http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Sam-and-Sam/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Sam and Sam en-us Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:52:28 +0000 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:52:28 +0000 We left Bikaner at 4am for a local bus to Agra. It took 14 hours with barely a stop. When we got off to go a toilet the bus started to leave and we had to jump back on a moving bus making it just in time. When we arrived in Agra we met Moushmi and was introduced to her whole family. We were then introduced to Poona and her family who we were staying with for the week. The first couple of days in A http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Uttar-Pradesh/Agra/blog-253950.html We arrived in Jaipur late that evening. We took an auto rickshaw to our hotel and suprisingly managed to fit all 3 of us in plus our luggage We were holding on trying not to fall out. The following day we went for a walking tour around the Old City Pink and see some great city views from the roof top. It was crazy there was so much noise and so much traffic bikes cars and even cows The fo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Jaipur/blog-246214.html We arrived in Delhi the early hours of the morning and as soon as we stepped off the plane we noticed the climate change and it was freezing Samarth picked us up from the airport and took us to our guesthouse in Janpath Connaught Place. We checked in and went straight to bed making our arrangements for the day ahead. Samarth picked us up at midday with his friend Vicky and we went for lunch a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/National-Capital-Territory/New-Delhi/blog-245921.html We were sad to leave Thailand but excited to move on to Malaysia. As we entered Malaysia we noticed the difference straight away everything appeared 'normal' but it had a chracter all of its own. We headed straight for Penang Island and from Georgetown took the local bus to Teluk Bahang. Straight away we noticed how friendly everyone was. On the bus people offered theirs seats to us and helped us http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/blog-241356.html After a long bus ride we finally arrived at the port to catch the boat over to Koh Tao Island. It was the worst boat journey we have ever been on the three of us were all violently sick for 3 hours and once we had arrived because we were so ill and disorientated we were taken advantage of by one of the taxi drivers and ripped off. After finally feeling better we went to have a look around the Isl http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/blog-238932.html We left the border crossing for Chiang Mai with two Swiss guys hiring our own minibus so we could have some more comfort. We arrived in Chiang Mai being dropped at the night market where we were told there was lots of accomodation but suprise suprise we couldn't find anything We ended up hiring a tuktuk being taken to the old town where we finally found a room at the Chiang Mai Whitehouse t http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/blog-230771.html We entered Laos and once again they charged us a small amount for entering. We got a boat in Laos over to Don Det one of the four thousand islands. The boats were small and low and felt like they were going to sink. We stepped off the boat at Don Det and for a change noone approached us it was peaceful and very relaxing. We stayed in a small bungalow on stilts with hammocks outside our door and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Laos/blog-230015.html As we entered Cambodia it was much the same craziness if not more. It struck us how poor this country was compared to Vietnam. From the moment we set foot off the bus beggars approached us and it was hard to be tough with them. Whilst in Phnom Penh we needed to arrange our Laos Visa so we hired a tuk tuk driver for the day to do this and we visited The Killing Fields Tuol Sleng Museum and the ru http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-229275.html Hoi An Nha Trang Mui Ne SaigonWe left Hue for Hoi An we were only supposed to stay for a couple of days but stayed longer. Hoi An is the place to get tailor made clothes made. Naturally after so long with no shopping we made the most of it. We bought suits dresses shoes and bags all made to measure and in any design we wanted. It took time with the fittings and alterations and for the fir http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/South-Central-Coast/Hoi-An/blog-229044.html Hanoi Halong Bay HueWe walked across the border to Vietnam and compared to China it was backwards the way we had to fill in paperwork and go back and forth between different people. As soon as we entered Vietnam we were ripped off starting with the taxi driver. Despite asking him to take us to the bus station he took us to his friends minibus to take us to Hanoi. He tried to charge us 4 times http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-227809.html GuangzhouWe arrived in China and the first thing that hit us was that all of the signs were now in Chinese. No more english signs for the tourists We couldn't even have a guess at what they meant. We tried to ask for help but next to noone could speak english the only way to communicate was by pointing at the symbols in our lonely planet. When we first arrived in Guangzhou we tried to take the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Guangdong/Guangzhou/blog-225640.html When we arrived in Hong Kong and caught the train to Kowloon. Here we were met by a guy pretending to be from the guesthouse where we made a reservation. He took us to the same building where he tried to steal our business for his own guesthouse. The first day in Hong Kong we took a ferry over to Hong Kong island. Here we visited a temple rode the tram and went to the peak to view sunset and the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-221795.html Brisbane NoosaThere wasn't a lot to do in Brisbane but we explored the city and went to an aboriginal workshop. There we painted our own boomerangs and there was a crazy aboriginal guy there. He was telling us how he was against the white people of Australia and he showed us how to play the digereedoo. We then picked up Lucy from the airport to join us on the rest of our trip. We left Brisbane f http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Brisbane/blog-218097.html SydneyWe arrived in Sydney and at the airport called around various hostels to try and find some work for accomodation. We finally got lucky and found work at Base Sydney setting up breakfast in the morning from 7 11. Base was an awful hostel it was filthy and the only reason we stayed there was because it was free. The staff were so disorganised and every morning we had to run to the shops bec http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/blog-214400.html Picton Kiakoura MethvenWe arrived in Picton off the ferry and jumped straight on a bus to Kiakoura. In Kiakoura we checked into a place called Dolphin Lodge. It was a great hostel but what made it special was the manager Yvonne. She was a very friendly lady easy to talk to and made us feel very welcome. Whilst in Kiakoura we wanted to swim with dolphins we tried 3 times before we did it. The http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/blog-210750.html Auckland Waitomo PahiaWe arrived in New Zealand and stayed at the Fat Camel the best thing about staying here is we got a free dinner everynight. Our first day we spent adjusting to the time difference 17 hours in front of South America. Auckland is NewZealand's biggest city containing most of New Zealand's population. It is a very beautiful city with sky scrapers lining the ocean front. Whi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/blog-202313.html We arrived in Arequipa and checked into a hostel where we had a private room it was so nice it was more like a hotel and this time we had hot showers Arequipa was an old colonial town with lots of plazas and a big cathedral in the main plaza. Whilst there we visited the musuem Santvarios Andinos where they hold Juanita the ice princess. We learnt more about the incas and how Junita was sacrifise http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Arequipa/blog-197623.html On the 27th of July we left Lima with David and Ahora in the car. On the way to pass the time we had a wotsit eating competition. Sam J won fitting 8 wotsits in her mouth. They wasn't just any old wotsits they were huge South American ones When we arrived in Lima we got a flat tyre and only just about made our bus to Ica. From Ica we took a taxi to Huacachina where we stayed at Casa De Arena. The http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Huacachina/blog-197621.html We were recommended to go to Huancayo via Lima as the alternative road is very bad. So we took a 22 hour bus journey to Lima with the intention of staying overnight and get a bus to Huancayo in the morning. We were dropped off in Lima early in the morning in a random street. We didnt have a clue where we were and later found out Lima doesnt have one main bus terminal we were just dropped off outs http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Junin/Huancayo/blog-193973.html We left Potosi for La Paz and said goodbye to Patrick Maja and Ingrid it was quite sad as it was the last time we were going to see them. We arrived in La Paz at 6am and at first did not realise it was La Paz as we were supposed to arrive at 9am we awoke from our sleep dazed and confused and hurried off the bus. We did not have a hostel booked so we picked a hostel from our guide book took a ta http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-189634.html