ATBD
Andrew & Alexia Dutton Joined: December 20th 2008
Logged in: November 7th 2011
Logged in: November 7th 2011
In 2010 we have so far lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and from there on have travelled to
* Australia for Xmas and NYE
* Singapore in January
* Cyprus in Januay
* Abu Dhabi in February
* Dubai in February
* Goa in April
* Jeddah in May
* Cyprus in July
* Germany and France in August
and have moved to our new home in Japan, the city of Osaka on August 20th 2010
We are will be in Adelaide for X"mas 2010 and NYE 2011 from the 18th of December onwards
We are trying to keep our blog updated but often fail to do so because we are out there enjoying ourselves instead!
Please be patient, we are getting there.
Our joint journeys begun when we met each other on an early Sunday morning in a nightclub in Adelaide where ATD was living at the time and ABD was travelling through. it was one of those "shoes at first sight" love things that ended up in us getting married in India on January 2009.
That year we travelled to:
India (Dec 2008 - Feb. 2009)
Nepal (Mar. 2009 - May 2009)
Thailand (May 2009 - June 2009)
Cambodia & Laos (June 2009 - July 2009)
Malaysia (transit through KL for one day, July 2009)
UK (July 2009)
Paris (July 2009)
Cyprus (August 2009)
Saudi Arabia (Sept., Oct., Nov. 2009)
Sri Lanka (Nov. 2009)
Australia (Dec. 2009)
Some Blogs of certain countries may not be available, probably because we were busy having just a little too much fun!
Hugs xxx
Travel Blog Posts
RED SEA
JEDDAH 26 - 28.05.2010 Jeddah, the mysterious coastal town of Saudi Arabia. Riyadh’s rival. It’s intrigued us since the day we arrived. We had heard many stories about it from fellow expats who had been there or had lived there and it sounded like a pretty relaxed version of Riyadh, plus the added bonus of the mighty red sea. When in April we returned back to Riyadh from our dreamlike Goan holiday on the southern coast of India, Andrew and I both felt deflated and miserable. Looking down the barrel of a 10 week stretch in Riyadh was making us borderline suicidal and so I decided to rescue us from sure death by boredom and booked us on the cheapest flight to Jeddah. I’d promised myself that I would keep it a secret surprise for my ... read more
Just another camel in a pick up truck!
Two weeks ago my husband announced that on that upcoming weekend we were invited to one of his student's farms. We would be staying over night, along with a few other teachers and the student. I got excited at the prospect of leaving Riyadh and seing another place in Saudi Arabia. The weekend came soon enough and Andy and I loaded our backpacks into the newly purchased "Galloper" 4WD which the Jones's had picked up just a couple of days earlier. Josh, Kristy and Brian where already in the car. The drive took around 2 hours and as usual was totally unimpressive. Once one has gotten over the intial fascination with the desert scenery, it becomes just another sand dune. Driving through the Arabian desert is nothing like you may imagine it to be. It is ... read more
Cheaper than water, petrol prices in Riyadh
Reflections on Riyadh It’s a quarter to nine on a Saturday morning. In the rest of our worlds this would signal the beginning of the weekend. In our current world, it marks the beginning of the working week. Our weekends are the hardest part of living in Riyadh. That’s when we feel trapped more than ever, when our surroundings become reality. During the week we both busy ourselves with work and study, Andrew is at school from 7.30 to 4.00 sometimes 5.00 pm, depending on after school activities and meetings he has to attend. We have no time to think about where we are and what it’s really like. What do you do all day? I get that a lot. Well believe it or not, I actually am very busy. The morning starts with cleaning up ... read more
Paris
So much time has passed since our last entry. We have grown with our sorrows and overcome our pain from the loss of our unborn child.It was an adventurous few weeks in Luang Prabang, Laos. We let go of our little miracle in the waters of the mighty Mekong, with a prayer and a song on one very special boat ride. The weeks that followed where tough but we made the most of what we had and did enjoy our time in Europe. Our first stop back in the Oldest continent, was London. It was a comforting first stop on our journey to Cyprus, mainly due to the warm and loving friendship of our very dear friend Stacey. Happy and uncomplicated, warm natured and kind, she gave up the comfort of her warm double bed, so ... read more
Andy at the Appolo Sanctuary
Ok so Cyprus doesn't exist on this travelblog's information! THAT'S how insignificant we are, Cypriot's: get over yourselves! You are NOT the navel of the earth as you like to believe! It's October. I have been on the Island since August, when Andrew and I flew into Larnaca airport at a horrendously early hour and my poor sleepless brother had to pick us up. On top of that we had a delay and i guess that did it to deflate the 'excitment' factor on behalf of Claus's side, over our arrival!Luckily my penthouse was empty so we could stay in it, as the last tenants, kindly left the walls still standing after their departure. As for the rest of the apartments contents: it's debatable. Andrew and I got straight down to business. The business of re-painting, ... read more
Luang Prabang 003 (2)
ATD We arrived in Laos upon a small Air Laos plane from Bangkok, having being forced to take the more expensive aerial route due to a train strike and our expiring Thai visas. Our plane was decorated brighter than a grade three classroom. We were efficiently ushered through customs at the small airport in Vientiane. The airport was notable for its lack of hawkers - a big change from what we have grown accustomed to in Asia. We found a cab driver who took us to our digs for the night. Villa Sisavad turned out to be a little disappointing and overpriced. The pool we had been looking forward to swimming in was little more than a stagnate pond. Refreshed, the next day we ventured out into the capital city of Laos. The city is full ... read more
chiang mai, ayuttaya 162
Bangkok in June ABD - We returned to Bangkok from Poipet, on the Cambodian border. The train journey was a pleasure, although it took us longer than a Bus ride would have taken. It was however much cheaper, at 48 Baht per person, instead of 250 Baht per person by Bus. That was not the reason we opted for the train though. Andy and I love train journeys and find that they are never quite long enough. It is a great way to see a country through the window of a train, to daydream while taking in the images passing you by. Thai trains are fabulous and every chance we got we made the most of them. Even the sleepers where great. Andy and I double bunked one night because the bunk was as big as ... read more
Lolei (9)
29/06/2009 - 31/06/2009 The Temples at Angkor I always find it increasingly difficult to blog about things that have struck me and left me in absolute awe. I feel like every word I use, does not do justice to the overwhelming magnificence of it. Such are the Temples at Angkor. Spanning a radius over 50 kms, some of the temples at Angkor where built as early as 610. It is almost impossible to take in every single detail and every temple on the grounds of the complex. One would have to have endless time and be a real enthusiast in order to avoid suffering from temple overload. We spent three days in the area, rising early, so as to avoid the excessive heat. Our tuk tuk driver for the three days, Hum, ended up getting on ... read more
no comment - it's Asia!
05/06/2006, 06/06/2006 Phnom Penh is a capital in the making. There is a lot of restoration and road work being done, the riverfront seems to be undergoing some major renovation. Our Guest House, funnily named ‘Me Mates Place’, is owned by an Aussie with Cambodian Heritage. The room was the best we have stayed in in Asia. It was really trendy and air-conditioned, with a power shower like no other. The day we arrived we spent hours enjoying the room and ended the day by taking a stroll down to the river and enjoying a good feed at a local market. The following day, Andy and I visited the ‘Killing Fields’. It was a very sad day and we were very affected by this large garden that served as a mass grave for over 8000 people. ... read more
Fried Spiders anyone?
Wednesday 03, 04/06/2006 Our Bus, complete with WC and free water service, left Siem Reap at 7:55 am. We read our books and slept and listened to music and blogged on the laptop and then we arrived at Phnom Penh. An earlier stop around lunch time, was full of surprises. We got off the Bus to get a quick bite for lunch and were immediately surrounded by a handful of children selling bananas, mangoes, pineapple and eggs. Yes, eggs. We started a lively conversation with them and the little girl selling the eggs was just too cute. There was no way on earth that I would be leaving that place without any eggs - even if I didn’t want any! Andrew and I both gasped when we saw the street vendors produce that lined the ... read more
