tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90496675073605111742024-03-05T05:20:38.928-08:00Travel Logof <a href="http://www.thesvs.com/">the SVs</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-35747038169879720022014-04-29T13:38:00.000-07:002014-09-17T13:40:09.477-07:00Matsumoto and Snow Monkey's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Matsumoto:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Leaving behind the historic city of Kyoto, we took a train
north into the Japanese Alps. From Kyoto to Nagoya we got to experience our
first bullet train, which was not a disappointment. We switched by to a normal
train for the longer journey up into the mountains. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matsumoto Castle</td></tr>
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Our arrival into Matsumoto saw a dramatic change in
temperature and we were very grateful we had lugged around our winter gear. We
stayed at the very recommended Matsumoto Inn, which was right beside the train
station. Not wanting to waste our precious time, we dropped our luggage and
headed out to the main attraction of the town: Matsumoto Castle. This castle is
special in that it is one of only 12 remaining original castles from the feudal
age in Japan. It is very reminiscent of Age of Empires. </div>
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Our timing was also
perfect, without realising we caught the closing ceremony of the blossom
festival. Unlike the lowlands the blossoms were in peak bloom and flowers and
petals were everywhere. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matsumoto castle and blooms</td></tr>
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Within the castle grounds there was live museum playing and
it seemed like the majority of the town out in order to have lunch have a
picnic under the blossoms. Considering the freezing temperatures I thought this
was a bit mad, but I am sure the sake bottles helped with this issue. The sun
set as we were exploring the grounds and only added to the beauty of the
castle. Would definitely recommend coming here. Afterwards we found a lovely
local restaurant on a restaurant street (the only one we encountered). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The next day, we headed off earlyish for out day trip to the
mountains behind Nagano. Just an hour train from Matsumoto is the city famous
for hosting the winter Olympics. We got our timing a little wrong and had to
wait a little in town, before hoping on the train up to the Monkey Park. From
the train station, you need to take a bus up further into the hills (although
only a 15 min ride would be at least 2 hours walk uphill). From the bus stop
the park is a further 30 minute walk but completely worth it. As it was spring
there was no significant snow around, but it did mean that it was baby season. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow monkey's playing in the remaining snow</td></tr>
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As we arrived into the park we were greeted by tens of baby
monkeys running around playing in the remaining snow. Their parents were more
interested in eating and basking in the sun rays. We spent a good deal of time
here just watching their interactions and enjoying the cuteness. We even got to
see one go for a dip in their famous hot springs (although the one we saw was
artistically made – there are others scattered elsewhere in the park that are
more natural – but a decent hike away). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Eventually we headed back down and to Matsumoto. The train
ride is actually worth the trip in itself. The views from the train are as
remote as is really possible in congested Japan. The contrasts between NZ and
Japan were at their most here. It was very unnerving to have a complete lack of
any animal. There were no farm animals, rabbits, or expected wildlife that you
would normally see in the countryside. Agriculture was the biggest presence in
between the villages. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow monkey's</td></tr>
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Back in Matsumoto we explored the downtown area which was
mainly focused on satisfying the Japanese materialistic culture. There are
stores for absolutely everything and yet we had trouble finding some of the
simple things we were looking for amongst the chaos of their stores. </div>
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ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-8488246235887786252014-04-25T22:35:00.000-07:002014-09-09T22:37:33.862-07:00Kyoto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We headed off the next day to Kyoto; the historical centre
of Japan. After arriving we dropped off our bags and headed off to explore. The
recommended way is either on foot if you have the time and stamina or to buy a
day bus pass (the buses go everywhere). Our first stop was the largest freestanding
wooden structure in the world Higashi-Honganji Temple. Absolutely massive
inside and beautifully decorated. The nature of this temple meant that it was
also a very nice relief from the surprisingly warm temperatures. Afterwards we
headed off on a long walk to the Imperial Gardens to book our tour at the
Emperors Palace. The walk up was nice and in the gardens we found our first
serious blooms. As we later learned there are two types of blooms in Japan,
single and double petal. In Kyoto, we had missed the single but were lucky
enough to catch the double, which were massive pink flowers (peaches
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple near Imperial Palace</td></tr>
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As Kyoto is very expensive for accommodation, we actually
stayed just outside of the city in a small town (although there was no
definitive border between the two…everything merges due to the high population)
of Otsu on the foreshore of Lake Biwa. We checked in and headed to the lake
front and found a pretty disgusting noodle bar. Which was unfortunate, as
afterwards on our way back we explored the mostly closed shopping street and
wandered down this long passageway to what turned out to be the best food we
had in Japan. This restaurant we have no idea of the name or what we ate as the
waiter/chef/owner didn’t speak a word of English. It was absolutely fantastic
with him just preparing dishes and serving them. We were absolutely bloated
upon leaving. Martin also commented that this was where he had the best sake.</div>
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Our next day in Kyoto was temple bashing and the palace
tour. We started off at the very famous Fushimi Inari Shrine. I had long wanted
to go to this shrine, as for me it was one of the first things that came to
mind when thinking of Japan. Beautiful vermillion pillars with important words
engraved on them to walk through for miles.We headed back to town to explore the main shopping area
hoping it would be similar to Osaka in the respect of food, but sadly we were
let down with not too much exciting foods catching our attention or tantalising
our taste buds.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Author at Fushimi Inari Shrine</td></tr>
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After lunch we headed off for our tour of the Imperial
Palace. The complex as it stands today is still massive, and it was hard to
believe that the remaining buildings only represented a 1/3 of the original.
One fun fact, was that the palace has been rebuilt roughly every 100 years due
to the constant threat of fire. This is very important as every building is
made from wood, and the roofs are thatched with Japanese cedar. The gardens
inside the palace are of the landscape style but were isolated to just a few
areas which felt out of place, which I imagine was due to the fact that there
would have been many more buildings previously. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once the tour was over (1.5 hrs long) we bussed and walked
up to Kiyomizu Temple. This temple is high up on the hills surrounding Kyoto
and provides a good view over the area. The wooden pillars the complex sit on
were extremely massive and hard to believe that once upon a time such trees
lived in Japan. Didn’t see anything close during the rest of our stay for size.
A highlight of this temple is the water blessing. The temple is famous for its
pure water which you are supposed to wash your hands in and drink if you
wanted. It was icy cold to touch but due to the collection mechanisms being
shared (although they did UV for 2 secs in between each person, I decided
against the drinking aspect). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">Kiyomizu Temple</span></td></tr>
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Beside the temple is the only remaining old town. Japanese
are very much into the newer is better concept so old buildings of the
traditional styles you see on the movies are very hard to find. The narrow
cobbled streets and buildings here were beautiful, and as you exit this are you
come across the main area to find some of the remaining 200 Geisha’s in Kyoto.
We were very lucky and actually saw a bundle running between stairs at a
training house, and saw 5 in total on their way to clients later on. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old town part of Kyoto</td></tr>
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The next day we had another quick wander at the water front
of Otsu, which was a bit clearer this time. Smog is everywhere in Asia it seems
so its quite sad that you don’t really get to see everything that you should. Before leaving Kyoto we went to one more
temple Toji. It wasn’t like the other temples we had been to in that it was
based on Chinese design, and had the largest pagoda in Japan. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our last stop was the only official Japanese garden we
visited during our time; Shosei-en Gardens. This was also the only place that
we saw a different kind of bird other than sparrow, crow, or myna throughout
Japan. The gardens were very lovely and immaculate. It is such a different mind-set
in Japan, as rather than planting the plants and letting them grow, they modify
their growth which does make for pleasurable viewing but still felt a bit weird
from a Kiwi perspective. <o:p></o:p></div>
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ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-7100400652222935212014-04-23T22:45:00.000-07:002014-09-02T22:46:02.930-07:00Osaka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We arrived into Japan to the metropolis of Osaka. The train
ride in from the airport is a good introduction to the reality of Japan with
small agricultural land lots, lots of infrastructure, and houses with well-manicured
Japanese gardens, mixed with apartments. Everything is squeezed in together and
despite the squashed nature everything is well ordered. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We stayed at a hotel near to the Osaka castle and gardens
beside one of the many concreted rivers. Our introduction to Japanese toilets
was great fun trying to figure out what the buttons all did without
translations. The running water noise to help you pee is most amusing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We had one full day exploring the city of Osaka in which we
managed to cram in quite a bit. We started off early morning with a walk
through the castle gardens. We were a bit sad that we had clearly missed the
main part of the blossoms but there were remnants around. The gardens are very
different to those we have seen elsewhere with every aspect of a plants growth
carefully manipulated with designer trees and manicured bushes. The control on
nature was evident from the start and only got worse as we explored this
country. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osaka Castle viewed from bridge over the moat</td></tr>
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The Osaka castle is very impressive. It has been rebuilt and restored many times, most recently completed again in 1997, it
stands proudly on top of a natural hill surrounded by a moat. The key to the
museum inside is to take the stairs. Even though we were early the line to get
the lift up the 7 stories was massive yet the stairwell was smooth running.
Definitely gives you more exercise than you probably need with a day of walking
ahead but it does mean you can start your tour of the museum with ease. Each
floor had a different aspect to explore focusing on the different parts of the
castle and area’s history. Much of it is through written documents which are
beautifully displayed and translated. Hours could have been spent here reading
everything but we focused mainly on the artwork and miniatures. <o:p></o:p></div>
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From the castle we headed into the downtown area in order explore
the largest and longest shopping street in Japan. Not knowing what to expect we
were very happy to find long covered shopping area, very busy, with chairs for
the pregnant to rest, and tasty treats of unknown origin to taste. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Walking around Osaka is a great way to experience the
business nature of the city. We were actually staying right in the business
district and it was actually funny in the morning to listen and hear the masses
(thousands) of commuters arriving into work, trudging along like an orc army.
But the business centre doesn’t contain it all, the whole city is focused on
business. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9NAfGrFwTUlWXg_NVGqBcs0cT9GwwzSSkdjBotgw3gDB3zJZatP97nYhuppIRvIIMMix5tpj0mF4iRRZrAhk5G0h3F31WNIGw3ef7MyGcHSBJnnc358td3HFF_4klOHq9mFIUuX4Z0U/s1600/10393928_10154395335780258_7115471233727224098_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9NAfGrFwTUlWXg_NVGqBcs0cT9GwwzSSkdjBotgw3gDB3zJZatP97nYhuppIRvIIMMix5tpj0mF4iRRZrAhk5G0h3F31WNIGw3ef7MyGcHSBJnnc358td3HFF_4klOHq9mFIUuX4Z0U/s1600/10393928_10154395335780258_7115471233727224098_n.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main shopping street</td></tr>
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Another highlight of Osaka is the giant Ferris wheel Hep 5,
which sits on the top of a 7 storey mall. The Ferris wheel is empty and not a
tourist destination for unknown reasons, and only costs 500 yen, making it a
very affordable way to get some of the best photos and view over the city we
had seen. It is however, not for the faint of heart as, as it goes over one
side there is literally nothing beneath you for at least 12 storeys. </div>
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A must do
at sun set. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVayfM-w510JcjAcdMJcU9OwRZFn2Mrm12T37QIG-zz2pFw4s_nPnqo3n7NS2RltxTRGILXj9o3Lac2NAqol1UqZgMWj976UUxVDTPFQ9ew-A4oAxUS1ltRTfDUMHLFssVIqZ5tsWZ1bU/s1600/10486219_10154395336390258_5961857918985176106_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVayfM-w510JcjAcdMJcU9OwRZFn2Mrm12T37QIG-zz2pFw4s_nPnqo3n7NS2RltxTRGILXj9o3Lac2NAqol1UqZgMWj976UUxVDTPFQ9ew-A4oAxUS1ltRTfDUMHLFssVIqZ5tsWZ1bU/s1600/10486219_10154395336390258_5961857918985176106_n.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Hep 5 over part of Osaka</td></tr>
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We finished off our day back at the shopping street to try
more food, and picked a perfect restaurant to taste everything. The local
couchsurfer suggestion that this was where to eat, proved invaluable. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-25136636034589377132014-02-07T21:36:00.000-08:002014-08-31T21:37:35.175-07:00Hong Kong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hong Kong is a wonderful city, so densely crowded yet
despite this somehow functions smoothly with great public transport and
comparable congestion to a typical day in Auckland. The biggest issue with Hong
Kong is the significant smog factor, most of it is blown down from China but
they do make quite a bit of their own. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Travelling in from the airport the cheapest way into town is
to find the appropriate bus (depending where you are heading to). The routes
generally all go by one of the cool sites of HK: The port. HK was one of the
worlds busiest and largest ports. The constant movement is like a dance of the
cranes unloading and reloading massive container ships taking goods around the
world. Once downtown, navigating around the city isn’t too difficult. We were
lucky enough to stay almost right down town with a local couchsurfer which
enabled us to get around easily by walking (near Albert metro station). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIre_ksUQgOVArnenFXyfJZ-eCFvJXqcXMxLPNhL4sxvnVKoMdIFsAcjBGyWoo0IP7rCcLd0iTE0Jp-rqc8Yfe-bqiqQaCHE2StuS85Uasd52AunNU6jZV2DhpGXDoBW-3bN9zlqNs54/s1600/10544402_10154374798140258_9130962104029661681_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIre_ksUQgOVArnenFXyfJZ-eCFvJXqcXMxLPNhL4sxvnVKoMdIFsAcjBGyWoo0IP7rCcLd0iTE0Jp-rqc8Yfe-bqiqQaCHE2StuS85Uasd52AunNU6jZV2DhpGXDoBW-3bN9zlqNs54/s1600/10544402_10154374798140258_9130962104029661681_n.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skyscrapers downtown HK</td></tr>
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The most obvious thing to do in HK if time is limited is to
head to Victoria Peak. From here you can view HK central and all the amazing
skyscrapers. To get there it is highly recommended to get a green minibus up
and to take the cable car down, thus avoiding significant cues for the cable
car up (we had a 2 min wait during peak time for the way down). The mall at the
top also has a good selection of food places to enjoy and you can see also see
the other islands out the other side of the mall (if the smog isn’t too thick).</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were lucky enough to see the central HK district on a
Sunday which provides a unique view of HK (ie all the suits are gone). On
Sunday all the local maids/nannies etc… get kicked out of their homes and
thousands of them line the covered areas all throughout the town. Its quite
fascinating subculture of HK, although sadly they don’t seem interested in
talking to the tourists. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star ferry with central HK in background</td></tr>
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The Star Ferry crossing of the harbour is a great way to see
both famous sides of the downtown area at once, so great for photo taking.
There are numerous awesome food places scattered around the place downtown. Thankfully
we had local contacts so knew a few good ones to try out but everything smelt
pretty good. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We did a day trip out of the main island to see the Giant
Buddha. Fastest and easiest way out there is by metro, followed by buying an
island day bus pass. The Giant Buddha is a fantastic site. A lot of people
choose to do the gondola way of getting there but the bus provides a more local
perspective as you drive through the small towns (and its 10x cheaper). The
gondola is quite fun, however, it mainly crosses over 2<sup>nd</sup> growth
forests. The climb up to the Giant Buddha can feel like eternity when you are
pregnant but is well worth the walk up there and the views are quite nice. Make
sure you walk the whole way around to get blessed! The surrounding temples were
under renovation and some were under construction whilst we were there, so we
were a little disappointed with the lack of other things to see. This turned
out to be a blessing though as we had time to head over to Tai O, another must
do day trip. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9uIjYZP_x5BJHUNaapyidZsxQ7JkjOGKZgKTChYvzlo_JavR-RY65sfly8nztBIUG4MDueSbFzhyphenhyphenO9_6krwTFtiTdCFUy35VVQQE9BpENCJVo6K3N0yXwt_psYyIur2D1vf-4MJq7yc/s1600/10525801_10154374800430258_3486459797983146455_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9uIjYZP_x5BJHUNaapyidZsxQ7JkjOGKZgKTChYvzlo_JavR-RY65sfly8nztBIUG4MDueSbFzhyphenhyphenO9_6krwTFtiTdCFUy35VVQQE9BpENCJVo6K3N0yXwt_psYyIur2D1vf-4MJq7yc/s1600/10525801_10154374800430258_3486459797983146455_n.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Buddha</td></tr>
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Tai O is a relatively old unchanged fishing village. It is
actually very hard in HK to find older buildings as they are all being torn
down to make way for new places (even the relatively new places are classed as
old!), so the old houses in Tai O were very interesting. We had the worst food
here however, as most places were closed so there was extremely limited choice.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tai O fishing village viewed from the water</td></tr>
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The highlight of the village is actually the boat trip. You
can get the boats from the main bridge…one side charges 30 HKD the other 25
HKD…for the same thing. You can imagine which one we choose. The short stroll
into the fishing village gave quite an interesting view of the area and you got
to see a bit more of the traditional fishing lifestyle which is disappearing in
the modern HK. Out at sea, we were extremely lucky and got to actually see one
of the elusive rare white dolphins. There are less than 75 in the area and they
only come out every so often so its quite special to see. The ocean jaunt also
provides further perspective on how busy the port is with all the container
ships lounging about. <o:p></o:p></div>
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ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-45716596784141119932014-02-04T16:08:00.000-08:002014-08-03T16:34:26.190-07:00Tongatapu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Tonga, "The Friendly Islands", or officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is a pacific island paradise a four hour flight from New Zealand. We arrived to Fua'amotu International Airport and were instantly greeted with sweltering heat and steamed up glasses. The airport is needing a major overall if it is to handle the intended influx of tourists but it currently does the job. Customs was rather lacking in formality, with the signs indicating lines for foreigners being filled with locals as well, with no one really caring.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTQBKiFYPpVMfRdyW3mnKQYBlNZqOi_yObNHwQFIfqElM_ZRo4y8vSHESHgQqKkPGymF3IWZwyAb7ZSeGlRc58iXNoJ9p2uQcNJwFYuiWPXEvYaa17y0IWqRLQpG5R6MjAyunhIyah61F/s1600/10254005_10154071044595258_3386476071333244565_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTQBKiFYPpVMfRdyW3mnKQYBlNZqOi_yObNHwQFIfqElM_ZRo4y8vSHESHgQqKkPGymF3IWZwyAb7ZSeGlRc58iXNoJ9p2uQcNJwFYuiWPXEvYaa17y0IWqRLQpG5R6MjAyunhIyah61F/s1600/10254005_10154071044595258_3386476071333244565_n.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central market Nuka'alofa</td></tr>
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We were promptly picked up by the Little Italy shuttle service, who actually run the accommodations we were actually staying at Tropical Villa. Checked in without major issue and were then ferried onto the Villa. The bungalows at the front of the property are very tidy (with the odd gecko visitor at night) and are right next to the road, which didn't really concern us. The main house which has additional rooms (and where Martins parents stayed) were a bit noisier as people actually live upstairs and seem to forget that they make noise during the night. Sadly the pool was under construction when we arrived so cannot comment on this facility. All up it wasn't a terrible place to stay at all, and I particularly enjoyed the air conned reception upon our return in the evenings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKSLRm6I7yNnlpcWnuqV2SjyKzfmwFXmwH9LD21JkCOlduhYe4A9uWDnBNMGDtp714OijlK0bUQXWVXN0_oAsE9eh87giVXSCL_749b5ndMtyHcDWCswyoUKQpYVxDq2q3SQKs9p2_6E4/s1600/10299082_10154071044670258_7316438282834075838_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKSLRm6I7yNnlpcWnuqV2SjyKzfmwFXmwH9LD21JkCOlduhYe4A9uWDnBNMGDtp714OijlK0bUQXWVXN0_oAsE9eh87giVXSCL_749b5ndMtyHcDWCswyoUKQpYVxDq2q3SQKs9p2_6E4/s1600/10299082_10154071044670258_7316438282834075838_n.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kings Castle, Nuka' alofa</td></tr>
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We started our journey in Tonga by exploring Nuka'alofa, the capital of Tongatapu Island. Tonga actually has many islands but service via ferry is very poor and with a tight time allowance we focused our travels to the mainland. A highlight of the down town area is the local market, which has basically a tourist item side and then a local food market side. As we had a kitchen, we actually tried a lot of local food with our own cooking and in particular ate a fair amount of tuna. Just outside of the central area is the Kings Castle. Its more like a modern day mansion, but access is restricted and we only got to view from the outside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjv4Y9g8TYwwe6zF6MLvimX07Z1AXMgj7qxiKNbzDk8F5_W7H8i0MQCVUjNfESV5cENdmlyPbJ2nR5eZzLlzfl5nUgH9zeqF19acrB7IjznnwGP_NZFyFQwfbWTJR8b924vvXTHp6KeRJ/s1600/10336799_10154071044910258_953885747775011015_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjv4Y9g8TYwwe6zF6MLvimX07Z1AXMgj7qxiKNbzDk8F5_W7H8i0MQCVUjNfESV5cENdmlyPbJ2nR5eZzLlzfl5nUgH9zeqF19acrB7IjznnwGP_NZFyFQwfbWTJR8b924vvXTHp6KeRJ/s1600/10336799_10154071044910258_953885747775011015_n.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ha'amonga Maui Arch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkPN3cwNniuBNKCkGqWxL9eiO3QXeZ3Q2VBfzEGdoOJQMFcVQXdStmcC7xiTM_fjYbT7ba06VImsDY3VXLsplGkmV5M_p9LmBUwE3q4oBU4U7Dld93BMKfBzFznnWJsqv3bHJdVUCk5sQ/s1600/10173557_10154071044775258_7190399057903592997_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkPN3cwNniuBNKCkGqWxL9eiO3QXeZ3Q2VBfzEGdoOJQMFcVQXdStmcC7xiTM_fjYbT7ba06VImsDY3VXLsplGkmV5M_p9LmBUwE3q4oBU4U7Dld93BMKfBzFznnWJsqv3bHJdVUCk5sQ/s1600/10173557_10154071044775258_7190399057903592997_n.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terraced tomb</td></tr>
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After finally sorting out a car hire (its very very tricky to find a place that has low excess or any form of insurance so be careful who you choose) we headed off for a day of exploring focusing on the North Eastern part of the island. One of our first stops were the terraced tombs near Lapaha. There are quite a number of these massive tombs which house the remains of former Tongan Kings. Another ancient monument worth your time is the Ha'amonga Maui arch, which brings memories of stone henge to mind (although its from the 11th century and is singular).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW88T1sQ3fq-bFfSeuYIWcvnfOivYt5q3GZI7d2creNLzzf_QCLE5umv0FZR9aE64fhve8y2LmpRYtom68AS9H6t-7bedqoDWmxUXiR92PHCpjI7petocz48IqXI0GG5bnGRyYJVROf0Sd/s1600/10301502_10154071045170258_2629958096307542765_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW88T1sQ3fq-bFfSeuYIWcvnfOivYt5q3GZI7d2creNLzzf_QCLE5umv0FZR9aE64fhve8y2LmpRYtom68AS9H6t-7bedqoDWmxUXiR92PHCpjI7petocz48IqXI0GG5bnGRyYJVROf0Sd/s1600/10301502_10154071045170258_2629958096307542765_n.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anahulu Cave</td></tr>
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Anahulu Cave offers an unique experience of cave swimming. The cavern that you are lead to is rather large, has bats for added fun and a lot of tites and mites. Additionally if you go during off season and not on a weekend, you'll get the whole place to yourself with no time limit.<br />
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Another day, exploring another area this time the far North West. Ha'atafu Beach is highly recommended, with the palm trees, golden sands, its the postcard perfect ideal paradise that people associate with the Pacific Islands.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2DViyu39X0g39lmsuJo9ajABzcVN0KjXIa_8D36zBBMg6nfkNzBiENjn8UPVGENKEqHGQjuRNXg1Q9oNDsPd6PN-ylNmPzC1hglVE6G0hdEHumcFx1EXrHXrdTGxz-O5pqWpccQKyKsu/s1600/1972483_10154071045905258_475729617587374449_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih2DViyu39X0g39lmsuJo9ajABzcVN0KjXIa_8D36zBBMg6nfkNzBiENjn8UPVGENKEqHGQjuRNXg1Q9oNDsPd6PN-ylNmPzC1hglVE6G0hdEHumcFx1EXrHXrdTGxz-O5pqWpccQKyKsu/s1600/1972483_10154071045905258_475729617587374449_n.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ha'atafu Beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd8m1tQvSAx_HU7VjFUwNw6pHm025OOxtiFF-E5dNZxmqq_32rbC7FgeRt32__bT8SNZqnGu4tEaMPsXZYaPWYtl1O9iLQqJl7Z3fliEOmpRjC0dml1aP66bpn6dX2wfzVsmjfkbQ0e1h/s1600/10250246_10154071046030258_3449293055461864407_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvd8m1tQvSAx_HU7VjFUwNw6pHm025OOxtiFF-E5dNZxmqq_32rbC7FgeRt32__bT8SNZqnGu4tEaMPsXZYaPWYtl1O9iLQqJl7Z3fliEOmpRjC0dml1aP66bpn6dX2wfzVsmjfkbQ0e1h/s1600/10250246_10154071046030258_3449293055461864407_n.jpg" height="131" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying foxes</td></tr>
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Spent quite an enjoyable time here and also at the nearby hotel which had great burgers for lunch. Sadly despite this area being a high light it was also a let down. There is no longer any real living coral near the shores (at least that we saw) in Tonga...its a coral graveyard everywhere we went. As a result the water is very mineral rich and leaves you feeling dirty after your dips. You will also get tiny rashes everywhere (minor issue), or at least everyone in our party did. So take some Savlon with you to stop the itchy. There are plenty of tropical fish to enjoy though. Also in this area are the famous flying foxes. Imagine a flying rabbit (but its actually a rat) and you kinda get an idae of how large these fruit eating bats area. Quite an amazing site.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2jDwAcahmV1sUwWw2iM_ttM6NiWG8T2dmCZryO2bOCTeezDLINmjnnp39xQ2Vf_A9c7b68tITyh1OExDcQLZIhX3iL156yDddnlntOeOt1C0f2D7_sltDaHzZKoMc6wGz-wKAE1VVA2I/s1600/10338231_10154071046500258_4727882983039779039_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2jDwAcahmV1sUwWw2iM_ttM6NiWG8T2dmCZryO2bOCTeezDLINmjnnp39xQ2Vf_A9c7b68tITyh1OExDcQLZIhX3iL156yDddnlntOeOt1C0f2D7_sltDaHzZKoMc6wGz-wKAE1VVA2I/s1600/10338231_10154071046500258_4727882983039779039_n.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blowholes</td></tr>
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We headed to the Southern coast of the Island to enjoy the blow holes. Total contrast to the northern part of the country with sheer cliffs and obvious ancient lava flows, the blow holes are a must do. We spent quite a bit of time just enjoy the noise and sights of this area and wished that we could have stayed longer really. Quite the spectacle. Just along from the blow holes are rather high cliffs that are best enjoyed by choosing a random road that goes towards the edge of the island.<br />
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Final day of exploring with the car we just went to the gaps on the map that we hadn't been to. Found another beach (although the one we wanted was apparently private) and tried our luck again but still found no sightings of live coral and barely any fish around (eastern coast).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0H6zOWu7Ic9Mfxq1z9Sy6E8D_Odde0Fm-1XiITdpgUiLQNWP5ld0QQ31UlEzEUOlHkWPDwQkyh3wKtNo_jMALoHN9_g0hoezHfrPEalQsefQekqxSycll8zC89AWd3i2u1lJXAvcov14/s1600/10245504_10154071046955258_3431698611383157587_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0H6zOWu7Ic9Mfxq1z9Sy6E8D_Odde0Fm-1XiITdpgUiLQNWP5ld0QQ31UlEzEUOlHkWPDwQkyh3wKtNo_jMALoHN9_g0hoezHfrPEalQsefQekqxSycll8zC89AWd3i2u1lJXAvcov14/s1600/10245504_10154071046955258_3431698611383157587_n.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern Tongatapu Cliffs</td></tr>
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An important note, is that not all of the main roads (yellow on maps) in Tonga are actually safe to drive cars on. We actually had to turn back at one point as after investigating, we figured out that we would lose the car if we dare try to cross one of the larger puddles in our way.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-68384795764407396602013-01-05T15:04:00.000-08:002013-07-10T15:07:10.836-07:00Saigon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After another long bus journey we arrived into the Southern bus station of Saigon. Even as we got close the traffic started to get insane as we were expecting. Saw a very squished moto underneath a bus which did not bode well to using that form of transport in the near future.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKXXIeVfH6cLx77X1WyrNa6n9usOBhYL_YL-NARn0Wf3VZF56jO_cVJMMsrGqVGmOTrlLZCtJAlvzeVZdsY5rW96N-RKVLP__Q15Ys2VA9fISgmbRoOFUa_50Af-0Y-5-ZOHNLAuVs2I/s1600/47040_10152555353815258_1753475042_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKXXIeVfH6cLx77X1WyrNa6n9usOBhYL_YL-NARn0Wf3VZF56jO_cVJMMsrGqVGmOTrlLZCtJAlvzeVZdsY5rW96N-RKVLP__Q15Ys2VA9fISgmbRoOFUa_50Af-0Y-5-ZOHNLAuVs2I/s320/47040_10152555353815258_1753475042_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Asian Alana with crazy traffic in background</i></td></tr>
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Eventually we found our way after bussing and walking through the crazy maze that is Saigon, to our hotel and ditched the bags. Went on a long walk around the "block" to just absorb Saigon at night. The crazy traffic did not diminish. Could just sit and watch the chaos for hours, so different to anything that we had experienced until then (even made Bangkok look clam).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH7EO9I5SvlHYBOnkEByz1BxXz94NaUrcw7_TLvAPR5eybecpLj6AF5NXOc9mNUzh7F-U4o_ro19gCL_GznpYv8_h0ELB5KgXyK_O5absjU4frx4kJ3qHmyb51NFET_hYuq0gf0La__A/s1600/64465_10152555354710258_1855582780_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyH7EO9I5SvlHYBOnkEByz1BxXz94NaUrcw7_TLvAPR5eybecpLj6AF5NXOc9mNUzh7F-U4o_ro19gCL_GznpYv8_h0ELB5KgXyK_O5absjU4frx4kJ3qHmyb51NFET_hYuq0gf0La__A/s200/64465_10152555354710258_1855582780_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Inside the Saigon Post Office Building</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXP_Yfewcl_x-1z8TpP_OIJhbcQh6CFj79yFy6lKR7bUOQyzDD6XD0z0kwRtZZEoV2gTXo4r9qrDsZ-MkKHZGjKR2r833wGqIrGvri3ICfIKD8ejsD14Qmmoe4mBd3J1rNrJzNH4uSE7I/s1600/150724_10152555354595258_1580579593_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXP_Yfewcl_x-1z8TpP_OIJhbcQh6CFj79yFy6lKR7bUOQyzDD6XD0z0kwRtZZEoV2gTXo4r9qrDsZ-MkKHZGjKR2r833wGqIrGvri3ICfIKD8ejsD14Qmmoe4mBd3J1rNrJzNH4uSE7I/s200/150724_10152555354595258_1580579593_n.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Notre Dam</i></td></tr>
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For our full day in Saigon we walked around seeing as many of the sites that we could. Quick look in market before heading downtown . The main highlight downtown was probably visiting the post office which is a massive old building with lots of interesting stamps on display and just an enormous building for no real reason. Stayed here for a while in the main square having different juice smoothies whilst we overlooked the Notre Dam Cathedral. Thats right, Notre Dame, in Saigon. Ohhh...back when France had a colony here.<br />
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To the riverside we experienced the foul tasty Duran ice cream, and enjoyed more Vietnamese coffee. Then came the hard part of the day. Bargaining for all our last min purchases. Got coffee prices down by 60%, artwork, other things that we dont really need but want. Spent several hours in the main market.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYf6jLgdkoqKUODLzlQMXK0BnSRi1mwUKn9nVs-HSVmjePEZU9iQoyaJYeSDB6xGYObJjTiI-UxmOhAFFZkFjxAoSeMTJwoQCBjj1sZt2yzt76ze6jKqFxwddOICSgfGT85ROYwvKhk78/s1600/560514_10152555354230258_1027268826_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYf6jLgdkoqKUODLzlQMXK0BnSRi1mwUKn9nVs-HSVmjePEZU9iQoyaJYeSDB6xGYObJjTiI-UxmOhAFFZkFjxAoSeMTJwoQCBjj1sZt2yzt76ze6jKqFxwddOICSgfGT85ROYwvKhk78/s320/560514_10152555354230258_1027268826_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Martin bargaining for Vietnamese coffee</i></td></tr>
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To top off our day, we then headed to the outskirts of the central part of Saigon (which is huge) to meet 20+ other couchsurfers local and travelers for a dinner that I had co-organised. Had some good laughs and learnt quite a bit about Vietnamese lifestyle and politics before calling it a night to prepare for our 4am wake up to get to the airport for our early morning flight.<br />
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*sigh* the end of SE Asia for now. </div>
ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-32098345389729798802013-01-03T12:43:00.000-08:002013-07-03T12:43:56.299-07:00Can Tho<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our journey from Hong Chong to Can Tho was extremely entertaining. We only had 178km to drive on board an 18 seater bus. The journey took 7.5 hours and at the high point there was 35 people crammed in. Using local transport is definitely a must do for anyone's Vietnamese experience. Quite funny to be thinking about how many stupid H&S rules are broken, and how do they all fit in, and more amazingly how do we make it over each bridge (bridges are built at about 70 degree angles, making the bus jump and tip over each one).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHWysOeFn77-IZhkO2ZVbHpkHgB6FdhWtXp0zbVnjTjhcXVbNq3zYBWy2pUhhOvmg1iSPAMf6qkgou_khxzIbXduTDprdg_tZf-PPeBw5u6ZKDJxFnPlS8TexuSWbxJNInltTBLNzY3o/s720/398085_10152455209720258_1103061363_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHWysOeFn77-IZhkO2ZVbHpkHgB6FdhWtXp0zbVnjTjhcXVbNq3zYBWy2pUhhOvmg1iSPAMf6qkgou_khxzIbXduTDprdg_tZf-PPeBw5u6ZKDJxFnPlS8TexuSWbxJNInltTBLNzY3o/s320/398085_10152455209720258_1103061363_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Floating market</i></td></tr>
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Can Tho is the meeting point of the Mekong Delta...or so we are told. It is very believable though, with an amazing massive floating market being the focal point every morning Vietnam's 5th largest city. We experienced this with a local CSer organising a boat and acting as our guide for the day. After wandering through and buying a few fruits we headed off to a rice noodle factory. Very interesting how they dry them out and how complex the whole process is just to get noodles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLjffjsCmGU8jhkI9bedc2yxIwjJjwnHTImfyvcjT82mc3FFWIuSn432nQ3u3QmumNcqdpU-XIBfDpHuWcqxKub8ULKx74Fc614d7mttm07tPgWa4IOP7CEB89IvTgW-umJ-ZH19hTaE/s720/67411_10152455210560258_2042213578_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieLjffjsCmGU8jhkI9bedc2yxIwjJjwnHTImfyvcjT82mc3FFWIuSn432nQ3u3QmumNcqdpU-XIBfDpHuWcqxKub8ULKx74Fc614d7mttm07tPgWa4IOP7CEB89IvTgW-umJ-ZH19hTaE/s200/67411_10152455210560258_2042213578_n.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One of a few temples</i></td></tr>
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A brief rest back at our hotel we then started the second half of the day, included in our low priced accommodations: a city tour. Two local students that also pose as receptionists hopped on motos with us and showed us the cultural highlights of Can Tho. We even had a bit of time to spare from the temples, markets, and history lesson, so enjoyed some green drinks (made using some sorts of beans and aloe vera) at a local "bar" before they dropped us off at our next destination. For our evenings entertainment we booked a spot on a night time dinner cruise along the Mekong. Food was of course overpriced but what was more amazing than the sights was the insane loudness of the music. Conversation was off the table, as each floor of the floating light bedazzled barge had a different singer trying to outdo the other mostly just by all having their volumes cranked on high. The effect of which was quite deafening, and did detract from the cruise overall.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuD6q2HTGfEMfCqTWd2OcRt-ypaZo9OXBvGed9h2YI8J6l0OfOgS54v9ESQFHOP0mmXU0cffehyphenhyphena2qor-nktR-vk-G5nJeVcPwY_3T7Oe4P6PhKZ6YBU1cImzzUZIeZWVIP975pp4q78/s720/373970_10152455211190258_1226274986_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuD6q2HTGfEMfCqTWd2OcRt-ypaZo9OXBvGed9h2YI8J6l0OfOgS54v9ESQFHOP0mmXU0cffehyphenhyphena2qor-nktR-vk-G5nJeVcPwY_3T7Oe4P6PhKZ6YBU1cImzzUZIeZWVIP975pp4q78/s400/373970_10152455211190258_1226274986_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Can Tho at night, as viewed from Mekong</i></td></tr>
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We had a long walk back to the hotel because unlike every other place we have been to Can Tho shuts down at 9 pm. So no buses or motos to speak of, and all the food stores were also shut. Quite odd considering the size and importance of this city. <br />
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ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-60506797435444807352013-01-02T13:30:00.000-08:002013-07-02T13:31:07.716-07:00Ha Tien and Hong Chong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We had quite the comical crossing from Cambodia to Vietnam. We had never seen such blatant bribery anywhere else on the trip which was just another reason we were happy to move on from the constant bargaining that is the only way things are done in Cambodia. We stood for over an hour with 7 others on our shuttle bus waiting to get through whilst larger tour groups (30+) would pass their passports through with some bills to get ahead. Time after time it happened until our bus driver came back in and not-so-discreetly passed through some bills to get our passports finally stamped and passed on through. This is in addition to the $1 USD exit "fee" that you individually pay at the same check point. <br />
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Our first stop in Vietnam was Ha Tien which is normally driven through by tourists. This was completely evident by the fact that despite the fact we stayed in the fanciest place in town, and our walks around the place, there was only one other non-Asian tourist in town. It isn't helped by the fact that this border crossing is the remotest on the Vietnam/Cambodia border (part of the appeal to travel this area). The Green Island hotel was nothing fancy but was a nice place to stay. It was nice to see the real life without the presence of tourist throngs. An interesting highlight of Ha Tien was this was the point that having below shoulder length hair became just too much and it had to go. For a grand total of $1.50NZD I managed to get a relieving haircut with layers and no nits :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa1hoz_ElaeeALa4N4P6zPK16lOT-jNIVjpzqo8wwIJJVJs1jWcCebEjrmpS_l0r-bhu6kOYH4F8E0O2NYrLmI2TjPvVPHdMI4XLhnu_JGeG6Cy-l6BuLc7zlAX5Qne6i6vvq5C5A7Mk/s720/314717_10152452380650258_2095532082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa1hoz_ElaeeALa4N4P6zPK16lOT-jNIVjpzqo8wwIJJVJs1jWcCebEjrmpS_l0r-bhu6kOYH4F8E0O2NYrLmI2TjPvVPHdMI4XLhnu_JGeG6Cy-l6BuLc7zlAX5Qne6i6vvq5C5A7Mk/s320/314717_10152452380650258_2095532082_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hong Chong Cape</i></td></tr>
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We moved on the next day after bargaining with some moto drivers to take us to an even more remote part of the Mekong Delta to Hong Chong Cape and where we would see the new year in at Hon Trem Resort. Our "deluxe" booking of the entire trip and worth every penny. As this place is very unknown to outsiders the resort was pretty much empty and we had the entire hill top villa section to ourselves. Our villa overlooked the cape/cove and at night we really enjoyed watching the fishing boats chugging around the area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Rice drying and packing</i></td></tr>
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It was here that we had the best street food of our trip (only maybe tied with a place in <a href="http://blog.thesvs.com/2013/01/ayutthaya-and-phimai.html" target="_blank">Ayutthaya</a>, Thailand). Outside of her home was a lovely older lady who beckoned us over after the first vendor turned us away. No idea what we ate or the name, but it was absolutely scrumptious!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Alana enjoying view from local watering hole</i></td></tr>
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Going to places that are off the beaten track is very rewarding as you get to see quite a bit more of what the real life in these areas are like rather than the show put on for foreigners. Enjoying rice drying along the street, pigs and roosters wandering down the beach, local "pub" with a great view over the cape, ice cream from a cooler on the back of a moto, and children not begging or bothering you. </div>
ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-31060674513013334142012-12-30T20:01:00.000-08:002013-07-01T20:03:52.143-07:00Kep and Rabbit Island<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our final stop in Cambodia was the seaside town of Kep. Famous for night time seafood restaurants and ruined French villas. We got to enjoy both of these aspects during our time here and also a lovely day trip out to the small Rabbit Island.<br />
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After an expensive taxi ride from Phnom Penh we ended up arriving at our accommodations which showed a lovely garden retreat. Our expectations were not that high but we found a half finished lacking of garden hotel. Since our rooms were not ready we dropped bags and got the bikes and headed out to explore. Despite the heat its extremely refreshing to bike in Cambodia until you slow down and the breeze stops. Didn't really have too much time before the sun set, which we enjoyed dining on local fishy cuisine from the lovely night markets filled with both tourists and locals. On our ride back we started to look for new accommodations but didn't find anything. Rather than ranting here please read my review on <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g608456-d3629482-Reviews-Pka_Romyol_Guesthouse-Kep_Kep_Province.html" target="_blank">Tripadvisor</a>, but we ended up leaving and staying our time at the more expensive Vine Retreat. This place was amazing and in the middle of Kep National Park. Would recommend.<br />
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The next day we organised to go out to Rabbit Island. There are a number of companies in town that offer tours but we just paid for the boat which is the cheapest option as you can hire everything else out there anyway if you wanted. Wouldn't recommend swimming though as, as with the rest of SE Asia the water is not the best. There is a track around the island that is fascinating in that every cove is amazingly different. Our first stop was perfect postcard tropical paradise with white sands. Watched the locals fishing before heading on. The next cove was polluted, dark, and abandoned apart from a lone dog. The next was full of drift wood and broken tree parts. And the remainder involves a bit of bush bashing your way through things but is worth while as you end up back at the main beach.We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in hammocks with food and cool drinks before getting a slightly earlier boat back due to a very obvious incoming storm.<br />
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Once back on the main land we enjoyed a significant water blasting which was very refreshing and cleaned the place up a bit. After having a final explore of the fairly abandoned town (used to be the premier location for French snobs to visit back in the day and has since decayed to its present state), we headed back out to enjoy the best salad with banana flowers and other unknowns, at Vine Retreat. Seriously the food alone is a reason to head here.<br />
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The next day it was off to Vietnam... </div>
ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-6893874972713978542012-12-28T18:51:00.000-08:002013-05-07T18:52:09.467-07:00Phnom Penh and the Killing Zone<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We arrived to Phnom Penh after what can only be described as the worst/best bus journey of my life. We got the "express" bus from Siem Reap shaving 3 hrs journey time, although it still took 7.5 hrs in total. During this we had Cambodians even scared with the manic swerving by the driver to avoid water buffalo, a baby vomiting on my foot (the worlds worst feeling), having to clean said foot in the toilet/sauna next to drunk Aussies, going 10 km/hr on gravel roads for 2 hrs during which time the air con decided to die (this was made worse because the baby vomit had not been cleaned up at all - although we had moved seats), and the bus kept overheating/stopping making the overall time longer than the paid for 6 hrs. Something to tell the kids about one day...<br />
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Anyway we arrived in Phnom Penh, and straight away ran into haggling difficulties which is what we will predomiantly remember this city for. The tuk tuk drivers are terrible demanding insane prices and then changing their minds. Our first and only stop here was the goal where thousands of people were tortured to death for no real reason during the Khmer Rogue era. The experience in this place was similiar to that of Auschwitz in Poland, although not as peaceful. It was very easy to imagine the horrors that went on here with well documented photos and most of the torture chambers intact, complete with bullet holes puncturing the walls. <br />
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We eventually got to where we were staying the night, and settled in for fun with our host. This part was great. We even managed to secure a private taxi for the next day to take us to Kep and stopping along the route to the Killing Fields. Oh so we thought. Next morning they showed up, changed the price by quite a bit. So we sent them packing. After 2 hours of calling around other places we evnetually found a new driver after giving up hope of getting something decently priced. I would not really recommend this option, except that buses south depart early in the morning and there is no other way to get to the Killing Fields (even by tuk tuk, it is at least $18USD return trip from the city) on route. <br />
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The Killing Fields were as depressing as expected. Even though we were prepared for seeing the bits of bone and clothing sticking out from the ground, to know that you are walking on the reamins of someone that was horrendously murdered was quite traumatic. For me the worst part was seeing the baby tree. Here mothers were forced to watch as their babies were repeatedly swung onto the tree trunk until dead and thrown in a pit, after which the mothers were usually decapitated. Absolutely horrific. <br />
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From the Killing Fields, we headed further south to our next and final destination of Cambodia: Kep. </div>
ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-35192388652120892012012-12-24T18:20:00.000-08:002013-04-23T18:23:14.406-07:00Temples Galore in Siem Reap<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After several different buses from our homestay in Isan, we ended up crossing the border in Cambodia. If you get a bus to the Aranhaprathet border crossing rather than training from Bangkok, the bus drops you off right there. In amongst the throngs of tourists, is an even more impressive large market, with hundreds of stalls. Point to note, change your money here as over the border the exchange rates are really bad. Getting through the border crossing surprising didn't take too long on the Thailand side of things, however, entering Cambodia was long, hot, and even longer. If you do have the spare cash the "rip off artists" as we thought with the VIP line, is actually a real thing and if you pay the stupid price (that is 300% cheaper for locals) you can cut the immigration line.</div>
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Once you get through that madness you are further ripped off to get to Siem Reap. We found another couple to share a taxi with for and extra $3 USD per person and shaved off an hour of travel. Checked into our guesthouse for the night and found a nice local restaurant to eat at.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><em>Us with Angkor Thom main temple</em></td></tr>
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The next day we checked out and headed off for our first day of adventures exploring the wonders of the Khmer period in Asia. We started off with the main areas of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom complexes that everyone visits when they come here, and are therefore quite crowded. The lesser well known sections of Angkor Thom we found to be most interseting, like the Baphuon with its massive reclining Buddha made from stone, or the leppers or elephants wall that are part of the procession leading to the main temple of Angkor Thom. After all this we headed out to stay at a smaller village bordering Siem Reap, where we taught an English lesson at the school of our host. After that we got to experience what life is really like for Cambodians. Our night was capped off falling asleep listening to roosters, dogs barking and fireflys dancing around the open air room. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Reclining Buddha</em></td></tr>
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Ta Prhom or the hidden or tomb raiders temple was amazing, with the trees overgrowing the ruins. But this was actually overshawdowed the next day when we went to the lesser known Beng Mealea. This temple is quite far from Siem Reap, but the hour tuk tuk ride though the countryside on the way is actually just as interesting. Real Camobida village life was fantastic. At Beng Mealea, we were met only with Asian origin tourists and as this place is not as visited you are able to crawl and touch absolutely over everything. This temple complex is also in extreme disrepair but that actually adds to its charm. This is a much do place. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Crumbling Beng Mealea</em></td></tr>
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Our final day in Siem Reap, we explored the lessen known surrouding temples. The good thing with this is that you can relax as there is barely anyone around and you can stroll through these places enjoying the scenery and taking shade as needed. Had a enjoyable last night in Siem Reap before the horror of our trek to Phnom Penh began. </div>
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ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-45537096325019265342012-12-22T01:30:00.000-08:002013-04-22T01:09:34.218-07:00Homestay in Isan Province<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We were extremely lucky to stay with a lovely lady in the tiny village of Ban Hoatumnop through the brilliance that is <a href="http://www.couchsurfing.org/" target="_blank">couchsurfing</a><br />
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This was the best experience of our time in Thailand. We got to experience and enjoy Thai village life, in a small village in the province of Isan which is in North East Thailand. This area of Thailand is known for having a significant Laotian influence due to its proximity to the country both in language and food influences. One of the first things we got to do was attend a Buddha Day Ceremony or Uposatha, which only occur on specific days each month in relation to moon cycles and is complexly calculated in advance. This involved us walking down to the local temple with some food offerings. A ceremony was held and we did out best to respect the local Buddhist traditions of what to do during the ceremony.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Local monks at temple</i></td></tr>
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It was very interesting to see and be part of this special day.We also walked to a nearby village where one of the locals runs a little restaurant out of their house and enjoyed some very tasty noodles. As we walked along we got to learn about the governments involved with helping to provide regular water for irrigation and drinking in the area and also seeing local gardens, and how everyone grows what they need trading predominantly amongst each other.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Us getting a lift on a pick up truck to the local farmers market</i></td></tr>
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In addition to this, if you cannot grow or trade for what you need, every week (which was luckily during our stay) you can go to the local market. We piled onto the back of a truck with many locals from Ban Hoatumnop, which was an enjoyable experience in itself. This local farmers market was a great way to see many different types of food, which was lovely to sample, as well as the local produce. It is amazing the differences in the vegetables and food that was the best presented at this market.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Trying to help out making flower blessings</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Sampling of some of the farmers market.</i></td></tr>
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In amongst exploring and doing things in the local area, we also learnt and tasted a lot of fantastic local traditions. Talked to local elders, heard the government announcements proclaimed over speaker phone to the entire village, met some animals, got to know our hosts family, and ate as much as we could of the best food we had in Thailand. We were very sorry to say good bye to our host, who had given us so much in friendship and experiences as we moved onto the next country of our SE epic adventure. We got up early to get multiple buses from near Phimai to Cambodia. See this country link for the continuation of this journey. <br />
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ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-5991867679800555062012-12-19T18:24:00.000-08:002013-04-20T01:02:45.584-07:00Ayutthaya and Phimai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<em>Ayutthaya</em></h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQO_PsrPmZeNRZ5ZHQH-get2v-TDeNqZnaQ-_AY5O_PwvgzH_SQ-5ZI3PjdTH22C8uhF2cUl5asuJMH48LrbXzTgU8zrfHHLek2nFZC8R3hGIohCixaOgnh3qmQyQEDz_XHItf808meUU/s1600/320938_10152403708125258_1717661274_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQO_PsrPmZeNRZ5ZHQH-get2v-TDeNqZnaQ-_AY5O_PwvgzH_SQ-5ZI3PjdTH22C8uhF2cUl5asuJMH48LrbXzTgU8zrfHHLek2nFZC8R3hGIohCixaOgnh3qmQyQEDz_XHItf808meUU/s200/320938_10152403708125258_1717661274_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>Most people will be familiar with the name Ayutthaya, as it is a UNESCO heritage site that is easily done as a day trip from Bangkok. Some of the more amazing places are only able to be done by boat around the island, and obvously going to the historical park to see the famous palace/temples is a must do (and we focused on). <br />
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Apart from the amazing temple and palace complex, that were built during the Ayutthaya Siam Reign in Thailand, there is not much else happening for this city. There are bigger night markets elsewhere, and must more interesting places to look at. The novelty of being on an island though its nice, and if you avoid the main part of the pub/tourist street it can be quite nice. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw-erFLzGBZ05_P-uhjDb58vDyihnFZDRBUSH5HH9Ow8RljW9VOVpwv9yKLDlGVcZ8iXmkPRrpMWSlEYzDi5D1lvzKLhDB5bSdqDy6BMlzSDqKMR37uHnDDY5YWcxjB6r5rnnaxdGlxqd/s1600/393082_10152403715255258_742385224_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw-erFLzGBZ05_P-uhjDb58vDyihnFZDRBUSH5HH9Ow8RljW9VOVpwv9yKLDlGVcZ8iXmkPRrpMWSlEYzDi5D1lvzKLhDB5bSdqDy6BMlzSDqKMR37uHnDDY5YWcxjB6r5rnnaxdGlxqd/s200/393082_10152403715255258_742385224_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>We also were happy we saved our Thai massage experience to be outside of Bangkok, as the prices dropped by about half. There are quite a few options in town, and we enjoyed the one we selected (at the start of pub street). Definitely go for the hour if you can spare it as its a wonderful experience. <br />
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
<em>Phimai</em></h2>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0Ahhv4AgXtKeN02aT_iNBZtH-NKMWxaFkiLnfKPTMZ98twmURaZcwuxCzQF0uAyMGfK6C6BBrPjyTlkqzjR8z4YWdB8pdVEitTJcUePAQNp25CP2KcUF3Goff8N_i9Byg06pfn2q3aqv/s1600/396013_10152406964870258_1833879134_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0Ahhv4AgXtKeN02aT_iNBZtH-NKMWxaFkiLnfKPTMZ98twmURaZcwuxCzQF0uAyMGfK6C6BBrPjyTlkqzjR8z4YWdB8pdVEitTJcUePAQNp25CP2KcUF3Goff8N_i9Byg06pfn2q3aqv/s200/396013_10152406964870258_1833879134_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phimai Historical Park</td></tr>
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It is a shame and blessing that more people dont know about Phimai. I originally stumbled across Phimai when I was looking for something that was kinda on route to Laos, yet easily able to get to Cambodia within a day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUZJmdofmnMR-7fnYrSYij9lpxZI6z4hHasUVNKwMzvp_u5xZQO7FcU-kxvGuZAihADKviS7TU4CCjLUUt8LOQQwJ3ZqkJOStcGKRtNFh3q3Q8UnOaHmweCXrdgxv4P1N-G_QarXMXAZA/s1600/398017_10152406965105258_1027841740_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUZJmdofmnMR-7fnYrSYij9lpxZI6z4hHasUVNKwMzvp_u5xZQO7FcU-kxvGuZAihADKviS7TU4CCjLUUt8LOQQwJ3ZqkJOStcGKRtNFh3q3Q8UnOaHmweCXrdgxv4P1N-G_QarXMXAZA/s200/398017_10152406965105258_1027841740_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>On the train to Nakon Ratchasima (from here you take a bus to Phimai), we met the only other European descent tourists we saw in this city, and it was really nice to go somewhere that was overrun with local tourists (as we were leaving mass Thai tour groups and school kids arrived). We were extremely lucky and while we were there, we managed to almost have the whole place to ourselves (6 others in total for the first 2 hours). The ruins at Phimai are quite amazing and extremely old. Originally settled during the Khmer period (the famous Angkor Wat people) it is one of the oldest scared sites in the Isan area. It has been rebuilt throughout the ages, but the overall structure is more in line with Angkor Wat, than Ayutthaya or Thai styles. The place is very well cared for, and it was lovely to see the local people maintaining it using exactly the same tools (in type) that were used to construct this place (see the museum in the site for what I mean). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjPA_WgcrYj0ctpnh3u7cKDgFAxZ-5qhWQZe3IqjoamVR1S4Yl5HZA0uYMnzfbZB_NIyLEFibTftCzsXzqZb_-ua3bNQGJZR_QG30REnXYnoR0ibXSMhhVy8RgHCrg-jJfktprjNbaya0/s1600/312348_10152406965240258_228677383_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjPA_WgcrYj0ctpnh3u7cKDgFAxZ-5qhWQZe3IqjoamVR1S4Yl5HZA0uYMnzfbZB_NIyLEFibTftCzsXzqZb_-ua3bNQGJZR_QG30REnXYnoR0ibXSMhhVy8RgHCrg-jJfktprjNbaya0/s200/312348_10152406965240258_228677383_n.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little bit of the tree</td></tr>
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The town encloses on the historical park, and has a few other tricks up its sleeve, such as the very good night market, and the fact that its quite small so you can walk most places. We did venture out of Phimai to see the amazing Sai Ngam Banyan tree. This tree is one massive tree, and has definitely got the feel of being alive and lurking everywhere. Everything that you see, is all sprouted from the one acicent tree. The locals consider a very scared place, and there is even a temple woven into the trunks. We loved the cool feeling you enjoy under the canopy and you are able to get your lunch delivered from the local shops across the road. We easily got a ride back with hitch hiking (although we got a moto out there), and after that we headed to our home stay in the region. </div>
ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-32714042845772047012012-12-17T12:00:00.000-08:002013-01-15T16:10:22.721-08:00Bangkok<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4SRyAEJ_Nde_TB8L_aO34K6FH9LAqKx65LSDUc5ql_camcfnDmiDnIGf_Bw4p0k4fLkIRMgnygXty3Pfv2FJlL6i6CJxrigsWmXRYQ4I9KqJtge6yNJLUxI77Q-GJPZMxOw70l0hWyPd/s1600/63613_10152403432105258_325187095_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4SRyAEJ_Nde_TB8L_aO34K6FH9LAqKx65LSDUc5ql_camcfnDmiDnIGf_Bw4p0k4fLkIRMgnygXty3Pfv2FJlL6i6CJxrigsWmXRYQ4I9KqJtge6yNJLUxI77Q-GJPZMxOw70l0hWyPd/s200/63613_10152403432105258_325187095_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bangkok from the longboat</td></tr>
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Bangkok was quite the shock. When we arrived, we were greeted by a clean, modern city. Which is in stark contrast to the way in which Thailand is more readily known by the outside world. Bangkok is comparable to London in the noise, dirt level, and poorer areas, apart from the oppressive heat. It is amazing to think that this is the dry/cool season for Thailand. Anyway after getting over the shock of how modern Thailand appeared we firstly met up with a friend of mine, Nam, who I hadnt seen since Otago days, as we went to the nearest restaurant to our hotel. After not long enough of a sleep, we got up for our only full day in the city to explore it. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs72EZlkAb1qvFXxDCgovOHDrQXlBPzBH5swWvgXM0sMy9083ch6Ve1onmQQlboKYFGZX7DKibpIv_7kgHWyxJiFAJdE9BWGbnxGOx_2zn-66Rv_BUpVM58vPU9iXqxpPzpY4_AsRL9w9/s1600/603338_10152403433305258_1061215362_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCs72EZlkAb1qvFXxDCgovOHDrQXlBPzBH5swWvgXM0sMy9083ch6Ve1onmQQlboKYFGZX7DKibpIv_7kgHWyxJiFAJdE9BWGbnxGOx_2zn-66Rv_BUpVM58vPU9iXqxpPzpY4_AsRL9w9/s200/603338_10152403433305258_1061215362_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wat Arun</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5L3ouAEmP1CktJXMN7nd0riubAuHky78dCG49ZSGBeADAbxAvOnkiaswSyrquTVncVS6YCTMRfCEliX5e1tE57vFGCUurZI_cV6q1EFTKr4IDai7Ej4C5JOW7YgXOBcLFQcyTRcc6-HU/s1600/398155_10152403433225258_693391683_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5L3ouAEmP1CktJXMN7nd0riubAuHky78dCG49ZSGBeADAbxAvOnkiaswSyrquTVncVS6YCTMRfCEliX5e1tE57vFGCUurZI_cV6q1EFTKr4IDai7Ej4C5JOW7YgXOBcLFQcyTRcc6-HU/s200/398155_10152403433225258_693391683_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>Took the Metro (amazingly clean) to the main train station, as our place was to explore Bangkok from canal. Got out and of course could not find a tuk tuk driver that was willing to be fair about price, so we started walking. Along the way we meet a lovely old man, who explained to us our plans wouldn't work as the boats didn't run and suggested an alternative. He organised a tuk tuk (for a local/fair price) to take us to the docks, where we then got a private long boat to take us around the area. Total cost was 2000 Baht for both of us which was mostly ok, until the guide refused to take us the full route we wanted. We did enjoy driving around in the long boat, and seeing more of the places where "real" people lived, and going thru the locks. We got dropped off at Wat Arun at the end of it. Wat Arun, was the highlight of Bangkok (50 baht). The temple has amazing detail and colours, and the view over Bangkok city from the top most point is impressive. It was also very interesting to wander around the complex and see all the burial points and how different it was to a NZ/Czech perspective. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLAu6C8PoJi2Kse3_5LEvzLtMxtjK31BIzeO7S_89Etjt6DX2gPW2Jr0h4IMuTb-wWQAuk3IZc_cTduwKxNksvFZeKyyCw_9DZMvIFPrfSkZeVkVCmo69G_wyNluYcNuV5A5a8aZ2Nswv/s1600/734894_10152403433765258_2024684633_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLAu6C8PoJi2Kse3_5LEvzLtMxtjK31BIzeO7S_89Etjt6DX2gPW2Jr0h4IMuTb-wWQAuk3IZc_cTduwKxNksvFZeKyyCw_9DZMvIFPrfSkZeVkVCmo69G_wyNluYcNuV5A5a8aZ2Nswv/s200/734894_10152403433765258_2024684633_n.jpg" title="Reclining Buddha" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reclining Buddha</td></tr>
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After having our fill of this awesome place, we got the ferry (3 Baht) across the river, and had an iffy lunch, then headed onto Wat Pho. Wat Pho is similiar to Wat Arun, but is not as tall, and has different coloured ceramics on the towers. This temple is famous for the massive gold reclining Buddha which is worth the 100 baht to visit. Afterwards we walked to the Royal Palace and Emerald Buddha, but did not go in. At 400 baht and overcrowding this place isn't worth the hassle if you have a tight timeframe. That night we meet up with another friend (from my exchange semester at Corvinus Uni) at the famous Terminal 21 mall, and tried a local BBQ delicacy that originates in Bangkok. Its a combo, steaming, frying and boiling apparatus that you get way too much yummy food to cook on. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4qrokeZ5ZBkxTKek8qGQQccR5u4xsbF8wDyqGgpTIjD6oKxg5DeW5fIoSEMB4lN9siOOu5-A6A3aFHRuVF4udkxphGTle-yc0u6Jl6IIvR9wwF_P8AgsiFSbTy-ub5iLVNatBpmTAOKG/s1600/72845_10152403434090258_1564854548_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4qrokeZ5ZBkxTKek8qGQQccR5u4xsbF8wDyqGgpTIjD6oKxg5DeW5fIoSEMB4lN9siOOu5-A6A3aFHRuVF4udkxphGTle-yc0u6Jl6IIvR9wwF_P8AgsiFSbTy-ub5iLVNatBpmTAOKG/s200/72845_10152403434090258_1564854548_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bangkok streets</td></tr>
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The next day we relaxed a bit, before meeting a friend from Toronto for lunch, and heading on the train north to Ayutthaya.<br />
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ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0Bangkok, Thailand13.7522222 100.493888913.2586137 99.8484419 14.2458307 101.1393359tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-64010007619911773432012-05-14T18:45:00.000-07:002013-08-13T13:08:11.116-07:00West Coast Overview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The west coast of the South Island, has to be one of my favourite spots in New Zealand. There is an indescribable feeling about this place that just makes you happy inside. It is very remote and a lot of people don't really get to really enjoy it just focusing on the main "tourist" sites.<br />
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One of the main tourist spots (which are very worthwhile) are the Glaciers. Franz Josef is the larger glacier and is about a 1-1.5 hour return walk to the terminal face of it from the carpark. It is very interesting going here different years as you get to see how the glacier changes. Although sadly its not for the best. Both of these are seriously shrinking and retreting up the valley.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltjeLccxCJ3aYGg52V_sDHt3lNn8eNKQAJI_UUN1HNKxj1S3qPZ2FpnxXc7KJW2-sIH1scm2xgEurITU5la0dTgFw1flxeXeAG1izSKUA_68-v8LVCjP3EOdviReO8V97QslUpnOzpqI/s1600/18925_10152301172470258_794787679_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgltjeLccxCJ3aYGg52V_sDHt3lNn8eNKQAJI_UUN1HNKxj1S3qPZ2FpnxXc7KJW2-sIH1scm2xgEurITU5la0dTgFw1flxeXeAG1izSKUA_68-v8LVCjP3EOdviReO8V97QslUpnOzpqI/s400/18925_10152301172470258_794787679_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Franz Josef Glacier (or what is left)</i></td></tr>
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Fox Glacier was my favorite, but when we last visited seeing the massive change in shape and appearance due to retreating was heartbreaking. However I would still recommend the glacier hikes here. It may be smaller but if you do the glacier hikes you will get more "ice time", and it is definitely an interesting trek. It is also much closer to the carpark which allows people easier access to it.<br />
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The towns associated with the glaciers, are fairly decent places to stay in the area, although Fox tends to be a bit cheaper. If you are short on the cash. MacDonalds campsite about 10 mins drive north of Franz Josef is an excellent campsite on the foreshore of Lake Mapourika, which makes for excellent "showering" facilities. Also home to some lovely black swans.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiobxVt8SuwGoPTQpak-YMaJOdct5_QoyOJajiqFVVJxYnorGDc5vhO79aObZJ0t3wUqXBv2WPXCty7du7dMo8_9QqjVKgk0HjWDimkZXqJurZUN4HYV9KyAp0Xy50pImBuu2VV5O8h8/s1600/253506_10150642528080258_1319933_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiiobxVt8SuwGoPTQpak-YMaJOdct5_QoyOJajiqFVVJxYnorGDc5vhO79aObZJ0t3wUqXBv2WPXCty7du7dMo8_9QqjVKgk0HjWDimkZXqJurZUN4HYV9KyAp0Xy50pImBuu2VV5O8h8/s320/253506_10150642528080258_1319933_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Beach section of 3 mile lagoon trek</i></td></tr>
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The next most visited place on the coast is probably the Monteith Brewery in Greymouth or the Pancake Rocks near Punakaiki. Both are recommended. The tasting after the tours is great, and the walks around the rocks are also fun times.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHBmT6Jp-xSiT7tsbXEgfLW5CCIBhDel3R2suibhGAaVgz0df2GBBsKNL0xxpjvBYE1Pw64IK2Er-zsuNDZUiKSBEHcMoSfEOz8_QMdbbzTXa2TpfUxsoFd0NWVl8idXDBXtLhtE-WqQ/s1600/217916_10152291776400258_146747055_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBHBmT6Jp-xSiT7tsbXEgfLW5CCIBhDel3R2suibhGAaVgz0df2GBBsKNL0xxpjvBYE1Pw64IK2Er-zsuNDZUiKSBEHcMoSfEOz8_QMdbbzTXa2TpfUxsoFd0NWVl8idXDBXtLhtE-WqQ/s1600/217916_10152291776400258_146747055_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kayaking up Okarito River</i></td></tr>
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But the best places on the coast are the ones no one really hears about. Okarito is one such hidden wonder. Here you can go kayaking, fishing, and stay at a beautiful coastal town. Not to mention it is one of the last places (other spot is in Karamea) in the world to see the white herons (see the back of $2 coin for this bird). These birds are much bigger than expected even if you don't get too close. Also of interest here is the Three Mile Lagoon trek. If you time it right you can go along the old road on the way to the lagoon, and return via the beach on the way back (recommend this way around for less up hill). If you had more time and a tent you could also continue onto the Five Mile Lagoon. This area is steeped in Gold mining history, in fact, the trek, is along the old road! Also take the time to visit to the kiwi habitat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Oparara Arch. 50m wide, 200m long.</i></td></tr>
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Karamea National Park is north of Westport and you will need to make a special journey to get here but it is well worth it. There are some amazing and the largest arches made by rivers in NZ. And the peacefulness is quite worth it. In addition it seems to be the capital for pukekos and wekas (native birds)! As this place is out of the way the people that live here are very colourful.<br />
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Hokitika Gorge is a decent drive inland from Hokitika town, but the variation in the gorge waters are quite interesting with some great rock to go with it. Bring your insect repellent though.<br />
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Mount Aspiring National Park is tricky, as technically it is part of the West Coast but the only way to access it easily is from Wanaka. This park is amazing and has some of the best day and longer walks in the country. The variation in colour of the landscape is fantastic. Rob Roy Glacier is of particular mention. Just 4 hours of awesome.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mt Aspiring National Park, part of Rob Roy Glacier trek.</i></td></tr>
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The best way to experience the wild west is slowly. There are so many little nocks and crannys to explore, short and long walks, things to taste and try, experiences to go on (some free), and places to stay (e.g. gillespies beach, copeland valley, lake paringa, haast etc...). Don't rush it.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0Westland National Park, New Zealand-43.405047487870348 169.9365234375-44.881843487870348 167.4096679375 -41.928251487870348 172.4633789375tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-34277241882352864342012-04-21T18:49:00.000-07:002013-01-21T18:49:48.716-08:00Gold Coast 2.0<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For a number of reasons we decided on a spontaneous trip (booked 8 days in advance) to the Gold Coast. We stayed at a hotel in Varsity Lakes. After my arrival (late Fri night) went to the nearest one for a walk (Martin was already there for work), and got to enjoy seeing some toads, and numerous fish jumping out of the water. <br /><br />Our first day together, we headed off South into NSW, to see places we hadn't the previous time. Sadly the weather turned quite icky so we didn't get as far south as we wanted (aim was to get to Maclean to explore the Scottish tributes of this town).I was very happy to have seen "real" wild kangaroos jumping around in the fields near Broadwater. Definite highlight of the day. Went to see the Tea Tree stained lake (Lake Ainsworth) near Ballina. And then onto the final short stop of the day, driving up Mt Warning. Hadn't realised this earlier but the whole area we had been in is actually a massive old volcanic crater, with Mt Warning, being the upthrust in the middle of this massive rim! Had a very short bush walk here and then back up to the hotel to get ready for dinner with Martins Aussie boss in Surfers Paradise. <br /><br />The next day was quite relaxing. Went back to Nobby's Beach (where we stayed the previous time) to enjoy the sun, sand, and very very warm water! Such a weird feeling being in such warm water without being on a tropical island or in the Mediterranean. Spent a good half a day just swimming and sunning, awesome times. After that headed up to Mt Tamborine to have a late lunch at the polish place! The views from here were amazing, as its on the far side of the northern part of the crater rim. Could see for miles. Also got to play with a lot of parakeets which would be flying around your head begging for food. The sound at times was deafening. Had a quick wine tasting (or Martin did) at Witches Falls, and did a short walk to Cedar Creek Falls. <br /><br />The final day in Aus wasn't together. Martin had work, so I went off with 3 fellow female travellers to go hiking in Springbrook National Park before my flight. Did the twin falls circuit, which took us along the cliff top, down, through a variety of different tree types (the smell of eukalytus was overpowering at times), through some short caves, under waterfalls, and back up. Saw an Australian blue lobster under the last falls, and at the very end of the track something interesting slithered across our track. I was at the head of the group wondering why the birds were making such paniced noises. And 2m before stepping on it, noticed that there was a huge python calmly crossing the path. Would have been at least 7ft easy, maybe longer. I dont like snakes. After calming down and having lunch from the "best lookout" viewpoint which looks inwards onto the crater (you can see the other side of the crater from here), headed back to Surfers Paradise for a while, before getting my flight. </div>
ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-89222352596789152572012-04-16T18:58:00.000-07:002012-09-28T19:01:40.515-07:00Southland<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Most people tend to frequent Soutland after moving on from Catlins. One of the first stops is usually Bluff, which is the 2nd most southery point in NZ that most people frequent (Slope point is the most southern on the south island and is a decent walk in the catlins to get to it). There is a good cafe nearby to enjoy the views from. You can also see Stewart Island from here on a good day. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Invercargill doesn’t have too much to offer but is the main hub in the Southland area. Its a good place to stop off and resupply. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">After Invercargill, Riverton is the next biggest place you will find. It is a nice seaside town, and it has some very interesting volcanic remains; Riverton Rocks. These rocks are very odd in that they are blue/green/purple/brown in colour. And they look like balls of popcorn mashed together. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Colac Bay is a bit of an undiscovered jewel. A sheltered quiet cove that offers a nice retreat on your way to Te Anau. Would recommend hiring a holiday home here if you are passing by. The coastal area just before and after here, has many a beach with interesting differences from the rocks and shells that you find washed up. For example gemstone bay, just 15 mins drive away, actually has precious stones that wash up on the beach every so often. </span></p>
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"><img class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/423119_10151314142395258_684275257_23259127_917977914_n.jpg" width="349" height="277" /></span></p>
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<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The best part of Southland is actually the Fiordland National park area. This has its own separate write up. </span></p>ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0Southland, New Zealand-45.8489159 167.6755387-48.6806749 162.6218277 -43.0171569 172.7292497tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-45142167804933804552012-04-16T15:05:00.000-07:002012-09-28T19:07:03.550-07:00Catlins<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Catlins area is a bit confusing as technically be partly belongs to Southland (the forest area) and also belongs to Otago (coastal). So it has been given a section of its own to help explain</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The first place that you will get to is Kaka Point, which has a very lovely beach and the waterfront cafe/bar has some excellent food choices, so is a good place to lunch. From here is the only access to the very pretty and geologically interesting (uplift events and massive sea erosion) Nugget Point. There is a lighthouse here that is quite pretty but it is the view onto the “nuggets” of rock that are interesting. The view here on a clear day is amazing and you see for miles. Also keep an eye out for seals and larger seagulls. </span></p>
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"><img class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/418805_10151310542220258_684275257_23248879_1676965148_n.jpg" width="343" height="182" /></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">From Kaka Point and heading south, you will pass by many other interesting places (there are maps of the “to dos” everywhere) such as many different falls. In particular the MacLeans Fall is amazing. Two big drops, logs strewn about, with tannin coloured water is a must see and explore. You can actually explore the “landing” between the two drops but be very aware of your surroundings. A fall is possible if you are not being careful. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Something that personally would not advise seeing is Jacks Blowhole. Unless there is a storm brewing. Went here at exactly the right time only to be very disappointed to just see a hole in the ground onto the ocean. Can see that on the west coast and its much better. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">From MacLeans Falls, is a short drive to a historical logging site that has remnants left to play with (such as an old logging tractor and metal items). There are boards around to help guide you around this area. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Cathedral Caves are pretty awesome but the timing of seeing these is very strict and there is a $3-5 entrance fee. It is worth the money and time if you have it to spare. Unlike Cathedral cOve in the Coromandel, there is a lovely seaweed smell as you enter and if you are lucky you may even see some interesting cave insects or crabs. Just opposite the entrance almost is the whistling frog cafe, which is another yummy place to stop off at. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">All throughout the area are awesome little villages/houses that make for great places to stay at and most have B&B type places available for quite cheap. Definitely try to enjoy these rather than the hostels that are focused on certain areas, as its not a “real” experience. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">One of the most popular things in the Catlins is the Curio Bay. This place is rather special internationally as its one of the few places you can observe a fossiled prehistoric forest, and its right by the ocean. The downside is that it is slowly eroding away. In addition to that there is also a chance to see penguins if you time it right. Yellow eyed pengiuns are just one of the many species that you can see in many places throughout NZ. </span></p>
<p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">There are other more "difficult" to get to places such as Slope Point (the south islands most southern point - not bluff as is commonly believed) or the Waipapa lighthouse. Excellent detours off the "main" route if you have the time. </span></p>ASVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887984505670654396noreply@blogger.com0Catlins, New Zealand-46.4787927 169.6388128-46.5006617 169.59933080000002 -46.4569237 169.6782948tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-63242529207488879362011-09-24T19:08:00.000-07:002012-09-28T19:09:15.637-07:00Otago<p>Otago is the heartland of New Zealand. Dunedin is the capital of this province and has been discussed in another tread in greater detail, so that this can focus on the wilderness of the plains. </p>
<p>Otago is a fantastic part of New Zealand, and my words here will not be able to do it justice. The golden plains with their amazing rock formations from standing pinacles, gorges, castles, among a few, are amazing. The area around Alexandra has some of the best rock sites in New Zealand. And contrasting the rocks are the golden plains which are amazing no matter what time of the year. But obviously in winter they turn a lovely white, and some of the best ski slopes in New Zealand are found here. </p>
<p>The Otago Rail trail is something I have yet to do by bike (which is the best way to do it) however you can start the wonder of this journey using the old rail system which is still running out of Dunedin Railway. This old rail line has some amazing engineering feats getting across the gorges that are hard to believe they are standing after so long and looking so perfect. </p>
<p>There are two key towns in the area that must visited: Cromwell and Alexandra. Both of these towns have important historical aspects and are also useful to use as a base to explore the surrounding nature. Alexandra has its famous mountainside clock and a very cute museum that are must dos. Cromwell, used to look very differently until the creation of the dam (and lake) which actually flooded a fair section of the town. These days there are some remanents of the old town left by the riverside which are great fun to meander through. </p>
<p>Nearby to Cromwell is New Zealand desert. Seriously. Bannockburn, however, isn't well known for that fact, but its incredible wine. Some of the best red wine comes from these parched lands and well rambling around there its a good way to soak up some moisture trying free samples. Like Cromwell, Bannockburn has a history of gold mining and this is evident in the sheiling that is dotted around the place. Although the best evidence of this is just up from Cromwell on the side of the road. Called Fishbones. </p>
<p>Wanaka is another great place in Otago that must be visited. The views onto the Mt Aspiring National Park from Lake Wanaka are amazing. However, it is slightly expensive to stay in Wanaka, and camping in Mt Aspiring National Park is a better option or just further up in Lake Hawea. The Aspiring Camp Site though isn't too bad and it has a sauna. </p>
<p>Mt Aspiring National Park which crosses between Otago and Westland has dramactic colour contrasts (very photogenic), and multiple walks that offer a wide variety of environments to explore. Our favourite is the Rob Roy Glacier walk. Takes a wee while to get there, but the views on the glacier and of the streams are amazing. Not to mention the kakapo and other wildlife are great fun. Do make sure you prepare as, as with anywhere the weather changes fast. We had sun, rain, wind, hail, and it started snowing just a bit further up from the glacier (although we were heading out by then).</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0Otago, New Zealand-44.8280041 169.6345253-46.269761100000004 167.1076698 -43.3862471 172.16138080000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-9975840860964338512011-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:002012-09-28T19:18:20.665-07:00Dunedin<p>Its a bit unfair to not join Dunedin into the main thread of Otago, however, as I spent many years here studying it is hard to describe the different things available without making it a bit of a long thread that would make Otago far too long for most readers.</p>
<p>The top 10 must see things in Dunedin:</p>
<p>1. Baldwin St - The worlds steepest street. Every year there are various acitivties that involve usually running up and down this st for a goal of fundraising usually. There is also the Jafa rolling comp, which is quite amusing to watch.</p>
<p>2. Penninsula - The surrounding bays of Dunedin Penninsula are quite amazing. There are seals and yellow eyed penguins that you can see, and experience some amazing beauty.</p>
<p>3. Albatross - At the head of the Penninsula, Dunedin is home to an Albatross colony. The drive out there is also worth it as you get to travel through some great penninsula area and see the Quarantine Island (where the immingrants to NZ all had to wait 6 weeks to ensure they didn't bring diseases on land).</p>
<p>4. Railway Station - The architecture of the railway station is quite amazing and when it was built, was ahead of its time in structure. It is also a great place to get to start the gorge railway journey to Middlemarch, which is a definite must do.</p>
<p>5. Cadbury Chocolate Factory - highly amusing to see how all the candy is made, and taste a bit at the end. It is advised to eat beforehand as the smell of the choc, can make one very hungry by the end, usually resulting in binging.</p>
<p>6. Speights tour - before Auckland sadly took over the main production of the Speights Beer it was made in Dunedin, in a very historic brewery that is one of the last remaining of its kind in the world (gravity feed system). It smells good, and you learn a lot about the production of beer. Not to mention that at the end there is a very good tasting session.</p>
<p>7. Lookout - At the top of the North East Valley hills is a war memorial and look out over all of Dunedin. Great place to watch the sunset over the whole city and surrounding penninsula.</p>
<p>8. Octagon - The lovely Octagon is the centre of the old Dunedin with lots of shops on it today, and a number of eautifu lold churches on or very nearby it.</p>
<p>9. Beaches - Despite being a bit nippy, the beaches in Dunedin are not only a great place to swim but also area quite historic. It is possible to see clearly the dykes construction holding back the water that would otherwise see South Dunedin township completely disappear.</p>
<p>10. University - Obvious the oldest University in New Zealand is a must see. The beautiful old buildings from the Old Block are in great condition and the ever expanding campus with its Scarfie students is a great place to live and learn.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0Dunedin, New Zealand-45.8787605 170.5027976-45.967197 170.3448691 -45.790324 170.6607261tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-9349418264153330592011-07-10T18:20:00.000-07:002012-09-28T19:21:52.676-07:00Canterbury<p>Most of the time when people think of Canterbury , they focus on its main town of Christchurch, which in the recent times has been hard hit with continours earthquake activity. Not to belittle the importance of Christchurch or its nice gardens and remaining beautiful old buildings, but there is a lot in Canterbury province that isn't just in Christchurch.</p>
<p>Christchurch is a great base to use to explore the surrounding areas of interest, such as Akaroa and Lyttleton. Lyttleton has some of the oldest port buildings left in New Zealand from when it was being intially colonised by Europeans. Unfortunately a lot of these have been damaged in the quakes. But Akaroa and the road out it still remain a beautiful place. The water in the bays are deep blue and the steep drops down to this once old volcanic crater formation are spectacular.</p>
<p>Outside of Christchurch areas, there is the start of the Southern Alps with the famous ski field of Mt Hutt. But more recently the area on the boarders of canterbury and Mt Cook region have become famous for thier role in the Lord of the Rings Triology. Amazing scenery all around the area heading towards the Alps.</p>
<p>There is also Hamner Springs, which is a geothermal hot spot, and a center for some of the best hot pools in New Zealand. Be warned to book early if you are going during peak holiday times as the place fills up fast. There are a variety of facilities on offer if the main pools are too full for you, and the best time I think to go is actually in the evening.</p>
<p>Arthurs Pass which crosses over between Canterbury and Westland, is a spectacular place. It is relitively untouched as its quite a demanding place to live. The national park in this area supports a variety of fantastic hikes, but most amazingly (viewable from the road) is the rock formations. A lot of the amazing rock scenes here are famous from Lord of the Rings, but seeing them yourself is worth the trip. And of course passing through is a great way to see the best part of New Zealand (in my view) Westland.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0Canterbury, New Zealand-43.7542275 171.1637245-46.691784 166.1100135 -40.816671 176.2174355tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-21531706402064575872011-06-04T19:22:00.000-07:002012-09-28T19:23:21.273-07:00Kaikoura<p>Kaikoura has a lot to offer a person travelling through it, especially when it comes to nature. I have come here several times now, and each time doesn't lessen the awe at the Kaikoura range in the background from the beach.</p>
<p>The main thing that Kaikoura is famous for is probably whale watching (which I still haven't done), but it has a lot of other things as well. Randomly enough you can do llama trekking and visit a variety of mini zoos in the Kaikoura flats if you fell the urge. But if you dont fell like paying to see some animals, along the coastal route leading and from Kaikoura (both ways) there are a number great places to stop and see seals. However, do not feed, or get to close as they do bite! There is also a large number of different birds from oyster cathchers to standard gulls.</p>
<p>[[image file="kaikoura.jpg" ]]</p>
<p>If you have the time and energy and skills, there are some tramps that are possible. As yet I haven't experienced them. </p>
<p>One key thing to note for this area is you must fill up before you head on your way there, either in Blenheim or somewhere north of Christchurch, as there are no other gas stations until you get to Kaikoura.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-38278054234086580832011-05-24T19:33:00.000-07:002013-08-29T14:00:31.993-07:00Istanbul, Turkey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The thing that most people associate with Turkey, is their capital city; Istanbul. It has quite a lot of offer a tourist however, I still believe that the best places to go are outside of the cities (maybe spend a day or two in a city then move onto the better side of life).<br />
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<img alt="" src="http://www.srubar-vernon.name/images/2011-05/dsc_1460.jpg" title="" /><br />
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We had 1.6 days in Istanbul. The .6 was due to us flying out early evening to Kayseri (see Cappadocia). During this time we explored the Asian sides area called Kadikoy. Had a very nice lunch here, but its mostly shops. There is a monument to Ataturk here beside the ferry terminal that is quite impressive, especially with its large Turkish flag.<br />
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The best mode of trasnport (and for seeing a lot) in Istanbul is the ferries. They are very cheap 1.75TL one way, and get you over vast distances very fast. Istanbul is HUGE. And the amount of traffic can make other modes very slow. The subway is good, however it doesn't tend to go most places.<br />
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So we used the ferry to get from Kadikoy to Taksim. The area of Taksim is apparently a must see point of Istanbul, but unless you want blatent globalisation and have a lot of money to shop, during the day this place really isn't that interesting. The main street leading to Taksim sqaure (which we walked down entirely) is only lined with shops, most of which are not Turkish sadly. At night this is supposed to be the place to go to party, but I have no comment on this fact.<br />
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Our second time in Istanbul we had a full long day there. Managed to see quite a number of historical sites. The Hagia Sofia (despite being full to the brim with tourists) is a must see purely for the deep history involved. Started as a church/temple built by the romans, then became a church proper, then a mosque and is now a museum. Most interesting point to see is on the 2nd floor the arches towards the alter are literally squashed due to the tremedous pressure from dome. Awesome.<br />
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Saw the outside of the blue mosque (sadly it was prayer session when we were there so couldn't go inside). Then headed down to explore the Bazaars that Istanbul has to offer. These are aamazing. The famous large covered one is incredible as to the colours and smeels that assult you as you enter. Not to mention the crush of people. Head to the side streets, much better. Also went to the spice bazaar, which smelling great, but much smaller than the main one. A definite must do of Istanbul.<br />
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<img alt="" class="pivotx-image" src="http://www.srubar-vernon.name/images/2011-05/dsc_3276.jpg" title="" /><br />
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After having our fill (literally of sites and food) we headed off to the archaeological museum. This was on my list, but Martin enjoyed it as well. There are artefacts there from the Hittite empire right through to the early Ottoman, as well as, a little bit from all the neighbours that influenced Turkeys development. Fascinating times. Also a must see if you have the time and are that way inclined.A side note is just at the end of the gardens that the museum are associated with, is a slightly expensive outdoor tea house, that has incredible views over the Bosphorous.<br />
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Our final push for the day (as the sun was setting - so beautiful) we did another ferry crossing (closer to the bridge this time) to get some nice photos and see more of the architecture. Lovely end to daylight and our time in Istanbul.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0Istanbul, Turkey41.00527 28.9769640.621829500000004 28.345246 41.3887105 29.608673999999997tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-70928160971077015652011-05-03T19:48:00.000-07:002012-09-28T19:52:40.818-07:00Western Turkey - Troia, Gallipoli Pennisula, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, and Ephesus<h4>Troia:</h4>
<p>After flying from Kayseri to Izmir, we drove up to Oren to stay the night. Oren is a lovely sea side town on the way north to Troia, which is near the town Truva in modern Turkey. If we had, had more time Oren is a very pretty place and deserved more exploring.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.srubar-vernon.name/images/2011-05/dsc_2313.jpg" align="right" /></p>
<p>Troia is awesome. It is amazing to see the different levels of civilization so easiliy displayed. There is only particular point where the excavations have stopped at each level providing a very easy to see and demonstrate the history of Troy. The place is quite large (although I was expecting bigger) and what is uncovered is being looked after and shows you what life is like. The ramp up to the temple at the back of the place is very cool. You can even sit on the infamous walls at one point. Ignore the giant horse here its crap (see the one in Canakkale instead its much better and from the movie Troy).</p>
<h4>Gallipoli Pennisula:</h4>
<p>The other reason that we were heading north was to see the Anzac Cove area. As any New Zealander and Australian would know, this place is special in our history as where we formed the ANZAC corps and lost quite badly. It is lovely to see when you arrive the integration with the Turkish loses as well. I was very touched when we met some Turkish people also seeing the area when one of the party (not speaking any English) tried very hard and eventually made it clear to us, that "our" dead are dear to his heart. Very moving.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.srubar-vernon.name/images/2011-05/dsc_2417.jpg" title="Anzac Cove" align="right" /></p>
<p>The actual Anzac cove still has remains from the landing with concrete landing spots being there and the very obvious graves. All over the pennisula are Australia, New Zelanad and Turkish graves, all very well looked after and respected. Each one has its own story and history to it, which is explained on the giant signs carved out of local stone. The Anzac area is a very moving place, and seeing the union between the nations, a heart warming hope for the future, as the words of Ataturk so brilliantly summarise (and are displayed at Anzac Cove):</p>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">"THOSE HEROES THAT SHED THEIR BLOOD AND LOST THEIR LIVES ...</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">YOU ARE NOW LYING IN THE SOIL OF A FRIENDLY COUNTRY.</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">THEREFORE REST IN PEACE.</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE JOHNNIES</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">AND THE MEHMETS TO US WHERE THEY LIE SIDE BY SIDE</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">HERE IN THIS COUNTRY OF OURS ... YOU, THE MOTHERS,</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">WHO SENT THEIR SONS FROM FAR AWAY COUNTRIES</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">WIPE AWAY YOUR TEARS;</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">YOUR SONS ARE NOW LYING IN OUR BOSOMAND ARE IN PEACE</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">AFTER HAVING LOST THEIR LIVES ON THIS LAND THEY HAVE</span></span></div>
<div><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;">BECOME OUR SONS AS WELL."</span></span></div>
<div><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small; "> </span><span style=""><span class="Helvetica10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,adobe-helvetica,Arial Narrow; font-size: x-small;"> ATATURK, 1934</span></span><br/><br/></div>
<h4>Pamukkale and Hierapolis:</h4>
<p>This would be the number one must see thing in Turkey, equal to the Cappadocia region. The magnifcience of Pamukkale can never be accurately described. It is amazingly huge and the feeling of it as you walk over the area is awesome. It is amazing how this massive white terrace complex is still around after all this time. As you walk from one area to another, you can actually see how big it used to really be, but without the constant flows from the spring in certain areas they have crumbled away. This is sadly due to humans messing with it (such a shame). As you look down you can mini terraces forming which give your feet a gentle massage as you walk over them, and on the higher up parts much larger terraces. Once again I feel humans have ruined it a bit, as the man made terraces are nowhere near as pretty and detract from the "fairy castle" appearance. But DO GO HERE!</p>
<p><img src="http://www.srubar-vernon.name/images/2011-05/dsc_2599.jpg" title="Pamukkale" /></p>
<p>The Greeks were the first to come here and started the amazing city of Hierapolis, a place of healing. The road leading up to the main city is full of tombs of those people that came here to get well, but clearly didn't. The ruins are quite extensive and litter the surrounding countryside. The theatre is very impressuve (although the one at Ephesus is bigger and better) and looking from the top of the theatre onto the site is quite spectacular.</p>
<p>One key tip to remember is to NOT park at the Southern entrance as the parking there is paid. Rather park in the little town near the much smaller northern entrance. This also provides the best route as you walk up fully, around Hierapolis and back down, whereas if you come from the other way the walk down can be off putting as it hurts the ankles (or at least my still recovering one).</p>
<p><img src="http://www.srubar-vernon.name/images/2011-05/dsc_2741.jpg"/></p>
<h4>Ephesus:</h4>
<p>Ensure that you have at least 3 hours to properly explore and read everything at Ephesus as its full of history from the Hittite empire onwards. This ancient city is quite amazing mainly due to the the large amount of marble still present decorating not only the buildings but the streets are still paved with marble.</p>
<p>The city seems very crowded with ruins but that is mainly becuase the way in which the crumbled blocks have been displayed. There is a lot of broken pieces of buildings but rather then making it appear tidy, they display everything which can overwhelm the sense a bit.The best part of this city is the library which still has its facade standing at 2 storeys, however the inside at back is missing. The theatre here is quite impressive as well, mainly due to its sheer size. It the biggest theatre I have ever been in.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0Turkey38.963745 35.24332232.649527500000005 25.1359 45.2779625 45.350744tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9049667507360511174.post-26399023252408738262011-04-30T19:55:00.000-07:002013-08-12T13:22:02.985-07:00Cappadocia, Turkey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The area of Cappadocia is a large region that is most easily reached by Kayseri airport (or train station if you have the time). These days most travellers fly in, thanks to the cheapness provided by Pegausus and Andolu jet airlines, and it is only 1.25 hours from Istanbul through flying, whereas by train it can take at least 10 if things go a hundred percent.<br />
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After we arrived here we explored the town of Kayseri, which like the rest of Turkish cities, is open late. It was amazing to see how modern and clean and spacious Kayseri is. There are a wide variety of shops and malls to get to even as late at 9:30 pm. During our other evenings here, we also go to taste the local dish of Manti, which is a pasta like dish with a meaty filling, that you eat with yoghurt. We also go to enjoy a traditional Ottoman Tea House, where we drank an extremely lovely drink made from orchids called Sahlab/Salep. If you get the chance (as we did) driving up Mount Erciyes, provides an amazing view. At night the view over the city is very pretty with all the lights (Kayseri has a population of almost a million). But the actual mountain is very interesting with its minor domes and huge size (3916 m), and you can drive up as far as 2200m which is very impressive. There is a lake that was frozen over and interesting alpine birds. It is a good way to spend a half day if you have it to spare (in ski season I am sure its great with a very good chairlift taking you up much higher).<br />
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The actual reason of heading to Kayseri was not to explore the above, but to enjoy the wonders of Cappadocia which refers to a geological monument. This area has a lot to offer in sites from the cultural aspects of people living in these magnificent rock formations to the actual rock formations formed through erosion and the amazing tephra soil. The soil here is quite interesting as the different tephra layers has provided the extreme differences seen over the area in formation and colour. It is hard to explain the different aspects of this area, so rather then writing a book on it I will summarise the key areas of must see from our point of view.<br />
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<img src="http://www.srubar-vernon.name/images/2011-05/dsc_1857.jpg" /><br />
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One of our favourite areas (2 TL entry) was the Red Valley. Here you could spend days if you had the time. The chimney like domes that are here vary in colour, with white, pink and yellow and the colours in between them. It is hard to describe in words the wonder as you are walking around here. Every so often there is an opening in the rock where in the past someone had started digging or did successfully to build a home. The homes in this area are now modernised (at least close to the carpark) into more touristy things like a winery. But there are also remains of churches as in other areas.<br />
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Another partciuarly amazing thing in the area is not the Goreme open museum (you can actually see quite a bit of it without paying to get in) but the relatively unknown Soganli Valley (also 2 TL entry). For the majority of the time that we were there, we had the place to ourselves. Here, are the best perserved rock churches with mostly original artwork from Byzantine times. Sadly the artwork is being destroyed by stupid tourists putting graffiti over it, but you can still see a lot of it. Like most places in Cappadocia there are houses or group villages gouged into the rock, and it was amazing to see the tunnelling not only in the rock outcrops but leading back into the hills.<br />
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The underground city at Derinkuyu was amazing (15 TL entry)! There was extensive tunneling of which you can actually only get into a small percentage of the overall complex. There are many of these underground cities all over Cappadocia but this is one of the larger ones. There are communal halls, churches and living areas, as well as little side places which once housed induvidual families. You get completely disorientated with the constant turns and stairways up and down. One of the main airshafts was a good 30m deep and we didn't even get down to the level of the bottom of it totally.<br />
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<img src="http://www.srubar-vernon.name/images/2011-05/dsc_1765.jpg" title="Uchisar" /><br />
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Uchasir, is a very interesting area to get the postcard pictures of the different types of formations, as well as, Turkish village in one setting. The best part of this town is the Pigeon Valley (just outside) which if you can get away from the throngs of tourists provides an excellent view over the towns massive pinnacle, village, and surrounding "fairy domes". And as the name suggests it is full of pigeons (most of this is probably due to people feeding them these days), as well as, sparrows. There is a great little cafe that provides a great view and good Turkish tea.<br />
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The best way to see the many different sites is by car. You can get around with buses but they are not relguar and dont take you to the random little places and you cannot stop when you see something amazing. As you drive along, there is literally something around every corner that is worth stopping and absorbing if you can. There are also tours but they are crowded, noisy and annoying. If you ever go to this area, pay what seems at first the little bit extra as its worth it to have a car.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12844107688570254657noreply@blogger.com0Cappadocia, Turkey39.002110299225123 35.73852539062538.212426799225121 34.475097890625 39.791793799225125 37.001952890625