Kate van Praagh
Kate van Praagh on an extreme Asian adventure. Tune in for updates.Kate vP
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Travel Blog Posts
May 17th 2005
The sumo seasons come around quickly in Japan, and Spring is one of the times to catch these salt throwing giants in all their glory. I set off to the Tokyo sumo stables early one Spring morning, hoping to get a cheap seat and work my way up to the front. Luckily, all went to plan. It helps when you're a little gaigin (foreigner), alone amongst a sea of Japanese - pleading ignorance becomes so easy! I had been advised as long as I was in early I could take any seat so long as there weren't any tea sets placed on the pillow. So finding my way into the massive stables I snuck to the front, and found a seat one back from the front row, so close I could literally feel the sweat dripping ... read more
April 22nd 2005
Cherry blossom season is Japan is truly beautiful. It lasts a short time and the locals certainly make the most of it. The term Haname has basically come to mean drink all you can under the shade of a cherry blossom tree. So, when in Rome… The Kiwi contingent celebrated Hanami at Yoyogi Park in central Tokyo. We had a great afternoon with a big group of people from all over the world, talking, laughing and of course drinking. We were even entertained by a roving group of Japanese belly dancers. A great afternoon was had by all, especially Storm who has now sworn off sake. Shortly after Hanami season Sarah returned to New Zealand to pursue her own adventure. So now it’s just me! ... read more
March 22nd 2005
We arrived at Narita Airport and easily found our way to the super expensive but super speedy train into the city. Once we arrived at Shinjuku Station where we had arranged to meet Nick, it was a slightly different story…Shinjuku Station is the busiest in the world. More people move through the station per day than people in New Zealand. Not to worry. Do what your mother always told you and stay in one place. Sarah stayed with the bags while I went on a chicken and goose chase with Nick….via coin phone, mobile and escalator. We finally got together, with a little help from the Kiwi holler. This city is madness...so many CRAZY people…very cool and very busy. So much has happened since we arrived on March 22. Storm and Nick welcomed us with open ... read more
March 18th 2005
Hong Kong Sevens Now that we had had a practice run at the Manila 10s, we felt sure that we were ready to take the infamous Sevens by storm. This weekend rates as one of the best in my life. We had absolutely perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky. Stashing hipflasks down our pants and applying our most innocent expressions (Kate means pure) we waltzed into the stadium grounds unscathed. It was only 9.30am but already the crowd was building. We scanned the area and headed straight for the most festive area, the South Stand. The South Stand is famous amongst rugby heads and other Seven’s supporters like ourselves. It is where all the madness begins, and the tournament would not be the same without it. We quickly located a group of fun loving ... read more
March 5th 2005
Fresh off the plane from Bangkok, Sarah and I were swooped off to the nearest shopping mall to get accessorised for a night out…and not just any old night out, no, we were off to schmooze with the local glitterati at a charity ball. The ANZCHAM (Australia, NZ Chamber of Commerce) ball to be exact, one of the annual events to be seen at in Manila. Legs were shaven, eyebrows plucked and lipstick applied - Sarah and I were quickly converted from budget backpackers to bells of the ball in a matter of hours, thanks to the help of Aunty Ludy and her fabulous dressmaker. The charity ball was all in the aid of a fantastic cause that cannot be dismissed - Give A Life. It began in December 2001 when Stephen Jarvis (Kate's uncle and ... read more
March 4th 2005
Back in Bangkok after another overnight train journey we decided to hit the town. After a day of shopping for 'necessities' and having our hair done at the local Toni & Guy (we knew there would be no chance to afford this kind of treatment once we were in Japan) we took the advice of Conde Nast Traveller Magazine and decided to head up to a new bar in the tallest building and say farewell to the city. The place we arrived at was not exactly what we had in mind….more like a deserted Las Vegas back street bar, eighty’s style. However, it did have a great view, and prices to match. We thought we should make the most of it so moved to the front where we could get the full effects of the covers ... read more
February 26th 2005
Reviving ourselves with some delicious banana pancakes and a mango shake or two the next day we got the overnight sleeper train and the morning ferry across to Ko Phan Nga. Once we were on the Island we took a 45-minute trip on the back of a trailer and we were there….peace, tranquillity, sea, beach. We were set and counting down. We had just four days to soak up as much sun and sea as we could before hitting the mad metropolis of Manila. The days were spent sunbathing, hanging with the local cooks and refining our Tom Yum Soup making skills and sneaking into the luxury hotel pool at the top of the cliff. It was perfect. ... read more
February 25th 2005
This had to be our longest border run yet…I’m sure by this stage we could have entered the Guinness Book of Records for number and length of crossings in a designated time frame. The day began early as we were picked up in a minivan (the bus we had been promised) with a group of 10 other hopefuls. We headed up the Cambodian coast and towards Thailand. It was a pretty uneventful ride…hot, stuffy, cramped...and finally we were there, at the crossing. We were told to leave our bags in the van and line up to have our passports stamped out of Cambodia. This is one of the many times we were thankful to be born Kiwis. Up ahead of us there was a group of Americans who, try as they might, just could not explain ... read more
Beach, beer bellies and bronzed backsides
Published: May 20th 2005Asia » Cambodia » South » Sihanoukville
February 22nd 2005
We were off early the next morning to Sihanoukville, the beach town on the coast of Cambodia named after the King. This was a great change of scenery after days of war history. Reading, relaxing, eating seafood and swimming took up most of our time. A highlight was a day trip to a small island a few kilometres off shore. It was a perfect day for more swimming and relaxing and the scenic boat ride out there almost made us forget we were still in a developing country. It didn’t take us long to remember after the propeller fell off on the ride back. Cambodia's coast is beautiful without a doubt but the huge number of overweight, pasty European men turned us of it a little. So we decided to make for the border a little ... read more
February 20th 2005
Another day, another exciting bus ride, this time to the capital, Phnom Phenh, a city with an interesting and tragic past. Our time in Phenom Phen was pretty intense, it’s really difficult to get away from the weighty history and you do feel like you should pay your respects in a place that has suffered so much. We visited the S21 Museum, or Tuol Sleng, the former High School that the Khmer Rouge had used as a prison and torture chambers. The Killing Fields, just outside the town, was another part of the city;s history we needed to see. The road out to the fields was a horrific rock and dirt track, made even worse by the suffocating heat. We had been advised to go by motorcycle rather than tuk tuk, and this was a tip ... read more
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