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Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Bangkok March 7th 2007

Wir haben vier schoene Tage in Bangkok verbracht. Am ersten Tag haben wir die Lage gecheckt und uns durch die vielen Maerkte (da kann man wirklich alles kaufen was man will) gekaempft. Am zweiten Tag war Kultur angesagt! Wir haben den Koenigspalast und den heiligen Buda im Tempel des Koenigs besucht, war sehr interessant und amuesant. Am dritten Tag haben wir die Stadt etwas erkundet und am vierten Tag ging der Phipu zwei Zugbillette kaufen... ...Normalerweise hat man ca. 40 Min. von unserem Hotel zum Bahnhof und wieder zurueck. Da es jedoch mehrere Bahnhoefe in Bangkok gibt und der Taxifahrer nicht auf Anhieb verstand wo ich hin wollte (habe drei verschiedene Bahnhoefe in Bangkok gesehen...) dauerte der Billettkauf eine Weile (ca. 2 Stunden). Gewisse Leute (Helena) dachten ich sei in Bangkok verlohrengegangen... Nach vier Tagen sind ... read more

Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jodhpur March 7th 2007

This spider update is specially for Euan. (and Duncan and Iona)....The spider was released fom the wardrobe and chased round the room by lots of the child who were "trying" to help...and then it got squashed. In other animal news lionel was again spotted in Titi's bathroom (who thought it was a plastic toy and then freaked out when it moved) therefore her bathroom was unused for a day and then he mysteriously disappeared............ Other species - wise I was calmly reading Great Expectations (which i finshed by the way - quite good) sitting on our porch next to a flimsy tree that signaled the start of the overgrowth when.........CRASH. A HUGE langur (oversized scary monkey with a very very long tail - they have them in zoo's) landed in the tree right next to me ... read more

Asia » Philippines » Boracay March 7th 2007

Hi guys, I just want to share to you our vacation this past weekend. 0800 in the morning, we depart from our house to the domestic airport to catch our 1030 flight to Kalibo via Cebu Pacific. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed for a long 1 hour. After an endless hide and seek game with my daughter (and countless numbers of cigars ....) we departed Manila at 1140...we then arrived Kalibo airport at 1210. Here, we managed to catch the shuttle van from the airport to the jetty port of Caticlan which is by the way a loooonnnngggg 2 hour ride. Fortunately for us, we managed to get a fifty peso discount ($1.00) per pax, which is great (I think my knowledge of the local dialect proved to be very handy on this trip..). Upon reaching ... read more
Kalibo Airport
The Passengers
The Passengers

Asia » Laos » East » Phonsavan March 7th 2007

The bus to Phonsavan possessed that rarest of qualities - it never filled up. This was enough to raise the spirits after countless crowded journeys without the luxury of space. I was sufficiently boosted by this that even the drawbacks of the guesthouse in Phonsavan - a flexible wooden floor that nipped the skin of one's feet painfully and a hot shower that only lived up to its name if the flow was a trickle - seemed inconsequential. Phonsavan is the main base for exploring the Plain of Jars. This stretch of rolling hills takes its name from the clusters of stone containers dotted around it. The jars themselves are about 2,000 years old and the consensus is that they're funerary urns, though local legend states that they're fermentation vessels constructed by a race of giants ... read more
Mother and child
Jar site 3
Military hardware at the guesthouse

Asia » China » Sichuan » Chengdu March 7th 2007

Dear parents and friends, There was a network problem in the hotel. Just resolved 15 minutes ago. Seeing so many comments from all of you is heartening. I'll pass the messages to your children/friends tomorrow's morning, as early as possible. Please do not send email to me during this period. I may not have the time to check my mail. We bade farewell to our principal, Mrs. Oh today. She left a very impactful message for our students - Choose Your Attitude, Make Their Day, Be There and Play (FISH Philosophy). The students did quite a fair bit of reflection today and from what the teachers can gather, the trip has been very meaningful for them so far. The teachers also had a heart-to-heart talk with the students where the students were given the opportunity to ... read more
Farewell_Photo_02

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu March 7th 2007

Hi guys, What’s up? There is a gas/power/water shortage here…so I just trying to study/learn Nepali with a flashlight balanced on my head. Seeing that the power is back on I think I will write an entry. I have had intense 3 hour Nepali language lessons everyday for the past week and all I’ve managed to retain is “my name is Elissa” and the word for “turnip.” (And, believe it or not, “turnip” doesn’t come up in conversations too much.) However, the lessons have helped me rediscover my inability to conjugate verbs…which is probably related to my inability to spell or punctuate correctly (as you may have noticed.) But I should hurry this up before I get too tired to finish my homework. I have been kept extremely busy for my orientation week and the Internet ... read more

Asia » India » Tamil Nadu » Chennai March 7th 2007

Dedicated to Jaspreet Laly - RIP!! On Wednesday, i met a final year Harvard medical student. This teaching hospital has a link with Harvard university, thus allowing for the Harvard students to gain credits through an elective visit here. The californian was called Moses, and he seemed relieved to see a UK based student at the same hospital. Moses is staying at the onsight lodgings, which appear to be quite desolate. Dr Sujatha did personal teaching rounds with Moses and I, where we saw numerous patients. After a short time, it became apparent that tuberculosis (TB) was the most common diagnosis for patients on the General Medicine Ward. Most of the patients live in poor sanitary conditions increasing their chances of getting TB. I was also surprised of my knowledge against a Harvard student, as i ... read more
End of night
Time for a dosa

Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Chiang Mai March 7th 2007

We arrived in ChaingMai at (according to Ken (our guide) surprisingly early) 7:00 AM. Groggy from the train ride everyone opted to check into the hotel early so that we could get some rest. The Hotel was an absolute hoot. Pictures are worth a 1000 words. Think Sean Connery -James Bond hotel room. Plastic enameled everything, console buttons built into the furniture.....4 decades old, but very clean and comfortable. Glad to be able to call this place home base for the next two days. After our power nap, went off to see the old Temple, this structure has an incredibly storied past, with Pagan, South Indian and Siam origins. The structure is apparently only 700 years old, but not sure if that is credible as it looks at least twice the age. We then visited the ... read more
Groovy Hotel Room - ChiangMai
ChiangMai - Night Bazzar
Old Temple

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Phi Phi Don March 7th 2007

Good Morning folks on our last day in Thailand. Off to Malaysia next to indulge in some more torture for Mrs Deane. Yes, I'm taking her up the highest mountain in South East Asia. Following on from our exertions in the diving training it was time to kick back and relax to the max. Or something like that. We chilled for a day after the diving at the beach and then it was up early to get to Phi Phi Islands. We had done a little research (being the good geeks that we are) and noted that on everyones blogs how difficult it was to get cheap accomodation on Phi Phi. So we did what every self-respecting backpacker would do. We cheated and booked ourselves on a 3 day / 2 night tour that included transfers ... read more
Mrs Deane manages a smile despite not seeing Leonardo Di Cappucchino
The funniest Korean tourist ever - doing some kind of Princess Leia impersonation
This is our boat with Phi Phi Ley in the background

Asia » Indonesia » Java » Yogyakarta March 7th 2007

Dari mana? Ke mana? (Where are you coming from, where are you going to) These are the most frequent questions I hear, my answers ranging from dari sana, ke sana, (over there, to there) to Jalan-Jalan (oh, just around) to lihat-lihat (taking in the sights) to mau makanan (off to eat) and of course (pasar, beli buah) to the market to buy fruit. We love fruit. (Kami cinta buah) Mostly we go about by motorbike (sepeda motor), John drives and weaves us in and out of hundreds of other speeding motorbikes, a few relaxed moving bicycles, and a handful of cars, trucks, and busses. Motorbike is the most efficient way to travel, as you can fit into all those important places cars cannot fit, make quick turns, and go back down a street the wrong way ... read more
Mt. Merapi over rice
Plowing in the city
Javanese Frog




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