http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Sam-and-Jed/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Sam and Jed en-us Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:00:21 +0000 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:00:21 +0000 WOWZERS WE ARE MARRIED So after the wedding of our dreams well mine anyway we needed a relaxing break away from the stresses of seating plans song lists and all that other stuff you have to do to organise a wedding. It was time to enjoy being newlyweds So we jetted off to a posh all inclusive resort in Cancun Mexico. Not our usual holiday style I know but what a relaxing week we had We http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Mexico/Quintana-Roo/Riviera-Maya/blog-396739.html We started this trip in London. Jed had booked a birthday holiday for me and I was not allowed to know where although I had an inkling We had a walk through Regents park and I cant believe we have managed to avoid it for so long with the amount of times we have been to London. It was gorgeously sunny and the Londoners and tourists alike were enjoying their Sundays with picnics and alcohol. We http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-414883.html Gino Ginelli Ice CreamoSupremoIt's 12.05 am and I'm sitting on the hotel bed 'listening' to Sam moaning about itchiness. It's been a long day leaving home at 9.30 am arriving at the hotel at 7pm and now finally resting our heads after an evening exploring the eternal city. Within 30 seconds of returning to the hotel Sam is asleep and snoring merrily in a very comfy bed indeed.Upon arrival the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-354110.html Sam is trying to figure out the safe in our very nice hotel room. After a turbulent flight short taxi drive and warm welcome from the lady on reception we have settled into our far too comfortable room and are now are off to explore Prague and maybe find some tasty cuisine and good hospitalityhellipTook the tram through Hradcanska down to Malostranska Namka which is a nice open square with cra http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/blog-393800.html For our trip to the island of Kos in the Dodecanese we stayed in Kefalos which is 17 miles from the bustling main town of Kardemena but looks and feels a world apart. It is quiet and friendly with lots of narrow lanes winding around the island. The first morning we had a stroll down to the sea after some mushroom omelettes and juice. The weather was perfect very sunny with a slight cooling breeze http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/South-Aegean/Kos/blog-396490.html Back in CairoSo after another flight we found ourselves back in Cairo. We made straight for Ramses station where we purchased tickets for that nights train to Aswan. That done we stood around trying to decide what to do with the spare 14 hours before the train left. Coffee was first on the agenda and after some beautifully decorated cappucinos with LOVE and a teddy bear swirled on top I think http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/blog-253971.html So after some more exploring of Egypt blog to follow we made our way up to Nuweiba where we would get a ferry over to Aqaba in Jordan. Nuweiba seems to be the armpit of Egypt as far as we can tell. I'm told that the beaches away from the port are lovely but as we drove in from Taba all we could see for ages were unfinished resorts and muddy looking sand. It felt so depressing and abandoned. W http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Jordan/blog-257293.html Arriving in Addis...Addis Ababa was a much different experience to our time in Cairo. The roads were quieter cars actually stopped to let you cross but the main difference was the huge amount of people living on the streets. As we explored the city we saw people of all ages from babies to the very elderly living in places you wouldn't ever imagine. One night in search of a restaurant we took a http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Ethiopia/blog-243493.html Stepping out into the cool night air we headed for the local buses and found ourselves emersed in another culture once again. Despite a few preconceptions the bus full of Egyptian men proved themselves to be freindly honest and helpful. One gave change without ripping us off and another went out of his way to help us find our hotel in this maze of a city. The conversation inevitably turned to f http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Lower-Egypt/Cairo/blog-241774.html New Year for us was in Los Angeles a fascinating multicultural city. Each part of it's broad canvas has a different feel and flavour. From the classy and affluent to the gritty and urban. Santa Monica beach is a nice place to be. With it's famous pier reminiscent of Blackpool and people of all ages taking their dogs for a 'walk' LA style meaning the largely pointless activity of having their http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/blog-233668.html We flew to Raratonga the main island in the Cook islands where we would spend a week over Christmas. On route crossing the International date line meaning we arrived the day before we left. Effectively giving us another go at the 23rd of December which was nice if a little confusing. We arrived late on Saturday night and went out to see the town the following day. It was the last Sunday before C http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Cook-Islands/Rarotonga/blog-232109.html We arrived in Fiji after dark and were immediately hit by that old familiar feeling of stifling heat and humidity. Lovely. After a couple of short bus journeys we were welcomed into our guesthouse with cries of Bula and Welcome home We certainly felt very welcome. We were shown to our very large room with ensuite bathroom accompanied by several cute little geckos and settled in to our relaxin http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Fiji/blog-227161.html After our homecoming in Christchurch we hopped aboard the tranzscenic train up to Picton at the top of the south island. Picton is a quiet little town in an amazing setting where the ferry to the north island departs. The sun was shining so we took a stroll around the harbour and along the 'snout' leading out towards the sound. It is a very picturesque area which reminded me in many ways of the is http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/blog-223845.html Christchurch was our first destination and it is a city full of charm in a very English kind of way. It feels like how I would imagine an outpost of the old British empire with numerous old colonial houses churches and the Avon river running through it's heart. We were lucky enough to have a bright sunny day to explore the city and spent a while walking through the gardens along the river bank as http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-220276.html Moving on from Brisbane past the Glasshouse mountains we traveled to Noosa on the sunshine coast so called because most places along the coast get well over 300 hundred days of perfect sunshine a year. Here it is full of quiet neighbourhoods with enormous houses owned by the lucky affluent chaps. Lovely beaches and a national park with a nice coastal path added to its appeal. We were lucky enoug http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/blog-208416.html Well here we are in Australia After arriving in the airport my mind was filled with thoughts of Steve Irwin beer kangaroos spiders and all those other things we had learned from television First stop was Sydney which due to the big APEC conference was a bit of a ghost town for the first few days which was not at all what we expected. I thought Sydney had a very English feel to it as it was http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/blog-204169.html Sweet And Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style...Arriving in Hong Kong from Vietnam was a step back into the modern world again. All we had seen was quickly forgotten as we sat aboard a superduper high speed train whisking us from the airport into town. The language barrier had disappeared and prices had risen astronomically but it was a city I was excited about visiting. Of course we could only afford s http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/blog-196441.html After our adventures in Laos we headed back to Thailand this time to see a bit of the north. We ended up spending over a week in Chang Mai resting and recuperating from all the buses we had been taking. It was quite nice to stay still for a little while and we had several trips to the cinema twice to see the new Harry Potter movie as well as some relaxing walks around the moat. We also made a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/blog-189241.html For two weeks of our time in Laos we were joined by the hedonistic duo of Jed's Mum Christine and her sister and Jed's Auntie Linda. Helping us get motivated their hoilday spirit for packing in as much into every day as possible made for a great fortnight of travel and adventure. First we spent a few days in the capital Vientiane wandering the temples and museums and taking in a local dance perf http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-178219.html Cambodia has been much more of a challenge to travel around than Thailand which is overly geared up for travellers. The hassle factor has increased but that makes every day more eventful and exciting. The border crossing from Hat Lek to Koh Kong was tiny and as expected Cambodian officials tried to overcharge us for the visa. After a little negotiation they finally said that if we wait an hour the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/blog-166579.html