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AndyNClaire - Andy & Claire

Well we finally did it.... thought about it... talked about it... thought some more.... then sold the house..... rented for a bit then... thought a bit more... finally we are doing it... heading off around the world... please keep checking our blog as we travel and feel free to add comments or send us a message.

Love
Andy & Claire

Here is our itinerary (as it currently stands anyway!)

24 Nov 2008 London to Beijing (China) (Via Hong Kong)
10 Dec 2008 Shanghai (China) to Tokyo (Japan)
18 Dec 2008 Tokyo (Japan) to Hong Kong (China)
23 Dec 2008 Hong Kong (China) to Bangkok (Thailand)
Travelling around Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos
6 Feb 2009 Bangkok (Thailand) to Singapore
Travelling around SIngapore, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia
6 Mar 2009 Singapore to Brisbane (Australia)
23 Mar 2009 Sydney (Australia) to Christchurch (New Zealand)
20 Apr 2009 Auckland (New Zealand) to Rarotonga (Cook Islands) *** Crossing the date line, so we arrive before we left! ***
25 Apr 2009 Rarotonga (Cook Islands) to San Francisco (USA) (Via Los Angeles)
1 May 2009 San Francisco (USA) to Phoenix (USA)
8 May 2009 Phoenix (USA) to Philadelphia (USA)
Travel to New York (USA)
21 May 2009 Philadelphia (USA) to London (UK) *** Home Sweet Home (when we find somewhere to live!!!) ***

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Joined on: November 20th 2008
Last Login: October 29th 2009

Blog Entries: 31
Photos: 279
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Blogs & Travel Journals

by AndyNClaire, order by Date newest first.

By AndyNClaire
January 17th 2009

Siem Reap to Laos Border in under 2 days!! Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap

Thankfully we went by bus!

The question that we wanted answering but nobody could tell us was - "How long does it take to get from Siem Reap (Cambodia) to Four Thousand Islands (Laos) overland and how much?" Originally we were told that we would either have to go back to Phnom Penh (a big detour) or catch a plane (very expensive). Clearly all the travel agencies springing up around Siem Reap were doing great business selling air flights so weren't very helpful at all - Of course they would fail to tell people about the $25 airport tax because it's an international flight! Ultimately we [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
January 14th 2009

Lost Worlds of Angkor Asia » Cambodia » North » Angkor

First class guide at Angkor

In order to avoid being part of the ridiculous soaring rise in Tuk-Tuk prices (thanks mainly to the rich tourists flying in for a day or so from Thailand and paying $20+ - crazy!) we decided to boycott the whole thing and hire bicycles instead - $2 each per day! We spent the whole day with our new pals Erik and Maddie, and planned to cover 90% of the temple complexes between dawn and dust travelling some 20-25 km on bumpy roads - great fun. The history of the Angkor region goes all the way back to 800AD when the Khmer [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
January 13th 2009

From Phnom Pehn to Seam Reap Asia » Cambodia » South » Phnom Penh

Begger children....
....around the market place in Phnom Penh.

On our return to Phnom Penh we decided to visit the central market place which is basically a bazaar containing jewellery and a wide range of merchandise. there was also some delicious fruit stalls selling a wide range of exotic foods. Sadly there were also a large number of beggar children hanging around the market hoping to get some scraps from the waste that the traders threw out. Although we had become accustomed to the relentless begging that happened throughout parts of Asia, it felt very different here. There was a dire desperation and haunting hopelessness in the children's eyes that [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
January 11th 2009

Chilling out in Kampot Asia » Cambodia » South » Kampot

Market Town enroute to Kampot
The amount of rubbish around throughout Cambodia was unbelievable.

Owing to bad timing on our behalf the visa we required for our next country 'Laos' would take four days to produce as it was now Thursday and the weekend would impact delivery time so we decided to use the time to travel to the south of Cambodia to a riverside town called Kampot which was very close to the coast. The bus journey was a fantastic adventure in itself, slowly making its way through wide open and dry landscapes with very poor villages dotted about. At one point the road turned into a very bumpy dirt track (not the last [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
January 8th 2009

Phnom Penh - Khmer Cruelty Asia » Cambodia » South » Phnom Penh

Museum Introduction Notice

WARNING THIS BLOG ENTRY CONTAINS DESCRIPTIONS OF CRUELTY BY THE KHMER ROUGE AND MAY UPSET YOUNG OR SENSITIVE READERS. We arrived after dark in Phnom Penh and initial impressions were different to what we expected, with post hotels and buildings dotted about, good conditioned roads with crossing and a hive of excited activity which we were later to discover the reason. We checked in out FREE guesthouse given away as an offer for the Mekong trip from Hoi Chi Minh. The "Okay" guesthouse was for the most part "Okay" but annoying tak tak touts and guides hassle you in the restaurant [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
January 7th 2009

Mekong - Vietnam Asia » Vietnam » Mekong River Delta

Floating Market

Most people entering Cambodia from Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) will do so via air or a direct bus journey by road. These travel options miss out on perhaps some of the most beautiful and interesting parts of both Vietnam and Cambodia. The Southern Mekong Delta region tells a story of people who have lived and worked together in harmony (from both Vietnam and Cambodia borders) despite the raging wars and political corruption that surrounded them. With this in mind we decided to book ourselves on a two day Mekong Delta river trip leaving from Cai Be, a one hour bus ride [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
January 4th 2009

Ho Chi Minh - Saigon City Asia » Vietnam » Southeast » Ho Chi Minh City

Cu Chi Tunnels
...they were very narrow - ideal for the slender Vietnamese, but not for the USA troops.

Our first day in Ho Chi Minh we decided to explore on foot; visiting the Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum (Formerly known as the of Exhibition House of American War Crimes). Ho Chi Minh is a very large metropolis with thousands of mopeds lining the streets wherever you went. The visit to the Independence Palace was cut rather short owing to an important meeting in the West wing of the building. The decision to shut the entire Palace did seem rather excessive considering the public area is no where near this event. Communication that the Palace was closed hadn’t [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
January 3rd 2009

Happiness in Hoi An Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Hoi An

Measured Up!
Andy being measured up for some zip walking trousers!

Despite the relentless tropical rain storms that hung over the central coast of Vietnam for the week we travelled through it, we found that if you're going to be 'rained in' anywhere in Vietnam then Hoi An is the best place to be.... ...basically from the moment we arrived to the moment we left, the beautiful people of Hoi An made every possible effort to make us feel welcome and at home in their home town. We had originally booked ourselves in at the local backpackers youth hostel but owing to a slight administration error we were allocated the wrong room [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
January 1st 2009

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới (Happy New Year) from Hoi An!!! Asia » Vietnam » South Central Coast » Hoi An

Sleeper Bus or Cattle Transporter?...
...you decide!!

After spending a couple of days in Ninh Binh (nicknamed the Halong Bay of the paddy fields) we decided to travel south in search of some sun. We'll add more about Nihn Binh soon! The sleeper trains were full, so we thought we would give the overnight sleeper bus a try. Oh my goodness, what an experience! We now know what a heard of cattle being transported feels like & will not be doing another sleeper bus in Vietnam again. We had a 4hr wait in Hue where we wandered around the crumbling, but very authentic Citadel for a while with [View Full Entry]

By AndyNClaire
December 30th 2008

Numb Bums to Ninh Binh Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Ninh Binh

The Cattle Wagon...
...comes free with air conditioning!

We travelled from Hanoi to Ninh Binh on a 'hard seater' train. The train itself was very old and had metal grills over the windows making it appear like an animal pen. The seats and luggage storage areas cleverly transformed into hard sleeper beds for those on longer journeys. We walked to our seats and the our fellow passengers were very helpful in moving their luggage around to make space for ours. How lovely we thought. The journey was 2 hours long and cost $6. Not much for us, but a great deal for the Vietnamese who some were travelling the [View Full Entry]

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