http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/cambrus/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from cambrus en-us Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:30:20 +0000 Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:30:20 +0000 Thailand is wonderful That's probably the best way for me to put it.I spent 4 days in Koh Samui on the Gulf of Thailand. Koh Samui is very touristy the main street is packed with shops tailors and restaurants but the beach is beautiful. My days went something like this... wake up around 9 go get breakfast alternate lying on the beach and swimming in the beautiful emerald sea at about 5pm m http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Tao/blog-336854.html Bangkok was a weird place for me. Can't say that I liked it much but I didn't end up hating it as much as I thought I would. Let me explain...I arrived in Bangkok late at night after a full day of templeing in Cambodia. Very tired... just wanted to get my hotel and sleep. No problems there great room AC soooo needed... Bangkok is hottermore humid than Cambodia if that is possible great http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-333584.html What can I say about Cambodia except it was wonderful. I left Beth flew into Bangkok stayed at a hotel near the airport and then flew to Cambodia first thing in the morning. The airport is ... different... you fly in on a small plane that pulls right up to the door of the Siem Reap airport. It looked like we were pulling up to a resort... I was waiting for my complimentary drink and flower garla http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-332128.html I can honestly say that Beth and I made the right decision to go north the weather was phenomenal and the beach in Coral Bay was unbelievableAfter Exmouth we headed down to Coral Bay. Coral Bay is this beautiful beach area with a population on 220 that swells to 2200 during the high season. The water is impossible to describe see pics the weather is hot and the beer is plentiful what more http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Coral-Bay/blog-330945.html The last stop on my 24 day journey through Africa was Kruger National park. Kruger is probably the most famous of the game parks in Africa. It is very large about the size of Switzerland.We arrived in Kruger late afternoon and decided to get an early start on our game drive. Impala here impala there impala everywhere we were eventually playing punch buggy impala Chris our guide showed us t http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Gauteng/Johannesburg/blog-330935.html From Mount Mulanje it was a very long drive into Mozambique border crossings too many potholes and hours in the car. Our first stop was Vilankulos for one night not much to do there walked around the town a little used the internet and we had dinner at the restaurant. The nicest part was that we ended up having rooms of our own a nice luxury after sleeping in tents for so longBut the real http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mozambique/blog-328925.html The plan was to meet Beth renta car and travel down the south west coast together. The plan started off really well... but then we decided to throw the plan out the window Weleft early morning and started our drive down the coast to Magaret River... beautiful green fields sunny blue sky... everything was perfect. We booked a night at a hostel and then a wione tour for the next day.Went out t http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/blog-327771.html Unfortunately my Africa updates will start to get shorter and shorter... I'm halfway through my Australia trip and Africa is starting tofeel like a distant dreamAfter South Luangwa we crossed the border into Malawi border crossings... very interesting.I don't have very much to say about Malawi... it was a very beautiful country the people seemed poorer than Zambia the begging was much more http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Malawi/Lake-Malawi/blog-327764.html Before I left on my trip I talked a lot about wanting to experience a National Geographic moment. Well my night drive in the South Luangwa national park afforded me that opportunity.We drove most of the day the very steamy day to arrive at our campsite at South Luangwa. After a quick refreshing jump in the pool we got dressed covered ourselves in bug spray and got ready for our night drive http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Zambia/South-Luangwa/blog-325124.html The next stop on my adventure through Africa was the 2 day canoe trip on the lower Zambezi river. Before I left I was a little worried about this portion of the trip for those of you who have been canoeing with me you know that I prefer to be canoed I get bored of paddling very quickly. Well no need to worry the canoe trip was a dreamBefore we left on our canoe trip we were given a briefin http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Zambia/Chipata/blog-325117.html So my day started out very ordinarily or as ordinary as you can get in Africa. Woke up at the crack of dawn booked a helicopter flight over the falls went on the helicopter ride oooh aaahhh came back to camp site relaxed for a bit had a fantastic hamburger Matt you would've loved it then met up with the rest of the group to walk around Victoria Falls.Victoria Falls is a pretty amazing http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Zambia/Livingstone/blog-324569.html It took two days and over 14 hours of driving in a small cramped 4X4 that we nicknamed Minnie Mouse but we finally arrived at the first interesting stop of our trip Chobe. Chobe is known for it's huge herds of elephants and it did not dissapoint. We all jumped in to the open Safari and headed into the park all with cameras at the ready. Oh look... there's a mongoose and impala... is that an http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Botswana/blog-321584.html As you have probably noticed with the scarcity of my updates... internet is not very available in the heart of Africa. I've been on an overland trip through Botswana Zambia Malawi and am now in Mozambique. The trip has been amazing so far and apparently great things to come in the last 5 days. I've seen elephants charging I've dodged crocs and hippos fallen down the falls... We are only 6 in o http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Mozambique/Southern/Vilanculos/blog-321580.html Well it's been a couple of days since my last post. The internet in the last couple of places has either been very slow or too expensive.Since my last post I've traveled through the Garden Route into the Transkeior Eastern Cape and finally to KwazuluNatal. The weather has been on and off I seem to get one day of rain and one day of sun everywhere I go.I stayed in Cinsta on the Garden Route at http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/KwaZulu-Natal/Durban/blog-314978.html Not much has happened in the past couple of days. I've jumped on the Baz Bus to Knysna. I was supposed to stay here two nights but the weather is not cooperating so I'm leaving for warmer climates this evening.I did manage to have a productive day in Knysna though... I went on a tour of the town. Knysna is know for the Knysna Heads two land heads that form a lagoon. Very beautiful area that http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Knysna/blog-312455.html I've had a good two days not as fantastic as the shark dive but good.On Tuesday I went on a tour of the wine lands Paarl Stellenbosch and Franschoek. We visited 4 vineyards and tasted about 26 wines brandies and dessert wines. I have to say that I was not blown away by any of South Africa's wines. They were good... but none that wowed me. Well... maybe the Sweet Red but that was a dessert w http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Stellenbosch/blog-311856.html Instructions on how to have the best day ever1. Begin with a leisurely rise at 8AM2. Hop on a bus an enjoy the amazing views down the coast of South Africa3. Arrive at your destination and sign your life away I have medical insurance and I will not sue for anyinjury done to me...4. Get on a boat and make your way out into the indian sea5. Stop to see whales breaching... bonus6. Stop near the http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Gansbaai/blog-310989.html I went on the Cape Point Peninsula tour today. What an amazing day the weather ended up being beautiful and met some really nice people on the tour.The tour consisted of a drive down the peninsula from Cape Town to Cape Point where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Very scenic convaluted drive. We stopped in Hout Bay where we got on a boat to Duiker Island a seal colony. I'm not sure what i http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Cape-of-Good-Hope/blog-310509.html It took 3 planes and a whole lot of delays but I finally arrived in Cape Town SA.Have had a busy but exhausting day. Arrived in Cape Town at 5AM this morning managed to get to my hostel only to find out that the room would not be available until 1PM. Iwas really counting on that to catchup on my sleep... 5 hours of plane sleep in 2 days is just not cutting it for meBut regardless of my sleep http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/South-Africa/Western-Cape/Cape-Town/blog-310179.html Well I'm off In 32 hours I will be in Africa living out a lifelong dream. I know... 32 hours of travel... groan... this is going to break my record for transit time.The plan is to Fly into Cape Town via Frankfurt spend a couple of days in CT and then spend 2 weeks traveling through South Africa still deciding where to go and what to see. At the end of Aug I leave on my Safari from Johannesbur http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-309441.html