Jackie & Deans Blog on RealTravel

Phnom Penh journal: Phnom Penh

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 08:10:06 GMT

The bus journey from Battambang to Phnom Penh was uneventful. After checking into our guesthouse in the city, we went for a long walk around the Cambodian capital and discovered a much nicer area by lake Boeng Kak and changed over to a guesthouse there the following day! The area is like a little village of its own and if you didn’t know any better, you would swear you were at the beach: it feels very holiday-ish and there are plenty of cosy restaurants with hammocks and candlelit bars with sofas.

We hired a tuk tuk on our first whole day in Phnom Penh and visited the National Museum (a ...

Battambang journal: Battambang

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:57:50 GMT

The Lonely Planet describes Battambang as “Cambodia’s second city and an elegant riverside town”. That makes it sound rather grander than it is but the city, which is built around a central market, certainly has its charms. Dean went out to Wat Phnom Sampeau, a hilltop temple 18km from Battambang. There was a lot to see up there including killing caves that were used by the Khmer Rouge and an area covered in skulls and bones, which monks gathered together. There is a great view of the surrounding countryside as well as the nearby hills and rice fields. I visited the Governor’s Residence and ...

Slavnica journal: Quality over Quantity

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:50:06 GMT

We banged out 14 jumps (Jax) and 17 jumps (Deano) during the boogie. Things ran pretty slowly but it was very much a case of quality over quantity. We did lots of sit jumps with Diggers (who is delighted that I no longer zoom past him!) and various other fun jumps. The memorable highlights were our glider jumps (I can't remember being that happy in a long time - the flight and the jump were the definition of FREEDOM), my balloon jump (haven't been so scared for a long time - it took three attempts to get out of the basket!), a ten-way freefly jump during which Dean flew a tube. I had only ...

Slavnica journal: Jackie and Dean become Rodriguez Brothers!

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:43:00 GMT

... our last day was rather memorable! During the day, we did an awesome jump from a Brigadyr where we got to climb out and hang on to the strut before falling off :o) By this time, Dean had already been initiated as a Rodriguez Brother and on the last night, Rudy & co decided that it was Jackie's turn! I had never heard of tequila bodyshots before and being surrounded by 60 skydivers armed with cameras was a little daunting, to say the least! Anyway, I am now Riza Rodriguez - and were are still trying to find out what Dean's new name is, lol!

So, back to London we go - relaxed, ...

Slavnica journal: The Social Scene

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:24:26 GMT

Aside from the jumping, there was a brilliant social scene and it was great to get to know some of the other skydivers better. Credit to the canteen / bar who did their very best to feed 80-odd hungry skydivers. There did seem to be an abundance of cheese and ham though... the fried cheese stuffed with ham and the garlic soup with cheese were a couple of the more notable items on the menu!

We met a wonderful crowd of jumpers from Munich who were both entertaining and a real pleasure to spend time with. Turns out that they were Rodriguez Brothers, which leads us on to our last day of ...

Bratislava journal: Off to Slovakia for the first time for both of us

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:46:46 GMT

We joined 60 other skydivers and flew out to Bratislava. From there, we took a coach through the beautiful Slovakian countryside to the Aeroklub Dubnica in Slavnica. After a lengthy registration, we did our first jump. It was lovely to jump the Let 410 again and we attempted a horny gorilla exit followed by a sit.

Slovakia journal: July 2008

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:12:26 GMT

Time for some intensive skydiving! :o) Thanks, Pete, for a fab boogie.

London journal: Back to the UK

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 09:50:09 GMT

The morning of 5th March (Cal's birthday!) came around really quickly. I felt very sad saying goodbye to Marlene and John at the airport and felt I could easily have stayed in NZ for a little while longer. Thankfully, the journey back went very well: I had the company of a really nice retired headteacher from Bedford on the first two flights, got 2 seats to myself on the third flight and 3 seats to myself on the last flight. Being able to get some sleep made SUCH a difference!

It is fantastic to see Dean again, who was a sweetie and picked me up at the airport at 7am. Today will be spent ...

Auckland journal: A fun day with Grant, Robyn, Nikki and MacKenzie

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:18:11 GMT

Finally I get to see Grant and Robyn! Gwani has long hair! :o) They picked me up from Hunua and we visited Nikki and her lovely new baby boy, MacKenzie. Nikkis' house is absolutely STUNNING! We had the most awesome New Zealand pies for lunch and spent some quality time catching up while MacKenzie slept like a model baby.

Back at home, there was a lovely family dinner with John & Marlene, Calum & Nicola and Peter & Bev.

pokekohe journal: Pokekohe with Gina and a relaxing afternoon

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:33:02 GMT

Marlene and I drove to Gina’s and while Marlene looked after Kaitlyn, Gina and I did some shopping in Pokekohe. I bought clothes for the first time during the trip and got great bargains in an outlet store! After lunch, we spent some quality time with Kaitlyn and checked out Gina & Andrew’s new pond before heading home for a relaxing afternoon in the garden.

Hunua journal: The last day with Zach, spent at the Cossey Dam and Hunua Falls

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:27:02 GMT

While Marlene and Rachel went to church, Zach and I stayed at home and played more hide and seek, sorted out Zach’s shell collection and reviewed our many photos from Saturday. After lunch, we all went out to the Cossey Dam and the Hunua Falls. We had a nice bush walk and checked out an interesting looking cave next to the waterfall. Back home, we played football in the garden and had a go at shooting tins with John’s air rifle. It was great fun (I want one!) and our targets were well and truly punctured. We had a delicious dinner on the deck and the sun even came out for us and made it into a ...

Auckland journal: Another rainy Saturday

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:20:36 GMT

It was another rainy Saturday but we weren’t going to let that stop us doing stuff! We spent the afternoon painting sugared Easter eggs and playing hide and seek. Rachel, Zach and I then drove into town and went to the Auckland Museum. The volcano section was cool and I found a lovely big elephant! The grossest thing by far was a tank full of cockroaches… We then had a lovely dinner at one of the restaurants in the Auckland Skytower.

Tairua journal: A day out in Tairua

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:10:27 GMT

Sadly, John and Marlene had to go to a funeral in Tairua on Friday. I went along with them to see New Zealand’s lovely Coromandel and soon realised that I had already been to Tairua with Dean two years ago! It was funny getting deja-vus when I walked into a café and walked along the esplanade! The woman in the information centre suggested that I walk around the esplanade and climb Paku, a local hill with spectacular views. She gave me a map and said it would take 10-15 minutes to get there. However, I soon realised that she had assumed I was going by car… 45 minutes later I was only at the ...

Auckland journal: Back in Auckland to visit the Art Gallery

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:05:06 GMT

I decided to take the train back into central Auckland to visit the Art Gallery. The exhibitions are housed in the Main Gallery and the more recently added New Gallery. I was very lucky to have visited today as from tomorrow the Main Gallery will be closed for a huge refurbishment project for two and a half years. I fell in love with the paintings by Gottfried Lindauer (especially "Ana Rupene and Child" and Charles Goldie, two late 19th / early 20th century painters who created a lot of paintings of Maori people. There were some other striking pieces of art (including Yvonne Todd’s 5 ...

Huntly journal: Lunch with Betty in Huntly

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:00:03 GMT

John, Marlene, Gina, Kaitlyn and I drove an hour South to Huntly, near Hamilton, to visit Dean's Auntie Betty for lunch. On the way, we dropped John off at Te Kauwhata Golf Club for 9 holes with Terry. Us girls had a lovely lunch and harvested vegetables from Betty's incredible garden. Poor Kaitlyn decided to chew on a leaf and was sick! On the way back home, we popped into Te Kauwhata Accounting & Business Services to see Hazel and Michael Boldero. That evening, Marlene and I had a nice dip in the 24oC pool.

Upper Hutt journal: A day out with Suzanne, Greg, Renee and Stefan

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:58:16 GMT

On the morning after the wedding, we had a big gift unwrapping get-together. The bridesmaids had a great time unwrapping everything and Becs and Gareth were given lovely gifts.

Suzanne, Greg, Renee and Stefan came all the way down from Wanganui to spend the afternoon with me. We had a great time having lunch at Romeo's in Upper Hut, playing and swimming in the creek and checking out the local gypsy fair.

Auckland journal: Shopping with Gina & a day out in central Auckland

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:10:59 GMT

On Monday, Gina took me shopping at the recently developed Sylvia Park.

On Tuesday, I took the train in to central Auckland where I had a lovely time: I took the ferry over to Devonport which is a beautiful and quaint suburb on the tip of the North Shore peninsula. After checking out the shops, boutiques and galleries, having lunch in the Manuka Bistro and climbing Mount Victoria (one of the peninsula's two extinct volcanoes) for an AMAZING view over Auckland and the Coromandel. Devonport is one areas in New Zealand that saw the earliest European settlements and you can really tell by ...

Buckland Beach journal: Babysitting Thomas & Hayley in Buckland Beach

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:58:42 GMT

Rachel, Zach and I headed over to Bucklands Beach to babysit Thomas and Hayley while Paul & Heather had their first outing since Hayley’s birth! It was a nice sunny afternoon and we spent the day playing in the garden, sitting in the spa pool and watching a movie. It seems funny that 4-month old Hayley and 10-month old Kaitlyn are the same size and weight. Thomas had a funny episode around 5pm when he decided to brush his teeth (picture a lot of toothpaste around the bathroom!) and get into bed :o)

Hunua journal: A relaxing holiday in Hunua

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:49:09 GMT

Thank you, Marlene & John, for being so welcoming!

On Sunday, Viola, Marian and I went for a nice walk to the creek on Sunday morning. Rachel & Zach arrived in the afternoon - it was great to see Zach and see how much he has grown! I spent the afternoon playing with the boys and the evening playing Pictionary.

On Monday, we said goodbye to Viola & Marian who were flying back to Germany. Then caught a lift in the car with Cal & Nic - we went to Botany shopping village to Pine Harbour where I watched them kite surf. Despite being a cloudy day, I got really burnt and my ...

Motueka journal: No skydiving for Jackie

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:47:08 GMT

Well, so much for me thinking that people in New Zealand would be friendly! The driver on the bus from Nelson to Motueka (in the Abel Tasman) was so rude to me. I guess people don't change wherever you go...

As soon as I got off the bus it POURED with rain so the first thing I did when I found my hostel was have a super long hot shower! The hostel was lovely and I met some very friendly Germans who had been staying there for a few months and working as fruit pickers.

The weather was very changeable but cleared for a little while on Friday so I headed down to the dropzone. ...

Nelson journal: The first leg on my Magic Bus journey

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:46:20 GMT

I've still got the lurgy but thankfully I have got rid of that horrible fever and am on my way to recovery.

It was a short coach ride (on the famous Magic Bus!) from Picton to Nelson, where it is raining loads.... I should've packed that umbrella after all! Nelson is a pretty town and feels quite arty.

I'm still feeling lonely but am slowly getting used to travelling on my own. As a treat, I have set aside the next two days to go skydiving in the Abel Tasman. I am looking forward to fantastic views over the Abel Tasman National Park and Golden Bay. I am told (and am not quite ...

Picton journal: From North to South

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:45:22 GMT

The 3-hour ferry ride from Wellington to Picton was nice and smooth and the scenery as the ferry travelled through the Marlborough Sounds was lovely.

Unfortunately, I have arrived in Picton with the flu and a temperature so today will be spent in bed. I am really hating travelling on my own and hope I get used to it soon.

Wellington journal: A day out in Wellington

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:43:50 GMT

Gareth, Becs and I spent a lovely day in Wellington. After meeting Gareth's dad for lunch, we walked along the beach (the sand of which was brought to Wellington from elsewhere), took the cable car up to the Botanic Garden where we went for a nice walk and visited the famous Te Papa museum which houses natural history exhibits and lots of info on the Maori culture.

I had known that Wellington was a windy city, but I wasn't quite prepared for THIS much wind.

The architecture is lovely and there are lots of multi-coloured San Francisco style houses along the beach. Gareth and Gary ...

Upper Hutt journal: With Becs & Gareth in Upper Hutt

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:42:20 GMT

Having arrived in Wellington after a 34 hours of flights, I was very surprised to feel wide awake and alert! By 2pm, the tiredness finally caught up with me though and I went to sleep for 15 hours!!!

I got to meet many of Becs' family and we drove to Martinborough to visit a couple of the vineyards and do some wine tasting. There were a couple of nice pinot noirs but nothing overwhelming. I have high hopes for wines from the Marlborough region though - fingers crossed!!

Becs had her final wedding dress fitting - she looks beautiful. I need to find someone to practice my reading ...

Hunua journal: A rainy day at Hunua Quarry and playing games

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:38:26 GMT

The weather has taken a turn for the worse and it's incredibly windy and rainy. Rachel & Zach visited and we spent the morning checking out Hunua Quarry as they had an open day and the afternoon playing Monopoly and Cranium which was a lot of fun.

Mercer journal: Yippee, I get to hop out of a plane again!

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 14:11:58 GMT

Marlene, John, Gina and Kaitlyn took me to the dropzone at nearby Mercer where we had a nice picnic lunch and I finally got to do some skydiving again! I got 3 jumps in on Wednesday, including my very first cutaway! On the second jump, my parachute wouldn't open so I had a nice reserve canopy ride instead. I always wondered how I would cope with an emergency like that and it was reassuring that I just dealt with it and got on with it.

Unfortunately, the only other parachute I could jump now was a really old, really HUGE one which felt extremely loose on me... I can't tell you how ...

Auckland journal: Up to Auckland

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:01:40 GMT

An early start had me on the bus from Motueka to Nelson airport and on a flight up to Auckland. Two weeks earlier than originally planned, I arrived with Dean's family and immediately felt much more at home.

I have mixed feelings about having broken off the trip round the South Island but have decided that there was no point being miserable on my own. My bus ticket and youth hostel card are valid for 12 months so Dean and I may well do the trip together early next year.

Marlene drove us straight from the airport to Gina & Andrew's where I got to meet my gorgeous little niece. ...

Bangkok journal: Bangkok

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 04:45:32 GMT

Bangkok! Our last destination on this trip!!! When we travelled through Thailand, we skipped Bangkok with the plan to chill out there before flying back to London. We arrived on a Monday, the day on which most of the locals wear yellow in honour of the king of Thailand. However, we soon found that lots of Thais still wear their yellow shirts on the other days of the week! Poor Dean had a bit of the lurgy when we first arrived but some bed rest and fresh orange juice soon sorted that out.

Everyone we spoke to on our travels seemed to either love or hate Bangkok. We love it! We spent our ...

Hue journal: Hué

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 04:07:33 GMT

Compared to our last bus journey, this one was a doddle! We left Hoi An in the morning and arrived in historic Hué by lunchtime. However, the driver of the bus that we were supposed to take forgot to pick us up, so we ended up going with a different tour company.

Hué is Vietnam’s cultural mecca and is home to the tombs of the emperors of the Nguyen dynasty. We have also heard that the women of Hué are the most beautiful in the country!

We visited the town’s Embroidery Centre, a serene little place with amazing pieces of work which, from a distance, looked more like paintings than ...

Hoi An journal: Hoi An (Part 2 of 2)

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 04:02:14 GMT

Literally, at least every other shop in Hoi An is a dressmaking shop where you can order any item of clothing in any fabric very cheaply. We went a little made-to-measure-crazy and, between us, bought: 4 tops, 3 pairs of trousers, a pair of shorts, a 3-piece suit, a skirt and 3 pairs of shoes. We are now totally skint and our backpacks feel a lot heavier than before! It was a little stressful going back again and again for fittings (especially when we ran out of fuel because our scooter’s fuel gage wasn’t working properly!) but it was fun being a bit of a designer and some of the pieces are ...

Hoi An journal: Hoi An (Part 1 of 2)

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 04:00:05 GMT

After an overnight bus journey from Nha Trang to Hoi An, it was amazing that we arrived in one piece. We didn’t sleep a wink that night (Dean even tried lying on the floor of the bus!) so we spent the following morning catching up on sleep before heading out to explore. Where do I begin?! Hoi An is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. The town was relatively untouched by the war and the architecture dates back to beginning of the 19th century and earlier. There is a huge Chinese influence and the many assembly halls and congregation buildings are stunning. ...

Nha Trang journal: Nha Trang

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:58:23 GMT

When we arrived in Nha Trang, the rain was literally torrential. The skies had opened and the roads had turned into rivers. Vietnam’s wet season has definitely begun!!! We didn’t hold up much hope for the following day but by morning it was absolutely gorgeous. So sunny, in fact, that we both got sunburnt despite slapping on the factor 25. We did A LOT of walking and took a cable car from outside Nha Trang to the island resort/amusement park of Vinpearl. We wondered why the resort wasn’t mentioned in our (2007 published) book and later found out that it is brand new. The (world’s longest ...

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) journal: Ho Chi Minh City

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:51:33 GMT

We picked a great day to travel from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City because the bus only had about a dozen people on it and we could really spread out! Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon as most of the locals still refer to it) is just like a super-sized Soho. In fact, our first impression of Vietnam is that it is really quite Western. Also, the Vietnamese people are much more reserved than their Cambodian neighbours although they are still just as friendly.

We decided to do an all-day mammoth walk around Ho Chi Minh City, which took us past the Fine Arts Museum, the Municipal Theatre, the ...

Battambang journal: Our journey to Battambang

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:40:02 GMT

Next, we headed from Siem Reap to Battambang and we have decided that the journey is worthy of a whole blog entry on its own!!!! It started off with a five hour boat journey along the very muddy Stung Sangker river. The scenery was amazing and we travelled through a number of floating villages with small children waving at the funny white people in the boat! :o) Around 11:15, our captain decided it was time for him to have lunch so we stopped on one of the houseboats and had a stretch. We have got so used to walking around barefoot that poor Deano left his flip flops behind at the houseboat!

Angkor Wat journal: Angkor Wat

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:36:07 GMT

We allowed three days for the temples of Angkor. They are awesome and it is not hard to see why they have become a symbol of the Cambodian nation. The temple of Angkor Wat is printed on all of the banknotes, locals and tourists alike wear Angkor Wat t-shirts and the favoured beer throughout the country is Angkor Beer. It is sad to think that a nation with such a grand past also had to endure the awful reign of the Khmer Rouge.

We cycled to and around Angkor on one day (over 40km on very basic bicycles, phew!) and treated ourselves to a tuk tuk on the other two days. It felt a bit cheesy ...

Siem Reap journal: Siem Reap

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:33:26 GMT

Yippee, we have finally arrived in Siem Reap!!!!! After a rather unsettling introduction to Cambodia, our impressions changed immediately. The people here are so very friendly and you can’t help warming to them. Sadly, many are just out to rip you off and it makes you suspicious of others that are, no doubt, sincere. Siem Reap itself has really trendy bars and restaurants – and an abundance of gorgeous food! Dean tried the local Amok curry, which looks beautiful served in a whole coconut. Sadly, parts of the city are rather plastic and much is geared towards Western tourists. There is even a ...

Kompong Cham journal: Kompong Cham

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:30:43 GMT

We’re off to Cambodia! On our journey to Siem Reap to see the temples of Angkor, we stopped at Kompong Cham for the night. The journey itself was very interesting, to put it mildly!! We left at 8am and despite a planned arrival time of 6pm (a very generous amount of time for this trip) we didn’t arrive until 10pm. We stopped no less that 10 times, including twice to change minibuses (unfortunately we couldn’t all fit into the buses and a handful of people ended up travelling on the roof), twice to sit around and do nothing for an hour or so, once to load up a large amount of wooden doors and ...

Don Det journal: Don Det

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:29:06 GMT

We chose the island of Don Det to stay on. It was UNBELIEVABLY hot and by 8pm I was on my fourth litre of water for the day! Even the locals stayed in the shade and complained about the heat… but apparently it’s always that hot! To cool off, we went swimming in the Mekong and on one occasion had our feet nibbled at by little fish :o) The island has a central generator which only comes on between 6pm and 10pm – while the generator is on, the locals freeze up huge cubes of ice and put them in large chilly bins which are their fridges. We went for a walk around part of the island and met some ...

Pakse journal: Pakse

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:26:15 GMT

We left Vientiane on an overnight bus to Pakse in Southern Laos. This time our VIP bus was actually what you would expect from a VIP bus and we managed to get some much needed sleep. From Pakse, we took a boat to Si Phan Don (‘Four Thousand Islands’). We found out about this area by speaking to other travellers. Although Laos is totally landlocked, in the dry season this section of the Mekong river recedes to reveal hundreds of river islands!

Luang Prabang journal: Luang Prabang

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:23:30 GMT

Luang Prabang is such a beautiful town. We could easily stay here for a quite some time! The town has a distinct French influence and there are lots of French colonial mansions as well as a handful of Buddhist temples. We climbed Phu Si, the hill around which Luang Prabang is built, and saw a couple of temples and what is said to be the footprint of Buddha. We walked a loop round Phu Si and along the river bank to where the Mekong and Nan Khan rivers meet. Dean even went for a cool swim in the Nan Khan. We explored Luang Prabang and its boutiques – the town’s main industries are textiles, silk ...

Chiang Mai journal: Back in Chiang Mai (Part 3 of 3)

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:18:25 GMT

On our last day in Chiang Mai, we hired a scooter and rode up to Doi Suthep to see the Wat Prathat temple. Doi Suthep is up in the hills, 16km west of Chiang Mai. A long flight of 306 steps, lined by ceramic-tailed dragons leads up to the temple and we got a brilliant view from the top. Thai legend has it that holy relics found in the 14th century were carried to Wat Prathat on the back of a white elephant which then died at the end of its journey. There is even a white elephant monument in the temple courtyard to remind one of the legend. In the evening, we went back to Chiang Mai's lovely ...

Chiang Mai journal: Hill Trekking (day 1 of 2)

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:13:55 GMT

We decided to do a 2 day/1 night trek into the hills South of Chiang Mai. Yikes! After stopping at a market to stock up on water and food, we were taken to an elephant camp. We got to ride a 10-year-old girl elephant called Kamu, who very happily ate her way through four dozen bananas! We then got to play with a gorgeous baby eli (no older than a year old)!!! We headed onwards to a waterfall in the hills where we had a lovely cool swim. Our trekking guide led us up into the hills to a village where one of the Karen tribes had settled. The tribes originate from Myanmar and they lead a fully ...

Chiang Mai journal: Chiang Mai

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:11:41 GMT

After leaving Ko Tao, we took the catamaran back to Chumphon, followed by the night train to Bangkok and a flight to the Northern Thai capital of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai has over 300 temples - almost as many as Bangkok although the city is far smaller in area! After a day of wandering the streets of Chiang Mai, we lost count of how many temples we had seen and lost track of many of their names. One of the most striking ones, however, is Wat Chiang Man which houses a 1800-year-old crystal Buddha and a 2500-year-old marble Buddha. The old city of Chiang Mai is surrounded by a square of moats with ...

Ko Tao journal: Ko Tao

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:09:49 GMT

We got up at 5am to catch the catamaran from Chumphon to the island of Ko Tao. It’s a beautiful island but very busy and commercial! Still, we are told that Ko Phi Phi and Ko Pha Ngan are even more so. On our first day on Ko Tao, we did a couple of dives and saw a huge green turtle – quite appropriate since Ko Tao means ‘turtle island’! On our second day, we hired a scooter and explored the island. Unfortunately, it transpired that Jackie and mopeds aren’t really compatible… so Dean did all the driving!!! :o) We also went snorkelling - the water was very choppy and murky but we did see a ...

Thung Song journal: Thung Song

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:06:53 GMT

We realised, yet again, that we brought FAR too many things with us and sent a third (!) parcel back home. Our backpacks are now just the right weight and we are able to walk instead of stagger!!! :-) We took the bus from Kota Bharu to the Malaysian/Thai border. It was a funny experience: you officially depart Malaysia, walk over a bridge and officially enter Thailand. It turned out that Sungai Kolok's train station is a couple of miles from the border so we took the tiniest ever rickshaw to the station before embarking on a 13.5-hour train journey (in 3rd class!) to Chumphon (arrival ...

Kota Bharu journal: Kota Bharu

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:04:04 GMT

We were so sad to leave the Perhentian Islands... It was idyllic but we are excited to be on the move again. Kota Bharu is quite a large town with a distinct Islamic influence. It is the capital of the state of Kelantan and, as the 1st of April was the Sultan's birthday, Monday 2nd April was a public holiday. We saw sultan's convoy of police cars and limousines with tinted windows, but didn't manage to catch a glimpse of the sultan himself. Kota Bharu's architecture is modern and rather uninspiring but it's an interesting place and we had a nice time visiting the Gelanggang Seni Cultural ...

Pulau Perhentian journal: Pulau Perhentian

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:01:40 GMT

We spent 4 gorgeous days on the Perhentian island of Besar. It was just like a holiday within a holiday!! A lot of Westerners, from all over, come here! Jackie took an open water diving course and qualified on 1st April :-) During our dives, we saw the Sugar Wreck and lots of beautiful marine life: rays, angel fish, butterfly fish, triggers, nudibranches, wrasse, puffer fish, gobies, shrimps & crabs and two enormous cobia! We also took a boat over to the fishing village on the island of Kecil and had a wander around. Behind the modern facade by the shore, we found the residential tin ...

Kuala Terengganu journal: Kuala Terengganu

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:59:03 GMT

Our next destination is the Perhentian Islands and to get there we took a coach from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu, in the North East of Malaysia. The drive took a whole day but was nice because it was daytime and we got to see the countryside. The views were particularly nice once we had crossed over to the East of the country and drove up the coast. Some of the places we passed through were sizeable towns but there were also some very charming little villages. Cows and goats were roaming freely outside people’s houses and the ocean was just 200 metres away. We stayed in Kuala Terengganu ...

Genting Highlands journal: Genting

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:56:07 GMT

We travelled to the Genting Highlands by coach and took a very long and very steep cable car ride to the Genting Resort. It is so high up in the mountains (5,500 ft) that we literally travelled up into the clouds! It was such a relief from the scorching heat of Kuala Lumpur. Dean felt it was TOO cold though! We actually only went to Genting for their wind tunnel and were very lucky to be able to do half an hour of indoor skydiving, yippee. The resort also has three theme parks though and so we spent a day exploring the indoor theme park. We also went on the “flying coaster” rollercoaster and ...

Kuala Lumpur journal: Kuala Lumpur

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:54:28 GMT

Kuala Lumpur was a real experience. Apart from Jamaica, it was without a doubt the hottest place that I have ever been. I’m just not built for such heat! KL is a very noisy city and, combined with the (not always pleasant) smells and East-meets-West atmosphere, it's great fun. We went up the Petronas Twin Towers and the Menara KL Tower, which base jumpers are allowed to leap off on 31 August, Malaysia’s National Day. It looked far too low for us to be happy to jump off!! We also visited the city’s Orchid and Hibiscus Gardens, saw the Malaysian National Memorial, Merdeka Square and Chinatown. ...

Singapore City journal: Singapore

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:51:27 GMT

Our two months in South East Asia have begun!!!

Like London, Singapore has a Duck Tour! It was brilliant and we got to see such a lot of the city: the old and new supreme courts, Singapore’s version of the Sydney Opera House (which has over 7,000 roof spikes to deflect heat!), the construction site of what will be the world’s largest Ferris wheel, the Marina Bay complete with its Merlion statues. We then went to Singapore’s electronics shopping mall – Dean was in heaven!! Last, but not least, we strolled through the city’s Little India district which is gorgeous. We browsed through lots ...

Kuranda journal: Kuranda

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:50:06 GMT

Kuranda is, in my opinion, the loveliest place that we have been to so far. It’s a very laid back and hippy kind of village in the mountains outside Cairns. We had lunch at the Never Mind Café and browsed Kuranda’s shops before taking a walk through the rainforest and to Barron Gorge where we saw the beautiful Barron Waterfalls. This is our last day in Australia… I feel like there is so much more that I want to see here!

Rockhampton journal: Rockhampton

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:44:14 GMT

We stayed in Rockhampton for just one night, on our way from Noosa to Airlie Beach. We had a couple of packs of playing cards with us and became rather partial to a game or two (or three...) of Samoan Joe!

Sydney journal: Sydney

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:40:14 GMT

The city of Sydney was so much more vertical than I had imagined! On the first day, we visited the Queen Victoria Building and the city centre, went to The Rocks where they have a lovely little market. It's obviously geared towards tourists but it's really nice and there wasn't a tacky item for sale in sight. We saw the Harbour Bridge (which had its 75th birthday the following week!) and had drinks and dinner at Darling Harbour in the evening. On the second day, we visited Sydney's Chinese Gardens, saw the Opera House and watched Extreme at the IMAX cinema. We recommend seeing it if you have a ...

Auckland journal: Auckland

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 02:37:00 GMT

We had a lovely time visiting Dean's family in Papakura, outside Auckland. We spent lots of time chilling out, playing with Zach, doing some archery and visiting friends. We also went to Kelly Tarltons Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World, took the boat around Waiheke Island, went into Auckland where we got a ride on a tuk tuk and ate lots of yummy food... Next stop is Oz!!

London journal: Back in London

Sat, 26 May 2007 03:24:26 GMT

It’s the 26th of May and we are back in London. Thanks so much to everyone who sent us nice texts and email messages while we were away. We are sad to have reached the end of our trip… but we are already planning the next one!

See you soon!Jackie & Deanxx

Hanoi journal: Hanoi

Tue, 22 May 2007 07:19:10 GMT

Deano is telling me off for writing this... but I'm not really a huge fan of Hanoi... it's okay for a large city but it lacks atmosphere and soul. We arrived by overnight bus again, so the morning of our first day was spent catching up on sleep! In the afternoon, we wandered to Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword), crossed the red Huc (Rising Sun) Bridge to a little island that houses the Ngoc Son Temple. There is a bit of a story to the lake: legend has it that the gods sent Emperor Le Loi a magical sword which he used to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam. One day after the war, he came ...

Halong Bay journal: Halong Bay

Tue, 22 May 2007 07:15:46 GMT

We took a two-day cruise tour around the natural wonder that is Halong Bay. It is an area made up of more than 3,000 islands and has beautiful grottoes and huge limestone cliffs. So many places in Vietnam have lovely stories attached to them and Halong Bay is no exception: legend has it that the islands were created by a dragon that lived in the mountains. As it ran towards the coast, the movements of its tail carved out valleys and those areas were filled with water, leaving only the high land visible.

Our boat was a three-level wooden junk. It was in need of some tender loving care... ...

Mui Ne journal: Mui Ne

Sat, 12 May 2007 02:47:31 GMT

Mui Ne is sheer paradise. It is a tiny place on Vietnam’s east coast and the beach is only a few yards away wherever you are. It is incredibly quiet and you really feel like you are away from it all. We went for long strolls by the beach and swam in the South China Sea. Mui Ne is also Vietnam’s windsurfing and kiteboarding mecca. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough wind while we were there so instead we just chilled out with some drinks in one of the water sports bars :-) We hired a moped to explore some of the nearby villages and buzz out to Mui Ne’s enormous sand dunes, where we had a go at ...

Huay Xai journal: Huay Xai

Tue, 01 May 2007 22:38:59 GMT

After crossing the Mekong River into Laos, we stayed the night in Huay Xai before heading along the Mekong by boat for a couple of days. Our destination was Luang Prabang in Northern Laos. On the evening of the first day, we stopped to stay the night at Pakbeng, a hilly village in the middle of nowhere. The scenery we saw on the way was very beautiful and also very monotonous. The Mekong itself is very muddy and every now and then, you see water buffalo in the shallow water on the river banks.

Vientiane journal: Vientiane

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 05:45:37 GMT

We had intended to visit Phonsavan and its plains of jars (fields with huge stone jars weighing up to six tonnes, of unknown origin) but unfortunately that excursion was cancelled so we headed straight down to Laos’ capital, Vientiane. Vientiane is nothing to get excited about and neither of us really took to it. We stayed a couple of days and hired a scooter to explore the city. There is Pha That Luang, the most important national monument in Laos which is a symbol of both Buddhism and Lao sovereignty. Two temples stand to its North and South, where we took shelter from the scorching heat ...

Pak Beng journal: Pakbeng

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:22:26 GMT

Our second day on the Mekong River took us from Pakbeng to Luang Prabang. We saw more of the same, beautiful and hilly, Northern Lao scenery and every so often, groups of people net fishing along the river. We are now in Luang Prabang which is a beautiful, sleepy town surrounded by mountains. Until the mid 16th century, it was the capital of the Lan Xang kingdom and it has a lovely, charming feel to it.

Chiang Khong journal: Chiang Khong

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 21:00:40 GMT

Before leaving Thailand, Dean sampled some local delicacies at Chiang Mai’s night market. Apparently, the silk worms tasted very rich and the grasshoppers were simply crunchy!! The next day, we took a mini bus to Chiang Khong at the Thai/Lao boarder.

Chiang Mai journal: Back in Chiang Mai (Part 1 of 3)

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 05:06:52 GMT

We came back to Chiang Mai after our trek. The Songkran new year’s festival was in full swing and would be for the next four days! Having buckets of (often ice cold!) water thrown at us took some getting used to but we were soon joining in and having a good laugh. We also spent lots of time just relaxing, wandering around Chiang Mai and watching some of the festival processions. The mosquitoes just love Jackie: we counted 42 bites + one bee sting… Deano has none!!

Chiang Mai journal: Back in Chiang Mai (Part 2 of 3)

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 19:18:15 GMT

Jackie went on a Thai cooking course and learnt to make green curry, paid thai, tofu & cashew nut stir fry, coconut soup, spicy mushroom & tofu salad, and spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce. Yum! We then had more (this time, rather gruelling!) Thai massages from two very strong ladies. They were so funny and kept teasing us and each other and had both of us were in stitches, despite the accompanying pain :o)

Chiang Mai journal: Hill Trekking (day 2 of 2)

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:56:41 GMT

On the morning of our second day, the women of the village put on a market with handmade crafts for us. We then set off for a three hour trek to another mountain waterfall before heading onwards to a different Karen village. From there, we got taken to a nearby river for some bamboo rafting. Thankfully, we got a very good rafts man and we didn’t capsize once and even overtook numerous other rafts. We then headed back to Chiang Mai for a hot shower and looots of rest… The celebrations for Thai new year are well underway and children were throwing buckets of water at our open-backed truck! We ...

Chumphon journal: Chumphon

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 20:43:02 GMT

This time, we took a bus to continue our journey to Chumphon. The air con did break down but thankfully only about half an hour before our destination! We love Chumphon. It has a relaxed atmosphere, the locals are friendly and there is lots of yummy food everywhere. There also seem to be lots of stray dogs here! Since arriving in Thailand, we have had some fun and interesting experiences with taxis: they are either little mopeds that carry families of 4 (or, in our case, the driver + 2 whities + 2 backpacks + 3 day bags!) or 4x4 utes which carry the passengers in the back. Whilst in ...

Kuala Besut journal: Kuala Besut

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 06:36:01 GMT

We took the bus from Kuala Terengganu to Kuala Besut, which is the jump-off point for the Malaysia's Perhentian Islands. After a 30-minute speed boat ride, we arrived at the paradise that is Pulau Perhentian Besar.

Johor Bahru journal: Johor Bahru

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 06:18:47 GMT

We travelled to Malaysia by taking the bus from Singapore to Johor Bahru… so all we saw of JB was the bus station!

Sentosa journal: Sentosa

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 06:15:03 GMT

We took a bus and cable car to the island of Sentosa. It’s a rather plastic sort of tourist resort but was great fun. We spent most of the day at Siloso Beach and swam in the sea. We happened to be on a chairlift when the heavens opened and it BUCKETED down. The weather is very changeable there and we had beautiful blue sky just one hour later. We saw the island’s huge Merlion statue and herb/spice garden and watched a musical water fountain show. In the evening, we went on the Night Safari in Singapore’s ‘open zoo’. There are hardly any fences and the animals have plenty of space to roam ...

Dandenong Ranges journal: Dandenong Ranges

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 05:59:12 GMT

Grant & Robyn's wedding date has arrived!! Deano went into best mad mode and did a wonderful job. He and Grant actually scrub up well - they were so handsome! They did, however, stay true to their usual style and changed into surfing shorts and flip flops half way through the reception :o) Dean's speech went down a treat and a great time was had by all.

Melbourne journal: Melbourne

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 05:56:26 GMT

Jackie finally got to meet Grant and Robyn!! As soon as we arrived, Grant had his stag do which was a great success. However, poor Dean felt a little worse for wear the next day though... We had some nice lazy do-nothing-time before heading into Melbourne City. Jackie went shopping and people watching in Brunswick Street and did some fabulous foodie sampling & shopping at Queen Victoria Market. Deano was Grant's best man so did pre-wedding errands (that's what he tells me anyway, hehe!!!!).

Cairns journal: Cairns

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:22:05 GMT

It’s no wonder they call the area around Cairns the ‘Tropical North’. We experienced tropical showers throughout the day – but on the plus side, the mangoes that grow here are delicious!! We went to the Billabong Sanctuary which is home to all sorts of endangered species as well as more common animals. Kangaroos were just freely hopping around the sanctuary and we spent hours feeding them (including one which had a joey in its pouch – instead of a head poking out, all we saw were its feet!). I got to hold a very soft and fluffy koala and Dean and I both held a three-year-old crocodile. Other ...

Airlie Beach journal: The Whitsundays

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:05:04 GMT

Our first impression of Airlie Beach was that it is a very touristy place and visited by many backpackers. The area is beautiful though – the Whitsundays comprise 74 islands in total and we visited three of them by ferry. The first was Whitsunday Island where we spent an hour or so on Whitehaven Beach where the sand is made of pure silicone. Dean also spotted a curled up python which was pretending to be asleep. The second island was Hook Island where we went snorkelling and the third was Daydream Island where Robyn and I swam in the resort’s gorgeous pool while Dean and Grant filled up on ...

Noosa journal: Noosa

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:59:31 GMT

We spent the next couple of days at Noosa North Shore, which is actually a national reserve which is reached by ferry. It is such a peaceful place and there is plenty of wildlife to see: we got to wake up to birdsong and feed kangaroos (they just looove bananas!). Robyn and I went horse riding through the bush and by the beach. We had use of a very lovely pool too. Whilst Dean and Grant both turned a lovely bronze colour this is where I experienced the fierceness of the Australian sun for the first time – the skin on my shoulders is still peeling! We drove to the town of Noosa for one day. ...

Byron Bay journal: Byron Bay

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:56:54 GMT

We drove further up the coast to Byron and managed to do a skydive each at the Byron Bay Dropzone. The views were stunning!!! The plane actually flies out over the ocean before you get to jump out and you get to fly your canopy over bush land.

Nobby journal: Nooby Beach

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:55:18 GMT

The Gold Coast was mighty hot! We really noticed the difference in temperature and climate as we travelled up the East Coast. Whilst in Nobby Beach, we had a mini golf marathon with Grant & Robyn, Dean went to the Wet And Wild theme park and I did some therapeutic shopping.

Sassafras journal: Sassafras

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:40:34 GMT

We went to the quirky little village of Sassafras. The shops were antiquey, pretty and cute. Dean says the Miss Marple Café sells the best pies! Afterwards, drove to three different wineries in Oz’s wine country and did some tasting. Some of the samples were delicious and we came away with some Chardonnay for Dean and some Pinot Noir for Jackie. Yum.