http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/colvinyeates/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from colvinyeates en-us Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:43:17 +0000 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:43:17 +0000 Five old farts on surfari. The mean age of 51 was only that low because our 45 year old puppy Jeff decided to tag along.The plan was simple 5 days wallowing in Bali as an entree to the more serious surfing side of things on an island off the coast of Frank Sumatra.Stretching the memory strings back almost 30 years to my first jaunt to Bali I began transposing the 1 dollar a night losmen against http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Indonesia/Sumatra/Padang/blog-429389.html So I did manage some really fun waves in Taranaki and like many parts of the New Zealand coastline accessing these waves can be more of a mission than pulling up in the car directly in front of your favourite break. My own little hideaway point involved a minor adventure. It starts out with a jaunt across some private farming land thenGary I think these fences are electrified.Yes but these http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Central-Plateau/blog-384157.html God created the wetsuit. Neoprene is king if you intend surfing in NZ's South Island perhaps even more essential than an actual surfboard. As for the surf itself 1 day of fair to reasonable waves. While the surf hasn't been the stuff on magazine covers uniqueness of the two sessions made up for it at least partially. I've never surfed before with a backdrop of snow capped mountains as I did in http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Akaroa/blog-382031.html Fortunately for the Sounds in Fiordland there's plenty of rain to like something in the vicinity of 79 meters annually about a third of which seemed to fall while we lolled about for a few days in the area.However extreme rain in this neck of the woods isn't the grim reaper for holiday goers that it would be in other tourist hot spots. The large volumes of water create hundreds of waterfalls http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Milford-Sound/blog-380068.html A cheap shot but who can resist taking the puss out of the keewee accint It's not so easy in fact well nigh impossible to be cynical concerning the South Island's environmental backdrops. For a bloke normally averse to sitting behind the wheel I've taken quite a shine to slowly cruising amongst New Zealand's majestic alpine scenery. Every bend in the road leads to the requisite oohs and aahs f http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Central-Otago/Wanaka/blog-378895.html To go or not to go THAT was the question. Aung San Suu Kyi said don't come based on the theory that tourism only reinforces the ruling junta's behaviour. The troubles of a couple months back didn't make the decision any simpler.Why then are we here Selfishly because we wanted to. We can also justify it because there are plenty of arguments in favour of visiting most notably the rank and fi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Burma/Inle-Lake/blog-231903.html Is it the measles Is it bed bugs Nah I think it's a simple heat rash. Bangkok is hot and humid and the poor body aint used to it. At least I'm better off than Penny who is flu ridden the remnants of a bug she picked up way back in Dubai. Bangkok was always going to be difficult to enjoy when your health isn't all rosy.It is even more difficult to appreciate when a disordinate amount of time is http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/Central-Thailand/Bangkok/blog-228769.html Not happy again Jan. Hong Kong is part of China according to the pundits so how come when we do this blog the entire map of China isn't filled in red. Just HK. I was hoping for the opposite to present the illusion we'd covered more territory than actual fact.Speaking of HK chaotic noisy polluted and plenty of people speaking a language that sounds like a tin can being kicked down the street http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Kowloon/blog-227902.html A couple of lightning blogs will be ripped out during the next week or so as we inch our way home to the land of milk and honey. First up the UAE or more specifically Dubai. Twoish nights here hardly justifies a blog but by including it we get to fill in another country in red on the blog's world map.What do you say about a place you only spent about 40 hours in Plenty because I'm a charlatan http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/United-Arab-Emirates/Dubai/blog-227702.html Bombing of US Navy vessels kidnappings of foreign tourists tribal warfare including car bombings. This genre of headline had a lot of people asking why the hell are you going to Yemen I initially put these enquiries down to western ignorance to the everyday reality of this corner of the world. When residents of other Arab nations we have visited asked the same question I'll have to confess http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Yemen/Sanaa/blog-226800.html It is simply impossible to imagine a more religiously enigmatic city than Jerusalem. Amongst the old city of about 1 sq klm the Big 3 religions have some of their most significant temples of worship all competing for a piece of the prime reverential real estate cake. I found it mindboggling to have the Wailing Wall butting up against the Al Aqsa Mosque. Watching orthodox Jews going through their http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Israel/Jerusalem-District/Jerusalem/blog-224492.html Out of Syria across the border and before you knew it we were CROSSING JORDAN. Amman is the capital and the inevitable first stop for most tourists rolling in from our direction. Amman is hardly your quintessential exotic Middle Eastern city but there were enough distractions in and around to occupy us for a couple of days. There's nothing particularly wrong with Amman but nor is there particul http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Jordan/North/Amman/blog-223763.html Syria Aren't all those Arabs lecherous terrorists with a bomb in each pocket All those people guilty of having even remotely such notions get yourself into the kitchen for a big steaming hot cup of REALITY. Better still get yourself over here and experience these people for yourself.The Turks are welcoming the Syrians equally so but on a more energetic level. A couple of brief examples. http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Syria/North/Aleppo/blog-221242.html Let's begin w305th the positives. If someone had asked me on leaving Europe who were the most endearing people we have come across this year it would be a close contest. The Argentinians came out of the blocks the Greeks were competitive Albanian police got a guernsey. The gold medalists for me were gererally the French particularly while the women who work 305n boulangeries maintain t http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Aegean/Fethiye/blog-216793.html Turkey a long necked w305de backs305ded ugly b305rd w305th a small head that goes 'gobble gobble'. The nat305on of the same name 305s gratefully a heck of a lot more exot305c. Istanbul was for us l305ke most people our entry po305nt and an 305deal place to be weened onto the M305ddle East and off the West. It 305s festooned w305th. cats z305ll305 http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Turkey/Marmara/Istanbul/blog-215559.html Planes trains and automobiles. The self drive is over and we are back on the local transport merrygoround. F305rst up London between ma305nland Europe and Turkey. London was man305c. I can't remember anywhere 305nclud305ng London last t305me we were here be305ng so crowded. Perhaps 305t was the fact that clear blue days 305n th305s c305ty are as rare as compet http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-213406.html Brittany and Normandy. The area was a hive of conflict in times past and was disputed over for nigh on 300 years by the French and the English. Sounds like a precursor for the Rugby semi finals but I'll come to that later.Brittany first up and on arriving the architecture appeared to be plucked direct from the English rural scene. Hang on England is part of Britain I think. Britainy Put 2 and http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Upper-Normandie/Rouen/blog-212023.html No doubt about it I gotta get myself a new body. Something around 30 years younger than the one I've got now would be handy. What was a minor rib complaint after Hossegor blew out to full on crippler after 3 crummy waves in Lacanau. So after those 3 waves the surfing is over. Is it time to bite the bullet admit defeat in the age war and buy myself a longboard on return to Oz11 days of prepaid http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Bordeaux/blog-209815.html Montpellier.The Wobblies are based there and so too did we for 2 nights either side of the game against Fiji. The win was solid but exposed a few deficiencies.The highlight was Montpellier itself. A biggish city with real charm and the most psychodellic of trams. We also caught up with our mate Rod who was over with a few of his Londoner comprades. All nine of us had a wonderful night out afte http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Languedoc-Roussillon/Montpellier/blog-207636.html This is to be a blog chocahoot full of guest contributers. With such a multitalented group of wouldbe journos scribing their 2 cents worth Irsquoll leave my contribution centred on 2 topicsThe RUGBY kicked off for us in Lyon which was abuzz with the fever of ldquothe thinking manrsquos gamerdquo. The tournament came out of the blocks with an upset ldquoLe Cauchmarrdquo nightma http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Aquitaine/Bayonne/blog-204518.html