Blogger Becca Obviously I don't need to die. I've found heaven and it's called Villa #16 at Bundarika Villas, Phuket, Thailand. (http://www.bundarika.com) Seriously, I have NEVER stayed, maybe even SEEN, a place like this.... Our plan for this trip was to get away, right away and just forget about all things school and relax. We did not want to be pressured into seeing Thailand, going out and about when all we wanted to do was nothing. I think by the end of this we will have achieved that. We arrived into our KL hotel last night just after midnight and [View Full Entry]

---

---

Blogger Dougo As I was riding home in the school van today, I was discussing with a colleague and a teacher's son whether or not the black clouds to the north would bring rain. Pretty soon, we heard the first rumble and the boy began to count the seconds between lightning and thunder. The conversation turned to childhood memories of being terrified by the earth shattering boom of simultaneous lightning and thunder strikes. We all agreed that it hadn't happened very often. In fact, it had only happened twice in my whole life. Tonight, I doubled this 5 times over. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Blogger Dougo So we get home from school today and look out to see a kite sitting on our balcony. Boris the Brahminy Kite or Chil in Bangla. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Christmas eve, we drove back down to Owen’s place and prepared for a scaled down Taylor/Fidler Christmas. Jim and Karen, Bec’s mum and dad, only had a week vacation and so didn’t make the trip back to Oz. Pressies from under the tree. Books, books and more books. It’s weird what you appreciate when you can’t readily access something. I guess it’s something you don’t really realise until you decide to shift your life to a developing country. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Back to Melbourne for a day and then off to the Arapiles Ranges camping with Bec’s brother, Owen. It was great to get away from cities again and out in the wide open spaces. An outdoors nut, Owen wanted to show us how to rock climb and abseil. Two days we learned the ropes (no pun intended) and challenged ourselves to break through the fear. We were due to stay 4 nights, but the forecast of rain is not a good thing for rock climbers. So back to Melbourne we went. [View Full Entry]

---

---

So we went home to Australia for the month. It was great. A few days in Melbourne catching up with friends, then up to Cairns to catch up with my best man and the Grandparents. We splurged and stayed five nights in the Rydges Trade Winds on the Esplanade. It was great, days hanging with the Grandparents, nights lazing by the pool or eating glorious sea food. Splash was the pick of restaurants we went to. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Blogger Dougo So, I am sitting on the couch, trying to ignore the pile of homework books that need marking before tomorrow and I pick up my laptop to read the write-up on the AFL prelim final between St Kilda and Hawthorn. Having just watched the game at a mate's place next door, I thought it might be nice to hear what the critics have to say about a very one-sided game of football. Next thing I feel is the sofa shake. Not a huge shake, just a wobble. It went on for about three or four seconds and then [View Full Entry]

---

---

Blogger Dougo The day had finally arrived. Since running out of cash last year and having to head home straight after the Cricket World Cup, bypassing Peru, we have been building up to this moment. The day we start to trek the Inca Trail. We had an early start this morning, our bus picking us up at 6 am. It was freezing cold and the bus had never known heating. We drove for an hour through what is known as the Sacred Valley for its abundance of Inca sites. Most of us snuggled into our fleeces and tried to catch [View Full Entry]

---

---

Blogger Bec and Dougo Has there ever been a bigger tribute to the manufactors of outdoor gear than the streets of Cusco?? North Face, Quecha, Kathmandu, Mountain Designs, Macpac, Berger, Doite, Deuter, Osprey: scruffy backpackers cheek by jowl with popcorn eaters (luxury tourists), Cusco is a heaving mass of outdoor consumerism. And it ain´t in the shops folks, it´s on the back/feet/scalp/chest/pocket of every gringo that you pass on the overcrowded streets. Jungle - check. Mountain - check. Ancient Incan ruins - check. Spanish cathedrals - check. You want it, Cusco has it and it [View Full Entry]

---

---

Blogger Bec Early this morning we waved goodbye to Esteban and journeyed back to Puno for a day of touring and checking out the local sights. In actuality, we slept in a lovely warm bed and watched cable TV all afternoon! Sad but true. Sometimes you just need a bit of comfort and a rest! At 7pm, we all assembled in the hotel foyer and headed out to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Gasper (our leader) had booked us a big table at a lovely restaurant and we ordered a couple of bottles of Peruvian wine to share with everyone. Once [View Full Entry]

---

---