http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Christine-and-Terry/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Christine and Terry en-us Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:50:24 +0000 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:50:24 +0000 Christmas and Cambodia Here we are heading towards the end of 2009 and it finds us in Tierra del Fuego the Land of Fire in southernmost Argentina. Itrsquos a beautiful place and flying in over the Beagle Channel was magical. The days stretch on endlessly its not dark until after r11pm so welcome after months of short days up in the tropics.A guaranteed white Christmas lies ahead for us a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-443879.html So here we are about to leave Australia for the third time and tomorrow set off to Quito getting ready to learn Spanish and how to sway hips to those amazing rhythms. Many thanks to everyone for your comments and updates from home which are all so well received. Laos We left home seventeen months ago but in our blog wersquore still back in November and deep in Asia and at last about to get http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/West/Vientiane/blog-421728.html Hello again and wersquove finally got back to the blog. Thanks to everyone kind enough to say that theyrsquore missing our blogs itrsquos nice to be nagged. I lost heart a bit as we write the blog to enjoy everyonersquos email feedback and comments but that was a little sparse on our last blog. Thanks to those who did comment and to those who didnrsquot ... why not Come on donrsquo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Northern-Thailand/Chiang-Khong/blog-408348.html Malaysia Wersquove just had an excellent couple of weeks in Melbourne being wonderfully cared for by Jenny and Neil Byrne. Its hard to believe but Jenny has been in Aus for almost two years but happily as yet she doesnrsquot sound like Kylie. She and Neil have set up a lovely home in Melbournersquos suburbs I wonrsquot mention that she has a swimming pool as we hear thatrsquos http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Penang/George-Town/blog-352029.html So this is by way of an Extra Ordinary Blog or more a note to wish everyone a heartfelt Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hopefully you were able to open the video its slightly longer than initially planned but then it had an amateur camera man as well as amateur actors and no the Santa isn't Fiona in drag but maybe there is a passing resemblance Ho Ho HoAnd how strange is it to be s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-353509.html Thank you for all your encouragement and kind comments about the bloghellip but please keep them coming she says quite shamelessly as we really enjoy reading them and hearing about life back in the UK.Wersquore currently in Vietnam where it looks like wersquoll be spending Christmas. Would you believe that Saigon is full of Christmas tat including fake snow and penguins. Honestly when d http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Java/Jakarta/blog-348676.html Our blog remains weeks behind and so a hasty run through of our remaining weeks in India is needed else wersquoll never catch up with ourselves. Jude said to describe India you need every adjective in the dictionary and then some which is so true. Chandigarth After the beautifully damp and cool mountains of Himachal Pradesh we reached the Punjabi plains and found that not only was it still http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-337527.html Firstly enormous thanks to everyone for sending messages or posting comments as ever they were all gratefully received in fact wersquore slightly incredulous both that we havenrsquot received more abuse and that we have been nagged for not posting more about India. We left India about a month ago and are clearly well behind with the blog so here goes back to June 21st. Leh Ladakh We st http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Himachal-Pradesh/Shimla/blog-326306.html Incredible India Arrival Delhi was hot really hot and humid. At the airport the innumerable taxis appeared to be playing dodgems both with each other andor any pedestrians that got in the way. Excitedly three of us crammed our bodies and bags into a small taxi and after bumping into only a couple of other vehicles we were on our way. But only for 100 yards when we stopped and picked up the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Jammu-and-Kashmir/Leh/blog-314673.html KYRGYZSTAN Herewith blog from Kyrgyzstan and its just the three weeks late. Wersquore currently enjoying the Monsoon in India Thanks to those who have sent messages hellip but please everyone we really enjoy your comments so donrsquot be shyKyrgyzstan is an amazing country 90 of it is above 1500m and the Tien Shan mountains which run into China form a beautiful backdrop to Bis http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Kyrgyzstan/Bishkek/blog-297443.html Leaving IranWe flew from Iran to Uzbekistan our first flight since leaving home as getting a visa to travel over land through Turkmenistan takes a lot of time needs a letter of invitation expensive and even then may be a bit hit and miss. It was 1am by the time we reached the Emam Khomeni airport and on the departure board was a BMI flight to London it felt odd that having travelled for ov http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Uzbekistan/Tashkent/blog-290236.html Border Crossing After the previous dayrsquos disappointment and a poor nightrsquos sleep we were up early 7.30am saw us at a modern bus office awaiting our bus to Oromiyhe. Come 9.00am and three different bus offices later each one progressively more dingy we finally boarded the bus. The journey through south east Turkey and into Iran was a joy winding through stunningly beautiful mount http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Iran/South/Shiraz/blog-279316.html Wersquore heading into Iran now where internet access may not be easy and we really wanted to complete our record of the Turkey tour but don't know when we'll be able to publish this.Up Up and Away Cappadocia was our last port of call on the West Turkey ldquotourist trailrdquo. What an amazing place topped off with our Hot Air Balloon ride a 50th Birthday Present for Terry from folks back http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Eastern-Anatolia/Van/blog-274448.html Weight Loss Without DietingHuge thanks to everyone for all the comments and messages on our last blogs... So far we've travelled 75hrs by train and 30 by bus and confess it all feels more like a holiday than travelling whatever that is. We promise our next blog will have a map showing our proposed route but its a little up in the air until we get our heads around what China is doing with th http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Central-Anatolia/Cappadocia/blog-268580.html Only 728 days to go Really enjoyed Budapest and discovered literal meaning of Pest is oven or kiln courtesy of the Budapest Museum.Lots of open spaces an incongruous mix of restored grand historical buildings soviet block like architecture and ugly new International hotels the good the bad and the ugly .The city is coming to terms with its recent history when I first saw this holocaust m http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Romania/Muntenia/Bucharest/blog-264746.html The Jouney Starts Both the Eurostar and Thalys train journeys were horrible full and hot. Even worse the train to Cologne ran late so instead of having a pressurised 20 mins to get connecting overnight sleeper to Vienna we ended up with only 6mins. Having run from train with the heavy bags and eventually finding the right platform our deluxe overnight train was running 50 mins late Exc http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/blog-263927.html They're Off Phew we've condensed our essential belongings into two bags hooray but they're still too heavy. Guess stuff will get jettisoned when arms get too tired. After a lovely send off we left Jude and Stursquos on Monday morning 31st march to the delight of various vital organs including a happy heart and a relieved liver.After an anxious wait at Chorleywood Tube Station bei http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Hertfordshire/blog-263899.html We've left all this behind and are heading off http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Essex/Billericay/blog-261276.html