Annie's Blog - Archive

The First Week - Taiwan

Day 1

I can’t believe it’s already time to leave – being at the airport and all, I feel so homesick even though we haven’t left.

It’s pretty boring – we had to wait for about 3 hours. I ate slept, read, played, and stood on the conveyor belt. Finally we boarded the plane. 

After a long 12 hour trip, we got to Taiwan. 

We had a to take a long bus ride, but when we arrived at the bus station my aunt, uncle and cousin came to pick us up. For the rest of the day we just chilled out, except for the fact that we went on a very long and tiring bike ride.

Day 2

On the second day we woke up at 6:00 in the morning (12 noon in Canada, the day before) – I had absolutely no idea where we were going. On the scooters, we drove to a temple and spent a bit of time there. 

Sharing a special soft tofu dessert with my mom

So when we were done there we started to drive to where I thought was home, but soon things began to look unfamiliar  - eventually my aunt told me that we were going to a mountain.  

Later, back at home, some kids were setting off fireworks, but they accidentally started a gigantic fire. The fire truck came, but I have no pictures of it.

Day 3

Today we had to say goodbye to Alan (my cousin), my aunt, and my uncle. 

We took another long bus ride to Taipei. We stayed at my mom’s best friend’s apartment. After we got settled, we went on a bike ride (about 23km). 

Some yummy ice cream after a long bike ride

Soon it was time for dinner at my mom’s best friend’s sister’s house.

Day 4

In the morning we got up at 5:30 am and took the MRT over to the other side of the city. Today was the big day – the Super Bowl!!! 

3 hours later, the Seahawks had won!! 43-8 against Denver. 

A view of Taipei 101

Later we went to go out for dinner with my mom’s friends.

Day 5

Our last day in Taiwan – we went to meet my mom’s other best friend. We went for coffee with her (but I had tea). 

Then we took ANOTHER long bus ride. We saw a few more of my mom’s friends, and later that night we packed up, getting ready to leave Taiwan.

I think the thing I'll miss most about Taiwan is.....Bubble Tea!!

Day 6 - This was a travel day from Taiwan to Thailand. We flew from Taipei to Bangkok, and then changed planes and flew from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Day 7

At our guesthouse in Chiang Mai, the Funky Monkey, we woke up not so early (thankfully).

We rented some scooters and drove up the mountain to a huge and very famous temple, Wat Doi Suthep.

On the way we stopped by a scenic platform to look at the view. While we were there we met an artist who drew our portraits.

Up at the temple, we went inside. The whole temple was plated in gold leaf – it was amazing.

Later that night we went to the Night Bazaar. When we came back from shopping, the scooters weren’t there. We looked and looked, and finally called the traffic police to ask for help. Eventually we found them (my dad forgot where he left them)

Day 8
We woke up early in the morning (boo!!) A van picked us up at the guesthouse. We were going to an elephant care center , the Elephant Nature Park (hooray!!)

We did all types of activities like feeding them, washing them, petting them, and even playing with them. 

I even got an elephant kiss. Today was the best day ever.

Day 9

Today we went to see lots of temples. We took a long walk all around Chiang Mai.

My parents booked a massage at the Chiang Mai Women’s Correction Center (a women’s prison!!)

Later on we went to the Saturday market. We ate all kinds of yummy food, including ancient style ice cream.

Day 10

We woke up early in the morning (again!) A van picked us up at the Funky Monkey. We took a three hour drive to Pai (you pronounce it like “pie”)

We rented some scooters and then rode up in the beautiful mountains to Soppong, to the Cave Lodge.

Day 11

In the morning we woke up in our little hut. We chilled out for a while, and then explored the area on the scooters; on a steep hill my mom fell off the scooter. It was pretty scary, but she was alright.

After lunch we went to a cave, called Tham Lod Cave. It was amazing.

When we came out of the cave we watched the swifts fly into the cave.

Day 12

Today we got up and went to the lodge. At about 10:00 we went down to Soppong Village.

There was a big market and we bought a lot of food and some other things.

Later on we went on a trek – just up the in the mountains behind the Cave Lodge.

We got lost. It was frustrating. Lesson learned – always go with a guide.

We soon went swimming – today was a great day!

Day 13

A road trip to the Thailand-Burma border

Today we took a 200 km round trip on the scooters. We drove to a little town (my parents wanted to go there since the beginning of the trip). We had good noodle soup for lunch and later we drove back.

The scenery is very nice

Day 14

Going on a trek with our guide Pat

We woke up at 8:00 in the morning. At breakfast we had to say goodbye to Cara and Cameron (some friends we met). About an hour later we left on our trek. We learned about all the different wild herbs and medicines which local Thai people use. 

Feeding river carp and getting a suction 'kiss'

Pat, our tour guide, took us across many rivers. At lunch we got to feed the carp with bread and plants. I also got a carp 'kiss'; I even have a mark from it. We went to a cave and on the way out we saw a huge bunch of daddy long legs - and to make it worse, I have arachnophobia. 

Buying scarves from the local Karen hill tribe women

On the way back we went to a village. We bought some beautiful scarves from some poor women from the hilltribe. 

We watched them weaving, too!

Before we got back we saw water buffalo, dogs, cats, pigs, roosters, hens and cows. 

On the way home after a long day

Today was a great day.

Day 15

This morning we had to say goodbye to everyone at the Cave Lodge. Before we left I facetimed one of my best friends. I didn't want to say goodbye to Sammy (an adorable little dog we met). 

Our favourite Cave Lodge dog Sammy

In case you want to see him on You Tube, search for "Sammy Cave Dog Get Out". Soon we took a long scooter ride to Pai. When we got there we tried to get a room at the "Happy House" but it was full so we went to the Pai Gardens. At dinner we had some soup at the night market. We bumped into our friend Cara on the way there. 

Hanging out at the market in Pai

At the night market we snacked on all types of food, and I had my second ice cream of the day. We also looked at clothes and jewelry.

Two ice creams in one day - must be a special occasion!

Day 16

This morning we said our goodbyes to our friend Cara, who we originally met at Cave Lodge. 

A goodbye brownie with Cara

Later we took a loooooooong bus ride that made me and my mom carsick. My mom barfed. I didn't really like how the driver was going so fast. 

My mom throwing up on the bus ride - yuk!!

We finally arrived in Chiang Mai in the evening.

Day 17

In the morning we got up and took a "taxi" to the Chiang Mai zoo. 

Looking into a really big mouth

We saw ostriches , gibbons, turtles, peacocks, hippos, rhinos and crocodiles, etc. 

Kinda gross!

I even went ziplining. 

First time zipliner - I had a lot of fun

But it was really sad to see all of the animals tucked into little pens. People were even riding elephants (it's really bad for their backs). I really wanted to go to the aquarium but it cost too much money for our budget. Later we did a lot of catching up on math homework.

Eating mango sticky rice and watching a Michael Jackson video - only in Thailand!

Day 18

This morning we got up and took a taxi to the airport. We flew to Bangkok. We checked into our guesthouse and relaxed there for a while. 

Taking the boat to Wat Arun

Later on we went across the Chao Phraya river on a boat to get to this very big Wat (temple). 

That was a steep climb!

We climbed the very steep very tall spire. We had to take to ferries to get back.

Day 19

Today we decided to go to the big fruit market, then to the Jim Thompson house, and last bu not least, the gigantic shopping mall (way bigger that Park Royal). So we walked along for a while but there were protests happening so we had to take a detour. 

Watching silk being unwound from the cocoon at the Jim Thompson house

We couldn't find the fruit market so we went straight to the Jim Thompson house - he was an American spy who made Thail silk popular all over the world. 

We accidentally ended up in a protest zone - time to get outta here!

Soon we headed to the mall - Bangkok is annoyingly hot. The mall is nice, relaxing and, best of all, cold. 

Most Thai food is spicy, but we had some pretty good dishes here

Later at dinner we went to this nice restaurant that had once cooked for the Thai Royal Family.

Day 20

Today was supposed to be a chill out day because we were going on an overnight train then ferry to Koh Phangan. We checked out of our guesthouse and then took a 45 minute tuk tuk ride to the mall again, We stayed to eat, hang out, and read some books at Asia Books. Later we had dinner at the train station and boarded the train. 

Here we are in our 'daytime' seats

I think the train was pretty awesome. 

Now they are transforming into nigh time sleepers

There were fold up beds and seats and ladders. That was the best ride ever.

See you tomorrow!!

Day 21 to Day 30

When we got off the train we took a one hour long bus ride to the ferry port. We boarded the ferry and waited about 2 hours - the ride was pretty boring because I had nothing to do. But soon we got to Koh Phangan.

Getting ready for the 2 hour ferry ride to Koh Phangan

Apparently our ferry was late so our taxi went back to the guest house, so we waited for a while until we found another taxi to take us to our guest house - Salad Hut

In the restaurant of our home in Koh Phangan - Salad Hut

Snorkeling is amazing here - me and my dad went out and we saw a puffer fish. We met a Swedish family and played with their kids, Sam and Ted - even though we couldn't understand them it was still fun.

Fun with our Swedish friends - Mats, Neena and their sons Ted and Sam

On one day we went on a big walk to a beach where it was supposed to have good snoreklling. When we got there we snorkelled for a while and it was really amazing.

A snorkelling day trip to a tiny island at the north end of Koh Phangan

When we got back I got a piece of coral jammed in my toenail - ouch!! Soon my nail will come off and it will probably take two weeks to heal.

Me and my new necklace we bought from a beach vendor

Koh Phangan is an amazing place - we've met many people. I'm still not used to warm humid Thailand but I'll soon get over it. I've heard it's snowing in Vancouver. I love it here because it's so different.

Always a fun time at the swimming pool

A regular day is swim, snorkel, lunch, lots of math, and dinner. I hate the mosquitoes here, and to make it worse I'm allergic to them.

Time for homework - I'm still supposed to be in school, after all!

We always go to the same restaurant for dinner "Haad Salad Restaurant". They have amazing food there.

A performer spinning a fire baton outside our favourite restaurant

One day we went on a long scooter ride to a mountain.

A scooter day trip around Koh Phangan

I didn't know where were were going, and soon we got to a ziplining place!

Gliding through the jungle at the zip lining place

While my parents were getting ready, we played with this adorable puppy.

Playing with a cute dog that has no name

After Eric's ziplining instructions we started - it was amazing to zipline so high up in the trees.

There was zip lining and a canopy walk

Day 31 to Day 34

At 6:20 am we went out to wait for our taxi. When it didn't come we got a bit worried. 30 minutes later it came. My parents tried not to get angry at the driver, I could see that they were about to yell. When we got to the ferry port we waited for some time, and soon the ferry began to let passengers on.

After the 2 hour boat ride we got off and then got on a bus. After a while it dropped us off at Smiley Bungalows in Khao Sok.

The next morning we got up and had breakfast at a restaurant called Thai Herb. 

We went to the national park straight after breakfast.

As we started to walk we saw monkeys, geckos, a stick bug, fish, bamboo, flowers and all different varieties of birds.

There was a tree swing, and a vine thing that we swung on. 

Later we went to Art's Bungalows for lunch. We also got to use their water hole to have a nice swim. There were tadpoles and frogs everywhere. There was a rope swing, too.

The next morning (Day 33) we got up early and got on a minivan to go to Smiley Lake House. After the minivan ride we got off and went on a boat.

When we finally got there we ate lunch. We weren't the only ones there, we had gone with Lela and Ali from England. 

Soon we were swimming in the warm lake water.

We went kayaking too - that's me!

Later on our guide Kit took us on a boat ride where we saw gibbons and macaque monkeys.

In the morning we got up and had breakfast, and then took a boat ride to the jungle. Soon we were crossing rivers and walking through on our trek. At some point I slipped on a rock. 

When we got to the cave we saw lots of spiders (eeek!!). In the deep water there were lots of fish and bat turds. 

I found a toad and our other guide Toto found a frog. 

When we got out of the cave we saw a King Cobra! When we got back there was a loud Canadian group waiting for us. Soon we had to say our goodbyes to Kit and Toto. We took the boat back and then went back to Smiley Bungalows.

Day 35 to Day 41

Today we got up and had breakfast. We waited for our bus to take us to Krabi. When it came we took an annoyingly long bus ride. When we finally got to the bus station we had to take another quick 20 minute ride to the Groovy Bungalows. For the rest of the day we played in the pool.

Groovy Bungalows - our home for the next week

We woke up a the Groovy Bungalows and took a scooter ride to the Government Aquatic Research Center. We saw a gigantic stingray, a large turtle, a leopard shark, clown fish, angelfish, and groupers.

Here's a turtle - they will release it into the wild again

Afterwards we went to Krabi town to get lunch. Later on we drove to Wat Tham Sua (Tiger Cave Temple). The temple was at the top of the mountain. Sadly there were 1,237 steps!!

My smile will be gone once I start climbing!

After a very long climb to the top we took a few photos and then climbed back down again. 

The view from the top was pretty nice

The next day me and my dad woke up really early and drove the scooter to a scuba dive shop to go on our first dive together. 

I'm a little sleepy but ready to go diving

Soon we were cruising along to Phi Phi island (pronounced Pee Pee). We sailed for 2 hours before we got to the dive site. 

It was really nice scenery - those islands are cool

Then we got our scuba equipment ready and prepared for the dive. 

I needed an XXXS wetsuit

On our first dive we saw clown fish, trumpet fish, angelfish, sea urchins, schools of tiny little fish, and a porcupine fish. Later we had lunch and then we started to set up our equipment again. 

Here's a porcupine fish - they swell up their body when they are threatened

On our second dive we saw cleaning shrimp. a fish that looked like it was dancing, a reef pipe fish, and even a sea horse. Soon we went back to shore and left back to the Groovy Bungalows.

I had a really good time diving

The next day we got up and drove down to the beach and spent the morning there. My mom wrote 'happy birthday Jenn' (for her friend) with shells in the sand. We played with some crabs and swam in the water. Later we had a nice quick lunch and went back to Groovy and did more swimming in the swimming pool.

Here's a crab digging sand out of its hole - he makes tiny balls of sand and leaves it around the entrance

In the morning on the following day we drove up to Spicy Garden. We learned about plants that can kill fish. Cinnamon, vanilla, palm trees, and pepper trees were also there. 

Here we are learning about all kinds of plants from a Dutch man named Piet

The Thai people use these thorns to pierce their ears - ouch!!

Later we went back to Groovy and took a long swim. Soon we rode to Krabi town - for dinner we ate some pizza and some other food from the night market. My mum ate a coconut that she claimed to be the best she had in Thailand. 

Mum and Owen with the "amazing" coconut

The next morning we got up early to go island hopping. When we got to the starting point there were a lot of other people too. 

I made these palm tree hats while we were waiting

Once we were split into groups for the boat ride, we went to a beach with really big waves. We also went body surfing there. 

It was really windy here - but still beautiful

Our next stop we went snorkelling at Chicken Island. 

They call this Chicken Island, but I| think it looks more like a snail

We were surrounded by fish. While we were underwater we saw a little squid or cuttlefish and even saw a 2 and a 1/2 foot long porcupine fish.

There were fish everywhere!!

Here's the porcupine fish - don't get him angry!!

 After the snorkeling was finished we had lunch on the next island.

Me and Owen getting ready for lunch

The last island we visited was Raileh Beach, which is one of the most beautiful in Thailand. There were many tourist while we were there, but it was still really nice.

We had a great day island hopping

Our last day in Thailand was pretty quiet. We didn't do very much - my parents had a massage and Owen and I just played in the pool. Tomorrow we will go to Malaysia.

Day 42-47

Today we got up early and took a taxi to the Krabi airport. When we got there we waited for our plane. Soon we boarded and took a 1 hour flight to get there. After we arrived we took a 3 hour bus ride to Melaka. 

We got the whole back row on the bus to Melaka - our journey in Malaysia begins!

By the way, we are in Malaysia now. When we got off the bus we had lunch. Then we took a walk around the old town to explore. It was very hot, so after the walk we went to a nice, cool, air conditioned mall.

Melaka is a pretty small city and it was really nice to walk around the old town

But it's also very hot, and it was nice to relax in a massage chair inside the air-conditioned mall

This morning we got up and had breakfast at the Chinese restaurant next to our hotel. Soon after than we went to visit the Baba and Nonya House, which is a museum. They showed us this neat spy hole where you could see which visitors were coming to the house, and we also saw all of the fancy old rooms.

I love finding dogs and cats - but sadly they are usually not looked after very well here

Then we went to Nancy’s Restaurant for lunch. Soon we walked to the mall to see if there were any kids movies, but sadly there weren’t. 

Lots of tasty food - sticky rice and something called Popiah

Then we walked down the old canal and saw lots of monitor lizards – really cool! 

This was a big lizard - probably over 5 feet long!!

That night we went to a shaved ice (dessert) place. It said they had the biggest bowl of shaved ice in the world. It was the third time in 24 hours we had gone there. 

Here we are with our first bowl of shaved ice!

And here we are on our third visit in less than 24 hours. It was so cheap and yummy, so we kept coming back.

We also went to the Maritime Museum.

At the Maritime Museum.. We learned all about the traders who visited Melaka over the past few hundred years.

Today we took one last walk along the canal and then caught the small city bus to the Melaka bus station. After we had some noodles (and bubble tea), we took our bus to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

My mom doesn't seem happy, but I am - because I have bubble tea!!

When we arrived we walked to the Orange Pekoe guest house. After, we walked the streets and had our dinner. Kuala Lumpur is home to the twin towers AKA the Petronas Towers, which used to be the tallest buildings in the world!

A hot and sunny day in front of the Petronas Towers

When we woke up this morning we walked to the Petronas Towers. Then we went to the Petronas Discover Sains (like ‘science’) center.

In the hurricane chamber

At the center we did all kinds of experiments – there was even a game where you moved a ball with your mind!! 

My brother and I playing a mind control competition (he won - grrrr)

The Discovery Center was better than the Science World in Vancouver. 

My shadow is catching images on a screen - I can't figure out how they did it!

After that we had lunch and went to a park with a water park. When we got bored we decided to go see the Lego Movie! It was amazing!!!

Today we caught the free city bus to tour around Chinatown. We walked around and had some snacks. Owen and I got some Lego Chima – we kept trying to find lunch at the market but it was too hot and the food didn’t look so great – but after an hour of walking around we found a good place to eat. We also went to two Chinese temples. After that we went to a traditional part of Kuala Lumpur that hadn’t yet been torn down and replaced by skyscrapers – it was called Kampung Baru. Then we went to the “Kraft Komplex” – it’s the best place for me because I got to try making Batik (a traditional way of painting).

I haven't been able to do art work for such a long time - fun!

This morning we took a train to the Batu Caves which is a Hindu temple just outside of Kuala Lumpur.

Our day trip to the Hindu temple at the Batu Caves

We saw a lot of monkeys grabbing everyone’s food, and tons of pigeons and hens.

Naughty monkeys all over the place

After another long train ride we arrived at the Royal Selangor factory , where they make pewter.

Here I am trying to hammer a design in a pewter mug

There was a free tour so we decided to join in. We saw them make money trees, and decorate pewter pots. We also bought a little souvenir necklace each, made from pewter. Pewter is made from tin and copper. This was our last day before flying to Borneo (another part of Malaysia)

Every once and a while we make a silly pose

Day 48-58

This morning we woke up early and took the train and a shuttle bus to the airport. After a 90 minute plane ride we landed in Kuching (AKA the City of Cats).

We just arrived in Kuching - a nice city on the river

Soon we had lunch and walked to the tourist center. We strolled along the river to find the famous cat statues.

The call it the City of Cats because the name 'Kuching" sounds like the Malay name for "Cat"

Later that night we went to a place called Lok Lok for dinner.

The next day we woke up at 6:00 am and walked to the bus stop. We drove for a while until we got to Semenggoh Nature Reserve (a place to see orangutans!!) First we saw Richie – the dominant male.

Richie the big male Orangutan

Richie looks like a big red miniature bigfoot that slouches.

Here's Baka - he really enjoyed the fruit

The next orangutan we saw was Baka, who was nine years old.

Semenggoh was a really great place to visit

Semenggoh is not a zoo - it's much better because the animals are wild. 

Later we decided to go see another movie – “Mr Peabody and Sherman”. It was a great movie and I give it five stars (*****). It was funny because we were the only ones in the theatre.

We were the only ones at the theatre

But it’s too bad I can’t watch Frozen, which I never got to see in Canada.

In the morning we slept in and then had a quick breakfast. Soon a bus came to pick us up and we drove to the Sarawak Cultural Village.

Here I am learning how to play a traditional instrument

We saw different longhouses and a show where the different tribes performed dances. Owen and I were trying out blow darts and whistles in the souvenir shop. We walked across a neat bamboo bridge and ate flower cakes. 

Crossing the bamboo bridge - a lot of things are made from bamboo because it is so strong

Later we went to the beach and found some tubes sticking out of the sand (I have no clue what they are). We also saw some jellyfish bigger than 2 soccer balls!!

The next day we got up early and rode a minivan to the kayaking starting point. Mackenzie and Jack were our guides for the day.

Me and my mom shared a kayak

McQueen, the other guide, showed us a monkey that that they kept at their house because the mother had been killed. Mackenzie is McQueen’s little brother and Jack is Mackenzie’s cousin. Then we started the kayak trip. The only animals we saw were some macaques in the trees.

It wasn't a big waterfall but it was very refreshing

We stopped at a mini waterfall with squishy mud and we also stopped at a riverbank to play. 

This was really cool

We also saw a very rare rainbow shaped like a circle. We visited a village with some nice plants and a few dogs. When we got back we got changed and drank some “100 Plus”, an energy drink to cool us off. We then drove back and said goodbye to Mackenzie, McQueen and Jack. That night for dinner we had some really cheesy pizza at Pizza Hut.

The following day we woke up, had breakfast, and walked down to the museums. We explored the many exhibits – they even had some skulls from the headhunters hanging from the ceiling of the longhouse exhibit. Next to the museum they had fish in tanks everywhere. They even had an Albino Catfish. Then we had lunch and went back to some more museums, where we visited “Dino Trek 2” which was sponsored by Petronas. The exhibits were really cool and I even created my own dinosaur (on a computer). Later on we went to watch the Chinese parade – there were dancing dragons everywhere and people dressed as gods. It was really loud and fun.

Bako National Park – the next day we got up early and took a bus to the Bako Jetty. after arriving we took a small boat to Bako National Park. As soon as we got there we saw a Proboscis monkey! 

Proboscis monkeys have really funny looking noses

Then we saw wild bearded pigs roaming in the grass. We decided to build a wooden teepee on the beach and Owen met a boy named Vandre from France. He found a pit viper (poisonous snake) in a tree.

This was a poisonous pit viper

I guess a pit viper should be in a pit because the thing can kill you in an instant so I don’t care. Later on we went on a night walk. We saw scorpions, sparrows, spiders, ants, tarantulas, and a poisonous tree frog.

Here we are deep in the Borneo jungle on ANOTHER nature walk

During our two day stay in Bako we went on a few hikes. We didn’t see too much wildlife on the hikes but the jungle scenery was amazing! It was also raining like mad sometimes. 

Me and my dad on the beach in front of Bako National Park

After another uncomfortable night (hot, humid, smelly room) we took the boat back to the jetty and then to Kuching to our hotel, the Singgahsana Lodge. That night we went to another movie – Tarzan. It was a great movie.

guess we were tired from our trip to Bako because the next day we slept in and missed breakfast at our hotel. We walked around and soon found a suitable place – in the end our breakfast ended up being at 11:00. Soon after that we got picked up by Maria to take us to the Kebun – a farm in the countryside where we are spending 4 nights.

My bed (with a mosquito net) at the Kebun

When we got there we met a nice lady Jenet who was volunteering there. The Kebun has three dogs – Wally, Snowy and Raymond.

I think this is the first fish I have ever caught!!

Before dinner I caught a fish in the fish pond and we ate it that night. It was good but it had a lot of little bones.

The next day we had to catch up on our homework so in the morning we did math and geography until lunch.

The rare and amazing (and world's largest) flower - the Rafflesia

Then we went to a national park (Gunung Gading) and we saw a Rafflesia – one of the largest and rarest plants in the world. They don’t bloom very often so we were very lucky to see one. We also saw one of the stinkiest plants too. We cooled off in a swimming hole. Later when I got back to the Kebun I went fishing but I didn’t catch anything.

I was allowed to help feed the animals - including this baby goat

Our final day at the Kebun we had breakfast and I went fishing for a while. Then my mom did a cooking class and I helped her make some Malaysian food. In the afternoon we went hiking to an Indian Temple which was high up on a mountain – we climbed it for an hour or so until we finally arrived. It was very hot so our reward when we finished the hike was some ice cream!

A girl named Dagmar from the Netherlands painted my face for me 

The Kebun was one of the best places we have visited so far. I will miss it.

Day 60 - This morning we got up early and had to say goodbye to Jenet, Snowy, Raymond, Wally and the cat LaLa. Soon we were at the airport and flying to Singapore!!! We checked into the hostel and then later we had lunch in Little India (really good chicken rice!). 

Then we went downtown to the Merlion statue.

In the evening we saw a brightly coloured Laser Show.

The Marina Sands building - cool!!

Day 61 - We hiked the ‘Southern Ridges’ which had the Henderson Wave – it is a bridge that has wave designs on it. 

The Henderson Wave bridge

Then we went to a little garden with a playground and a pond that had little turtles that nipped us. 

We took one last look around and headed to the Singapore Museum. We saw tons of interesting things but the history section was closed because there were too many school kids there. But when it cleared up we started looking around and then had to go. 

The Singapore Museum had cool tablets that helped explain everything.

In the evening we took a bus to our mom’s friend’s house – the kids there were Toby, Daniel and Oscar. We went for pizza and ice cream for dinner (well the ice cream was dessert).

Finally! Kids our own age to play with.

Day 62 - Today we went to the Botanic Gardens and saw tons of plants and flowers – even prickly lily pads. I also saw two black swans. List of flowers and plants at the Botanic Gardens: ginger, lily flowers, sexy pink flower, lemon grass, cannonball tree, desert roses, cacti and many more. After we went to see the movie FROZEN!! I loved it! 

 

Then we went to a large water park with really fun slides and big pools – it was also really hot. 

You wouldn't see this sign in Canada - cute dog!

Day 63 - We woke up at 6:00 in the morning and took the SMRT to the airport. We had a long 4 hour flight to Sri Lanka. On the plane ride I watched the Smurfs 2 and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. When we arrived we took a 4 hour bus ride to our Golden Rainbow Guest House in Dambulla, and just chilled for the rest of the day.

Welcome to Sri Lanka

Day 64 - Early in the morning we took a bus ride to Sigiriya, which is a gigantic rock which has ancient things at the top. We started in the boulder garden, and then began walking on the cliffs. 

There were some ancient paintings on the wall of the little cave. At the top it was beautiful scenery and we saw a small lizard. When we got back down we headed to the Sigiriya Museum. When we got back to our hotel I finished a very interesting book called “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” (which I would recommend for my friend Maddie!).

Day 65 – Today we had a quick breakfast and drove to the bus station. We were right on time and caught the bus to Kandy (and no, there are no candy stores in Kandy. We took some tuk-tuks to our guesthouse – the “Kandy Cottage” and then had a walk around the city and had lunch. 

We strolled around a really nice lake where we saw: geese, kingfishers, giant monitor lizards, cranes, ducks and bats. On the way back we saw monkeys.

Day 66 – In the morning we has an 8:00 breakfast and hopped on a bus to go the Botanical Gardens (but it was different than Singapore). While we were there I saw a gigantic palm tree. We also went into the Orchid House. The whole park was amazingly fragrant. We saw fruit bats bigger than dinner plates. 

After the gardens we walked up an enormous hill to get to a beautiful temple where there was a very large Buddha. Later we went for ice cream and then headed home.

Day 67 – Today we had breakfast and walked to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth – they claimed they had Lord Buddha’s tooth there. We explored and watched the local people praying. We saw the Elephant Ivory Gates. They also had stories of Lord Buddha and hoe his tooth ended up in Kandy. We later went to the cemetery and learned about the people who were buried there. 

Soon we decided to go back to the Kandy Cottage. Before dinner we watched an amazing dance show where they walked on fire, dressed as peacocks, and played drums.

Day 68 to 69 – Climbing Adam’s Peak!! After a quick breakfast we took a long rattly bus ride for 2 hours, then hopped on another bus for 1 hour, and finally another 1 hour bus ride to the town of Dalhousie. It took us a bit longer than we thought because the bus we were going to take had broken down  - so we had to take a longer bus. 

We finally settled into our guesthouse and had quick showers. Later we had a very delicious dinner and went to bed early because we needed to get up in the middle of the night to start the climb.

We have to climb this?!?

We got up at 2:00 am and got dressed quickly. Me and Owen had a coke to keep us awake. We started our climb up Adam’s Peak – there are 5,723 steps. There were lots of vendors all the way up, and also a small temple at the bottom with a giant Buddha statue. It was an extremely hard climb – two times the height as the Grouse Grind at home. 

Finally at the top it was freezing cold and seriously, I’m a Canadian and we live in the cold. We saw the sunrise and it was beautiful. On the way down we saw some tiny little puppies about a month old. After we had breakfast we headed back on two buses. We slept on the ride (because we woke up at 2:00 am) and ate snacks the whole way back.

Day 70 – Early in the morning we woke up and had a quick pack-up and took a tuk-tuk to the train station. 

We found a puppy there and called her Poppy (I wish I could keep her). Soon we boarded a six-and-a-half hour train ride to Ella. 

For most of the time I read my book and looked at the scenery. When we got there we took another tuk-tuk to Sunnyside Bungalow (our guesthouse). At dinner we went to town and had rottis. 

Day 71 – Today we met a girl named Esme, and we and Beno (the child who lives at Sunnyside) played tag. Soon we headed to the tea plantation – everything in the tea factory smelled like tea leaves.

We also saw how they made tea. We bought some tea and took a tour around the factory. 

We did some tea tasting at the very end. Yummy! We took our tuk-tuk back to the town and had lunch. 

When we got back we chilled out for the rest of the day. 

Day 72 – Today we had a nice long breakfast and walked to “mini Adams Peak” (Nooooooooooooooooo!!! – my legs are still sore from the real one). 

It wasn’t that bad, after all, and at the top it was beautiful and there were some cows grazing in the fields. On the way down there were more cows. 

Me and my brother and dad played “soccer tennis”! Later we played with sparklers with Beno before bed time. 

Day 73 – Today we woke up early and took a long taxi ride to Udawalawe town. We checked into our hotel and walked to the Elephant Transit Centre. We saw many elephants, even one without a leg. We watched the feeding and also saw a monitor lizard. 

Soon after, at about 3:00 pm, we took a safari truck to Udawalawe National Park – we saw peacocks, kingfishers, elephants, hornbills, bee eaters, crocodiles, eagles, and water buffalos. It was raining most of the time. 

Day 74 – Early in the morning we had breakfast and took a two hour drive to Mirissa, a beach town in the south of Sri Lanka. We checked into our hotel. Then we went for lunch on the beach and soon started bodysurfing. We had so much fun!! For four hours we played at the beach and had snacks and body surfed some waves. 

Day 75 – Today we took a tuk-tuk to Welligama beach. We did a small bit of body surfing and splashed around. Later a man went to have breakfast and let us use his surfboard. There were some huge waves, but I managed to surf a few of them. We met a man named Dominic who stayed at our guesthouse and was also from Quebec. He let me borrow his surf board for a while. Soon we were tired and went back to the guesthouse. Later we went to a beach bar and used the Wi-Fi on our tablets and phone. I played Clash of Clans and Castle Clash. 

Day 76 – Late in the morning we took a 45 minute bus ride to Galle. Galle was a small town but built inside a large wall. The Dutch had built it but later on in history, the English had taken over. There were many jewelry shops and guesthouses inside. Soon we walked to an air-conditioned KFC for lunch. I almost stepped on a baby monitor lizard on the sidewalk! Later we got back on the bus and took off to Mirissa. 

Day 77 – Early in the morning we woke up and went to Welligama town. Soon we bought some boogie boards (they’re hard to find), and headed to Welligama beach. 

Sadly, my boogie board broke after only 30 minutes. So instead we rented a boogie board for 600 rupees for 4 and a half hours (600 rupees is about 6 Canadian dollars). So I boogied the waves for the rest of the day! 

Day 78 – Today we took a quick bus ride to Matara to find a bathing suit and a sun shirt for Owen. After 3 stores we finally found a bathing suit for him, but then we couldn’t find a place to eat, so we walked around for a long time and finally found some sandwiches at a supermarket. We eventually got back to Mirissa and played at the beach for the rest of the day. 

Day 79 – Today we went to Welligama and rented another boogie board and basically had the same type of day as the time before when we went to Welligama. 

Day 80 – Today we woke up early and took a loooooong 3 hour van ride all the way to the Colombo Airport. Dominic had come with use even though his flight was 12 hours later. 

We waited for an hour and then boarded our plane to the Maldives. When we arrived from our one hour flight, we took a small ferry to the main city of Male and checked into Surf View Hotel. That night we watched Deep Blue (about killer Mako sharks) and S.W.A.T. 

Day 81 – Today we got up and had a quick breakfast and took off on a six hour ferry ride to Keyodhoo Island. We finally arrived and got off the ferry to walk to our guesthouse. The whole island is only about the same size as Hollyburn in Canada. We got a tour of the island and had a good dinner. 

Day 82 – Early in the morning I woke up and threw up everywhere!! I threw up two more times later that morning. My parents thought it was food poisoning (because I was the only one who ate a hot dog the night before). But soon I felt a bit better and I got back on track. 

We then got on a boat which took us to a good snorkelling spot. After a nice long snorkel we returned to the boat. We saw so many different coloured fish. Soon we went to the next snorkelling spot. 

On the way there we swam beside dolphins! They were flipping and splashing everywhere. Then I spotted a sea turtle. On the reef I found a stingray bigger than Owen! Soon the boys saw a nurse shark (but I didn’t) I saw angelfish, parrot fish, butterfly fish and many more. 

Day 83 – Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to Annie (me), Happy Birthday to me! It’s April 22, which means it’s my birthday. Before breakfast I got a pair of Topaz earrings from my mom, a raincheck from Owen (an art set), and a raise in my allowance from my Dad. 

We went for an early fishing trip too, and I caught one fish. Soon after breakfast we took a boat to a snorkelling spot for a while. 

We saw the usual kind of fish, until a bit later when our guide found a sea turtle. Then we went to the beach to play for a while. I saw an Angelfish bigger than a soccer ball (my soccer team is called the Angelfish). When we got back, after dinner I got a traditional Happy Birthday, and I got a really nice birthday cake. 

Day 84 – We’re scuba diving today!! Early in the morning my dad and I got up and walked to the dive boat. We soon took off to our scuba diving area. I set up my equipment and we hopped in the water. At first we saw a nice coral reef, but all of a sudden we saw a white tipped reef shark (that’s the first one I’ve seen in the wild!!). 

After that I saw a sea turtle, and I also found a porcupine fish. When we came up my dive master told me I needed to try and improve my buoyancy and air control. We headed to the beach for lunch and met up with my mom and Owen. On our second dive we didn’t see as much because the visibility wasn’t as good. But at the end we saw a big Napoleon fish – bigger than Owen. 

Day 85 – Today we woke up, had breakfast, and headed out on another snorkelling trip (I’m not getting tired of it – it’s so much fun). On our first snorkel we saw a turtle – it was so close I could almost touch it. We played at the beach for a while and made a hermit crab home. We had a nice little lunch on the boat. My dad had gone snorkelling on his own and saw an octopus. On our second snorkel I saw a moray eel and a big stingray. Soon we got back on the boat before it started to rain. That night we had a great dinner. 

Day 86 – We woke up slowly and late and had a nice long breakfast. Today is a religious day so there isn’t much going on here on Keyodhoo island. We went to the dive shop to get our dive logs stamped from the dive a few days ago. We couldn’t find lunch and it was 1pm already, and we found out it wasn’t until 2:30pm. That night we went night fishing with some Germans staying at our guesthouse. We caught quite a few fish, and I caught a six-gill shark!! We soon released it into the water. At dinner I found out that for next year’s soccer I was placed in the ‘house’ league. I had missed the tryouts, so I didn’t have a good chance of making it into the select league. 

Day 87 – Early in the morning we got up and had a quick breakfast. We hopped on a ferry with an Italian couple from our guesthouse and took our six hour ride back to Male. When we arrived I had a chicken burger for lunch. My dad was looking for a bakery/pizza place to eat but we had no luck. For dinner we ate a nice good pizza (sausage and olives!). 

Day 88 – Today we woke up fairly early in the morning and walked to the fish market to see all the different types of fish. Soon we saw a yellowfin tuna the same size as Owen! 

We walked into a few shops to look at souvenirs and buy postcards and headed back to our guesthouse and ate at the restaurant beside it. Later we took the short ferry to the airport. On my flight I watched Frozen (again) and Hairspray (also again). It wasn`t until late (midnight) that we arrived in Abu Dhabi.

Day 89 – Early in the morning we went to Tim Horton’s (in Abu Dhabi!!) for breakfast. We were trying to go to the Grand Sheikh Zayed Mosque, but we couldn’t find a bus, so we ended up taking a taxi. 

The mosque was home to the biggest carpet in the world. It also had a huge chandelier. After lunch we went to see “Rio 2” – it was an amazing movie. Soon we walked by the water and saw a beautiful sunset.

Day 90 to 91 – We woke up and had a late breakfast. Soon after, my Dad’s friend Gil came to pick us up. We went to Dubai and saw the tallest building in the world. We also had a gelato there. 

Later on Gil drove us to his house which was basically a mansion. We played in the pool with Bella and Alex, and then watched “Monsters University” that night. Soon we said goodbye and took a taxi to the bus station and then caught the bus to the airport. 

At 2:00 am we were flying to Italy. When we got there we took 2 trains to Verona. After we arrived at the apartment we just roamed the streets for the rest of the day and explored Verona.

Day 92 – We woke up at our apartment and ate our breakfast. We soon walked up a large hill and had a great view at the view point. We looked for the theater (not the movie theater) but we couldn’t see it. 

Later we strolled along and met my Dad’s friend Darren and Jacqui. We went for gelato (yummy!) and gobbled them up. 

We then walked to the Coliseum but decided to go inside another day (it was crowded). After we got back to the apartment we made our own dinner.

Day 93 – We woke up and ran to the train station so we wouldn’t miss our train (and it was raining). We hooped on the train to the town of Padova. Soon we got on a bus to the smaller village of Stra, and from there we walked through a thunder storm to Villa Pisani. 

We were there just to see the large garden maze but they closed it because of the bad weather. On the way back we were caught in another downpour (worse than Vancouver). 

We took the bus back to Padova and had a great piece of pizza, and then took the train back to Verona.

Day 94 – After breakfast we met Darren and Jacqui and went to the Coliseum. Inside we saw tunnels and a huge stage. 

We walked to Castelvecchio and saw many old paintings and sculptures of Jesus. We explored the castle, seeing towers and clocks. 

We walked to a nice restaurant and had lunch and gelato. Soon it started to pour with rain so we took shelter in a church. Later Jacqui and Darren came for dinner.

Day 95 – We woke up, had breakfast, and walked to a park where we played football and ran around the playground. 

We then walked for a long time to the train station. On the way we got a gelato. 

On the way back to the apartment we went to visit the Romeo and Juliet balcony (it really happened there!).

Day 96 – Early in the morning we got up and took a bus to Gardaland, an enormous theme park! My first and favourite ride was the Blue Tornado, which was a gigantic roller coaster. 

We also went on the Mamut, Magic Mountain, Sequoia Adventure, Raptor, Ramses and many more. We also went on a few water rides that got us a tiny bit wet. 

We saw a 4D movie on Ice Age and also a Madagascar 3 circus show. The scariest ride of the day was Raptor.

Day 97 – Early this morning we took a 2 hour train ride to Venice. It was VERY crowded. 

We first went to San Marco church, and after waiting in a long line up we finally got inside. There were so many mosaics everywhere. It was very interesting. 

When we got out, I managed to get some pigeons to land on me. For a while we walked around and ate gelato and walked by some glass shops and saw everything made out of glass (Venice is famous for this). 

We soon got tired and took a train back to Verona.

Day 98 – There was a power outage in the middle of the night and we woke up quite late. After breakfast we walked to the bus stop and took a long bus to Lake Garda. We stopped at a market and then walked along the lakefront. We saw swans, ducks and trout. 

We stopped at the town of Bardolino for lunch. We continued for a bit and then took a bus to the nice town of Malcesene to see the Castello Scaligera. 

We went to the very top of the tower and learned about the lake. There was also a small wedding happening. When we got out I had a strawberry gelato and took the bus back to Verona.

Day 99 – Our last day in Italy (boo!) We woke up late and had a long breakfast. We walked to the train station and hopped on a train to Milano. Soon we strolled for a while until we arrived at our hotel.

After, we went to the beautiful Duomo (cathedral). It was HUGE and had beautiful stained glass windows. Later we had a really tasty dinner at a pizzeria.

Day 100 – Early in the morning we set off to the train station and caught a train to the airport. We soon took a 2 hour flight to......Athens, Greece! 

Once we arrived and grabbed our luggage, we took a subway for one hour to get to our guesthouse, the Marble House. 

We settled in, and soon decided to head up to the Parthenon!!!! We climbed up to the top and it was amazing. 

Day 101 – Late in the morning we got up and took a bus to the Archaeology Museum. It was amazing to see 2000 year old Greek statues that have survived until now. We also saw an Egyptian collection. 

We got a gelato and a Gyro (which is meat inside a pita bread with tzaziki sauce), and then walked around a market. My mom bought some shoes. 

After that we took a long walk to a super duper good restaurant for dinner. 

Day 102 – Today is Mother’s Day! I got my mom a pair of earrings, and Owen got her a string for her necklace. 

We walked to a big ancient stadium but we didn’t go in because it was a high entrance fee (and you could see it from outside anyway). 

Then we went to a park and my mom lost one of her earrings! We walked to the Zeus Temple and poked around for a while. 

Then we visited the Ancient Agora where we saw the oldest shopping mall in the world. Then we went to the Temple of Hephaestus. 

Eventually we went for lunch/dinner for some yummy lamb chops. Soon we went back to the hotel and relaxed. 

Day 103 – Early in the morning we took a long bus ride to the Poseidon Temple, which was about 2 hours outside of Athens. It was amazing seeing the temple perched high on a cliff with water under us. I saw old graffiti on the rocks, and one said “Maria 1809”. 

We soon saw some weird birds and a lizard. We eventually made our way back on the bus and went back to Athens for lunch at the Gyro place. We also got another gelato. Later we walked all the way over to the Theatre of Dionysus. For dinner, it was the owner’s birthday and my parents got a bottle of ouzo for free. 

Day 104 – Early in the morning we took a long train to the ferry port and got on a boat to Naxos – it took 5½ hours. I read my book (Mystics Book 2 ‘The Alpha Naton’ by Kim Richardson). I also watched some cartoons. When we got off the ferry we checked into our hotel. After that we explored the old cobbled streets of old Naxos Town and saw beautiful houses. Later, we watched Hawaii Five-0 on TV (it was actually in English!).

Day 105 – Today we walked to the local beach. We made a huge sand fort and then swam for a bit. It was very cold in the water. I saw a few fish. It was so windy that the sand lifted off the ground and hit your skin hard – it stung a bit. We were there for basically the whole day. That night for dinner we had amazing lamb chops.

Day 106 – Today we walked through the Old Town again and made a Happy Birthday video for my mom’s friend Shirin. We saw a cute little cat on the way to the Gate of Apollo. Then we decided to rent a car. We tried two different places and found the second place gave us a better deal. With the car we drove to a nice beach where I swam a bit and built a tiny sand sculpture.

That night we again stayed home and watched Hawaii Five-0 (our favourite TV show) on the sofa in our apartment. 

Day 107 – Today we climbed Mt. Zas (Zeus). It was said that Zeus was raised on this mountain. On the way up we saw a snake, goats, lizards and a donkey. At the top we ate lunch, but there were a lot of bugs so we didn’t stay long. On the way down Owen gave a blessing to Zeus (a big fat turd). 

We also saw a shepherd with his sheep. When we got back Owen and I tried to do some crystal carving. Some Greek boys invited us to play soccer. I haven’t played in three months but I still have some skills. 

Day 108 – Late in the morning we took a long car ride to find a beach. The first few were too windy, but after a while we finally found a perfect beach. We swam, dug a hole, and even saw a man tanning his naked butt!

Then we made a small sand house for some beetles. When we got back I played some more soccer. 

Day 109 – Today we woke up and took a loooooooooong drive to Apollonos, a beach town at the north end of Naxos. We had lunch, played at the beach for a while, and ate a gelato! Soon we drove to a Kouros statue still implanted in the rock.  

We kept driving and saw two more of these unfinished statues. When we got back I played soccer again with the boys.

Day 110 – Today I played soccer with the boys again. We were planning to go to the beach but it was raining. Me and Owen played soccer, hide and seek, tag and much more. I had lunch and then we played rummy with Owen, my Mom and Dad. 

That night we went out for dinner with friends that my Mom and Dad met. 

Day 111 – Today we walked around the harbour before leaving on our ferry trip to Santorini. We had a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (yum!). We waited for a while longer and then boarded our ferry for the two hour journey. We played rummy for a while on the boat. After we arrived in Santorini, we explored the town a bit, and then watched Spiderman on the TV at our hotel. 

Day 112 – Today we took a long 2 hour and 15 minute walk all the way to a small town called Oia (pronounced Eee-ah). The views were amazing. On the way there we climbed hills and walked through some other towns. We also stopped by some pretty little churches. When we got to Oia me and Owen got an ice cream. Soon we walked around exploring the town, and then got on the bus back to Fira. That night we watched (always hilarious) Johnny English. 

Day 113 – Late in the morning we took a bus to a beach with black sand. Me and Owen made a fort form rocks and played a bouncing game with pebbles. We went swimming in the freezing cold water. For lunch we had some nice big Gyros. Soon I gave Owen a hot rock treatment. Eventually we took a quick bus ride back to our hotel where we swam in the pool and chilled out for a while. 

At 10:00 pm we took a taxi (some people from Singapore, David and Reena, came with us) to the ferry port and waited for our 12:55am boat. When we got on we went to our cabin (with four bunks) and got a good night’s sleep.

Day 114 – When we woke up we could see the island of Rhodes. We got off the ferry and took a very long walk to our guesthouse, called “Anastasia”. 

The owner takes care of tortoises (even baby ones). The smallest one’s name is Tiny. We soon walked to the large castle in the Old Rhodes Town, where we saw catapult balls in the front. We walked in the moat (obviously there was no water) and saw some lizards. We wandered around and had a soft ice cream. When we got back we did a little bit of math homework. That night we went out for dinner with David and Reena – in the end Reena gave us some bracelets! 

Day 115 – Today we walked around, explored the streets, and went to the castle again. We saw many beggars in the streets. Before lunch we climbed a small lookout hill, followed by an Apollo temple and a cool little stadium. We ate lunch at a nice little cafe. When we got back, me and Owen fed the baby turtles, and also played with their cat Ginger. We soon took a quick walk to the beach. I went snorkelling and saw a few fish, and I jumped off a high diving board into the water.

Day 116 – Early in the morning we walked to the castle and walked around the old town. This time we went to a museum (for a few hours!) that used to be the castle for the ruling knight. There were beautiful mosaics and artifacts. The paintings and old books were on the bottom level and the mosaics were on the top floor. There were statues and jewelry on the middle floor. When we were finished we went back and headed to the beach. When we were at the beach I made a small rock mosaic and had a nice refreshing dip in the water. 

Day 117 – Early in the morning we got up and took a free shuttle bus to a huge water park. I started with the Triple Cones. But I was too young to go on all of the adrenaline rides (booo!!!). 

I went on the Black Hole, Rafting, Carpet Racers, Big Slide and more. Soon we went to the kids area and went on a big balloon with water spraying out of the top – cool!! I got dumped on by a giant bucket. Owen met some boys, Noah and Finley. I really wanted to go on the Space Bowl, but I was too young. It’s a long tube that makes you go super fast and you shoot into a bowl and go around until you drop out the bottom. 

I did all the rides again one more time before we had to go. We took a bus back and had a nice dinner – our last meal before we go to a new country tomorrow: Turkey!!