TravelStream™ news feed for member natandkat on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/natandkat en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:16:19 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1148313720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1148313720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1148313720/tpod.html Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:16:19 -0400 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Paris, France

Ahhh Paris.. The city of love and the perfect stop for the honeymooners. You know, I never get sick of Paris, I think I could go there a million times and always be able to lose myself in the city and it's people. I don't care that the Parisiennes may come across as arrogant, I love them for it. Paris wouldn't be the same without the locals blowing smoke in your face just as you're about to tuck into a jambon and fromage baguette at your local cafe or walking along the street admiring the architecture and stepping in some chien-merde that seems to be an ever present hazard to daydreamers such as ourselves. Anyway I could go on and on but fortunately for you I wont.We had booked into a lovely little pension right on top of Notre Dame and to be honest we weren't expecting great things but we were very pleasantly surprised. The room was interestingly decorated and as you can see from the photos our view was priceless. Great stuff all around.We had dual reasons to be excited about being in Paris, one the city itself and two the fact that two very good friends and their daughter would be joining us for the weekend. Yes, if you checked the photos first and spotted Rich, Jules and Zoe you would already know by now. R,J&Z are currently living in Luxembourg so it was only a short(ish) drive for them to come and play for a 3 day weekend.Given Kat and I have been to Paris before and visited most of the big attractions (Le Louvre, Climbed Le Toure Eiffel, Strolled the Champs-Elysees etc) we decided on getting out to the Palias Versailles before Rich and Jules arrived. As you can no doubt see from the photos (in fact most of our photos from the cities we've visited) we weren't blessed with the greatest weather but we we're kinda used to it by that stage. So, to the Palace, all I'll say is I can understand why the undernourished french peasants decided to revolt back in 1789. From the grounds to the palace it's enormous and probably for the time a massive waste of the people's taxes but then if good old Louis XIV hadn't have done it we wouldn't be able to fork out $50 each for the privledge of visiting it today.There's about 4 billion rooms with secret passages running from upstairs apartments (king and queen) to downstairs (the children and relatives). I quite liked that they were so lazy that they had those little boxes to be carried around the place in. It's good to be the King, Queen and anyone else related to them. It was also interesting to note that the King would receive people in his room while he was in bed. They had to stand behind the rail (pictured) and talk to him, I think this is how I shall receive all my guests from this point forward.The palace was also home to Napoleon and there's a few rooms plastered with enormous pictures of the little man. One also has a enormous phallus that was 'erected' in honour of France conquering Austria somewhere along the line.After wandering through the great halls and rooms of the palace you make your way out into the gardens which are apparently magnificent but unfortunately we were unable to get around to see them due to a gale kicking off just as we exited the palace. Nevermind we were buggered by then anyway and Rich and Jules were due to arrive so it was time to head back into Paris.We made it back into to town just in time to catch R,J&Z and have a leasurely stroll around Isle de St Louis and have a couple if quiet beers and smoke a ciggie in a restaurant much to no-ones disgust. It sort of feels naughty smoking in a cafe or restaurant after a decade of smoking bans in Australia but it was sort of liberating at the same time. Finish meal, sip beer and light up a durrie. Love it.The next day was a mish mash of the Musee De Orsay and the Catacombs. My love of Zombies is well known among some of you so the Catacombs was must see. I mean seriously, Picasso and Monet vs' a thousands of skulls and bones 60 meters underground, you be the judge with which is more interesting. So the M 'O is fairly impressive, a lovely old Railway station transformed into an art museum with an eclectic collection of the world's finest artists but and it's a big but the catacombs is eerily lit, seeping water and is full of bones.Rich, Jules and I loved it (Zoe slept through it), you creep along a 1.6km rocky path underneath the Paris streets with dead people surrounding you. Kat of course hated it and ran through it in record time according to the attendant but for me it was like a leisurely stroll through a sunny garden admiring the plant and birdlife. The photos don't really do it justice so visit it if you get the chance.Our final day we strolled up the Champs Elysees, wandered over to the Eiffel Tower and just made the most of the city of love. We both agreed that it's a city that never loses it's magic no matter how many times you visit. To have been able to visit it on our honeymoon and meet up with great friends was an absolute blessing we'll never forget.Hope all is well.Nath and Kat.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1146553500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1146553500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1146553500/tpod.html Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:56:26 -0400 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Sydney, Australia

Dear All,Just a quick one to get this thing started. More interesting entries to come.Well it's our final day in Sydney and it's a day of great joy tinged with a little sadness. On one hand we're excited about the prospect of setting off on our little adventure for the next 8 or so months and on the other we both know that we're going to miss our family and friends immensely. Nevermind, we'll forget about you all after a week or two.So, our first destination is San Francisco where we'll be living it up in style with the Wilkins clan. This will be a backpacking and budget free zone.More from there.Nath and Kat.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170333720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170333720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170333720/tpod.html Sun, 18 Feb 2007 03:24:08 -0500 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Siem Reap, Cambodia

Greetings from one of the world's unlisted wonders, The Temples of Angkor.The temples of Angkor, capital of Cambodia's ancient Khmer empire were built between the 9th and 13th centuries. There remains 100's of them today the largest of which is Angkor Wat. Soaring skyward and surrounded by a moat bigger than any we saw in Europe, Angkor Wat has to be one of the most inspired and spectacular monuments ever conceived. It is also the largest religious building on Earth today which for those that have seen St Paul's in Rome would know is no small thing. It is without a doubt one of the most spectacular things either of has ever seen. Simply mind blowing.It is said that Angkor is the heart and soul of the Kingdom of Cambodia and a source of inspiration and national pride as they struggle to rebuild their lives after the years of terror and trauma. Today the temples are a point of pilgrimage for all Cambodians and none of you should miss seeing this absolute wonder once in your life. We were truly gob-smacked for the 8 or so hours we wandered about.The above being said, there is a price to pay other than admission to Angkor and that is having to put up with all the Korean tourists who fly into Siem Reap airport, jump into Korean tourist buses on mass (there must be 10's of thousands of them on any given day) and swarm over the temples like dirty flies over a rotting carcass. But if you persist in getting off the beaten track and trust your guide you can clamber over, through and around temples where no one else can be seen or heard. Lovely.All in all The Temples of Angkor have rocketed into a top 3 position in our overall highlights list, they are simply sensational. Siem Reap as a base is a great little spot as well,  certainly a tourist town now but with a nice quiet vibe about it. There's a smattering of cheaper places as well as some more expensive places for those with a larger budget than ourselves.Great stuff, we absolutely loved the place and couldn't recommend it enough to all and sundry.Next Pod - Sihanoukville, Cambodia.Love,Nath and Kat.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170292080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170292080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170292080/tpod.html Wed, 14 Feb 2007 00:01:42 -0500 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

And so we arrive at Phnom Penh (PP).Well it was certainly nice to arrive in PP after 8 hours on a bus (quite short compared to some however).How to explain PP. I guess there's not much to say really as comparatively to most places we've been it seems such a non event. There's an extreme between wealth and poverty that assaults you at every turn. The corruption in this country is rife and so visible it's sickening. The NGO's that have come in to assist in rebuilding pay massive grafts to corrupt officials who then display their wealth with the latest model BMW, Lexus, Hummers, Porsche etc. Why?Then you turn the next corner and you're beset by street urchins selling anything and everything, land mine amputees begging beside your table while you eat every meal of the day. Seriously a country from initial impressions that seems to have lost it's soul somewhere along the line.Sad, yes. Any wonder, no. As most would know from the film or memories of Kampuchean refugees in the 1970's Cambodia suffered one of the worst atrocities against humanity in recent history. And it was with this in mind that we went to pay homage to the Killing Fields and the S21 Museum.Rising amid 129 mass graves is a blinding white stupa that serves as a memorial to the approximately 17,000 men, women and children who were executed here by the Khmer Rouge. Behind the stupa's glass panels and rising upwards shelf by shelf are 8000 skulls found during excavations here in the early 80's. Sadly some of the skulls still bear witness to the fact that they were bludgeoned to death for the sake of saving 'precious' bullets. Quite sombre.From the Killing Fields you make your way to the S21 Museum. In 1975 Pol Pot's security forces turned this former school into a security prison, the largest centre of detention and torture in the country. Almost everyone held here was later executed at the Killing Fields. Detainees who died during torture were buried in mass graves inside the prison grounds. It's said that an average of 100 prisoners died every day. We also read a statistic that showed of 20,000 prisoners that passed through the prison, only 7 survived. To walk through this prison is a frightful experience and one as sad as Auschwitz.So, we weren't enamoured by Phnom Penh but felt it was worth the visit.Next Pod - Siem Reap (Angkor Wat), Cambodia.Love,Nath and Kat.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170841620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170841620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170841620/tpod.html Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:48:28 -0500 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Bangkok, Thailand

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1171013940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1171013940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1171013940/tpod.html Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:47:52 -0500 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Trat, Thailand

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170509880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170509880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170509880/tpod.html Fri, 09 Feb 2007 04:03:11 -0500 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Pnom Penh, Cambodia

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]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170162000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170162000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170162000/tpod.html Tue, 06 Feb 2007 08:56:07 -0500 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Moc Bai, Vietnam

Another border quicky for you.Well we hit and went through the Vietnam - Cambodia border with little to no hassle. In fact it was so easy it was scary. Sometimes it pays to buy a straight through ticket from one city through a border crossing to your destination city.So that's it for this pod.Next Pod - Phnom Phen, Cambodia.Nath and Kat.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170164400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170164400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1170164400/tpod.html Mon, 05 Feb 2007 09:48:03 -0500 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

Just a quick one from my day trip to the Tunnels of Cu Chi (Kat elected to stay at home due to a bad case of claustrophobia).So off I trot on my lonesome which was quite a strange feeling after having done everything together for the last 9 months. I was under directions to play nicely with the other children and make friends, even share my packed lunch if needs be.So we begin the trip in our shitty minivan with a quick run through of the tunnels themselves and why they were so strategically important. The tunnel network became legendary during the 1960's for it's role in facilitating Viet Cong control of a large rural area only 30 kilometres from Saigon itself. At the time there were more than 200 kilometres of tunnels in Cu Chi alone. After ground operations targeting the tunnels claimed a large number of casualties and proved ineffective, the Americans turned their artillery and B-52's on the area.So it was into what remains of the Cu Chi tunnels that we headed. There still remains part of the original tunnel system but the system that the tourist are shunted to have been enlarged by about half their size again for the fat westerners to get through. And squeeze through we did.After walking through the general area to get a feel for the jungle (mainly new growth as it was this area that Agent Orange was used most liberally) we were marched single file into the tunnel system. We descended with some trepidation, some more than others it would seem as one middle aged American was necking a beer to calm his nerves. And it was this guy that would provide myself and two Irish guys with so much amusement during the first ten minutes down under.Literally within a minute of crawling you are in a pitch black environment lit intermittently with dim red lanterns. I kid you not, you could not see a thing and it was freaking the American out. Liam was behind me and the yank was behind him screaming, 'where are you guys, I've lost you guys'. To which Liam answered, 'we're lost man, we're lost, we took a wrong turn we're gonna die'. This continued for five or so minutes and I was in hysterics as was Donal in front of me and the poor yank was freaking himself right out. It really was kinda scary down there and I don't have a problem with enclosed spaces so I'm afraid our laughing at him was probably pretty cruel but hey, he knew the risk and fortune didn't favour the brave on this occasion. For most of you the most dangerous thing likely to occur down there is scuffed knees from having to crawl along the compacted dirt floor.Anyways, once out of the tunnel system you walk around the different room types there were (now conveniently excavated with thatched roofs), and have a look-see at the different traps the Viet Cong used (with a lovely painted backdrop). All of which makes it quite an interesting day trip from Saigon. I just hope for your sake that another tourist freaks out while you're down there, it certainly made mine and a couple of Irish men's day!Next Pod - Moc Bai (Cambodian Border), Vietnam.Love,Nath and Kat.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1169907660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1169907660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/natandkat/nkhoneymoon/1169907660/tpod.html Thu, 01 Feb 2007 07:29:43 -0500 The Amazing Honeymoon - Join us as we go overland through Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Pakistan, around India, China, SE Asia before ending up back in Sydney. Witness the Fitness!

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Saigon, Vietnam

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City - or Saigon as it was known before the Vietnam war and what we prefer to call it.Saigon seems to run a continuous soundtrack loop and it isn't from Apocalypse Now. It's mobile phones ringing, horns honking, screeching metal doors signaling the beginning of another day and annoying hawkers selling hammocks, books and other assorted garbage. The non stop river of chaotic traffic finally slows in the early hours and soup steams from street side cauldrons all day and all night. Certainly an atmosphere that feeds all your senses at once.It seems Saigon is booming, with new hotels and businesses opening daily. Somewhat stylish western bars and clubs are filled with ambitious young expatriates knocking back too many cheap whiskeys, down and out backpackers slumming it in sidewalk bars and dirty old bastards with gorgeous young Vietnamese women draped all over them. Yes Saigon has it all, including dodgy guys continually trying to sell me dope, in fact since I started growing the first beard back in Eastern Europe dodgy characters have been trying to sell me drugs, porn and all sorts of other contraband. And just yesterday I got called Osama Bin Laden by a moto driver here in Saigon. Wish I was, I'd turn myself in for the US$25,000,000.00 reward and live it up in Guantanamo Bay.Anyways, we spent a couple of days in and around Saigon. We visited the War Remnants Museum which provides an an alternative perspective on the Vietnam war from the viewpoint of the victors which is a disturbing counterpoint to that of official western history and countless Rambo and Chuck Norris movies. We lunched at the Rex hotel which is famous for have being the meeting point for all the war correspondents during the Vietnam war.Otherwise that's about all for Saigon.Next Pod - Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam.Love,Nath and Kat.
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