Well Chang Mai (don't even know how to spell it) is now one of my favourite Thai cities. Quite small but amazing markets and a lot more relaxing than Phuket.
Weather is shorts and tee shirt but has bucketed down today so needed a jacket. Yep, this was the day we had booked a tour to an elephant sanctuary. Elephants not really in the mood for me giving them a bath in the river but I am on video as trying. Still managed to get a quick 600 photos taken. Start getting those photo evenings with a capital S booked up people. Besides it raining, this was the one day of the year that 'Getaway' decided to come and film the elephants (with the good looking chick on it - not me by the way). Total bumma was that she was actually quite nice as well as attractive. Hoping that they will airbrush me out of any footage when it comes to NZ!!!
Don and I are having a ball. First day in 3 weeks I have not felt like vomiting so I am really into the Thai food boots and all. Bottom on fire and not impressed with the spicey food. Hope all you readers know me well!!
Michelle and Sue - keep me posted with the perfume. I have the original Armige that Sue gave you Michelle, that you hated and gave me.
Karen: Thanks for the info about NEXT thursday when I return. Need period one to sort out period 2 and good to know I have a couple of periods to sort out the last period of the day. How are the speakers going??
Trudy- sounds like you are working overtime. Thanks for your perky and uplifting comments. WW3 has not broken out but was on the brink of happening a number of times between Don and I. I like nutty, braney and carrot muffins. If Barb can get any wall calendars for me that would be cool.
Still no sun tan - have only had one day of sun here and we were shopping.
Off to Bangkok tomorrow morning.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Leaving Cairo
Have had a good two weeks in Egypt. Weather has been atrocious. Have not been out of Long pants and long sleeves since leaving Arusha. No sun bathing on river boat. Did the donkeys!!! Was assured by the tour leader that a donkey would easily support me. They are bloody strong and took people bigger than me. We all did look very silly on them. Ridden donkey and camel. Been to valley of kings and saw tutunkahman in the flesh. Had armed convoy down to Abu simbel and another armed convoy from Luxor to Hurghada. Security has been beefed up since the Palestinain thingy in the Giza. Took the tunnel under the Suez canal and have been back in Cairo for the past 2 days. Definietly ready to move on but have seen some amazing sights. Bought some more shit, don't know how many pashminas I can wear in 34 degree heat in Thailand!!!
Don and I are doing great, occasionally we feel a bit off colour and I especially want to vomit most mornings - I am not pregnant but the malaria pills are having a bit of a reaction with me, if I eat any bread product I get bad intigestion. Just about ready to chuck them in but will see how I go.
We are looking forward to Thailand and good food!!
Thanks to all the blog replys, they are really valued and I will respond to each below. Can't access my eamil here so can't email you all personally.
Sue and Michelle: Well done for Sue and Onny to reply to us it was really great to get a message from you and I totally understand that you have to get another dog (not). REally keen to come out to see him and the rest of your tribe of course. Now the perfume. Michelle should be no problem, but Michelle gave me the message that Sue was going to find one she wanted. Please do that. The issue I have with getting Amarige is that I am sure I have that at home - Sue gave it to us becuase she got it from someone else duty free and found it too strong. Sue - please confirm exactly what you want. Like I said, I think I have it at home because you didn't like it but I could have the name wrong. Sounds like Michelle and Kingsley need another holiday with all the renovations. Don no doubt can help out when he gets home. He did suggest that Michelle was quite good witha paint brush and could stain the deck!!!
Karen: Thanks for keeping up with the replies, sounds like you have had a great break away from work and no doubt starting to get back into the swing of things. Because I can't access email and am starting to think of work, could you please reply to me with my timetable for Thursday only. Thanks
Trudy: Thanks for telling me it was 50 degrees at the batch. We climbed Mt sinau and it was in the negatives!!
Will keep you posted with more news when we get to Tahiland. Laving 7.pm tonight and get in to Changmai at 3pm tomorrow but only 9 hours flying time and 3 hrs at Dubhai.
Don and I are doing great, occasionally we feel a bit off colour and I especially want to vomit most mornings - I am not pregnant but the malaria pills are having a bit of a reaction with me, if I eat any bread product I get bad intigestion. Just about ready to chuck them in but will see how I go.
We are looking forward to Thailand and good food!!
Thanks to all the blog replys, they are really valued and I will respond to each below. Can't access my eamil here so can't email you all personally.
Sue and Michelle: Well done for Sue and Onny to reply to us it was really great to get a message from you and I totally understand that you have to get another dog (not). REally keen to come out to see him and the rest of your tribe of course. Now the perfume. Michelle should be no problem, but Michelle gave me the message that Sue was going to find one she wanted. Please do that. The issue I have with getting Amarige is that I am sure I have that at home - Sue gave it to us becuase she got it from someone else duty free and found it too strong. Sue - please confirm exactly what you want. Like I said, I think I have it at home because you didn't like it but I could have the name wrong. Sounds like Michelle and Kingsley need another holiday with all the renovations. Don no doubt can help out when he gets home. He did suggest that Michelle was quite good witha paint brush and could stain the deck!!!
Karen: Thanks for keeping up with the replies, sounds like you have had a great break away from work and no doubt starting to get back into the swing of things. Because I can't access email and am starting to think of work, could you please reply to me with my timetable for Thursday only. Thanks
Trudy: Thanks for telling me it was 50 degrees at the batch. We climbed Mt sinau and it was in the negatives!!
Will keep you posted with more news when we get to Tahiland. Laving 7.pm tonight and get in to Changmai at 3pm tomorrow but only 9 hours flying time and 3 hrs at Dubhai.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Now in Aswan
HAve checked our comments and good to see that Trudy is up with the technology even if it took the best part of 6 weeks to set up an account - will put it down to being your busiest time of the year at work!!
Michelle - tell me about the bloody perfume that you and Sue want. Can't seem to get into my email account at the moment so email and blog me please or at least acknowledge that you are working on it so i don't keep hassling you. Great to hear that Sue is getting another dog!!?? Sounds like you and Kingsley are having a very productive summer together. Thanks for the info about Rascal and Amanda - what the hell is Rascal playing at, being friendly and everything. Amanda may want to take rascal home and it sounds like Rascal might want to go.
This arabic/English keyboard is a bit difficult.
Had a day in cairo. Saw and spent some time at the Giza pyramids (can't remeber if I wrote this on my last post). Pyramids were amazing and being there was really airy although there wwere hundreds of other people there also. We both went inside one of them and decided that Michelle would not cope at all.
We were very happy to leave Cairo for Alexandria but the taraffic still scared the living shits out of me and we were in a 18 seater bus. Alexandria itself was really jsut another city. although on the mediterranean it did nothing for me. Went to the museum there which was good but could not really get into the history of it all. Left Alex for Cairo at 2.30pm. Got stuck in traffic 20km out of Cairo and took 2 hours to get in and that was only because we had a fiesty, aggressive bus driver that even took on the traffic police to get us to the train station on time.
Train itself was a sleeper train. Got on at 8.30pm, dinner served to us in our seat at 8.35pm before we had left station. Rice, peas and meat - really big into carbohys here so no chance of losing weights short of getting sick. Bunk beds that pull out from wall, not mauch room once packs are in with you. Can stand one at a time, however we both slept well and I think we were the only ones from our group that did sleep. Arrived Luxor at 7am and saw KArnack Temple. This again was really amazing and is what we have come to see. Don really got into it. Although neither of us know what any of the symbols stand for.
On a river boat for the next 7 days and now being 3 days in to it we have become quite fond of it. The crew really make it. There are 350 boats on this part of the Nile and we have the smallest one, I think we also have the smallest bedroom as well!!! but all very functional.
In Aswan now, still quite cold. Had shorts on for a couple of hours yesterday but not warm really and quite cold at night. Cairo is very cold even in polar fleeces. HAve a free day here, have some optioanl activities to do today but Don and i not interested in them so just going to chill and be hounded by the locals.
Off to Abul Simbel at 3am tomorrow morning in Armed Convoy and going on a camel ride o sunday morning. Still have the donkey ride to do and the donkeys here are very underfed. No way am i doing a donkey unless they strap 2 side by side!!!
Michelle - tell me about the bloody perfume that you and Sue want. Can't seem to get into my email account at the moment so email and blog me please or at least acknowledge that you are working on it so i don't keep hassling you. Great to hear that Sue is getting another dog!!?? Sounds like you and Kingsley are having a very productive summer together. Thanks for the info about Rascal and Amanda - what the hell is Rascal playing at, being friendly and everything. Amanda may want to take rascal home and it sounds like Rascal might want to go.
This arabic/English keyboard is a bit difficult.
Had a day in cairo. Saw and spent some time at the Giza pyramids (can't remeber if I wrote this on my last post). Pyramids were amazing and being there was really airy although there wwere hundreds of other people there also. We both went inside one of them and decided that Michelle would not cope at all.
We were very happy to leave Cairo for Alexandria but the taraffic still scared the living shits out of me and we were in a 18 seater bus. Alexandria itself was really jsut another city. although on the mediterranean it did nothing for me. Went to the museum there which was good but could not really get into the history of it all. Left Alex for Cairo at 2.30pm. Got stuck in traffic 20km out of Cairo and took 2 hours to get in and that was only because we had a fiesty, aggressive bus driver that even took on the traffic police to get us to the train station on time.
Train itself was a sleeper train. Got on at 8.30pm, dinner served to us in our seat at 8.35pm before we had left station. Rice, peas and meat - really big into carbohys here so no chance of losing weights short of getting sick. Bunk beds that pull out from wall, not mauch room once packs are in with you. Can stand one at a time, however we both slept well and I think we were the only ones from our group that did sleep. Arrived Luxor at 7am and saw KArnack Temple. This again was really amazing and is what we have come to see. Don really got into it. Although neither of us know what any of the symbols stand for.
On a river boat for the next 7 days and now being 3 days in to it we have become quite fond of it. The crew really make it. There are 350 boats on this part of the Nile and we have the smallest one, I think we also have the smallest bedroom as well!!! but all very functional.
In Aswan now, still quite cold. Had shorts on for a couple of hours yesterday but not warm really and quite cold at night. Cairo is very cold even in polar fleeces. HAve a free day here, have some optioanl activities to do today but Don and i not interested in them so just going to chill and be hounded by the locals.
Off to Abul Simbel at 3am tomorrow morning in Armed Convoy and going on a camel ride o sunday morning. Still have the donkey ride to do and the donkeys here are very underfed. No way am i doing a donkey unless they strap 2 side by side!!!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Safely in Cairo
Got to our next destination without any dramas. Very surprised. Spent the night awake with the polic in Nairobi airport - everything went like clockwork except clock went really slow.
Ready to start our next tour tomorrow. VERY VERY tired
Went out for a walk down some streets of Cairo this afternoon after a 3 hour nap. Crossing the streets are worse than Bangkok - very scary. Cairo itself is just a huge city that is very filthy. Very cold here - a bit of a shock really. Already missing the real Africa of the villages, locals and their abiltiy to try to sell you something.
This tour is a hotel one and am in a hotel tonight,. Got very excited after being in a tent for the past month. Whne got into room found that the heating doesn't work and we still slept in our sleeping bags, room is a twin. Although there is a bath the water is not hot enough to have one. TV doesn't work and radio works for 10 mins thenm has a 20min rest - can't get english speaking station. Shower head only forces water down the wall.
Almost back to normal in the tummy and number 2 area
Can't afford to buy anything else as the bloody Malwi table we bought ahs already put us 5kg over our weight limit and we have not even down Thailand yet where we expected to shop.
Karen - remeber you are on holiday, you were the one that told me that this is one of the best summers for ages!!
Michelle, great to hear that the renovations are continuing. Not drinking much myself actually , don is drinking enought for all of us. Will answer your other questions upon our return.
Really tired so will sign off now and try to have a good nights sleep
Ready to start our next tour tomorrow. VERY VERY tired
Went out for a walk down some streets of Cairo this afternoon after a 3 hour nap. Crossing the streets are worse than Bangkok - very scary. Cairo itself is just a huge city that is very filthy. Very cold here - a bit of a shock really. Already missing the real Africa of the villages, locals and their abiltiy to try to sell you something.
This tour is a hotel one and am in a hotel tonight,. Got very excited after being in a tent for the past month. Whne got into room found that the heating doesn't work and we still slept in our sleeping bags, room is a twin. Although there is a bath the water is not hot enough to have one. TV doesn't work and radio works for 10 mins thenm has a 20min rest - can't get english speaking station. Shower head only forces water down the wall.
Almost back to normal in the tummy and number 2 area
Can't afford to buy anything else as the bloody Malwi table we bought ahs already put us 5kg over our weight limit and we have not even down Thailand yet where we expected to shop.
Karen - remeber you are on holiday, you were the one that told me that this is one of the best summers for ages!!
Michelle, great to hear that the renovations are continuing. Not drinking much myself actually , don is drinking enought for all of us. Will answer your other questions upon our return.
Really tired so will sign off now and try to have a good nights sleep
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The GAME DRIVE
Just lost 20mins of typing when added some more time to my account, so I will get to the important stuff first
Suzanne - thanks for your email, have checked Egypt air website and flight still going, its 2.30pm in the afternoon here on Saturday and we are all packed and ready to go to Kilomangaro airport for our flight to Nairobi.
I have been sick for the last 3 days and Don is now better, I am bgetting better.
Tanzanite - found the stone I want $US 1300 and would not settle for anything less - could not justify wearing it on my finger once made up so left it!!
Game drive:
Spent the last 3 days in the Serengetti and Ngorongoro crater WOW
First day was driving to the Serengetti - not for the faint hearted, although we were in 4WD our insides surew got knocked around. Saw heaps of Masaai doing what I believe they traditionally do, caring for their stock. Viggages looked ery traditional with the bushes surrounding them to keep stock in at night and predators out.
Because I was not feeling flash I gave my chicken to Don for lunch on the first day. We were sitting about 2 metgres apart. A Kite, which is similar to a hwk in NZ but bigger, swooped down ourt of nowhere, brushed both of us with its wing span and took Don's chicken. WOW
Did a game drive thru the Serengetti that evening until dark, amazing place, not too manny animals that night but the place is what I expected the Serengetti to look liuke but much bigger. That night we had an elephant and Buffalo munching away on grass and bush by our tenmt - a bit sscary but the noise they were making was very interesting and I just toook in the experience. Next morning we were gamedriving again at 6.15am. Got close to two Hippos fighting over a very small mud pool. Also got close to a herd of buffalo which ws amzing.
That afternon we traelled back to the crater - this is truly amzing to look down on. 600m deep and 20km across.
Next morning we were game driving again at 6.15am and saw heaps, got charged by a huge elephant when we got in the way of its path to water - a bit scary as he was huge with the biggest tusks I have ever seen and my side of the car was the first for him to go for. Also saw for lions stalk zebra, heaps of zebra, wildebeast, buffalo, hippos and hyena. Also saw flamingoes and a rhino. Karen, please let Vs know about Flamingoes
Suzanne - thanks for your email, have checked Egypt air website and flight still going, its 2.30pm in the afternoon here on Saturday and we are all packed and ready to go to Kilomangaro airport for our flight to Nairobi.
I have been sick for the last 3 days and Don is now better, I am bgetting better.
Tanzanite - found the stone I want $US 1300 and would not settle for anything less - could not justify wearing it on my finger once made up so left it!!
Game drive:
Spent the last 3 days in the Serengetti and Ngorongoro crater WOW
First day was driving to the Serengetti - not for the faint hearted, although we were in 4WD our insides surew got knocked around. Saw heaps of Masaai doing what I believe they traditionally do, caring for their stock. Viggages looked ery traditional with the bushes surrounding them to keep stock in at night and predators out.
Because I was not feeling flash I gave my chicken to Don for lunch on the first day. We were sitting about 2 metgres apart. A Kite, which is similar to a hwk in NZ but bigger, swooped down ourt of nowhere, brushed both of us with its wing span and took Don's chicken. WOW
Did a game drive thru the Serengetti that evening until dark, amazing place, not too manny animals that night but the place is what I expected the Serengetti to look liuke but much bigger. That night we had an elephant and Buffalo munching away on grass and bush by our tenmt - a bit sscary but the noise they were making was very interesting and I just toook in the experience. Next morning we were gamedriving again at 6.15am. Got close to two Hippos fighting over a very small mud pool. Also got close to a herd of buffalo which ws amzing.
That afternon we traelled back to the crater - this is truly amzing to look down on. 600m deep and 20km across.
Next morning we were game driving again at 6.15am and saw heaps, got charged by a huge elephant when we got in the way of its path to water - a bit scary as he was huge with the biggest tusks I have ever seen and my side of the car was the first for him to go for. Also saw for lions stalk zebra, heaps of zebra, wildebeast, buffalo, hippos and hyena. Also saw flamingoes and a rhino. Karen, please let Vs know about Flamingoes
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
today
Today has been a very bad day.
Started with my memory card freezing up on my camera, think I have lost all data over the last 5 days all of Zanzibar.
Kumuka are stopping our trip in Arusha for safety reasons which is great, what is not great is that we mnow have to sort ourselves out.
Next news is that when I had just finished smiling at a young man fixing his bike on the side of the road, did not wave out the window which was just as well, Pete our driver swereve for an out of control oncoming truck, just missed my head, could feel the air between us just, truck scrapped along our truck, hit the truck that was in front of it and both truckes ccarreared down to a river bank, no doubt killed instantly ans another person in our truck saw the result of one of them, cab all smahed in. I was in shock looking out the other side, the young man with his bike was no longer there, bike in a million pieces and out of control truck had gone over him and taken him down the bank. In shcok a bit for our lives being swpeared and the poor guy who dies along with the other truck driver that was not at fault - at least 3 deaths, we did not hang around.
In Arusha now and have just purchaesd a flight from Kilomanjaro int airportr to Nairobi to coneect with our original Cairo flight leavinng Nairobi. Should be safe in the airport for a few hours. Had to use our US $ as wouldn't take credit card $US444 for a 1 hour flight. Best we can do and safest option at the moment. Flights sitll leaving Cairo. Hope they still will on 13/1. We are going to crater and Serengetti for a couple of days so had to make some decisions today about waht to do. Looking forward to our holiday getting back on track
PS Don been unwell for 3rd day today also - stomack problem, got the shits as well but not too bad. Refusing to take anitbiotics as it might upset his drinking, so I have decided he is not too bad.
Started with my memory card freezing up on my camera, think I have lost all data over the last 5 days all of Zanzibar.
Kumuka are stopping our trip in Arusha for safety reasons which is great, what is not great is that we mnow have to sort ourselves out.
Next news is that when I had just finished smiling at a young man fixing his bike on the side of the road, did not wave out the window which was just as well, Pete our driver swereve for an out of control oncoming truck, just missed my head, could feel the air between us just, truck scrapped along our truck, hit the truck that was in front of it and both truckes ccarreared down to a river bank, no doubt killed instantly ans another person in our truck saw the result of one of them, cab all smahed in. I was in shock looking out the other side, the young man with his bike was no longer there, bike in a million pieces and out of control truck had gone over him and taken him down the bank. In shcok a bit for our lives being swpeared and the poor guy who dies along with the other truck driver that was not at fault - at least 3 deaths, we did not hang around.
In Arusha now and have just purchaesd a flight from Kilomanjaro int airportr to Nairobi to coneect with our original Cairo flight leavinng Nairobi. Should be safe in the airport for a few hours. Had to use our US $ as wouldn't take credit card $US444 for a 1 hour flight. Best we can do and safest option at the moment. Flights sitll leaving Cairo. Hope they still will on 13/1. We are going to crater and Serengetti for a couple of days so had to make some decisions today about waht to do. Looking forward to our holiday getting back on track
PS Don been unwell for 3rd day today also - stomack problem, got the shits as well but not too bad. Refusing to take anitbiotics as it might upset his drinking, so I have decided he is not too bad.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Zanzibar
The last time I posted on the blog, we had just arrived in Stone Town Zanzibar. I had sent Don off to get postcards for those few of you who we thought to write to (or who asked for a post card - Trudy). don got lost twice and still did not get the postcards. I managed to find some postcards in the shop 10 metres from where the internet cafe was and then had to wait ages for Don to find me. He said the only thing he managed to bring back was stress - and it was not caused by me this time!!.
Stone Town was exactly like the pictures on the net and in books show. Heaps of little narrow streets that a motor bike could get thru if everyone stands bums to the wall - and we had to!!!
Got a new set of bed bug bites from the bed in Stone Town so was pretty pleased to move on. We are now in Nungwi beach at the top of Zanzibar and again the beaches are exactly as postcards, books and websites depict. Golden sands clear seas and very hot. IT is the best beaches we have ever seen. We have been here for 2 nights with another one to go. Having heaps of fun not doing anything. Walking along the beach, swimming, eating mangoes that are the best we have ever had etc. Don is a real water baby although he got sunburnt quite bad yesterday so the backs of his legs feel like someone is ironing them. He is now in long pants - it is still about 30 degrees. We are the only ones still here as the rest of our group wanted to go back to stone town to shop.
We leave here tomorrow and back to Dar Salaam for a night then onto Arusha I think. We are having a wonderful time and neither of us are sick yet.
Although not into the shopping thing and we were very good to not buy a Malawi chair in Malawi - we bought a coffee table instead!! Don't know how to get it home or it we can get it home, or where we would bout it at home considering we already have too many coffee tables.
Don and I are finding out as much info as we can about what is happening in Nairobi. We have been aware of the situation for a week now and are hoping that it might calm down although we honestly believe it will not. WE are supposedly in NAirobi this time next week. Kumuka are aware that our Embassy aoong with the other embassies relevant to the tour have said not to got into Kenya. Still to early to say what we will do and we are guided a lot by what Kumuka will be directing us to do. WE are all in the same boat wrt it being our final destination and we have booked and paid for flights out of Nairobi. Please we remind you that we do feel very safe at the moment - There is a very big interest in the Kenya events from the locals here in Tanzania, but with so much propoganda and corruption here, it is very difficult to take information as the truth.
Thanks Karen for your comments - probably won't be any photos as they are on SD cards and I did not bring the cable to transfer them onto CD. Also, have not come across a machine that can do this like they have got back home.
Stone Town was exactly like the pictures on the net and in books show. Heaps of little narrow streets that a motor bike could get thru if everyone stands bums to the wall - and we had to!!!
Got a new set of bed bug bites from the bed in Stone Town so was pretty pleased to move on. We are now in Nungwi beach at the top of Zanzibar and again the beaches are exactly as postcards, books and websites depict. Golden sands clear seas and very hot. IT is the best beaches we have ever seen. We have been here for 2 nights with another one to go. Having heaps of fun not doing anything. Walking along the beach, swimming, eating mangoes that are the best we have ever had etc. Don is a real water baby although he got sunburnt quite bad yesterday so the backs of his legs feel like someone is ironing them. He is now in long pants - it is still about 30 degrees. We are the only ones still here as the rest of our group wanted to go back to stone town to shop.
We leave here tomorrow and back to Dar Salaam for a night then onto Arusha I think. We are having a wonderful time and neither of us are sick yet.
Although not into the shopping thing and we were very good to not buy a Malawi chair in Malawi - we bought a coffee table instead!! Don't know how to get it home or it we can get it home, or where we would bout it at home considering we already have too many coffee tables.
Don and I are finding out as much info as we can about what is happening in Nairobi. We have been aware of the situation for a week now and are hoping that it might calm down although we honestly believe it will not. WE are supposedly in NAirobi this time next week. Kumuka are aware that our Embassy aoong with the other embassies relevant to the tour have said not to got into Kenya. Still to early to say what we will do and we are guided a lot by what Kumuka will be directing us to do. WE are all in the same boat wrt it being our final destination and we have booked and paid for flights out of Nairobi. Please we remind you that we do feel very safe at the moment - There is a very big interest in the Kenya events from the locals here in Tanzania, but with so much propoganda and corruption here, it is very difficult to take information as the truth.
Thanks Karen for your comments - probably won't be any photos as they are on SD cards and I did not bring the cable to transfer them onto CD. Also, have not come across a machine that can do this like they have got back home.
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