http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Shons/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Shons en-us Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:13:45 +0000 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:13:45 +0000 AROUND THE WORLD IN 380 DAYS http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/Scotland/Edinburgh/blog-448662.html SAN FRANCISCOHad a fab time in San Fran. Met up with my travel bud Ali from the first trip London to Aqaba and had a drunken time quel suprisWe explored San Francisco downtown Fisherman's Wharf the hilarious seals at Pier 39 rode on a street car had an AMAZING time in Sonoma and Napa Valley wine tasting and an awesome two nights camping in Yosemite. Looked at El Capitan the ultimate http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/San-Francisco/blog-434612.html Well the North Island has been just as hectic as the South. There's just sooooo much to do in this picturesque clean and friendly country. As I'm leaving...on a jet plane... yet again in a matter of hours here's a quick summary of my North Island travels and some picsWellington the capital city explore Te Papa the wonderful NZ museum covering all things Maori. There's great displays of M http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-426848.html Phew New Zealand is proving to be just as hectic as Australia. I only had two weeks in the South Island but managed to pack lots in by travelling with the Magic Bus. Loads of sightseeing and activities mostly involving blue skies crisp blue ice and snow.A brief summaryChristchurch v English wee city pretty church and the trams trundling passedTranz Alpine train Christchurch to Greymouth http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Picton/blog-425097.html 14 Jul greetings from New Zealand. Only been here a few days but lovin this country...despite the cold brrrrrrr. Had an AWESOME 3 hours yesterday when I went helihiking on the Franz Josef glacier. Superb weather blue skies great snowy mountains and glistening ice like I've never seen before. An amazing experience riding on a helicopter landing on the ice then hiking for two hours through t http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Franz-Josef/blog-418300.html Some photos of wee Ewan Binskin...born on 8 July. Visited Leigh Darren and the wee man the day before I left the country http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-417372.html It's not even possible to say quite where the outback is. To Australians anything vaguely rural is the bush. At some indeterminate point the bush becomes the outback. Push on for another 2000 miles or so and eventually you come to the bush again and then a city and then the sea. And that's Australia. 22 Jun the above quote from Bill Bryson in his book Down Under is so appropriate abo http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Cairns/Cairns-City/blog-411060.html 13 May g'day greetings from Oz I arrived in Sydney last Friday. I'm having a wonderful time here and loving staying with my mates Leigh and Darren and Surf the dog in their fab bungalow with scrummy home cooking thanks to Leigh. They stay in Dee Why so I'm experiencing beach living in the suburbs and could really get used to it...I've explored some great places here in North Sydney Dee Why http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/New-South-Wales/Sydney/Manly/blog-398643.html Well as per the name of my blog...I've done it. Bellshill to Bangkok after 9 months of travelling through 22 countries I've arrived in Bangkok. WOWAnd now for the Beyond...Catch a flight to Oz in 5 hours and 10 minutes...not that I'm counting or desperate to leave Asia http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-396979.html I've had some amazing experiences during my travels to date...sky diving in Namibia abseiling down a waterfall in S Africa and paragliding in Nepal but here's something some of you who know me well NEVER would have expected to see which happened yesterday in Thailand... http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-395404.html 25 Apr greetings from Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand Apologies for the lack of blogs over the last few months...frustratingly slow internet connections and things to see places to go and people to meet so I'm afraid there's unlikely to be anymore blogs until I reach Oz. V annoying that my blog host had problems with their servers recently so the photos relating to my blogs from Cambodia an http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Rai/blog-393689.html 7 25 FebEach weekend Jen and I get Mr Ohn and his tuktuk into Phnom Penh...a 1.5hr bumpy drive through great rural Cambodian countryside. I don't manage to get much sightseeing done we just explore the Riverside and Lakeside areas stock up on snacks for the week at Lucky Supermarket spend time on the internet etc. During one tuktuk trip home we end up picking up a hitch hiking orangerobed http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-386013.html 1 Feb when I emerge from the arrivals hall at Phnom Penh airport at 9am Jodie is waiting for me. I meet Jodie Peter the volunteer coordinators from Free the Bears and Janine another volunteer...all Aussies. We drive into centre of the city and explore the Russian Market have a nice brunch then stop off at a few supermarkets for the weekly supplies. Loads of interesting fresh and packaged http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-383294.html 31 Jan 7 FebGreetings from Phnom Penh I've had a fantastic first week here in Cambodia working with the bears at Phnom Tamao Zoological Gardens and Wildlife Research Centre. There are 104 bears at the sanctuary some are Asiatic Black bears also known as Moon Bears and others are sun bears the cutest wee things I've ever seen. It's not only been hard being back in a routine but also tough http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-371188.html Empowering Women of Nepal EWN a Nepali NGO dedicated to improving the world one woman at a timeEWN is an NGO that was established in 1999 by 3 Nepalese sisters Lucky Dicky and Nicky Chhetri. The organisation's goal is to improve the lives of disadvantaged women in Nepal by training them to become trekking guides and porters in Nepal.Women in Nepal slave in their households and fields day http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Pokhara/blog-367945.html DID YOU KNOW...it's currently the year 2065 in Nepal Time travel is great17 Jan last day in krazeeee Kathmandu. Pop into the internet for a quick check of my emails but end up having a chat and cuppa with the owner Keshav as well as exchanging email addresses He helped me loads while I was here and is always cheery. In the afternoon I take a taxi to Bodhnath which is in the village of Boudha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Pokhara/blog-367926.html HIMALAYA abode of the snowsSAGARMATHA brow of the oceanboth Sanskrit16 Jan VERY excited I have my Mountain Flight today over the Himalayas including the mighty Mount Everest. Get a taxi to the airport at 6.15am and do the usual airport formalities but on a smaller more informal Nepali type way. I checkin with YETI AIRLINES for my flight which is due to depart at 7.30am. However http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/blog-367310.html 14 Jan I'm up quite early today attempting to change my RTW ticket to fly from Kathmandu to Cambodia instead of Mumbai to Bangkok...as the streets are quiet I decide to head to Durbar Square. This is the heart of Kathmandu's Old Town and a complex of numerous temples and statues. Most of the buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries. It's particularly busy today with beggars and worshippe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/blog-367299.html 10 Jan leisurely morning quick lunch in the hotel courtyard then an emotional farewell with Bhup. God I hate these sad farewells. Just as you start to get to know people and make great friends it's time for them to leave or me to move on...it''s all part of the travelling scene but it's not getting any easier. I've spent four weeks of my time in India and Nepal with him but hopefully when he http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/Thamel/blog-366554.html 9 Jan reluctantly say farewell to Pokhara with another early departure in case of any roadblocks. Thankfully there's none this time. Half the group takes the small coach and the other half fly. Due to backpacker budget constraints I'm on the coach. It's a great drive though through terraced farming land of the Terai and Kathmandu Valley. This 200km stretch from Pokhara to Kathmandu is the main http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Nepal/Kathmandu/Swayambhunath/blog-366547.html