Alib

Alibman

Alib

Hello Everyone

Well I'm about to embark on my Asian Odyssey..... and who knows where it will take me!!

I fly out of Sydney on Thursday 6 August to Bangkok, and then head to Laos for 2 weeks. From Vientiane (Laos) I fly to Hanoi (Vietnam) to stay with friends, and while I'm there plan to head up to Sapa in the mountains. I then fly back to Bangkok and onto Krabi in Southern Thailand. From Krabi, I catch a ferry over to the Island of Ko Lanta, where I'll spend a week lazing on the beach. Then back to Bangkok again to meet up with Ann & Janet, before flying onto Kathmandu (Nepal). We spend a few days in Kathmandu then fly to Paro in Bhutan. The next 2 weeks will be spent travelling across Bhutan (West to East) and we finally cross into Northern India (Guwahati), to pick up a flight to Bangkok via Kolkata (Calcutta). We spend our final week lazing on the beach in a resort at Jomtien Beach (south of Bangkok), before flying home to Sydney......

I will update my travel blog as often as I can, and I hope you will join me on my journey. Just click on the "Subscribe" button below to receive an email letting you know I when have added a blog.

Cheers, Ali xxx

My Itinerary: 6 August - 10 October 2009

6-Aug: Fly Sydney - Bangkok, and my adventure begins......
7-Aug - 20-Aug: Thailand & Laos (Chang Rai, Huay Xia, Luang Prabang, Phonsaven, Plain of Jars, Vietiane, Bolaven Plateau, Paske)
21-Aug: Fly Vientiane - Hanoi
22-Aug - 3-Sept: Staying with friends in Hanoi & exploring Sapa.
4-Sep: Fly Hanoi - Bangkok, connect to a flight to Krabi and cross to Ko Lanta by ferry
5-Sept - 11-Sept: Laxing on a beach in Ko Lanta, Thailand.
12-Sep: Fly Krabi - Bangkok, and overnight in a posh airport hotel
13-Sep: Meet Ann & Janet in Bangkok Airport, and we all fly to Kathmandu, Nepal
14-Sep - 16-Sept: Kathmandu
17-Sep: Fly Kathmandu - Paro, Bhutan. Fri
18-Sep - 30-Sept: Travel West to East across Bhutan (Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Phobjikha, Bumthang, Mongar, Trashigang, Samdrup Jonkhar)
1-Oct: Exit Bhutan and transfer to Guwahati, India. Fly Guwahati-Kolkata (Calcutta) and connect to a flight to Bangkok.
2-Oct - 8-Oct: Relaxing with Ann & Janet in a flash apartment on Jomtien Beach, Thailand
9-Oct: Transfer back to Bangkok for evening flight back to Sydney
10-Oct: Arrive back home to Sydney, and begin facing the reality of "looking for a job" !!

Off to Thailand for our Last Week!!!

Asia October 6th 2009

Alibman

Hi again everyone. Well my last blog finished off with Karma & Chenchu handing us over to an Indian driver, at the Bhutanese border town of Samdrup Jongkhar. So off to India we go...... After exiting Bhutan through a massive archway, we crossed into about 2km of ''No Mans Land'', where we passed under another big sign saying "Welcome to India". Our driver (whose English was extremely limited) pulled up at a small concrete hut and indicated we should go in. It didn't look like any Border Post I've ever seen, and I've come across a few isolated ones in my time. Anyway, a rather snappily dressed (and hansome) young man in shorts, tee shirt and the latest "copy"designer sun glasses came ambling over, and said "You want to cross into India?" Now India is very ... read more

An Earth Tremor in the Night !!!

Asia October 3rd 2009

Alibman

Hi again Everyone We are now back in Thailand, but first I will update you on what has been happening since my last blog..... As I mentioned previously there had been an earth quake of 6.7 in Eastern Bhutan, and Trashigang, where we were, was right in the centre of the worst effected area. We were staying in a lovely little Guest House run by a family, that had approx 10 rooms plus eating area etc, centered around an open courtyard. There were approx 12 people staying the night (Tourists, guides & drivers) plus around 6 or 7 hotel staff. That night around 10pm after everyone had gone to bed (everything closes up early in Bhutan), I was lying in bed reading, and all of a sudden there was a really loud noise that lasted for ... read more

The Windiest Road in the World !!!!

Asia » Bhutan » Trashigang September 28th 2009

Alibman

Hello Everyone Well here we are in Trashigang, Eastern Bhutan. Since I last "blogged" in Thimphu we have travelled approx 600km across the country, on what must be the windiest, narrowest but most beautiful road in the world..... The No 1 highway basically runs through the middle of the country from Thimphu (the capital) to Trashigang (where we are now). As I think I may have already mentioned Bhutan is made up of a series of very steep valleys, so the road winds it's way up, down & around the mountains. Progress is very slow as the road is cut into the side of the mountains, is very narrow with sheer drops on one side. It turns back on itself constantly, with almost every bend at least 180 degrees. I would love to know how many ... read more

Thimphu - The Capital City without Traffic Lights

Asia » Bhutan » Thimphu September 21st 2009

Alibman

Hi everyone We are now in Thimphu the capital of Bhutan, and yes I have access to the internet. However I think this may be the last time, as we head East tomorrow and things will be a little less civilised. We drove from Paro to Thimphu on Sunday through a series of magnificient valleys. The scenery was spectacular, as the road winds it's way along the side of the mountains, and everything was very green. There is a point were the Paro & Thimphu valleys meet at the conflux of two rivers. There was a security check point, about a million prayer flags sending prayers to Buddha for a safe journey, and 3 stupas to mark the entry to the capital. Everyone is Paro kept telling us that Thimphu was very busy, with lots of ... read more

Paro, Bhutan..... What can I say but Wow !!!

Asia September 19th 2009

Alibman

Hi Everyone, Well here we are in Bhutan, and yes I have internet access as well as mobile reception. So it just goes to prove the world is very, very small these days. Bhutan is an amazing place and like no where I have ever been. Bhutan is a constutional monachy and the king is much loved and revered. The current king (the 5th of this dynasty) was only crowned last year, after his father (the 4th king) abdicated in his son's favour. As the 4th king is still alive, everyone refers to the "New" king and the "Old" king. There are photos everywhere of all 5 kings in the dynasty, and you can see the family resemblance in all of them. The country has a population of approx 650,000 and is made up of a ... read more

Off to Bhutan ....

Asia » Nepal » Kathmandu September 17th 2009

Alibman

Hi Everyone Just a quick update before we leave for bhutan this afternoon....... We've had a great time in Kathmandu, but as I think I mentioned in the last blog it has changed so much since I was here in 1992. However once I got my bearings I could see glimpses of how I remembered it. The old hippys from the late '60's / early '70's when the overland trail was at it's height (when you could go all the way to London by road), would never recognise the place !! The weather here has been really pleasant. Quite warm, but not hot, with the evenings and early mornings cooler but still tee shirt weather. However I expect it will cool down once we arrive in Paro. I am putting on a pair of jeans today ... read more

Kathmandu

Asia September 15th 2009

Alibman

Hi again everyone I am now on the second stage of my trip... Nepal and Bhutan. But first I will pick up from where I last left off....... I flew from Krabi back to Bangkok on Saturday, and spent the night in Luxury at the Airport Novotel. It really is a lovely hotel, and the beds.... what can I say, Huge and Comfortable!! It was an absolute pleasure. However I did have a bit of a drama when I arrived at Bangkok airport. The plane parked out on the tarmac and we had to get a bus into the terminal. I had a very impatient man behind me pushing to get on the bus, and somehow he pushed me and I fell up the step into the bus.... Yes up the step, can you believe it!! ... read more

Is The World Still Out There ?

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Lanta September 10th 2009

Alibman

Hi Everyone, Secluded as I am here on Koh Lanta, it would be very easy to believe the world doesn't exist beyond this small bay. Life crawls along at snails pace, and as there isn't a lot of people around, noise and activity is at a minimum. Everything seems to take "10 minutes", which is really code for 30 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter what it is... a drink, food, new towels, someone to put up the pool umbrella, the answer is always the same, "10 minutes mam", and then it takes 30 minutes!! Most people here seem to be honey mooners from Europe & the UK, so they tend to stick to themselves somewhat!! I did have a very nice English couple in the room next door for a couple of days, and they ... read more

Koh Lanta... Paradise on Earth

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Lanta September 6th 2009

Alibman

Hi Everyone Well here I am on the island of Koh Lanta in Southern Thailand, and if Sapa was a piece of Heaven, this place is a piece of Paradise. It's so laid back here that if it were any more so, you would be comotosed!! I left Hanoi on Friday morning, and flew to Bangkok, then got a connecting flight to Krabi in Southern Thailand. I had been a bit worried that I may miss the connecting flight as I only had 1 hour between flights, but the airline Buddha was clearly on my side, and everything went to plan. I knew I had to catch a ferry over to Koh Lanta, but naively thought it was probably only a short trip from the airport. Wrong !! It took 2 and a half hours, 2 ... read more

Hanoi again ....and it's still hot !!

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi September 2nd 2009

Alibman

Hi Everyone Well I'm back in Hanoi again, and yes it's still hot!!! Sapa was a lovely temporary reprieve, but it was never going to last. The problem seems to be that it's really still the rainy season here, but it's NOT raining. So the heat just keeps building up, and gets worse and worse. In fact during the 4 weeks I've been away, it has really only rained 3 times, none of which lasted all that long, and hasn't stop me from doing anything. Anyway, picking up from my last blog......... I had a great day on my "motor cycle adventure". We went over the mountains into the next valley to a small village called Tam Duong. The highest pass we crossed was 2000 metres, and the road was pretty narrow and cut into the ... read more

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