Travels in New Zealand... Wow. So it's been a while, but we are headed to Fiji today and I wanted to give you the quick version of our remaining time here in New Zealand. Milford Sound. This was one of the best parts of my trip... the beauty of this area in New Zealand is incredible. Wanting to experience the sound in a different way than most... we decided to go kayaking which was just great. We were lucky to see a bit of wildlife... fur seals and birds amongst the fiord's. It was a crystal clear day which is actually [View Full Entry]

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Welcome to the South Island, where the New Zealand adventure continues! It is so incredibly beautiful I feel that I can't find the appropriate adjectives to explain how incredible the landscape is, and how quickly it changes. I will do my best as I start to take you through the southern adventures! We started by taking the interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton. Picton is this tiny fishing village where really only the harbor is alive, so we quickly made our way to Nelson where we spent the next few days. Despite the rain we made the most of our first [View Full Entry]

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Hey there... so as you can see I'm having a great time here in New Zealand. We spent the first week on the North Island arriving into Auckland on Feb 11th... and the next day heading to Rotorua, which is famous for it's mud pools, natural hot springs and thermal activity. We spent a few days in the area taking a day trip to the Waitomo Caves. There we went on a caving adventure which involved absailing 82 feet into the cave, blackwater rafting, crawling through cave holes, seeing the glow worms and rock climbing out at the end. It was [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Sydney after a long bus ride from Byron Bay through the night arriving into Sydney around 6:30 AM. Our hostel was great located near the bus terminal and with free breakfast we dropped of our bags, grabbed a bite to eat and were off to see the city! Our first stop was Hyde Park and St. Mary's Cathedral located beautifully along the park. It was the first Catholic Church in Australia; opening in 1928. From Hyde Park you could get great views of the Sydney Tower; the highest observation deck in the city and the southern hemisphere. Heading [View Full Entry]

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Wow!! It's feels like forever since I have updated you on my travels, so let's get caught up!! On Jan 14- 19 we took a road trip along the Great Ocean Road which was spectacular!! As you came upon the first part of the road you left the Otway Mt Range and saw the beautiful crystal blue water in front of you. This incredible coastline is one that pictures do not do justice for- the natural erosion and curving road alongside it all is just amazing. The road was actually built by the servicemen coming back from WW1- they needed work [View Full Entry]

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January 8th, 2009 After a nine hour flight we arrived in Melbourne around 8:30 a.m. ... welcome to Australia!! We were greeted by our friend Paul at the airport; and went to his home in Williamstown, which is a suburb of Melbourne about 25 minutes from the city center. Williamstown is where the first settlers arrived in 1835; but because there was no fresh water they went further north to where the Yarra River is and settled Melbourne. It is easy to see why people enjoy this city it is a quant, quite town with almost a feel of New England. [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday and took the airport express into Central (on Hong Kong Island). The MRT here is so simple & easy to read with all sorts of exit info and lots of maps and signage which makes it really easy to read. After getting somewhat settled we made our way down to Victoria Harbor, a 15- 20 minute walk downhill to grab a bite to eat and take a look at the waterfront. The views at night were just beautiful. Day 1: We took our first day in Hong Kong to catch up on emails, laundry, [View Full Entry]

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Merry Belated Christmas!! I hope that everyone enjoyed their holiday- I had a very nice Christmas- and have lots to catch you up on as far as what I’ve been up to! The last week I have been busy traveling through Malaysia, a very interesting country. We started in Georgetown, Penang a small island located just off the coast of the country near Thailand. Georgetown has a rich Dutch and British history, with lots of English influence. My favorite sight was the Jetty’s, located at the waterfront- literally it was homes built on piers. There are seven jetties’ all with differ [View Full Entry]

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We arrived in the melting pot that is Malaysia today after a long road trip, but let me get you up to speed on my last week in Thailand! Going south last Sunday, we traveled from Bangkok to Surat Thani on overnight train that arrived around 9:30 AM, just in time for a cup of joe, eggs & toast... and then it was off to Khao Sok National Park in a Songthaew. (A pick-up truck with two benches and a "tall"- topper built in the truckbed.) Going on small curvy roads we arrived to a beautiful part of the country, the [View Full Entry]

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Well, I have spent the last few days in Bangkok seeing all sorts of "Wat's" or temples and trekking in the jungles of northern Thailand... something that was such an amazing experience. Bangkok is a busy, crowded city- dirty in places- with amazing well kept Wat's... the difference between the two such contrast. The temples are very interesting, different sizes of budda's with different meanings behind each one. The emerald budda for instance is small, and is emerald... and then there's Wat Pho with a reclining Budda, a huge 15 meters tall and 60 meters long with mother of pearl feet [View Full Entry]

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