Our sweaty trip home

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October 29th 2007

Published: November 25th 2007

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Liz Steve

The Straw

A photo that I forgot to include in the last blog, this is the longest straw I have ever seen. It was in portugal.

Well hello everyone!

I bet you thought you wouldnt be hearing from me again, but I wont let you get away that easily.

I admit that this final blog is quite delayed as I am afraid that getting back into the swing of things back home has left me both quite busy and a little unmotivated to sit at the computer for an hour to type the final installment. Lucky for you though, I am starting to get itchy feet and thought that since we dont have the funds to be heading off overseas anytime soon, a trip down memory lane might just take the edge off a little 😊

After returning from our amazing trip to Spain and Portugal, Steve got back to work. I packed boxes and sorted things out. Finally, after many outings and farewells over the following weeks, it was time to go. As Steve and I sat in our bare room with our backpacks, we reflected a little on our trip and I admit that I cried and I think even Steve may have shed a tear or two. It was like leaving home for the second time, although this time a little

Sunset in the Desert

During our desert safari we stopped to watch the sunset. Very peaceful

harder because we didnt know when or even if we would be coming back again.

Fortunately for us, the sadness was cushioned by the fact we had a trip to Dubai and a week in Thailand ahead of us.

We arrived in Dubai early morning but I think it was late afternoon by the time the plane had taxied to the other end of the airport and let us off, the terminal building was that big!

The cab managed to take us to our hotel/apartment and we had a little nap there before deciding to have a walk and look around. We managed to walk a few streets before retreating into a nearby shopping centre to take advantage of the air conditioning. Although we couldnt afford to buy anything on sale in the centre we pretended like we were interested to postpone having to walk back outside. We managed to venture as far as McDonalds before surrendering to the 45 degree heat and heading back to our hotel for the afternoon. At one stage we contemplated a swim, but since the water is exposed to the sun most of the day it warmer than an indoor heated

Our Desert Safari

A few of the cars that we surfed the sand dunes in

pool. We decided to stick to the air-con.

That evening we were taken in a 4WD with other tourist into the desert, where there were other 4WD with tourists waiting for us. We then drove on a 'Desert Safari' which basically involves the cars driving at crazy angles over the sand dunes. It is hard to explain, but it was brilliant fun. We all stopped to watch the sunset over the desert, a very beautiful and peaceful moment. We were then taken to a little setup just outside the desert where we had a traditional BBQ and watched some dancing. Steve smoked a hashish (I think that is what they call it) which is flavoured tobacco and I got a tattoo (It rubbed off in a week).

The following day we did a city tour in a nice little van that was thankfully air conditioned. We visited the 7 star hotel, the gold and spice markets and also took a boat over to the other side of the river. Sadly we ran out of time to visit the worlds largest indoor ski park.

Dubai was a very interesting place to visit. I could not belive the amount

Camel riding

Steve having a ride on the camel. I dont think the camel was too happy about it.

of construction work going on there and would be interested to visit again in another 10 years to see the transformation. A large percentage of the people living in Dubai and foreigners as there is large demand for skilled workers and from what I can gather - they pay really well. All our tour guides were from other countries and all are enjoying living and working there. Steve at one stage was considering a move there but I think after experiencing the heat we felt - he has changed his mind!

The verdict: Dubai is worth a visit, just plan ahead and make sure to go when the weather is at its coolest.

From Dubai we took a flight to Bangkok in Thailand. We caught a cab from the airport and at several points between there and our hotel I thought that I may not get the opportunity to write this blog. He (and all the other cars on the road) drive like maniacs which wouldn’t have been as bad if we had had seatbelts in the back of the cab.

We did safely arrive at our hotel and what a hotel it was. Ultra modern with

Tattoo

Getting a henna tattoo. It took the lady about 30 seconds, I think she had done it before...

stylish little features and an interesting décor. We went down to the bar to meet up with friends that were also in Thailand at the same time. We headed out for a nice Thai meal until the owner got a bit snappy because he had taken our order incorrectly and then tried to blame us when we sent a dish back. It was still a great night.

The next morning we all had yet another near death experience, headed back to the airport to catch a local flight down to Krabi airport. From there we were picked up by the transfer to our hotel. A snazzy van with hot towels and bottles of water awaiting us! I forgot to mention that since Steve and I have been having backpacker holidays for the last year and a half, we decided that in Thailand we would go all out and enjoy ourselves while it is cheap enough to! We dropped Katie and Simo off at their hotel and made our way to check in with our complimentary cocktail. From there we were transported by boat to our hotel that was secluded in it’s own private bay. A little golf buggy climbed

Having a puff

Steve tasting some shish (I think that is what it was called). I dont think he enjoyed it all that much.

the hill to take us to our room. I admit it was a bit of a hike up the stairs but the view was worth it! The room was luxury and the spa bath on the balcony was an added bonus!

After some relaxation and a change of clothes we headed back over to the main town for dinner with the others. It was the start of some amazing food that we would consume over the next 5 nights.

We went swimming so much as the water was a perfect temperature - not too cold but still cool enough to be refreshing. However, Steve and Katie did have a run in with a couple of jelly fish that were not so pleasant.

We managed a trip out to Koh Phi Phi Islands. Which is now most famously known as the beach in the movie ‘The Beach’. It was spectacular but is now over run with tourists (like us) so steals a little of the magic away from that particular spot. However, the whole area that we visited was simply breathtaking with limestone cliffs, crystal clear water and lush green trees. The snorkelling was also great, although I

Bur Dubai

This will one day be the tallest building. Still under construction like half of Dubai.

had a couple of small altercations with a certain kind of fish who seemed to think that my thigh was eatable. We spotted a cuttle fish, clown fish, giant clams and many other species that I don’t know the names of.

We also did another tour that took us to a few different islands, each as stunning as the next. At one point when the boys were off snorkelling (which they seemed to do a lot of on their own, hmmm….), Katie and I found a fan club that wanted photo’s with us. We are now in approx 30 Thai photo albums - due to their limited English we are still not sure why. The boys didn’t believe us until 2 boat loads of Thai tourists started waving to us on their way back out to sea. We waved back being the polite celebrities that we are.

The rest of our time was spent eating, drinking, shopping, sleeping and just lazing on the beach which is exactly what we had planned.

There were also monkeys that hung out at the end of the path between our hotel and the main town. They were pretty cool to watch,

7 Stars

Steve and I in front of the 7 Star hotel. I think this is the closest that we will ever get.

but you had to be really careful not to carry a plastic bag containing food when you went on the path or they would attack it trying to get to the contents. I was freaked out from seeing the movie ‘Outbreak’ one too many times, so enjoyed watching them from a safe distance.

After a sad and our final goodbye of our trip we headed back to Bangkok on our own. After another cab which was not as scary because he would not take the toll road so we were stuck in traffic for ages, we arrived for the second time at our hotel.

We did a little bit of shopping and looked around in the afternoon. Steve was ill that evening so I got some room service for dinner, the biggest ‘snack’ I have ever encountered.

On our last day in Thailand, we did a little more shopping and then caught a cab to catch a look at the Grand Palace. It was spectacular, however we were running short on time so did not enter. We then thought it would be a good idea to walk to China town and have a browse. I have a

A bit of added spice

One of the stalls in the spice market. Sadly, we didnt get any as we would not be able to get them back into the country

recommendation that if you are contemplating walking somewhere in Bangkok - don’t do it! It was dirty, hot and smelly and with the amounts of traffic passing through I don’t think it is good for your health. Safe to say that by the time we reached Chinatown we walked past it to the underground station and headed back to the hotel.

We showered and then left early to make sure we got to the airport in time (traffic is known to make the trip very long). There was no traffic, so we arrived at the airport with a few hours to kill. Then we had an extra hour as our plane was delayed.

After a not so restful plane flight, we arrived back on Australian shores and were given the ‘Welcome home’ by the guy checking our passport. Steve and I both felt very welcomed by that. Steve’s bag got checked as they spotted his cricket spikes and were concerned that we might be bringing back some contaminated English soil, but we got given the all clear and were let back into the country.

It has been great seeing everyone back home. My sister’s wedding went well,

'The Beach'

Leonardo once graced these shores for filming. Now it is overun by tourists taking photos.

Steve has gotten a job, I am working and have applied to study next year, so things seem to be going ok. We are currently hunting for somewhere to live which isn’t going so well, but I am sure that we will sort it out soon.

We are missing our friends back in the UK and miss being able to go on trips every month, but I guess it all had to get back to reality at some point! It is hard to believe how quickly time passes.

So I guess that this will be my final blog on this particular adventure. Thank you all for reading and for your messages throughout our trip, I do hope that you have enjoyed the updates and that it may have inspired you to do a bit of travel of your own. I really believe that this is the best thing that I have ever done and I know that Steve feels the same way.

To everyone that we met on our travels, thank you so much for making the trip such an enjoyable experience, without you it would not have been anywhere near as memorable. Make sure to stay

Snorkelling

Simo and I after we have just jumped in, ready to spot some fish.

in touch and come to visit if you can.

I think that is about it. Thanks again and I look forward to the day that we can start another one of these to update you on our next adventure.

Love

Liz & Steve

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