http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/mike4980/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from mike4980 en-us Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:25:01 +0000 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:25:01 +0000 First impressions of Auckland having gotten through a strenuous visa and baggage check are pretty positive. The bus from the airport is speedy but pleasant and takes you through a range of motorways leafy suburbs and then into the city itself. Auckland is not really somewhere for us to come to so as to spend time here it is simply the cheapest place to fly to and more likely to possess a suitabl http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-264892.html So having returned to Bangkok to meet with Lucyrsquos father we decide to finally head off to Chang Mai. Gareth has spent several weeks saying yes then no then yes again etc etc about going to Chang Mai. Someone in his school told him that it was nowhere near a rain forest and that was it their word must be gospel over anything that the internet guide books and our friends say those friends http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North-West-Thailand/Chiang-Mai/blog-264918.html Ko Phi Phi is a small archipelago in Krabi Province. The named islands are Ko Phi Phi Don the largest and only populated island and Ko Phi Phi Leh also known as Ko Phi Phi Lai a smaller island to the south popularised when parts of the movie The Beach were filmed there. Uninhabited apart from bird nest harvesters and a few Maya Bay wardens.Whilst in Krabi we were told that a single day on P http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/blog-258626.html Just for the hell of it we signed up for a snorkeling trip. A tour to four different islands off the coast started out looking a bit sketchy but ended up being a great day. 34 days in Krabi town doing very little is enough to drive anyone mad although the girl that cut and shaved me was very nice and gave me another good experience.Krabi is a small city with a population of around 18000. Locat http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Krabi/blog-258621.html Four days not a pedo in sight nowhere near as sleazy or scummy as ppl make it out and overall a really pretty nice place thats the gospel according to Mike.OK all we really did was go to Phuket gym the beach and spend a lot of time in bed.Finally we took in a girly show. After a couple of nights of walking up and down the stip hoping to see something exciting we gave in and went for a gander http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Phuket/blog-258631.html Finally it is time I can leave Malaysia today and go back to Thailand where I can eat some solid food and not curry. The trip to Thaialnd is expected to take approximately 8 hours. The reality is that we are sutck in a tiny tinny van for 10 hours. The missing 2 hours are due to the van NOT being full and the driver driving around and around and around and around trying to fill his van.At one p http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Pahang/Cameron-Highlands/blog-258613.html Before arriving in Cambodia Lucy and I are not in the best mindset possible. As has been documented previously we have had no end of troubles with Lloyds TSB blocking one or even both of our Debit cards due to taking out cash too often. I was livid with the bank again yesterday morning as again they have blocked my card. Worse still they have allowed us to take out cash and then block my card but http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Siem-Reap/blog-259531.html Do you guys realise the arduous conditions I have to work under to bring you this sh1t I remember using better computers in school than they have over here. Good old BBC computers probably handles broadband better than these ones anyway.3 days of temples and I am suffering with temple fatigue and a very bad gut. No worries though as Kriss is on hand to race me to a toilet at the first sign of tr http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/North/Angkor/blog-259536.html Newcastle 20 Fulham http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Tyne-and-Wear/Newcastle-Upon-Tyne/blog-258633.html Cambodia's capital retains an undeniable charm despite its tumultuous often violent past. The crumbling colonial architecture makes an attractive backdrop to bustling streetside cafes and the redeveloped riverfront precinct.Visiting the major sights including many emergency trips to the loo we took inRoyal Palace and the two magnificent pagodas in the Palace Grounds the Silver Pagoda and the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-259538.html The most satisfying thing of the day Having a giant pee first thing in the morning. After struggling to sleep because of the heat in the room four sweaty bodies make a hot room even hotter. We took the heated room unlike the tinker from the day before freeze Leprechaun FREEZE.The view from the top is as summised and told by other is simply not worth the effort. Its bitingly cold raining d http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Mount-Kinabalu/blog-251641.html After two days of seeing the sights in Kota Kinabalu mostly from the viewing area of the cinema I began my preparations for climbing Mount Kinabalu on the 27thwith my climbing on the 28th...quite intensive training as you can see.The internet sites that we looked at stated that this was the easiest climb in South East Asia and no prepping of any real description was needed. Confidence high we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Mount-Kinabalu/blog-251632.html Our single full day in KL will see us have a little exploration Toys R Us and a highlight being the Twin Towers minus any American Tourists.Having wasted most of the day sweating in bed and feeling generally unwell due to the dodgy Malaysian food form the night before and a nice splodge of eczema around my right eye which disapeared throughout the day there was only really time for eating and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Wilayah-Persekutuan/Kuala-Lumpur/blog-250660.html After a rocky flight cos we'd argued massively the two and a half of us arrive in Kuala Lumpur in a state of mild alarm. I developed a pain in my guts which whenever it sprang on meant I need the loo quickly and of course is sprang on at A an exciting part of the Bourne Identity book and B When the announcement came on that you can no longer use the loo...A not suspicious look on my face at cu http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Wilayah-Persekutuan/Kuala-Lumpur/blog-250653.html As I have already said I never actually want to go to Malaysia but here I am for a second day here and have arrived in Penang.FactsPenang is the second smallest state in Malaysia after Perlis and the eighth most populous. A resident of Penang is colloquially known as a Penangite...We have no preconceived ideas of what to expect here as it is really only a mission of pleasantries being that we a http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Penang/George-Town/blog-250639.html Kota Kinabalu formerly known as Jesselton is the capital of Sabah a state in Malaysia as well as the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. Located on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo facing the South China Sea and Tunku Abdul Rahman Park on one side and with Mount Kinabalu in the background Kota Kinabalu sprawls for kilometers along the coast and towards inland. What to say http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Kota-Kinabalu/blog-250628.html Ok tomorrow we are heading off on a tour like no other that we have been on so far. The challenge which we have accecpted is to climb Mt Kinabulu.Wiki describe it asIn 1997 a resurvey using satellite technology established its summit known as Lowrsquos Peak height at 4095 metres 13435 ft above sea level which is some 6 metres 20 ft less than the previously thought and hitherto publi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Sabah/Kota-Kinabalu/blog-250621.html well its been a quiet last few days staying outside bangkok with lucy's dad's friend in the villa type property he has its huge and has a pool so cant complain esp as its totally buckshee.taken in some sights lately including one yesterdaystupidly we decided to get the 5p peasant wagon into Khao San Road and off we toddled to get on one of these god awful machines 39 or 59 should do. but ther http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/blog-240938.html So today saw a return to the same trip that I took over 4 years ago. things have changed very little.the hot springs were still hot relaxing and very good for my skin. only this time there were a million and one ruskies all jibber bajabbering away in Russian and displacing vast amounts of water due to their immense size. clearly my fantasy about all Russians looking like slim blond tennis player http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/blog-243099.html After an exhaustive trip of Australia Hong Kong Brunei and Thailand on my first journey I looked forward to Tesco printing out pictures of the best part of my trip visiting the Tiger Temple near the River Kwai.After excitedly picing up the picture from Tesco I rushed to the car to see all the photos from both the Tigers and the Grand Palace. Flicking through the pictures like a mad man I wanted http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/blog-243431.html