http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Brass Monkeys/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Brass Monkeys en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:15:08 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:15:08 UTC So Lelde and I have just got back from spending two weeks at her grandparents' farm deep in the Latvian countryside. 32 per cent of Latvians live in rural areas. I think that Latvians have strong and thriving traditions related to the land. Whilst there we went mushroom picking which Lelde's mum describes as nearly being a national sport in Latvia you can often see people coming from the fo http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Latvia/Riga/blog-321223.html StevenHere are some pictures from the harbour festival in Bristol 2nd and 3rd Aug. I Steven am staying for a short stop in the UK. It's a stop of 6 weeks here before heading back to Latvia. I have felt over the past year and a bit that I was fleeing my native country in order to taste more exotic experiences. Many times on my travels I looked at Britain as dreary having removed myself to t http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Bristol-County/Bristol/blog-309047.html 08062008 LeldeI think this is our last entry. We may find time for one more if there is cheap internet in the airports where we will spend many hours of our live's in the very near future but maybe not as we don't get any responses from you anyways probably you don't even bother to read it anymore.. Have some shame people we are exposing our existances to you on a regular basis but I h http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Indonesia/blog-284953.html Steven 11th May 2008 I have been traveling solo for a few days in Northern Sumatra. First stop was Medan a coastal city of 23m people. There is a beautiful mosque here Masjid Raya as well as a healthy Chinese presence good chance to air my Mandarin and get some tasty treats.This first night in Indonesia for me felt edgy it might just be that I am traveling alone for the first time in the j http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/blog-275060.html Lelde070508here I'm sitting in an Internet cafe in Kuala Lumupr the capital of Malaysia. we've been in this country since 24th of April. We went to to a few lovely places before arriving here. One of those places was an island can't remember the name of it.The way we got there was rather scary and I think i wont take speed boats ever in my life if I can help it the weather was moody that http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Malaysia/Selangor/Kuala-Lumpur/blog-273782.html 16042008 LeldeShorit ieradamies atpakalj Bangkoka neliels pargurums jo vienigas biljetes ko varejam dabut bija sedvietas un tad nu ka macejam ta 12 stundas pavadijam pusguljus pusnomoda ieksh ta vilciena. Kopsh pedejas sadaljas esam paguvushi aizdoties uz nelielu miestinju Taizemes Ziemeljos sauktu Pai visnotalj relakseta un skaista vieta bet protams turistu sabliveta. Pavadijam tur http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Laos/blog-267080.html Loas has been really relaxing it's just impossible to become frustrated with the constant delays there as life around you moves at such a lazy pace. I did'nt know what to expect from Loas. It turned out to be a breath of fresh air as the tourism infrastructure there is much less evolved than it's neighbouring Thailand so things feel more authentic. This doesn't mean that like in Vietnam the http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Laos/blog-267079.html lelde250308nu tad ta ka jau nu visukartejo reizi ir nacies secinat laiks nak un paiet un var tik brinieties kur izchabejis atkal... Mans miljais mumitis ar savu shaiku no Latvijas bija ieradies mus apciemot un uz Taizemi paskatities un rau jau atkal ir atpakalj majas un soloshajas sniega kupenas var sildities ar atminjam par piedzivoto par dzidrozilo udeni baltajam smiltim un karsto sau http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/blog-257873.html StevenSo We spent a few days on Phu Quoc island the pictures speak for themselves it's a paradise on Earth off Vietnam's southern coast then hopped into Cambodia. After crossing the border there was a marked change in the local's behaviour and general demeanor. Trying not to generalise here but we found people in Vietnam to be a bit shifty prices needed to be nailed down or the person wo http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Cambodia/blog-252586.html Lelde 110208esam jau tikushi lidz Saigonai tagadejais nosdaukums Hoichamin city iedaramies vakar velu. Viss shis celjojums pa Vjetnamu mani ir izsaucis daudzejadas ne vienmer parsvara ne.. pozitivas izjutas... Cilveki ir ljoti naudorienteti un centisies no Tevis izdabut cik vien iespejams... Principa visi celjotaj tiek sava zinja diskrimineti sheit mes netiekam uztverti ka cilveki indi http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/blog-245099.html Lelde 30012008Nu tad ta esam Vjetnama bet nu visu pec kartas... 27 Janvari agri no rita pametam pilsetu kura bija nodzivoti un nostradati musu dzives nedaudz vairak ka 6 meneshi. Protams ka bija ta nedaudz jocigi un savadi un no vienas puses nekur negribejas braukt ka jau tas ir vienmer kad esi pieradis pie lietu kartibas un iedzivojies kada vieta ka ari darbs un kolegji patikami bet n http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-241040.html Ahh Yuletide approaches Lessons have slackened off a little and we are left with a Christmas themed party for all the schools' students bringing festive cheer to the office. In China Xmas day is not a public holiday but we are looking forward to a slap up meal on the day at a fellow teacher's placemmmh The days till we leave China are ticking down about 5 weeks left now we hope to head in http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangdong/Zhongshan/blog-227195.html StevenZhongshan gets a brief mention in the LP summing up not a place to divert travellers for very long but we have called it home now for 4 months now. We've thrown ourselves into some learning and cultural pursuits. We started going to a Kungfu class a while back. This is an extract from my diary shortly after starting Oct 29th 2007'We've just got back from our second lesson kungfu le http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangdong/Zhongshan/blog-217846.html StevenWe were given almost a week's holiday from teaching which happened to coincide with our visa expiry date so with Hong Kong just 2 hours away we arranged to take a break there. Just last year I was selling longhaul holidays to the FarEast amongst many places and dreaming of being able to make the journeys that my customers were making so living 2 hours away from Hong Kong now means http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Hong-Kong/blog-208733.html We just completed a visa run across the Chinese border at Macau. This time we only stopped for a couple of hours enough to see the some of Macau's casinos and to spot the sea. Macau has 95 Chinese inhabitants 2 Portuguese and 3 Macanese a mix of both. I spent much of the short trip trying to spot the Macanese part of society without success or maybe I saw them and didn't know it. Another http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangdong/Zhongshan/blog-199436.html StevenSo time is flying We're in the office on a Saturday thought we'd add an entry here so you you know that we remain as teachers. We've got more classes now of all levels it's a good challenge. We both celebrated birthdays in August. We have found a cool bar here with a live band and friendly atmosphere the whole place sang Happy Birthday to us on each of our birthdays strange as the http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangdong/Zhongshan/blog-197869.html As another tourist visa ran out we had to head for nearby Macau for the day to renew ours especially in light of our jobs . Macau is only an hour and a half away. The day started with a 7 am bus then straight to the Chinese embassy.We toured the city whilst our visas were being prepared. It was a rainy day but Macau proved to be bursting with character. Having been an enclave for Portuguese set http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Macau/blog-189065.html This weekend gone we decided to venture into Zhongshan and nose around the parks. What we found has changed my opinion of our home. Zhongshan really does have real life beyond the commerce and shopping. I was starting to think that all this place had to offer was endless shopping 'malls' Zhongshan is situated in the delta of the Pearl River so there have been foreign influences here for some t http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangdong/Zhongshan/blog-189056.html Steven Hello there We are now in Guangdong province. Our plan to travel strictly overland has been briefly interupted by a China East airways flight from Kunming Yunnan to Guanzhou used to be Canton. This was on Sunday. We were flown here to start teaching English. We are just getting settled in and hope to stay at least until October if not beyond. I think that with overland travel you ex http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Guangdong/Zhongshan/blog-183296.html Lelde Nu ta atkal jau kads laiks nav rakstits un tagad japagust atstastit jausabijushus notikumus un tos kas vel prieksha. Viens no jaukakajiempiedzivojumiem risinajas neliela miesta Chautu kur atrodas diezgan slavenaLecosha Tigjera Aiza tiger leaping gorge. Pirmkart jau ieejas biljete nebijasalidzinoshi darga ka ari viss pasakums daudz jaukaks un skaistaks sava zinjaka iepriekshejie. Tat http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/China/Yunnan/Tiger-Leaping-Gorge/blog-181152.html