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
Thursday, February 26, 2009
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
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
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.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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.
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.
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