http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/PA-Leslie/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from PA Leslie en-us Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:50:49 +0000 Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:50:49 +0000 Djbouti another country another place that was not even on my list few months ago. Due to the fact that I was able to do a stopover in Addis Ababa why not go a little further. Addis to Djibouti is only 250usd return just short of a hour flight. After my short night inAddis here I am my 80th country and the 20th in which I dive. Not many flights here and the airport is a small messy place http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Djibouti/blog-457970.html Addis Ababa the name itself tells us the mystery of the place. When I was around 11 years old I had a map of the world and I was proud to be able to know the name of the capital city of most countries. Ethiopia this was such a mysterious land. I do remember the huge famine that happened here years ago but beside this I had no idea of what the place looks and feels like. Rest reassured I'm n http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/Addis-Ababa-Region/Addis-Ababa/blog-456840.html The great chance we have living in Bangkok is the proximity to so many wonderful places. We certainly did not have the same freedom while living in Shanghai or let put it on other words it would have cost us a fortune. Leslie had school holidays on Thursday and Friday . School on Wednesday finishes at 2.30pm...well we were in our plane by 4pm And here we are having a first seafood dinner on http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Similan-Marine-NP/blog-455218.html We left Shanghai middle of June 2009....few months ago to move to our new dream place Bangkok. I come back for few days every month to the city where we spent few years. So the main question was...do we do a blog on this weekend in Shanghai This is a blog about friends friends and friends. Few nights in Shanghai to celebrate Hugues and Jia Jia wedding for Claire's Birthday but also to atten http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shanghai/blog-452092.html At first I had no idea what to expect. Actually I didn't even know what was Bhaktapur two weeks ago. Than we got on our flight to Kathmandu and I had to ask myslef what are we going to see in this land that I know so little about. Small notice don't forget that we nearly never travel with a guide book... Bhaktapur became very fast an obvious choice. It is an old city 14km from Kathmandu. Most http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Bhaktapur/blog-450420.html The main aim of our trip to Nepal was to do some serious rafting for few days. Well I guess plan are made to be changed. We headed early morning to the Bhote Koshi Valley. Our schedule was pretty tied and I couldn't find any decent river to raft in 3 days. So we did sign for a 2 days trip rafting on the Bhote Koshi as well as one day of canyoning staying two nights in the camp of Borderlands. B http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Borderlands/blog-449634.html Nepal has been on my wishlist for ever...the land up there...I did not know exactly what to expect. Read a fair amount of blogs on the country but not that many were very glorious.So here we are to judge by ourselves. My parents are in Bangkok for few days enjoying grandparenting with Leslie and we are off for few adventurous days. Our first stop Kathmandu. We did not stay in Thamel the touris http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/blog-449201.html It's October holidays for most International Schools in Bangkok and Leslie has a week off too. So we continue our little round of Discovery Thailand. Not really my first visit to Hua Hin as the last time I came here was 5 years ago. We did not plan one thing from 23rd to 25th October Hua Hin is going to host the 15th Asean Summit you know the same one that had to be canceled in April in Pa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Western-Thailand/Hua-Hin/blog-447265.html When carrying a camera can be more dangerous than carrying a gun....it's the day you land in DRC Congo at his best. So for this entry my pictures are merely existing...as most of the time the place for the camera was safely deep in my pocket. I will come back later on this lack of pictures. There are countries which are simply not on my wish list to visit. But than again if you know me you k http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Congo-Democratic-Republic/South/Lubumbashi/blog-440220.html What is your idea of a great weekend This is a tricky question. Our last weekend was amazing...and by the number of messages and comments we received on travelblog you seems to agree with this. In Shanghai a great weekend was full of partying...and some decent weather. In Bangkok...great weekend...seems simply to be one more adventure...one more session of great fun So this weekend Lesli http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-438147.html I first would like to thanks few people for the input they had in this entry...and who have helped us preparing another wonderful weekend. First our fellow members from Travelblog Sophie and Dale. We may not have done the same trip but their entry on Kanchanaburi was the inspiration for this weekend. Second I want to thank Olivier who gave me the advise for our lodging.It's impressive how muc http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Western-Thailand/Kanchanaburi/blog-436208.html We have now been for few days in Thailand. Home is starting to really mean home...and this is great. Lelsie has plenty of friends at school and we are all settling pretty well. So weekend are in for discoveries. This time it's a day trip to Ayutthaya. It's the second capital of Thailand. Ayutthaya lays some 90km outside of Bangkok. There are many ways to visit it...we chose the easy way by bo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Ayuthaya/blog-432109.html Here we are...Bangkok I've dreamed it for years plans have been to settle here for years....and finally we made it with Leslie and Ma'ri. Why Bangkok...closer to the diving closer to a lot more golf...and all of these at a reasonable prices. We will still be on the road all the time as somehow Bangkok will only be our resting nest. I've never been very attracted by the chinese food and the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-430787.html It's the end of the summer holidays and I'm actually writing this few days after our final trip. We have arrived in Bangkok ready to settle in our new home. But first a last few days for Ma'ri and I while Leslie is enjoying some time with his Mum. We arrived safely after nearly 6 hours bus ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. We arrived at the bus station and hired our tuktuk for the next few da http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-428093.html This is my third visit to Cambodia. But it is also my first romantic escapade to this very fast moving country. We took the lunch flight 30 minutes in the air from Saigon. Leslie is back to his Mum for the last few days of Summer holidays. Yes summer holidays are over soon and our travelling also. My first visit here was back in July 1997 only less than a week after the military coup. At the t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-428082.html This is a last minute text that has been added to the original text I wrote for this entry. You will find below the original entry. During the night of the 12th of August Janos one of Mari's brother has been reunited with our Lord. He was around 45 in great health and suffered a heart attack during his sleep. Janos is leaving behind him a wonderful wife and six children age three to fifteen. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Northern-Hungary/blog-426461.html I know that some of you are waiting the entry of my first meeting with Ma'ri's family. You'll have to be a little more patient as this will be my next entry for the blog. Our base for these few days is in Hejce in the NorthEast part of Hungary where Ma'ri's parents live. The village is only 30 km from Kosice. I've already been to Prague but never set a foot in Slovakia. So we decided to spend a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovakia/Kosice-Region/Kosice/blog-426326.html My last visit to Budapest was back in November 2003. It was my second time in the city to visit one of my best friend Hugues. Over these 2 years I came here for two visits. At that time I was travelling without a camera but I've always had a lot of fun in Budapest and I've kept great souvenirs of the city. My first two visits were both in the deep of Autumn with far less great weather than in t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Hungary/Budapest/blog-426323.html Vienna is a stunning city. The old center is a walker paradise...the city of Sisi and the viennese charms. The best news is that Ma'ri is coming back to join us in Vienna. The bad news is my little Tiffany cannot handle more than 90 minutes walk in a row. And Vienna is not in a place where you drive. So first night was spent along the Danube and on our second night we indulged in a piece of hist http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Vienna-State/Vienna/blog-424200.html I knew this day would be long. Early wake up under the rain in Dornbirn Austria near the border with Swtizerland and Germany only few miles north of Liechtenstein. We first had a serious breakfast at 7am before heading back on the road up north than east in the direction of Fussen. No highways here but rolling german roads bordering Austria. Nearly two hours later...and going closer to the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Bavaria/Fussen/blog-423450.html