More Blogs and More Photos

Hi all.

I have been a member of an online travel community called Travelblog for about 6 years now, and I've decided to put the rest of our trip blogs and alot more pictures over on that site. Its a really great community of travelers, bloggers, and vacationers, as well as being a good resource for travel information and photography.

I've put up short blogs about the entire trip over there and alot more photos that werent on this blog or on facebook.

Take a look at our profile!
http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/annieandmatt/

My grandmother and I used to talk alot about her travels to Bali - she was one of the first women photographers for TimeLife magazine. Her amazing career led to her to travel to places all over the world like Bali, as well as Xi'an, China, to photograph the Terracotta Army. She used to speak so passionately about Balinese culture, and from her stories, Bali sounded like such an exotic destination. I knew that at some point in my life I would have to spend time in Indonesia to experience what she had. When we found out that Matt would have an easy time finding food there, it quickly joined the itinerary and became one of the highlights of my anticipation.

Fast forward to early April 2011. Matt and I are sitting in the Sydney airport waiting to board a flight to Cairns. Since our departure to Bali was coming up in a few weeks, we began to research the island a little bit to figure what we should see. The first article we find in Google, ironically written in Time Magazine, was entitled "Holidays in Hell: Bali." Summary: Bali, specifically Kuta, is now dirty, dangerous, full of trash, overtaken by touts, and all around an awful place to go.

Awesome.

Upon arrival in Bali, specifically Kuta, we witnessed first hand the dirtiness, the trash strewn everywhere, and the annoying-ness of the touts. I do want to point out that we NEVER felt unsafe at all in Indonesia, especially Bali. It seems, however, this article actually resonated quite a bit within the Balinese government. Within the first few hours of arrival on the beach, hundreds of nearby businessowners, lifeguards, policemen, and even the touts, simultaneously started picking up the trash. Huge bulldozers drove around gathering the piles that were created. They even gathered trash from the ocean. This went on for miles up and down the beach for quite a long time.

Shortly after the cleaning frenzy died down, a "press conference" was held not too far from where we sat (a swarm of cameramen and journalists standing around some official in a baseball hat), which was aired on the local news channels that night. He proclaimed that Kuta was not even close to "hell," as Time magazine had said, and that tourist should come and experience the new, cleaner Bali for themselves. Unfortunately, we didnt get any pictures of dirty Kuta, but clean frenzy 2011 was quite successful.



In case you have never heard of Kuta, its basically the Australian Cancun. Its a short flight away from most Australian big cities and its packed with bars and clubs (which are in turn packed with drunken Aussies in beer tank tops). The Bali airport is nearby and serves as the jump off point for most tourism in Indonesia. This kind of place really isnt what we were looking for, so we only spent a little time here on each end of the trip for logistical reasons. The real Indonesia lurks not too far away and is far more intriguing than nightly all you can drink $0.12 beers at the Sky Garden Nightclub. (yeah ok fine, those are a little intriguing too)

we only cost $0.60!!!

If you want to read the article...

Time Magazine Bali article

Great Success.

We did it.
July 26, 2010 - May 27, 2011.

We went around the earth, in a generally eastern trajectory, starting in New York, and ending in New York.

We visited 15 countries in 305 days, in 40 planes, and at 109 hotels/apartments/teahouses/campsites.

Its totally too early to get all sappy and talk about how Ive changed and how my outlook on life has shifted, especially since our lack of speedy internet had prevented us from even sharing with you just about half of the trip. So, before I go down the road of self-reflection, I'll catch you up on the rest of our travels. And yes, it will be out of order, but I've posted on the side the actual path we took you can see where we went and in what order.

I just want to quickly thank everyone for reading the blog while we were gone and supporting us on our trip - It really means alot. I hope you will keep reading the blog as we try to catch you up on our travels, now with functioning internets. (which means more pictures! hooray!)

Annie.

Kiwi Experience

We've just left New Zealand after spending 6 weeks driving through the country, starting in the north in Auckland, and ending in the south in Queenstown. I know we are skipping ahead in the blog, so Ill quickly catch you up. After laying on the beaches in Thailand we did spend alot of time doing other southeast Asian things: we traveled around the northern moutainous part of Thailand, headed to Cambodia to see the ancient temples of Ankgor Wat and to volunteer at a school, and lastly spent 10 days traveling around southern and central Australia with Matt's parents. These experiences were amazing and must be written about, but it will have to wait until later.

The only other country we've been lucky enough to visit for 6 weeks was Argentina. As was our experience there, you really get to see a different side of the culture, the people, and the land than you would see on vacation. Both countries are amazing and unforgettable in different ways. However, something about New Zealand has left a very deep and permanent mark on me. It will take longer than 36 hours since we left to really process our experience there, but with fresh memories in my head, I want to show you the New Zealand we have been lucky enough to know.

10 Favorite things
1. Hiking the Routeburn Track

2. Driving around in Sunny, our beloved rental Nissan with a 36 day contract.


3. Swimming with dolphins in Kaikoura


4. Camping at truly stunning campsites.

5. Paragliding from Coronet Peak in Queenstown. (And also seeing Matt's pictures from his skydive)


6. Wine Tasting


7. Hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing

8. Walking on a glacier


9. Hiking the Abel Tasman track

10. Sheep and Ducks and Cows.



Yes its an awesome country, but these are my gripes.
1. Sandflies. (These are Matts ankles, swollen from about 15 sandfly bites)

2. Sandflies.

3. There are 2 roads. Highway 1 and Highway 6. Everything else is pebbles and gravel. And theres nonstop construction on those 2 roads. (this is a major road)

4. Why is coffee $4? And why is it $4.50 when you want it to-go?

5. Sandflies.

6. Check out time of all hotels, hostels, and campgrounds is 10am. Regardless of whether or not your tent is still sopping wet from last nights 8-hour rainstorm.

7. The speed limit around dangerous mountain curves is inexplicably 100kmph. And people listen to the sign regardless of what makes sense. (One lane road, edge of a cliff, no guardrail)


8.`Sandflies

9. Does bungy jumping really need to cost $240?? And who is A J Hackett???

10. Greymouth is an excellent name for a city. Its a mouth of a river, and its very gray all the time. However, city is not a good name for Greymouth. Its more like a rural Pennsylvanian steel mining town when no one has been mining steel for 100 years. Note: this is the biggest "city" on the west coast of the South Island.


We have posted more photos on Facebook - here is the public link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=626629&id=591025127&l=3b3b7d65a3

The Sh*t They Should Have Shown II

Hello everybody, I know you have seen a fair share of great landscape photos, sunsets, and macro food pictures from our trip; but here's some different kind of photos in the second "the sh*t they should have shown".


Oh sign, You had me at "Sliperpy". Koh Phi Phi Ley, Thailand.


Super Annie Bros. Macau


"Left", "Right", "Left". Ok no rastas. safe to cross. Pai, Thailand


Uh... we have about 12 different variations of similar pictures. Annie with real pandas/panda babies/panda pictures/blow up pandas/pandas in santa hats, etc. Macao.

Those pesky non Thais! Bangkok, Thailand


Nepalica! Rock!! Bhaktapur, Nepal


The unknown part of this picture is that after I fired my crossbow, I missed the target and shot my arrow THROUGH the open hole/window and it proceeded to travel a good 100 feet and easily could have speared a few passing chickens or small children. village outside Mae Hong Son, Thailand.

Hungry for a quick snack? maybe a slice of nyc pizza? how about some some f8ckin scorpions! Bangkok, Thailand

uh...I guess it was time for a haircut. Pokhara, Nepal.


Not exactly the US National team practice facilities. Mae Hong Son, Thailand
What you wouldn't hug the giant Chang beer you found at the Chiang Mai Reggae Festival at 3 am? Chiang Mai, Thailand.

mmmm...the privacy of your own street massage. I had the privilege to pay $2 USD to lay on a dirty mattress on a Thai street corner and have a 5 foot tall Thai man stand on my back for 30 mins. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

lol. Koh Phangan, Thailand.

Namaste Ronald. Chiang Mai, Thailand.

On a side of a well traveled, old temple. Those crazy hindus. Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Chinese fish foot massage. The fish literally EAT the bottom of your foot as food. Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Bieber in China! You can't escape Bieber anywhere! Zhuhai, China.

Look closely. Make sure you don't miss that 8 am to Baghdad Intl. Dubai.



Annie reminiscing about the time she had to walk barefoot to a neighboring village over a rocky path for 4 miles just to pick up some eggs. Bandipur, Nepa.

I'm not sure what is going on here, but all I know is that this was a serious sign. Koh Phi Phi, Thailand.


Sure, I know you are thinking: traveling for this long is always easy and fun. Well let me tell you one morning you may find yourself having lost 12 pounds as a result of a himalayan trek, 2 bouts of food poisoning, standing by the side of the "highway" outside a small town in Nepal looking for specific bus which may or may not be coming, while hoping it doesn't rain. If that happens, you'll find yourself looking like this wretched bastard. Bandipur, Nepal.


And just to end this on a better, here is a happy and healthy Annie just a few days earlier. Pokhara, Nepal.

All's Fine For Us In NZ

Hey just a quick note for those of you who might have been worried.

Annie and I were (ironically) on a volcano hiking yesterday on the north island in between Lake Taupo and Wellington during the earthquake and we didn't feel anything and heard the news when back in town. We are now in the Wellington area and obviously will be avoiding the Christchurch area now.

Hope all is well,
Matt

Thailand Beach Adventures.

The first stop on the 2nd half of The Trip was supposed to be Bali. In fact, when we originally decided to take the trip, our first stop was Australia since we hadnt even thought that we could go to Bali. And definitely not Thailand. One of the main criteria of taking the trip was going places where Matt could easily find food he could eat. After some initial research, we found Bali would be doable. After talking to travelers along the road, we learned that Thailand would be doable as well, and possibly even easier than Bali. (Apparently our South East Asia research skills suck) After many planning sessions in Pokhara, Nepal over cheap Everest beers, it was decided that Thailand and Cambodia would come on board and everything else would have to change. The 2nd half of the trip now goes:
Thailand
Cambodia
Southeastern Australia
New Zealand
The rest of eastern Australia
Indonesia
Hawaii
Alamo
NYC.
For now.

Getting to our first Thai destination was an epic journey - a good way to start off traveling after 10 days of slacking on Mom's couch. San Francisco to Hong Kong. layover. Hong Kong to Bangkok. Immigration. Bangkok for 12 hours with no hotel or place to shake off the jetlag. Scarf down Subway sandwich on Khao San Road. Nine hour overnight bus ride to Chumporn. Four hour ferry ride from Chumporn to Koh Tao, and Koh Tao to Koh Phangan. Ride on the back of a pick up truck to beach resort. Room isnt ready for 3 hours. Sit and get really really hot. The whole thing took 48 hours from Alamo to hotel room with no shower, no bed, and like 7 airplane/bus/boat meals. This is whats all about, right?

(and I realize its winter for most people reading this now, so I apologize in advance if this is cruel)

It was worth it though. Koh Phangan, which has a reputation for its famous ruckus full moon parties, is beauitful. It had more palm trees and tropical plants than any island I'd ever seen. The beaches are white powdery sand and the water is clear with shades of aquamarines and greens. Phangan was great intro to the Thai islands and made for a really fun full-moon party New Years Eve. As every hotel on the island demands 5 night stays during New Years week, we spent a few days swimming, kayaking, and also took a boat out to Angthong National Marine Park - which is where the island in the movie "The Beach" is supposed to be. After Koh Phangan, we headed to Railay Beach, home of the most impressive limestone cliffs Thailand has to offer. They tower above the white beaches and are now famous for being the best rock climbing jungle gym in the region. The only way to get to Railay Beach is by longtail, the iconic boat of Thailand. Longtails serve as taxis throughout the islands as there are many places not accessible by motorized vehicle and have waters so shallow that ferries cant get to them. There are no piers in bays where the tides can change the waterline by as much as 100 yards. Therefore, you must take off the flops, hike up your shorts, and wade out to the boat, luggage in hand. Once you arrive at your destination, you jump out into the surf, grab your bags and hope a wave doesnt take you out on your walk back to shore. Anyway, when in Railay, one must rock climb, so rock climb we did. Matt, climbed well. Me, not so much. But the views were incredible and at least we tried.
Next stop, Koh Jam - another island with no ferry access. In fact, the island is so remote that the ferry stops in the middle of the water and longtails drive up to the ferry. You must transfer both bags and person onto the longtail without safety of solid ground - a very unique way to arrive at an island. For 300 Baht a night (about $10) we were picked up from the ferry and greeted with mango juice, our own bamboo hut complete with mosquito net, and bikes for rent. We rode bikes up and down the 4km long beach all day, stopping along the way for a fruit shake and to check out the sand crabs in the tidepools. We then drove in towards the island's only village, and this is where things got a little muddy. Or alot muddy - depends which one of us you talk to. About a 3km ride from the safety of our bamboo roof, the sky opened up and poured a good Southeast Asian 10 minute monsoon on top of us. Clothing soaked and red dirt roads now muddy pools of well, mud. By the time we made it back to the beach both our bikes were caked with a thick layer of red slop, as were Matt's legs, Matt's bathing suit, Matt's sandals, and just about everything else on Matt. Somehow I made it mudless, which is still a sore spot.



Koh Lanta is about an hour ferry ride south of Koh Jam and is most known for beach resorts and diving. Since we dont dive, we decided to spend our time their riding a motorbike up and down the main island road visiting all the beaches on the west coast. This was a really good idea as long as someone knows how to ride a motorbike and would have been really fun I'm sure. Within literally 2 minutes of having rented the bike, I rammed our shiny pink bike into the bikeshop owner's bike. Aside from earning a toe owie and a few bruises, I walked away from the rental shop and Koh Lanta embarrassed and a 250 baht bike rental fee poorer.
icing the toe.

If there is one island that you must visit in all of the Thai Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, its Koh Phi Phi. This is what you think of when you think of Thai beaches - shallow aquamarine water on silken white sand beaches. Rock karst formations all around. Palm trees and fruit drinks with pineapple slices on the side. Aside of Koh Phangan, we spent the most time here. One night was spent camping in Maya Bay, the actually beach used for filming in the movie The Beach. (it really is that perfect) The rest of the time was spent snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, nearly being attacked by monkeys....the usual. Unfortunately, amongst all the beach fun, we did lose one of our cameras to the aquamarine water in a sticky ocean-kayaking situation. Rest in peace, crappy Kodak. Overall, Thai islands get 4 thumbs up. We spent time the best beaches we've ever seen in the world. However, because there is such a large amount of foreign tourism on most of the Thai islands, I can't say that we walked away from the south with a firm grasp on the Thai culture or the Thai people. What I can say is that after seeing how beautiful the islands were and how unique the landscape was, we boarded our flight to Chiang Mai with alot of excitement to see the rest of Thailand.

On a side note, I would like to say that I really do appreciate the Asian cultural habit of taking off one's shoes before entering a house/business/restaurant. However, I think I draw the line when drunken travelers somehow stop paying attention to the shoes they are putting on when leaving an establishment and end up somehow with my Left Flip-Flop. Where ever you are Left Flip-Flop, I hope you are enjoying yourself. I walked around Thailand for 2 weeks looking like an idiot with your new owner's crappy fake left flip flop and my sad right one:

I have since purchased new flip flops (Thai brand, recycled rubber, $6) - I no longer look like a bag lady.