! We piled two more people into the car...Marius took over navigating and did a great job! Carolyn and I just watched from the back seat...glad not to have to work at all! The monkeys were amazing! We continued on that afternoon the the city of Ayutthaya which used to be the capital of Thailand.

We did a day/night tour of the city which was pretty interesting and included the elephant camp and finished with the night market. It would have been nice to get closer to the temples that were closed at night; but nice to see at night as well.

The next morning Larka and I said our goodbyes and headed off to Kanchanaburi. At breakfast we met three girls from the USA, two of which had been to Chiang Mai and gave us endless good tips! Special thanks to Kaitlin and Susan! Ginger said she was heading to Chiang Mai later that day, and I will be heading there on Sunday...hope to catch up and do a few things together. We left about 9:30 and got to the National Park to see the waterfalls just before a torrential downpour on our drive back to town.

The next morning, we just laid in the sun on the floating deck on the River Kwai! We left about noon, dropped the car off in Bangkok at about 3pm, found me a guest house for Saturday night.

Larka and I grabbed our last meal together and then wandered the market until she had to catch a taxi for the trip back to Holland! I had a great time Larka, thanks for sharing some of your holidays with me!

My new friend.....

2007-10-13T04:25:00.000-06:00

Please check out the travel blog of my travel partner! Should have some awesome pics on it shortly! http://www.bearstravels.blogspot.com/

Driving in Thailand...CRAZY ! ! !

2007-10-08T13:15:00.000-06:00

Well, Larka and I will be driving all over Thailand until Saturday the 13th...I will post about that trip when we're done...later all!

What's a Burma? Is that the same as a Myanmar?

2007-10-08T00:33:00.000-06:00

Just a short post until I leave for a four day driving adventure...
I met an English teacher from Burma this morning. She had been teasing a dog and the dog bit her! LOLOLOL...always funny when it happens to someone else! We spent most of the day together walking around, since she had a sore leg! We started in the morning with another temple tour, stopped for lunch, then went off to the Jim Thompson House...he wasn't home; but we went for a guided tour anyway, very interesting.
We talked a lot about the unrest in Myanmar and how dangerous it is right now. I wish she didn't have to go back; but she didn't seem worried. It was a great day and I'm glad to have met Annabelle...maybe we will cross paths again one day.
Oh yeah, she wasn't teasing the dog...she was just attacked...and it looked like a pretty bad wound; but she said she'd get it looked at when she got back to Myanmar.
We took tons of pictures of Bear in all sorts of places.
Gotta run....more later!

Still in Bangkok...

2007-10-06T22:26:00.000-06:00

October 5th
Slower day today, visited the king's palace...it was huge! Spent about three hours there, not sure if we saw it all or not.
Had dinner on the way back to the hostel; then played some CR until the bus came to pick up Bobbi and T for there next journey to Laos. The bus showed up early, so goodbyes were rather quick. I wish them safe and happy trips and hope to catch up with them at some point in time along our adventures!

October 6th
Up bright and early to leave for my tour of the Floating Market, the Death Railway, the Bridge on the River Kwai, and finally the Tiger Temple! I was picked up promptly at 7am by a young woman on a motorcycle...I thought "This is going to be a loooong tour!" It turns out she just took me to the air conditioned bus (read:minivan). We waited for a few more people to arrive and then we departed around 7:30am. It was about a 2.5 hour ride each way which was broken up along the way by thge stops. First was the floating market, which was exactly as it sounds, you were taken out on a long boat and moved along to different "shops" to see if there was anything to purchase. After that it was on to a floating restaurant for a delicious lunch!
Next stop was the Death Railway. It was amazing...it is hard to imagine the horrors that went on there, and it was shown and explained very well with many stories and artifacts on display.
The Bridge on the River Kwai was only a short walk away and was also impressive. NOTE: The river that the bridge is built on wasn't originally named the river Kwai. They changed the name of the river to match the movie once it became a tourist attraction!
And then it was off to see the tigers! It was part of a larger wild game preserve. Although the tigers are the main attraction, there were other animals such as wild boars, muscox, various birdlife and as odd as it sounds...reindeer! Yeah, go figure??
After being warned about not wearing orange or red colors, we were lead into the tiger enclosure. One person would lead you by the hand and the the other would take the photos. You can't appreciate the size of them until you are next to one! I'll try to post some more pics of them soon!

Bangkok...

2007-10-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

October 4, 2007
Well, been trying the Thai food from street vendors as well as our hostel restaurant. We lucked out I think and have found a wonderful hostel. The people are friendly, the rooms are clean, showering is a challenge; but interesting! BJ & T had curry dishes for dinner last night..."spicy" is the review on those, so I will avoid them for now!
Met an apprentice welder form Edmonton...Matt...he's here for three months. Maybe travel to Chiang Mai with him at some point.

I had a really great day with Bobbi Jo and T today...we toured several temples and even received blessings from a Buddhist monk!
After that we went on a long boat tour of the riverfront in Bangkok. You can really see the contrast all along the shoreline, from the king's palace to shantys that you wonder how they are still stand up.

We grabbed Matt went out to a different restaurant which we may go back to for Calzone tonight! Went back to the hostel and played more Crazy Rummy...I WON ! ! !

Well, I'm here!

2007-10-03T19:57:00.000-06:00

September 30, 2007
So, departed Saskatoon on time after de-icing the plane...-2C.
Lucked out and sat next to a winery representative by the name of Kristen who works for Barefoot Wine.
Flight from Calgary to San Francisco was a little late due to headwinds.
Took the BART to the hostel, very efficient system.
Hostel wasn't great; but people were good and it served the purpose for one night.
Went for a four hour walk around the downtown area of San Francisco...lots to see and do for tomorrow! Met a woman at an art gallery, Shannon at the San Francisco Art Exchange, and we chatted about travel to SE Asia. Lot's of great artwork there too for anyone in the neighbourhood!

October 1, 2007
Got up a t 7:30 am...not like I had a choice with all the street noise!
Went to check my bag into bag storage for the day and there was a tour bus pulling up...off I went on the bus tour of San Francisco. It was pretty good and ended up dropping off at Fisherman's Wharf. I took about 200 pictures in San Francisco!
After finishing up at the wharf, I took the trolley car back to the hostel area. Had supper, then went and sat in the lounge of the Hilton and watched the Monday Night game, while waiting for the 1:00 am flight to Bangkok!

October 2-3, 2007
THAT is one looooong flight!
Met Bobbi Jo and Therese in the SFO airport. What a great pair of people, I hope we can remain friends. I don't really fit in with them age wise; but I let them beat me at Crazy Rummy, so they tolerate me. lol. They will be leaving for Laos in a couple of days; but we will discover Bangkok together in the meantime. Time to get ready for dinner...more to come later!