Quirky info about our travels
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Nanaimo,
Canada
Thursday, November 24, 2005
This is a just a bunch of stuff we will update throughout our travels
Farthest place on land we can possible be away from Vancouver Island is Capetown, South Africa, so we have done it! Technically the exact opposite place on earth, and the farthest away would be in the water below South Africa, so unless we get in a boat and go there, this won't happen.
Flights so far
Vancouver to London
London to Nairobi
Moshi to Zanzibar
Zanzibar to Johannesburg
Cape Town to London
London to Bangkok
Bangkok to Chaingmai
Chaingmai to Bangkok
Bangkok to Siem Reap
Siem Reap to Bangkok
Bangkok to Krabi
Krabi to Bangkok
Luang Prabang to Bangkok
Bangkok to Singapore
Singapore to Hong Kong
Guilin to Kunming
Zhongdian to Lhasa
Chengdu to Xian
Xian to Beijing
Beijing to Hong Kong
Hong Kong to Singapore
Singapore to Athens
Venice to Frankfurt
Frankfurt to Porto
Porto to Dublin
Cork to London
London to Vancouver
Vancouver to Los Angeles
Los Angeles to Mexico City
Mexico City to Vancouver
Shortest flight 12 minutes from Zanzibar to Dar Es Salaam
Longest flights Cape Town to London 11 hours
Singapore to Athens 13 hours
Train rides
Lhasa to Chengdu 48 hours
Bus rides
Nairobi, Kenya to Arusha, Tanzania
Arusha to Moshi, Tanzania
Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi to Ayathaya
Hong Kong to Shenzen
Shenzen to Yangshou
Kunming to Dali
Dali to Lijiang
Lijiang to Zhongdian
coldest temperature, don't know exact temp, but bloody cold at Everest Base Camp!
hottest temperature 42.c in Outshorn, South Africa
Money used so far and its conversion into Canadian dollars
British pound 1 pound = 2.20 cad
Kenyan shilling can't remember
Tanzanian shilling 1 cad = 1200 shillings
South Africa Rand 1 cad = approx 5.12 rand
Thailand Baht 1 cad = 35 baht
Cambodia Riel 1cad = 3731 riel
Laos Kip 1 cad = 9290 kip
Singapore Dollar 1 cad = 1.4 SGD
Hong Kong Dollar 1 cad = 6.68 HKD
Chinese Qwai or Yuan 1 cad = 7 yuan
Euro 1.50 CAD = 1 Euro
Mexican Peso 1 CAD = 10 pesos
most people seen on one bicycle so far 5
largest item being carried on a bicycle - small bed mattress
largest item being carried on someones head, -20 litre container of water, also some very large suitcases
cheapest internet connections so far
-60cents an hour in tanzania
-50 cents an hour in Laos
most expensive $12 and hour in the Drakensberg area, South Africa
accommodation:
most expensive 836 rand or $167 a christmas treat, room with a jacuzzi Hazyview, SA
well Dublin topped that price at almost $200 CAD for a room
cheapest accmodations $12 US in Laos for a private double room, air con and ensuite
Yangshou, China $9 for private double, ensuite and air con
different foods and drinks tried
talapia fish
chaga fish
yellow tail fish
traditional xhosa beer
pickled pig porter beer
pangalactic gargleblaster drink
unripe mango dipped in sugar and ground chillies
square wiggly dessert in thailand, no it was not jello!
fake vegetarian spareribs in Beijing
tomatoes dipped in chocolate, Beijing
People we have met that live close to home
-guy from Duncan at the customs border between Kenya and Tanzania
-a girl at the check in counter at Luang Prabang from Duncan as well, what's up with Duncan?
-couple from Vancouver that knew people in Nanaimo we had heard of
-family from Victoria, we stayed at the elephant nature park in Thailand at the same time
Cape Town Backpackers, the manager from Victoria
Lady in San Miguel from Victoria
People we bumped into again on our travels.
Too many numerous ones to list throughout short distances, from everyone following the same route within a specific country. Two worth noting are a guy we sat with on Zanzibar Island off the coast of Tanzania, then we later spotted him walking down a street in Ayathaya, Thailand! A girl we spoke with in Cintsa, South Africa, saw her staring across at us while we sat and ate in a restuarant in Lhasa,
weird questions asked about Canada
-the usual, it is so cold there isn't it?
-a lady from South Africa that said she wanted to come to Canada to visit all the cities like Vancouver and Montana
-Canada and the U.S. are not the same country?
-isn't it really cold there?
-again, isn't it really cold there?
-one more time, isn't it really cold there?
-You have kangaroos, don't you?
Nationalities we get mistaken for most often.
Mostly Australian or Irish, sometimes British.
