Advertisement
Published: October 29th 2006
Hey all
Just experimenting with this site as a way of keeping people up to date with our travelling antics. I've put our planned route in below but its doesn't look very clear so I have also put it in the email I sent letting you know about this blog. We don't intend to stick fully with the below plan. Its just good to have an idea of roughly what route we are taking and how long it takes to get between places so we could get the Round the World flights (RTW) sorted. The dates of the flights which are more fixed are also below.
Round the World Flights
01/11/2006 - RTW FLIGHT LONDON TO BANGKOK
04/03/2007 - RTW FLIGHT SINGAPORE TO PERTH
12/03/2007 - RTW FLIGHT PERTH TO MELBOURNE
29/04/2007 - RTW FLIGHT MELBOURNE TO CHRISTCHURCH
23/06/2007 - RTW FLIGHT AUKLAND TO SANTIAGO
31/10/2007 - RTW FLIGHT MEXICO CITY TO LONDON
Planned Route
The countries shaded in the map below are those we visit, below that is a list of expected dates in these countries.
Visited Countries Map
Country/Arrive/Depart
* Thailand (North) / 2-Nov-06 / 10-Nov-06
* Malaysia / 10-Nov-06 / 13-Nov-06
* Phillipines / 13-Nov-06 / 29-Nov-06
* Malaysia / 29-Nov-06 / 8-Dec-06
* Thailand (South) / 8-Dec-06 / 12-Jan-07
* Laos / 12-Jan-07 / 25-Jan-07
* Vietnam / 25-Jan-07 / 15-Feb-07
* Cambodia / 15-Feb-07 / 7-Mar-07
* Singapore / 7-Mar-07 / 10-Mar-07
* Westerm Australia (Perth) / 10-Mar-07 / 19-Mar-07
* Australia (Melbourne & Ayres Rocks) / 19-Mar-07 / 27-Mar-07
* Australia (Sydney - Cairns) / 27-Mar-07 / 5-May-07
* New Zealand (South Island) / 5-May-07 / 22-May-07
* Fiji / 22-May-07 / 9-Jun-07
* New Zealand (North Island) / 9-Jun-07 / 28-Jun-07
* Chile (Santiago) / 28-Jun-07 / 1-Jul-07
* Argentina & Urugauy / 3-Jul-07 / 10-Jul-07
* Chile / 10-Jul-07 / 17-Jul-07
* Bolivia / 17-Jul-07 / 9-Aug-07
* Peru / 9-Aug-07 / 1-Sep-07
* Guatemala / 1-Sep-07 / 10-Sep-07
* Honduras / 10-Sep-07 / 23-Sep-07
* Guatemala / 23-Sep-07 / 3-Oct-07
* Belize / 3-Oct-07 / 14-Oct-07
* Mexico / 14-Oct-07 / 31-Oct-07
Start of the trip
Chiang Mai
At various different leaving do's people were asking about the start of the trip so here is a little preview (really just so I can learn how to use this site 😊 ). Basically next Weds night we board a flight from Heathrow and 11hrs later arrive in Bangkok, wait around for 4 or 5 hours before getting an onward flight up to Chiang Mai (our first destination). Chiang Mai is Thailand's second largest city. The city has many ancient temples, including one at Doi Suthep, which offers breathtaking views over the area. Most people though (including us) go to Chiang Mai largely due to the elephant treks in the surrounding countryside. Thai cookery classes are also a popular tradition in the city as is a vist to the extensive extensive night market.
Am experimenting with putting some links in this post which are below. One is for the guest house where we first stay. We decided to splash out and went for somewhere with A/C, private bathroom and a pool in order to recover from the flights. This set us back a whopping £6.50 pppn. Despite the price I think these luxuries will be short lived, partly because the cheaper places are likely to be a lot more sociable and backpacker orientated. The second link is just a guide to Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai Accomodation
Chiang Mai Guide
Around this time next week we will be spending a day at an elephant nature park.
Elephant Park
The Elephant Nature Park is a unique project set in Northern Thailand. set up with the aim of providing a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants. The park provides a sanctuary for over 30 distressed elephants from all over Thailand and is set in a natural valley, bordered by a river, and surrounded by forested mountains.
The highlight of most people's day at the park is plunging right in with the elephants and help scrub these giants as they splash around.
We are also in Chiang Mai for Loy Krathong or Yi Peng which is an important Thai festival. It is a way of paying respect to the goddess of the river for the water that was provided, and to repent for dirtying the river under the full moon, creating a beautiful sight. There are float contests, boat races, and a beauty contest (I haven't decided yet whether to enter). Lanterns similar to balloons are also lit and sent drifting up into the sky.
As mentioned before the main reason to go to Chiang Mai is the jungle treks. We will probably do a 3 or 4 day trek. I somehow doubt I will be fit enough for this though as there is a lot of walking in 30-40 degree heat! These treks take visitors through forested mountains, high valleys and meadows, and include visits to remoter high-altitude hill tribe settlements for overnight stays. Treks commonly feature travel by foot, sometimes by boat, elephant-back, horse-back or jeep, frequently a combination of two or three modes of transportation.
Onwards to the Philipines
From Chiang Mai we fly down to Kuala Lumpar. After a little exploring we fly across to the Philipines for 2-3 weeks. The Philippines is made up of more than 7,000 islands (of whcih we will probably only visit 5 or 6) and is sandwiched between Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, flanked by the South China Sea. It is significantly less touristy than these neighbouring countries.
We plan to island hop a bit before settling in Siquijor to do our PADI diving course. I can't believe I have to do yet more learning!After we do our diving here it will mean we can go out for dives on our own at the other places we stop at on our troubles. I understand that some people have medical difficulties diving so I hope we are all naturals.
Siquijor is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region which is where we are likely to spend most our time. To the northwest of Siquijor are Cebu and Negros, to the northeast is Bohol. Siquijor is the third smallest province in the country both in terms of population and land area. Called Isla del Fuego of the “Island of Fire” by the Spanish before, Siquijor is considered by many Filipinos to be a mystical island, full of witches and other supernatural phenomena.
We are staying at a place called
Kiwi Dive Resort.
Says on their site that you can visit the local festivities with the staff or the once a week disco experiencing true provincial Island life style where the local people are always ready with a smile. I'm hoping for a bit of 'Put your hands up for Detroit.'
There is also a bar right on the beach 😊 where a round of drinks, 2 beers and a Gin and Tonic (a phrase I am expecting to have to learn in multiple languages) would set you back less than £1
Since I've left work I have been residing in Sharpenhoe (near Luton) with my folks. Below is a quick picture taken today as an experiment. Shows you don't need to travel too far too see a nice view. Also spending my last night in the UK watching the mighty Luton Town play Burnley. If I see a sporting event of such stature in the next year I will be surprised.
Take care all and keep in touch. Hoping that the next Blog will be full of interesting stories of mishaps to keep you all amused.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.185s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 13; qc: 68; dbt: 0.0857s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.3mb
Lang
non-member comment
b*stards
Lucky, lucky b*stards. I am very jealous - have fun!!!!!