Dave Kiddney and Vanessa Garnett
A Pre honeymoon of sorts, we have decided to spend 3 months traveling throughout Asia. At 6'5" and 5'10" and pale as newborns, we stick out like..... 2SoreThumbs.2SoreThumbs
Travel Blog Posts
May 9th 2005
Landing in Tibet was a revelation. Blue skies, crisp air and no pollution. Just lovely. We hired a taxi and headed for Lhasa (a one and a half hour drive). There is so much to relate about Tibet but, I must begin with a diversion...toilets. Tibet is famous for having some of the worst toilets in the world and this was cause for quite a bit of trepidation on my part. And let's just say I was....INITIATED, along with Sarah, on that very first day. Because Lhasa is at an elevation of 13,000 feet, Sarah and I had been taking altitude pills. Unfortunately, these are a diuretic and we had to use the bathroom constantly. About half way through our taxi drive through the countryside toward Lhasa, Sarah broke down and insisted she "had to use ... read more
May 7th 2005
Ahh.. the struggle of getting to Chengdu! After having such a wonderful experience on the Beijing to Xi'an train trip, Dave and Sarah were gung ho about taking another 17 hour train to Chengdu. I was not so sure.... In the lobby of our Xi'an hotel, we met with a travel agent to discuss day trips etc.. They always try to get you to go everywhere. "Stefanie" kept describing various things we could do saying how "very, very nice" each place was. Since she was also booking our train tickets, I asked her about the Chengdu train. "Is it nice, will we be comfortable like the Beijing train?" She frowned. "Beijing train veddy new. Chengdu train old. Not so nice. Plane, maybe better." This was enough for me. If a local is telling you it's "not ... read more
May 2nd 2005
After five days in Beijing, we took the sleeper train (14 hours) to Xi'an, home of the Terracotta Warriors! Xi'an is a university town and the capital of the Shang-tsi province. With a population of seven million, it's no joke! (There are so many people in China!!) In the center of town is an ancient bell tower which gives the city a nice, old fashioned feel!! (Which was wonderful.) Because of the national holiday, the city was VERY crowded and a little overwhelming. Xi'an does not have any pedestrian light/signals like Beijing and for the first time we experienced what a kamikaze mission it is to cross the street. The drivers here are insane!! You literally have to run for your life. The cars actually SPEED up when they see someone in front of them. And ... read more
April 29th 2005
Ahhh... China. How can I begin to describe this place. Let's start by confirming that the East is DEFINITELY the exact opposite of the West! I sometimes feel like we're on another planet. I look back and laugh at myself for thinking South East Asia could be difficult. Ha! Nothing compares to China. Let's begin with some initial and LASTING impressions: The entire country has an ABHORRENT fixation on hacking lugees, blowing snot rockets, spitting and burping. These are executed CONSTANTLY. Anyone who knows me can just imagine my knee jerk reactions that include an exclamation of "Oh Jesus, not again!", my incredulous expression of disgust and my hands raised into the air as if to ask, "Why me, God, why me?" These are performed many times daily as the Chinese are obsessed with their own ... read more
April 19th 2005
*NOTE* Please check out new pic in Cambodia section! Forget to install it last time. It's of the whole family at Angkor Wat! KO LANTA: Luckily, on our return to Thailand, the border crossing was less harrowing but still long:) We headed back to Bangkok via an "air conditioned" bus (I've learned this is an euphemism for "blowing hot air"). The next morning we headed to the south of Thailand to meet up with Dave's parents and family friends. We flew to Krabi and then took an extremely claustrophobic van (low ceilings, no leg room) that was also "air conditioned" for the three and a half hour drive to Ko Lanta. This is just one of the many islands the make-up the south of Thailand which were 'hit' by the tsunami. We had a great few ... read more
April 18th 2005
bBorder Crossing:/b This, by far, was the most amazing experience of our trip so far. Everything about Cambodia is mind blowing. Our purpose for heading into Cambodia was to see Angkor Wat, the ancient temples built in the 11th century. We hired a car in Bangkok to drive us the four hour trip to the border of Thailand and Cambodia. We arrived at a dusty, noisy, hectic, HOT make-shift town where it was promptly discovered that Jennifer, the Jordan's daughter had forgotten her passport! It's never boring when you're travelling in a pack! Unfortunately, the Jordans had to head BACK to Bangkok and forgo Cambodia as the Kiddney clan forged ahead. Crossing into Cambodia was a lesson in Asian efficiency (doesn't exist) and true poverty. Thailand may be a developing country but, it is DEVELOPED in ... read more
April 13th 2005
Dave and I flew into Bangkok smack dab in the middle of the famous "Water Festival". This is Buddhist Asia's New Year celebration and entails bands of youth throwing buckets of water on everyone. The water is said to cleanse the people and the city during the hottest time of year and no one is excluded! As Dave and I learned our first night when we headed out to explore the city. It's unbelievable to witness. You can't go outside without getting soaking wet! Pick-up trucks drive by with thirty people packed in the back holding buckets of water that they hurl at unsuspecting pedestrians. We entered a touristy street and were virtually assaulted by teenagers who laughingly approach and dump buckets of water over your head. It is a very joyous holiday where everyone smiles ... read more
April 12th 2005
Our last couple of days in Indonesia were spent in the surfer haven of Ullu Watu. These were definitely the most beautiful beaches we encountered but, not for the faint of heart. The waves are intense! The beaches are particularly special because you walk down a cliff- like area (800' descent) and enter the beach through caves. Dave was mesmerized by the surfers and suffered from acute surfer-envy. In the evening we headed to a nearby temple to see one last Balinese dance, The Kecak. Situated high up on a cliff overlooking the sea, the view is absolutely breathtaking. Monkeys live all around the grounds so, Dave was in heaven. One monkey leapt onto a woman's shoulder and pulled out her earring and took off with it. Very funny. The Kecak dance was the best yet. ... read more
April 9th 2005
Dave and I teamed up with a really amazing couple we met at our Ubud Homestay and hired a "Transport, Transport!" for an all day tour of five major temples. Nancy and Joseph are travelling pros who sold their homes in Hawaii and are on a PERMANENT vacation. For the past two years they have been circumnavigating the globe with no plan to stop. They showed us the ropes by driving a hard bargain with our driver and insisting on "no tricks or arguments" Indonesian drivers love to veer off schedule and take tourists to shops etc. where they will receive a commission for any purchases. They also tend to 'forget' the negotiated price and ask for more money at the end of a trip... Dave and I learned this earlier....THE HARD WAY! Although rainy, the ... read more
April 6th 2005
UBUD, BALI: We are now in the cultural mecca of Bali. Ubud is the artistic center of the island and is definitely my favorite destination so far. It is a tourist town but very charming in a Bali-esque way. There are a series of streets with tons of shops but, you can walk ten minutes and be in the most gorgeous rice paddies watching the Balinese harvest the crop. Of course, everyone is always trying to sell you something and the art of bargaining is highly valuable here. Just walking down the sidewalk you are always accosted with "Transport, transport, tomorrow, tomorrow, Taxi, hello, hello, excuse me, hello, you wanna taxi, you wanna taxi? Cheap, very cheap! And this is all within a five second time span. As a retail queen, I must add that ... read more
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