http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/melee/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from melee en-us Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:10:10 +0000 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:10:10 +0000 Note The Canada blogs have been rewritten and reposted due to requests for anonymity. Hush yo moufAs our vacation winds down yoursquoll notice that we are spending more time relaxing and less time exploring. Some will call it travelerrsquos fatigue. I call it conserving energy for residency. Melirsquos aunt kicks off brekkie by making us grilled cheese sandwiches then prosciutto and chees http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-351916.html Note The Canada blogs have been rewritten and reposted due to requests for anonymity. Ahhh Sunday The perfect day to sleep in particularly on the last leg of your fourmonth vacation and roundtheworld trip. So why in heavens am I up at 530am again It is what it is. I check craigslist for apartments and do other online errands then crawl into bed to try to get more shuteye with no success http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Niagara-Falls/blog-351908.html Note The Canada blogs have been rewritten and reposted due to requests for anonymity. Walk of ShameWe drive back through Torontorsquos downtown in the bright light of an early Saturday morning. The CN Tower having been unlit the night before save for a few blinking red lights is fully visible now. My friend Andrea who lives here climbed 150 flights of stairs to the top of this tower for a w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-351906.html Note The Canada blogs have been rewritten and reposted due to requests for anonymity. Welcome to Canadia I refuse to let jetlag get the best of me so I will myself to stay in bed until 10am. Meli is not as successful waking up at 5am. She blogs checks email renews health insurance all the things one does at 5am after going to bed at 2am.Big Screen TV TimeThe ladies have business to take c http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-351905.html This blog is being written almost two weeks after our last day in Santiago. A lot has happened since then and our next blog on The Match and The Move will bring you up to date. But first we need to say goodbye to Chile.Too Little Too LateWe wake up at the usual hour and breakfast is hearty and delicious because of our grocery shopping yesterday afternoon. Meli immediately begins packing and L http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Santiago/blog-141049.html First let me apologize for the very long delay in blogging. It finally caught up with us. Our busy days in London meant we reached Cairo behind and my shift in focus to my radiology presentation made it even worse. By the time I left for Orlando we were still blogging London. In real time I am writing this blog two weeks after the fact and with the hundreds of pictures we have to upload o http://www.travelblog.org/Africa/Egypt/Lower-Egypt/Cairo/blog-158764.html Moving againOur package with Holiday Tour and Travel was for four nights so today we have to get a hotel of our own. We had mistakenly prebooked a hotel when we bought the Vietnam package. Boy we must really have been feeling lazy in Melbourne. I canrsquot blame ushellip after the whirlwind that was Match Day and the Move I think we just wanted Vietnam handed to us on a platter. May http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Southeast/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/blog-148800.html The 100th blog should be about Antarctica the seventh continent on our mustdo list and usually on everyonersquos list when trying to recall all seven land masses. It should include mesmerizing photos of sheets of ice that seem to go on forever. Or maybe of Polar bears drowning but that would be the Arctic wouldnrsquot it Well wersquore closer to the Polar bears anyway. Our centen http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-164619.html The Mom Perspective on Match DayMy mom sent an email to our family in the Philippines detailing Match Day from her perspective. We figured it sufficed as guest blogging so here it is with factual modifications. Also you can check out a link to a Stanford Report article about us on Match Day at httpmednews.stanford.edumatchday07.html.Yesterday was a very exciting and hectic time. At 10am http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Palo-Alto/blog-141073.html We had numerous family photographers documenting our night at Dave and Buster's with the SUMMA graduating seniors Match Day The Move and our chillout time in L.A. before leaving. Enjoy Also look out for an update from us now that our disposable camera pictures from Carnaval in Salvador are on Snapfish http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Palo-Alto/blog-141087.html Back in OzThe Qantas flight from L.A. to Melbourne is smooth. I fall asleep before takeoff and wake up nine hours later. Usually Irsquod love that but with the entertainment options aboard with Q OnDemand I regret not having more time to watch all the movies I want. I manage to squeeze watching Volver Pedro Almodovarrsquos latest with Penelope Cruz great Blood Diamond great and a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/St-Kilda/blog-143052.html I will just come out and say it I love Melbourne The weather is perfect. The people are extremely friendly and many are jogging outdoors and running along the beach. And anywhere we go we can get gluten free pasta soy lattes smoothies fat free this low fat that food without peanut milk or milk products. This place is California on steroids minus the smog. Definitely a place I could live http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/City-Centre/blog-143056.html Today was a lazy day. We treat ourselves to one of these everywhere we go though sometimes it is imposed on us like that stormy day in Argentina. I woke up and wanted to go for a stroll and have some me time. Meli headed for the beach. It is clear that she was tropically bred.My stroll took me first to ldquoVeg Outrdquoa community victory garden or sorts. There werenrsquot just crops in th http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/St-Kilda/blog-143060.html Brekkie MessinessAutopia Tours is going to pick us up at 815am so we wake up early and even have enough time for breakfast. Unfortunately the brekkie is not ready at Base and most of the other restaurants on Acland St. are still closed. The Galleon Caf our first stop on day one of our stay here is open but itrsquos full and we are not disposed to wait. I know McDonaldrsquos has break http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Great-Ocean-Road/blog-143573.html Oh No What About VietnamWe wake up and ponder breakfast and Wicked Sunday. Walking around last night we looked at STA Travel and found out they would be closed on Sunday. We had stopped by to talk to a travel agent last Wednesday and got some brochures of tours in Vietnam. We have been undecided on what to do in Vietnam since we planned the trip many months ago. With only seven days there http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Victoria/Melbourne/City-Centre/blog-143579.html Early Start and Hectic TransfersWe are up on time and ready to go by 6am. The bus is a tad late but not too much and the ride to the airport is the stipulated 45 minutes. We are amused by the driverrsquos chit chat on his radio with other drivers and headquarters. They all say good morning give each other traffic updates and say all kinds of other things that I simply canrsquot understa http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Manila/blog-143583.html Filipino Breakfast and Airport HasslesOur plan is to be at the airport at 830am so we get up before 7am and are ready to go by 745am. We walk down and Vit has prepared a monster spread for breakfast chicken longganisa chicken sausages SPAM daing na bangus marinated fried milkfish scrambled eggs red rice kinda like brown rice vienna sausages toast and ponkan a type of orange j http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Boracay/blog-144273.html Total indulgence Meat and rice breakfasts before beach massagesThis morning we wake up and head down to the breakfast buffet that is included in our hotel rate. It is everything you want a Filipino breakfast to be a man makes eggs to order and the rest is selfserve. Three kinds of rice white red like brown rice and fiesta rice fried rice with other stuff in it like eggs and onions http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Boracay/blog-144548.html Up with the SunAt 515am Leroy gently wakes me up and asks if I still want to join Jamie and Linus to watch and photograph the sunrise. I get up and look outdoors to make sure the sky is still dark. By the time I pull on my clothes brush my hair and teeth and wash my face the sky is light outside. No worries the sun rises behind some hills so I havenrsquot really missed too much. I walk http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Boracay/blog-144670.html Early Brekkie and the Trek Back to ManilaBreakfast was too early for the stomach but with longganisa on the menu I was happy. Xandra Sam Baba and my mom came to meet us but they could not eat because their breakfast was not ready at their resort. Xandra was just coming over to see us off. We left at about 8am taking a jeep boat and van back to Kalibo airport. Linus and I sang songs thr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Boracay/blog-145366.html