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.

Island Hopping in the Andaman

Country, King, and Marley - not sure I can argue with that!

Diving in Phi Phi is better than it sounds

The last time I was in Koh Phi Phi (pronounced 'pee pee') was 20 years ago, almost to the day, and at that point on the end of my post-university backpacking trip, my funds were insufficient to go diving.

Well now I'm back again, and this time I have some extra money (and an extra person) with which to dive. Annie received her Junior PADI certification in Vancouver back in September, but this would be her first open water dive in a tropical location.

Feeling Groovy but not too Krabi

We've now settled into our home for the next week - the Groovy Bungalows. This is a nice little guest house in the tourist town of Ao Nang, just outside of the city of Krabi, a major hub here in the south of Thailand.

Dam Good Time at Khao Sok

Today was the beginning of an overnight lake trip organized by our guesthouse. We had heard some good things about this tour, and although most of the time we like to arrange our own excursions independently, this was one of those packages was better left to others. 

Goodbye Beach, Hello Jungle

Our last night on Koh Phangan, so of course we wanted to make it special. At the top of Shirley's 'to do' list was a final massage.

Can't See the Forest for the Trees

I love riding scooters - maybe not the manliest thing to admit, but there you are. I said it.

Annie's Blog Update

No new post today, but Annie has updated her blog (she's a bit behind so there should be another one coming soon) - see the link on the side.

Cheers from sunny Koh Phangan!

Who Needs a Pool?

We do. 

Before we booked our guesthouse in Koh Phangan, we debated the merits of staying at a place with a pool. We weren't sure if we wanted to spring for this more expensive option, and thought "we'll have the beach at our doorstep, why would we want a pool?" But in the end we opted for this little treat, and over the past week we have not regretted it one bit. 

We love our pool for a variety of reasons:

Hockey Night in Thailand - Making Frenemies

Scandinavians and Canadians normally get along quite well. In fact we have made some nice new Swedish friends at Salad Hut - Mats and Nina and their two cute little guys Ted and Sam.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

I think that it's going to be a challenge to post much in the way of new and different daily experiences here on Koh Phangan. Not that we're not enjoying ourselves - how can we not? It's just that the days will flow from one to the other in a fairly predictable daily routine of swimming, snorkelling, eating, reading, relaxing....you get the picture.

Cooking With Poo

What the heck - I couldn't think of a catchy title for our epic travel day (and night) from Bangkok to the southern islands, so I threw in my pic of the bestseller wall at the big Asia Books store. Now I finally know what gives Thai food that unique ....nah, let's not go there.

Trying Hard to Enjoy Bangkok

It's actually quite easy, logistically, to come to Thailand and not visit Bangkok. And truth be told, we did consider it. The place is a hot and polluted megalopolis, and considering the recent political unrest, we couldn't be blamed for giving it a miss. But somehow it felt like cheating - it's the social and cultural hub of the country. And since our train to the south leaves from Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station on Wednesday night, now we don't have much of a choice. So it was a quick one-hour flight down to the capital.

The 2:30 Barf Express to Chiang Mai

We returned the scooters, packed the bags, and readied ourselves for our ride back to Chiang Mai, and then just happened to cross paths with friends from the Cave Lodge...

Friday is Pai Day

So today it was time to bid farewell to the Cave Lodge. We had a marvelous time during our 5-day stay and made some awesome family memories. John and his crew run a laid back operation, and we would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a family adventure in the far corner of northern Thailand.

Ten Things I Learned on a Thailand Trek

After Tuesday’s failed attempt at reaching the Karen village on the other side of the mountain from the Cave Lodge, today we thought we would do it the proper (safe and sensible) way.

A Frontier Border Town

Today we readied ourselves for a long road trip - this meant bundling up. The nights are cool, well....downright cold, in Northern Thailand, so we needed to be prepared. Armed with gloves purchased at the Tuesday Soppong market, we headed out on an all day adventure -a 200km round trip adventure close to the Burmese border.

Tuesday Soppong Mega Mall

As I mentioned in a previous post, Soppong is a bit of a one horse town (and we're staying eight kilometers down the road in an even smaller settlement - does that make it a one goat town?), but once a week the tiny village comes alive with the Tuesday market.

To the Bat Cave!!

Our first morning at the Cave Lodge - the place is fairly rustic, but our hut is huge and kids think it's great - they have a whole loft section for themselves.

The Long and Winding Road

Today was a travel day - with our final destination being the Cave Lodge near the tiny town of Soppong towards the Thai-Burma border. Not a lot of narrative - mainly photos.

Our Thai Prison Experience

We had no set plans today - it was a day to simply wander around Chiang Mai and explore the sights and sounds. If any of you have ever been to this city, you will understand that this inevitably means temple hopping.

At the Elephant Nature Park

The majestic elephant is revered by Thais, and nowhere is this more evident than here in Chiang Mai – their images are prominent in temples and serve as the focal point of many decorative wood carvings throughout the city.

Get Into the Groove

We never seemed to get into our rhythm on day one in Chiang Mai - not sure why. Nothing seemed to go smoothly, most of my photos seemed a bit off, and we had a big scare with our scooters.

One Country Down, 12 to Go.

We’re off to the Land of Smiles (except for those protesters in a few public squares in downtown Bangkok – c’mon Thais, turn those frowns upside down – the Boltwoods are coming !!)

Yes, that’s a.m. Good lord, that’s early !! Off to the airport for our flight to Bangkok.

A Shout Out to Friends

As we say farewell to the Ilha Formosa, a big thank you to all of our Taiwan friends – our five days were short but sweet, and our visit made special by friends who house us....

Superbowl Monday....wha??

I have been on this earth for 42 years, and was beginning to wonder if any of my favourite sports teams - Canucks, Expos, Seahawks - would ever win a big championship game. With the Expos gone, and the Canucks mastering the playoff disappearing act, it all rested on the shoulders of Seattle. Go 'Hawks !!

Goodbye for now...and on to Taipei

The ‘Longtan Scooter Shuttle Service’ was in full swing this morning as we headed to the bus station for the trip into Taipei – with people and luggage it took a few trips, but we all made it in one piece.

Chinese New Year is Family Time

Our first two days were spent visiting Shirley’s sister, brother-in-law and nephew. Despite some language barriers and age difference between the cousins, they always have a blast together.

No rush upon leaving the airport this morning at 6 am – we decided to take local transport (slow and cheap) instead of a taxi (fast and expensive), as the relatives wouldn’t even be up yet. Two buses and a scooter ride later, and we were in Longtan, a small town in northern Taiwan.

Goodbye Canada.....Hello Kitty??

So after a 'last supper' of pot roast and chocolate chip cookies (the kind of food we won't likely see for a while), we headed to YVR for our first flight. Thanks to the Coopers for both the food and the ride. All of our friends and neighbours have been particularly generous over the last few days, feeding our kitchenless family and sending us off in style. Many thanks!!

The One Week Countdown Begins

On January 30th, the journey will begin !!

No posts yet, but please check back in one week - maybe you will read about losing my passport or forgetting one of my kids at the airport.

In the meantime, have a look at the links on the right-hand side of the page to learn a bit more about us and our big adventure....