Christian November 22nd, 2008
We arrived Tueday afternoon to Ao Nang after waking up at 5:45am to catch a series of 2 flights, and a shuttle to reach our destination. Once out of the airport we were greeted to blue skies and hot and humid weather. We didn’t know where we were staying and ended up in our 2nd choice and decided to pay the extra $6 to have air conditioning. We were also happy to have a mini fridge and HBO (our only channel) in our room. We each took a quick shower and by now it was after 2pm and we had yet to have a meal so we happily hit up the local McDonald’s. We then walked around town checking out all the tour agencies for the cheapest price on an island tour. Continue Reading »
Christian November 20th, 2008
Bangkok is busy, bustling, loud, and chaotic. This is why we have decided to leave it for last. We flew into Bangkok late on Thursday evening from Melbourne and decided to stay close to the airport since we had a flight out to Chiang Mai early the next morning. Our fancy airport hotel cost us a mere $23 dollars a night. This included breakfast, cable tv, 24 hour room and spa service, and a balcony. We called home and looked up a few things about Chiang Mai on the internet before going to bed. The next morning, we had to leave the hotel early for our one hour flight to Chiang Mai. Upon arrival we grabbed a taxi to our guesthouse, located on the East side of the Ping River. We were impressed by the value for the money. For $15 we had air conditioning, cable tv, and a private bath. The Hollanda Montri guesthouse turned out to be an oasis away from the business of the inner city. Continue Reading »
Christian November 16th, 2008
After a not so bad ten hour bus ride from Cairns we arrived in Airle Beach. It was cloudy outside when we went to check into the YHA hostel, but they soon cleared up when we were waiting for our room. To kill some time while our room was being cleaned, we checked into Southern Cross Sailing for our three day cruise starting the next day. Upon check-in, we were told that wetsuits are mandatory to go swimming due to the risk of contact with one of the deadly jellyfish. If that doesn’t make you just want to jump right into the water, I don’t know what would. Heading back to the YHA, we were greeted with a decent room with AC and a bathroom shared with just one other room. A nice shower was in order to get the ten hour bus ride smell off. After showering and relaxing for a bit we ventured out to explore Airle Beach. The sun was out now and we walked down to the beach. The water was much nicer here than in Cairns, and they even had a “Danger Croc Spotted” sign posted on trees near the beach. Continue Reading »
Christian November 12th, 2008
After a short 3 hour plane ride from Sydney, we were welcomed with a warm sunny day in Cairns. It was suprisingly easy to get in from the airport. Thirty minutes and fifteen dollars later, the both of us were checking into our hostel. Complete with a swimming pool, air conditioning, guest kitchen, and a helpful staff, the place ended up being quite nice. We dropped our bags and set off to explore the city. It is considered a city, even though it is the size of a town. It is touristy, but very nice. It seems that everything in the place stems from the Espalande, the road along the ocean. The beach was not idealic, but they did have a free lagoon (large swimming pool) that was extremely nice. Cairns is lined with many shops, tourist agencies, and restaurants (enough to satisfy all of the tourists). We stopped by the Pro Dive shop to check in for our dive the next day. Continue Reading »
Christian November 10th, 2008
The weekend was soon upon us again. I forgot what it was like to look forward to weekends. Even prior to the trip, I was working a second job as a waiter so I did not really get to enjoy them. We had to be up early on Saturday for a wine tasting tour of the Hunter Valley. The trip was through the YHA Sydney, including transportation, tasting at five wineries, and a tasting at the smelly cheese factory. The hunter valley is located a couple of hours outside of Sydney and is home to many, many wineries. On the way to the hunter, we grew nervous as the weather turned worse and worse. Luckily, by the time we reached the YHA in the Hunter Valley, the weather cleared and the sun was out. We enjoyed some tea and bikkies (biscuits or cookies) at the hostel before jumping in a big purple minivan that would wisk us to all of the wineries.
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Christian November 4th, 2008
Our plans for the weekend were set. Janine was taking us to see the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. Our first stop was at a place called “Scenic World”. The first thing we did here was take the world’s steepest incline railway down into the valley. It was a bit cheesy, but good fun. As the ride started, the Indiana Jones theme music started to play, making the Japanese tourists go crazy. The ride was much steeper and shorter than we had thought. It lasted about a minute and a half, but it was really steep, almost feeling like a roller coaster. Once down in the valley, we started off on the walking trails through the forest. It was nice and quiet, with the occasional yell from other tourists. Then the rain started. Continue Reading »
