Kalle&Nastya
A newly wed couple on an extended honeymoon in amazing Asia-Pac for 8 months. Our itinerary begun in Bangkok in mid-October 2011 and should be through by end of June 2012, although one never knows, and has had us traveling in Southeast Asia, Nepal (28.10-16.12), Australia (17.12 - 6.2), New Zealand (7.2 - 11.3) after which we bounced back to SE Asia starting with Indonesia for 4 weeks before getting back to square one.Anastasiya and Kalle
Travel Blog Posts
May 13th 2012
One of the first things we notice in Laos is that time flows differently. It doesn't seem to progress linearly any longer but stays frozen for most of the day except for brief infrequent intervals when through the accumulated static energy the time bursts through the wall of inaction and things somehow come about. We learn very fast that L.P.D.R. doesn't only stand for Laos People's Democratic Republic but also for Laos Please Don't Rush. The Laotians are probably the most horizontally inclined nation out there. As a local saying goes too much work is not good for your brain. Everywhere you look at, there's always somebody lying low in a hammock. We in the west have so much to learn from these people. If you miss your bus, take it easy for a day and ... read more
May 1st 2012
The third new year in four months seen off in grand style, we feel we have acquired enough good karma to explore Asia's murkier side and start off the much anticipated expedition to the Golden Triangle, a wide swathe of northern Southeast Asia comprising remote parts of Burma, Laos and Thailand. A savage region of rugged mountains and inaccessible forests inhabited by Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lisu, Shan, Tai Lu and a few other hilltribes. Imagine warlords with private armies, megalomanic Burmese generals, opium mule trains chugging through the jungle, hidden opium refineries, Chinese triads, remote villages and above all the chest-high pink and white poppies that are the source of opium and numerous opiates deriving from it: codeine, morphine, heroin, just to mention a few. Add in the mix secret wars waged by CIA and financed ... read more
April 23rd 2012
Coming back to Bangkok feels almost like returning home. A familiar city with favorite food joints established during our previous visits and what's more we know the lay of the land and find it easy to navigate in the sprawling metropolis of ten million people. What makes it even more enjoyable, is that this time we can stay a few days at a friend's house, taking advantage of the comfort Bangkok has to offer to privileged ones. A concierge at the entrance, a swift ascend to 25th floor for a bird-eye view over the city from a modern 2 level condominium. We also have an acces to a recreation floor with an open air swimming pool, a squash court, a gym and a library, and we do have time to use them all since we are ... read more
April 9th 2012
If you were to spend a day on each and every island of Indonesia, it would take you modest forty years. Now, if for some reason you don't have the luxury of time to visit all of them in order to choose your perfect tropical island getaway, your only option is to be extremely selective like a good headhunter. But don't you worry dear reader, we are about to share the location of a paradise with you.The three Gili Islands, affectionately known as the Gilis, just off the coast of Lombok, are the true pearls of Indonesia. Trust us, you could easily spend a small eternity on these tranquil islands of white powdery sand surrounded by clear turquoise water. We begin our stay on the Gilis with Gili Trawangan, which is the furthest of the three ... read more
April 1st 2012
Mother-in-laws are like expectations, sometimes you've got to meet them. However, you would suppose there are worse spots than Bali for the inevitable rendezvous, wouldn't you? So did I but, but as per usual, little did I know. Getting to Bali was an ordeal by itself, i.e. another 14 hours on a plane, first an 11 hour flight from wrecked Christchurch to Kuala Lumpur, then a few long hours spent at, by courtesy of the Almighty, an alcohol-free lounge, before boarding another 3 hour flight to Bali. After New Zealand, which was blissfully free from tourist hoardes, Bali serves us an intense and immediate cultural shock jolting our minds and bodies far out of any notion of peace and harmony. Kuta beach is a condensed, dirty, noisy, sordid strip of God's forsaken land, crammed with Western ... read more
March 15th 2012
Crossing Cook Strait from Wellington to Picton by a gigantic ferry is by far a more civilized experience than taking a similar ferry from Helsinki either to Stockholm or Tallinn, namely due to the complete absence of legions of badly dressed Finns being either in process of getting obnoxiously drunk or hoarding tax-free booze behaving as if the Prohibition were abolished just yesterday, causing one to consider whether one is actually better off jumping off the board rather than being stuck in a confined space with the aforementioned fellow passengers for any meaningful period of time. Meanwhile on the other side of the world, we thoroughly enjoy the 3 hour crossing, spending most of the time on the outer deck absorbing the magnificent landscape of the rugged coastline displaying all the imaginable shades of green. Whosoever ... read more
February 24th 2012
Arriving in Auckland, we learn that it stands on about 50 volcanos, the last one erupting about 600 years ago, brave are those living in Auckland! Not the bravest though, the award goes to Christchurch with its almost daily earthquakes. It has become such a usual occurance of daily life, that it has even made its way to the topics of the comedy scene of Auckland. We took a look at one of the volcanos, Rangitoto, looking green and peaceful. But it still can erupt, no one knows when. Another thing we notice immediately, is that the Maōri presence is everywhere, Maōri language or te reo Maōri, has gained a status of official in 1987 with the Maōri Language Act. The third official language is the New Zealand Sign Language, the main language of the deaf ... read more
February 16th 2012
One of the most fascinating aspects of going to New Zealand was our almost total ignorance of our destination for next five weeks. Apart from the well known facts that the Hobbits live there and there are more sheep than people, we knew very little. Who's the prime minister of New Zealand? Not a faintest idea. Which party or parties run the country? Not a slightest clue. What have been the moments that define the nation in the history of NZ? Beats me. On our way to Auckland from Melbourne we data-mined our memories for anything related to the kingdom of Aotearoa. The list we could come up was embarrassingly scant. It is the first country in the world granting women universal suffrage. The locals get their knickers in a twist about rugby and their national ... read more
February 3rd 2012
Who would pick the hottest time of the year to venture out into the hottest part of Australia - certainy no one in a sane frame of mind but, of course, your own nomadic duo with an extended licence to travel. Unable to resist the allure of the fabled Uluru, we leapt at the opportunity to embrace the monumental emptiness and the oppressive heat of the Outback. We spent 3 long weeks on the highways and dirt roads of Australia, burning gas worth a carbon footprint of a legion of highwaymen, having the merciless red sun as a loyal travellling company and somewhere out there back of beyond, learning to appreciate the life of the Gray Nomads. But let's start with Wilson Promontory, the southernmost point of the Australian mainland and our first destination after leaving ... read more
100 Days on the Road
Published: January 29th 2012Oceania » Australia » Northern Territory » Alice Springs
January 27th 2012
To mark the occasion of our hundredth day on the road, we felt like treating you to a retrospective mélange of random curiosities and occasional insights. We will leave our Outback odyssey for the next blogging, once we have made it back to the civilized world. We are now in Alice Springs finding out what a summer in the desert is all about. The idea was to post this on the exact date of the 100th day on the road but due to the Australia Day, the national day of Oz celebrating the landing of the revered First Fleet, all internet cafes are closed today, hence a slight delay. By the bye, for the indigenous people today is known as the Invasion Day, not warranting much to feel festive about. 100 days spent on the road, ... read more
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