Back in Ireland

Without internet in the house it has been difficult to update. Sorry that the stories of our week in Istanbul and short break to Edinburgh. We did have a great time despite my injured wrist, which is still giving me grief.

After a week back in Belfast, we took off again, but this time by car. In order to get out of town to celebrate my birthday in quiet we travelled four hours across the country to the West Coast and Achill Island.

We were lucky with the weather; despite the wind, we had sun everyday. Lots of hiking, enjoying the local Republican pub, reading and viewing he historical sites around. Champagne on the beach was how we celebrated the big day.

Here are a few shots of what we have been up to since arriving back.

1. Birthday Champagne
2. Pointing to Canada
3. Tent and Monte
4. Up the Mornes
5. Tommy and two of the brothers

Recent Photos of Trips taken during May and June

I know they are not from Chaing Mai, but here are a few of our recent travels and I promise more to come. We don't have internet at the house in Belfast, so it has been tough updating even though I do have plenty to say about things we have seen and done.

'İstanbul was Constantinople...'

Vibrant ıs a good way to describe Turkey's biggest city. A total of 16 Million call ıt home, but really the chaos is organized and quite civilized.

So far we've watched a very poorly played UEFA Cup game at a small bar off İstiklal Caddesi, fınally enjoyed our first Hammam experience (or I should say Turkısh Bath), seen the two most beautiful mosques Aya Sofiya and the Blue Mosque, as well as the Topkapı Palace and generally enjoyed thıs fabulous city.

Our plans for tomorrow include a boat trip down the Bosphorus and another trip into the Grand Baazar to fınally puchase a nargıla, something we have been talkıng about doıng since Morocco. We'll be finishing the trip off with dinner at the 360 restaurant, reputed not only for its Modern Turkish food, but all its view of the Old City.

Have to say we are pleased wıth the length of time we planned for this trip and are really having a great time, I will write more once we are back to the land of Engish keyboards!

Back on the Road

I really must put up some of the pictures of the remainder of our time in Thailand. Note to self.

After 10 days in Belfast we are heading out again. It was very nice to cook meals, clean and really all of the stuff you get to do at home, but we said we would get to Turkey, so off we go. We'll be in Istanbul by this time tomorrow. Just a week this time, but on our way home the plan is to stop over in Edinburgh for a long weekend. We're just in time for sporting events galore. Not only does the UEFA Cup take place tomorrow in Istanbul, but the last of the Seven's Rugby season finishes up in Edinburgh on the last weekend in May.

We'll not be heading to the game tomorrow, but we've got tickets for the 30th. After watching the Hong Kong matches in KL, we're looking forward to some live rugby.

Plans for the week? Well, I think we are ready to hit the tourist track again. Smaller bags are packed and we're already looking forward to warmer weather and less rain. I will be sure to update over the next little while.

Flight of the Gibbon

Voted the number one attraction in Chiang Mai by visitors (or at least that is what they say on their poster) is the Flight of the Gibbon. Tom and I, yesterday, got to pretend that we were those gibbons, swinging freely through the trees.

An eleven o'clock pick-up had us up in the much cooler tropical forest 45 minutes outside of Chiang Mai. Harnessed up and helmeted, we headed for the treetops. With 15 stations including zip-lines, rope bridges and abseils, New Zealand designed course (originally set up for scientists) took us well into the afternoon to complete.

It was totally worth the approximately fifty Canadian dollars we spent on it. Zooming through the trees from platform to platform supervised by friendly and very safety aware Thai staff was amazing. The pictures will come as soon as well get back to Belfast (they will not include the shots that Tom took from below as I abseiled down).

After a lovely Thai lunch (included in the price), which we enjoyed with a hoard of wasps, we took a short journey up the road to a waterfall. Tom and I took off on the steep climb to the top. Half way up the torrential rains started. We did manage to get down after 30 minutes in a small covered rest spot. It was a great day that left us tired and in bed by nine.

A Bit about Kanchanaburi

One of the first things I noticed when Tom and I arrived in Kanchanaburi was a lack of western women around the place. There were however an over abundance of Western men, mostly older western men.

Now, this being a town of historical significance, frequented by those interested in the history of WWII and for those looking to pay their respects to family members who, in serving their countries, ended up as prisoners in this place, I did realise that more men would possibly be interested in visiting. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the laid back atmosphere and what I experienced in the town, but, something did bother me about the place and I noticed this even more last night as Tom and I sat at a bar enjoying a couple of cold beers as the rain poured down around us.

In high school, I read a magazine article in French class concerning prostitution in Thailand. The details in that article combined with others I had read concerning the environmental problems, pollution and the continual opening up of Thailand's Islands, which had all once been a national park, made me wonder if I ever wanted to travel to such a place. Well, I am happy I did, and I being here did make me realise that a lot is being done to combat not only the air pollution, but to encourage people to think about what they are doing to their environment.

When it comes to prostitution, well I have been to Amsterdam, I've walked down and had a drink on Patpong Road in Bangkok, and sure, it bothers me to a certain extent, but I am not going to loudly voice my opposition to it. As long as those involved are safe from harm. However, it is another thing to not only have it so obviously thrust in your face, to see very young and beautiful Thai girls with unfortunate looking much older men, and then to be sitting at a small bar and have an English man in his sixties tell me about how many of the girls at the brothel across the street he had been with and how many more were on his list. Kanchanaburi seems to be the place to go if you want to meet very lost men with low self esteem.

Another English guy (they weren't all English, just those we bumped into) Tom met had been in the town four weeks. Over the course of his first week, he met a girl, bought a house worth 60,000 pounds and it being Thai law, put it in her name. He arrived home one day, shortly after the purchase to find the locks changed, the house empty and sold. Hasn't seen her since. How stupid can one person be.

All that being said, we are happy to be back with the backpackers and 5-star holiday goers in Chiang Mai. Haven't seen much yet, but plans are in the making.

Another Temple, but this one is Home to some Large Felines

The River Kwai, home to the famous POW built bridge and now a chilled out backpacker hangout. We arrived yesterday and automatically felt more relaxed, almost like we were back at Rawai. It's also nice to be back to the cheaper prices, that means meals for a few dollars, beers for a buck and massages, if one so desires, for about five.

The food is, of course, as delicious as always. Tom's noodle "salad" tonight was a lovely concoction of deep fried noodles, potato, tofu, garlic and ginger. He still talking about it, and I believe it will be continuously mentioned in the future.

On another note, we did some sightseeing today. Having seen all of the Australians, young and old, celebrating last night, commemorating ANZAC Day, we thought it only right to pay our respects to those to served and were held here during WWI.

Close to the River, and the traveller section of town is located the largest of several cemeteries in this area. Beautifully maintained by the Commonwealth it exists as a lovely memorial to those who gave their lives while under Japanese interment. Right next to the cemetery is the Railway Museum, which chronicles the events which took place throughout the occupation, and the building of the railway.

After lunch we took a truck journey, 40km down the road to the Tiger Temple, an animal sanctuary that is becoming quite the media star. Having been featured on PBS, CNN and Discovery Channel this is a must do for all travellers to Kanchanaburi.
Included in the entry fee is a picture session with the Tigers (38 are in captivity, the first having be brought in as cubs to the monks nine years ago when they were found abandoned by their parents, who were most likely killed by poachers)and a tour around the property which houses numerous local species. International volunteers come to help out at the large sanctuary by feeding, excercising and working with the animals. It really is a great initiative.

A Taste of What we Experienced in Cambodia

Around Angkor and Tom from one of the Cells at S-21

Temple Time

The last time we were in Bangkok we had just spent two months in North Africa and we just so excited to see an actual western mall that we did nothing touristy expect visit Jim Thompson House (a lovely place).

This time we spent a day taking in a couple of the Temples, as well as the magnificent Royal Palace. Despite the heat and the need to dress respectfully in long pants and closed toe shoes we spent a half day wandering around the well maintained grounds at the riverside in Bangkok.

I had been to the Palace and Wat Pho, home to the giant goldleafed reclining Buddha when I was small. Unfortunately all pictures of that first visit no longer exist, or there was no film in the camera, I don't remember exactly. Now, Tom and I have many photos of the day.

Since our day as tourists we've just been wandering the malls of Bangkok trying to figure out what to do. We're really looking forward to flying home to Belfast and putting a bit of regularity back into our lives, so that is distracting us a bit from what Bangkok has to offer.

Tomorrow we head to Kanchanabiri and the famous River Kwai by bus. We'll be staying on the river, and with plenty of outdood adventuring on offer, its bound to get us more excited about this, the end of our time in South East Asia.

Back in Bangkok, but More Important Cambodia was Great

We're arrived back into Bangkok. A city that may be under a state of emergency, but really does not show it at all. The malls are packed and we have not seem any indication that there is an increase in security. No tanks have been witnessed yet.

However, more importantly, we arrived here today after spending four days in Siem Reap. What a great little place. I have to say Cambodia is on the up and Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are leading the charge.

I found another great botique hotel at $45US a night, Golden Banana (www.goldenbanana.info), which provided all the comforts after our day at Angkor and others in town. Not only did we have a room with two large floors, but we looked out on the cool salt water pool. Equal if not better than our last hotel. You can't bet the prices, the friendly staff and the great food of Cambodia.

Oh, and Angkor, wow what a place. We decided just to do the one day trip by tuk-tuk and see the most famous sites of the huge complex. We were happy for that decision because the weather was exteremely hot. Despite that we had a great time walking around with our mouths open in awe most of the day. We'd seen pictures, and of course Tomb Raider, but nothing can compare to seen the ruins in person. The carvings are so well done and perfect, even some of those dating to the 10th Century.

Bayon, the library (among other believed uses) and building containing 200 huge images of Buddah face carved into the sandstone is the most marvelous of all. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the different facial expressions. It was truly breathtaking. I highly encorage a visit to this holy and ancient place.

The French colonial buildings that make up the town of Siem Reap have been nicely restaured in order to please the multitude of visitors to the area. Modern restaurants, shops, spas line the streets. You'll have a hard time finding a bad meal in the whole place. Angelina, while filming, volunteering and adopting, has left her mark in many of the shops. Her photos appear all over the place.

So, back to Thailand for us, though west and north this time, instead of south.

Relaxing in Phnom Penh

The six and a half hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City was surprisingly pain-free despite my having developed a cold (due to silly air-conditioner in our last guesthouse) and having to stand at Vietnamese immigration for about 30 minutes with packs on.

A short tuk-tuk ride shared with a French-Canadian kid making his way through the region found us at an oasis. I am pretty thorough when it comes to making decisions on where we stay, (that may be the reason we have only seen one cockroach in a hotel this entire trip) and I always consult as many books and websites as I can before making a decision. This process sometimes leads me to become slightly crazy, especially when I make a bad decision. No craziness this time around because I feel as though I delivered.

Seeing as we have decided to change our plane ticket for May 8th for London instead of Amman (or the very expensive to fly into Beirut), we can afford to splash out a bit more for accommodation every once in a while. When I saw that the number one ranked hotel on tipadvisor.com was a reasonably priced $40/night, I sent an enquiry email right away. Ta-da here we are at The Pavillion (http://www.thepavilion.asia/homeeng.htm).

We’re staying in a room that is part of the old building, which dates to sometime in the 1920s. A few steps from our room is a salt-water pool next to a lounge serving fabulous Khumer, French and Western dishes. As in most French colonies, the deserts are up to the Parisian standard (we’ve already had the tarte aux citron and the chocolate cake). It is a cozy tropical atmosphere with cool tunes playing while you read your book among the palms and flowers.

We did make it out of the hotel this morning to see S-21, Cambodia’s Genocide Museum. As I have seen so many times before on TV in the news or on travel shows, it is a haunting visit for all who go. School rooms turned into torture chambers with gruesome pictures of what Vietnamese troops found when they ran the Khmer Rouge out and took the city. Skulls of the victims found in mass graves all over the country, as well as rooms of posted prisoner photos tell the story of the prison without the need of words.

Our plan is to try and make it outside of the city tomorrow to see the Killing Fields; yet another horrific memorial site to all of those who perished under this brutal regime. We’re not sure if we’ll make it out seeing as we have arrived just in time for Khmer New Year, so all is very quiet about town and many shops are shut.
For tonight we'll just enjoy the hospitality and the wonderful food of Cambodia.

Here we are in Vietnam

1. Tom at Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Hanoi
2. B-52 Bomber Memorial, Hanoi
3. Turtles at the Temple of Literature, Hanoi
4. One of the many basket carrying ladies
4. Huc Bridge, Hanoi

Oh Sin-ga-pora!

1. The 'National' dish of Singapore, delish Chicken and Rice
2. Tom enjoying Fort Canning Park
3. The Famous Singapore Sling at the Raffles
4. Dinner at the Raffles
5. Katie and Sir Raffles (not sure why the computer will not flip the pictures)

This is us in KL

1. Tom in the Golden Triangle
2. Petronas Towers at night (Earth Hour, right before the lights were turned off)
3. Katie enjoying a fishy pedicure (a very interesting experience)

Happy Easter

Those of you who still read this once and a while must have probably noticed the lack of new photos. Well, our lovely new Nikon camera has a bug. We are going to attempt to transfer all of the photos onto cd-r today, so hopefully well be able to get some up on line very soon.

Aside from that we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City a couple of days ago by plane from Hue. Tom was pretty sick in Hue, so we pretty much just relaxed in the room (most hotels in Vietnam, even budget ones, have a TV with satellite) ate pizza, and only took one trip - to the DMZ.

Let's just say, after years of war and occupation, the Vietnamese people have not really wanted to remind themselves of the past. Therefore, our trip to the DMZ was a bit boring. There is really not much to see. A long bus ride from Hue into the mountains and then the coast is really not worth it. We saw a few downed US planes, some of the areas where American bases once stood, and the DMZ, which is now just fields and fields of rice.

Probably the most interesting part of the trip was visiting the Vinh Moc tunnels that we walked through. Built along the South China Sea coast to enable the village people to avoid heavy bombardment of Americans by air and sea, these tunnels, discovered at the end of the war, provided refuge for this community for five years. Very tight, dark and a bit frightening, it is really impressive how these people went about their lives underground for such a long period of time.

Better than the DMZ tour has to be the Military Museum in Hanoi. So much information, pictures, remnants from the wars with the French and the Americans documented in two large halls. Writings within in museum still contain outdated communist rhetoric, referring to 'puppet regimes', 'American imperialists' and 'bandits' makes this tour even more interesting. They also have a large selection of downed American planes, French weaponry and an impressive sculpture created out of parts from airplanes, etc. In the same area as the musuem, you'll also find the Hoa Lo Prison, first opened by the French to house dissident Vietnamese, later used during the Vietnam War to hold downed American pilots, including John McCain.

The number of sites we visited in Hanoi, as well as the trip we took in Hue, has left us feeling we need a break from the tourist track. We've decided aside from those French colonial buildings we pass as we walk through the city, the only site we are really going to visit is the Jade Pagoda. After all, there is much shopping to be done here. As well, we're off to Angkor Wat next, so we don't want to ruin that experience by being too tired to see as much of it as we can.

Happy Easter to everyone :)

Finally Vietnam

After a sleepless night spent at the KL airport, we caught our 6:30am to Hanoi. Three and a half hours in the air in a plane full of very excited Vietnamese had us in the capital city of Vietnam.

In a bit of a daze, we spent a couple hours taking in the city. Not too much culture shock considering we had just spent three days in ultra-Western and modern Singapore.

Seeing as we only have a limited time of five days to see the sites, we decided to check out the famous water puppet show. Although entirely in Vietnamese, the show's music and amazingly intricate puppets made the show easy to understand. It was great to just sit back and enjoy.

I have to say, although Singapore was great. I fully agree with TV personality and chef, Anthony Bourdain statement, " if you love food, it might be the best place on earth"; however, I am happy to be back in the much cheaper part of Asia.

KL - A Haven for Vegetarians and so much more

Our time in Kuala Lumpur is coming to an end. Tomorrow we are off to Singapore for a quite visit.

I have to say that we have both thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Despite the rain, which has started to appear daily as this area of the world gets closer to its yearly monsoon season, we have taken in a good part of the sights on offer. Yesterday, we started the morning off with a few laps around the rubber track located in the city centre. A popular spot for those who work in the offices around to walk or jog in order to get their minds of the stress of work, as well as for children to play, we were pleasantly surprised to find such a lovely place right in the shadow of the Petrona Towers.

We enjoyed a tasty Chinese meal of chicken with spicy noodles and shrimp wanton for lunch, then headed to the historic quarter of the city to visit the museums. The Malaysia Police Museum, the Planetarium, the National Museum are all located quite close, which worked well for us seeing as the rain began to pore as we were walking over. All were dead quite, not only because all the kids were in school, but also possibly due to the fact that we later found out that there was a national election taking place (no TV in our room, so we loose track of what is going on in the world).
Thoroughly good afternoon, although the all of the walking caused both of our feet to swell as we enjoyed a couple of pints at Finnegan's Irish Pub (our first since the detox began) and watch the Seven's Rugby taking place in Hong Kong.

Now, since we were suppose to introduce certain foods such as grains and meat back into our diet slowly after not eating for so long, we had to try and search for vegetarian options. KL's amazing array of different cuisines and restaurants has made this very easy. Our first day in the city we discovered Wood's Macrobiotic Organic Restaurant (http://www.macrobiotics-malaysia.com/) just down the street from our hotel. We have been back every day for either lunch or dinner for their absolutely fabulous vegan food prepared fresh when ordered. Every dish we have had has tasted wonderful, so much so that it is hard to believe it's also some of the best food for our body. We'll be picking up the cookbook on sale before we leave.

In addition, there are a large number of Indian restaurants serving all vegetarian menus, including, Lakshmi Vilas, the one that I spoke about in my last post. Today at lunch we tried another, Sangeetha. Still full two hours later, I have to say my plate of mixed curried rices, pickles, spicy chick pea curry and mango lassi was a bit too much, but well worth stuffing myself to enjoy.

Another place to mention is Peter Hoe's (http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/travel/02foraging.html) somewhat hidden boutique and cafe. For batik prints, clothing, home design and much more, including divine looking deserts, which we avoided (Tom did enjoy a coffee and the great ambiance, while a shopped though) this is a great place to spend some time relaxing or perusing.

With all of this delicious food around, Tom has yet to miss eating meat, but he assures me, a steak for dinner is in his near future.

KL feels like Home

Arrived in Kuala Lumpur a couple days ago. Let's just say, the recommendation given to us to eat only live, so un-cooked food, for three days, didn't last long in this place.

We're staying in the Golden Triangle, so the ritzy area of the city, but our place is far from that, but it works for us. Went for our first run of the new travel plan that includes excise and all is starting out well. Spent the day yesterday in and around the Central Market, an old market converted to serve the modern day tourist. The entire city, in fact is very modern in comparison to others in the region; however, it does maintain it's old world, and especially colonial charm. We've both agreed that it would be a great place to live.

Malls with more than you can get at home, delectable food and culture make a great city.

Today we queued with the touring masses in order to take a look at the city from above, 170m up on bridge between the Petronas Towers. After that we enjoyed a gorgeous banana leaf vegetarian curry, which set us back about the equivalent of two pounds fifty. Basically, they just bring out a banana leaf and pile it high with an assortment of curries, chutneys, papadams and rice = awesome.

Now...it's raining, so most likely off to the movies we go!

Hurrah! We can EAT again!

Well it was tough, and at times quite emotional, but we made it to day eight and FOOD! Now, are we happy we did this, sure. Did we loose weight, yes, Tom has lost a total of about 25lbs since we arrived in Rawai. Will we do this fasting thing again, um no probably never.

It was an intersting experience, one which you could probably never handle doing at home. We met a people from around the world detoxing for a wide range of reasons, so that made the stay at Atsumi far better, because it would have been a bit boring otherwise.

All in all, we have both agreed that we are going to try and take with us the need to stay healthy and fit while we continue on in our journey. That means some running is going to have to happy while we continue our way through South-East Asia and back to Europe.

Happily we are off to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow. I am sure once we get to the airport we'll be a bit sad seeing as we have been on the Adaman Coast for six weeks and we are now recognized by many of those who call Rawai Beach their home. All that said, we are excited to get back on the road again.

Day Three of Detox

Finally I am feeling up to siting at the computer and using my brain a bit. On Monday we arrived at Atsumi (http://www.atsumihealing.com/) to start our seven day detox. This process includes fasting, daily colemas, herbal remedies, yoga, steam baths and a lot of general chilling out.

The surroundings are gorgeous, so that helps because we've been relaxing here to avoid temptation from the outside world.

The first two days I could not get the though of food (not that I was hungry due to the benzonite and psyllium shakes we have to take three times a day) out of my achy head, but now the pain has subsided and I am feeling alright. Tom on the other hand had a better day yesterday, while I complained a lot. He really does need this relaxation though due to his cracked ribs.

I'll be sure to update you all on our full experience here over the next few days.

Around Phuket

1. Fight night at Bangala Stadium
2. Our abode, with a new best friend hiding under the bench
3. Rawai Beach
4. Our rental car...aka The Pope Mobile due to it's huge windows in the back
5. Exploring Temples

Last Week of Muay Thai

Although it feels like only a week, we have been in Thailand a month now and will be completing four weeks of muay thai training on Sunday. It hasn't been easy, and there have been times where we just could not be bothered to wake up at 6:30am in order to sweat buckets and possibly pick up a few bruises (in Tom's case a couple of cracked ribs), but it is really nice to be back in shape. Now all we have to do is maintain the feeling of being fit and healthy again.

Tonight we'll be attending out second fight night. Two weeks ago we headed down to the makeshift Bangala Stadium in Patong (the actual stadium on the crazy street of Bangala is in need of some renovations) in order to see four fighters from Rawai take on their opponents.

The night ended well with wins for two Irish guys and one of our trainers. The only loss was a young boy who although we all thought he deserved the win, ended up losing by points.

This evening's competition is taking place right outside of our gym. They have set up a ring under the coconut trees and a number of fights will take place with the money going to a local charity.

Difficulties with the computers (yet again) have caused problems uploading photos. I do promise some soon.

Some more Shots of Thailand

1. Caves where nests for bird nest soup are found
2. Checking out Koh PhiPhi Leh
3. Wee Monkey with Tom's banana
4. Treking to the waterfalls in Phuket
5. The Big Buddha of Phuket

Training and Sleeping

We finally have a car. The beat-up Suzuki has ensured that our lives no longer revolv solely around our muay thai sessions, (twice per day from 7am-9am and then again from 4pm-6pm)eating and sleeping.

We've taken a few adventures, the first being back to Patong to check it our during the day. Saturday night we headed there to meet up with Siobhan and see how crazy this place really was. Interesting night for certain.

We've since been able to not only shop and find new culinary delights (Thailand has so many) but also to see a few of the sights, including the Big Buddah of Phuket, which we saw yesterday.

So far life is going pretty well on Phuket despite being constantly sore. Our Muay Thai gym, Rawai (www.rawaimuaythai.com) is a pretty welcoming place. The Thai trainers are tough, but pretty nice guys. People from all over the world come in order to get fit, learn more and fight. Fight nights are every Friday, and sometimes other days as well. Tom and I have decided that we'll be checking out our first fight on the third of March when two guys from Ireland step into the ring. I am sure we'll be back to check out a few more while in Thailand, and South East Asia.

Following the completion of our month of boxing we're planning on doing a week at the detox facility down the road. Sure that relaxing experience will be well deserved after four weeks of brutal trainning.

Dealing with Pain in Phuket

Just a short note to let anyone who reads this know that Tom and I are doing all right and have arrived in Phuket for our month of Muay Thai trainning.

We initially spent three nights in Bangkok, venturing out to see only a few sights including the Jim Thompson House (the American who revived the silk trade in Thailand
), the many huge malls, and a few night markets. We didn't make it to the temples partially due to the fact that I didn't want to cover up again. We'll be in Bangkok on the way out, so we figured we'd do it then.

Ko Phi Phi Don was our next destination. Seeing as it took a flight and a boat ride to get there, we opted to spend one night in Phuket and then catch the boat the following morning.

Phi Phi is a gorgeous place. Our somewhat dodgey accomodation asside, we enjoyed ourselves eating, laying about on the beach, and snorkeling. We did get over to Ko Phi Phi Lai and Maya Bay, the famous beach where Leonardo DeCaprio froliced in "The Beach", but we didn't actually get off the boat due to all of the tourists about. There were many other fabulous beaches with far fewer bodies about.

My lack of writing is partially due to my excitment upon arrival to Bangkok, lack of cheap internet oh Phi Phi, and the pain I now fell from the four hours of trainning we have been doing for the past three days.

Looking forward to Saturday night (we have Sunday off) and the promise of some interesting places to check out down on Patong Beach with Siobhan McGovern, a girl from high school who is living down in this gorgeous part of the world.

Last Thoughts on this Phase

Tomorrow we board a plane at Amman International that will take us to Bangkok via Abu Dhabi. A big part of me cannot wait to get to Thailand. Jordan is a great place: an excellent vacation spot for those who like to hike, to check out amazing scenery and eat pretty nice Middle Eastern fare. It was so refreshing to finally be able to talk to men, and not have them ignore me completely or respond to Tom (unlike in Egypt).

Really I am looking forward to wearing shorts and tank tops, eating great food, and exercising; and we'll be doing a whole lot of that. We've enrolled ourselves in a month-long thai boxing camp beginning February 16th in Phuket. So right after we spend our first Valentine's Day together in the same place, we'll head over to start working out six hours a day. I know it is going to hurt like mad, especially after taking it easy for the past four months, but both of us are very excited. Another bonus is the fact that I have a kitchen at my disposal.

We'll head back to the Middle East for Summer (our plane tickets are booked for the 8th of May, but we are now looking at an extention of who knows how long) in time for the heat, but the next few months will be spent in Asia.

Tom's Family History and Amman

We arrived in Amman the day before yesterday. Venturing out yesterday, we visited the Roman Theatre, a very well preserved 6000 seat remnant of the once great empire. From there we walked through what is known as downtown, basically the older part of the city where all of the cheap eats and many shops are located. The wealthier areas of town are mostly located up on the hills to the north of the downtown area. So, we climbed.

Amman is far more modern and less hectic than Cairo, but I have to say a little all over the place, very spread out. This layout means having to taxi in order to get from one place to the next. I have to say, I am more of a person who would rather walk my way through a city and enjoy the sites that way.

Anyway, after watching 'Valkerie' all alone in a cinema in Jebel Amman, we headed to one of Tom's hang outs, The Frech Quarter Bar at the Holiday Inn. Amman is a stop-over point for those working in Iraq and on their way home to England and the US. Yesterday, unfortunately the bar was empty, no one about at all, so we headed home after a couple drinks exhausted after a long day trying to walk as much as we could about Amman.

On to why I labeled this post, 'Tom's Family History'. Tom's dad discovered on the web that just outside of Wadi Mussa there exists at place by the name of Wadi Feinan, (or Feynan, Finan, depending on the English translation of the Arabic) located inside the Dana Nature Reserve, an area being preserved by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature.

We caught a taxi from Wadi Mussa in order to check out the area. First however we stopped to see the Crusader castle at Shobak. High on a hill, with view points for miles it must have been an impressive site so many years ago (we thought maybe Tom's name came from those times, but that is just a thought).

Dana, the town, is small and Medieval, looking over the preserved park area. We were told over tea at the Tower Hotel that travelers flock there over the summer to hike and mountain bike, while ensuring the protection of the park.

People can hike all the way to the Feynan Eco-Lodge, 14Km through arid mountains, gorges and valleys. A beautiful hike that we were not prepared to take that day. We did walk around a bit and visit the shop selling eco-products, some made by the Bedouin.

We didn't find much out about Tom's heritage, but we were told by the woman at the shop that Feinan (chose your spelling) in Arabic means the area under a tree where someone can rest and relax.

The Monestary


Us at the Treasury

Petra

Sore, but happy best describes us after two days in Petra. We've trekked about the place for hours and still have another day to go. Yesterday we stayed closer to the Treasury and climbed around the Royal Tombs. We also took the tough climb up to a hidden gem of the ancient city, the Place of High Sacrifice. There was a cult in the town that believed in the sacrifice of animals, and they would do so upon this high cliff platform looking out over the entire region.

After a few hours of trekking yesterday (and enjoying the occasional stop of baclava, we have found the best yet in Petra) we popped into a pub at the Petra Palace Hotel. Of course other joined us and we ended up staying the entire afternoon and into the evening talking with an English teacher working in Cyprus and a few Aussies working on an archaeological dig in the region. Feeling surprisingly fine this morning despite Petra beer being 8%.

A Night in the Arabian Desert and First Thoughts on Petra

We spent Australia Day (as we found out upon arriving at Sunset Camp, when a hopeful Australian, Jason, approached inquiring as to our nationalities) traveling through Wadi Rum in a 4x4. Leaving early from Aqaba, we arrived at the Gate (right next to the famous Seven Pillar's of Wisdom) to the Wadi Rum Protectorate at around 10am.

We started the journey after tea with the tour organizer Mohammad. Five hours took us through some of the most amazing desert scenery in the world. The landscape that Laurence traversed almost one hundred years ago is best seen at this time of year. We hardly ran into any tourists, the exception being a large tour group who we only saw at one point, of course they were all sporting white headdresses quite similar to those worn by the famous Englishman.

We arrived at Sunset Camp a bit before the sun went down. Greeted by the fore- mentioned Aussie, a young Frenchman and a Dutch couple all volunteering at the camp in order to save some money to continue traveling.

A little later on a group of three Americans, one Canadian and one French woman showed up after doing the same trip as us. We had a great time discussing the state of global affairs over some lovely Bedouin food prepared by the Sudanese cook. More pictures and info on Sunset Camp can be viewed at http://www.wadirumsunset.com/.

Getting up early we enjoyed another desert sunrise before catching a taxi to Wadi Mussa, the town which provides tourist services for those visiting Petra.

The hotel we chose has been great. The very funny manager Moussa has made us feel very welcome, the breakfast is great and they ferry us to Petra whenever we would like. Last night, he arranged tickets for us to see Petra at Night. What an absolutely amazing experience it is to walk down the path or the Siq, that leads to the Treasury by candle light.

Upon arriving at the Treasury, we were offered tea and then entertained with Bedouin music and stories. It is by far the best way to first see Petra.

We have purchased a three day pass and spent our first full day climbing up the 800 steps to what has to be the most impressive part of the whole ancient Nabataean town, the Monastery. Petra is so much bigger than the most famous Treasury, and it is believed that 80 percent is still uncovered. After day three I will write more of our experiences around this world wonder, for now I am very tired.

Dahab and Sinai Photos

The beach in Dahab with the Moutains of the Sinai in the background and at the top of Mt. Sinai at sunrise.

Up Mt. Sinai and on to Jordan

Yesterday, after a lengthy wait for the ferry in Nuweiba, we arrived in Aqaba, Jordan. Two days prior to our exit we took-on the all-night challenge of climbing Mt. Sinai. Leaving from Dahab by shared taxi at 11:30pm, we arrived at St. Catherine's Monastery a bit after 2:00am. The seven kilometer hike up the mountain, with oxygen slowly decreasing took us about three hours; of course that included stops along the way to rest and snack. Our trip was also a bit slower because one of the ladies decided it would be a grand idea to wear sandals (no she was not a pilgrim, she just didn't research before she made her decision).

It was a bit touch going, even for the both of us who have done a bit of hiking in our times, but the end result was worth it. After an hour of sleep just below the summit, we ascended to take in the incredible sunrise over the Sinai desert. Although a bit chilly, it was well worth it.

The descent was of course much easier and we got to take in the view we missed on our middle-of-the-night trek up. The Monestary, though not fully open to the public, was interesting to peek at. What is believed to be The Burning Bush and all.

Arriving back in Dahab at noon, our final full day in Egypt was spend sleeping. We arose the next morning to a power outage, so no showers after the long hike and before the long boat journey (only about 2 hours, although they quote one, and of course it was also two hours late).

We are not in The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and happy to be here. Although the accommodation is a bit more than we have become accustom to in Egypt(40JD for a mid range hotel, the JD being worth between one pound sterling and one euro), the food, so far, is great and the people friendly. We have already seen the sights of Aqaba and are curious as to what we will do for the next two days. Those sites include a small museum, which houses the result of excavations done by students and staff from my Alma mater The University of Victoria and funded by the Canadian Government. We also walked about the Aqaba Castle, a fortress started by the Crusaders and added on throughout the ages.

I suspect the next couple of days will be spent figuring out how we'll be getting to Wadi Rum and where we'll be staying. Pictures will be up shortly of the previously explained adventures.

A Week in Dahab

Located on the South Sinai, one hour north of Sharm El-Sheikh is the small town of Dahab. Built up over the past twenty years or so, or since the Egyptians took it back in 1982, this place is a chilled out destination for travellers and ex-pat scuba divers alike.

We've spent the past week at the Red Sea Relax Resort completing our open water scuba course. Usually it takes the average person four days to complete the course; we begin day six tomorrow, due to some unpredicatable problems with my small ear canals, which are quite full of water. Tomorrow will complete our final dive to 18 meters among some pretty interesting coral.

Apart from our underwater adventures we've just been relaxing. The beach is lined with restaurants, which all have lounge chairs looking out at the Sea. The cuisine is more international for the most part, and the seafood is fresh. Our absolute favorite place, which we usually eat at once per day, is an Indian restaurant called Nirvana. The dishes are gorgeous. All come with fresh naan bread, basmati rice and salad. So way too much for one, so we usually share a dish between the two. The guy behind the stove has found himself a goldmine cooking up his mom's dishes. Tom has a serious addiction to the strawberry milkshakes, which are better than most I have tried at home.

Plans for the next couple of days are to continue reading and swimming out in the relaively warm water (abou 21C), and of course to take in the excitement going on in Washington. Nothing but excitement here in Egypt as well.

Our next destination will be Aquaba, Jordan, but not before we head out into the Sinai Desert to climb Gebel Musa, Mt. Sinai.

A Few More of Egypt

Around Luxor Temple