Home Sweet Home

Well, we have done it!!!!

48 days, 7 countries and many friends have made our 'round the world' adventure something that Amy & I will be able to reflect on for many years ahead! It was an awesome trip with many highlights and once in a life time opportunities. We took various forms of transport, experienced new cultures and tasted new delicacies.

To the loyal readers, thank you for keeping up with this blog. This will be the last blog for a little while, as I need some time to organise the next adventure. There's always more to explore in this wonderful world!

Best view of the house

We have made it to our final destination before heading home from our trip. At Chiang Mai airport, we were greeted by Jen (my sister, who is spending a year in Thailand with Australian Youth Ambassadors) and Gra (my bro, who was in Thailand for the week after spending three weeks on holidays in Bangladesh). We were able to have dinner together before Gra headed back home.

A definite highlight for us was our trip to the Mae Sa Elephant Camp. Amy & I enjoyed a 1/2 hour ride through the lush rainforest on an 34 year old female elephant named Mae Sai. At the elephant show we watched in amazement the skills and talents of the elephants and their trainers. Did you know that elephants can play soccer, paint, & play the mouth organ??? Very talented!!! And, the best thing was that the elephants appeared to love it!

Today, the three of us went to "The Best Thai Cooking Class". We cooked several courses including: stir fries, curries, sticky rice (Kerry - remind me to give you the recipe!), papaya salad, spring rolls and the traditional western Thai option - Pad Thai! It was a brilliant day and we thoroughly enjoyed having a chance to eat the food that we cooked. Needless to say, we don't need to eat for a week.

(Photo: Thai "adventure" style cooking - The initial flame almost reached the ceiling!)

Like sands through the hour glass...

...these are the days in Dubai...

(There is a lot of contention in the room at the moment regarding this blog title. Just to acknowledge the other suggestions, here they are: "Sand & the City", "In the desert" and "What a Souq".)

Let me explain... after flying from Toronto via Heathrow, we landed in the late evening in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the first time in the Middle East for me, so I was certainly intrigued by the experience that Amy & I would have. We were picked up by our Sydney friend, Huy, who is in Dubai on a working contract. Let me say, it is hot! The daily temperature ranges between 35 to 45 degress, with high humidity.Yesterday, we had a tour of the city including walking around a souq (i.e. market); viewing the seven star Burj Al Arab hotel; and watching skiers at Ski Dubai, an indoor skiing venue locating in the middle of the desert! In the afternoon we joined a desert safari involving 4wd sand dune bashing, camel riding, henna and a bbq dinner banquet with belly dancing entertainment. Huy & Amy had fun laughing at me when I was pulled up for a demo in front of the crowd!

Introducing... Megan & Rob Jarvis

With the stunning backdrop of the Station Creek golf course, it was a beautiful summer day in Toronto for the wedding of Rob and Megan (nee Harris). With Rob being part Aussie & part Canadian, both Rob & Megan declared their love and life long committment for each other in front of their Aussie/Canadian friends and family. They will be honeymooning in New York for five days before returning to their home in Townsville.

It was an honour and absolute pleasure to be able to join Megan in celebrating her marriage to Rob on the opposite side of the world. (It was also great to hear some familiar accents!)

Here are a few photos: Mr & Mrs R. Jarvis (see above); Amy, Megan & Alison enjoying the night before the wedding; and Megan & Alison cutting moves on the dance floor.

The Big Apple

With only two days in New York, we managed to squeeze in all of the tourist activities that we wanted to do including: boat trip around the Statute of Liberty; visits to Wall St & WTC Site; horse drawn carriage trip around Central Park; attendance at a Yankees game (Yankees defeated BlueJays 6 to 1); walking around Times Square in the day and at night; and watching the Broadway show "Rent". It was fantastic to be joined by our fellow 'round the world' travellers, Nick & Em, for our time touring NY.

Just a little note on sleeping... as some people may know, I can sleep anywhere. But, I feel this time that I have pushed the limits. Did you know that it is possible to fall asleep on an open double decker bus as it drives around NY? (Unfortunately, there is some photographic proof of this, but you won't be seeing that posted on this blog anytime soon.)

Sleepless in Seattle

To date Amy & I have been quite blessed when it comes to our various forms of transport arriving and departing according to schedule. Well, that time has come to an end...

All was going well on our departure from Seattle - our bags were packed and we were onboard our plane. Two hours later we were still sitting on the plane at Seattle while the engineers were checking out a mechanical issue with the fuel tank. Four hours later (after occupying ourselves & fellow travellers with 'take two', reading and chatting), it was announced that our plane was cancelled. With most planes already full in the busy holiday period, the next plane available for us was the following morning via Chicago.

So, the next morning, we successfully managed to fly to Chicago with no hiccups. On the second leg, however, we were again sitting on the plane ready to go when an announcement came over the speakers that it too was suffering mechanical issues and the plane would be cancelled. Fortunately, however, they were able to organise a replacement plane for us and we were soon enough back in the air. We arrived in NY approx 24 hours after our initial scheduled time.

Thankfully, we did not have any connecting flights nor any real issues with being a day late. The only real impact for us was to have only 2 days in NY instead of 3. Amy & I were very pragmatic about the ordeal. Compared to our experience last year in PNG (where we were stuck in a remote airport for 10 hours with no food, water or amenities), being stuck in Seattle with running water, food vouchers & a hotel was a breeze!

Take me down to the ball game

It is not possible to fully immerse oneself in the American culture without attending a baseball game. Amy & I watched the Seattle Mariners beat the Detroit Tigers 6 to 4 in a home ground game. The game had it all, including a home run with full loaded bases, hot dogs, free supporter t-shirts and entertainment between each innings.

Mum... I have a little souvenir for you...

Well, when I think of Alaska, one of the main things that I think of are Alaskan huskies. Amy & I had the opportunity to visit an Alaksan Dog Sled & Mushers Camp. Included in our tour was a sled ride being pulled by a team of 16 dogs and then an opportunity to cuddle some 6 week old pups (soooooo cute!! & they fit so well in my luggage!... I'm sure customs will understand when they take a peak!!).

Mum, would you mind looking after him for me while I'm overseas?!?!

George of the Jungle

Have you ever wanted to fly between trees while beating your hands against your chest & taking in the breathtaking scenery around you? Well, I had my opportunity today as I took part in the the Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Adventure.

The location for this adventure was Ketchikan, Alaska. With the dubious honour of being the 3rd highest place in the world with the most rainfall, you can imagine that I was pretty happy when I arrived at Ketchikan to a day of beautiful weather with plenty of sunshine. We have been very fortunate with our weather to date with only one day of rain!

Anyway, back to the jungle, with a full bottom & chest harness, I went on several ziplines over 300 feet about the ground as I made my way through the lush rainforest. Absolutely sensational. I hope the few photos do it justice.

The Boys

This blog is dedicated to our USA friends Mike & Tyler who have kindly taken us under their wings in exploring the USA & Canada. For those who are not aware, Amy has a certain flair in rhyming poetry. Below is a reflective poem of our friendships with the boys and of our trip.

Mike and Tyler were dismayed, that until this point in time,
There's been no blog dedicated to them - so now, hence comes this rhyme.
We'll try and describe as best we can, the fun along the way,
That we've had with these two blokes, in Canada and the US each day.

Let's begin at the start of the story; it's much easer that at the end,
It was on a tour of New Zealand that Mike became a friend.
6 months later, after emails with news, a trip to Australia was set,
And a catch up with Mike was had, and his pal Tyler Perry we met.

Now 4 years on we met Mike in Hawaii, while he took some time off work;
As a pharmacist in a busy hospital, is young Mike's usual lurk.
Many sights we saw in Honolulu, after $2 buses Mike mastered,
Drinking Mai Tai's together at sunset, and eating pizza with lettuce (on top) while it lasted.

A couple of days in San Diego we visited, staying in Mike's lovely home,
Banana and yoghurt was there for our breakky, to give us energy to roam.
Our hike was not quite the bushwalks, that we're used to back in our Aust,
Following a dirt track with no trees nearby, there was no fear of getting lost.

Sea kayaking in the bay near Mike's place, was a great way to spend some time,
And energy recouped from 'The Best Hamburger in the World', was worth the wait in line.
We also tasted the local cuisine, Mike's recommended Mexican was yummy,
And to watch Mike squirm during Amy's first drive, certainly was pretty funny.

After a quick stay with Mike's folks in Los Angeles, and meeting his brothers family,
Us girls with Mike and Tyler went to Disneyland, where all sang 'It's a small world' with 'glee'.
Mike then went back home, Tyler the sole new man of the group
As a Nevada highschool teacher, this holiday was (meant to be) time to recoup.

From there the first stop was Las Vegas, seeing nearly all on the strip,
David Copperfiled was awesome at MGM Grand, and his methods we just couldn't grip.
Onto Tyler's homeland in Montana we went, and all of his family we met,
We tried horseriding, and flyfishing, visited the local rodeo, and quality time reading was spent.

Tyler loves reading, many books he has read,
But a new hobby is hot tubs, after walks when legs feel dead.
We went on many long hikes walking 10's of kilometres some days,
Through all of Canada, seeing lakes and mountains, was all the craze.

Tyler was a leader of style, when it came to the dress code of travel,
Shorts with holes in the legs and the butt, made this distinction naturally unravel.
He was also a man of good taste in music, with lots of good songs for the road,
Rascall Flatts, Casting Crowns and Marc Cohn, were some of the favourites in Taurus with its load.

At times there was tension, but not long before relief,
Like at the Canada border, when Ali couldn't start the car with the keys.
Poor Tyler was in the hot water, on the second border encounter,
Having to explain how he knew the two Aussies, with a car window that he couldn't lower.

Both the boys were pretty good hosts, showing us the US they love,
And conversation along the way, challenged beyond and above
Usual chatter centres on weather and people, but ours was on religion and politics,
Many discussions on creation, Catholicism, Christianity and all facets of relationships.

Now the boys are back home, their time ended on the road,
They must be in recovery, now they've dropped off the A&A load.
We're now better friends with the road trip as the cause,
Mike and Tyler, thanks for the memories, and consider this blog yours.

Thanks again guys for making this trip a memorable one!!

Maiden voyage... or maidens on a voyage

Well, after three and half weeks on the road, it is time for our mid-vacation vacation. Amy & I have now farwelled Tyler & his trusty beast of a car for a somewhat bigger vehicle... the Golden Princess.

(Photos: Left- The view out of cabin window; and Right- Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska with another boat in the foreground)

As you may well imagine, the demographics of our cruise are different to the category that Amy & I are classified in. I think about 95% of our fellow travellers were either retired or on their honeymoon. With many people choosing 07/07/07 to be married, our cruise was a popular wedding & honeymoon destination.

Amy & I held the "Maidens of the Voyage sports tournament" on one afternoon. After a game of checkers (we didn't know how to play chess), miniature tennis & putt putt golf, Amy & I secured equal first overall on the podium!

With the ability to eat at anytime, anywhere & with anyone, the buffet sitting areas was a great way to meet our fellow travellers. On one particular evening, we were joined at our table by a solo traveller. Trudi, with her 82nd birthday this Sunday, was on her 80th cruise!! Amazing!! Trudi had the ship's honour of being the person on the ship with the most number of cruises under her belt. Amy & I must have left her with a decent impression as Trudi then invited us to be her special guests at the Captain's special cocktail party where she was given an award for her efforts. What an honour! Below is a photo of Amy & I with Trudi and our ship captain, David Calabrese.

Being Prepared

So, Amy & I are traveling for 7 weeks. As you can imagine, packing for this length of time and for several different climates can be quite difficult. Amy & I adopted the "layering" approach to packing clothing - i.e. we would wear several lighter layers of clothing if the weather was to turn cooler.

This method would ordinarily suffice however.... we have been traveling in a "special" car. It's minor ailments include: the drivers' window being stuck shut (not good when you are crossing international borders and need to hand over the passport while "remaining in your vehicle") and the front passenger window being stuck open. In terms of temperature control, both of these ailments have their advantages and disadvantages. On any average temperature day, it provides a great air flow in the vehicle. On any hotter day it means the driver and their companions need to ensure adequate hydration replaces the mass fluid loss. And, on the cooler (to freezing) days, it means the driver and their companions use all available clothing (two to three jackets each, beanies etc) to keep hypothermia at bay.

We should have taken this approach to staying warm on our visit to Athabasca Glacier. Taking into account the name of the passage we were visiting (i.e. Iceland Parkway) and that we were visiting a glacier, we should have had a clue that our summer wardrobe would not provide adequate coverage. Below are two photographs: The first shows both Tyler & I forcefully smiling as we take a photograph of us freezing on the glacier. The second photo shows an aussie dressed in shorts (vs other more prepared tourists in the foreground), with the outside temperature being close to zero degrees celsius.

So wrong, but oh so right

Ok, there are several things that are different in the US, compared with down under. One of the most significant details is driving on the right hand side of the road.

Under the expert tuition of both Mike & Tyler, Amy & I have both managed to conquer the art of driving on the wrong side of the road without too many dramas. We are just thankful that we were able to learn on the easy highways rather than in LA (what a mess!). Our key line to remember when approaching an intersection is.... "LONG LEFT".

Doing it tough and not so tough

Tyler, Amy & I have now concluded our tour of the Canadian Rockies. In summary, the spectacular scenery and vastness of the wilderness far exceeded my expectations.

We spent 5 days traveling from Calgary to Kamloops, via both Banff and Jasper. We completed many short to medium length walks during these days and viewed several lakes & scenic spots, including the famous Lake Louise.

Taking into consideration that we are in fact on holidays, we did ensure that we did relax appropriately after a few hard days of hiking... We took advantage of every hot spring, hot tub, spa & pool available to us. With the water temperature at 39 degrees celsius, the Banff Upper Hot Springs were certainly a favourite.

Wildlife, geysers & rainbows...

Welcome to Yellowstone National Park...

Nestled in the USA state of Wyoming, Yellowstone offers a variety of things to watch in ore of wonder.

**IMPORTANT INFORMATION**
The main thing to know when entering a national park or driving around nature is to observe the other vehicles on the road. For example, if you see one car parked on the side of the road it general means that someone in the car required a pit stop. Therefore, don't look. If, however, there are two or more cars parked on the side of the road, it means that there is something to watch and/or take a photo of. For example, an elk or bison.

Highlights of our day in Yellowstone include: Observing the geysers resting on the shore of Yellowstone Lake; Stopping on the side of the road to take photos of elks & bisons; and seeing a beautiful rainbow over the top of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon.