TravelStream™ news feed for member wyeandluke on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/wyeandluke en-us Copyright ©2012 TravelPod.com Thu, 24 May 2007 22:27:03 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wyeandluke/worldtrip0506/1180105380/tpod.html http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wyeandluke/worldtrip0506/1180105380/tpod.html#comment Travel Blogs http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/wyeandluke/worldtrip0506/1180105380/tpod.html Fri, 25 May 2007 02:27:03 +0000 Here's to the world...

Home Sweet Home - Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane, Australia

Wow it's been nearly four months since our last entry. And nearly that since we've been home. :( For those who don't know, yes, we are home. Luke and I planned a surprise attack on our friends and family and it worked... nobody was expecting us. Anyhow, we miss travelling terribly, but we came back to embark on being adults again. Responsibilities... what is that??!! And so as it happens... we've bought a piece of land and are now in search of builders to build our home... it's all very grown up. Luke is back working for his previous employer... and I am still freelancing. Seems like we've never left! We have rented a cute little duplex in a suburb about 10 mins from the city and live in it quite happily with our dog Jesse. For those who know Neil Levy (British) from the volunteer program in Nepal... he's here in Brissy and has been staying with Kimberley. It's been great catching up with the two of them. We've been trying to show Neilji a jolly good time in Oz, and took him to a the melon festival in Chinchilla, a country town a few hours from Brisbane. So he met a cowboy (Luke's brother) some horses, cattle, and a true blue aussie poet! He's also managed to land himself in hospital... for those who have heard the stories, Neil has already been in an Indian and a Nepali hospital. There seems to be a pattern forming here... Anyhow, we hope you are all well, to those who are still on the road, we are insanely jealous. Stay safe and have fun! Thanks everyone for reading our travelblog, we've had some really nice feedback about it. Til our next journey... living in the burbs. Love from Wye and Luke xx
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Singapore - Singapore, Singapore

Singapore, Singapore

Hi! Yes, I know, our entries are getting rather short. I think we're slacking off! We're now in Singapore... the Island I swear is going to sink very soon. The amount of construction that happens in this small country is phenomenal! Singapore is an ultra modern city and it has shot us right back into civilisation. We came to Singapore for our friends Venetia and Carl's wedding and it was gorgeous. Venetia looked stunning in her Nina Ricci gown. It was a fun day. We've spent the rest of the time relaxing I guess, before our next journey. We've gone to the night safari which was awesome... unfortunately, we have no photos as they did not allow flash photography... pity, because we encountered what must have been the world's largest snake! Speaking of large, check our Venetia and Carl's cat, Billo! It's been fantastic catching up with my Singaporean friends, thanks guys for your hospitality. Til next time... take care all... xx
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Malacca - Malacca, Malaysia

Malacca, Malaysia

Ah, Malacca....... we stopped here for a few days on our way to Singapore. Malacca is a great litle sea side town built around a major port. It has a mixed colonial history involving the portugese, dutch and british which is evident in the amazingly diverse architechture. The food here was fantastic and a great way to break-up the sight seeing. Malacca was the ideal place to soak up Malaysia's past and present culture with plenty of opportunity to swing the camera. Enjoy the pics.....
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KL - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Just thought we'd add some pics from our stay in KL.
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It's been a while! Here's Thailand! - Phuket, Thailand

Phuket, Thailand

Hello there! Yes, we know, it's been ages! But internet has been harder to access lately, and expensive. We're now in Kuala Lumpur, where I was born. Last time I was here, bed bugs... this time? So far so good.

Wow, so the last time we wrote, was about Cambodia... well, since then, we stayed a few days in Bangkok and then continued up to Pai.

We ended up spending just under a month in Pai, teaching in Nam Hoo village. The principal was delighted to see me again, although he was expecting me back quite a few months earlier. This time though, there were two of us teaching each class and it was much easier. Although... Luke and I set a test at the end of our teaching period, and er... 6 children out of 70 (3 classes) passed, and the rest failed, most quite miserably. Reflection on their teachers perhaps??? We were quite dissapointed at first, but then came to realise that hopefully we made a difference to at least two of the students, who did do really well... you've got to be happy with that.

As many of you know, Aaron, Luke's friend flew over from Oz and met up with us in Pai. It was fantastic to see him, and with him, was a massive leg of ham, and a huge hunk of steak... mmmm... oh, and of course some Autralian red wine... He sure knew what we'd missed. It was a good Christmas! Pai was really cold actually, some nights dropped to as low as 6 degrees! Daytime temperatures were mild, between 20 - 25. We relaxed pretty much the whole time in Pai, did a little sight seeing, but the most fun was when the three of us hired a scooter each and rode to Mae Hong Son one day. Riding through the mountains was fantastic, there were a few scary corners, but it was cool!

New Years was spent in Chiang Mai, it was a little scary on the eve when we heard of the bombings in Bangkok, and the celebrations in Chiang Mai were therefore cancelled too. Still, we did join what seemed like all of Thailand in the traditional lighting of giant lanterns and watched them float off into the sky with our wishes for the new year.

We spent New Year's Day on a bus to Bangkok... and were surprised to find that Aaron had booked us all into a luxury Hotel called the Conrad!!! Eekkk!!! It was wonderful! The bed, the bath tub!!! The service! Oh.... it was just incredible and we felt spoilt. We pretty much spent the day in their luxurious bath robes and slippers!

Aaron left us on the 5th :( and we were joined by our favourite travel buddies, Adi and Yuval... it was so good to see these two again as they were about to leave to go back home. The four of us headed down south to Krabi and headed for Tonsai Beach, we'd all been itching for some island hopping. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't that great and we only spent three days there. Luke and I left then, and headed further south to Ko Lipe in hope that the weather was going to be better... It was.... sorry Adi and Yuval, it was glorious.

7 days on this amazing island, it is starting to get overun by tourists, but no way as much as places like Ko Phi Phi or Ko Samui... some of it was still fairly rustic, with bamboo bungalows right on the beach. We spent most of our days in the sun, swimming, reading... and did a day of diving too.... visibilty wasn't amazing, but there were lots of Nemo's relatives to say g'day to which was cool. It was awesome to feel like darth vader under water again. Loved it!

We jumped on a train from the mainland and left Thailand ... for Malaysia. We're catching up with some of my family, most of whom I haven't seen in years... should be nice. We leave for a town down south called Malacca where we'll stay for a few days before heading to Singapore for my friends Venetia and Carl's wedding.

So enjoy the photos... hope everyone is well, happy belated Christmas and New Year! Love from Wye and Luke xx



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Bangkok - Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok
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Huay Xai - Huay xai, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

Huay xai, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

Lao
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Pai - Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand

A shot of our bungalow behind some orchids! Don't forget to check out our previous entry - Cambodia. Those who access through the direct link will see it, otherwise, click on the "precious entry" icon at the top of the page.
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Cambodia - Pnom Phen, Cambodia

Pnom Phen, Cambodia

Hello there! We're finally taking a rest from travelling! Believe it or not! One would think travelling was a form of relaxation... hmmm... not so. We have been on the road since Nepal and have been feeling rather tired. We have decided to stop for a month, during the mad (xmas) season and "hide" in Pai, Nth Thailand. Not sure if you remember, but I (Wye) was here about 6 months ago. Anyway, this is meant to be about Cambodia... so here goes. The rough road travels didn't end for us in Myanmar, Cambodia's were a good challenge. Though they had fewer pot holes, they were very dusty and bumpy. We did the border crossing from Laos over to Cambodia. Quite the journey, changing constantly from buses to a boat, then a car. We finally reach Phnom Pehn, the capital. Luke and I didn't quite have the stomaches for the killing fields and the gory museums so we spent our time there shopping at the markets (mainly DVD's) and eating. We found vegimite!!! For us, the main reason for our visit to Cambodia was of course the Angkors, but we found ourselves on a bus to Sihanoukville, the beaches!!! 5 beach bumming days was quite the treat, although the place was filled with kids who were hawking bracelets and paintings and constantly in your face.... here's some typical things you would hear while trying to relax: "Lady you buy bracelet!" "You buy, five for one dollar." "You buy from me... you buy!" Then of course, you get the beggers, mostly with limbs missing from mine and car accidents and also women whom i swear never got out of their PJs convincing you that you have the hairiest legs that needed serious tweezing (a long and tedious action done skillfully with a piece of cotton string.) Of course, you are also in need of manicures, pedicures and to top it off, a massage. We were a real disappointment to all these people. The haggling doesn't stop, and continues in Siem Reap, home of the Angkorian ruins. We didn't last very long, and half a day visiting the main three temples was quite enough. Don't get me wrong, they were amazing, but you share this with thousands of other tourists i kid you not. Most of these tourists are massive tour groups, and it is next to impossible to get a photo without a human in it! Angkor wat is quite the tourist attraction as you can imagine, and I was really surprised to see how built up it was. Bituman roads everywhere. I think i was expecting more jungle! I'll blame Tomb Raider for giving me that impression! On the way back from the temples, we saw a sign at the front of a children's hospital asking for blood donations. Why not??? It was actually the Kantha Bopha Foundation, founded by a doctor Beat Richner. This hospital provides free health care for the children of Cambodia. It is a great cause so if you feel like donating any money or finding out more, here's the website: http://www.beatocello.com/ We did have a nice time in Cambodia though, but it is fast becoming a tourist trap where guesthouses and hotels are popping up around every corner. We're missing home, and hope everyone is well. Take care! Love from Wye and Luke xx
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Mandalay - Mandalay, Myanmar

Mandalay, Myanmar

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