roundtheworldwego

The End

2007-03-25T13:29:00.000Z

All good things come to an end, and this last year has definitely been a good thing. It's a bit shocking for it all to be over and we are probably still a bit in denial. However, the memories will live forever as they say.

We have seen so many incredible things and met some wonderful people over the last 12 months and feel so fortunate to have been able to experience it all. The inevitable question of 'what was your favourite place?' has already come up, but its exceedingly hard to answer. Just when I think I've got it pegged down I remember something else. As of today this is how I stand, my favourite country was Syria, primarily because the culture is so different and the country so surprisingly beautiful. Also the Syrian people made it for me, they were hands down the warmest people we met on the whole trip. However, the best experience would have to be seeing the mountain gorillas in Uganda, although closely followed by safari and the great wall. I think Leighanne would vote for Malawi, the tiny sliver of a country only recently made famous by Madonna's exploits. Again the people make the difference and especially the children. The children of Malawi are precious and provide some of our fondest memories. For the next few weeks and definitely for years to come we will look back at the times we had together, and although some times where hard and testing the overall experience has been life changing. It has also been great including some of our pictures to give the blog a bit more life. The ones above are a few of my favourites.

On a personal note I'm so glad I have perservered with the blog as it has allowed me to keep a semi-journal for the first time ever. With my inability to write more than a few sentences by hand, being able to put my thoughts and views into cyberspace has been refreshing. I hope everyone who has followed our trip has enjoyed reading our accounts, I apologise for any bastardising of the English language, but hey I'm an Engineer by trade what can you expect. Thank you to everyone who commented, we enjoyed reading them.

Till next time, goodbye.

Buenos Aires

2007-03-23T21:31:00.000Z

The spirit of Tango, Evita, and Maradona is well and truly alive in the streets of Buenos Aires. The city is incredible, with enough culture and nightlife to rival any city anywhere on the planet. The inhabitants of BsAs sure know how to enjoy life, dinner consisting of a huge steak, salad, red wine or beer doesn't begin until 10pm with non stop partying till the early hours. How they actually get any work done during daylight hours is beyond me. It's probably why the banks open at 10am and promptly close at 3pm. BsAs really belongs in the grouping of Paris, Barcelona and Rome, but it is stuck at the bottom end of South America and the locals seem generally pissed off about the whole thing. How it is possible to financially ruin a country that is self-sufficient in energy and agriculture is beyond me and a good porportion of the Argentinian population agree. Most Argentinians walk around with a rather large chip on their shoulder, but who can blame them. They have definitely been dealt the sort end of the stick by political incompetence, but are slowly and surely pulling themselves back up.
On recommendation from Matt Springate we found lodging in the San Telmo suburb of BsAs and it was superb. A very cool and hip hostel only minutes from an overflowing selection of bars and restuarants. On our first night we met Fay and Jamie, friends from England, and took in a positively tacky Tango show. Full of high-slit dresses and knowing looks the tango show was everything that a tourist show could be, but it was still fun and afterwards we headed to one of BsAs famous parillas (aka carnivore heaven) for steak. San Telmo is the birthplace of tango and can be seen live in many bars and restuarants in the area. However, the best place to see tango is on Sunday when the Plaza Dorrego holds it weekly antiques market. Enterprising locals put on free tango shows in the street, all for a little spare change in the hat.

The nightlife in BsAs is legendary and we managed to sample a bit of it on a few nights. In our old age a big night out takes days to get over so we didn't indulge everynight. A couple days before leaving we met up with Johan, a nomadic Norwegian who used to work with Leighanne in London. He now as the lifestyle everyone dreams off living in one of the worlds great cities. He has the envious job of writing articles for international and local papers and magazine on the best of BsAs culture, entertainment and sports. Can you believe people actually get paid to do this? We met him out in Palermo for a few seemingly simple drinks, but didn't manage to get home till 4am.
Football in all of South America is passionate to say the lest, one only needs to remember the fate of the Colombian player who scored an own-goal against the US in the 94 World Cup and ended up on the end of few 9mm bullets. As one of the great footballing nations, the sport is of a serious nature in Argentina. In recent weeks there had been news reports of increasing violence at football matches in Argentina. River Plate, one of the biggest clubs in the country, had been playing their domestic matches almost behind closed doors. On our Thursday in BsAs we decided to get the full cultural experience and go and watch a match. River Plate was playing Caracas of Venezuala in the Copa Libertadores, South Americas version of the Champions League. River Plate is the club of the elite of BsAs with their stadium 'El Monumental' located in the plush suburb of Palermo. We managed to get seats to the match and although the traveling support from Caracas was limited the atmosphere in the stadium was immense. The support for all clubs in South America is passionate with 'social clubs' providing the main fan base. These social clubs have incredible importance and power. The former captain of River Plate used to donate a decent proportion of his salary to one such social club so they would treat him nicely with huge banners and songs in his honour. Big clubs such as Boca Juniors and River Plate can have social clubs with memberships exceeding 50,000 people, enough to have any owner or manager pay attention. The actual game was a bit dire with River Plate getting beaten 1-0, but the fans didn't stop singing and chanting for the full 90min. The sight of 60,000 people jumping up and down in unison can be quite spectacular.

BsAs is a big city and in order to see a good proportion of it we decided to sign up for a bike tour. It turned out to be great fun cruising along the wide boulevards that typify BsAs. We cycled through Puerto Madero, the redeveloped docklands area, and into Palermo, Recoleta, and Belgrano the ritzy end of BsAs.

On our last day in BsAs we decided not to see any of BsAs and instead boarded a ferry for the short trip across the Rio de Plata to Uruguay and the beautiful town of Colonia de Sacramento. Originally founded to facilitate the smuggling of illegal goods into BsAs, Colonia is now a very quiet cobblestone street town of great cafes and restuarants on the banks of the river. We had a great fish lunch then wandered the streets until the rain started to fall in sheets. It was a perfect day trip to escape the hustle and bustle of BsAs.

Our original plan of taking our time visiting the beaches along the coast on our way to Sao Paulo quickly vanished after visiting the demons that seem to inhabit every Brasilian Consulate. What should of been a simple process of getting a tourist visa for Brasil dragged into a weeks worth of waiting. So instead we opted for a sure bet of a beach and boarded the bus for Florianopolis in Brasil. After 31 hours we arrived to pouring rain. Luckily it cleared the next day and we spent 4 glorious days working on our tans and me trying to learn to surf, rather unsuccessfully as my new scars attest.

After Florianopolis it was onto Sao Paulo and our very last stop on the trip. Time to start thinking about the real world and what changes our lives will encounter in the near future.

Slight Change of Situation

2007-03-09T20:49:00.000Z

On our last day in El Calafate before turning north for the long trip to Buenos Aires we went horseriding for the last time on Cerro Frias. The mountain is about 30min outside El Calafate surrrounded by beautiful countryside with the snow capped peaks of the Andes in the distance. The horseride was wonderful, even as the temperature plummeted the higher we got. From the farmhouse we climbed steadly up a ragged path scaring large Patagonian hares from under their bushes along the way. The hares where huge, some the size of decent sized dogs. After climbing for about an hour we traversed along the side of the mountain until we turned the corner and got stunning views of the Andes bathed in a brilliant red from the remaining sunlight. As daylight started to fade we began the descent down towards the farmhouse again and what would be a fantastic barbeque dinner and wine. After dismounting from the horses I managed to get Leighanne to come down the fenceline to take a picture with the mountains in the background. At this point I turned to Leighanne and spoke some private words then asked her 'if she would marry me'. She obliged with the correct answer and after savouring the moment we went inside to celebrate our engagement. So for the last few weeks of our trip we have been celebrating as well as dogging the many wedding questions that have come our way from family and friends. However, we would like to thank everyone who has sent heartfelt emails and cards wishing us all the best. Hopefully we will soon have answers to all those questions.

Patagonia

2007-03-09T19:23:00.000Z

Southern Argentina means Patagonia. In a country roughly the size of India, Patagonia dominates the lower region. I always had the impression that Patagonia was mainly breathtaking mountain scenery and dense alpine forests. In the last 2 weeks of traveling throughout this region I have discovered that I couldn´t have been more wrong. Patagonia is an immense plain of nothing. It stretches seemingly on forever, with limitless skies sprinkled with bizarre clouds. We spent about 4 full days on buses moving around the region and didn´t see a single tree above 1 foot tall, anything taller and it simply gets blown away. The wind is fierce and very cold as it thunders down the western side of the Andes on its way towards the Atlantic Ocean.
At the very southern tip of Patagonia before moving into the thousands of islands that comprise Tierra del Fuego is probably the most incredible sight of power and size you could ever wish to see. Powered by the third largest icefield in the world the Perito Moreno glacier moves ´quickly´ down the western side of the Andes towards the small town of El Calafate and is really beyond description. I had seen a glacier in northern Norway a couple years ago, but this one is on a whole other scale. At the face of the glacier were huge bits of ice regularly break off causing mini tidal waves in the lake the ice stands 70m above the water line and 100m below it. A mere 8km up the mountain and the ice is 700m thick and at the glaciers source, 30km up into the icefield, the ice reaches 1000m down to the bedrock. The center of the glacier moves at about 2m per day, making it one of the fastest moving glaciers on earth, hence its rock star personality of crashing ice and bobbing icebergs that feature regularly in the pages of National Geographic and on the Discovery Channel. Our trip to see the glacier up close was fantastic. It started with a boat trip in the lake to get a view of the glacier face from the water. Afterwards we strapped on cramp-ons and actually got to walk on the glacier, getting great looks at beautiful shades of blue and deep crevases. We even got to have a scotch on the rocks, cooled by bits of ice probably formed during the life of Christ. We then went up on a nearby hill that allows great views of the glacier face and a chance to see its river-like path up into the mountains. We could of stayed all day just watching bus size pieces of ice crash into the lake.
After experiencing southern Patagonia it was time to start the long long journey north back towards Buenos Aires. Ruta 40 is a very lonely stretch of mainly dirt track that goes from far northern Argentina to the southern tip hugging the Andes spine. Up until last year it was impossible to travel the length of this route by public transport. However, there is now a company that plies the route from El Calafate upto Bariloche, 2 full days and 2500km away. The scenery along the length of the road is vast and barren. This part of the country is the true Patagonia, inhabited by very few people except the hardy cattle and sheep farmer. Although the trip was very long, being able to see what most of Argentina is about was rewarding. It is truly an enormous country with some breathtaking scenery.
After reaching Bariloche our journey through Patagonia was complete and the only thing to do was board another bus for the 20 hour trip to Buenos Aires.

Lake District Argentina Style

2007-02-23T15:17:00.000Z

The Lake District in Argentina is in no regards unique, there is an identical one just across the border in Chile and its namesake in the north of England. However, this in no way detracts from the absolute beauty of the region. Created by the uplift of the Andes and carving force of retreating glaciers the Lake District is full of towering peaks and glimmering blue lakes.
After a long bus trip down the Andean spine we arrived in Bariloche and were greeted by pouring rain. Seemed as if the name wasn´t the only similarity to the England Lake District. However, upon awakening to sunshine the following morning we were rewarded with snow capped peaks in every direction. Bariloche is the main town of the Lake District, and although not the prettiest place still has a certain charm. Situated on the banks of the biggest lake it is privileged to have stunning views across the waters to the mountains and the Chilean border. In winter Bariloche is home to one of the largest ski resorts in South America, being here in summer we were relegated to either biking, horse riding, or hiking. We chose hiking and after catching a bus to lovely woodsy Colonia Suiza spent the afternoon wandering through the woods, every now and then getting a glimpse of a shimmering lake.
Our next stop on the Lake District tour was Villa La Angostura, a small town about an hour away from Bariloche. Situated on the lake front with the ever present mountains towering overhead, Villa as its referred is a sleepy little place. Our activity of choice here was mountain biking, the first time I have been on a human propelled bike since my trip down the worlds most dangerous road in Bolivia a few years ago. This time we decided to go up and after a fairly gruelling climb up the mountain made it to the bottom of the Cerro Bayo ski resort. Holding onto your bikes we road the chairlift to the top and after savouring the views sped down the ski runs. Definitely a weird feeling being on a ski resort in the middle of summer.
After Villa we moved onto San Martin de los Andes, definitely the most picturesque of the towns we visited. San Martin is hemmed in by two mountains and funnels down the valley towards the lake. It is a beautiful little place full of great restuarants, chocolate factories, and boutique clothe shops. When you head out for dinner you just follow your nose to the smell of wonderful grilling steak. For those not in the know, Argentina is home to the worlds greatest steaks. There is no argument on this, even though Australia and Scotland claim good beef it simply pales in comparison. On our last day in San Martin we went horseriding up into the hills. Since South Africa Leighanne has been itching to go horseriding again. The day didnt dissapoint, we arrived early at Victors farm to find about 10 hours calmly grazing in the nearby fields. After saddling up with graciously soft saddles we started the ascent up the mountain. The horses were great the whole way, even with numerous dogs running between their legs. The views from the top were sweeping.
Our visit to the Lake District has been wonderful, we are really looking forward to what else Argentina has to offer. Next on the agenda is Pennisula Valdes and hopefully a sighting of the famous orcas, then its onto the real highlight, Patagonia and the glaciers.

Up and Over

2007-02-22T15:37:00.000Z

After returning to the mainland we didn´t linger long in Santiago, instead opting to extend our stay in Argentina. The two countries are divided by one of the worlds great mountain ranges. The Andes run the length of South America and form a perfect border between the thin coastal country of Chile and the expansive pampa of Argentina. A long way back in the trip we had a similar mountain crossing over the Atlas mountains. Luckily this one was vomit free and spent in superb luxury. The developed countries of South America are blessed with wonderful buses and transport networks. Most buses that travel any sort of distance are of the airplane business class quality. The seats are very soft and recline a ridiculous amount and usually a little man serves you drinks and food. What more could you want. With this knowledge in hand we boarded the bus in Santiago for the trip up and over to Mendoza and the Argentinian wine district. Very quickly after leaving Santiago we began to climb and at one point it became dizzying with endless switchback roads rising into the sky. Even at this late stage in the southern summer the peaks of the mountains were covered in snow and swirling clouds. The views the entire way were stunning and foreshadow much of the scenery we would see for the weeks to come. Unfortunately for Leighanne she has developed a slight case of motion sickness and the windy roads up the mountain were not for the faint of heart, or stomach. Tablets we had bought in Thailand for some of the longer boat trips came in handy and she was out cold most of the way.

After a lengthy stay at the Chile/Argentina border we headed down toward Mendoza, a very picturesque town, which is bang in the middle of Argentinas wine district. Mendoza is full of wide avenues and outdoor restuarants and we definitely indulged in the famous steaks and vino. After Mendoza it was time to head back towards the mountains and the Lake District of Argentina.

Middle of Nowhere

2007-02-12T20:11:00.000Z

For any of you who has or been tempted to say ´this is in the middle of nowhere´ about a place you have visited most likely you weren´t even close. Easter Island, Isla de Pascua, or Rapa Nui depending on your association is truly the Middle of Nowhere as eloquently expressed in the following quote:

¨If I climb to the highest point on Rapa Nui, the Maunga Terevaka, and look to the North, all I can see is the vast immensity of the ocean, but I know that the closest land is the Galapagos Islands, located 3800km away. I turn slightly and look to the West. Again, all I can see is ocean. This time, 4000km separate me from Tahiti and 2000km frm Pitcairn Island, the nearest land. I turn once more and face the South, where more then 5000km of water lie between the Antartic ice caps and me. Finally, I turn for the last time and face East, and now, stretching before me are 3700km of empitness before reaching the coast of Chile in South America.¨

Carlos Huber ¨Easter Island, Rapa Nui A Land of Rocky Dreams¨

We were incredibly lucky to be able to include Easter Island on our round-the-world ticket, because for the vast majority of travelers it is seriously off the beaten track. Easter Island is really famous for only one thing, the huge stone head statues called ´moai´that dot the landscape. Nobody is really sure why the people built them and why in such numbers. What they do know is that the building of the moai helped lead to their destruction. It is thought that the island was inhabited by two similar groups, the long ears and the short ears, both decendents from the original people who by some miracle found the island after theirs in Polynesia was wipped away by a tsunami. A competition built up between the two groups as well as on and off warfare that intensified as time went on. Eventually the building of the moai became an obsession that overtook other parts of life including agriculture. Eventually the long ears triumphed, which is only right, and tragically soon after the first Europeans arrived bringing with them all kinds of nasties that quickly wiped them all out. So what you see on the island today is the remains of a once powerfully unique society, which probably were the worlds greatest navigators.
The island is very small, only about 20km across at its widest with 3 extinct volcanos dominating the terrain. Their is only 2 real sand beaches with the remainder of the coastline being very dramatically rocky cliffs. Most of the island is also bare, as all the indenginous trees were cut down to aid in the movement of the moai from the quarry to the ceremonial platforms. The only trees now are introduced gum trees from Australia. We rented a jeep for a day to tour around the island in order to see all the moai in all their glory. They are truly bizaare, with varying facial expressions and sizes. Some are quite small wereas others are up to 10m high. Its still a mystery how the people managed to transport and then erect these statues with no mechanical tools. Its the same dilemna that has faced archaeologist in Egypt, trying to figure out how these seemingly unsophisticated people managed to do something us modernites can´t. The largest grouping of moai is 15 in number. They had been scattered inland by a tsunami in the 1970´s, but a Japanese crane company in exchange for the picture rights, were kind enough to put them back in place in 1997. So now 15 glorious moai line up next to each other right on the cliff overlooking the pounding Pacific waves.
Luckily for us, in addition to the ´normal´sites to see on the island, the Rapa Nui people were celebrating their 2 week long festival in which the new Queen of Rapa Nui is crowned. It´s a kind of ancient beauty pagaent. Basically a couple families get together and find their candidate and then the following 2 weeks is spent competing in various contests between the other families. They have swimming, stone carving, baking, island style sledding, banana carrying race, etc... All very authentic and great fun to watch and be a part of. The winning family has their candidate crowned Queen for the coming year.

We both feel truly lucky to been able to visit Easter Island, it is definitely a unique place with a lot of unanswered questions. Our next stop is back to Santiago then up over the mountains into Argentina.

Vegas Baby!

2007-02-04T18:54:00.000Z

Apologies for the absence of any posts recently, but we have been living in the 1950s for the last 4 weeks and as you know Al Gore hadn't invented the internet by then. Anyway, after our delightful Christmas break in Kansas with lots of wholesome family experiences we flew into Sin City for some real fun and New Year Eve celebrations.

However, we first rented a car at the airport and set off towards Arizona and the Grand Canyon. Renting a car is a unique experience in America, especially for people used to small cars and small roads. There is an automatic need to have a big car in America, regardless of whether it is any good or not. Due to monetary constraints we had opted for the Economy variety and were quite happy when informed at the desk that it was a Hyundai Accent. On approach to the actual car we found something not resembling an Accent in the slightest, we had been stuck with some huge Dodge stationwagon tank hybrid that was a total piece of crap. I have erased the name from my memory as to ward off any future nightmares. Anyway, we drove out of Las Vegas and across the impressive Hoover Dam and into Arizona. Staying in the Grand Canyon National Park is for the privileged few, so we stayed in Flagstaff about an hours drive away in a wonderfully typical roadside motel. I had visited the Grand Canyon before, also in winter, but this was to be Leighannes first trip as she missed going last time in the US. As always the Grand Canyon is immensly impressive. The scale is hard to guage with the eye, but the colours are what make it unique. As clouds slowly drift over the landscape the reds and greys of the various rock layers changed dramatically from minute to minute. We also had snow the night before, which added a certain dramatic effect to the colours. Down inside the canyon it looked hot and dry, but up on the rim cold and white.

After our day in Arizona we drove back into Las Vegas and found our hostel in the rather seedy part of Las Vegas, a far cry from the glitz and glamour of the Strip. In order to get to the Strip we had to take public transport, heaven forbid. This is almost unheard of in the US apart from the major cities, but it turned out to be a great experience getting to mingle with the local people of Las Vegas.

Our New Year Eve celebrations started with the Cirque de Sol show KA at the MGM Grand. We opted for the show instead of the booze mainly to stop us spending everything we have on blackjack tables. It turned out to be worth it with a very impressive performance by people dressed in bizarre outfits. After the show with about 2 hours till countdown we ventured over to New York New York to inhale a few daiquries and play the pokies. As usual we won absolutely nothing, mainly because we were playing for pennies. At countdown time we went out onto the Strip with a million others and watched the clock tick down and were treated with a impressive fireworks display from all the big hotels along the Strip.

After a day recovering from our excess we walked the length of the Strip to see all the hotels during the day and visit the Coca Cola shop, which Leighanne was very impressed with. On Jan 2nd we flew out of Las Vegas towards Mexico City, but not without some trauma thanks to the utter incompetence of American Airlines. At this point in our trip we had taken about 15 flights in 4 continents with various airlines ranging from Ethiopia Air to Cathay Pacific with not a single delay, lost baggage, or even slight complaint. However, within the space of 2 flights American Airlines delayed us 10 hours, lost our tickets, lost our bags, and general pissed me off for life. It is beyond me how one of the largest airlines in the world can be managed and operated by petulant children. Ah, I feel better, have had that on my chest for weeks.

Our next stop is Chile and a detour to the most remote island on earth, Easter Island.

Christmas in Kansas

2007-01-05T00:31:00.000Z

After visiting 3 continents and upwards of 15 countries in 9 months we decided to spend Christmas in Kansas. For those not in the know, I can hear the "what the hell were you thinking" call. To clarify things, I lived in Kansas for about 10 years and my parents still reside in sunflower sunny Lenexa, a suburb of greater Kansas City. So Christmas was to be a wonderful family affair for the first time in many years. My sister Lauren also made the trip from New York so we got to spend some quality time with the entire Farmer family including the slobbering duo of Banks and Tukka over about a week.

We arrived in Kansas City after about 30 hours of straight travel from Tokyo and quickly succumbed to a bad case of jet lag. The first few days were spent waking at 3am and struggling to keep our eyes open at 4pm. Once Lauren arrived things started to pickup and what I thought maybe was to be a week of relaxing and watching TV became a shop and eat marathon. We managed to see all the big malls of the area including Cabelas Outdoor Center where if your so inclined can by a human killing sniper rifle or a monogramed AK-47, just what everyone needs under their tree during this time of peace and happiness. We also dined at all the classics including Zardas BBQ (KC Classic), Mr Goodcents Subs, Pizza Maker and most of the numerous fast food establishments that grace every square inch of the country.

Leading up to Christmas there was concerns from all parties involved that the tree would look rather sparten due to various restraints such as no room in backpacks for gifts and minimal money to buy gifts. However, that was all rectified by the every looming precense of cheap Chinese goods. We loaded up and with some wonderful presents from everyone else the tree was decidely overflowing.

Christmas day was great, starting off by opening the presents as soon as everyone was awake. I must say that the gifts totally exceeded all expectations, including the handbag we bought my Mum for a DISCOUNTED price in China, which turned out to be retailed for $5000. Personally I feel the story surrounding the handbag is better then the bag itself. The remaining gifts consisted of lots of Australian lollies and Chinese DVD. After the presents and a good breakfast we headed off to the movies for the traditional Farmer family experience. Usually we go for something light hearted, but Hollywood had not obliged this year so we opted for The Good Shepherd. The rest of the day included a lovely lamb dinner with roast veggies and Dad and I sitting down to watch England succumb to Aussie excellence in the Boxing Day Test.

On Boxing Day my parents and Lauren were nice enough to arrange a little party (drinks and nibbles as Mum likes to call it) and invited friends I went to school with from the area and had not seen in upwards of 8 years. I must admit I was slightly apprehensive about the whole thing, but it turned out to be great fun and I am very grateful to Mum, Dad, and Lauren for setting it up. It was a great time for me to see friends again and also for Leighanne to meet some people I have talked about in the past. In addition Dad got to explain the virtues and technicalities on what the best way to get an Englishmen out is to laymen Americans. Overall is was a great night and we all had the hangover to prove it the next morning. Leighanne and I would like the thank everyone who came to the party, the number who showed up was very surprising, it was very good to see everyone again and hopefully you all had an enjoyable time.

A couple days later the visit to Kansas was over and we where off to bring in the New Year in Las Vegas. We both had a great time in Kansas, I especially loved seeing my family again. Although we are probably one of the most computer connected families on earth, it was still wonderful to be able to give each other hugs again.

Tokyo

2006-12-24T00:15:00.000Z

I love the Japanese. As a country and people they are so much more civilized than anywhere else. They have seemingly thought of everything. We spent only a day in Tokyo, basically due to the cost, but I would love to go back and see the rest of the country. My good friend Takashi and his fiance Nana met us in Tokyo and were good enough to show us the sites.
We spent the morning on a bus tour of Tokyo, visiting Tokyo Tower to take in views of the city and luckily get a great view of Mt Fuji which is usually shrouded in cloud. We also went to the outside of the Imperial Palace, some temple, and frankly I can't remember what else. Tokyo isn't known for its sites. After the tour we made our way to the Fish Market to try some fair dinkum sushi. Neither Leighanne or I had ever really tried sushi, so our first experience was to be at a small restuarant inside the market where the sushi is made right in front of your eyes. It was great, strange, but great. I have no idea what type of sushi we had because it was all in Japanese, but I have no doubt that we had the full sushi experience. Afterwards we visited the Sony Building with all the latest gadgets, minus Playstation 3, then spent the evening drinking amazingly expensive beer in Ikebukuro.

Now, as mentioned before, the Japanese have thought of everything. A few examples are the seemingly endless array of vending machines that provide a quick service for all your needs. One beverage machine can spit out 2C cold soft-drinks and 95C hot coffees, including latte, americano, etc... these all come in cans with special holders so you don't burn your hand. All trains stop at the exact same place on the platform at every station, so in a very orderly fashion everyone queues up and lets the other passengers depart then enter the carriages in an extremely civilized fashion, pushing and shoving is not in the vocabulary. You can even have your train ticket on your mobile phone, nevermind the pre-paid cards like the Oyster Card in London. You simply place your phone on the scanner and away you go. The examples are endless and I'm sure we only experienced a few, but it was educational nonetheless.

After our whirlwind tour of Tokyo it was time to board the long flight to America and Christmas time.

Superpower People

2006-12-23T23:55:00.000Z

The Chinese are unique. Think back to the time when you were about 16 years old, that is pretty much how most Chinese adults act at all times. The difference is, where as at 16 years old most people weren't particularly clever, the Chinese are extremely clever. In a short time their country will rule the roost.
Their culture and the way people act in social circumstances is almost completely opposite of how people are supposed to act in 'Western' countries. The most glaring example that everyone knows is the spitting. Now this is not the 'I've got too much saliva in my mouth' type of spit, it is more extract part of your lung and stomach spit. The noise associated with the spitting is my soundtrack of China. Spitting is everywhere, on the street, in the train station, in the train, in the bus, in the restuarant, nowhere is of limits. No wonder every building has tile floors. It is not uncommon to see big globs of spit/chewed food scattered around the floor of restuarants.
The next noticable difference is 'queue' or 'line' etiquette, it simply doesn't exist. With over a billion people populating the country, the queues would be seriously long and time is money. So it's everyone for themselves, your best option is to sharpen your elbows and dive into the fray. It's important to remember that generally you are much bigger then the Chinese, apart from Leighanne, so you have to use your size to your advantage. Plus, the sight of a white person getting stuck in tends to shock the Chinese into inaction.
Other examples are constant burping, clearing nose of mucus without the use of tissues, exceedingly load talking, open mouth eating, etc...
Our ingrained example of Chinese culture is a train trip we took from Yichang to Xi'an. We had a foghorn snoring in one bunk, a chronic burper in the next, and a whole carriage of chain smoking spitting passengers swarming just outside the cabin. Ah the joys of public transport.
All these differences are a little off putting initially, but gain a certain endearing quality as time goes on. Before you know it your starting to join in, if nothing else then to get a reaction. The West will have to start getting used to the sight of more and more Chinese visiting their neighborhoods soon, because they have lots of money and aren't going to lose it anytime soon.

Beijing

2006-12-21T00:24:00.000Z

Beijing is seriously on the move with the upcoming Olympics the main excuse to build a new flash skyscraper. The government has even gone to the extent of launching new weather satellites and is looking into weather influencing technologies. Above all the various quirky government policies, Beijing is a very cool city. There is an incredible amount of stuff to see and do and we were rushed to fit everything into our week in the city.

Beijing is the perverbial center of China, Shanghai and Shenzhen may be making most of the dollars, or yuan, but Beijing definitely runs the show. If Beijing is the center, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City is the core.

Tiananmen Square is massive, supposedly the worlds largest public space, but I'm not so sure, the Chinese have a fixation with everything the biggest and best. The square is lined with imposing government buildings and has the mausoleum of Mao Zedong at its center. The mausoleum is open for visitors, but you must jostle with the thousands of Chinese tourists making the pilgrimage to see their most influential leader and idol. For all the horredous acts committed against the Chinese people and culture during the Cultural Revolution, most of which is not taught in schools, Chairman Mao is worshipped as a God. His likeness is omnipresent, with huge statues and posters everywhere.

The Forbidden City is so called because it used to be the home and office of the many emporers that ruled China, and only the Emperor and associates were allowed within the impressive walls. The southern entrance to the Forbidden City is the Gate of Heavenly Peace, which is one of the most famous gates on earth. Above the main tunnel is a huge portrait of Chairman Mao that was damaged with paint eggs during the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989. No such uprising would be possible now with many police, military, and undecover agents continually moving around Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, the Forbidden City is getting a facelift in time for the Olympics in 2008. Many of the main buildings are shrouded in scaffolding, however most of the bordering buildings have been beautifully restored and the new paint job sparkles in the sunshine.

There are numerous temples scattered throughout Beijing including some important Tibetan Buddhist temples. The most famous are the Temple of Heaven and the Lama Temple, but at this stage of the trip we are a bit templed out. Nevertheless we made the trip to see both and were suitable impressed. The Lama Temple even possess a 46m high Buddha statue, which rivals the huge reclining Buddha in Bangkok.

However, the thing that seems to draw the tourists the most is the two big clothing and gift markets. Seeing as a good proportion of the worlds clothes and shoes are produced in China, there are some seriously good bargains to be had. These are definitely not the fixed-price kind of market and the bargaining is not for the faint of heart. Most negotiating episodes last anywhere from 10-30min and generally involve a lot of pleading and puppy dog eyes. If you can keep your nerve in the face of stiff competition the goods are there for the taking.

Apart from seeing the sites, there are numerous culinary delights to be had in Beijing. The above picture is a few of the exotic type. The must eat is Peking duck, famous throughout the word from every Chinese restuarant. We had duck twice, once at a fancy restuarant frequented by Prince Andrew and George Bush Sr. and the other a local place were it's quite ok to spit on the floor. Both where equally good and the latter was much more pleasant on the budget.

Beijing is definitely one of the worlds great cities, apart from the claustrophobic smog it offers so much for every visitor. I'm sure the Chinese government will install every bell and whistle to wow the world come 2008.

The Great Wall

2006-12-16T08:13:00.000Z

The Great Wall is definitely high up on the 'must do before you die' list and it didn't dissapoint. The Great Wall was built to keep marauding nomads from Mongolia out of the Kingdom. The Great Wall never really did it's intended job as a military barrier, but did provide an invaluable means of transporting men, goods and information over extremely treacherous terrain. As everyone has seen in pictures, the wall snakes for thousands of miles up and over mountains peaks into the distance.
Our trip out to the Great Wall started early on Thursday morning with a 3 hour bus trip through congested Beijing traffic. There are many sections of the wall surrounding Beijing, some completely restored and others crumbling to bits. We visited a bit of both on our trip. We arrived at Jinshanling to start our 10km hike along the length of the wall to Simatai. The section of the wall at Jinshanling is very much un-restored. Certain points are roped off due to the precarious state of either the wall or guard towers. Other sections are in remarkable good shape and have definitely stood the test of time. As you climb along the wall you can see it bobbing up and down in the distance as it peaks at the many mountain tops that dominate this part of China. Our day was wonderfully clear and crisp, which was a welcome retreat from the suffocating smog of Beijing. The first half of the hike was rather strenous with a few step climbs over crumbling stone, but the views were stunning wherever we stopped. A definite bonus of suffering the cold of a Chinese winter is that the wall was practically deserted except for the 10 or so people on our tour. As we neared Simatai certain sections of the wall have been restored and over a welcome escape from the previous scramble. A bit beyond the Simatai exit the wall ascends steeply up onto sheer cliffs. This section is not open for exploring, which is probably on smart because the fall from the side is immense. Our experience of walking the wall incredible and is a must for everyone who visits China. As Mae Zedong said 'He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man".

Army of Terracotta Warriors

2006-12-13T09:29:00.000Z

It must be one of the grandest egotistical statements ever made. A Chinese emperor so full of himself that he builds a 8000 strong army of terracotta warriors, horses and chariots to defend his tomb. Complete in battle formation and weaponry the warriors stood guard over his tomb for 2000 years until it was discovered in the 1970's. The warriors themselves are incredible with stunning detail, with the varying ranks or infantry and officers each having the appropriate uniform, hairstyle, shoes, and armor. It is thought that the sculptures who made the warriors used themselves as inspiration for the faces and body style, so almost every warrior has slight differences between the others. Some stand very erect while others slouch slightly, some are broad shoulders while a few look rather scrawny. They are the perfect replica of a real army. When the tomb and army was discovered the warriors were in possesion of still sharp swords and spears that had been buried for 2000 years. It was found that the weapons had been coated with a protective chemical that was only discovered by the US and Germany before World War II. The history of China is immense, to think that they had highly civilized culture here when London was a grubby village on a bend of the river.
The rest of our time in Xi'an was spent viewing the sites around town and trying to minimize the impact of the thick shroud of smog. The pollution is so bad that some days it literally blocks out the sun. I also scored one of my great purchases on this trip, a 1969 authentic Chairman Mao 'little red book' complete with Chinese notations and all.

Three Gorges

2006-12-13T09:14:00.000Z

After leaving the Pandas and Chengdu behind we boarded our '4-star' Chinese cruise ship for the 4-day trip down the Yangtze River and through the famous Three Gorges. During the winter months the number of ships plying the river greatly decreases, so the selection is a bit slim. We opted for the 1st class cabin and thank goodness we did, otherwise we would of been sharing with upto 6 other vodka swilling chain smoking Chinese. Not a bad thing in a bar, but in an enclosed cabin for 4 days it's not very good for your health. The cruise itself was rather boring and for anybody considering the trip in the future I would only suggest doing it if you can splurge on a fancy luxury liner.
The main reason for the trip was to see the Three Gorges, which by popular misconception are still rather impressive. I was under the impression that because of the controversial Three Gorges Dam the gorges were going to be soon submerged underwater. I think this is partly the work of the western press trying to villify the Chinese in their modernity drive. The gorges are all still there, just about 150m shorter. The dam itself is rather impressive and is a symbol for all that is modern China. Throughout the country the drive to modernise overtakes everything else, so the fact that almost 2 million people have been relocated due to the rising waters is of little consequence to the Chinese government.
After we departed out boat we made our way to Xi'an in order to see the Army of Terracotta Warriors, one of the highlights of any trip to China. However, on our 15 hour overnight train trip we had to endure the companionship of a constantly burping women and snoring man. Throwing in my sporadic coughing, Leighanne struggled a bit for sleep.

Giant Panda

2006-11-27T08:23:00.000Z

Our next port of call as we move North into the bitter cold was Chengdu in Sichaun Province. Most know Sichaun as the home of extremely spicy Chinese food. However, our main reason for coming to this hunk of a city is that it hosts the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center. We signed up for an early morning tour out to the Center in the hope of catching feeding time. Not to dissimilar to koalas, the giant panda do precious else except sleep and eat. Mating only happens during a 2-3 day period once a year, so it's not high on the 'to do list'. We arrived at the Center and seemed to be the only ones there. Our 'guide' took us around to the first enclosure were we could spot 2 pandas in the distance. The view was what I was suspecting from notoriously shy animals. To our utter joy at the next enclosure it was feeding time and once the staff had thrown in a big stack of bamboo everyone came a slow walking to breakfast. The way they eat the bamboo is very human like. They have an 6th finger, which allows them to grip the bamboo and eat with one hand, in much the same way we do. Eating seemed very much to be the highlight of the day, as they all got very comfortable before starting to shovel large amounts of bamboo into their mouths. We next visited the Panda Nursery where some 3 month old cubs were resting in their cots. Almost half the time pandas are born as twins, but the mother can only take care of one and usually kills the other twin early on. The nursery takes care of the orphaned twin. Pandas are born very under-developed and it takes about 150 days before they really can do much of anything. The little balls of black and white fur we saw were out cold and only occasionally moved, seemingly acting out a dream. They were adorable and made everyone smile once they saw them. The whole visit to the Center was suprisingly good, I was expecting the worse. Maybe my prejudices convinced me that it would be some huge concrete monstrosity with dipilated pandas wandering around. I'm happy to saw it was very professionally run and all the enclosure very nature like.
We leave Chengdu tomorrow to start our 4-day cruise down the Yangzi River towards the famous Three-Gorges and Dam. Seeing as though the entire area will be flooded under 200m of water in 3 years, its worth seeing now. As mentioned before, the language barrier in China can be slightly troubling, the above picture is a visual example.

Lijiang

2006-11-21T09:01:00.000Z

Having no idea what to expect of China we have been pleasantly surprised. We spent a few days in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, just getting used to the cold and full frontal language barrier. Kunming is a rather nice place all things considered, it's relatively pollution free and easy to navigate. Also, how can you not love a place with old people doing Tai Chi in the mornings and flying kites in the afternoon.
We braved another sleeper bus for the journey to Lijiang, and I'm just thankful that it will be the last one I will have to endure. This entire continent is not built for me. On arrival in Lijiang all lingering negativities from the bus trip vanished in seconds. Lijiang is probably the most beautiful town I have ever seen. Just think of a maze of cobbled streets, fish filled canals, antique homes, cheap beer, and good coffee. Just north of town the Tibetan plateau rises up from the plains of Southwest China, the Jade Dragon Mountain is how all mountains should look. Hopefully you can get some idea from the pictures, but somehow I doubt it. We spent a few days here just wandering around the streets, trying in vain to lose the myriad of Chinese tour groups. For some reason that we are yet to discover the Chinese still go around in huge tour groups with the stereotypical flag bearer. I don't see the point, if you can speak the language why do you need a helping hand to heard you around like cattle. The only explanation is if they can only travel in tour groups cause of some weird government big brother is watching thing.
We left Lijiang today and headed a bit south to Dali, another ancient town.

Welcome to Red China

2006-11-18T07:51:00.000Z

Out of all the countries we have or will be visiting, only China held any real anxieties. The border crossing day started innocently enough. We shared a mini-bus with an American guy and a few Vietnamese down the mountain from Sapa to Lao Cai and the Vietnam-China border. We crossed the Vietnamese side without any difficulties, but the American had overstayed his visa so was in heated negotiations with the immigration official when we started walking towards China. The Chinese border crossing was also fairly uneventful, except when the immigration lady started inspecting my Machu Pichu passport stamps. Technically speaking, any stamps or markings not made by a country immigration official voids a passport, turning my pride and joy into a bunch of pieces of paper. Luckily, things panned out and we both entered China in good health. By this time the American had managed to pay some kind of fine on the Vietnamese side and was in the process of entering China as well. We thought we would be good sports and hang around for him so we could all get the bus from the border to the capital Kunming. The bus was leaving at 8:00pm, which was giving us just over an hour until departure. While we were sitting waiting patiently I suddenly had a bolt from the blue and realised that there was a time change between Vietnam and China, effectively giving us 5min to make the bus. In a panic we fled the border and the American in search of the bus station, luckily finding it just in time. Good thing to, as the border town looked decidely seedy. The American never made it and we haven't run into him since.
Now, the bus trip from Hekou to Kunming was unique as well. China has these sleeper buses, which is basically 3 long rows of bunk beds, designed for people 5'5" of less. Not the most comfortable surroundings for me. However, the real kicker on Chinese buses is the smoking. No matter the time, men, women, and children were lighting up, well maybe not children. Needless to say, not the most pleasant thing you want on a long night bus trip.
Arrival into Kunming has alleviated many fears, China is not all communist military swagger. It is very modern, people seem friendly, the streets are clean, and to Leighannes utter joy they have McDonalds. We are definitely looking forward to the next 5 weeks.

Hanoi and Ha Long

2006-11-12T10:12:00.000Z

Saigon is mad, Hanoi is suicidal. Nothing can prepare you for the onslaught. In Saigon crossing the road is dangerous, but at least there is the safety of the footpath on the other side. Hanoi has no such sanctuary. Every square centimeter of footpath is covered with parked motorbikes, food sellers, beer sellers, and everything else under the sun. Walking around is extremely stressful and would drive you to drink if you lived here. I wonder what the visiting Presidents and Prime Ministers for the APEC with think on arrival. Saying that, it is a very cool place. The Old Quarter pulses with energy. Everyone is constantly on the move from 5am to 12pm. A half-day walking tour of the Old Quarter can take in all the main sights. The most impressive is Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Unfortunately for us, Uncle Ho goes to Moscow for the winter for a bit of touch up work, but the building and grounds are still quite something. However, the best thing about Hanoi is its local beer stands, only signaled by the lit 'Bia Hoi' sign and the old man keeping his finger over the plug in the keg. The beer is brewed each morning and served at night and goes for a whopping 6p/per glass, in other words are round of beers for 8 people costs you $1. The first glass smells and taste a bit of rice, but after that it slides down effortlessly.
A short drive away from Hanoi is Ha Long Bay. We signed up for a 3day/2night tour of the bay and had an amazing time. Ha Long Bay was formed by water carving through the limestone creating thousands of sheer cliff islands. The sailing trip through the bay was beautiful with the constrast between the white and grey cliffs against the turquoise blue waters. We spent 1 night aboard a 'junk' boat and another at a lovely secluded beach resort. The company on the tour was top class and we are even keeping the group together for our next trip North towards China.

The Former DMZ

2006-11-12T09:28:00.000Z

The middle of Vietnam is full of contrast. The area that once separated North from South is full of booming industry and antique towns. Many American veterans make trips to this area due to its focal point in the war. However, its the beautiful towns of Hoi An and Hue that rule the tourist trail. Hoi An is simply divine, and ancient port town is full of Chinese and Japanese architecture, all hemmed in tiny cobbled streets along the river. The entire old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it deserves it. The place is enchanting, just wandering the streets and seeing the people busily selling their wares is enough to amuse you for days. We visited a few of the listed building and learnt about the varying architecture between the Chinese and Japanese. The highlight for me was the tile roofs, which were made in a ying-yang design. All the roofs were made of crescent shaped ceramic tiles overlaying each other in a concave-convex style. Everything was thought of to ensure that each building was tuned to the spirits.
After Hoi An we moved onto Hue to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. Splurging on a fancy hotel ($22/day) we arrived at the Orchid Hotel to be pleasantly surprised with an upgrade to the top floor. Hue was the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty and site of some of the most vicious fighting during the Tet Offensive. Much of the Citadel, which dominates the city was destroyed during the war. The Imperial Enclosure is still very impressive in its size and grandeur. It was here that the Emperor lived and carried out all the business of running the country.
A short distance outside Hue along the Perfume River are numerous tombs of the Nguyen rulers. Although built during their lifetime and used as country retreats, the tombs now are the burial grounds for the Emperors and their families. Each has a different style depending on the tastes of the current Emperor, but are all very relaxing and peaceful places.
Our next stop is Hanoi and the heartland of Communist Vietnam.

Saigon

2006-11-05T10:00:00.000Z

Saigon is mad. There is simply no other way to describe the huge sprawling city. With 8 million people and 4 million motorbikes the roads are predictably chaotic. Trying to cross the road is exercise in remaining Buddhist calm. You simply step out into the tide and slowly make your way to the other side, any rash movements and you sure to get plowed into the pavement. Saigon offers limited sightseeing opportunities other then the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Musuem. The Reunification Palace has been left as it was on that fateful day in 1975 when the first communists tanks came smashing through the gates. The most interesting part is the basement, where the war rooms were located. All the old maps and radio equipment are still in place. You can imagine the South Vietnamese and American generals pouring over the maps as the war progressed. The only dissapointment was not seeing the 'Big Red Button'. The War Remnants Musuem is a unique experience. It details the horrible consequences of the war, including the remaining effects of agent orange.
The real highlight was a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnel complex outside Saigon. The tunnels are incredible and a try testiment to the ingenuity and determination of the Vietnamese people. The tunnels covered 200km at their height, and provided invaluable cover and transportation options for the seriously out-gunned Viet Cong soldiers. The design of the tunnels is amasing, with every detail thought off. The doors were all made of a specific wood, so that when it rained the wood would absorb the water and expand, sealing the tunnel entrances and stopping any flooding. All the entrances were booby trapped with some horrific creations, just incase the American soldiers found a way in. I attempted to get into a secret entrance, but my gangly arms would not fit through.
After Saigon we visited Dalat, a former French hill station that is more suited to the French Alps then Indochina. We took a tour of the countryside with a group of local guys who call themselves the Easy Riders. Dalat is a famous coffee, silk, and flower producing region. Much of the flowers produced here actually make it to market in Holland.
After Dalat we headed back down the hill towards Nha Trang and the coast.

A Few Days in Paradise

2006-10-30T09:54:00.000Z

After working our way through the jungles of SE Asia for the last month a few days at the beach were in order. The only beach resort/area is Sihanoukville a few hours south of Phnom Penh. We didn't really know what to expect on arrival, but were pleasantly surprised. I kept having bad thoughts that the beach would be like the ones in Goa, covered in rubbish, but they were very clean and lapped with clear blue water. However, if your looking for a deserted beach to relax on, this one is definitely not it. There is a constant parade of kids and adults selling everything from bracelets to baby lobster. The beach is also lined with thatched beach huts, which gratefully supply all manner of food and drink. We camped at one place that also acted as a rest area for the children selling their bracelets. Setup by a NGO this beach hut supplied materials for the children to paint pictures and generally act as kids for an hour or so. The beach hut was decked out in dozens of pictures all done by local kids and available for sale.
After a couple extra days more then initially planned we got the bus back to Phnom Penh then onto Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon for those of more advanced age.

Year Zero

2006-10-26T09:29:00.000Z

After the high of visiting the magnificent temples at Angkor we came abruptly crashing back to earth after arriving in Battambang. The enormous rice fields surrounding Battambang were a central point for the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. 1975 is now labeled as 'Year Zero', the year everything normal ceased in Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge took over. The Khmer Rouge regime was a result of the fallout from the American withdrawal from Vietnam. Once Siagon fell, the American backed government in Phnom Penh was overrun by Khmer Rouge soldiers. They immediately set about creating a total socialist society, driving all the city dwelling people into the countryside. Many of the people who previously lived in Phnom Penh, ended up being relocated around Battambang. What happened next is genocidal history, the systematic wiping out of all educated and non Khmer people, thus converting the entire country in peasants. In only four years, approximately 2 million people were either executed, tortured then killed, or died from disease and malnutrition.
On recommendation from Matt Springate we procured the services of Mr Tin to give us a grand motorbike tour of the countryside surrounding Battambang. We visited many small villages, which each specialised in some kind of food making. One village produced huge quantities of Cambodia rice noodle, much different from Chinese noodle we were told. Another made pungent fish paste and still another churned out thousands of flat noodles for making spring rolls.
After lunch the mood of the day got considerable more melancholy. As with almost everyone above the age of 30 living in Cambodia, Mr Tin has a horrible past. When the Khmer Rouge came to power his family was living in Phnom Penh, along with everyone else they were driven out of the city in the countryside. Mr Tin's family ended up in Battambang. He told us the complex history of his country and the circumstances of how such a horrific regime could come to power and manage to trick the world into believing they were legitimate. He also told us the tragic history of his family. His father and brothers and sisters all died from malnutrition soon after moving to Battambang. This left just him and his mother. They managed to survive together for a year more before they both fell seriously ill. They went to the local 'hospital' to try and receive treatment. However, due to the mass killing of all educated people, including doctors and nurses, the Khmer Rouge hospitals were staffed with village people who knew next to nothing about medicine. Often the hospitals were more likely to kill you then stepping on a landmine. He stayed in the hospital with his mother trying to get better until a nurse came and told him to give his mother an injection of some medicine. Whatever the medicine was, it killed his mother. Now and orphan, Mr Tin fled the hospital and somehow managed to survive the remaining years of the regime.
He showed us caves that were used as mass graves for tortured victims, still showing blood stains on the walls were the people fell. We visited a Buddhist Monastery that was used as a detention and torture center. The whole time Mr Tin openly talked about his experiences, Leighanne and I could only stand there in silence. How do you respond to someone who is telling you their horrific past.
We have loved Cambodia and especially the people. They have every reason to be angry and bitter about the cards they have been dealt, but with unrestrained happiness they are quick with a smile or a joke. It has endeared them to us forever.

Temples of Angkor

2006-10-15T09:56:00.000Z

The Temples of Angkor are a wonder. Buried deep within the jungle of Eastern Cambodia is some of humankinds most ambitious religious buildings. There are hundreds of temples, some massively big, others minutely small, they are a testament to the grandeur of the Ancient Khmer Kingdom. All the temples were built between the 9th and 13th century, and were either Hindu or Buddhist in association. Angkor Wat is the most famous and is off immense national pride to the Cambodians. After decades of war and genocide, they look at Angkor Wat as a symbol of what they can accomplish. However, the other temples that dot the countryside are completely different, but of equal beauty. The Bayon Temple with its eerie array of faces, seemingly looking down at you from every angle. The Ta Phrom Temple that has been left to the destructive forces of the jungle trees. Each temple has its own unique character and charm, after 3 days of visiting various temples, we only scratched the surface on understanding their importance. I could attempt to describe what it was like to wander within the stone walls, but as they say 'a picture tells a thousand words'.

The Deep South

2006-10-10T12:08:00.000Z

After seeing the more visited North we took a night bus to the South, gratefully on a predominantely straight flat road. The South of Laos is a thin strip of land that mirrors the path of the Mekhong river, hemmed in by Thailand on one side and Vietnam on the other. Most tourists that head this way simply pass through on their way to Cambodia, and we would of done the same if it wasn't for some unforseen circumstances. The main hub in the South is Pakse, which in Lao means boring. There isn't a whole lot to do in Pakse, even when the big Buddhist Lent festival is taking place. After a few days pottering around town we had a clear thought and decided to rent a moped for a few days and tour the surrounding countryside. I'd had a bit of a spin on a moped in Luang Nam Tha, so considered myself a professional. The next morning we hopped on our rented Honda Wave 100 and screamed out of town.
First stop was the Bolaven Plateau, a rich fertile plateau that borders the river to the East. The road up to plateau was surprisingly gentle considering the rocky peaks and deep canyons that crisscrossed the plateau. The real pull of the plateau is the numerous waterfalls that thunder into the 200m deep canyons, sending spray soaring into the sky. The small villages that nestle near the waterfalls are constantly wet, living under a blanket of fine mist. Not to dissimilar from England, Leighanne felt right at home.
Our next stop was the sleepy village of Champasak, which was once the capital of the Lao Kingdom. These days it is a dusty one-street town on the banks of the Mekhong, reached only by ferry. Now, the ferry for mopeds is a far cry from what most people consider a ferry. A ferry Lao style is 2 canoes with a few planks of wood strapped across the top. The embarking and disembarking is not a straighforward exercise, especially for a rookie driver. Champasaks' claim to fame is the ancient Khmer ruins of Wat Phou. The once exceedingly grand ruins are now in a state of disrepair, but they somehow still give a sense of awe. They lie at the base of Phou Mountain and have an eerie feel when the mountains cast shadows across the site. At the base of the ruins are two palaces of intricate stonework that border a causeway leading to a monumental staircase that leads up the mountain to the Buddhist Sanctuary. The staircase is stunning, its' cobbled stones have been molded by the roots of the giant Jacaranda trees that flank the staircase the entire way to the top. Once on top the views of the Mekhong valley and river are sweeping.
After 2 days of incident free mopeding we got a total flat almost within site of Pakse on our return trip. We pulled over and starting pushing the bike down the road in the hope of finding a garage to fix the tyre. Luckily we came across a garage/hut that looked like it could sort us out. Bundling the bike down the slope onto the wooden plank working bay we were greeted by 3 kids, none over the age of 10. They all smiled and immediately began work on fixing our flat, talk about entrepeneurs. They were doing a great job getting the tyre off when Dad showed up and resumed responsibilities. Within no time we were back on the road with a new inner tube and heading back to Pakse, all for $2, try getting a mechanic back home to fix a flat for that price.
Tomorrow we are off to Cambodia to gawk at the ruins of Angkor.

Two Long Trips

2006-10-03T10:25:00.000Z

Our introduction to public transport in Laos has been slightly heavy handed. After crossing the Mekong River into Laos we opted against the 2-day boat trip to Luang Nam Tha and instead decided to brave the bus/pickup trip. We were informed the journey could last anywhere from 8 - 24 hours depending on road conditions. By the time we got to Luang Nam Tha I was still trying to figure out where the road actually was. Laos has marketed itself as the link between China and Thailand, the two economic powers in the region. To facilitate this, Laos is building a road that will link Southern China with Northern Thailand. It is still very much a work in progress. What Northern Laos has is lots of jungle, mountains, and unexploded US bombs. Building a road in such circumstances is a tad difficult. The journey was brutal. Luckily we only got stuck once and also escaped certain suffocation from over crowding. We had a few interesting passengers, namely a cat, a few chickens, and some dead bats, which we were later told is a delicacy in the region. Another interesting fact is that local hunters use the bat poo to make home made gunpowder. How they figured this out is beyond me. We eventually made it to Luang Nam Tha and our chosen destination to visit the remote hill-tribes.
After Luang Nam Tha we bused it to the tourist destination of Luang Prabang. Now we wrongly thought this would consist of a proper bus with seats traveling down a paved road. We were sadly mistaken. On arrival at the bus station a good 45 minute before depature we were informed that all seats were sold and the only space was in the aisle. Not a good start. I spent the majority of the trip perched atop a bag of fertilizer also made of bat poo. Leighanne spent time applying Tiger Balm under her nose to ward of the pungent smell of roasted bat right by her face. On arrival in Luang Prabang we weren't in the best of moods, but the journey is what makes travel interesting.

Chiang Mai

2006-09-26T08:44:00.000Z

Thailand is split into three distinct areas. The south is dominated by beaches and famous resorts, the centre by Bangkok, and the north by the cultural hub of Chiang Mai. If you want to learn how to do Thai massages, speak the language, trek to remote hill tribes, Chiang Mai is the place people come. We made a stop here on our way into Laos.
We passed on seeing a Muay Thai, Thai Boxing, fight in Bangkok solely due to the outlandish prices they were charging foreigners. However we were lucky to get to see a fight for a much more reasonable sum while in Chiang Mai. We arrived at the 'stadium' to see the fights and were very surprised to see 14 year old kids kicking and punching each other to bits in the ring. After overcoming our initial shock we really enjoyed seeing the national sport in the flesh. We even got to see a knockout and a female match where a Chinese girl destroyed a Thai girl much to the crowds horror.
Food is integral to Thai culture, you simply cannot escape it. There are street stalls on every corner of every city. One thing you can be sure of is that the famous Thai chillies are never far away. So, we decided to treat ourselves to a 1-day cooking course run by a famous Thai TV Chef who has done shows for the BBC. It was great fun and very fulfilling both physical and emotionally. We got to cook 6 traditional Thai dishes ranging from fried noddles in sweet soy sauce to chicken in yellow curry. All our dishes came out reasonably well and we still haven't experienced and symptons of food poisoning so things look good.
Tomorrow we are off the Laos, which we are told feels like you have stepped back into the 1970's.

Coup d'Etat

2006-09-26T08:15:00.000Z

Ok, hands up who has lived through a military coup. As most people know a military coup occured in Thailand last week with much fanfare. Leighanne and I arrived back into Bangkok early on the morning most Thais were waking up to the news that their country was under martial law. As the bus moved through the city we noticed large numbers of soldiers on the streets, but it never crossed our minds that a coup had just occured. However, in true Thai style it was extremely peaceful and full of smiling faces and flowers. The images on the local news showed little Thai ladies giving the soldiers yellow flowers to attach to their camouflage. There had been lots of news coverage of the former Prime Minister in the paper, especially after the tragic bombings in the south of the country. So, most people supported the coup, especially when the unbelievably popular King decided it was the right thing to do. The Thai King is celebrating his 60th year on the throne and is the longest serving monarch in the world. The Thai people love the King with enthusiastic emotion. The Kings' colour is yellow and everyday the majority of people throughout Thailand wear yellow shirts in honour of the King. So, regardless of what the sensationalist Western press was reporting, life in the Thai capital went on as usual.
Bangkok is a huge city full of cars, buses and pollution, but it is great fun. There is a certain energy in Bangkok that other major cities lack. You are never far away from an engaging market, glitzy shopping centre or peaceful temple, which are all dying to be explored. How can you not love a city where you can sit in the largest traffic jam you have ever seen and not a single person honks their horn.

The Islands

2006-09-26T07:46:00.000Z

After submitting Leighanne new passport application we headed directly to the famous islands in the Gulf of Thailand. A decision had to be made, which piece of paradise do you pick. We opted for Koh Pha Ngan and ended up being extremely pleased that we did. After a long tiring bus trip from Bangkok full of just released military duty Israeli we boarded the ferry for Koh Pha Ngan. We based ourselves at Bottle Beach an idyllic strip of white sand only accesible by long boat. It was the perfect place to do absolutely nothing. We spent an enchanting week sitting on the beach, swimming in the crystal clear water, and sampling the extensive range of Thai food on offer. After our week on the beach our batteries were sufficiently recharged and we headed back to Bangkok.

Taj Mahal and India

2006-09-08T08:22:00.000Z

After a couple days recovering from jet lag in Bombay we hoped a night train to Agra and the home of the Taj Mahal. The train was our first taste of the fabled Indian rail system. Night trains and me don't really go well together. Inevitably I'm to tall for the bunks, so my feet stick out into the walkway and get continually knocked. Along with the multitudes of staring people the constant sound of 'chai, chai, chai' echoing through the compartment, the journey didn't lend itself to a relaxing night sleep. When we stepped off the train the next morning we were in much worse shape then when we had left 21 hrs before.
Agra itself is a total dump, not disimilar to the rest of India. However, probably the one thing in India that exceeds all the billing, the Taj Mahal, is nestled within the madness. The Taj was built by the ruling king in the 1600's as a mausoleum for his deceased wife who died giving birth to his 14th child. It is simply stunning. I won't even try to describe it. It is an architectural gem of brilliant marble and semi-precious stone, probably unparalleled on the planet. The four perfectly symmetric sides glisten in the sun.
After Agra we headed west into Rajastan to Jaipur. Jaipur is the so called 'pink city' due to its painted old town and fort overlooking the city. Unfortunately by this stage India had run its course with us and we made the difficult decision to seek greener pastures. We got a flight back to Bombay and headed to Goa and the beaches.
Goa is a lush area of meandering rivers and forests falling onto palm fringed beaches. We spent a few days in the capital Paniji while I recovered from a hefty dose of 'Delhi Belly'. You have to stop and wonder why after 5 months of street food in Africa with no ill effects I all of a sudden get a shocking case of the runs within a week of landing in India, hmmm? After I had sufficiently recovered we moved onto the beach at Palolem. Undeniably, the beach and water is beautiful, however it's all tainted by the rubbish on the sand. We were told it takes a small army of women to clean the beach each day in the high season so that it looks respectable for the tourists.
After Goa we spent a couple more days in Bombay before flying out to Thailand. Our last couple days coincided with the finish of the annual Ganesh festival. Millions of people bring statues of Ganesh (Elephant God), small and large, down to the beach and put the statues into the sea. Its quite a site seeing the people singing and dancing while they transport their cherished idol to the seafront.
It's unfortunate that we didn't enjoy India, I'm sure it has many wonderful things to see and do. However as anyone who has ever visited will tell you, you either love it or hate it, and we tended towards the latter.

Namibia

2006-08-21T05:24:00.000Z

Namibia is a unique country. It consist of almost entirely of desert and extremely long stretches of straight lonely roads. In a country 4 times the size of Great Britain, only 2 million people live there. There are more black people in East London then in the entire country of Namibia.
Unlucky for us, we arrived into Namibia at the peak tourist time and therefore had to battle for hotel rooms and campsites with thousands of Italians and Germans. Lets just say that the continental European is not known for their patience and understanding demenour.
There are 2 main places to visit in Namibia. The towering red dunes of Sossusvlei located in the heart of the Namib desert and Etosha National Park.
Sossusvlei is stunning. In everything we read it is ranked right at the top of must see sights. Even getting up a the crack of dawn in the freezing cold is worth every minute. As the sun clears the distant mountains the dunes glow an unbelievable fiery red. The whole landscape goes from pitch black to brilliant colours in a matter of seconds. Sossusvlei is actually a name of one of the largest dunes and is closely bordered by Deadvlei. In between many of the dunes is a pan, basically the remnants of a now dry lake where everything has died a hot death. We spent the morning hiking in the dunes and feeling as though we had reached another world.
The highlight of any trip to Namibia is a visit to Etosha National Park. After much discussion we decided to visit the park for some wildlife viewing even though we had seemingly experienced it all in the Serengeti. Etosha is totally unique, it has the ability to bring the animals to you. In the dry season the landscape turns into a barren dry plain sparsely punctuated by receding waterholes. You simple drive up to the waterholes and watch the parade of animals come along for a drink in the midday heat. The park has 3 campsites which all have floodlit waterholes where you can sit long into the night and get a voyeurs view of the shy and nocturnal animals that are usually hidden from view. One of the most amazing sites we had in all our time was getting to see 3 black rhino drinking from the waterhole at night. The black rhino is still under direct treat from poachers because its horns are in great demand in the far east. It is a privilege to be able to see them from a distance, let alone up close and personal.
Overall Namibia was good, once we got past the hassle of peak tourist season. Visiting in the low season would be much better as all the open space would be just for you.

Cape Town

2006-08-20T20:11:00.000Z

Undoutably one of the worlds premier cities. Cape Town is the prize of South Africa. It truly is a beautiful place and one of the few places in South Africa where you feel safe enough to walk around. The backdrop of Table Mountain has to be seen to be believed. The explorers and early settlers who made the long arduous journey south from Europe must of felt euphoria on finally glimpsing the unmistakable flat top of the mountain. It looms large above everything.
We spent 4 days in Cape Town and enjoyed every minute, even though the weather was decidely English. We first visited Robben Island, which was made famous as the political prison used to detain many of the famous civil rights activist of the fight against apartheid including Nelson Mandela. The tour of the prison is made more emotion in that it is given by former prisoners themselves who lend personal experiences from their time behind bars.
Cape Town is a mix of San Francisco and New Orleans. The centre is full of bars and restuarants that cater to every culinary desire. We stayed on Long Street the obvious center of activity and enjoyed sampling all the treats along the length of the street.
The prime tourist attraction of Cape Town is the newly developed Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. We're not sure who exactly Alfred is, as usually it's Victoria and Albert, maybe the South Africans lost something in translation. The V&A surrounds the harbour and working dry docks, which makes it an unusual place to walk around. There are a multitude of restuarants and shops all vying their trade at extremely inflated prices.
We also visited the small but moving Distict Six Musuem in the centre of Cape Town. District Six was a mixed race suburb full of rabbit warren streets and crowded markets. Probably not unlike Harlem was in the 60's. During the 70's the apartheid era government systematically removed all the inhabitants from the suburb out into the surrounding townships on the Cape Flats. All the streets were renamed and straightened in an attempt to revitalise the city centre. The musuem tells the stories of many of the former residents of District Six.
After our time in Cape Town it was time to head north into the deserts of the Namib and our last stop on the African continent.

Cape of Good Hope

2006-08-20T19:50:00.000Z

After making our way through the stunning Garden Route we made it to the jewel of South Africa, the Cape of Good Hope. After 2 weeks of amazing scenery we didn't think it could get much better, but Cape Town and the surrounding countryside is everything you would expect of the meeting of two great oceans.
We first started in the Winelands for a bit of tourist decadence. The towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Franshoek make up the golden triangle of the South African wine region. The three towns are set amongst towering mountains only a short drive from the ocean. Due to my coughing affliction and dose of medicine I volunteered for designated driver duties for the vineyard tours. We started at Fairview Vineyard, a very large farm famous for its cheeses. Leighanne sampled the whites, reds, and dessert wines with aficionado ease and then topped it off with sampling of the award winning cheeses. The local grand prize winning cheese tasted like cardboard so we instead purchased some black pepper coated creme cheese. Next stop was lunch and a bit of a splurge at La Petit Ferme for a lovely lunch with views of the vineyards and surrounding mountains. Probably the best vineyard of the day came next at the Rickety Bridge Vineyard where we gained great knowledge as well as good conversation from the wine tasting lady. The Rickety Bridge is owned by a well-to-do Englishman who decided owning a vineyard would be a good hobby. Last but not least as daylight was subsiding was a stop at the 'sparkling wine' makers for a taste of the bubbly.
After leaving the winelands we made the drive down to Cape Point to visit the emotional bottom of Africa. If not geographical correct, Cape Point south of Cape Town is where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet in great fury. The warm currents of the Indian Ocean collide with the frigid waters of the Atlantic to create a unique atmosphere. Lots of famous names have rounded the point on there way to India, Australia and the Far East. The view from the bottom of Africa is worth the trip no matter how you get there.

Southern Delicacies

2006-08-20T19:20:00.000Z

Aswell as the wonderful sights and places that Ben is going to describe on South Africa, there are four things that make South Africa great to me. They are ....

1. Diet Coke
2. Wine
3. Chocolate
4. Heat Magazine

Who says that travelling was hard hey?

Oceans of Mercy

2006-08-20T19:08:00.000Z

After 4 months of new faces it was great to finally get to Port Elizabeth and see Ronnie and Sybil Colin again. Ronnie and Sybil are family friends from Kansas City, where Ronnie used to run the local coffee shop setup by his son Shaun. Times have slightly changed and Ronnie and Sybil are now in charge of Oceans of Mercy, an orphanage set up to help young children orphaned by the horrors of AIDS. Oceans of Mercy is a property outside Port Elizabeth where children with horrific backgrounds come to get support, schooling and most important a bit of self confidence back. The children there are incredible and really show the resilience of the human spirit. Leighanne and I only visited for 2 days, but were really taken by the children there, and still talk about Apple, the most adorable little boy you've ever seen. The work Ronnie and Sybil along with Mother and Sister do there is fantastic and definitely changes the childrens lives for the better.
The first day we visited was special as the oldest boy of 18 was having a birthday. It involved a full bbq (braai) and cake fully laden with candles. Unfortunately for the kids, but to much humour for the westerners the candles where the 'cannot be blown out variety'. The children had never heard of candles like these, let alone seen them, and this caused much hilarity when they attempted to blow them out.
It was wonderful talking with Ronnie and Sybil, relating our travels so far and hearing all the great times they have had traveling the globe in years passed. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and wish them all the best at the orphanage.

The Wild Coast

2006-08-14T14:12:00.000Z

South Africa is a stunning country. The landscape is spectacular and changing from region to region. Its a mix of the plains and mountains of America with the coastline of Australia. We arrived in Johannesburg and made a speedy exit in our rented Toyota Tazz (more later) down the motorway towards Durban. After stopping few a couple days in the Drakensberg Mountains we arrived in Durban. Durban is South Africas 2nd largest city and has a really nice feel. The suburbs of Durban are very similar to the suburbs of Sydney, lots of hills and leafy streets. Durban also has potentially the best snack delicacy anywhere in the world. Anyone who visits in inclined to try a 'bunny chow', which is either a 1/4 or 1/2 loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with wonderful spicy vegetable curry. It's fantastic and all for about $1.50.
The coastline south of Durban is called the Wild Coast. It consists of steep hills falling onto wide white beaches that are constantly pounded by big surf. There is no coast road so the beach communities that dot the coastline have a secluded feel. After leaving Durban we drove to Cintsa for a few days of fun in the sun. Leighanne fulfilled her dream of horseriding on the beach and continued sampling the inexpensive South African wine. We have determined that South Africa must be the only country on earth where wine is cheaper then beer. The hostel in Cintsa is South Africas best. A fantastic view of the beach below, plus loads of free activities and great rooms. We were even able to cook ourselves bangers and mash using some authentic kudu sausages (boerwors) recommend by the friendly Afrikans man at the beach shop. After our exploits at kayaking in Malawi, we tried our hand a canoeing up the river from the lagoon. We faired relatively well, apart from a few running aground moments.
After Cintsa, we left the coastline and headed back into the mountains to the small hamlet of Hogsback, which legends has it inspired Tolkein to write Lord of the Rings. In Hogsback we stayed at the hostel with the best name, Away With The Fairies. It has a beautiful garden with monkeys and birds filling the trees.
Our next stop was Port Elizabeth to visit Ronnie and Sybil at the orphanage Oceans of Mercy.

Cape Maclear

2006-08-05T11:22:00.000Z

After making our way down the coast and a couple of days in Lilongwe (wow a supermarket but still no diet coke!), we headed towards Cape Maclear.
Originally Cape Maclear was not on our iternary but after reading a wonderful book named ' Don't Lets Go To The Dogs Tonight' by Alexandra Fuller and treating ourselves to a flight to South Africa, we decided to head there.
Cape Maclear is a bay at the southern tip of Lake Malawi. It is sheltered by hills on the side and islands at the front plus it is surrounded by Lake Malawi national park. The only way to get to Cape Maclear is via a dirt road on a matola (pick up truck) after a long bus trip to Monkey Bay, but it is worth the effort. It is a beautiful setting and you can spend hours sitting on the beach near the clear water watching the fishermen fish in their dugout canoes.
In the 80's Cape Maclear was a place where all the ex-Pats went at weekends to drink beer, swim, fish and socialise. There was only one backpackers place there called Stevens, which is where everyone got their beer. Needless to say the beauty of Cape Maclear couldn't be kept a secret for too long and now there are plenty of backpackers and posh resorts by the lakeshore. What makes Cape Maclear special to us is that it not only has the beautiful beaches, clear water, beautiful sunsets and wonderful snorkelling, but the village is right where you stay. In both Uganda and the rest of Malawi all the backpackers are behind guarded gates and away from the centre of it. In Cape Maclear we could walk out of our hostel straight into the village were to my joy there was a multitude of kids with beeming smiles just waiting to chat and play with you. Yes it took a while but I have to mention the children, I fell in love with every single one (sounds corny but I dare you to come to Malawi and not fall in love!). They have the biggest smiles ever and everything you do or say is a giggle to them, and boy they can giggle. One of my favourite memories is that we went to the opening night of Seattle Reggae Bar right by the beach. It seemed like most of the village children were there that night, sitting on the beach waiting for the party to start and the bonfire to be lit. Then the music started with one of their favourite songs and the children went crazy and started dancing, and wow can they dance (in fact they do something with their hips that I'm sure really shouldn't be physically possible!!). Needless to say, Ben and I did not try and compete in the dancing stakes, we were happy enough drinking our beers and taking photos.

Warm Heart of Africa

2006-08-01T15:57:00.000Z

'Who is Malawi, Where is Malawi, What is Malawi' as quoted by friendly local barmen Alex. Malawi is an obscure place tucked in the middle of southern Africa. I knew nothing about it and only learned about the country from Matt Springate. The country is only 150 km wide at its widest point and 20% is covered by water. Lake Malawi dominates most of the country, stretching from the very north almost to the southern borders. The only thing that overshadows the lake is the people. The Malawians are great, so friendly and always up for a laugh. You never have to worry about company in Malawi, the country has major over-crowding issues, so people are everywhere. We entered Malawi from Tanzania after a hectic border crossing and headed straight for the beach at Chitimba. The campsite is run by a South Africa who has been in Malawi for 6 years and seemingly is trying to hang onto his youth. Chitimba was our first exposure to Malawi and it was very warm. We had a 1km walk from the main road down to the campsite and where followed the entire way by giggling children. As we stepped out of the mini-bus the call went out 'Mzungu is here' and a deluge of kids came barreling out of their huts. After Chitimba we moved south to Nhkata Bay, the setting off point for the Ilala ferry that shuttles Malawians to the various island that dot the lake. Nhkata Bay is a beautiful place, and has nothing of the seedy port fell. The coastline here is full of secluded rocky coves. We did a sea-kayaking trip one day down the coast to a beach for a BBQ and snorkeling. Setting off in the morning was interesting as the waves were slightly larger then required. Leighanne suffered slightly, but nobody capsized which is always good. Once back on land we played football with the local kids, who were very good, or I was really bad. They play with a ball made of wrapped up shopping bags tied up with string.
The next week was a gradual move south always hugging the lake shore. We met some amazing people along the way, which I'll write about in future postings.
On reaching Blantyre we splurged on a flight into South Africa, getting ready for some creature comforts.

African Bus Travel

2006-08-01T15:13:00.000Z

Firstly, many apologies for my mid-season blog posting slump. In my defense, internet in Africa ranges from non-existent to hair-pulling slow. So instead of aging myself in internet cafes we have been out exploring.
As anyone who has traveled on the African continent bus travel and more specifically mini-bus travel is a life altering experience. Our initiation into the ways and means of getting from A to B has been interesting to say the least. The first thing you notice is that the idea of personal space has never entered the mind of any African. If there is space, however miniscual, someone or something can fit in there. Our highest people count reached 26 in a standard mini-bus, which is only supposed to hold 14 people and thats at a push. The picture above gives a fairly accurate view you get from the back seat, which is generally where Leighanne and I end up.
The next glaring difference in public transport is that it does not only apply to the public. Farm animals, food products, mattresses, baskets, etc... are stuffed in. Probably to most unusual thing we saw was on a journey to Cape Maclear in Malawi. We decided to be organised and catch a 'real' bus instead of the painful mini-bus. I had a little old lady, who was the African equivalent of my nana, sitting beside me. For the entire 8 hour duration of the trip she happily knitted a lime green cardigan. She had her handbag perched on her lap and periodically would undo the clasp and open it up, just to give the chicken sitting inside some much needed air. After the chicken had gotten a full good lung fulls, it was shoved back into the bad and the clasp done up again. This sequence continued every 10-15 minutes until we arrived at our destination.
The best part of bus travel in Africa is the food stops. As soon as the bus stops, regardless of where, swarms of food sellers flood towards the bus. You can get anything from pan roasted peanuts, roasted maize, full pineapples, meat kebabs, grilled mouse kebabs, soda, biscuits, etc... Leighanne is a firm supporter of roasted maize and I'm sure we will be adding it to any BBQ we have in Australia.
As the vast majority of people living in Africa have no personal form of transport, buses and mini-buses act as people and produce carriers. You see some really strange things that are totally alien to Western ideas. Travel can be very painful for tall people, but the suffering is over-shadowed by the experience.

TAZARA Express

2006-07-17T08:56:00.000Z

Tanzania is unique in the sense that they actually have a functioning passenger rail network. Most other countries have allowed their rail network fall into a sorry state of disrepair. Our guide book recommended taking the Tanzanian and Zambian Rail Authority (TAZARA) Express train from Dar Es Salaam toward Malawi. The train journey is unique in that it travels directly through one of the many national parks in Tanzania. In theory you are able to view animals from the comfort of your cabin. However, when the train is delayed by 2 hours leaving Dar Es Salaam because it's discovered the brakes don't work, viewing animals in the dark isn't possible. Apart from this slight hiccup at the beginning the journey was very interesting.
Due to regulations men and women aren't allowed in the same cabins, read into this what you will. So Leighanne and I were separated for almost 24hrs, the longest we have been apart since we left. Sad I know, but it didn't feel right. Luckily for me, all the men in my cabin could speak English so my journey was quite informative. Unlucky for Leighanne, she was the only English speaker in her cabin so spent a portion or her time engaged in exaggerated hand signals.
The real character of the trip only occured when darkness decended. The cabins hold 6 people, stacked sardine style. Sleeping was a challenge at the best of times due to constant chatter and pumping African music coming from nearby cabins. However, the real problem was that at every stop, regardless of the time, everybody would wake up and open the windows and commence with loud negotiations with any and everybody on the station platform. Wanting to include you in the festivities, you were duly woken up as well.
After a long night and a good portion of the next day we rumbled into Mbeya station close to the Malawian border and made a dash for the nearest hotel with the hope of seeing England play. After finding a bar/shack that was showing the game we settled down for a few beers. Unfortunately, blackouts plague this part of Africa and at the crucial moment the lights went out. Didn't need to see the rest, everyone knows the result. Next day was the border crossing and trip down to the crystal clear waters of Lake Malawi.

Zanzibar

2006-07-10T10:28:00.000Z

What a cool place, you would be forgiven for thinking it only existed in pirate novels. Good news for everyone though, it is very real and as interesting as would be expected. We caught the 'slow boat' over from the mainland, which turned out to be far more enjoyable then the 'fast boat' on the way back. This is primarily due to Leighannes new sea sickness affliction. First port of call was the ancient Stone Town, former seat of all the numerous powers that at one stage over the last 600 years ruled Zanzibar. The imperial palace, original British consulate, and Sultan or Oman resident are still standing and magnificent. Stone Town also has the best seafood market around. At dusk all the fisherman set up tables in the park and sell their catches to tourist and locals alike. Both nights we feasted on lobster, kingfish, tuna, shark, prawns, etc... all for about $5. There is nothing quite like a great meal that is really cheap as well.
Zanzibar, being a 'Spice Island' we ventured out the next day on a spice tour. Somewhat unsure of what to expect it turned out to be one of our best days. The island is full of every kind of fruit, herb, spice you could think of and some you've never heard off. Who knew that pepper grows on big trees and starts out green. Also, cloves eaten straight from the tree are incredible strong and would make really good beer food. We tasted almost everything including cinnamon bark, star fruit, sour soap, mango, papaya, watermelon, and many more. Overall the tour was very interesting and fulfilling. The day was topped off by a dip in some incredible turquoise waters.
After Stone Town we made our way over to the east coast to relax on the talcum powder sand. The sand is so white it hurts your eyes, in full sun it is impossible to walk down the beach without sunglasses. We spent 4 days sitting on the beach and eating lots and lots of cheap seafood.
Zanzibar was our last stop in Tanzania before catching the train to Malawi.

Safari

2006-06-29T16:38:00.000Z

Safari, the one activity that everybody who comes to Africa must do. A couple of months ago we decided to splash out and go on safari in Tanzania. Tanzania is the home of Ngorongoro Crater and the fabled Serengeti, so what better place to go see picture postcard Africa. We teamed up with Tim and Andrea from Hawaii, who have just sold their house and are spending 10 months touring around Africa. We headed out from Arusha to begin our 5-day action packed animal viewing extravaganza. First stop was Ngorongoro Crater, formed when the peak of an extinct volcano collapsed. The Crater is now home to the highest density of large animals on the continent. You descend out of the mist that seemingly always obscures the crater rim down onto a lush savannah landscape. Animals are dotted everywhere. There are many dirt tracks crisscrossing the plain making it simple to visit all the varying landscapes contained within the crater. If you only have a day to try and see animals, Ngorognoro Crater is the place to come. We managed to see all the animals you could dream of in the space of 3 hours. Although the Crater feels slightly like a zoo, except you're in the cage, it is amazing that so many large mammals can exist in such a small area.
The highlight of any safari in Tanzania must be the Serengeti. In Maasai language it means 'endless plains' and they definitely are. The tall whispy grass goes on forever, periodically broken up by flat topped Acacia trees. We visited just at the start of the dry season and managed to see a portion of the great migration. Unknown to me beforehand, it is not only the wilderbeest that follow the rains in a continuous circle up into Kenya and back again. The zebra also make the long march in search of water. We managed to see huge heards of zebra moving through the plains and even got to see them in a panic while drinking at a pond, constantly on the look out for crocodiles and lions. Of all we saw in our 3 days in the Serengeti the ultimate was the huge male elephant we came upon on our way back to camp. He had just pulled a tree down and was tucking into his dinner when we drove up. Naturally protective of his food, he was not pleased as we edged closer. After 20 minutes of incredible viewing we went to drive around him and continue down the road. As we approached he moved off the road, but suddenly swung around an went to charge us. Luckily he pulled back and instead trumpeted at us in both defiance and warning. All four of us passengers where petrified, but Bryson our driver and guide was unperturbed.
Our safari in Tanzania was wonderful. We were lucky enough to see all the animals we could wish to see and managed to have some close up contact. I don't think I will ever visit a zoo again after seeing the immense space the animals are free to roam in.

UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

2006-06-29T15:49:00.000Z

After returning to Arusha from our adventures in the Serengeti I found the energy to visit the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In the mid-90's a horrific genocide took place in Rwanda with over a million estimated deaths, mainly ethnic Tutsi and Hutu sympathisers. The events surrounding the genocide have recently been given light through the movie Hotel Rwanda. The Tribunal was set up to apprehend and try anyone suspected of being directly involved in the genocide.
I spent a couple hours listening to the prosecutions closing arguments on the case against Tharcisse Muvunyi. He was the former Commander of Ecole Sous-Officiers (ESO) during the time of the genocide. He has been charged with giving soldiers under his command direct orders to kill orphans who were under the protection of a convent in his district. He was apprehended in London in 2000 and transfered to Arusha for the trial. Many cases have already been tried and completed including some of the main characters from the movie. However, there are still 18 people at large, mainly in exile in other African countries.
The trial is not a trial by jury, but is judged by 3 judges from the pool of judges elected by the UN to serve at the tribunal. The prosecution legal team is comprised of UN lawyers. The defense legal team is made up of criminal defense lawyers from around the world. Defense lawyers can contact the UN and volunteer their services in the case that the defendant cannot provide his own legal counsel.
I was so lucky to be able to witness a unique bit of history. The events that transpired in Rwanda were beyond comprehension and had far reaching effects across the continent. The genocide and subsequent mass refugee migration directly caused the downfall of Mobutu in Congo and caused serious instability in the surrounding countries that is still being felt today. The objective of the Tribunal is to produce some kind of closure for the Rwandan people and help them move on from this tragic part of their history.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

2006-06-22T08:25:00.000Z

Tracking of the endangered mountain gorillas is a truly unique experience, something only equaled by walking with lions or swimming with great whites. It is the only activity I have done where you are completely at the mercy of the animals. These creatures you've only ever seen on television are within touching distance. They are so familiar and exhibit such human qualities you have the immense urge to walk over and shake their hand. The mannerisms and movements have such a resemblance to how humans move and act, I find it incredible that people still refuse to believe in evolution. One memory of many that will last with me forever is off a 2 year old staring at us with inquisitive eyes while aimlessly scratching an itch on his arm. It was exactly what I could imagine myself doing while watching TV on Sunday afternoon. At the same time if they felt you were encroaching on their space you would very quickly know about it. The immense power coupled with stunning grace is on show at all times. It only took the lead silverback to effortlessly slide down the trunk of a tree and crash through the undergrowth to drive the point home. Tracking through the dense jungle to view the gorillas for 1 hour is completely at the invitation of the gorillas. You are a privileged guest and nothing else, totally in their domain.
Seeing the mountain gorillas ranks right at the top of sites, activities, etc... that I've done in my life, and it will take something spectacular to top it.

Mzungu in the Mist

2006-06-16T13:52:00.000Z

First of all, very honored to be invited on as a guest blogger on roundtheworldwego. I speak for Ben and Leighanne when I say that tracking the endangered mountain gorillas through the jungle was by far one of the best experiences of our lives. There are 3 gorilla families to track in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in the Southwestern corner of Uganda; Habinyanja (our group-26 members), Mubare (first group every habituated) and R group (known for being up and over the mountain). Bwindi holds around 300 mountain gorillas, half of the world's population. The other half is located down the road in the Mgahinga Volcano Range. Here is the tracking process: 2 trackers are sent out in the early morning to find the gorilla group. They first hike to where they left the gorillas the day before, and use their night nests, dung and eaten vegetation trails until they locate them. The vegetation is so dense it has to be cut away with machetes to create a path. The trackers stay in constant contact with the guide through radio, and then at mid morning the guide takes the group to the gorillas in the most direct route. To get to Habinyanja group, we took a 4WD about 50 minutes to the Northeastern side of the park, and then did some serious uphill hiking for 40 minutes until we reached them. When we were nearing the group I noticed these large black mounds in the distant trees and was assured by our guide that they were just monkeys. As we got closer, he changed his mind and told us we had found the gorillas, so I was actually the first to spot them! We had no idea gorillas could climb, let alone balance their 400 lbs on a small branch above our heads. When we arrived the lead silverback and 4 or so others were chilling in the trees. We spotted a mother and her 2 week old baby on the ground and quickly snapped pics. We were lucky as about half an hour into our visit the lead silverback slid gracefully down the tree with a branch in his mouth, wandered over and proceeded to mate with a female gorilla right in front of us. Our guide told us this was a very rare thing to see, so we felt lucky and horrified at the same time. It was unreal to be so close to these huge wild beasts, at the closest we were about 8 ft. away. They behaved like humans, each with their own distinct personality. They acknowledged our presense with some intimidating eye contact and then went about their own business. We then happened upon a mother and her small infant playing. The little one was showing off for our cameras, sheepishly eyeing us and rolling around on his mother's back. We all felt incredibly humbled to be in on such an intimate moment. Our hour was up before we knew it and we begrudgingly left but with some amazing photos and a memory we surely won't forget. Overall, had the time of my life in Uganda and now I am anticipating when I can return to Africa to see the rest.

Pearl of Africa

2006-06-16T08:36:00.000Z

Firstly, my apologies for the extended break between postings. I realise all our dedicated readers have been missing out. My only excuse is that Uganda has been action packed with Laurens' arrival and getting to grips with sub-saharan life. Also, Uganda only has power for 24 hrs out of 48 hrs, so usage of internet is not always possible.
Anyway, we have been having a amazing time since touching down in Uganda at the beginning of June. The visual shock of arriving into a place of such vivid colours was staggering, especially after the last couple months of contemplating desert landscapes. Everything in Uganda is either a brilliant earthy red or stunning green. The contrast between the red dirt roads and the green of the surrounding countryside is amazing.
We spent a couple days in Kampala picking up the gorilla tracking permits and generally getting our bearings. As African capitals go, Kampala is fairly low key, but that doesn't prevent it from being a special blend of organised chaos. You only need to step into a 'taxi' to understand that life works at a entirely different pace in Africa. We have had a great time zooming around town on boda-boda 'motorbikes' and generally racking up near death experiences.
The people of Uganda have been wonderful and always seem to have a huge smile on their faces. The standard call of 'Mzungu mzungu how are you' rings out whenever they see you pass. Mzungu loosely translates into 'white man who stumbles around aimlessly', which pretty much sums up most backpackers.
Once Lauren arrived we undertook the long bus journey to the south west of the country to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for the highlight of any trip to Uganda, tracking the endangered mountain gorillas. See the special posting about the gorilla tracking.
After Bwindi we luckily got a lift with a couple of aid workers to picturesque Lake Bunyonyi, which brings images of The Hobbit to mind. We fully deserved our day relaxing at the lakes edge after being tricked into getting a canoe to the island hostel, not realising that we had to paddle. All three of us were done by the time we arrived and couldn't muster the energy to do anything the rest of the day.
Next stop on the whirlwind tour was to Jinja, the adventure sport capital of East Africa, for a spot of white water rafting on the mighty Nile. Lauren and I braved the rapids, which dwarfed the ones of the Tully River in Queensland. Our raft only flipped 4 times and no major injuries were sustained, so overall a successful expedition.
Leighanne and I spent a couple more days in Kampala getting buses sorted and generally watching a lot of World Cup football, especially Australia triumph. We have now moved onto Tanzania and are all locked and loaded for our 5-day safari starting tomorrow. With any luck we will be able to view the wilderbeast migration as well as seeing the 'Big Five'.

Egyptians

2006-05-29T13:26:00.000Z

The people of modern Egypt have generally got a pretty bad reputation. After spending the last 1 1/2 months traveling through the bulk of Arabia I feel as if I have a certain amount of credibility to comment of the situation. I've worked with Egyptians in India and Saudi and found them fair and extremely helpful and consider them friends, but it seems that the people who are even remotely involved in the tourist trade give the rest of the country a bad name. Traveling in Egypt is not the easiest thing in the world. Getting from place to place is relatively straight forward as there isn't much of a path to stray from. If you head of the beaten trail you end up in the boiling desert. But dealing with the people is enough to pull your hair out. It seems that most people you come across are only intent of seeing how much money they can swindle you out of. If you were visiting the country on a brief holiday, I'm sure it wouldn't matter so much, but when the word 'budget' is constantly on your mind the hassling and cheating starts to grate. The country is a total hassle zone, it's so bad in parts that in order for shops and restuarants to entice you into their establisment they advertise as 'no hassle zones'. The Egyptian government realises that tourism is important for the economy, so they created the Tourism and Antiquites Police force, which you assume would be tasked with protecting the interests of tourists and tourist sites from the onslaught of scamming touts. However, in true Egyptian style, the police are among the worst offenders. I'm sure my reaction is a bit over the top, but most other backpackers we have met are of the same opinion. It is truly a shame that a country that has some of the worlds most amazing sites finds a way to take the shine of what could of been a remarkable visit. If only some of the geniune hospitality we experience throughout Syria and Jordan could filter across the Red Sea it would make Egypt such a more enjoyable place to visit.
We are leaving Egypt today and have mixed emotions about the time we spent here. The places we visited and the incredible ancient monuments are some of the best sites I've ever seen, but unfortunately I think our memories will always be partially tarnished by the scams and hassle that are constantly present.

Cairo

2006-05-29T13:07:00.000Z

We are now in the capitol city, Cairo. Supposedly home to 10 million people and full of chaos, which I highly doubt is organised. We have been here for 4 days and have managed to see most of what the city has to offer. Its stinking hot in the city, so excursions out of the A/C of the hotel must be planned carefully. The highlights so far are the mummies of Rameses I and associates in the Egyptian Musuem along with all the loot that was found in Tutankamens' tomb in Luxor. For a teenage king who only ruled for 7 years he sure went into the next world fully loaded. His tomb was crammed with 3 gold beds, tables, shoes, rugs, jewelery, and everything else a 1500 BC teenager could want. The 'crowning' gem was his 11kg solid gold mask that adorned the mummy when he buried. We also made the trek out to see the Pyramids of Giza. They are quite stunning, and definitely live up to the hype. From a distance they don't look especially big, but up close the size of them is incredible. It is easy to see why archaeologists have been scratching their heads for centuries trying to figure out how they were made.
We also visited Islamic Cairo were many of the famous mosques of the Islamic world are found. It's a small area within the greater city of twisting alleys and souqs. Although the mosques are undoubtable special the area is a rubbish tip. The rest of Cairo isn't exactly clean, but the streets within this quarter were full of rubbish that had seemingly been there for weeks. After visiting religious districts in other cities in the region, Islamic Cairo was dissapointing.
Today is our last day in Cairo before we fly over the Sahara to land in Africa proper. We splurged mightly and paid to sit by the pool at the Nile Hilton. What a treat and an eye opener to see how the other people live. Servants and hangers-on galour, but we had a great time relaxing and having a swim and generally soaking up the hospitality of the nice people at Hilton Hotels.
The gorillas are calling, our next post will be from Uganda were we will shortly be re-united with Lauren.

Monuments of Ancient Egypt

2006-05-24T13:07:00.000Z

We have almost completed our tour of Pharaonic monuments that line the banks of the River Nile. First stop was Luxor (Thebes) to visit The Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut. On the surface there is little to see at The Valley of the Kings except for the effects of the blistering heat on the hapless tourists. However, buried deep in the ground are the amazing tombs of the Pharaohs. The three tombs we visited were totally different, but equally amazing. The sculptures, paintings, and hieroglyphs are incredible. The painted hieroglyphs in one tomb covered almost every surface and looked like they were done yesterday. They were stunning, especially since they're 3500 years old. The detail of the carvings is equally impressive. The picture of the hand holding the 'key of life' is typical. The whole carving is probably 5-6 m high, but they took the time to include such detail as the finger nails and cuticles. While in Luxor we also visit Luxor Temple and the Temple of Karnak, which is the largest of all the Ancient Egyptian monuments. The columns that dot the entire complex are immense and were built to prove how great and powerful the current Pharaoh was.
We are now in Aswan, the most southern town in Egypt, and it's obscenely hot. Aswan doesn't have a whole lot to offer except a few hours sailing around the islands that dot the Nile. The main attraction is the Temples of Abu Simbel about 3 hrs south on the Sudan border. The huge temple was carved out of a hill/mountain 3500 years ago under the order of Rameses II. The main feature of the temple is the 20m high statues of Rameses II that guard the entrance. When Egypt built the Aswan Dam in 1960 the temple was to be submerged under what is now Lake Nasser. UNESCO solved this slight problem and cut the mountain and temple up into small pieces and moved it to higher ground. I'm not sure what is more impressive, the actual temple orf the fact that the whole thing was moved. Just outside Aswan is the Temple of Philae, probably the most beautiful of the temples in Egypt. Just like Abu Simbel, the Temple of Philae was relocated to avoid the rising waters of Lake Nasser. It is beautifully situated on an island in the middle of the lake, totally peaceful.
Next stop is Cairo for even more hustle and bustle. We have treated ourselves to the sleeper train, so will be traveling in semi-luxury.

Sinai

2006-05-20T11:54:00.000Z

The Sinai Peninsula has had some troubles of late. However, we couldn't resist some much deserved rest and relaxation at the beach after 3 weeks of sucking dust throught the Middle East. We caught the 'fast' ferry from Jordan across to the Sinai and got a bus to Dahab, not without some serious bartering with the bus drivers. Welcome to Egypt, the land of hard sells and scams. Everything is negiotable here, and it drives you crazy.
Dahab is a beautiful village on the Gulf of Aqaba that once used to be a secluded bedouin village, but is slowly becoming a backpacker/tourist mecca. The hordes of Russians that invade the Sinai are starting to extend their reach from Sharm el Sheik up to Dahab. Nonetheless, it is still a wonderful place with good accomodation and plenty of opportunities to laze about drinking milkshakes and just generally recharging the batteries. We spent a full week there and could quite easily have spent 2 weeks, but temples and tombs beaconed.
While in Dahab we managed to see the 2 main tourist attractions, Mt Sinai and the Blue Hole. The trip to Mt Sinai was really good. We left the hotel at 11pm in order to hike to the summit in time for sunrise. Luckily for us we picked a full moon night, so the 2 1/2 hr hike to the top was under an eerie light, which gave the surrounding mountains and valleys a lunar feel. The sunrise was very good, but partially ruined by half the population of Moscow, all of which were not exactly dressed for the occasion. You would think that if the description of the activity included 'climb a mountain' you would leave the high heels back at the hotel. At the bottom we visited St Katherines Monastery, the oldest in the world, and keeper of the Burning Bush. However, Leighanne is convinced that the Burning Bush she saw 12 years ago was an entirely different species of tree to the one that is inside the monastery now.
Next stop was a snorkeling trip to the Blue Hole, a 160 metre deep abyss only 5 metres from shore. Sadly the coral has been badly damaged by snorkelers and divers, but there were still thousands of fish swimming about.
Our remaining time in Dahab was spent eating lovely seafood, drinking milkshakes, sleeping on cushions next to the sea, and generally being completely lazy. A wonderful week.
We are now in Luxor and getting psyched up for some serious temple, tomb, and hieroglyph viewing.

Syria Round up!

2006-05-11T14:24:00.000Z

Well here we go, a little bit late, but here is the Syria Summary....

Best City - Hama
Worst Town - Palmyra (due to the nasty touty people, views were exceptional!)
Best Hotel - Hotel Riad, Hama
Best Scenery - The ruins at Palmyra
Best Restaurant - Dream House, Hama (it's where all the cool kids hang out, you know!)
Best Experience - Walking tour with Ahmed in Aleppo, free sweets!

I would also just like to say that from the beginning of the trip I was totally against going to Syria (even had a pact with Ben then we were allowed to leave whenever I wanted to) but I have never been so pleased to be proved wrong!
Syria is a beautiful place, it has the history, the scenery and wonderful food but what really makes Syria is the people.

The Rose City

2006-05-11T14:23:00.000Z

What a fitting name for Petra. It is an amazing place, but must of been simply incredible 1800 years ago. Petra was built by the Nabataens, an ancient Arabian people who constructed a kingdom in southern Jordan about 2000 years ago. Petra was their capital.
We have just finished 2 exhausting days seeing everything Petra has to offer. Everything about Petra is dramatic. You start your visit by winding along a narrow 1.2km long passage called al-Siq until you start to glimpse views of the Treasury. The Treasury is the star attraction at Petra, primarily because it is the most complete and unaffected by erosion. Trying to fathom how the people managed to carve this enormous building out of the mountain is mind boggling. The entire site of Petra is very large and mostly carved out of the surrounding mountains, with monuments and tombs spread everywhere. The colour of the rock gives the city its nickname. Trails lead through the main part of the city and also up into the surrounding mountains where equally amazing buildings and views exist. Today we conquered the 800 step climb up to the Monastery at the far western point of the city. The Monastery is very similar to the Treasury, but slightly simplified. However, it is incredibly large and is well worth enduring the climb to see. Views from the Monastery are stunning and stretch all the way to Israel.
We have now completed our visit to Jordan and will be moving onto Egypt tomorrow. The Middle East proper has been fantastic and we will be telling everyone we meet that it is a wonderful place to visit. Hopefully our little blog my entice some of you to venture this way in the future.

Hello Mister Assault Rifle

2006-05-09T13:00:00.000Z

In addition to our slight problem getting to the Dead Sea, Leighanne had a personal meeting with an assault rifle. We should of known that security would tighten as you headed toward the Palestinian border, but we neglected to take our passports along. Anyway, it all worked out, I showed my UK Drivers License and smiled nicely and the pleasant soldiers let us through. However, at one particular checkpoint the soldier came onto the bus to check IDs' and walked down the aisle. He stopped next to us in full battle fatigues, flak jackets, with an assault rifle casually slung over his shoulder. To Leighannes' utter shock it came to rest about 5cm from her nose. Without to much effort she could have leaned over and given the noozle a big kiss. At first she didn't realise, but I took it upon myself to inform her of the situation. I had to make sure she was getting the full cultural experience. A few tense moments passed and the soldier made is way off the bus. The next half-hour of the journey was filled with statements such as 'I wonder if the safety was on', etc...

Maa Salama Syria, Mahaba Jordan

2006-05-09T12:28:00.000Z

Welcome to country number 5. We had a very enjoyable trip into Jordan. There were only 8 people on the bus for the border crossing, including a Lebanese - Australian couple who works for the NSW premier on muslim public relations. She had been in the Middle East at a conference and it was wonderful talking to her about what is being done in Australia and elsewhere. Also, with the recent Cronulla riots, she has been extremely busy.
The difference between Jordan and Syria is night and day. Syria is pen and paper, Jordan is computers and eye scanners. It's amazing what cool gadgets you get when you sign peace treaties with the US and Israel. Funny how the world works!
Anyway we arrived into Amman, which has not a whole lot to see, but is strategically situated for day trips to Jerash (Palymra in grey) and to the Dead Sea. Jerash was actually very good, much more touristy then the ruins at Palymra. However there were loads more descriptions, which made hiking around the site very interesting and educational.
Our trip to the Dead Sea was exciting. We decided against an organised day trip from the hotel and instead picked public transport. Usually a relatively safe and interesting choice. We boarded the minibus in Amman with Dead Sea written on the outside and assumed, wrongly it turns out, that the bus would go to the Dead Sea. Not quite, we ended up being let off on a road within view of the Dead Sea, but a good 5-6km walk from the nearest beach/resort. Being 400m below sea level it gets bloody hot, so we were a little anxious of how exactly we were going to continue. Luckily, a boy racer picked us up in his VW Golf and gave us a lift to the beach. We did the kodak moment swim and generally relaxed. The water is supposedly 25% solid, although it looks and feels pretty much like real seawater, until you try and swim. If you had any ideas of swimming to Palestine you would quickly forget it. It is almost impossible to get your legs submerged in the water, so you could forget about kicking. Overall a very odd experience.
After Amman we traveled to Dana Wildlife Refuge for a couple days of walking and relaxing. We are now in Petra for the star attraction in Jordan. We will spend 3 days here exploring the Rose City before moving onto Egypt.

Road to Damascus

2006-05-02T14:15:00.000Z

We have arrived in Damascus after a slight detour towards Iraq. Never got to within sighting distance, but did start to see road signs pointing the way. Unfortunately, I don't think the burly Syrian bus driver would have obliged me a quick photo stop. Before hitting the border we disembarked at Palmyra, which is a truly bizarre little town in the proverbial 'middle of nowhere'. The one and only attraction is the ancient Roman/Arab city of Palmyra. Palmyra was an outpost city for the ancient civilizations starting in the 1st century, and grew to great importance because of its situation on the spice and silk road. It was ruled by numerous dynasties before finally falling to mother earth, via a massive earthquake. There has been some remarkable excavations done on the ruins and they are extremely detailed and expansive. The city itself is huge and was a full day exploring in the blistering desert heat. The main excavations have unearthed the impressive Temple of Bel and the Main Collanade (see photos above). It was so cool walking around and being able to look at all the intricately carved columns close up. If this site was in Europe you would only be able to look from behind barrier ropes. Palmyra is definitely the top site in Syria and worth the trek out into the desert.
However the small town that has popped up to support the tourist industry is sadly weighed down by greed and corruption, completely at odds with the rest of Syria. It just shows what can happen to people when their lives are governed by the tourist dollar, all ethics go out the window. So, although visiting the ruins at Palmyra was amazing, the town left a lot to be desired.
Prior to Palmyra as mentioned we visit the Krak de Chevaliers near Hama. Unfortunately, due to my stupidty and limited knowledge of Arabic and a thousand Syrian school kids our visit to the castle was marred. Firstly we didn't even realise we were at the castle because the name is in Arabic (Qala al Hosn) rather then the Krak de Chevaliers that is advertised everywhere else. So we held back on taking pics thinking we were shortly heading to the real deal. Also, Sunday must be school excursion day in Syria as there were kids everywhere, and they are not the quite well mannered kids of Morocco. Even still, we had a good trip out the castle.

We are now in Damascus and shortly will be heading to Jordan. A full summary of Syria will follow in the coming days. Also, by popular demand from immediate family and relatives a certain picture is included above.

Welcome to Syria

2006-04-27T11:57:00.000Z

We have made it safe and sound into Syria via Antioch in Turkey. I desperately wanted to take a picture of the 'Welcome to Syria' sign at the border, but thought better of it after seeing the arsenal being carried about by the border soldiers. We spent our first few days in Aleppo, which is the newly designated 'Center of Islamic Culture' for 2006. Aleppo is in competition with Damascus to be considered the oldest inhabited city on earth. It is definitely old with a wonderful old town, complete with ancient city wall, souqs, and imposing citadel. Within the old city are numerous 'khans', which are ancient inns used by merchants on the silk and spice road to rest their camels and sleep the night. We decided to do a walking tour on our first morning with a lovely old guy, named Ahmed. He is an agricultural engineer who has retired and stumbled into giving tours to tourist around Aleppo. One day he discovered that he was famous after hearing that he had made it into the Lonely Planet. He gave Leighanne and I a great tour of Aleppo, showing us all the sights and introducing us to some wonderful people in the souqs. We met a family of 9 brothers who all run shops in the souq and spent an hour or so talking with them. They knew about Arncliffe in Sydney, where Nana Ransley lives, because the Syrian Embassy is there. We also met a family in the mosque who were very interested in where we were from and what we did. The picture above is of Leighanne and I with them in the Great Mosque. We had read before arriving that the Syrian people where some of the friendliest on earth, and they are surely living up to it. Many people on the streets welcome you to their country and are happy to walk out of their way to show you the way to a hotel or restaurant.
It's been interesting to talk to the people and get their opinion on how the world is today. The vast majority are bitterly disappointed with how they are portrayed in the media and I totally agree with them. Everyone we have met so far has been very kind. They may not look to favourably on the actions of 'Little Johnny', Tony, or W, but hold nothing against the regular people from Australia, Britian or the US and have been incredibly welcoming. The whole experience so far has been very enjoyable.
Today we traveled from Aleppo to Hama, which will be our base for exploring Krak de Cevaliers tomorrow.

Gule Gule Turkey

2006-04-24T08:28:00.000Z

Our quick visit to Turkey is almost complete, tonight we start the long bus ride into Syria. We initially flew into Istanbul and immediately noticed how much it has change. Obviously the big push to join the EU has major impacts on the cities infrastructure. The new metro and tram system was very good and made the trip into Sultanhamet simple. It was interesting to be in Istanbul for a 2nd time, and we both noticed how expensive it is now. Probably more so considering how cheap it was in Morocco. We spent a couple days in Istanbul seeing the sights, mainly the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia Mosque, Sulyimanie Mosque, etc... I had a very strange experience on our first night, we had a run in with a guy I went to high school with in America. The world is truly a small place.
We next headed to Goreme in the Cappadocia region of Turkey, famous for its bizarre rock formation and caves. We've now spent 4 days here and have enjoyed it. We have seen the underground city that the early Christians used to escape the patrolling Roman Army and walked through the beautiful Ilhara Gorge. We have seen the strange 'fairy chimney' rock formations and went for a walk through one of the nearby valleys. Unfortunately today it is bucketing rain, so anymore walks have been cancelled.
Next stop for us is Aleppo, Syria and the part of the trip I'm most looking forward to. We meet an Aussie guy had just made the journey through Syria and Jordan and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I can't wait to get going.

Morocco Summary

2006-04-17T16:08:00.000Z

Here is an itemised summary of the good, bad, and ugly as we see it;

Best Border Crossing - Tangiers Port
Worst Border Crossing - Ceuta/Tetouan (by a country mile)
Best City - Marrakech
Worst City - Tetouan (robbers capital)
Best Restaurant - Marhaba Restaurant, Meknes (fantastic Harira soup all for 25p)
Best Place - Dades Gorge
Best Hotel - Atlas Berbere Hotel, Dades Gorge
Worst Hotel - Dump in Tetouan (name has been erased from memory)
Best Meal - Crepes with Honey/Almou at Cafe Toubkal in Djeema al Fna Square, Marrakech
Best Experience - Hiking in Dades Gorge and tea with the nomad family
Best Scenery - Bus trip through Atlas Mountains to Marrakech

Shukran...

The road to Barcelona

2006-04-17T15:32:00.000Z

From the very beginning of the trip, there has been a feeling that the odds were against us for our little trip to Barcelona. Firstly the overnight train from Malaga to Barcelona was booked up, so we decided to go a day earlier and we booked the train. Then we found out that all the accomodation was full in Barcelona (silly people we are, forgot it was Easter!) but hey we got through that too, we managed to get a hotel outside Barcelona. So all we needed to do was get the tickets on the overnight train from Marrakech to Tangiers, no problem, lonely planet and various websites said that no need to book it will be OK. We decided to be a bit organised (shocked I know you all are by that!) and we went to the train station the night before to buy tickets and check times. Once again the G.C.S.E. French was extremely useful (especially when he replied back in English) and we were told that the train was full till Monday, whoops! Quick bus journey to the bus station to check for buses to Tangiers, managed to book on the overnight bus for the next night (apparantly a very nice bus, very nice bus and two hours quicker than the normal ones).
So we were all set for our mammoth journey, two overnights in a row but hey we had to get used to this travelling malarky and sleeping in awkward places.
So we get to the bus station, the bus leaves at midnight, well it should of. The bus didn't show, it was 2am, we got chucked on another bus, phew we are leaving, ur no we are not. 3am we leave the bus station only to park outside to get some more punters (this happens alot in morocco, we just didn't need it as we were on a tight schedule). So we leave at 3.30am, ten hours on the bus means we get to tangiers at 1.30pm, need to catch a ferry, then a three hour bus to malaga, chances of catching the train are very slim. Tiredness and disappointment on a bone shaker bus in Morocco are not good combinations for little Leighanne, I was shall we say a little upset. But this is what happens when you travel, you go from the lowest point to a really high point. We get put on another bus, and helped by various people, then chat to this teacher from Ouzzarate, then we get offered breakfast by this lady and her family (I have to admit it was the best ever).
So we get to Tangiers, hop on a ferry, we might have a chance! Now, earlier on we mentioned that the Moroccons are not good with bus journeys, put them on a fast ferry in choppy waters and you have got chaos! I even had to admit that it was slightly amusing! Things were looking good, we might make it. I decided to check the time in Spain, 2 hours ahead, this point we were screwed, no way we were going to catch that damn train, unless we get a really expensive taxi! Hooray! We get the cutest taxi driver who bombs it to Malaga and we get to the train station 1 hour before the train leaves! (oh and he played the tackiest radio station ever, it was great, we had Whitney, Spandou Ballet but no Babs, but hey you can't have everything!)
We go to get our reserved tickets, they have been cancelled, some rule about picking up 24 hours before the train leaves, we calmly walked away, all that stress for nothing, damn my Spanish translation on the renfe website (see Kirk I needed you!)
Anyway, things are all good, we managed to get to Barcelona, and we have had a few beers (went right to my head I have to tell you after being dry for three weeks, I'm such a cheap date!)

Ben gets a haircut (finally!)

2006-04-17T15:23:00.000Z

While we were in Marrakech, Ben decided to get his lovely curly locks chopped off. With my limited G.C.S.E. French we managed to get a deal at the barbers. So the barber started chopping away, and did those hands move! This guy wasn't going to use any clippers, he was going to do it all by hand, I was mesmerised to say the least. And the cutest thing was the little apprentice who appeared everytime a hair fell to sweep it away, in between watching the master of all haircutters work! Once the cutting had finished the hair dryer came out, and didn't Ben look good, with a nice comb over (I should of taken a picture but I was laughing too much, don't worry though it came out after a few washes!)

General Itinerary

2006-04-12T14:45:00.000Z

By popular demand;

March 06 - Morocco
April 06 - Morocco, Spain, Turkey
May 06 - Syria, Jordan, Egypt
June 06 - Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi
July 06 - Malawi, Mozambique, Sth Africa
August 06 - Sth Africa, Namibia, India
September 06 - India, Sri Lanka
October 06 - Thailand, Cambodia
November 06 - Vietnam
December 06 - China, USA
January 07 - Central America
February 07 - Central America, Chile
March 07 - Argentina, Brazil

Deep breath all together now!

Essaouira

2006-04-12T14:02:00.000Z

We are now back in Marrakech after a relaxing 4 days in Essaouira, which is a seaside resort town on the Atlantic. It has a very nice medina with no honking cars, but the occassional speeding moped. The town is predominately painted white with blue shutters on the windows, very similar to Chefchaouen up in the Rif Mountains. The blue is supposed to scare away evil spirits. The main attraction in Essaouira is the port area with the colonial ramparts and the sweeping beach. On a clear day the sunset is quite spectacular against the town.

We spent our days lazing on the beach and I managed to burn my feet even though I was diligent with the sunscreen. Hopefully that will be the last burn for the trip, but somehow I doubt it. We didn't venture into the water as the looks on peoples faces who had told a rather frigid story. Instead we finished off our books and watched the locals play football all along the sand. They wait until the tide goes out then use the flat hard packed sand as the pitch, after seeing some of the fields around the country those beach pitches were probably the best in Morocco.

We have one night here in Marrakech then we are catching an overnight train to Tangiers then onto Barcelona. Morocco has been a good introduction to the year long travels, relatively easy to get around but enough of a challenge to keep us on our toes. Onwards we go!

The Long And Winding Road - Moroccon Style

2006-04-07T13:00:00.000Z

Just a bit of humour to lighten your day. In order for us to reach Marrakech we took a bus up over the Atlas Mts. The scenery was incredible with mud hut Berber villages clinging to the slopes. The road was one of the most impressive I have ever been on and we had a fabulous time looking out on the changing scenery.

However, I have the sneaking suspicion that Moroccons consider it the road from hell. It turns out Moroccons do not deal well with winding roads and suffer quite severe motion sickness that seems to afflict a good proportion of the population.

So the journey started innocently enough with gently curves, but soon enough the conductor was handing out small black plastic bags. Shortly after this the telling waft of spew started to inflitrate the bus. People were going down like flies, starting with the gorgeous little girl and mother in the back seat. When the smell became sufficiently strong the conductor would drip washing detergent down the aisle, which we thought made it worse.

Anyway we found the whole thing amusing, even if it was at others expense. Moral of the story is if you are taking a bus over the mountains in Morocco, sit in the front seat of the bus.

Marvelous Marrakech

2006-04-06T13:01:00.000Z

We have arrived in the main port-of-call for Morocco, Marrakech. It is totally different from everywhere else in Morocco, especially in the tourist numbers. Europeans have definitely discovered Marrakech and are making the most of it. Unfortunately it is extremely disappointing that they have not made the effort to respect the islamic culture of Morocco and are still parading around in outfits that are not appropriate for the country. Where as Fes and Meknes were very compact and bussling, Marrakech is much more spread out with a rarity in Morocco, public parks. There is a beautiful mosque overlooking the main square, which burst into life at night with hundreds of food stalls selling everything from fish and chips moroccan style to goats head. Also in amongst the food stalls are monkey trainers, snake charmers, henna artists, etc... We will be here for a couple more days before heading to the beach.

As per the previous post we have been busy seeing the Sahara desert and the Atlas Montains. The Sahara was our first stop and was slightly dissapointing. The dunes although quite impressive did not blozw you away. However we spent a nice day relaxing in the shade then went for a long walk at sunset around the dunes (see pic).

Next stop was fantastic, we went to a place called Dades Gorge right on the edge between the Sahara and Atlas Mountains. A river had cut a beautiful gorge valley out of the red rock to create a thin oasis in the desert. We stayed here for 3 days in a beautiful hotel literally 1 m from the river. We spent the days wandering around the valley amusing the local kids and managed to do a hike up to the solar plateau to see the start of the Atlas Mountains and visit a nomad family. We eventually tore ourselves away from there and visited Ait Benhaddou, which has the best preseved Kasbah in the Atlas region and host of movies such as Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.

Off To The Sahara

2006-03-30T13:25:00.000Z

We have decided to head to the edge of the Sahara for some relaxing under the stars. Plan is to take a camel trek into the desert and camp overnight, but will have to see how the bum is feeling after the overnight bus trip.
We are now in Meknes after a few great days looking around Fes and Meknes. Fes is madness personified. with an endless labyrinth of alleyways and souqs in the medina. We spent a couple days simple wandering around looking at (not allowed to go in) the beautiful mosques and markets. If we weren't nomads for the next year there was loads of really interesting things to buy. Yesterday morning we got the chance to see the tanneries, which were amazing. They bring in the various types of leather and soak in a lime dye to remove the fur, then they soak in pits of colour dye. Each dye is made with all natural plants and is stunningly colourful. The most expensive is saffron dye, which is bright yellow. We had been wondering why men had been walking around in bright yellow leather slippers, STATUS SYMBOL, they are the most expensive ones. Meknes is much more low key then Fes, but still has some interesting things to see. The pick being a muslim mausoleum with incredible mosaic tiling and carvings.

First Days

2006-03-27T18:34:00.000Z

We have well and truly begun now. First day was extremely hectic but we managed to get from London to Tetuoan without any major incident. However we have no plans to ever return to Tetuoan as we were told today that it is known locally as the robbers capital. Would of been useful if that little nugget of info was included in the guide book. Anyway we then caught a bus to Chefchauoan a lovely mountain town in the Rif Mountains and managed to chill and get our bearings. We are now in Fes after an eventful bus trip. About an hour out of Fes the bus ran out of fuel, now you think a bus company would be fairly astute at this sort of thing, but we sat around for about an hour while petrol was procured from the closest village. Fes seems a really cool place and we are looking forward to exploring the medina and kasbah over the next couple of days. On the food front I have just had pastilla, which contains pigeon meat, lemon flavoured eggs, rice and pastry. Leighanne is loving the tagines and the couscous (not as good as yours though Pete).

Leighannes first posting

2006-03-27T18:25:00.000Z

Mine is only a quick one; mainly because this keyboard is arabic and it is taken a while to figure out.
Just wanted to keep my promise with my postings and this is just to say that we had our first celebrity spot; maybe a c list one but still one. Sophie Anderton was on our flight to Malaga and she spent most of the time snogging the face off this greasy bloke. Oh and I have spent the last couple of days without diet coke but luckily managed to find a can in Fes; whoo hoo.

New Year

2006-01-05T20:56:00.000Z

The countdown has truly started now. Only two and a half months to go before the first of many flights. It's all starting to hit home now. It was one thing putting a deposit down on the tickets, but when all the Christmas gifts are traveling related you realise there is no turning back. My mind is constantly thinking about the trip, all the details, all the myriad of bits and pieces that have to be dealt with before the great adventure starts. I'm not sure if this is healthy or not, my mind says probably not, but its in my make-up so would be futile to resist. Thinking about traveling for a year is rather daunting, I feel even more so I'm our case, due to the places we are going. There will be no cosy developed countries to regroup in, it will be sensory overload the entire way. One of my main concerns is this burnout and trying to manage it, I think we will gain immense mental strength by getting through it.

Beginning

2005-12-07T13:40:00.000Z

Well, here we go. My first every posting on a blog. Rather exciting I suppose. This is basically just a trial to get things of the ground. More to come in the future.