In Korea!

We are rounding the end of our trip ... Seoul is a great way to do it!!! We are spending our time with brother Chris and wife Nicole. We have been all over town with the two best tour guides! - exploring different neighborhoods (walking the sidewalks here is a contact sport), shopping thru great deals, eating fabulous Korean foods, went on a sail, visited the DMZ ... Seoul is a friendly and clean city - perfect way to acclimate ourselves back into civilization. The weather is awesome (70F)- cool and sunny. More to come!!!!

a few days in Vietnam

We are exploring only the north on our travels ... starting in Hanoi. Hanoi is a huge city - motorbikes every-which-way and street after street of products to buy !!! Each street specializes in something ... silk, shoes, bakery - anything you want - they have it. We explored the Old Quarter and had a great time - a lot to see in one day.
We will do the French Quarter area when we return.

We caught the overnight train to Sapa - WOW - what a beautiful place!!!!
The first day there was raining - we saw some great sights even thru the thick fog ... treked to near by Cat Cat Village.
Next day overcast, but dryer, we did a 10k guided hike thru 3 villages and to see a waterfall. All of it was very beautiful and quite an eye opening about life and it's luxuries ... the villagers follow you on the trail (as far as their village limits) with baskets of things to buy. "You buy from me mister?" they all know english enough to chat and sell (cute). Was a little muddy - we sliped and slided our way along.
Last day SUNSHINE ! Yea - what a difference it made ... we could see all of the surrounding mountains (AMAZING). We did a short hike to Sapa's highest point (heavens gate) and rode to a few waterfalls in the north ... really wish we had a few more days to see things more. Loved it !!!

A skip in time ... Cambodia

It has been a while since I had time to log into internet ...
we made it thru Thailand only to wish we had more time there !
We will fill you in with the details later.

We are now in Cambodia.
Since we had to cut our Thailand part short (due to 15 day visa) we got to Cambodia sooner than we had planned.

We started in Phnom Penh - along our travels we were told that the trip up the river to Siem Reap was very lovely to see and experience.

Phnom Penh was very nice the first day - we walked around town seeing the sights and enjoying the surroundings (except for feeling a little guilty about being from the USA - and the notes about us causing the overtaking of and genocides initated by by Poll Pot). We saw great memorials and parks - interesting neighborhoods and ate a great $1. lunch at the Russian Market. The temples were run down not too interesting, beu we had a lot to look forward to about Angkor Wat.
The second day we went to the north side of the city and had a frightening day - full of beggars/homeless and actually being scared about people and our safety!

We did take the boat trip out to Siem Reap 7 a.m.- found a great place to stay - $15. which seems to be our basic amount for a nice room (although we got as low as $7 in Phenom Pen).
We have really been enjoying getting out and seeing the ruin/temples ... hired a tuk-tuk driver for approx. $12. a day to take us here and there. Can't explain how amazing the architecture is - details, size ... every one is different and special in some way ... Saving the best for last (Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom).
Tomorrow we head out to Vietnam, but we have a full day planned before getting to the airport.

Thailand - Starting on the beach!

We decided to take a boat over to Thailand - weather was great, the ride was smooth and fast ... however boating across allows you a 15 day visa (instead of the 30 days we were expecting - 17 days planned). Not sure what to do about it this minute ... so off to Krabi and over to Ko Phi Phi for some beach and sun! The weather was overcast, but we still got around okay. The island is more for 20 somethings looking for partying ... we found a great quiet place off the beaten path. Signed up for a snorkel trip the next day - but it was cancelled due to the rain. Late morning the weather cleared some - so we and hiked to the other side of the island and snorkeled on our own! Really nice swim and sights, not to mention it felt great to get out. We looked into diving certification, but the weather seemed gloom. Since it is monsoon season in the west - we decided to leave the beaches and spend extra time in the mountains and north. Next day we had a ferry ticket to head out - the weather was fabulous and sunny - got a last sunburn on the ride to land!

Langkawi Island

What an Island ... and our last stop in Malaysia. We absolutely loved the place, although we found it expensive. Beaches were awesome - went on forever. We took a ride over to the Telange Tujuh and Seven Wells - great water falls and springs you can really climb around on and swim in - right next to it was cable cars to the top of the mountain. Spectacular views you could really see the potential of the island - it is going to be something great - resorts ...
Weather was perfect sunshine and a cool breeze. Could stay a long time here, but we were excited to get to Thailand!

Penang, Georgetown - North East Malaysia

We had a great bus ride to Penang - We shared the van with another couple - from London, England - Helen and Richard. They had traveled all over Europe/Asia so we listened / shared stories and advice for the 5.5 hour drive. Once in town we had a plan and found a very simple, but clean room in centrally loacated China town. We were a little disappointed in the town itself - a lot of city attractions were closed due to Ramadan. So we planned a bus trip to Penang Hill for the next day - the ride out to the suburbs was a nice change from the city which was a little run-down feeling. The rail ride to the top of Penang hill was smooth and the views were wonderful, although foggy. We decided to walk down (instead of ride) and end the trip at the Botanical Gardens - Steep 5K walk, but nice, of course the monkeys gave Scott a bit of trouble. Once down - we did walk thru the gardens and then down the street to see a few temples. Amazing detail and sculpture - We also saw the largest reclining Buddha - (felt like being in Graceland - lol). Had a cheap, but well needed and deserved) meal in the Gurney Market - a blend of Chinese and Malay food - We had a fish soup, won tons and a chicken rice for under $4.
Tomorrow we are off to Langkawi Island.

Perhentian Islands - Malaysia

Talk about relaxing ... We are on the "small island" Kecil - There are a few beach areas scattered about with places to stay, restaurants and dive/snorkel shops - each very small and intimate. No roads what-so-ever, everyone travels by boat - ocean is a deep and clean turquoise blue. First we landed/stayed on Long Beach - now at Coral Bay. Electric is available in our rooms from 7pm to 7am (lights and fans). We have been spending the days snorkeling. Great day yesterday - With 2 Brits and our guide Yuseff - we saw; and swam, with turtles, sharks, squid ... there are some really great coral out here to check out - no starfish?!!! Some reading on the beach - evening BBQ's with freshly caught fish. I took a short hike today around the coast line to explore the south end. All of it refreshing and at a slow pace - we are getting used to it. Tomorrow we rent a kayak to check out a few spots on our own!

Taman Negara National Park

We made it to the park after a 4 hour bus/van ride thru the Salad Bowl of Malaysia - interesting farms - and then a 2+ hour boat ride. First night we made it for a quick hike to get the feel of the land. It is a heck of a lot hotter here then the Highlands!!! Scott is like a wet rag.
The town is a real tourist trap - and NO customer service what-so-ever- the recurring theme here is "if you don't like it you can go somewhere else".
We were up early for the first boat to the park - did the canopy walk (i did not look down too much) before heading for a 8k hike thru the jungle to cool baths/waterfalls. Maps are not to detailed ... we really thought we were lost after 4 hours of trekking (not to mention out of drinking water) when a boat came by and helped us across the river. How refreshing the water felt! We had a great boat ride back. Huge trees and Fungi were my fasination - Scott came out of it with a few unknown bites and 2 leach holes in his ankle (all the animals seem to love him). I think we are done with jungles and trekking for a while. We are heading out to the Perhentian Islands for some beach time and snorkeling / diving / relaxation.

Malaysia

We are in our next country ... Started out in KL. Big city, however it is very quiet! We spent some time in the parks and visiting the markets - the food stalls are wonderful and quite an experience!!! It rained each night about 4 p.m. but it did not stop us.
Now in the Cameron Highlands - we spent the last couple of days hiking thru the jungle (wow - talk about a challenging climb with arms and legs) and checking out the village(s). Today we took a break and had tea at BOH Tea where we overlooked the fields/mountains. Off to Taman Negera tomorrow for rain forest/jungle.

Bali N.W. side

Gosh we have been thru a lot since the last post!
Spent time in Lovina (as a hub for day trips) - saw waterfalls, rice fields, and beautiful villages ... we then headed across the coast West near Gilimanuk. We found a great place to stay - Manjangan Resort - in a National Park. Lots of wild deer (2 kinds) roosters, and monkeys. We had a very small bungalo, but it was right off the water - watched the sun rise every morning. We had a GREAT time snorkeling - best coral we ever saw just off Manjangan (deer) Island! Hiked around the park - even ran into a komoto dragon (saw from a distance - we turned around and went the other way quickly).
As we were packing and ready to go - Scott twisted his back VERY badly (could not move, stand or sit up) we got him into the bed - after there was no progress from the icy-hot and pads we had, we ended up calling in a therapeutic masseur from a near by village with the help of the housekeeping boy. He worked on Scott that evening and again in the morning ... Ketut recommended we get relaxers - Seffey took me to a local Doktor for medication - slowly Scott was able to walk and move ... four nights later we did leave and head back to Ubud. Amy had to drive - yikes now I know how crazy it really was to be in the drivers seat (poor Scott).

up to Lovina

DAY 4
Today we rent a car to get to Lovina - the hotel had arranged a car for us. The car that arrived for us had bald tires ... no way we were going to head out and explore with that! Off we went with bags to find a car - down the road a bit we finally found a place that could get us a car - they called it "new" - it was 2005. We think they call their friends who have vehicles and rent those out when needed (we got it for $11.50 per day). The gas gauge was on "E" - so instead of going right to a hike thru rice fields and temples - we set off for a station. 8k later and being stuck in a traffic jam - for an Independence parade - we made it to a station. They call petrol "premium". Already behind on time, and too far out - we decided to get on the way. The ride was nice thru rice fields and orange groves, up to Kintamoni. We stopped to look at the volcano's, but were attacked by vender's who would not stop! Back in the car, we go to the coast and needed to go west to Lovina - OOPs another traffic jam - Independence parade. We were stopped for a good 30 minutes - people and motorbikes all around us! We talked to others around us ... and when traffic began to move we followed them the back way thru town and out! First hotel we saw we stopped - whew!!! They only had one cottage left $20. it was very cute and the location was right off the ocean. We stayed there had dinner and relaxed.

DAY 5
After breakfast we went off for a waterfall hike. First we needed a map - road maps seem to be non-existent here! we never found one, but we picked up a general map. First, off to Pupuan, a spice village. The drive was very nice - stopped for a snack over looking a rice field, and watched the people and how they worked. We had a heck of a time finding Sambanagn Village for our trek. Every time we stopped people would say that way and point ... it took many "that way's" to get there, but we found an information station. A guide came over and led us to, and thru, the trek. Very beautiful waterfalls, not much of a "path" to follow. We could do the shortest trek due to time - maybe 1.5 hour. We went back to the hotel, swam, walked the beach and had a wonderful dinner - fresh tuna and cooked veg!

First days in Bali

We had a 6 hour flight from Sydney to Bali, we landed late 11:45 p.m. Grabbed a cab from the airport - the driver did not know where our hotel was ... thank goodness for cell phones, he finally called and found the way. We stayed in Syminyak near Kuta. We found a room earlier on http://www.asiarooms.com/ the hotel was ok - but far out of town.
Asiarooms.com was fine for us when we were arriving into a city late, but better rooms, in better locations ,for better prices, are available if you are willing to risk it and walk around when you get there (we were looking for the $10 to $15 budget rooms - air and private bath).
In the morning we had a quick bite to eat and took off on foot with our packs in search of the beach. It was a long walk, but a nice one. We discovered the main strip full of shops and restaurants. A few galleries to remember! About 6k later we found the waves and beautiful beach!!! We were on the north side of Kuta - we found a great place to relax and people watch ... there were little venders/restaurants right off the beach. Noodle with sate and a couple of large beers $5. - couldn't have been much better! Kuta for the most part is a tourist and party town/beach ... so if that is what you are looking for perfect! If you are looking for culture and exploring the island - move on.
It was near 2:00 so we decided to head off to Ubud - we wanted to find a place to settle in before dark. We cabbed over for the pre-agreed $18. We had a "Rough Guide - traveling on a shoestring" book to refer to, but the hotels don't use addresses, just street and city names. We got dropped off and walked - packs on back. We did find a place on Monkey Forest - for $20 per night. Don't panic (we did) when places were full - there are a lot of rooms in Ubud if you go down smaller side streets and off the two main roads - no one really wanted to barter for better pricing, but we tried. There was a bar not too far away from us with jazz music - we could hear it perfectly from our balcony - great way to relax before bed.

DAY 2
We were woke up by rustling in the trees - in looking out - there was a monkey looking in from a nearby tree! As we got out there there were probably 20-30 monkeys hopping around, playing and causing trouble. We had breakfast watching them - it was a lot of fun! Today we were exploring the city - we packed water and a light bag and headed out. The town is old / new - culture / tourist, incense / sewage, colorful and dirty. It was the weekend of independence so there were people everywhere, music and celebration ... we found a great market that seemed to go for miles ... anything you could want. Many shops catering to the tourists ... out of town a little, we could catch amazing glimpses of the rice fields and the rivers. The shops are smaller and family owned. We saw some great art work - such detail in the story Balinese pieces!!! We took a quick run thru the NEKA Museum and learned a lot about the culture and their forms of painting. Across the street was a great BBQ place "Naughty Nurries" - we sat down for a vegetable curry - yummy! $2.20
It was quite a ways back - we took our time and soaked in all we could!!! Music tonight from the neighboring bar Contemporary. We went to Aris for dinner - maybe used to be something great, but we thought not so great now - Spring roll was the best. Wiped out - slept good!

DAY 3
Today was full but a bit simpler. We explored a bit more - where the people live so it was nice and quiet. Saw a nice painting gallery again - authentic works. We ran into a great restaurant filled with locals right on the corner of Suweta and Raya - Bu Oka - we ordered a "special" and a fanta. Suckling Pig, rice, chilli's, a couple of pork rinds and a bit of blood sausage for garnish - Scott was smiling all the way thru the meal!!! We had to get to the internet cafe (they are all over the place, connection ok, images slow in upload) - .80 for an hour. Spent a couple of hours and ran to the spa - Eve's - which was one of the more affordable. We had 3 hours of pampering - Balinese massage, scrub, bath - me facial, Scott Reflexology foot massage - all for $45. - Talk about relaxing. We loved it, the only one set back was that it was near the main road MF, so we could hear the road noise. Did I tell you the streets are crazy!!! full of motorbikes going every which way and cars trying to get thru them. We would not really suggest driving in the towns - if you have to, be careful and gutzy at the same time.
We had a minute to relax before the Balinese Dance Show $6.50 - 1.5 hours of dance - first a play and then a fire dance. It was interesting we loved the chants and costumes. We were pretty tired - Found a place for spring rolls down a side street - two for $1 - take away, and sat on our deck for a quiet evening. There are a couple of mini marts available here - easy and affordable to grab a beer (Bingtang) and/or snack.

Getting Started

THE PACKING HAS BEGUN ... we will be trying to get everything needed for a two and a half month trip into these two bags - and keep it light. We have a suggested list to go by ... I have a feeling we will take more than we need. Is it better safe than sorry? or are we packing too much to lug around?

We start our trip in SE Australia (14 days) where it is winter - 50's and 60's (layering) and then we will move to SE Asia where it is in the 80's and 90's - hot and humid. Mostly we seem concerned about bugs, sun screen and toiletries. Only time will tell if we packed correctly. We are excited to see what is in store for us!