TravelStream™ news feed for member alasdairm on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/alasdairm en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:49:38 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1158372480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1158372480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1158372480/tpod.html Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:49:38 -0400 Where in the World

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

So after a whole 2 hours sleep I woke to stare at the time and realize that the boat we intended to catch to the main land was leaving in 20 minutes and I still had to pack, check out and pay and get to the other side of the island before it left. Ok maybe an exaggeration about getting to the other side of the island giving that it only takes a 2 minute walk but still chuffed managed all that with time to spare.Waiting at the small beach area, Shirly from Israel who I'd met while out touring the island 2 days ago turned up followed soon after by Mark from England who I'd met the previous night with the three of us planning on making it to Phnom Penh for less money than the $26 they were touting on the island.Running Total: $1Things got off to a good start anyway with us getting shuttled over to the mainland on time at 7am for $1 each landing in the small market town (more a strip of wooden shacks) by the riverside to then hoof it the 2kms up the dirt track to the main road. A little over half way though Shirly felt the strain of either last night or the fact that her bags seemed to be twice as heavy as both Marks and mine put together. Negotiating with a small roadside stall owner we got 3 motorbikes to take us the last kilometre or so to the road for $0.5 each. Running Total: $1.5From here we hoped to get a bus to the border but were told by our motorbike guys that there was no bus despite us standing below a sign that said 'Bus Stop'. A few minutes later though a pickup truck came down the road which we flagged down and hitched a lift to the border for $1 each riding in the back alongside it's cargo of about 15 large jerry cans of Lao Lao (rice whiskey) which they were going to sell over the border.Running Total: $2.5The short drive to the border took us through a wooded area down a dirt track with the border checkpoint appearing in a small clearing with just a few wooden huts. At this point we were stamped out of Laos, with a $1 exit stamp fee (ink must be expensive here), to then be told we should cross at the other checkpoint at Dom Krolor if going by road so we hopped in a conveniently waiting taxi for $1 each to then drive back into Laos, with no visa now, to the other border point. Running Total: $4.5Driving down an even more out of the way dirt track we bumped our way along the track (road would be too good a description for it) to arrive at the other border where I easily got my visa on arrival for Cambodia for $20 plus another $1 fee for the form this time, paper must be expensive too. With the third Cambodia visa stuck in my passport we were stamped into the country with another $1 stamp fee which considering we had heard some people being charged anything up to $5 for the privilege we didn't argue too much.Running Total: $6.5By chance our taxi was going all the way to Strung Treng, the first big town over the border, taking a Lao guy who owned a restaurant there. After thinking we had struck lucky we drove about half a km down the road before the driver, who had nails the size of knifes, informed us he wanted $20 to take us there. Each.Stopping the car and trying to negotiate a better rate we tried to flag down another pick up that had just crossed the border which stopped for us but after a few loud words from Edward Sissorhands who frantically waved it on it continued down the road with us immediately deciding not to go any further with the taxi and got him to take us back to the border.With a small travel agency by the border (convenient) we began a long negotiation of trying to get to Strung Treng cheaper than there asking price which after some consulting between the agency and the taxi driver who had stuck around the price was not shifting at all. Thinking we would have to give in at this point our salvation arrived in the form of the mini bus from the island which we had gone to this trouble to not have to take. This time though we managed to agree on $15 each all the way to Phnom Penh which with the bus driver getting the taxi driver to take us as far as Strung Treng since the bus was full at this point. Satisfying.Running Total: $21.5The road to Strung Treng was not much better than that leading up to the border which we were just thankful there had not been too much rain over the last few days otherwise it could have been a lot worse. Arriving in Strung Treng we had a bite to eat before boarding a mini bus which would take us to Phnom Penh along more dirt roads but a little flatter from here with evidence of them trying to improve the road along the way.Further down the road we suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere for some guys to come out of the bushes and load some containers of liquid onto the bus before retreating back to where they had come from with us just hoping it was more Lao Lao to make the journey pass quicker.Next stop was Kratie which I had originally thought about stopping in but in the brief time we were there I was glad I didn't with appearing about as run down as the road we had just driven along. Maybe a bit unfair to describe it that way giving the short time we were there but it certainly didn't appear like I was missing much in not stopping here.At this point we boarded a different mini bus for the last leg to Phnom Penh with the bus pulling up beside us as we looked at it then at each other then back at the bus as we wondered if it would ever get all the way there. It had rust all over it like a cancer with the front lower half of the bus missing altogether with the inside not much better with no paneling left or proper floor to speak of and a shoe string being the only thing holding up the back of Mark's seat. To top it off there was for some reason a wardrobe strapped to the roof which was about the only thing on the bus that looked in a decent condition.The road from here to the capital was paved thankfully but was still a good number of hours journey to go to get there during which the shoe string broke twice sending the seat, and Mark with it, crunching into the knees of the poor guy directly behind. With Phnom Penh almost within reach we had one more unscheduled stop with the left front wheel coming loose having to stop to tighten it before we at last rolled in to town just after midnight, after dropping off the wardrobe at some house, half expecting the doors and wheels to fall off when the bus stopped like a cartoon.So after 18 hours of traveling on some of the worst roads so far in by far the worst transport so far with only a few hours sleep in the last 2 days we did the sensible thing on checking into our lake side guest house. Immediately went out for a few drinks.Final Total: $21.5Saving: $4.5 - was it worth it? Well it was an experience.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1144675920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1144675920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1144675920/tpod.html Thu, 01 May 2008 09:25:31 -0400 Where in the World

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Shenzen, China

Not wanting to hang around the hostel longer than necessary I checked out early after managing to have a decent shower for once with no loss of water pressure and at least a little heat coming through.Hoofing myself and my backpack down to the harbor side I spent a little time checking some emails at a internet cafe overlooking the harbor. A guy on the PC next to me asked where I was headed after seeing my backpack so he told me the best way to get to Yanshuo from Shenzen by train, plane and just about any other kind of transport apart from bus. On telling him of my plan to take the overnight sleeper bus he gave me a sympathetic look as if I was some helpless family pet about to be put down.I went into the China Travel Service branch just to query the bus time and cost and got given a handy slip of paper to hand over at the ticket office in Shenzhen with the details of what I was wanting. After spending the last few days in Hong Kong with English being widely spoken I thought that this was a little unnecessary - how wrong I would be.Trading in my Japan Lonely Planet at a 2nd hand travel book shop in Kowloon I then used the last remaining value of my Octopus card on the train to the border and prepared to cross over into China.After trying to explain to the border official where Yangshuo was (I should have just put Beijing or something on the arrival slip) I stepped into China and into a world far removed from what I was used to even though it was only a short distance from the highly developed hub of Hong Kong.Wandering around the wrong bus station for half an hour I finally found my way to the long distance bus station - hey the sign just said bus station how was I to know there were two. By this point I was hot and tired from walking around with my pack an getting a little paranoid at the stares from the Chinese which I knew would happen but though Shenzhen being so close to Hong Kong would see many foreigners but I guess we are still something of a novelty to most.Finding my way to a ticket office I just handed over the slip of paper I had been given without even trying to explain what I wanted and thankfully that got me a ticket to what I hoped was the right destination. Waiting around for the departure area I met Namoi from Israel who was also heading to Yangshuo to go rock climbing so being unsure myself which bus to board I trusted her instincts and boarded the bus she chose before settling down in a very comfortable and modern sleeper bus for the long journey to Yangshuo.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1170696720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1170696720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1170696720/tpod.html Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:08:34 -0500 Where in the World

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Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Although just crashing on a sofa overnight it was still a pain to get up from at 5am with Gary starting something called <i>work at 6:30am. I was departing LA today for the bright lights of Las Vegas the early start meaning I had some time to kill around the bus station. Leaving my bag at the station I took a wander towards the city centre, the sun still not having crept over the surrounding hills. About 15mins later I found myself wandering through the skid-row area of downtown LA dodging shopping trolleys and makeshift cardboard castles along the way thinking this was probably not the best place to go for a stroll alone when dark. Still keeping my cool as best as I could fake it I continued on towards the skyscrapers ahead marking the city centre although almost bolting on one large dude emerging from a doorway asking wazup. He made Mr T look like one of the Smurfs. It did prepare me somewhat though for my first Greyhound journey with it being the main bus network in the US, a country where nearly everyone owns a car, apart from the poor, travelers and nutjobs which pretty much makes up the passenger list on a typical Greyhound bus. Seemed a world away from the last major bus journeys I took in safe little New Zealand having to have your bag searched and metal detectored before boarding. We had soon left the metropolis of LA behind though powering out into the Mojave Desert towards Nevada stopping at fast food places along the way to refill on McD's $1 double cheeseburgers. For little more than a hostel you can shack up in a hotel suite in Vegas which was the route I took getting a large twin double bed room en suite with cable TV and great views over the craziness outside. Katie had said on describing Vegas that best thing to do was just to experience it, walk down the strip and try and take it all in. Vegas is an assault on the senses, with those senses being any that sense tackiness, over-the-topness or a billion bright lights with everything from the towering casinos and dancing fountains to the Eiffel Tower and the Pyramids shining brighter than the sun. So kinda like Blackpool, but without the donkeys. The biscuit for outlandishness though would have to go to the Venetian Casino Hotel based around a Venice theme the place tries successfully to recreate a Venetian feel with gondola rides down an artificial indoor canal complete with fake sky which anywhere else would mess with your senses on exiting at night but the strip is probably brighter then than during the day anyway. Yet I still couldn't help but like it, a sort of guilty pleasure which really is Vegas in a nutshell.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169344260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169344260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169344260/tpod.html Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:30:09 -0500 Where in the World

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Nadi, Viti Levu, Fiji

The first airbus to leave for the airport departed the city at 4:35am with me heading down early enough to make it to arrive in good time for my flight. 4:45am no bus. Although there was a friendly security guard hanging around who kept telling me the bus would just be coming in between pointing out hookers waiting around this area of town.5am still no bus. Another couple had also turned by now with their flight leaving 30mins earlier than mine but being a domestic flight put us around the same time we needed to get to the airport.5:20am nothing. By now we had crossed the safe deadline of getting to the airport with time to spare and the constantly passing taxis looked like the best option as I kidnapped one other guy going to the airport so 4 of us squeezed into the back splitting the cost down to within $2 of the bus.What this meant though was arriving late and with Air New Zealand's lack of on line check-in had a seat in the very back row of the plane foiling any attempts at reclining the seat not that getting any sleep would be a realistic hope anyway due to being whacked by everybody and their kid going to the toilet.Touchdown in Fiji. I remember this feeling of heat and humidity.The morning's fun was soon forgotten though when on arrival at Nadi's airport we were greeted by a small band singing and playing guitars welcoming everyone to Fiji with the kind of open friendliness that would become the norm here.Waiting at the airport for one more person before our shuttle bus to the hotel the taxi drivers were already enjoying some early Kava which I'd heard a lot about and was hoping to try out but never expected it to see it so soon. Kava is the local fire water yet containing no alcohol and is made from the grounding up the Kava plant root which is then mixed in water to give a muddy flavored drink known to be able to numb the lips and mouth.Arriving at the Horizon Hotel I took a short walk along the beach although it was more mud than sand yet that didn't seem to stop many of the locals cooling off though I just settled on a quick dip in the hotel pool instead. Nadi town itself was some distance back down the road which I started walking towards before a passing motorist stopped and offered me a lift into town. Not a great deal in Nadi other appearing a bit of a shanty town with Hindu temple at the far end of town and a peculiar high number of shoe shops. It did have a bit of a time warp feel about it though with 80's music playing out from every shop front fitting the age of most cars parked outside. <i>Bula (pronounced boolah) is the one expression you need to remember here in Fiji not that you will forget it though since you will hear it everywhere from being shouted at across the street or from a passing bus or spoken politely on entering a shop. It means <i>hello but also just about anything else from happiness to good health being used as much as possible it seems especially towards visitors. Bula!The owner of one shop got me talking before inviting me in as my traveling con-beware instincts started to prick up. However inside all he wanted to do was tell me about his village and show me pictures of it and of Fiji before inviting 2 of his friends out the back to come through and we all sat down in his shop having my first Kava ceremony. One of the friends prepared the Kava bowl who I first thought was washing his shirt in the bowl but was just wringing the Kava root through it into the water before handing me the first bowl. There is a whole process that is gone through when drinking Kava which starts with a clap and a by saying "Bula" before taking the bowl which must then be drunk down in one before clapping three times afterwards to show your appreciation of the Kava. You can also not leave until the bowl is finished which gave us time to talk telling me more about Fiji from Kava to Cannibals and of course the many health benefits of drinking it which supposedly even cures cancer according to one newspaper cut out he showed me. It was clear how much they wanted to get across how friendly Fiji was and constantly told me to tell all my friends about the place in an effort to counteract any doubt over the safety of the area due to recent political events.Taking the bus back to the hotel the evening saw more Kava time with the Kava-holics, a small group putting on some entertainment in the form of dances and of course more Kava drinking earning my Kavaholic life time membership. My mum must be so proud.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1174181760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1174181760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1174181760/tpod.html Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:22:30 -0500 Where in the World

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Glenluce, United Kingdom

All of the many many photos: Where in the world1 year. 15 countries. 10,700 photos. Over 50,000 miles. How do you explain it all? How do you describe the time of your life? Where do you go from here? Been home for a little over one month now and I still don't know those answers. First few days where quite strange and surreal wondering if I went away at all continually looking at the stamps in my passport or the photos just to make sure it wasn't just all a dream. It took a while to take it all in, the amount of memories, experiences, sights, sounds and people I met, it was just an overload that took time to process. Returning home was an anti-climax. I mean I was glad and excited to be coming home but maybe it was due to just how little had changed since I had been away. I try my best to keep things 'normal' as I adjust back into things here just feeling like I will explode at times with everything bottled up inside but not wanting to become a bore talking of nothing but traveling. Something is different. It's good though to suddenly have a choice of clothes once again, remembering what it's like to wear jeans or simple things like having having free Internet but also having to face the task of sorting out my stuff, a year of mail certainly adds up. The journal is here and that helps but I have accepted that I will never be able to fully explain to people what it is like to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat or stand on the Great Wall of China or teach in Thailand or dive on the Great Barrier Reef or all those little moments that you still hold on to forever unless they take that journey too. I put off unpacking (actually still not completely emptied my bag) and even finishing the diary for a while for not wanting to effectively sign off on the trip and consider it over. Everyday been a <i>'this time a year ago I was...'. All I've wanted to do since returning is set off again, talking about the journey to others has only made them want to go off and do the same making it harder for me now to settle down. I was going to write and try and come up with a top 10 highlights of the journey but after reaching around 70 just off the top of my head I realized it's futility so I'll just say it was amazing. A dream beyond any I could have imagined. I still keep catching myself suddenly smiling or laughing out loud when some memory suddenly jumps into my head again probably to the worry of others around at the time not that I care, something like that probably would have bothered me before. Before I left some said good, go and get it out of your system, but the thing is traveling is not something you can get rid of I know now that once the travel bug has you it will never let go - I don't want to be cured. So the big 'have you changed?' question. Probably still too early to tell, I think it is something that happens along with you like growing taller you don't notice yourself as you grow with it but others will see the difference after a time apart. What do I think? All I know is that when I look back now on it all, all those memories, all those places, all those sights, all those things learned, all those cultures, all those people, all those new friends, all those experiences, all those eye opening breathtaking amazing unforgettable moments that happen when traveling, how could I have not? Happy travels. <i>"It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage." - Indiana Jones
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169180160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169180160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169180160/tpod.html Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:50:32 -0500 Where in the World

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Bay of Islands, New Zealand

The Treaty of Waitangi, signed some 167 years ago, was seen as the founding of the nation of New Zealand when some 35 Maori Chiefs and a British representative signed the treaty marking New Zealand as a British colony. Despite the fact the treaty is still hotly debated as to it's fairness the sight of the signing is still a popular sight and also just north of Paihia.Stopping at the treaty grounds while out on a bike ride today I took a short wander around the grounds seeing the treaty house and large Maori meeting house on site as well as the equally huge Maori war canoe near by. Guessing they never used that for dolphin watching.After continuing further on by bike I sat back in the hostel flicking through the past visitors New Zealand travel tips all repeating the same places to go, see and jump off. Instead I thought I would add my own top three Kiwi tips:1. Don't bother looking at the weather forecast.2. Get a BBH card (YHA ok but BBH really is the bees knees down here)3. Don't swerve to miss possums.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169093760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169093760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169093760/tpod.html Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:47:36 -0500 Where in the World

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Bay of Islands, New Zealand

The Bay of Islands, other than islands, is a popular place for viewing and swimming with dolphins and in the right season whales. Being the wrong season I settled on a Catamaran cruise around the islands hoping for a bit of Flipper action along the way. Some of the marine life that can been seen in the area includes both common and bottlenosed dolphins, orcas, whale, seals and penguins although the chance to swim with the former is dependent on whether or not their are young among the group.The medium sized boat was a busy craft with most heading for the front netted area as we cruised out of the harbour area with some helping to set the sails along the way while the rest of us picked out a good lounging spot. There are 144 islands in the bay with some being pointed out along the way including some exclusive private beach properties to match some of the gleaming white super yachts anchored amongst the islands.The first and only island we stopped at, was Pukapukawhatamatahakkahakasomethingorother island, one of the largest in the bay. A short walk up to the top of the island gave some good views over the surrounding islands with the bouncy castle like grass underfoot acting as a giant pillow for some.A BBQ lunch on board the boat soon got people moving again as we continued to sail around the bay keeping an eye out for tell tale dorsal fins. We did spot a few blue penguins but as the sail came to an end there was not a porpoise in sight.The relaxing trip was still a lazy day out, with the same theme continuing in the evening feeling like watching a movie so sitting down with a couple of French girls letting them choose. Bridget Jones Diary 2. Oh crap, really don't think I have enough alcohol to see me through this.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169004840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169004840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1169004840/tpod.html Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:44:30 -0500 Where in the World

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Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Waiting to explore some of the northern tip of New Zealand got an early bus to Paihia yet failing to see much of the landscape along the way spending most of the journey staring at the back of my eyelids.The Peppertree hostel where I chose to hibernate for a few days was a good BBH offering with friendly owners giving good around town advice. One thing they recommend was a walk through some mangrove mud flats to a waterfall so I decided to head that way remembering their quoted 1hour 20min return time. Two hours later I had just reached the falls. To make it worse along the way for almost the entire duration of the walk was some really loud irritating insects sounding like static for 2 hours having me reach the far end with a splitting headache. Stupid nature.Mingling with others back at the hostel, most seemed to be lucky enough to just be starting out on their travels all healthy looking with non-faded clothes, pristine copies of Lonely Planet close at hand and well packed backpacks. No idea what is lurking in the depths of my backpack now.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1168811880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1168811880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1168811880/tpod.html Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:40:36 -0500 Where in the World

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Auckland, New Zealand

Woke up feeling like the bed was a half-pipe having sunk in the middle with the mattress folding up on either side, suppose should just be glad it ain't another bunk bed.Taking the long walk into town the Auckland Skytower at 328 meters was easily visible giving a centre point to aim for as I wound my way slowly towards it. The skytower is the main attraction in Auckland and proudly proclaimed as higher than Sydney's tower offering, any excuse for a dig at those across the water eh? From the top it gave panoramic views across the city both out of the windows and down through the glass paneled flooring in places which despite a notice saying it was a strong as the concrete around it most people tended to side step around them. Looking out across to the harbour bridge and round the bay the view was only broken by a body falling past the window with the skytower also being another Kiwi 'hurl-yourself-from' platform, this one allowing you a 192 meter tethered fall. Back down at ground level took the bus down to the harbour area looking over to the harbour bridge yet another bungy spot. Think the lemming should really be New Zealand's national icon rather than the kiwi.The harbour area was quite scenic in the sun littered with little and not so little cafes and restaurants although Sydney still comes in on top here. Nearby was a Greenpeace anti-whaling ship given tours and declaring their free Willy policy which was made all the more entertaining due to the high numbers of Japanese in Auckland.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1168749240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1168749240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/alasdairm/roundtheworld/1168749240/tpod.html Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:36:10 -0500 Where in the World

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Rotorua, New Zealand

More rain fell again this morning making it feel like half the pacific ocean had been dumped overhead during the past week. Rotorua has no shortage of Maori sites and villages most based around the many geothermal areas with Te Puia on the edge of town the one I choose to check out. Te Puia is a mix of Maori village pieces with boiling mud, steaming ground and a few geysers, although they did seem more like little squirts today barely reaching a few feet up. Also here is a large Maori meeting house where they put on a short concert requiring shoes to be removed before entry. Although touristific the few dances and songs were well performed including the hakka appearing much different to that on TV probably due to the lack of a rugby ball. Going naked again (in bus name only) to Auckland the $10 fare was a bargain especially when the driver dropped me off almost at the doorstep to the hostel which appeared to be as far from the city centre as it could possibly be.
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