Lazy Days

If it seems like it's been a while since my last post, well you're right. We've taken advantage of the last ten days to just relax and chill out. Not that our six months on the road has been such a chore, but we originally planned our last month in Bali to be an opportunity to take it easy. And I intend to fully execute my plan.

Here Be Dragons

Now as much as we would love to have stayed and hung out in the refreshing paradise of the Golo Hilltop Hotel, we are on a mission. We are on the hunt for the (usually) not-so-elusive Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizard.

Volcanoes Make Nice Sunsets

Having located ourselves in Sanur, on the southeast corner of Bali, it has been a little challenging to find local food, as the area is definitely geared toward family vacationers looking for 'safe' and familiar cuisine. The most adventurous Indonesian dishes to be found on most menus is limited to nasi and mee goreng (fried rice or fried noodles).

Komodo Bound

After a few days of lounging around Bali, we're off to the Komodo Islands in search of the famous large lizards. We'll be out of internet range for a while, but will update with a new post once we get back to Bali later this week.

Going Green

I must say I like the pattern we've established in our early days here - lounge around the joglo and the beach for two or three days, and then when the build-up of guilt for 'not doing anything' reaches a critical point, we plan a daytrip.

Bali Hi !!

Although our July 3rd journey to Bali from the Seychelles ranks as one of our worst travel experiences ever, there was still one moment where there were some smiles. Despite Etihad Airlines poor performance from a delivery point-of-view, their flight attendants are among the best, and they treated us to an impromptu birthday cake and some champagne.

Happy Birthday Shirley!!

Trip From Hell

Well, after missed connections and lost luggage, we finally arrived in Bali. Shirley spent the most miserable birthday imaginable, being stuck in Abu Dhabi with no suitable clothing to wear (since our suitcases were gone) during the holy and conservative time of Ramadan, and we were thus virtual prisoners in our airport hotel. 

We arrived in Bali yesterday (48 hours after leaving the Seychelles) and our bags finally got here about 3 hours ago (72 hours after leaving the Seychelles), After being initially impressed with Etihad, they have quickly tumbled to the bottom of our airline ranking.

Stay tuned for a proper post in a few days once we have settled in.

Quest for the World's Nicest Beach - Part 2

For our good friend back in Canada (and one of our most loyal followers), this post is dedicated to Peggy, who no doubt is basking in heavenly rays on her own perfect beach.

Quest for the World's Nicest Beach - Part 1

Now if the Seychelles are famous for anything, it's beautiful sandy beaches. They grace the covers of travel magazines, and have been the settings for Bacardi commercials and Hollywood movies. And now that the weather has improved, we have taken it upon ourselves to search out the best that this little African country has to offer.

Day of the Tortoise

Things move pretty slowly in the Seychelles, so it made sense that we would embark on a day trip to visit the endangered land tortoises on the nearby island of Curieuse.

Goin' to the Sea Shells

"Oh look how the pretty the plane is!" Yes, but that's not a key criteria when flying. I would prefer safe and on time (in that order), but I agree it is a welcoming sight to our new destination, and leaves little doubt that we are again in a tropical paradise - the Seychelles.

Annie's Blog Update

Annie has a new entry for Turkey - check it out here
(if you missed Greece for some reason, it's on the "Annie's Blog - Archive" page)

A Shot of Adrenalin

(warning - contains snake picture)

We knew that our 12 days in South Africa might find us stuck in the car for long periods of time. In Kruger you are not allowed to leave the vehicle, plus there were a few scenic drives we undertook. Additionally, you don't exactly go on wandering walks from your hotel (for personal safety reasons).

Hunting the Big Five

Sorry to my many loyal followers (like the half a dozen of you out there) for not posting during the last week. But there is no internet access when you're in the middle of one of the finest game reserves in the world.

New Country, New Continent, New Hemisphere

Warning - this blog entry contains pictures of snakes and cheap red wine 

(both for the benefit of Lisa C)

Istancredibul

We're wrapping up our third day in Istanbul and getting ready for a new continent tomorrow - Africa!! We've had a great stay in this huge and bustling metropolis, and I thought I would leave you with a few of our observations of this great city where east meets west.

1. We're not fond of overnight buses anymore.

A Very Close Shave

If you think there is something special and wonderful about having your own cave room to wake up in every morning, you're only partly right.

A Magical Place in Cappadocia

With our fantastic little cruise over and done with, we had a one-night stopover in a large coastal city called Antalya. Not too much to see or do (lots of package tourists lined up side by side on the beaches) but we found ourselves a nice little guesthouse in the ancient part of town and managed to stay busy for 24 hours.

Photo op at an ancient site...

Sea to Sky on the Turquoise Coast

We wanted to treat ourselves to a unique Turkish travel experience - a cruise along the beautiful southern coast in a Gulet, a traditional vessel from this region of the eastern Mediterranean.

Just a little farther, kids

Fethiyaaaaay!

We've had an action-packed three days here in Fethiye and it's time for a break. So starting today we will be lazily cruising the turquoise coast of Turkey on a gulet. That means no internet for the next 4 days. But here are some highlights of our recent stay in Fethiye.

All Rhodes Lead to Turkey

As promised, we were back into the Old Town of Rhodes for a history lesson - the place oozes charm, especially if you veer away from the more well travelled streets to look for a quiet lane.  

Our First Cruise

Well, not really. But we are taking the night ferry to Rhodes, and we get to sleep in our very own cabin, so I'll call it a cruise. With one last Santorini sunset behind us, and bellies full of moussaka, keftedes and dolmades, it was time to get to the port.

Annie's Blog Update

Annie has a new entry for Italy - check it out here

Spectacular Santorini

Time to pack the bags and bid farewell to yet another 'favourite place'. We really enjoyed our stay on Naxos, and of all the places we've had to leave, this one was the hardest for Shirley (we're chalking that up to the lamb chops!). But, we may be back again, one day. 

Why Blue is the National Colour

Our week on Naxos is coming to a close, and we've had a great time on this island. This post is mainly a selection of photos - I've just downloaded a bunch because I struggled to narrow them down. We now appreciate how the colour blue made it onto the national flag. The skies and seas are the bluest we've ever experienced. See for yourself.

An Order of Naxos, Please

No Greek island experience is complete without the ferry journey - and that usually means an early morning departure from the port of Piraeus. 

Ruins and Food

Not much time to write, as we have a 5:00 am wake-up call tomorrow morning. We are heading down to the port city of Piraeus to catch the ferry to the islands. But if I don't document all these archaeological ruins now, I'll probably forget half of them.

A Few Weeks in 'Grease' - We're Gonna Get Fat

Our adventure in Greece begins with an early morning walk to the Milan train station. 

The Italian Job is Complete

We have spent our last two days in Italy on a quick tour of the northern stretch from Verona to Milan - it's time to say arrivederci to this wonderful country before we tackle Greece.

Venice - City With No Playgrounds

I don't mean to offend anyone, but everybody's Venice photos look the same (ours included). So I'll keep this post quite short - just the basics.

This One's For the Kids

So far on this big trip, Annie and Owen have been very good about pretending to be interested in museums, traditional villages, churches, temples and hikes. Although we're several months away from International Children's Day, we thought it was time to reward the kids with a fun day of excitement and adventure. 

So we're off to Gardaland, Italy's largest theme park, and named for the town in which it is situated - kinda like naming something Surreyland (neither original nor enticing).

Food, Family & Friends in Verona

After three months of lousy cups of coffee and packages of instant sugar+coffee+whitener mixes, it was about time for a quality cup of joe.

Annie's Blog Update

Annie has a new entry - check it out here

YabbadAbuDhabi!!

Hey Air Canada – yeah, you guys. I mean the whole company. Go take a ride on an Etihad flight. You might learn a thing or two. Great airline. 

Maldives Part Four - Winding Down

Well all good things must come to an end, I suppose. The last few days on Keyodhoo in the Maldives were not entirely different from the first - fantastic weather, amazing snorkelling, and beautiful beaches.

Maldives Part Three - Nice Place to Spend a Birthday!!

Someone turned 11 today - Happy Birthday Annie!!

It can be hard for kids to celebrate a birthday far away from home, wondering what kind of party they 'would have had' and which friends they 'would have invited'. Not that our little girl has anything to complain about. This water monkey gets to enjoy her special day in a place renowned for all things aquatic. So let's make this whole day a party!

Maldives Part Two - This is Why We Came

Our home for the next six days is a traditional Muslim inhabited island called Keyodhoo (of the Maldives' 1,192 islands, only 192 are inhabited). It is very small (500 meters x 250 meters), with a population of only 671 (675 for the next six days). The people here live primarily from fishing as well as some government employment, with tourism also gaining importance. There are only a couple of guesthouses on the island, plus a diving company.

Maldives Part One - Getting There is Half the Fun

We finally managed to get connected – stay tuned for several updates here from the Maldives. Here is Part One.

Where Did the Time Go?

I cannot believe we have been here for five days - we're leaving Sri Lanka tomorrow for the Maldives and I have very few photos to show for our beach visit. We've had a wonderful time, mind you, it's just that I didn't bring the camera out very often.

Annie's Blog Update

Annie has a new entry - check it out here

Elephants Everywhere!

Not much wi-fi for the next few days, so I will post when I can. This one will be brief. We're on the southern coast of Sri Lanka in a beautiful beachside town called Mirissa. Arrived yesterday after a night in Udawalawe National Park, a place known for its herds of wild elephants.

Ella Enchanting

The Lonely Planet Guidebook on Sri Lanka promotes the tiny town of Ella as a destination for tea and hiking. With a couple of days to spend in this mountain retreat, we hoped to mix a bit of these activities with some relaxation and homework catch-up for the kids.  

8:41 Badulla Express

I am by no means a train aficionado, but I have been on enough of them to appreciate this relaxing mode of transportation. And those 'in the know' speak with great enthusiasm of the train trip from Kandy to Badulla.

Seek the Peak

When we were researching places to visit in Sri Lanka during the planning phase of this adventure, we came across many references to Adam's Peak, a sacred mountain which is the object of pilgrimages of several different faiths in Sri Lanka. No doubt it would be a difficult climb, made more challenging by the fact that the ascent begins in the middle of the night and we have two young children with us, but maybe we're just crazy enough to give it a shot.

Living in the Land of Giant Tatas

That got your attention, didn't it. Well, I'm not really joking, see?

And this road is not a one way street! One aging Tata bus trying to overtake another is just the way things roll here. 

Welcome to Sri Lanka - A Travel First!

We have enjoyed an incredible first couple of months, but despite the wonderful time we've been having since we left North Vancouver at the end of January, none of the countries I have visited has been completely unknown to me...until now.

SingaPOOR

I really do enjoy visiting Singapore, but it's a bit of anomaly on the traveller's route through Southeast Asia. Although it's surrounded by countries which are great budget options for a family like us - Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia - it is horrendously expensive when it comes to accommodation and general tourist attractions.

Annie's Blog Update (again!)

Annie has posted yet another blog update (I think she's all caught up now), so check it out at the link on the right, or just click here.

Tomorrow I will try and give a summary of our time in Singapore.

A Little Piece of Paradise

For our last four days in Borneo we stayed somewhere a bit different - we're always looking for a unique experience. So based on some great reviews (including one from a fellow North Vancouver friend who stayed there last year with his family), we booked a visit to the Kebun.

Annie's Blog Update

After a few days without an internet connection, we have left Borneo and arrived in Singapore and are madly trying to catch up.

Annie has posted a blog update, so check it out at the link on the right, or just click here.

I will update the last few days of our Borneo trip tomorrow.

Bako-holics

We've been out of reach of any form of internet or wi-fi for a few days, so it's been a while since my last posting. I'm not complaining, and you wouldn't either had you been where we were staying - Bako National Park.

Kayak Adventure on the Semadang River

I was really looking forward to journeying on a river in Borneo, as my childhood images of this magical land always contained intrepid explorers paddling up a steamy jungle river. So we signed up for a family kayak trip with the young men of Semadang Kayaking.

City of Cats

From the moment we arrived in Kuching, capital of the Sarawak region of Borneo, we felt very comfortable in this compact and vibrant little city. 

Another Update to Annie's Blog

She's current to the end of Thailand - hope you enjoy!

Planet of the Apes

I'm excited, or at least as excited as an accountant can get. There has always been something about Borneo which has captured my imagination, and I recall being a young boy fully absorbed in issues of National Geographic showing muddy rivers, lush jungles, and amazing wildlife, including the spectacular orangutans - and now we are finally going!!

All is Swell in KL

We've spent the last couple of days exploring Kuala Lumpur, hunting for interesting sights and sounds. We've been fairly successful, and our family will leave the city with some memorable experiences. I've included some of them below.

We Never Listen to Our Own Advice

We don't like spending precious travel time in big cities - it's something on which both Shirley and I agree. We realize that sometimes it is a logistical necessity, especially when it comes to flights, but our most enjoyable experiences have always come in small towns or national parks and reserves. Yet here we find ourselves in Kuala Lumpur for three days, struggling to make interesting and unique memories.

In front of the one-time tallest buildings in the world, the Petronas Towers

Heritage Shmeritage - We Came for the Food!

Thailand is now a recent memory (albeit a very positive one), and while most roads in Malaysia lead to the capital, Kuala Lumpur, we decided to go a bit farther south for our first couple of days - we're in the city of Melaka (Malacca).

Curry 101

No, this isn't a post about all the great food and restaurants we have enjoyed during our month in Thailand. Instead, I wanted to tell you about a remarkable little man and his remarkable little plot of land which we stumbled upon a few kilometers down a small road near our guest house.