typhoon peipah
good news everyone!!! there is a typhoon approaching Vietnam and we are smack bang in the middle of its path! we'll be keeping an eye on the weather forecast for the next few days -eek!
vietnam
so I'm not going to write much now, I'm trying to keep decent notes so I can write something coherent when I get home
One week down and two weeks to go - everything is such an adventure, but it's getting easier now.
I'm still not sure when I say "Xin Chào" if I'm actually saying "hello" or "rice pudding" and or when I say "Cảm on" I'm saying "thank you" or "shut up". But a smile usually seems to clear things up!!
We've done so much, at the end of everyday it feels like we have had two days!!
We started in Ha Noi and then headed out to Halong Bay and stayed on Cat Ba Island, then back to Ha Noi and up to Sa Pa. We had a brilliant guide in Sa Pa - Tan - he totally made the whole trip.
ok, need to be out exploring instead of in an internet cafe!
until next time :)
Tạm Biệt
One week down and two weeks to go - everything is such an adventure, but it's getting easier now.
I'm still not sure when I say "Xin Chào" if I'm actually saying "hello" or "rice pudding" and or when I say "Cảm on" I'm saying "thank you" or "shut up". But a smile usually seems to clear things up!!
We've done so much, at the end of everyday it feels like we have had two days!!
We started in Ha Noi and then headed out to Halong Bay and stayed on Cat Ba Island, then back to Ha Noi and up to Sa Pa. We had a brilliant guide in Sa Pa - Tan - he totally made the whole trip.
ok, need to be out exploring instead of in an internet cafe!
until next time :)
Tạm Biệt
holy sh*t
so slightly delayed announcement, but Reid and I are now engaged!!!
It was very romantic, after a very long day hot day in Ha Noi Reid popped the question and the rest is history!! We were eating dinner in a very western (but welcome) restaurant called Cyclo - straight from the Lonely Planet. We managed to almost get conned into a hotel we didn't want to stay at, dropped on the wrong side of town and then walked into the wrong part of the Old Quarter. PLUS couldn't find the Ha Noi train station even after nearly two hours of searching!
no other plans so far tho - still need to get the ring sorted!
:)
It was very romantic, after a very long day hot day in Ha Noi Reid popped the question and the rest is history!! We were eating dinner in a very western (but welcome) restaurant called Cyclo - straight from the Lonely Planet. We managed to almost get conned into a hotel we didn't want to stay at, dropped on the wrong side of town and then walked into the wrong part of the Old Quarter. PLUS couldn't find the Ha Noi train station even after nearly two hours of searching!
no other plans so far tho - still need to get the ring sorted!
:)
singapore
so it's been a while!!
Reid and I are off to Vietnam for THREE fabulous weeks!!!
Reid is attempting to blog his every moment, by the time we were on the plane ready for take off from Melbourne he had already created three posts! So I thought I might make an effort too!
so here we are in Singapore airport killing time before our connection to Hanoi . . . . . . I'm a little sleepy and riding on excitement!
Reid and I are off to Vietnam for THREE fabulous weeks!!!
Reid is attempting to blog his every moment, by the time we were on the plane ready for take off from Melbourne he had already created three posts! So I thought I might make an effort too!
so here we are in Singapore airport killing time before our connection to Hanoi . . . . . . I'm a little sleepy and riding on excitement!
Wilson's Prom
Over Easter Reid and I headed down to Wilson's Prom. The weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful, and we had a great relaxing time!!
We walked to the top of Mt Oberon for a great view (and saw an ant that was at least an inch long!!)
Hung out at the beach
Went on a bike ride
Checked out the local craft market . . . . . doh!
Watched the sunset
I wonder - if John Howard can deny the existence of climate change, then farmers probably could make a good argument not to stick to water restrictions???
On our bike ride we came across this lone sprinkler watering what appears to be a small circle of grass . . . . . clearly very important
We walked to the top of Mt Oberon for a great view (and saw an ant that was at least an inch long!!)
Hung out at the beach
Went on a bike ride
Checked out the local craft market . . . . . doh!
Watched the sunset
I wonder - if John Howard can deny the existence of climate change, then farmers probably could make a good argument not to stick to water restrictions???
On our bike ride we came across this lone sprinkler watering what appears to be a small circle of grass . . . . . clearly very important
Great Ocean Road II
Over Australia Day weekend Reid and I headed down the Great Ocean Road. Here are a few snap shots from the trip
Traffic was pretty heavy on the way down so we stopped a plenty of lookouts to stretch our legs
We also visited the Otway Fly. I have been there before with Mum and Dad but it was pouring with rain and that created quite a different atmosphere - this time the trees didn't seem to capture my attention quite the same
We completed one section of the Great Ocean Walk. I was prepared for an all day adventure - however we completed the return trip in a little over two and a half hours.
Here we are at the car park
The view at the start of the walk was pretty good (Great Ocean-y)
But most of the time it was just scrub
and very windy!
Here we are at the end of the walk
We visited the 12 Apostles and Thunder Cave - again the weather was very calm so not quite as exciting as the last trip
May 2006
January 2007
but spectacular nonetheless
and of course it's not a trip in Oz without creepy crawlies
We stayed at a pretty daggy motel in Port Campbell. It had a kettle and toaster - but no cutlery, so if we hadn't bought our own we'd have had trouble buttering our toast!! And the jug was too big to fit under the tap in the sink so we had to fill it up in the bath!! Funny!
It was a nice trip - great to get out and see more of Australia
Traffic was pretty heavy on the way down so we stopped a plenty of lookouts to stretch our legs
We also visited the Otway Fly. I have been there before with Mum and Dad but it was pouring with rain and that created quite a different atmosphere - this time the trees didn't seem to capture my attention quite the same
We completed one section of the Great Ocean Walk. I was prepared for an all day adventure - however we completed the return trip in a little over two and a half hours.
Here we are at the car park
The view at the start of the walk was pretty good (Great Ocean-y)
But most of the time it was just scrub
and very windy!
Here we are at the end of the walk
We visited the 12 Apostles and Thunder Cave - again the weather was very calm so not quite as exciting as the last trip
May 2006
January 2007
but spectacular nonetheless
and of course it's not a trip in Oz without creepy crawlies
We stayed at a pretty daggy motel in Port Campbell. It had a kettle and toaster - but no cutlery, so if we hadn't bought our own we'd have had trouble buttering our toast!! And the jug was too big to fit under the tap in the sink so we had to fill it up in the bath!! Funny!
It was a nice trip - great to get out and see more of Australia
West Coast - NZ
Reid and I spent two weeks in NZ over xmas.
I spent the first week travelling down the West Coast of the South Island with Mum and Dad - which was absolutely spectacular - here's a quick summary:
Green as far as the eye can see - green hills, green fields, green rivers (in contrast to Australia which is brown/red as far as the eye can see). For New Zealand, 2006 was the year of rain, flooding, and landslides - this TVNZ news article summarises the year of bad weather in NZ over the past year.
weatherboard homes - esp in lime green
blue and yellow letter boxes - EVERYONE has one!
it was a very quiet trip, with lots of stops to take in the view - here are a few snap shots:
A few people pics
A little local humour
Local tourism promotion
Local wildlife
Mt Cook (Aoraki) & Tasman
Sunrise at Fox
Fox Glacier
Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks)
Lake Paringa
The End of the Road - Jackson Bay
I spent the first week travelling down the West Coast of the South Island with Mum and Dad - which was absolutely spectacular - here's a quick summary:
Green as far as the eye can see - green hills, green fields, green rivers (in contrast to Australia which is brown/red as far as the eye can see). For New Zealand, 2006 was the year of rain, flooding, and landslides - this TVNZ news article summarises the year of bad weather in NZ over the past year.
weatherboard homes - esp in lime green
blue and yellow letter boxes - EVERYONE has one!
it was a very quiet trip, with lots of stops to take in the view - here are a few snap shots:
A few people pics
A little local humour
Local tourism promotion
Local wildlife
Mt Cook (Aoraki) & Tasman
Sunrise at Fox
Fox Glacier
Punakaiki (Pancake Rocks)
Lake Paringa
The End of the Road - Jackson Bay
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