Page 5 of cjschw Travel Blog Posts


Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Phuket April 6th 2005

Happy (Thai) New Years!! Today is the official start of the Thai New Year, and the celebration lasts 3 days. I just arrived in Chang Mai, which is a 14 hour train ride north of Thailand. But let me catch you up with my previous 2 weeks first. After my last blog (about Bangkok) I headed back down south to the Island of Phuket. Phuket is one of the better know islands of the coast of Thailand, and was one that was effected by the tsunami. Since I was in this part of the world I figured that it would be worth while to see the after effects of the great wave. Phuket was nice, but a little busier then I like my beach towns (I am start to be an expert on beaches and beach ... read more
the after effects
retard
Reclining Buddha

Asia » Thailand » Central Thailand » Bangkok April 1st 2005

I arrived in Bangkok two nights ago at 1am....with all intentions of going right to bed and getting an early start the next day. But the thing is that when you pull into Bangkok (specifically KoahSan Road sp?) you get sucked into the energy, the lights, the madness (but not the lady boys). Bangkok has tons and tons of energy...I am really having a good time here, much better then I thought. Everyone had warned me that Bangkok is just another big messy Asian city...but I have a totally different picture. So while I was on the 10 hour boat/bus ride from Koh Tao to Bangkok I met and English blok named Chris. He was a Bangkok pro and so I kind of buddied up with him. We ended up getting a room together and then ... read more
more buddha statues
Thai Boxing
Big Buddha

Asia » Thailand » South-West Thailand » Ko Tao March 31st 2005

So I left the Cameron Highlands with the intentions of getting to Koh Phangan (a island of the coast of southern Thailand) in time for the world reknown FULL MOON PARTY. I ended up on buses and boats for about 16 hours....just to finally get to the island and learn that i was one day LATE!!! I was a little worried about that because all the websites had different dates listed....but i could not have gotten there any earlier. So anyways, I stayed in Koh Phangan for a few days, and basically just relaxed on the beach...nothing really to note. Then I decided to head to the more remote island of Koh Tao, which also is the home to all the scuba diving centers in that area. Koh Tao was great. Fun, funky, little beach village, ... read more
sunset
Thai Bucket
beach

Asia » Malaysia » Pahang » Cameron Highlands March 23rd 2005

A little taste of Malaysia From Bali, I flew directly to Singapore (again) and spent the day wondering around the city (again). The next day I purchased an overnight train ticket to Kuala Lumpur (in Malaysia…which is north of Singapore). The whole day; and the train ride, where pretty much event free. So I arrived in Kuala Lumpur early in the morning (6am) dropped my bags off at a hotel, and decided to walk around and get a feel for the city. I was pretty disappointed. KL (Kuala Lumpur) seemed to be just another big city with even less things to do then Singapore. That was until I met a “nice” older man who started to chat me up. So here I am, it is about 8am and I am walking the streets. The older guy ... read more
Flower
me
Butterfly

Asia » Indonesia » Bali March 20th 2005

So I just got back from (only) a week in Bali. And I can definitely say that this is really the first place that I really wish I would have had more time to explore! Bali, apparently, is the only Hindu society in South East Asia, and the temples/shrines/statues that decorated the streets (and every other possible spot that you might look) where breath taking. I spent the first few days in Kuta, and extremely overcrowded and blan spot. I should have left as soon as I got there. For this part of the trip I was travelling with a guy from Liverpool named David. Now let me tell you a little about Dave...but first, just in case david is reading this...let me say some good things. Dave is a great guy, he is damn funny, ... read more
Boat
Kuta
sunset

Asia » Singapore March 12th 2005

Singapore. Well I have to say that I am really excited to finally be in Asia. Although Singapore is still pretty easy to travel around, it still feels more exotic then the other countries I have been in for the past month or so. It is good to get back into this kind of travelling. I have only been here for a few days, and to be honest I haven't really done that much, but I can already tell that I am going to love my time in Asia. Singapore is definitely a cosmopolitan city and just about everyone speaks English. But the markets are amazing, the food is great (and extremely cheap...but more on that later). And I am constantly surprised by one thing or another (good!!). I will just talk about a few things ... read more
Streets
funny
bee

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island March 7th 2005

Well the end of my New Zealand trip has finally approached. And it is easy to say that this is the most beautiful place that I have ever been. New Zealand is everything you have heard of and more. Things have been pretty much the same since my last update. Tobias and I continued to work our way around the southern island in our trusty stead "Bill". We camped, and tramped, snuck into hostels to cook and clean, did a little fishing and other things. It rained a little more this time, which means we slept in the car more often...including last night...and to tell the truth, sleeping with Bill (the car) is starting to get more and more comfortable (a few beers makes things even better). Last night Tobias and I were hoping to sleep ... read more
Tunnel Beach at sunset
Nugget Point
Sheep

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » West Coast » Fox Glacier March 1st 2005

So New Zealand is truly amazing...I know I said that last time...but this place really is. Around every corner there is a breathtaking view. Tobias and I are literally, stopping every 10 minutes when we drive to take more pics. There is no way that I could post even a 10th of the photos on here! Since my last update we have done tons of hikes (tramps) at least 3 a day (unless we do a big one). I have slept in the car 3 times. Our tent does not do well in rain or heavy wind; and we seem to run across those two things a night a lot around here. I will say that we have still been camping (or at least attempting for part of the night) in absolutely beautiful places....none (save 1) ... read more
photo
pic
bridge

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » West Coast February 25th 2005

New Zealand is absolutely amazing.....everything I ever imagined and more!!!! And the way that Tobias and are are travelling could not be better. Having a car (as I learned in Hawaii) really makes the trip that much better, especially when you are driving through such dramatic landscapes. Tobias and I really have no plans at all, no guide book, no idea what is around the next corner....just a spirit for adventure, curious personalities, and packs on our backs! I could not be travelling with anyone better. We really see eye to eye on everything and really work off each other. Apon arriving on the south island we hoped on a bus and headed into Nelson, where our rental car awaited us (bye the way, Jen (of course) was the ONLY one to submit an answer for ... read more
pic
pic
pic

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington Region » Wellington February 22nd 2005

Because of a huge debockle with my ticket to New Zealand (which I don't want to get into...I'll just leave it at that) I had to stay in Manly Beach Australia for a couple more days. But that actually ended up working out perfectly, because during my last two days there I got a chance to play tons of volleyball. I entered a recreation tourney on Saturday (and my team won our net) and then I was supposed to play in a money tourney but it got rained out (see photos). The weather ended up clearing up and so I went back down to the courts and played for another 4 hours (I'm still a little sore). So Monday morning (which is Sunday lunch time for you guys) I hopped on a plane and was finally ... read more
Manly Beach
ME!!!
Opera House




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