http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/T-and-J-Travels/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from T and J Travels en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:30:59 +0000 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:30:59 +0000 Note We had trouble loading pictures for this entry more will be up in the next day or two so check back. T J Well the change of pace from the African cities to those of SouthEast Asia was great. Bangkok is very high paced crowded muggy and smothering hot. On the same hand it is lively friendly and very easy. We were told to expect a crazy and confusing place. In our experience it was http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Ko-Chang/blog-4475.html Well we made it to Spain. After a night train ride from Marseilles to the border we had a milkrun of a train ride from the France border to Barcelona. It was more like a metro train with all these people on their way to work. There we were with our huge packs falling asleep on each other. At least we werent the only backpackers on the train. We passed Figures birth place of Salvidor Dal http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/blog-1431.html OK everyone here we goWe are going to go over a few things on the first entry to make sure the blog is running smoothly.nbsp First if you received this by accident or don't wish to recieve the updates simply unsuscribe yourself on the option included on the email.nbspnbspThere are a ton of names on the list and some may have been old emails we had in our contact lists.nbsp If you know http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/blog-1114.html Hello allWell the week of the wedding was a fabulous time. It was nice to have many of you arrive earlier in the week. The weather was absolutely beautifulbut dont be deceived into thinking it is always like that in St. Johns. Things kicked of on Thursday night with the whale watchingpub crawl. We startedwith a group ScreechIn at the Dobbins. The bus ride to the whale tour boats wa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/blog-1139.html Enfin after more than 24 hours of travel we arrived in Paris on July 18th. I am sure that you are familiar with the city either through your own travels or pictures so we will spare you of a lengthy description. Needless to say Paris is a beautiful city and wonderful place to start a honeymoon. After checking into to our hotel compliments of Shaun and Claire we headed out to check out the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-1365.html Marseille ldquoThe Surrey of ParisrdquoWell Paris was nice. Marseille on the other hand was much less attractive but an experience none the less. We arrived there on August 20th. The train ride from Paris to Southern France was beautiful with rolling countryside spotted by the odd village or castle in the middle of nowhere The people of the past here must have been quite isolated but w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Provence-Alpes-C-te-d-Azur/blog-1376.html In all honesty we contemplated extending our beach holiday in Tossa de Mar to continue to relax and bask in the sun. However wanderlust we set off for San Jose on August 27th. In an effort to cut costs we decided to sleep in our seats rather than pay the extra 20 euros each 32 CAN for couchettes. This no longer seemed like a good idea when we discovered that the seats did not recline we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/blog-1603.html The CarSo after picking up ourselves a sporty little Peugot thanks to Ferdanand and Sondra for the ride to get it and Ethel for funding it we headed of into mainland Spain to do the city tour. Upon leaving San Jose we quickly realized that the road signage in Spain is less than adequate for those unfamiliar with the area. An hour later of driving in circles and getting a smaller detailed m http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/blog-1655.html Salvador Dali TourIf you are not a fan of Dali's work which Jason very much is or don't know much about him hopefully this might bring about some interest.We rolled into Figures later than planned on September 7 2004 and after finding our hostel we quickly decided it best not to stay in the area. Dark dingy streets very unwelcoming. So we found another spot for the night. Not high cla http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Spain/Catalonia/Figueres/blog-1719.html We arrived in Venice on Septmeber 10 in the middle of the film festival. Not having booked our accomodations in advance we spent an hour at the train station along with hundreds of other people trying to book one of the few budget rooms left in the city. We finally found a room in a Christian hostel and were allowed to share a double with bunkbeds beacuse we are married. The first night we met http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice/blog-1720.html Prague Sept 13 18Well what a ride. Getting couchettes beds on the night trains is well worth it. Unfortunatley we did not The seats don't recline people smoke everywhere and it was about 14 hours long. We found it best to tie your head to the seat with a sweater to stop the nodding headsore neck syndrome. Anyway after 3 train changes many passport checks and being kicked out of 1 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/blog-1732.html We arrived in Como on September 19 2004. After giving up on George we took an hour bus ride north to the hostel in Mennagio a lakeside village on the central portion of Lake Como. The bus travels through the small villages along the lake weaving through incredibly small roads the entire way. If the windows were open you could touch the buildings we were driving by. At several points we had http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/blog-1910.html TUSCANYSo here we are again. Itrsquos been a long time since our last entry. Apologies to those who have been waiting. It was next to impossible to update things while we were in Africa. We are going to catch up as fast as we can so the blogs will become a little more compressed. We hope to be up to date by New Years. We hope everybody is having an excellent holiday. Merry Christmas fro http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/blog-2645.html CORFUOct 4We docked in Corfu around 5 am with no accommodations booked. Most young travelers go to the party resort called the Pink Palace. It caters to booze guzzling twenty something travelers looking to party and perhaps share a little love. We wanted nothing to do with the place. However by the time the ferry hit the unwelcoming port the man standing at the port with a minivan and ldquoP http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Thessaly/Meteora/blog-2730.html NAIROBI Oct 1920No previous life experience could have prepared us for our arrival in Nairobi. As soon as we left the baggage claim area we were bombarded by touts trying to sell us every possible service including safari packages accommodations city guides taxis and meals. Once we found one another in the sea of touts we fought our way through the crowd to the lsquoGovernment Tourist http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Nairobi-Province/Nairobi/blog-3117.html Tiwi Beach Oct 27 Nov 12 The eight hour bus ride from Nairobi to Mombassa was grueling unsealed roads a very bad driver no bathroom and no food stops. Actually there was a roadside stop to buy live chickens At the Mombassa bus stop we were used as bait by the bus company owner to catch a thief who was harassing us moments before. We had to stand in a busy sidewalk and wait for him to ap http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Kenya/Coast-Province/Mombasa/blog-3168.html With a short dhow ride with Mohammed and Mohammed across the channel to the airport on the next island we said good bye to Lamu. We flew to Mombassa on November 25 where we spent two nights to lsquodo businessrsquo i.e. shopping emails planning. We chose a bus company recommended in the Lonely Planet guide and booked two seats to Tanga Tanzania for the following day. After several loops http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Centre/Selous-Game-Reserve/blog-3842.html After one more overnight stay in Dar es Salaam we headed North for another night in Tanga. It was nice to be familiar with the place upon arrival. After a 9hour uneventful bus ride we arrived at 9 pm and had our choice of taxis. As it turned out our driver was instrumental to our functioning over the next couple of days. We went back to the Inn By The Sea otherwise referred to as the lsquo http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Tanzania/Pemba/blog-3963.html We were especially excited about our journey to Cambodia as we would be traveling with our good friends Megan and Tom and their friends from Montreal Dora Jeff and Dave. On the morning of December 29th we woke Megan and Tom bright and early to say hello. They had arrived in Bangkok from Canada late the previous night. We were traveling by bus to Siem Reap and they were flying so we would meet th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/blog-4607.html