Hello,
After the awful day we had with the visa run to Cambodia, we went straight back to Koh Chang - a small island off the north gulf coast of Thailand. We stayed there until yesterday and had the most relaxing and fantastic time!
We got into a bit of a routine of lazily getting up just before lunch time, strolling over to a local cafe for brunch, where we re-discovered our deep love for English tea! Then we stayed in the cafe for 2 or 3 hours reading, writing in our diaries or playing sudoku, and after this we headed straight for the beach for most of the afternoon. And after a quick shower we would head out to have dinner at one of our favourite spots showing a few movies every night. As boring as it sounds, we did almost the same routine every day and we loved every minute of it!
A few days ago, whilst having our morning tea in our usual brunch spot, we noticed that one of the local men was holding and stroking something that looked like a rat!! With obvious curiosity I approached and on closer inspection realised that he was holding a new-born baby monkey!! He handed it over to me - it just about fit in my hand, it was shaking and sucking its thumb and looking for anything else to suck like mine and Laurence's fingers, and it still had its umbillical cord! Although it looked like the sweetest little creature, it seemed so vulnerable and defenseless and it really needed its mummy. I have no idea how they got hold of it and what happened to it after we gave it back to the men, as we never saw them again, but I really hope they returned it to its mum.
Koh Chang was soo relaxed and the beach where we stayed had everything we needed. The only reason we came back to Bangkok so early is that it was a bit too expensive on the island and we feel we know Bangkok well enough to save most money out here. So we plan on staying here for the final stretch until we come home - it's so close now and we are both getting very excited! We cant wait to see everyone and get right into the Christmas spirit.
That's all for now - lots of love from us both,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Monday, December 7, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Koh Chang + The Dreaded Visa Run
Hellooo!
We are writing at the end of a ridiculously exhausting and frustrating day, doing a visa run to extend our Thai visa at the Cambodian border. So we might use the blog to let off some steam, if you don't mind!
So this "interesting" day started off with us leaving our lovely beach accommodation in Koh Chang - a paradise Thai island, to start making our way to the Cambodian border, which we did not reach until 1pm. There we had to argue with rather intimidating Cambodian Immigration Police who were trying to rip us off by charging twice the normal visa fee. When we refused to pay the extra amount and sat there for half an hour in a staring contest with five of them, they finally gave in and we got our visas for $20 each, the correct price. A short lived victory however, as 2 minutes later we were told that since we weren't staying in the country for at least 1 day, we would have to pay $10 each... So one way or another they managed to rip off the foreigners... And when we eventually got our Thai visa, already in a terrible mood and with a bitter taste of corruption, we headed to the nearest bus stop. After waiting for over 1 hour for a van to our destination and being majorly jerked around by the transport people (and that's a whole other story), we finally bused, ferried and tuk tuk-ed our way back to our place, in Koh Chang by around 10pm.
And now for the good news - we have been staying in Koh Chang for about 3-4 days so far and it is amazing!!! The beaches are beautiful and we are absolutely loving it here - that's why we may stay for another week or so, before going to Bangkok for the final stretch. We'll put photos up as soon as we can, and until then - let the tanning continue!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
We are writing at the end of a ridiculously exhausting and frustrating day, doing a visa run to extend our Thai visa at the Cambodian border. So we might use the blog to let off some steam, if you don't mind!
So this "interesting" day started off with us leaving our lovely beach accommodation in Koh Chang - a paradise Thai island, to start making our way to the Cambodian border, which we did not reach until 1pm. There we had to argue with rather intimidating Cambodian Immigration Police who were trying to rip us off by charging twice the normal visa fee. When we refused to pay the extra amount and sat there for half an hour in a staring contest with five of them, they finally gave in and we got our visas for $20 each, the correct price. A short lived victory however, as 2 minutes later we were told that since we weren't staying in the country for at least 1 day, we would have to pay $10 each... So one way or another they managed to rip off the foreigners... And when we eventually got our Thai visa, already in a terrible mood and with a bitter taste of corruption, we headed to the nearest bus stop. After waiting for over 1 hour for a van to our destination and being majorly jerked around by the transport people (and that's a whole other story), we finally bused, ferried and tuk tuk-ed our way back to our place, in Koh Chang by around 10pm.
And now for the good news - we have been staying in Koh Chang for about 3-4 days so far and it is amazing!!! The beaches are beautiful and we are absolutely loving it here - that's why we may stay for another week or so, before going to Bangkok for the final stretch. We'll put photos up as soon as we can, and until then - let the tanning continue!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Monday, November 23, 2009
Hua Hin, Thailand
Hello!
Sorry we haven't updated on things in the past week - I guess we didn't think that enough had happened to write a new blog, but after a few concerned (and very sweet) emails we thought we should update you on where we are.
After Cambodia, we went straight to Bangkok, where we spent 3 pretty uneventful nights. We have sort of learnt our way around here, so we tend to spend our evenings either watching movies in cafes or going to the cinema! As you can see, not much has changed even out here!
After Bangkok we took a very comfy train down to Hua Hin, a popular sea side town which is a favourite holiday spot for the Thai Royals. We ended up staying in a room on stilts going out into the sea, which meant that every morning we were woken up by the sound of the waves crashing under our room! Although Hua Hin is nice, it is very touristy and busy, so we were missing our Cambodian paradise already... But it was great to catch up with our friends Kim and Frazer, who we met up with down there. We also got invited to a very special party at Frazer's dad's house in the Beverly Hills equivalent area there. First of all, the house itself was incredible and unlike anything we'd ever seen - it had completely open (ie. no walls or windows) living, dining and games room and the overall finish made it seem like a 5 star hotel! The party was really very posh, the Hilton had prepared the decorations and food, and it felt more like a wedding than a simple birthday party. Add to that it was a neverending buffet of delicious food and an open bar, and as you can imagine for 2 travelers - we were in heaven! lol The next day we slept until 4pm!!
Today is the second day after the party and we took the train back up to Bangkok and we will be making our way East, to a nice island near the Cambodian border, called Koh Chang. Our visa runs out on the 28th Nov, so we will have to pop over the border and back in to renew it.
So that's all for now. Thank you sooo much for the emails - we love reading them so keep them coming!
Lots of love from us both :o)))
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Sorry we haven't updated on things in the past week - I guess we didn't think that enough had happened to write a new blog, but after a few concerned (and very sweet) emails we thought we should update you on where we are.
After Cambodia, we went straight to Bangkok, where we spent 3 pretty uneventful nights. We have sort of learnt our way around here, so we tend to spend our evenings either watching movies in cafes or going to the cinema! As you can see, not much has changed even out here!
After Bangkok we took a very comfy train down to Hua Hin, a popular sea side town which is a favourite holiday spot for the Thai Royals. We ended up staying in a room on stilts going out into the sea, which meant that every morning we were woken up by the sound of the waves crashing under our room! Although Hua Hin is nice, it is very touristy and busy, so we were missing our Cambodian paradise already... But it was great to catch up with our friends Kim and Frazer, who we met up with down there. We also got invited to a very special party at Frazer's dad's house in the Beverly Hills equivalent area there. First of all, the house itself was incredible and unlike anything we'd ever seen - it had completely open (ie. no walls or windows) living, dining and games room and the overall finish made it seem like a 5 star hotel! The party was really very posh, the Hilton had prepared the decorations and food, and it felt more like a wedding than a simple birthday party. Add to that it was a neverending buffet of delicious food and an open bar, and as you can imagine for 2 travelers - we were in heaven! lol The next day we slept until 4pm!!
Today is the second day after the party and we took the train back up to Bangkok and we will be making our way East, to a nice island near the Cambodian border, called Koh Chang. Our visa runs out on the 28th Nov, so we will have to pop over the border and back in to renew it.
So that's all for now. Thank you sooo much for the emails - we love reading them so keep them coming!
Lots of love from us both :o)))
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Cambodia
Hello!
The day after the Mekong Delta we headed straight for Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital. Although we stayed there 2 nights, we only really explored the city for 1 day, but we managed to pack it full of interesting experiences.
Our first stop in Phnom Penh was the S21 prison, an old school which had been turned into a torture facility during Pol Pot times. We learned so much about the recent Cambodian history there. It was a dark and unsettling and for some, including myself, rather emotional. It is unbelievable that something so horrible as the Khmer Rouge happened as recently as 30 years ago. We also visited the infamous Killing Fields, where Pol Pot's executers piled thousands of bodies of professors, doctors, monks, children, women etc... who had been tortured in S21. What seems incredible is how despite their horrific history, Cambodians seem to be very happy, smiley, eager to help and honest people - and this only adds to the mysterious charm of this amazing country.
We got to experience the Cambodian hospitality later on, when on the way back to our hotel we got sucked into some birthday celebrations, Khmer style! So we sat for a few hours drinking beer and eating chicken's feet (only Laurence, thank God!) with some very friendly and generous locals.
On our third day in Cambodia we headed down for Sihanoukville, desperate to get to a beach! We found the most picture perfect, crystal clear, white sandy and quiet beach called Otres. We stayed in very simple accomodation, with electricity only coming on for a few hours in the evening, and no access to internet, TV or phone. But none of that mattered since we were in beach heaven, so we spent around 5 days just reading, swimming, occasionally eating and drinking the delicious local whisky. It was perfection!! So, it is easy to see why we couldn't pull ourselves away from there to go to Siem Reap and see Angkor. That will have to wait for another visit. And I'm sure there will be more visits to Cambodia!
So following a looooong travelling day yesterday, we are now back in Bangkok. We'll be meeting up with our friends Kim & Frazer down in Hua Hin in a few days, and we will report back soon after that!
In the mean time, don't be shy to write us emails - we love to hear from back home!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
The day after the Mekong Delta we headed straight for Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital. Although we stayed there 2 nights, we only really explored the city for 1 day, but we managed to pack it full of interesting experiences.
Our first stop in Phnom Penh was the S21 prison, an old school which had been turned into a torture facility during Pol Pot times. We learned so much about the recent Cambodian history there. It was a dark and unsettling and for some, including myself, rather emotional. It is unbelievable that something so horrible as the Khmer Rouge happened as recently as 30 years ago. We also visited the infamous Killing Fields, where Pol Pot's executers piled thousands of bodies of professors, doctors, monks, children, women etc... who had been tortured in S21. What seems incredible is how despite their horrific history, Cambodians seem to be very happy, smiley, eager to help and honest people - and this only adds to the mysterious charm of this amazing country.
We got to experience the Cambodian hospitality later on, when on the way back to our hotel we got sucked into some birthday celebrations, Khmer style! So we sat for a few hours drinking beer and eating chicken's feet (only Laurence, thank God!) with some very friendly and generous locals.
On our third day in Cambodia we headed down for Sihanoukville, desperate to get to a beach! We found the most picture perfect, crystal clear, white sandy and quiet beach called Otres. We stayed in very simple accomodation, with electricity only coming on for a few hours in the evening, and no access to internet, TV or phone. But none of that mattered since we were in beach heaven, so we spent around 5 days just reading, swimming, occasionally eating and drinking the delicious local whisky. It was perfection!! So, it is easy to see why we couldn't pull ourselves away from there to go to Siem Reap and see Angkor. That will have to wait for another visit. And I'm sure there will be more visits to Cambodia!
So following a looooong travelling day yesterday, we are now back in Bangkok. We'll be meeting up with our friends Kim & Frazer down in Hua Hin in a few days, and we will report back soon after that!
In the mean time, don't be shy to write us emails - we love to hear from back home!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Sunday, November 8, 2009
South Nam
Hello hello!
A quick update from us - all is well with me (Rozzi) now healthwise... the Dengue fever was weird but relatively painless and short-lived. Unfortunately, I think it tainted a few of our experiences in the North of Vietnam - moodswings etc (for once I have something to blame for those!).
So we stayed 3 days in Hue, which turned out to be very nice, and already we could feel the difference between North and the South, where the locals seemed to be a lot friendlier. From Hue, we headed down towards Hoi An - a lovely little town on the coast, with a strangely French feel with its narrow old streets and old architecture. We loved it there and we decided to stay 2 nights, whilst we waited for Laurence's 2 taylored suits and my dress to be made (ooops... we went a bit mad with the spending for a bit, but its all good value for money!).
From there, we went straight down to Nha Trang, which is meant to be a great beach spot, so we were hoping for a relaxing time sunbathing, as we hadnt really done that since Thailand. As you can imagine, we weren't really expecting a huge tropical typhoon and storm to hit the town as soon as we arrived, so other than a few brief ventures out to the nearest food place, we didnt get to see much of the place. It's amazing how within a couple of days the beach got completely covered in washed up tree branches and other general waste from the sea...
Our next stop was Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon! We have become a little lazy about visiting cities now - they all seem to be pretty similar and generally not that interesting, so other than the Vietnam War Musium, we really didn't do much else! So the day after we arrived in Saigon we went on a trip around the Mekong Delta. Now that is a pretty special experience! It is a huge river with so much life happening around and on it and I'm sure we will be telling tales of it when we get back :o)
So we ended our trip to Vietnam on a nice high and got the bus to Phnom Penh in Cambodia the following day, which is where we are now, writing this blog! Anyway, that's all for now, and we'll update again in around a week or so, after our Cambodian adventures.
Lots of love from us both,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
A quick update from us - all is well with me (Rozzi) now healthwise... the Dengue fever was weird but relatively painless and short-lived. Unfortunately, I think it tainted a few of our experiences in the North of Vietnam - moodswings etc (for once I have something to blame for those!).
So we stayed 3 days in Hue, which turned out to be very nice, and already we could feel the difference between North and the South, where the locals seemed to be a lot friendlier. From Hue, we headed down towards Hoi An - a lovely little town on the coast, with a strangely French feel with its narrow old streets and old architecture. We loved it there and we decided to stay 2 nights, whilst we waited for Laurence's 2 taylored suits and my dress to be made (ooops... we went a bit mad with the spending for a bit, but its all good value for money!).
From there, we went straight down to Nha Trang, which is meant to be a great beach spot, so we were hoping for a relaxing time sunbathing, as we hadnt really done that since Thailand. As you can imagine, we weren't really expecting a huge tropical typhoon and storm to hit the town as soon as we arrived, so other than a few brief ventures out to the nearest food place, we didnt get to see much of the place. It's amazing how within a couple of days the beach got completely covered in washed up tree branches and other general waste from the sea...
Our next stop was Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon! We have become a little lazy about visiting cities now - they all seem to be pretty similar and generally not that interesting, so other than the Vietnam War Musium, we really didn't do much else! So the day after we arrived in Saigon we went on a trip around the Mekong Delta. Now that is a pretty special experience! It is a huge river with so much life happening around and on it and I'm sure we will be telling tales of it when we get back :o)
So we ended our trip to Vietnam on a nice high and got the bus to Phnom Penh in Cambodia the following day, which is where we are now, writing this blog! Anyway, that's all for now, and we'll update again in around a week or so, after our Cambodian adventures.
Lots of love from us both,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
North Nam!
Hey everybody once again!
After Hanoi we took a 4 hour bus to Haiphong city only to find that all the boats to Halong Bay and Cat Ba island were full for the next 3 days. So we got straight back on another bus for 2 hours to Halong City. We booked a 2 day boat cruise for the next day and spent the night in $10-a-night luxury with a/c - whoa! In the morning, after much waiting around at the port, we finally got on the boat and started cruising through the mist of Halong Bay until we saw the beautiful islands start jutting out on the horizon and all around us.
Halong Bay is an amazing natural phenomenon and seeing it from the water on a nice boat was perfect. We went to a cave inside one of the islands that was nice but with caves it's a bit "seen one, seen em all". We cruised a bit further and then got out of the boat and into a kayak. We paddled around a few islands and then right up to one of the villages that literally float on the water anchored to the rockface of the islands. It was intriguing - we looked in through their windows to see them watching tv which was a bizarre scene for somewhere so remote and - on the water!
So we've spent 3 days now in Hue. It's a really nice friendly city and full of history with a beautiful old Citadel and ancient Pagoda. Unfortunately Rozzi hadn't been feeling great over the past few days and as soon as we settled in our hotel we went straight to the hospital. The doctors diagnosed her with Dengue fever, which usually last only around 1 week and is nothing serious. Luckily after just a couple of days on the medication the Vietnamese doctors prescribed, she is almost perfectly recovered and is ready to move on to the next destinations - Hoi An and Nha Trang. We'll keep you posted!
Lots of love
xxx
Laurence and Rozzi
After Hanoi we took a 4 hour bus to Haiphong city only to find that all the boats to Halong Bay and Cat Ba island were full for the next 3 days. So we got straight back on another bus for 2 hours to Halong City. We booked a 2 day boat cruise for the next day and spent the night in $10-a-night luxury with a/c - whoa! In the morning, after much waiting around at the port, we finally got on the boat and started cruising through the mist of Halong Bay until we saw the beautiful islands start jutting out on the horizon and all around us.
Halong Bay is an amazing natural phenomenon and seeing it from the water on a nice boat was perfect. We went to a cave inside one of the islands that was nice but with caves it's a bit "seen one, seen em all". We cruised a bit further and then got out of the boat and into a kayak. We paddled around a few islands and then right up to one of the villages that literally float on the water anchored to the rockface of the islands. It was intriguing - we looked in through their windows to see them watching tv which was a bizarre scene for somewhere so remote and - on the water!
In the evening we parked up next to about 10 other boats and there seemed to be a competition going for who could make the most trashy noise to ruin this idyllic and tranquil location. Our boat opted for karaoke... Great...
In the morning we got dropped-off back at Halong city and got straight on a 5hr bus to Ninh Binh where we bought a ticket for the 13hr night train to Hue. After so many days on buses we chose the luxury sleeper ticket called a "soft sleeper with a/c". Ironically it was probably the hardest bed we've slept on and that's saying a lot after the rock solid beds of Nepal. We arrived in Hue and went straight to a hotel and stopped doing anything as a matter of urgency. We needed to relax and it just so happened that our room had a computer and a tv, internet and HBO. Dreamy!So we've spent 3 days now in Hue. It's a really nice friendly city and full of history with a beautiful old Citadel and ancient Pagoda. Unfortunately Rozzi hadn't been feeling great over the past few days and as soon as we settled in our hotel we went straight to the hospital. The doctors diagnosed her with Dengue fever, which usually last only around 1 week and is nothing serious. Luckily after just a couple of days on the medication the Vietnamese doctors prescribed, she is almost perfectly recovered and is ready to move on to the next destinations - Hoi An and Nha Trang. We'll keep you posted!
Lots of love
xxx
Laurence and Rozzi
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Good Morning Vietnam!
Hello from Vietnam!
We have now safely arrived in HaNoi and spent yesterday aimlessly walking around the city. It is the busiest city ever, with mobs of motorcyclists carelessly and dangerously driving all over the place. Crossing the road is a scary experience and you feel lucky to be alive when you reach the other side!
We haven't really seen many of the attractions - we missed civilization so much in Laos, we decided to go to the cinema instead!
Today we are hoping to head over to Halong city (or HaiPhong) and get a boat over to Halong Bay tomorrow! That's the place where Top Gear filmed - with the millions of little islands. Paps, just for you I'll take loads of pictures! Again, we may be cut off from the interent for a few days (Nooo!), as we plan on getting a 2 day boat around the islands, but of course we will report back as soon as possible.
Lots of love from us both!
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
We have now safely arrived in HaNoi and spent yesterday aimlessly walking around the city. It is the busiest city ever, with mobs of motorcyclists carelessly and dangerously driving all over the place. Crossing the road is a scary experience and you feel lucky to be alive when you reach the other side!
We haven't really seen many of the attractions - we missed civilization so much in Laos, we decided to go to the cinema instead!
Today we are hoping to head over to Halong city (or HaiPhong) and get a boat over to Halong Bay tomorrow! That's the place where Top Gear filmed - with the millions of little islands. Paps, just for you I'll take loads of pictures! Again, we may be cut off from the interent for a few days (Nooo!), as we plan on getting a 2 day boat around the islands, but of course we will report back as soon as possible.
Lots of love from us both!
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Laos - Part Deux
Hello!
We havent had a chance to update the blog in Laos, as our journey after Luang Prabang took us to some pretty remote areas, where they had no internet and electricity ran for only 4 hours per day!
So we went on to a little riverside village 4 hours north of Luang Prabang, called Nong Khiaw. It was beautiful with limestone karsts surrounding it. Unfortunately we chose the cheapest and also worst accommodation there which kind of tainted the experience, but we still enjoyed nice long walks to the local cave and waterfall.
From there we took a boat upriver to another smaller and even more remote village called Muang Ngoi Neua. We found a bungalow with a balcony and hammock looking out over the river with the most stunning views! We loved it so much so we stayed there 2 nights and did pretty much nothing other than appreciate the views and seriously chill out.
It was a good idea to get some rest before the next part of our journey in Laos, as we had 2 solid days back to back in cramped local buses going through windey narrow mountain roads on our way over to Vietnam. Our first taste of Vietnam wasnt ideal, as our bus drivers tried to con us into paying unneccessary fees to cross the border and then they tried it on again when we were arranging our transport to HaNoi. We are still open-minded though and are welcoming new Vietnamese experiences!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
We havent had a chance to update the blog in Laos, as our journey after Luang Prabang took us to some pretty remote areas, where they had no internet and electricity ran for only 4 hours per day!
So we went on to a little riverside village 4 hours north of Luang Prabang, called Nong Khiaw. It was beautiful with limestone karsts surrounding it. Unfortunately we chose the cheapest and also worst accommodation there which kind of tainted the experience, but we still enjoyed nice long walks to the local cave and waterfall.
From there we took a boat upriver to another smaller and even more remote village called Muang Ngoi Neua. We found a bungalow with a balcony and hammock looking out over the river with the most stunning views! We loved it so much so we stayed there 2 nights and did pretty much nothing other than appreciate the views and seriously chill out.
It was a good idea to get some rest before the next part of our journey in Laos, as we had 2 solid days back to back in cramped local buses going through windey narrow mountain roads on our way over to Vietnam. Our first taste of Vietnam wasnt ideal, as our bus drivers tried to con us into paying unneccessary fees to cross the border and then they tried it on again when we were arranging our transport to HaNoi. We are still open-minded though and are welcoming new Vietnamese experiences!
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Laos
Hi,
Just a short update to say that after 2 days on the slow boat, we have finally reached Luang Prabang in Laos. The journey, although rather uncomfortable, was very beautiful and we got to see some fantastic views along the huge Mekong river.
First impressions are very good - the people are nice, and a few have been totally fascinated with Laurence's beard! It's very interesting how some French influences have lingered around, such as cafes, good french baguettes and crepes!
This morning, I had a little fall and hurt my foot, but it's nothing serious - probably just some bruising, but it meant we had to cancel a cool boat trip to the local waterfalls.
So we're off to do a bit of sight seeing now and soak up the Laos culture at a very slow hobbling pace.
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Just a short update to say that after 2 days on the slow boat, we have finally reached Luang Prabang in Laos. The journey, although rather uncomfortable, was very beautiful and we got to see some fantastic views along the huge Mekong river.
First impressions are very good - the people are nice, and a few have been totally fascinated with Laurence's beard! It's very interesting how some French influences have lingered around, such as cafes, good french baguettes and crepes!
This morning, I had a little fall and hurt my foot, but it's nothing serious - probably just some bruising, but it meant we had to cancel a cool boat trip to the local waterfalls.
So we're off to do a bit of sight seeing now and soak up the Laos culture at a very slow hobbling pace.
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Pai and plans for Laos!
Hello everybody,
We have just come back from a couple of days in Pai, which is a bit further north than Chiang Mai. It was a horrendous 4 hour bus journey going over 762 hilly and almost U-turns!! Let's just say some of us were sick... Despite that, Pai was brilliant and nothing like the rest of Thailand so far. It's quite hilly, with scenery similar to that in Nepal. We also got to dip our feet in natural hot springs, whilst cooking eggs at the same time!! Unfortunately our eggs got stolen by some local hooligans (must have been at least 10 years old!) so we never had the chance to taste them :o( hehe The rest of our time there we spent scooting around to waterfalls and drinking with some travelling hippies!
So now we're back in Chiang Mai and finally have our Vietnam visas, so we are eager to get going! We are leaving tonight for the Thai - Laos border, where tomorrow we will be setting off on a 2 day slow boat ride along the Mekong river, all the way to Luang Prabang in Laos! We're very excited and can't wait to see yet another new culture. Not quite sure what the situation is with the internet connections there, but we will blog or call as soon as we can.
Lots of love!
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
We have just come back from a couple of days in Pai, which is a bit further north than Chiang Mai. It was a horrendous 4 hour bus journey going over 762 hilly and almost U-turns!! Let's just say some of us were sick... Despite that, Pai was brilliant and nothing like the rest of Thailand so far. It's quite hilly, with scenery similar to that in Nepal. We also got to dip our feet in natural hot springs, whilst cooking eggs at the same time!! Unfortunately our eggs got stolen by some local hooligans (must have been at least 10 years old!) so we never had the chance to taste them :o( hehe The rest of our time there we spent scooting around to waterfalls and drinking with some travelling hippies!
So now we're back in Chiang Mai and finally have our Vietnam visas, so we are eager to get going! We are leaving tonight for the Thai - Laos border, where tomorrow we will be setting off on a 2 day slow boat ride along the Mekong river, all the way to Luang Prabang in Laos! We're very excited and can't wait to see yet another new culture. Not quite sure what the situation is with the internet connections there, but we will blog or call as soon as we can.
Lots of love!
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai
Hello!
On our journey to the north we stopped off first at Ayutthaya, the capital before Bangkok. We spent a couple of days cycling around this beautiful and quaint city, riddled with ancient temples and ruins. We had our 7th year anniversary there with a Thai massage and air-con room as a treat! As my personal opinion, anyone who wants a Thai massage has to be a serious masochist - you get elbowed all over and then hope the pain is worth it, but its really not - you still ache days later!
After Ayutthaya we got a sleepless sleeper train to Chiang Mai, where we've been staying for about 4-5 days, as we're waiting for our Vietnam visas (looks like it might be another 3 or so days). So we've been scooting all around the city, visiting the Chiang Mai Zoo, which by the way is the biggest zoo ever!! We got to feed giraffes (they have super long tongues!), elephants and leopards (these guys we fed through the bars).
The other day we randomly decided to go stroke tigers!! So for a small price Laurence and I stroked 9 month old lions who were a bit moody, then young 10 month old tigers, who were adorable and 3 big boy + girl tigers, who were actually the calmest and we felt safest with them!
On the way back from the tigers we were on an animal high and went to see a monkey show, after which we got to hold and play with a baby monkey!! All I can say is, I reeeeeeeaally want a baby monkey pet now! It was the cutest thing I've ever held and acted just like a normal human baby (except the occasional back flips) with sucking its thumb and pulling and playing with anything it touched.
Tomorrow we are leaving for Pai, which is a 5-6 hour bus ride from here and we'll probably be back in Chiang Mai in a couple of days to pick up our passports and then head off to Laos. Hope all is well at home and we'll update again soon!
Lots of love,
Rozzi & Laurence
xxx
After Ayutthaya we got a sleepless sleeper train to Chiang Mai, where we've been staying for about 4-5 days, as we're waiting for our Vietnam visas (looks like it might be another 3 or so days). So we've been scooting all around the city, visiting the Chiang Mai Zoo, which by the way is the biggest zoo ever!! We got to feed giraffes (they have super long tongues!), elephants and leopards (these guys we fed through the bars).The other day we randomly decided to go stroke tigers!! So for a small price Laurence and I stroked 9 month old lions who were a bit moody, then young 10 month old tigers, who were adorable and 3 big boy + girl tigers, who were actually the calmest and we felt safest with them!
On the way back from the tigers we were on an animal high and went to see a monkey show, after which we got to hold and play with a baby monkey!! All I can say is, I reeeeeeeaally want a baby monkey pet now! It was the cutest thing I've ever held and acted just like a normal human baby (except the occasional back flips) with sucking its thumb and pulling and playing with anything it touched.Tomorrow we are leaving for Pai, which is a 5-6 hour bus ride from here and we'll probably be back in Chiang Mai in a couple of days to pick up our passports and then head off to Laos. Hope all is well at home and we'll update again soon!
Lots of love,
Rozzi & Laurence
xxx
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Finally some photos!
We finally worked out how to add photos on our blog, so here are a few from Nepal. You can see lots more on our flickr site: www.flickr.com/rozziandlaurence
Course Correction
Greetings!
In our excitement about the Vipassana course we kind of forgot to apply for it in time, and as it turns out it is now full! Who would have thought so many people want to get enlightened in a random Thai town! It's not too much of a problem though - we'll just have to re-jig our plans and this time actually apply in advance for another course.
So this is what we're thinking now - travel up to Northern Thailand - Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and then take a long boat (2 days!) across to Laos. Spend maybe about a week in Laos and then cross over to Vietnam, and hopefully travel down the length of the country. Then over to Cambodia for about 1 week and then back into Thailand in time to meet up with Kim & Frazer who are flying into Bangkok in mid November. We will do the Vipassana course after this.
This is just a rough plan so far and it could change easily as we are soo chilled out at the moment and are loving going with the flow of things. So this means we are back on the radar for the next month and a half and we'll let you know of any updates and changes to our plans.
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
In our excitement about the Vipassana course we kind of forgot to apply for it in time, and as it turns out it is now full! Who would have thought so many people want to get enlightened in a random Thai town! It's not too much of a problem though - we'll just have to re-jig our plans and this time actually apply in advance for another course.
So this is what we're thinking now - travel up to Northern Thailand - Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and then take a long boat (2 days!) across to Laos. Spend maybe about a week in Laos and then cross over to Vietnam, and hopefully travel down the length of the country. Then over to Cambodia for about 1 week and then back into Thailand in time to meet up with Kim & Frazer who are flying into Bangkok in mid November. We will do the Vipassana course after this.
This is just a rough plan so far and it could change easily as we are soo chilled out at the moment and are loving going with the flow of things. So this means we are back on the radar for the next month and a half and we'll let you know of any updates and changes to our plans.
Lots of love,
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Vipassana
Hi again,
We're back safely in Bangkok after a not very private but surprisingly comfortable and loooong train journey from Trang. Tonight we will be leaving for Ayuthaya, Thailand's previous capital before Bangkok, which is supposed to be full of old temples and beautiful sights.
Tomorrow is a rather big day for us - our 7 year anniversary (!!!) so we plan on getting pampered with massages and some more chilling out. And the following day we are going to Khon Kaen, further north, where we will start a 10 day Meditation retreat! The course we will be doing is called Vipassana (check out http://www.dhamma.org/ for more info), and it involves Meditating all day from 4 in the morning in complete silence! It's not a religious thing in any way - the aim of the "course" is to bring clarity of mind and strengthen the link between mind and body. ( Oh no... we've gone all new agey!!) So it should be a thoroughly interesting experience amd can't wait to tell you all about it afterwards.
So for the 11 days from 6th October we will be uncontactable, seeing as we will be on some random hill meditating all day (hahah!) So please don't panic if we don't reply to emails or our blog isnt getting updated! The course should finish on 18th October and we will get back in touch as soon as possible after that, as new refreshed and revitalised people!
Lots of love from us both!
Rozzi and Laurence
xxxxx
We're back safely in Bangkok after a not very private but surprisingly comfortable and loooong train journey from Trang. Tonight we will be leaving for Ayuthaya, Thailand's previous capital before Bangkok, which is supposed to be full of old temples and beautiful sights.
Tomorrow is a rather big day for us - our 7 year anniversary (!!!) so we plan on getting pampered with massages and some more chilling out. And the following day we are going to Khon Kaen, further north, where we will start a 10 day Meditation retreat! The course we will be doing is called Vipassana (check out http://www.dhamma.org/ for more info), and it involves Meditating all day from 4 in the morning in complete silence! It's not a religious thing in any way - the aim of the "course" is to bring clarity of mind and strengthen the link between mind and body. ( Oh no... we've gone all new agey!!) So it should be a thoroughly interesting experience amd can't wait to tell you all about it afterwards.
So for the 11 days from 6th October we will be uncontactable, seeing as we will be on some random hill meditating all day (hahah!) So please don't panic if we don't reply to emails or our blog isnt getting updated! The course should finish on 18th October and we will get back in touch as soon as possible after that, as new refreshed and revitalised people!
Lots of love from us both!
Rozzi and Laurence
xxxxx
Friday, October 2, 2009
Andaman Sea - Chillin out!
Hi everyone,
So we reached the South West of Thailand, the Andaman Sea coast. It is very beautiful down here and the landscape is so unique but we can not appreciate it fully as the weather has been quite erratic. It has rained a lot and the wind has been consistently strong making the sea choppy and far from the crystal clear snorkel-happy waters we hoped to find. Because of the weather (monsoon season) it is low tourist season which means wherever we went the beaches and hotels were empty. It's nice to get away from it all, of course, but we want some action.
We spent 4 days on the island of Koh Lanta where we stayed in bamboo huts metres from the beach and rented a scooter to explore the island. However, used to the excitement of true backpacking, we got bored quickly and after much "reading time" on the beach we decided to head back up north. We are in Trang currently waiting for our 15hr train journey to Bangkok from where we will continue north to some interesting cities and eventually the jungle near Chiang Mai.
We're contemplating stopping off on the journey for a 10 day meditation course (Vipassana) where we will be taught the ancient techniques of quieting our minds and spend our days in silence meditating most of the time with no material possessions to distract us. Would be quite a challenge I'm sure - no make-up (for Rozzi), no BEER (for Laurence - uh oh!).
After that who knows - we'll keep you all updated. In the meantime if you desperately need to contact us the Nepali number is out of action now so email us or drop me a text on my English mobile (07515148870).
Lots of love
xxx
Rozzi and Laurence
So we reached the South West of Thailand, the Andaman Sea coast. It is very beautiful down here and the landscape is so unique but we can not appreciate it fully as the weather has been quite erratic. It has rained a lot and the wind has been consistently strong making the sea choppy and far from the crystal clear snorkel-happy waters we hoped to find. Because of the weather (monsoon season) it is low tourist season which means wherever we went the beaches and hotels were empty. It's nice to get away from it all, of course, but we want some action.
We spent 4 days on the island of Koh Lanta where we stayed in bamboo huts metres from the beach and rented a scooter to explore the island. However, used to the excitement of true backpacking, we got bored quickly and after much "reading time" on the beach we decided to head back up north. We are in Trang currently waiting for our 15hr train journey to Bangkok from where we will continue north to some interesting cities and eventually the jungle near Chiang Mai.
We're contemplating stopping off on the journey for a 10 day meditation course (Vipassana) where we will be taught the ancient techniques of quieting our minds and spend our days in silence meditating most of the time with no material possessions to distract us. Would be quite a challenge I'm sure - no make-up (for Rozzi), no BEER (for Laurence - uh oh!).
After that who knows - we'll keep you all updated. In the meantime if you desperately need to contact us the Nepali number is out of action now so email us or drop me a text on my English mobile (07515148870).
Lots of love
xxx
Rozzi and Laurence
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Phase 2. South-East Asia
Hi everybody from Thailand,
We safely arrived early this morning in Bangkok and, so far, the city is very different to Kathmandu and Nepal. For a start there are nice cars, nice buildings and electricity seems to be fairly reliable which is weird for us. Also, this evening we saw beer-swilling brits drinking by the bucket load (literally) and lots of other normal holiday-makers. This is definitely a marked contrast to the crazy hippy travellers who pass through Nepal, although I'm sure we'll find them again somewhere in Thailand. Anyway although different it is a thrilling experience and we can see why people love to soak up the melting-pot that is this city.
We really miss Nepal, the family, the guys from VIN and all the friends we made so we have decided to console ourselves by fleeing from the excitement of the city in search of a quiet beach retreat in Southern Thailand to get some much needed chill-out time with swimming and sunshine (and cocktails I'm sure). We'll be back in Bangkok a fair bit over the next few months so we can absorb this intriguing city another time (although we have all day for sight-seeing tomorrow). Tomorrow evening I think we'll be getting a 12 hour bus to Krabi where we can get a boat to the exotic Islands (Just like in "The Beach" - Leo Di Caprio).
We'll take lots of pictures and upload them to the Flickr page when we get there but in the meantime we're happy, excited and looking forward to getting-to-know another crazy country far from home.
Lots of love
Laurence and Rozzi
xxx
We safely arrived early this morning in Bangkok and, so far, the city is very different to Kathmandu and Nepal. For a start there are nice cars, nice buildings and electricity seems to be fairly reliable which is weird for us. Also, this evening we saw beer-swilling brits drinking by the bucket load (literally) and lots of other normal holiday-makers. This is definitely a marked contrast to the crazy hippy travellers who pass through Nepal, although I'm sure we'll find them again somewhere in Thailand. Anyway although different it is a thrilling experience and we can see why people love to soak up the melting-pot that is this city.
We really miss Nepal, the family, the guys from VIN and all the friends we made so we have decided to console ourselves by fleeing from the excitement of the city in search of a quiet beach retreat in Southern Thailand to get some much needed chill-out time with swimming and sunshine (and cocktails I'm sure). We'll be back in Bangkok a fair bit over the next few months so we can absorb this intriguing city another time (although we have all day for sight-seeing tomorrow). Tomorrow evening I think we'll be getting a 12 hour bus to Krabi where we can get a boat to the exotic Islands (Just like in "The Beach" - Leo Di Caprio).
We'll take lots of pictures and upload them to the Flickr page when we get there but in the meantime we're happy, excited and looking forward to getting-to-know another crazy country far from home.
Lots of love
Laurence and Rozzi
xxx
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Final days in Nepal
Namaste!
Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes and those who called Laurence on Friday... it really means a lot! I know it is very hard for Laurence to have his birthday so far away from family and friends, and especially from his other half (literally!) Harry! So me and a few volunteer friends decided to throw him a little surprise birthday party in the garden of our hotel and then out to our favourite spots in Kathmandu. There were balloons, a cake with candles, jazz, mandolin, a lot of fun and jokes and I think we all had a very good. And just last night we went back to our host family's house in Panchmane with a couple of friends for the second party for Laurence - this time joint with Sujan who's 21 in a week. This was a slightly different party from what we're used to, for example there was still daal bhat and we went to bed at 9.30pm but it was very sweet and fun! So all in all I think L had a good birthday although we will still have to celebrate with everyone back home!
So now we're into our last week in Nepal - we only have 2 and a half days left and we're already thinking about when we can come back again! It is quite strange leaving this country as it has been our home for the past 6 weeks - we even have a family here! But we're also very excited about going off to Thailand and lazing around on beaches without any plans or responsibilities. I don't know why we even bothered bringing our guidebooks with us - we havent looked at them once so far!
I think we'll finally go around and take pictures of Kathmandu in our last few days. We've already used up 10GB of memory cards in just 6 weeks - I dread to think about sorting through it all later! I don't think there will be much more to report in the next few days, so we'll make this our last blog from Nepal (for this year at least), and then we will post something from Thailand as soon as we can when we get to Bangkok - Friday or Saturday depending on how quickly we get settled in.
Lots of love from us both.
Namaste!
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes and those who called Laurence on Friday... it really means a lot! I know it is very hard for Laurence to have his birthday so far away from family and friends, and especially from his other half (literally!) Harry! So me and a few volunteer friends decided to throw him a little surprise birthday party in the garden of our hotel and then out to our favourite spots in Kathmandu. There were balloons, a cake with candles, jazz, mandolin, a lot of fun and jokes and I think we all had a very good. And just last night we went back to our host family's house in Panchmane with a couple of friends for the second party for Laurence - this time joint with Sujan who's 21 in a week. This was a slightly different party from what we're used to, for example there was still daal bhat and we went to bed at 9.30pm but it was very sweet and fun! So all in all I think L had a good birthday although we will still have to celebrate with everyone back home!
So now we're into our last week in Nepal - we only have 2 and a half days left and we're already thinking about when we can come back again! It is quite strange leaving this country as it has been our home for the past 6 weeks - we even have a family here! But we're also very excited about going off to Thailand and lazing around on beaches without any plans or responsibilities. I don't know why we even bothered bringing our guidebooks with us - we havent looked at them once so far!
I think we'll finally go around and take pictures of Kathmandu in our last few days. We've already used up 10GB of memory cards in just 6 weeks - I dread to think about sorting through it all later! I don't think there will be much more to report in the next few days, so we'll make this our last blog from Nepal (for this year at least), and then we will post something from Thailand as soon as we can when we get to Bangkok - Friday or Saturday depending on how quickly we get settled in.
Lots of love from us both.
Namaste!
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Pokhara! (and final volunteering days)
Hello!!
I know it's been a while since we last updated the blog but we have been so busy in the past couple of weeks, so here are the latest updates!
Last week was our final week volunteering at the ECD school. On Sunday we went to a big teaching resources store in Kathmandu and bought a few things for the school, which we gave to them the following day. It was unbelievable just how excited the children were about the smallest things like little plastic toy animals and small rubber balls (which they actually chewed through on the first day!!). It was amazing watching their little happy faces when they were playing with their new toys and looking at the pictures of the new story books. So after that it was business as usual until our last day - Thursday, when the teachers and the children decided to surprise us with decorating the whole school with balloons and colourful paper. We spent the whole day playing games, periodically feeding them sweets and just having fun with them - each one of them danced for us which was the sweetest thing ever! At the end of the day they also gave us some lovely flowers and tikkas (which are traditional Nepali red bindi's made from coloured red rice). It was all very touching and emotional (especially for some!) and we really didn't want to leave them. It was very hard saying goodbye and watching them running after our taxi.
Our host family were also very sweet and made an effort to make something special for us for our last meal - daal bhat accompanied with a soup of potatoes and hard boiled eggs! It was very sweet, despite the fact it wasnt quite our last day - they are throwing a joint birthday party for Laurence and our host brother on 21st September!
So last friday we left with some volunteer friends for Pokhara, which is an incredibly beautiful town surrounded by the Annapurna mountain range. Our hotel was right on Phewa lake and we spent a fair bit of the weekend rowing/pedalling/swimming in the lake, whilst looking out onto the surrounding mountains. One of the day's we got up at 4am to watch the sunrise from Saran Kot, which looked out to Machapuchre, Annapurna I (which is one of the highest peaks after Everest!) - all I can say is that it is the most spectacular view either of us have ever seen and pictures don't do it justice! We also found a little waterfall so we managed to have a dip and a natural waterfall shower/massage!
So in general this weekend was a lot more chilled out than Chitwan, well at least that was until Monday! So instead of going for the normal option of taking a tourist bus back to Kathmandu, we decided to go for a more adventurous 5 hour white water rafting trip down Lower Seti river, followed by a gruelling 6 hours on a local bus. The rafting was very exciting- there were very big rapids so some bits were pretty scary. We capsized and also had a few other interesting moments swimming in the rapids but everything was fine and we got back to Kathmandu in one rather exhausted piece.
And today we spent in a Bhuddist monastery in Pharping, near Kathmandu, where a friend of ours is teaching English. It was very interesting spending some time with the monks, who are nothing like what you would imagine! They have phones, iPods and most moderns conveniences, including a couple of motorbikes!
So that's all for now - I don't want to waffle on for too much longer. The plan for our last 10 days in Kathmandu is to help out the charity with some office work and also finally do a bit of sight seeing. I think Laurence is now updating the photos on Flickr so there may be some from Pokhara soon. Also, if anyone feels like sending us an email or 2 - we Love getting news from home and hearing about what's going on back home.
Lots of love from us both,
Namaste!
xxx
I know it's been a while since we last updated the blog but we have been so busy in the past couple of weeks, so here are the latest updates!
Last week was our final week volunteering at the ECD school. On Sunday we went to a big teaching resources store in Kathmandu and bought a few things for the school, which we gave to them the following day. It was unbelievable just how excited the children were about the smallest things like little plastic toy animals and small rubber balls (which they actually chewed through on the first day!!). It was amazing watching their little happy faces when they were playing with their new toys and looking at the pictures of the new story books. So after that it was business as usual until our last day - Thursday, when the teachers and the children decided to surprise us with decorating the whole school with balloons and colourful paper. We spent the whole day playing games, periodically feeding them sweets and just having fun with them - each one of them danced for us which was the sweetest thing ever! At the end of the day they also gave us some lovely flowers and tikkas (which are traditional Nepali red bindi's made from coloured red rice). It was all very touching and emotional (especially for some!) and we really didn't want to leave them. It was very hard saying goodbye and watching them running after our taxi.
Our host family were also very sweet and made an effort to make something special for us for our last meal - daal bhat accompanied with a soup of potatoes and hard boiled eggs! It was very sweet, despite the fact it wasnt quite our last day - they are throwing a joint birthday party for Laurence and our host brother on 21st September!
So last friday we left with some volunteer friends for Pokhara, which is an incredibly beautiful town surrounded by the Annapurna mountain range. Our hotel was right on Phewa lake and we spent a fair bit of the weekend rowing/pedalling/swimming in the lake, whilst looking out onto the surrounding mountains. One of the day's we got up at 4am to watch the sunrise from Saran Kot, which looked out to Machapuchre, Annapurna I (which is one of the highest peaks after Everest!) - all I can say is that it is the most spectacular view either of us have ever seen and pictures don't do it justice! We also found a little waterfall so we managed to have a dip and a natural waterfall shower/massage!
So in general this weekend was a lot more chilled out than Chitwan, well at least that was until Monday! So instead of going for the normal option of taking a tourist bus back to Kathmandu, we decided to go for a more adventurous 5 hour white water rafting trip down Lower Seti river, followed by a gruelling 6 hours on a local bus. The rafting was very exciting- there were very big rapids so some bits were pretty scary. We capsized and also had a few other interesting moments swimming in the rapids but everything was fine and we got back to Kathmandu in one rather exhausted piece.
And today we spent in a Bhuddist monastery in Pharping, near Kathmandu, where a friend of ours is teaching English. It was very interesting spending some time with the monks, who are nothing like what you would imagine! They have phones, iPods and most moderns conveniences, including a couple of motorbikes!
So that's all for now - I don't want to waffle on for too much longer. The plan for our last 10 days in Kathmandu is to help out the charity with some office work and also finally do a bit of sight seeing. I think Laurence is now updating the photos on Flickr so there may be some from Pokhara soon. Also, if anyone feels like sending us an email or 2 - we Love getting news from home and hearing about what's going on back home.
Lots of love from us both,
Namaste!
xxx
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Chitwan Experience
We have just got back to Kathmandu after spending the past 2 and a half days in Chitwan National Park and it has literally been the best weekend ever!!
Our trip started pretty interestingly with a rather bumpy but unforgettable ride on the roof of a bus (please don't worry Mums, it was safe and amazing but we probably won't do it again), which gave us the best views possible of the journey to Chitwan.
Chitwan is in the Terai region of Nepal and it is completely different from what we have seen so far around the Kathmandu valley. It is extremely hot and sweaty but amazingly beautiful with stretches of flat rice fields, mountain views in the distance and a huge variety of wildlife (we saw rhinos and crocodiles and many more!).
It was a very action packed weekend and we finally got to not only see some elephants, but feed them, bathe with them (which was the funnest thing ever!!!), and also ride them in the jungle! Elephants are officially our favourite animal now - they're absolutely amazing! We also got to dance on stage at a Tharu cultural show, then got a rather informal Nepali dance lesson on a balcony and we also went on a jungle safari trek. It has been the best weekend and none of us wanted to leave!
So next on the agenda is Pokhara, which we are hoping to visit in the weekend after next. That will be a completely different trip with more sight-seeing, lake activities and possibly some paragliding!
So that's the latest updates from us - there should be some more photo's on our flickr page if you want to check them. And also please keep us updated with what is happening back home!
Namaste and lots of love from us both,
Rozzi & Laurence
xxx
Our trip started pretty interestingly with a rather bumpy but unforgettable ride on the roof of a bus (please don't worry Mums, it was safe and amazing but we probably won't do it again), which gave us the best views possible of the journey to Chitwan.
Chitwan is in the Terai region of Nepal and it is completely different from what we have seen so far around the Kathmandu valley. It is extremely hot and sweaty but amazingly beautiful with stretches of flat rice fields, mountain views in the distance and a huge variety of wildlife (we saw rhinos and crocodiles and many more!).
It was a very action packed weekend and we finally got to not only see some elephants, but feed them, bathe with them (which was the funnest thing ever!!!), and also ride them in the jungle! Elephants are officially our favourite animal now - they're absolutely amazing! We also got to dance on stage at a Tharu cultural show, then got a rather informal Nepali dance lesson on a balcony and we also went on a jungle safari trek. It has been the best weekend and none of us wanted to leave!
So next on the agenda is Pokhara, which we are hoping to visit in the weekend after next. That will be a completely different trip with more sight-seeing, lake activities and possibly some paragliding!
So that's the latest updates from us - there should be some more photo's on our flickr page if you want to check them. And also please keep us updated with what is happening back home!
Namaste and lots of love from us both,
Rozzi & Laurence
xxx
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Volunteering Impressions
Namaste!
So first week of volunteering is over and we are both exhausted! We are staying with a very sweet host family consisting of the big mamma, 2 daughters and 1 son who thankfully speaks good English and is our translator/Nepali teacher most of the time. The house is nothing like the houses in England - it is made out of bamboo and clay and they clean it by layering mud on the floor! We eat dahl baat (lentils, rice and curry) for breakfast and dinner so although it's nice I'm getting pretty sick of it, whereas Laurence is loving it. The family keep goats and have a big garden with all the vegetables they need for cooking so we're eating organic! The views from and around the house are incredible - we are quite high up in the mountains, overlooking the Kathmandu Valley (we're in a place called Panchmane, near Jitpur, around 12-15km North of Kathmandu in case anyone feels like looking it up). There are also regular power cuts, but its all part of the cultural experience!
Both Laurence and I work in a tiny school 2 minutes up a hill from our host house. There are only 18 children in total, ranging from 3 to 9 years old, and we are both getting very attached to them! They are so innocent and sweet and get excited about the smallest things from playing with a blow up ball to Laurence's beard (which is now getting longer and even more orange!). For now we are helping the teachers with anything they need us to do, such as lessons in English and maths, as well as playing games with the little ones and trying to keep some of the more naughty boys under control. Soon we will start working with them on more longer term plans like introducing a more structured teaching approach, as the current situation is rather chaotic.
Everything else is absolutely fine with us - we're healthy, happy and now thoroughly in the Nepalese culture, which is great. If anyone wants to get in touch with us, you can call
00977 9808064914 - this is our Nepali mobile number, however where we are staying we have a very bad reception, so if it doesnt go through, that would be why.
Next weekend we are going to Chitwan National Park with the other volunteers. This is where we get to ride elephants and trek through the Nepalese jungle, so we're all very excited!
That's all for now - next update coming up soon. Some more pictures are up on Flickr now so you can check them out on www.flickr.com/rozziandlaurence
Namaste and lots of love from us both!
xxx
PS: Happy Birthday Paps!!! I won't be able to call you on the actual day as we will be back in Pachmane, but I will be thinking of you. I hope you have an amazing day - love you lots!!!! xxxxx
So first week of volunteering is over and we are both exhausted! We are staying with a very sweet host family consisting of the big mamma, 2 daughters and 1 son who thankfully speaks good English and is our translator/Nepali teacher most of the time. The house is nothing like the houses in England - it is made out of bamboo and clay and they clean it by layering mud on the floor! We eat dahl baat (lentils, rice and curry) for breakfast and dinner so although it's nice I'm getting pretty sick of it, whereas Laurence is loving it. The family keep goats and have a big garden with all the vegetables they need for cooking so we're eating organic! The views from and around the house are incredible - we are quite high up in the mountains, overlooking the Kathmandu Valley (we're in a place called Panchmane, near Jitpur, around 12-15km North of Kathmandu in case anyone feels like looking it up). There are also regular power cuts, but its all part of the cultural experience!
Both Laurence and I work in a tiny school 2 minutes up a hill from our host house. There are only 18 children in total, ranging from 3 to 9 years old, and we are both getting very attached to them! They are so innocent and sweet and get excited about the smallest things from playing with a blow up ball to Laurence's beard (which is now getting longer and even more orange!). For now we are helping the teachers with anything they need us to do, such as lessons in English and maths, as well as playing games with the little ones and trying to keep some of the more naughty boys under control. Soon we will start working with them on more longer term plans like introducing a more structured teaching approach, as the current situation is rather chaotic.
Everything else is absolutely fine with us - we're healthy, happy and now thoroughly in the Nepalese culture, which is great. If anyone wants to get in touch with us, you can call
00977 9808064914 - this is our Nepali mobile number, however where we are staying we have a very bad reception, so if it doesnt go through, that would be why.
Next weekend we are going to Chitwan National Park with the other volunteers. This is where we get to ride elephants and trek through the Nepalese jungle, so we're all very excited!
That's all for now - next update coming up soon. Some more pictures are up on Flickr now so you can check them out on www.flickr.com/rozziandlaurence
Namaste and lots of love from us both!
xxx
PS: Happy Birthday Paps!!! I won't be able to call you on the actual day as we will be back in Pachmane, but I will be thinking of you. I hope you have an amazing day - love you lots!!!! xxxxx
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Kathmandu Updates
Namaste!
A quick update from Kathmandu. Things are great here, we're starting to learn Nepali (which is extremely difficult!) and we're getting immersed in the Nepalese culture through our training. Our placement with the host family starts tomorrow so we probably wont be able to update things for at least a week. The charity seems to be very well organised and all people involved in it seem genuinely committed to the projects. Its founder, Bhupi is the sweetst guy and is totally devoted to his cause in Nepal. We both can't wait to start our volunteering, although it is also going to be quite a challenge.
Other than a touch of Kathmandu belly, things are fine with us healthwise. Everything is pretty cheap over here, although it all adds up especially when I (Rozzi) want to buy everything!! I am totally in love with a Nepalese vase that costs around 60GBP and am still trying to convince L to loosen the purse strings a little (not much chance!).
If anyone wants to get in touch with us in Nepal, we do have a Nepali number, but i've forgotten the phone at the hotel so we'll update on that in the next blog. Also if anyone wants to see photos there are some on the flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/rozziandlaurence
Thats all for now - must rush off to the local Nepalese bar with the other volunteers.
Namaste! (which they use here as hello + goodbye but it actually means I bow to the God in you!)
Lots of love
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
A quick update from Kathmandu. Things are great here, we're starting to learn Nepali (which is extremely difficult!) and we're getting immersed in the Nepalese culture through our training. Our placement with the host family starts tomorrow so we probably wont be able to update things for at least a week. The charity seems to be very well organised and all people involved in it seem genuinely committed to the projects. Its founder, Bhupi is the sweetst guy and is totally devoted to his cause in Nepal. We both can't wait to start our volunteering, although it is also going to be quite a challenge.
Other than a touch of Kathmandu belly, things are fine with us healthwise. Everything is pretty cheap over here, although it all adds up especially when I (Rozzi) want to buy everything!! I am totally in love with a Nepalese vase that costs around 60GBP and am still trying to convince L to loosen the purse strings a little (not much chance!).
If anyone wants to get in touch with us in Nepal, we do have a Nepali number, but i've forgotten the phone at the hotel so we'll update on that in the next blog. Also if anyone wants to see photos there are some on the flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/rozziandlaurence
Thats all for now - must rush off to the local Nepalese bar with the other volunteers.
Namaste! (which they use here as hello + goodbye but it actually means I bow to the God in you!)
Lots of love
Rozzi and Laurence
xxx
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
First day in Kathmandu, Nepal
We have now safely arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal!
The vibe here is totally different from that in Delhi and we LOVE IT!!! We were picked up from the airport by a representative from the charity we will be working with and she took us straight to our hotel in Kathmandu. There are many travellers here and the locals are all very warm, welcoming and smiley, so it all feels very safe :o)
We were told that the place where we will be staying with our host family is only about 15km from Kathmandu at the top of a hill overlooking the city. Also we will have to walk for about 40 mins to get to the nearest shop but the exercise will be good to burn off all the calories from the delicious Nepalese food (it is veggie heaven here!).
We have 2 days now to explore Kathmandu before our training with the charity starts. Tomorrow is Hari Krishna's birthday here, so there will be some good festivities around and we will make sure we visit some Krishna temples too.
First impressions are fantastic and we are looking forward to exploring the city even more over the next few days. We'll log in again in a few days for updates. Hope all is well in England.
Namaste!
Rozzi & Laurence
xxx
Monday, August 10, 2009
OMG Dehli is Mental!!
We're here and we're safe!!
After the best flight ever (!) on Jet Airways, during which we both watched 4 films and managed to sleep a total of 1 hour, we embarked on our journey to our hostel. This sounds simple enough, however as we have now come to realise, things are a bit more complicated in India. We spent 2 hours in a sweaty taxi dodging all tuk tuks and kamikaze motor-cyclists. We then eventually reached the address of our hostel, only to find an empty apartment and no sign of tourist accomodation. Following this, we set out on the second half of our hunt for a hostel, which ended up dragging over another 2 long hours, involving lots of stops at super expensive hotels and trying to haggle prices down to hostel rates. We finally got conned into signing up for a hotel which was 3 times more expensive than our original hostel, and it has mould in the corner, no window and no toilet paper!!!
So after briefly "freshening up" we ventured into big crazy and scary Dehli for food, during which time we got stopped about a million times by locals trying to make a quick buck off the naive English tourists (only a few of them succeeded until we started to catch on). Cheeky locals also tried to pick-pocket us twice so far but good thing we knew better than to carry wallets in obvious places!
So, it's hot, sticky, busy and totally in your face, and if you look past all those trying to con you we can see that the locals are lovely and warm people living in a thoroughly interesting place.
We're doing a trip around most of the major sights around Dehli tomorrow, so until then, the jury's out on this unique city.
You'll be hearing from us again soon, and until then:
Lots of Love - Rozzi and Laurence xxx
After the best flight ever (!) on Jet Airways, during which we both watched 4 films and managed to sleep a total of 1 hour, we embarked on our journey to our hostel. This sounds simple enough, however as we have now come to realise, things are a bit more complicated in India. We spent 2 hours in a sweaty taxi dodging all tuk tuks and kamikaze motor-cyclists. We then eventually reached the address of our hostel, only to find an empty apartment and no sign of tourist accomodation. Following this, we set out on the second half of our hunt for a hostel, which ended up dragging over another 2 long hours, involving lots of stops at super expensive hotels and trying to haggle prices down to hostel rates. We finally got conned into signing up for a hotel which was 3 times more expensive than our original hostel, and it has mould in the corner, no window and no toilet paper!!!
So after briefly "freshening up" we ventured into big crazy and scary Dehli for food, during which time we got stopped about a million times by locals trying to make a quick buck off the naive English tourists (only a few of them succeeded until we started to catch on). Cheeky locals also tried to pick-pocket us twice so far but good thing we knew better than to carry wallets in obvious places!
So, it's hot, sticky, busy and totally in your face, and if you look past all those trying to con you we can see that the locals are lovely and warm people living in a thoroughly interesting place.
We're doing a trip around most of the major sights around Dehli tomorrow, so until then, the jury's out on this unique city.
You'll be hearing from us again soon, and until then:
Lots of Love - Rozzi and Laurence xxx
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Leaving soon!
Hi all,
We'll be leaving soon and I am attempting to set up numerous online structures to keep you all up-to-date.
Here are our various accounts:
Twitter page - http://twitter.com/rozzilaurence
Gmail Account - rozziandlaurence@gmail.com
The address of this blog to send on to others - http://rozziandlaurence.blogspot.com
My master plan is that we will update the blog, which you can choose to follow. This will automatically publish a Tweet which you will receive if you also follow us on Twitter, then anything else we will communicate with our email account.
Send us an email if you have any questions about our pictures, videos or stories. Also take the time to let us know your most up-to-date details so that we can update our contact info.
x Love
Rozzi and Laurence
We'll be leaving soon and I am attempting to set up numerous online structures to keep you all up-to-date.
Here are our various accounts:
Twitter page - http://twitter.com/rozzilaurence
Gmail Account - rozziandlaurence@gmail.com
The address of this blog to send on to others - http://rozziandlaurence.blogspot.com
My master plan is that we will update the blog, which you can choose to follow. This will automatically publish a Tweet which you will receive if you also follow us on Twitter, then anything else we will communicate with our email account.
Send us an email if you have any questions about our pictures, videos or stories. Also take the time to let us know your most up-to-date details so that we can update our contact info.
x Love
Rozzi and Laurence
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Before we go...
Hi all friends and family,
As you may be aware we will be setting off on our travelling adventure on 9th August 2009. We have set up this blog to document our experiences and to keep you all up-to-date on our whereabouts and share our intriguing stories.
If you want to get in touch with us just email us on our new email address: rozziandlaurence@gmail.com
We will do our best to reply as quick as we can but I'm sure you'll understand if we get held up by elephant rides in Nepal or sunbathing on a Thai beach.
We'll see you all when we get back!
Love,
Rozzi and Laurence xxx
As you may be aware we will be setting off on our travelling adventure on 9th August 2009. We have set up this blog to document our experiences and to keep you all up-to-date on our whereabouts and share our intriguing stories.
If you want to get in touch with us just email us on our new email address: rozziandlaurence@gmail.com
We will do our best to reply as quick as we can but I'm sure you'll understand if we get held up by elephant rides in Nepal or sunbathing on a Thai beach.
We'll see you all when we get back!
Love,
Rozzi and Laurence xxx
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