Girl Sensible - Around The World Hurrah! A year off work! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-01-28:/blog/?domain=girlsensible 2008-02-18T11:52:45Z GSensible img/travel-blog-feed.png Even more South Island tag:travellerspoint.com,2008-02-17:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=42&entryid=96493 2008-02-18T11:52:45Z 2008-02-18T11:49:16Z After leaving Te Anau we stayed overnight in Twizel. Past Twizel was gorgeous views of Mount Cook. This place would be amazing for skiing We spent a couple of nights in Christchurch, explored the town, art galleries and I even went to the local swimming pool for a bit of exercise :-) We took the transalpine train accross to Greymouth and back. We were lucky to get good weather on the way west and I managed to squeeze ... After leaving Te Anau we stayed overnight in Twizel. Past Twizel was gorgeous views of Mount Cook. This place would be amazing for skiing

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We spent a couple of nights in Christchurch, explored the town, art galleries and I even went to the local swimming pool for a bit of exercise :-)
We took the transalpine train accross to Greymouth and back. We were lucky to get good weather on the way west and I managed to squeeze into the outside carriage and take a few pictures. The weather was grey and drizzly on the way back, just like home!

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Next stop up the coast was Kaikoura. We found a fantastic cottage to stay in and the weather was brilliant so i headed off for an afternoon horse ride :-)
Then whale watching day approached, the trip was pretty expensive and we were made up to have a gorgeous sunny day, "calm" day for it. I'm not much of a boat person but it was fairly choppy for my liking! not surprising really when you are in water over 1,000 meters deep....

Guaranteed to see a sperm whale or 80% of your money back, you obviously don't see much but here's my picture anyway:

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We were hoping to see some dolhpins and not have to take a separate trip, we were lucky enough to see a massive pod of dusky dolphins who were happy to perform around the boat for us :-)

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More south island tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-12-29:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=41&entryid=88749 2008-02-15T12:19:22Z 2008-02-15T12:19:22Z We drove through amazing mountain scenery, past more beautiful lakes, fields of lupins and ended up in beautiful Wanaka We stayed in a little house in a stunning setting, without doubt the nicest place I have stayed so far. The weather was good, not warm enough for swimming but a glass of wine in the hot tub was definitely the order of the day. From Wanaka we took a trip out to Mount Aspiring National Park, this was a really ... We drove through amazing mountain scenery, past more beautiful lakes, fields of lupins and ended up in beautiful Wanaka

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We stayed in a little house in a stunning setting, without doubt the nicest place I have stayed so far. The weather was good, not warm enough for swimming but a glass of wine in the hot tub was definitely the order of the day.
From Wanaka we took a trip out to Mount Aspiring National Park, this was a really nice day, chilling out.

Next we were off for our jetboating trip at shotover canyon, this was pretty good fun. The water was constantly hitting you in the face and was freezing, I felt like I had had a facelift and my face was permanent stuck in some clown laughing pose!

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We moved onto Te Anau, our base to see Fiordlands. The weather forecast was looking a bit dodgy so we booked for 4 nights in a little cottage overlooking the lake, so we could take a trip to Doubtful sound in the good weather.
We took the drive to Milford Sound on one of the days, I can see how nice it could be on a sunny day but it wasn't meant to be

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On another bad weather day we went for a scenic drive, over the course of the holiday I had come to believe the statistic that there are 10 sheep per head of population and I wonder if this is more than double that in South Island! we have driven through so many tiny little towns with all the shops closed and no one around, its like something out of a movie!

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Finally our day arrived to go to Doubtful Sound. The weather was phenominal, blue skies, sunshine and the lake was as calm as a milpond. To get to the sound we had to take a trip accross lake Manapouri (almost and hour) to the Manapouri hydro electric power station. After a brief tour at the power station we took a bus over the mountain pass to reach the top of the sound. From here our boat trip began. It was a calm day and we went further than many trips out to sea. Aparently if you see more than 2 minutes of sun on Doubtful Sound you have had a good day.

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South Island tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-12-11:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=40&entryid=88112 2008-02-01T20:12:20Z 2007-12-12T05:55:29Z Our first look at the south island was arriving on the ferry into Picton through the Malborough sounds. What a start to the sightseeing :-) We then drove through beautiful vineyards making a mental note to stop this way on route back to the ferry. Carried on through beautiful hills and Mountains stumbing upon Lake Rotoiti on route. Coming out of season was a good idea, there was only one other couple to share the lake with ... Our first look at the south island was arriving on the ferry into Picton through the Malborough sounds. What a start to the sightseeing :-)

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We then drove through beautiful vineyards making a mental note to stop this way on route back to the ferry. Carried on through beautiful hills and Mountains stumbing upon Lake Rotoiti on route. Coming out of season was a good idea, there was only one other couple to share the lake with

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We spent our first night in Murchison, a tiny little town on route to the West coast. We found a little motel run by a lady who has lived there all her life and rented her massive 2 bed house for the night. It was kitted out in a retro 1950's style and had amazing views all round and its own garden. Making the most of the sunshine she let me borrow her son's bike and I headed off for a ride in the countryside

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We headed over towards the coast, the scenery was again very pretty, we managed to get the last room in town in the place called Greymouth, it wasn't much to write home about but I did catch a lovely sunset on the beach

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Next we headed south and I went for a walk at Cape Foulwind lighthouse, as I struggle to brush my hair I think this is very well named.

Next stop a smelly sea colony where we watched all the seal pups playing in the ricky surf and here I realised how far away from home I had come!

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From here on in the weather was pretty miserable, much like home, grey drizzle :-(
We arrived in Franz Josef and took the hour walk to the base of the glacier. I have to say it didn't look that impressive, kind of unreal. I really wanted a closer look so I booked myself on the Heli hike for the next day. I woke up bright and early and it was fairly clear but the cloud closed in within half and hour and my trip was cancelled :-( Instead we headed to the coast for the day and within half and hour we were out of the cloud and lying on the beach in the sun!

I rebooked my heli hike for the next day and this time it went ahead as planned. My entire group was 11 girls and the pilot certainly gave us a spin in the copter on the way up. The glacier was a much grander sight from above. After donning our crampons we set off for a bit of a wander around the ice. It was chilly up there but when the sun came out it was lovely and warm. There were a few pools of beautiful blue water and some lovely blue ice caves :-)

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North Island tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-11-29:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=39&entryid=86794 2007-12-12T04:33:49Z 2007-12-12T04:33:49Z Check out the sunset on the plane flying here...pretty! After clearing Bio hazard at Auckland airport I was hit with the 15 degree reduction in temperature since Cairns :-( When my parents had arrived on their flight we all headed to their friends north of Auckland. That was a much nicer welcome to New Zealand after the smelly motel the night before, cosy bed with electric blanket :-) Thanks Anne We then headed south in the rain to the bubbling springs ... Check out the sunset on the plane flying here...pretty!

After clearing Bio hazard at Auckland airport I was hit with the 15 degree reduction in temperature since Cairns :-(

When my parents had arrived on their flight we all headed to their friends north of Auckland. That was a much nicer welcome to New Zealand after the smelly motel the night before, cosy bed with electric blanket :-) Thanks Anne

We then headed south in the rain to the bubbling springs of Rotoroa. Pretty much as expected..... lots of steam and the smell of rotten eggs. We carried on South and ended up basing ourselves in Lake taupo for a couple of nights. This was stunning........

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We drove to the Tongariro National Park and took in the sights, the weather was gorgeous. Still snow on the mountains

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I toyed with the idea of doing a skydive but on my own I knew I would loose my bottle.
We then headed down to Wellington and spent the afternoon at the viewpoint taking in the view and watching the planes coming in over the cook straight. I had heard terrible stories of how rough the water in this straight could be, but the day we got on the ferry it was sunny skys and light wind. Lucky me, no seasickness today :-)

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The east coast and the magnificent reef tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-11-26:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=38&entryid=86390 2007-11-27T04:48:13Z 2007-11-27T04:48:13Z Our trip up the east coast took 2 full weeks winding our way from Brisbane to Cairns. We firstly headed for Noosa for our first night. The annual triathalon was being held that weekend and it was rammed.... no late entries allowed (phew!) so we headed up the coast. We couldn't find anywhere to stay in the delightfully named Gympie so we took a random road that lead us to the coast. We ended up in a place ... Our trip up the east coast took 2 full weeks winding our way from Brisbane to Cairns.

We firstly headed for Noosa for our first night. The annual triathalon was being held that weekend and it was rammed.... no late entries allowed (phew!) so we headed up the coast. We couldn't find anywhere to stay in the delightfully named Gympie so we took a random road that lead us to the coast. We ended up in a place called Tin Can Bay. This sounded shite but when we woke up in the morning we were right next to the water..... pretty nice in the end

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We then drove up through rainbow beach which was a little disappointing (probably because I have the pleasure of seeing the coloured sands of Alum Bay any time!!!) and arrived in Hervey Bay to hear that we were a week to late to see the Whales on their way South :-(
We only stuck around here for one night and then headed north to arrive near Rockhampton to see the turtles....... too early, :-( that's mother nature for you!

Anyhow next stop Airlie beach.... wicked, after a long drive through the bush, sugar cane coal mining we arrive for the main event of the East coast, we stayed here for 4 nights.
There is no beach to speak of here, it's all about the Whitsunday islands and the barrier reef so on our other day we headed north to Bowen and a really nice beach at Horseshoe Bay

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Next day was a full day snorkelling the reef and in true flashpacker style a helicopter trip to see it properly.....Well worth the money, it was incredible seeing it from the air, just like I had imagined and you can't see that from a boat, it has to be done :-)

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It was an amazing day out and finished with a sunset over the harbour :-)

We were due to go to the Whitsunday's the next day but it was raining. We extended another day and we were so glad we did. To fit as much as we could the chosen mode of transport was seaplane to Whitehaven beach (god I love flashpacking!) It was raining but it soon cheered up for champagne on the beach in total seclusion :-)

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After an overnighter in Mission beach we went straight to Cairns for 3 nights. We took a much small boat out to the reef from here, it cost more than the last one but was again well worth doing. I saw so much more fish and coral, sadly I only saw a turtle from a distance! (I have been in search of these since Borneo!)

The weather wasn't great for the remainder of the time so we took in the sights around Cairns and I managed to do some Christmas shopping (no busy West Quay for me :-)!).

We spent another night up in the Northern Queensland rainforest in a cabin, in the smallest town (Daintree) I have ever seen! We drove up to Cape Tribulation, I didn't see any crock's but maybe that's a good thing :-)

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I made the most of the humidity, swimming in the pool until I turned pruney!

I finally saw loads of Kangaroo's on my last day and was treated to hearing one of the local on the phone.... fair dinkum! Well I've seen and heard a fair bit of Oz......

New Zealand here we come :-)

Note to self: Update blog more often!

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Sydney tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-11-17:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=37&entryid=86389 2007-11-21T23:42:16Z 2007-11-21T23:42:16Z Sydney was brilliant. The weather was fab the entire time for the first time in weeks :-) I loved this city, although it seemed minature to what I imagined. The harbour bridge and the opera house were really nice but I thought they would be bigger for some reason. The city had plenty of open space, parks, cool new and old buildings side by side, a great atmostphere and plenty of bars and restaurants. The1st day, Dad and ... Sydney was brilliant. The weather was fab the entire time for the first time in weeks :-)

I loved this city, although it seemed minature to what I imagined. The harbour bridge and the opera house were really nice but I thought they would be bigger for some reason. The city had plenty of open space, parks, cool new and old buildings side by side, a great atmostphere and plenty of bars and restaurants.

The1st day, Dad and I could find a petrol station before returning the hire car so we thought we may as well drive the harbour bridge seeing as we had a car, that we fun and made me realise I didn't need to do the bridge climb Iafter Kinabalu it was just too small!)
We did the usual tourist thing down by the harbour, opera house etc, went to the Imax theatre, took in the views by walking down through the botanical gardens. How many joggers are there in Sydney? I wonder what they all did for a living, they were there at all time of the day, I would have been embarassed doing sit ups in the botanical gardens amoung the tourists but there was testosterone everywhere. Anyhow check out the view:

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The next day we caught a train to Bondi and bus to the beach, i was so much more impressed with Bondi beach than I thought I would be, the water was really clear (although freezing!) and the beach wasn't packed.

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We then walked along the coast to Coogee beach. We caught the bus back to the city, the bus drivers here are the most helpful and friendly I think you will find anywhere in the world. It seems they will even divert off the route for you as long as everyone else is ok with it and show you exactly where to go next, no worries :-)

Just back in the city in time to catch the Manly ferry, we sat on the beach for the afternoon and I managed a healthy dose of shopping, picking up another bikini. We hung around here for dinner so that we could catch the ferry back to the city at sunset. It was a really good trip and finished off a really nice day.

Onwards and northwards... flying to Brisbane.

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Sydney - Blue Mountains tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-11-17:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=36&entryid=83834 2007-11-19T23:41:06Z 2007-11-19T23:41:06Z After landing in Sydney we decided to head out to the mountains and come back to the city at the weekend. Ahhhh, its raining here too!!!!! I'm really glad with all this crap weather that I had all my mountain stuff from Borneo to keep me dry and warm. Handily found a hotel with a spa :-) The blue mountains are pretty, so close to Sydney, a nice little retreat for the weekend. We stayed here for 3 ... After landing in Sydney we decided to head out to the mountains and come back to the city at the weekend.

Ahhhh, its raining here too!!!!! I'm really glad with all this crap weather that I had all my mountain stuff from Borneo to keep me dry and warm. Handily found a hotel with a spa :-)

The blue mountains are pretty, so close to Sydney, a nice little retreat for the weekend. We stayed here for 3 nights and luckily the weather cheered up to do a little walking and enjoy the views:

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Yarra Valley tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-11-17:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=35&entryid=83613 2007-11-19T23:39:27Z 2007-11-19T23:39:27Z After Melbourne we headed out to the mountains and the wine regions. Lovely countryside with acres of grape vines led us to eucalyptus forests where we found a really nice spa hotel to base ourselves for the night. The following day and night was spent with some relatives who emigrated here from the isle of wight. Having seen no rain for weeks they were delighted that we brought the rain with us! Sydney I come :-) ... After Melbourne we headed out to the mountains and the wine regions.

Lovely countryside with acres of grape vines led us to eucalyptus forests where we found a really nice spa hotel to base ourselves for the night.

The following day and night was spent with some relatives who emigrated here from the isle of wight. Having seen no rain for weeks they were delighted that we brought the rain with us!

Sydney I come :-)

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Great Ocean Drive tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-21:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=34&entryid=83399 2007-11-13T01:53:15Z 2007-11-13T01:53:15Z The great ocean drive reminds me of the coastline in South Africa. By the time we got there it was raining and it was more like Well Chine on the Isle of Wight. We still had a really nice couple of days but it was pretty cold and there was no swimming to be done! ... The great ocean drive reminds me of the coastline in South Africa. By the time we got there it was raining and it was more like Well Chine on the Isle of Wight.

We still had a really nice couple of days but it was pretty cold and there was no swimming to be done!

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Melbourne tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-11-12:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=33&entryid=83398 2007-11-13T01:51:59Z 2007-11-13T01:51:59Z Melbourne is a delightful city. Old fashioned trams (and new ones) provide a great transport system. The weather was good, we amused ourselves for a few days here, down by the river. Now this is a much nicer place to be a rower than paddling up and down the itchen river! ... Melbourne is a delightful city. Old fashioned trams (and new ones) provide a great transport system.
The weather was good, we amused ourselves for a few days here, down by the river. Now this is a much nicer place to be a rower than paddling up and down the itchen river!

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Perth tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-26:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=32&entryid=83397 2007-10-26T10:43:57Z 2007-10-26T10:43:57Z After a traumatic goodbye in Singapore, I landed in Perth and was amazed at the tight customs and security process, they sure take it seriously here and pick on lone travellers! I was getting concerned for the safety of the marmite that I knew my Mum would be smuggling into the country for me later in the week! It was a gorgeous sunny day and I was looking forward to wandering over to Kings Park for the afternoon. Advised to ... After a traumatic goodbye in Singapore, I landed in Perth and was amazed at the tight customs and security process, they sure take it seriously here and pick on lone travellers! I was getting concerned for the safety of the marmite that I knew my Mum would be smuggling into the country for me later in the week!

It was a gorgeous sunny day and I was looking forward to wandering over to Kings Park for the afternoon. Advised to get the airport shuttle by my hostel I sat at the shuttle stop..............for 2 f***ing hours. A very random 2 hours indeed, I was adopted by an elderly German man who thought I was 16 and was concerned that I shouldn't be going to a hostel and I would be better off going to his hotel with him. Unsure of whether this was friendly or very disturbing (given that there were 4 other German people there and he was talking to just me) I started to ask other people if they would like to share a cab with me, including a good looking frenchman :-) as soon as he agreed, the bus turns up!

If you go/leave to Perth airport, get a taxi, they are better value, nicer people and you get immediate service!

It would have been quicker and less scary to walk into the city! The bus route seemed to take forever (well another 2 hours) and I was 2nd to last to be dropped off (luckily my German friend was the stop before me!) so I spent the beautiful sunset stuck on a bus and arrived at my hostel in the dark 5 hours late....... :-( Not that I was missing much as my hostel was a bit of a hole and my room really smelt!

I woke up the next morning and headed off for a bit of pampering at the hair salon. That went really well and I went back to do my washing at the hostel in the rain. The washing machine was crap so it took me all afternoon :-( will I ever see the sights of Perth I ask myself? Luckily a spillage of washing powder marginally improved the smell in my room :-)
Everything improved from then on as I met up with Karen. We had a gorgeous veg thai meal and I finally made it to Kings Park the next day :-)

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Singapore tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-25:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=31&entryid=83396 2007-10-25T12:17:45Z 2007-10-25T12:17:45Z Up again with a hangover for an early flight. We flew to Johor Bahru to save some money and crossed the border in a taxi. In the midst of our last day yesterday we had forgotten to arrange our hotel for the last couple of nights. Our taxi ride was fairly stressful, the hotel we had planned to stay in was fully booked and after calling about 10 others it was becoming apparent that we should have ... Up again with a hangover for an early flight. We flew to Johor Bahru to save some money and crossed the border in a taxi. In the midst of our last day yesterday we had forgotten to arrange our hotel for the last couple of nights.

Our taxi ride was fairly stressful, the hotel we had planned to stay in was fully booked and after calling about 10 others it was becoming apparent that we should have booked in advance and there was some conference or something on.

In the end we stayed in a well posh hotel for us on the 56th floor with incredible views (not that I could stand on the balcony!) but we will be paying for it for a while!

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We had an amazing curry in Little India which was absolutely choca and did a little shopping, of course.............. a new pair of shoes :-)

The plan for the last night was to eat in one of the many fish restaurants by the quay. Once I saw all the crabs and fish in the tanks waiting for the enevitable I couldn't go through with it and we ended up having tapas at a Spanish restaurant with a healthy jug of sangria :-)

Today Asia tomorrow Australia!

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Kota Kinabalu tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-25:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=30&entryid=83395 2007-10-25T11:59:38Z 2007-10-25T11:59:38Z The day after the climb....... ouch Hunger was the motivation to get up, luckily it was only 30ft across the road for Waffles :-) There came a point during the day when walking on the flat was ok, up and particularly down steps was a huge problem. I will be more sympathetic to the elderly in future. This was our last day in Borneo :-( and coincided with Hari Raya (the end of the muslim fasting) We heard the govenor was having an ... The day after the climb....... ouch

Hunger was the motivation to get up, luckily it was only 30ft across the road for Waffles :-)

There came a point during the day when walking on the flat was ok, up and particularly down steps was a huge problem. I will be more sympathetic to the elderly in future.

This was our last day in Borneo :-( and coincided with Hari Raya (the end of the muslim fasting)

We heard the govenor was having an open house at the local sports complex so we caught a taxi to join in the festival.
It was great, there was stalls with all types of food (all free). Being English we struggled to understand the lack of queuing! Even children were crushed in the rush!

We were somewhat a novelty for some people, I think I saw 2 other white people while we were there and a couple of girls wanted our picture (I really don't want to leave a country where pale and pasty skin is a good thing!)

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We caught another beautiful sunset and our last night in Borneo was completed with a curry and cocktails with another couple of brit's :-)

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Mount Kinabalu tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-25:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=25&entryid=82314 2007-10-25T11:44:01Z 2007-10-25T11:44:01Z We arrived back from Redang and spent the morning of the following day shopping at the Phillipino market before catching a taxi up to the Kinabalu National Park. After a cold night (sleeping in our clothes!) staying at Rhina Ria lodge just outside the Kinabalu national park we were up early for a hearty breakfast. We made it to park headquarters and Steve introduced me to our guide. We took the transfer bus to the Timpohon gate saving us ... We arrived back from Redang and spent the morning of the following day shopping at the Phillipino market before catching a taxi up to the Kinabalu National Park.

After a cold night (sleeping in our clothes!) staying at Rhina Ria lodge just outside the Kinabalu national park we were up early for a hearty breakfast. We made it to park headquarters and Steve introduced me to our guide. We took the transfer bus to the Timpohon gate saving us a couple of k's walk (I absolutely recommend this!)

Armed with god knows how many calories full of sugary food, minimal overnight stuff, thermal clothes and loads of water, off we trotted.
We started out at 8.20am with the aim of reaching Laban Rata after a 6km walk uphill at 11,000 ft. When I first looked at doing this climb I heard it was a relatively easy climb.... well for a mountain anyway and I was actually quite prepared thanks to Greggers. He summed it up perfectly for me, one giant stairmaster!

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Given that I had only used my walking boots once for half an hour and I only been swimming 3 times I week before I left, I was convinced that I was going to be fucked doing this!
So we started off so slow, the first 2.5k was relatively easy and people overtook us pretty soon but I plodded along at the same pace the entire time and was surprised that I actually found it ok.

We were lucky to have really good weather, it seemed to go on for ages and every corner you couldn't believe what you were facing next but it was great. The entire time we were overtaken my Malay's carrying food, water and supplies up to Laban Rata for us. They probably do it in about 2 hours and carry up to 30kg and they only get paid 3 ringgits per kilo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It certainly made me appreciate my dinner!

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Steve suffered from the altitude for a while but we happily made it up to Laban Rata in 6 hours (not the fastest but we all know about the hare and the tortoise)

We had booked a dorm room and headed straight for the showers and the bed for a lie down. Our room mates Sylvie and Neil are superfit and had made it up in 4 hours...... shame on us!
After my shower which was amazingly hot given where we were, I broke the ice in our dorm by shaking my deodorant which exploded all over us like some dodgey porn movie...... guess we were high up then.

I was pleased to see a bit of a sunset amoung the clouds before making it into bed by 7.30pm (really liked my bunkbed). There was no chance of any sleep with the cheeky girls in the room next door but we got a few hours in before waking to the sound of pouring rain at 1.30am. It did cross my mind to just turn over and forget about it but there was no way we were going to risk missing out.

Thankfull that we had bought a head torch we joined the procession for the 2.8km walk to the summit. I found this ok as well, it really helped being only 8 degrees but I was really panicking when we started climbing up the ropes in the dark. They seemed so much steeper because it was dark and being scared of heights made me think I was not going to enjoy the way down.

We were up to the summit in 3 hours, on my part greatly assisted by our guide. On day one we were wondering why you needed one and moaning about it being a waste of money, he certainly earned his money in the morning when I was slipping all over the place!
It was amazing, sunrise was incredible and the view......you could see all the way to the coast, the town through the clouds and the landscape of the mountain was something else. If you go to Borneo, you have to do this :-)

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The way down was an eye opener since we had done it blind and yes now was starting to understand people who say that going down is the worst!

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We had a big breakfast at Laban Rata on the way down and in pain every step made it down to the bottom in an incredibly slow 4 hours. By then it was pouring with rain and the last few km's were soooooooo hard.

Food and a hot bath called....... then we dropped and didn't move again.

Here is a link to the summit trail if anyone wants to do this:
http://www.mysabah.com/mount-kinabalu/

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Redang tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-24:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=27&entryid=82989 2007-10-25T06:26:35Z 2007-10-25T06:26:35Z The flight to Redang was via Kuala Lumpur and so we had another stop over. The flight seemed to be full of diseased people. Everyone around us was hacking up or caughing, it was pretty disgusting but hilariously funny to us. Now I know why these people need signs in public places reminding them not to spit! Anyhow, Redang was as gorgeous as I hoped. We stayed in a lovely resort with a seaview room............. The food was ... The flight to Redang was via Kuala Lumpur and so we had another stop over. The flight seemed to be full of diseased people. Everyone around us was hacking up or caughing, it was pretty disgusting but hilariously funny to us. Now I know why these people need signs in public places reminding them not to spit!

Anyhow, Redang was as gorgeous as I hoped. We stayed in a lovely resort with a seaview room.............

The food was interesting, not a great veggie selection.........had some healthy looking green beans, steve assuring me it was just cripsy onions that they had sprinkled ontop. Convinced that onions don't have eyes I spat it out..........seems dried fish heads are a favourite here.

3 days of sun, sea, sand, sex and cocktails :-) well one must rest with a mountain climb to come!

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Kota Kinabalu tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-21:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=29&entryid=83392 2007-10-21T12:43:19Z 2007-10-21T12:43:19Z We used the same hotel as a base in KK. This felt like being stalked....... the maids sat outside our room permanently and would make the room up before you had even checked out and take any money you left on the side assuming it was a tip before you even left it for them..... cheeky! We made a dash away from them and headed off for a bit of shopping and no matter where a woman is in the ... We used the same hotel as a base in KK. This felt like being stalked....... the maids sat outside our room permanently and would make the room up before you had even checked out and take any money you left on the side assuming it was a tip before you even left it for them..... cheeky!

We made a dash away from them and headed off for a bit of shopping and no matter where a woman is in the world she will buy more shoes. When they are only £10 a pair it is pretty hard to resist. God knows where I was planning on wearing them or how I was planning to transport them, but to get out of my flip flops and trainers for 5 minutes was nice :-)

We checked out the ferry timetable so that we could go and visit one of the islands off KK the next day. The sunset down by the jetty was gorgeous :-)

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We thought we would go to a local hawker place for breakfast for a change. We had had so many nice meals from these places and had eaten for less than a £1 between us in the evening markets that we thought we should give brekkie a go.
It was a chinese and I had had enough of rice and they had pictures of boiled eggs and toast so I thought I couldn't really go wrong with that......... yuck they were half boiled and served with honey toast. Even asking them to boil them for a bit longer they still came back raw. I really didn't want to offend them but I was going to gag if i ate them. Steve didn't fair so well with his fish noodle soup either!

Anyway our usual bakery was open so we picked up some raisin bread and some sugar coated garlic bread (oh yes there is sugar on everything!) and caught the boat over to one of the islands. Amazingly they were really nice. The water wasn't really clear enough so snorkel but it had a lovely beach and it was nice to chill out for a bit before our next trip.

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Mulu caves tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-21:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=26&entryid=82319 2007-10-21T12:40:21Z 2007-10-21T12:24:04Z After a bit of a bad start in KK, illness, smelly hotel room etc we went to find out about the main event that we were there for, Mount Kinabalu. We were gutted to find out that it was fully booked until the 11th October unless we wanted to freeze our arses off in an unheated shack the next night. We therefore decided to use KK as a base and re do all of our plans. Eventually ... After a bit of a bad start in KK, illness, smelly hotel room etc we went to find out about the main event that we were there for, Mount Kinabalu. We were gutted to find out that it was fully booked until the 11th October unless we wanted to freeze our arses off in an unheated shack the next night. We therefore decided to use KK as a base and re do all of our plans. Eventually we booked ourselves on a trip to Sarawak to see Mulu national park.

We flew to Miri in Sarawak and then got a connection on a litle foker 50 to the national park. We flew over loads of rivers and not much other than rain forest. It was pretty stunning when we arrived :-)

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We seemed to have a problem with our itinerary and Steve spent most of the next few hours wound up and on the phone disagreeing with out tour operator (never again did we or will we ever use one!)

In the afternoon we took a short boat trip and then walked 3k's to the Caves. Deer cave was massive, an incredible sight. All the bat were on the ceiling, squeeking away and the smell of bat shit was overwhelming!
After this one we went to Langs cave, full of stalagmites and stalagtites etc.

I was good feed for the mosquito's so I was pretty glad I took my anti malarial tablets but the million bat exodus at sunset was worth being eaten alive. Our guide seemed quite impressed at the footage that BBC film crew had managed to gain while filming this for David Attenborough. This was the closet that we managed to get:

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We had an evening meal inclued in the trip at the hotel. There was a totally random show on by the locals during dinner, it was cringe worthy especially when they dragged Steve up and then came around everyones tables to shakes hands :-0

Up really early the next day (due to our tour operator booking the wrong flights for us) for our trip to clearwater cave. There was a hell of alot of steps to get to the caves and we were so early the lights weren't on. I washed my face in the water which is supposed to give me eternal youth so watch out girls!

A quick boat ride and we were off to the airport for a 11.25 flight back to KK after the obligatory stop at a longhouse to buy a souvenir (which lasted about 5 minutes!). It was short and sweet but we saw-)everything that we came for........... :-)

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Kuala Lumpur tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-21:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=28&entryid=83387 2007-10-21T11:50:41Z 2007-10-21T11:50:41Z We had to have an over night stopover on the way to Borneo. We arrived quite late so we headed straight for the hotel where I spent so much time earlier in the year. It was nice not to have the hastle of getting our bearings, easy travelling! Picked up another load of cheap Dvd's ready for a few cosy nights in when I get home! Twin towers at night was cool. ... We had to have an over night stopover on the way to Borneo. We arrived quite late so we headed straight for the hotel where I spent so much time earlier in the year. It was nice not to have the hastle of getting our bearings, easy travelling!

Picked up another load of cheap Dvd's ready for a few cosy nights in when I get home!

Twin towers at night was cool.

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Siem Reap tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-17:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=24&entryid=81374 2007-10-21T11:35:42Z 2007-10-18T10:22:15Z We got a bargain on a hotel on Asia rooms so checked into a hotel with a swimming pool :-) We decided on a 3 day pass as temple fever kicks in well before lunch and I really wanted to do sunrise and sunset. There were some random policemen selling fake police badges (not sure why they thought we might want one) instead of enforcing the rules We went for a swim and headed off to Angkor just in time for the ... We got a bargain on a hotel on Asia rooms so checked into a hotel with a swimming pool :-)

We decided on a 3 day pass as temple fever kicks in well before lunch and I really wanted to do sunrise and sunset.
There were some random policemen selling fake police badges (not sure why they thought we might want one) instead of enforcing the rules

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We went for a swim and headed off to Angkor just in time for the afternoon rain. Angkor is supposed to be at it's best in the lush rainy season and it was pouring. We were really prepared with our waterproof's so made the most of it and while everyone else waited inside for the rain to clear we wandered around on our own.

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The food here was amazing, we took the advice of our tuk tuk driver and went to the Khymer Kitchen. For less than 3 quid we had two of the best curries I have ever had :-)

We managed to get a really good Tuk Tuk driver who we ended up using for the entire time we were there. He arranged to pick us up at 5am the next morning (ouch) to take us for the sunrise.

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Being up early meant that there was no one else around at the other temples and it was a bearable temperature. We also got to avoid the coach loads of annoying Japanese/Korean scary sun visor crowd!
We visited quite a few temples and I have forgotten most of them by the time I have got round to updating this. Our favourite were Preah Khan
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and Ta Prom which I think featured quite a bit in Tomb Raider so Steve paused for a few moments visioning Angelina Jolie running around in tight shorts

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Back to the pool to cool off and laze on my arse..... hard life this travelling with no work.

We made it for sunset at Phnom Bakeng, everyone climbs to the top of the temple and watches the sunset over the river, it was pretty busy up there but Steve found us a little spot in the corner and the sunset was beautiful
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Another gorgeous curry followed and a welcome massage, Steve really enjoyed being beaten up by the lady!

We also made the 1 hour trip to see Banteay Srei, this was well worth doing, the inscriptions are well preserved here and it was a really nice journey out into the countryside

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All in all, the poverty and the child sellers was hard work but well worth it, I loved Cambodia, the food was amazing and the temples awesome but off to Borneo we must go :-)

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Phnom Penh tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-17:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=23&entryid=81373 2007-10-18T04:39:14Z 2007-10-18T04:39:14Z Bit of a hangover started the day........ We flew from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, pretty good flight but neither of us had realised to what an extent the Tonle Sap floods in rainy season, the pilot had the landing gear down, we were getting lower and lower and all there was was water....... just like media footage of Bangladesh after severe flooding. We got a taxi direct into the "city" for $7 and Steve gave the guy $10 dollars and ... Bit of a hangover started the day........

We flew from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, pretty good flight but neither of us had realised to what an extent the Tonle Sap floods in rainy season, the pilot had the landing gear down, we were getting lower and lower and all there was was water....... just like media footage of Bangladesh after severe flooding.

We got a taxi direct into the "city" for $7 and Steve gave the guy $10 dollars and told him to keep the change. The guy's face lit up like a christmas tree and off he trotted to tell all his friends. I'm sure this is why we had what seemed like the entire population staked outside offering us tuk tuk's and taxi's for the 2 days we were there!

We seemed to be staying well out of the main backpacker area so just headed to a local restaurant 5 minutes walk from our hotel. Steve was starving so over ordered on the food and with the entire restaurant staff staring at us felt obliged to eat the lot. I felt like I was going to chunder and I really wanted to invite the beggar in off the street who was looking straight at me through the window, to help me out.

We visited the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda, the children sellers outside were really hard work :-( and we were glad to be in the solitute of a tourist sight.

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The Royal Palace was very different to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, although just as bloody hot in the midday sun!

Randomly people started clapping while we were in the temple as the former King had just arrived in residence and was coming out to wave at everyone.

We went for a walk along the river, the poverty was pretty evident with people washing in the river and this little boy came up to me as we were walking along. All he wanted was some water so I gave him mine and some money I had in my pocket. His little sister and mother were so grateful, it made my day :-)

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We went to visit central market, well worth a look around even though it was hard work getting there being hastled. Steve bought himself a t-shirt which didn't seem to impress some of the locals as it refered to Angkor beer being "My beer, my country"

In the afternoon we headed to the genocide museum Tuol Sleng S21. Soooooooo depressing, appropriately there was a thunder storm and heavy rain!

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To cheer ourselves up we made it in time for happy hour and a really nice dinner.... off to Siem Reap tomorrow :-)

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Bangkok tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-14:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=21&entryid=81369 2007-10-23T12:49:05Z 2007-10-17T11:04:26Z An early start followed a late night (after being delayed in Singapore alone with no money having given steve my bank card!) so that we could make the most of the 1 day sightseeing that we had. We headed straight for the Golden Buddha, Steve keen to show off his experience with the tuk tuk drivers that he had gained the day before! Total tourist mistake number 1 followed when I realised I had left my sarong/temple visiting attire in ... An early start followed a late night (after being delayed in Singapore alone with no money having given steve my bank card!) so that we could make the most of the 1 day sightseeing that we had.

We headed straight for the Golden Buddha, Steve keen to show off his experience with the tuk tuk drivers that he had gained the day before! Total tourist mistake number 1 followed when I realised I had left my sarong/temple visiting attire in the hotel room (arrrhhhhh!) I had to wear a naff tourist t-shirt saying Thailand..... nice pictures!

Next off to the Grand Palace, it was hot hot hot. We were pestered to death outside by various touts so we sat down for 5 minutes to cool off and sort out our bag............... Tourist mistake number 2, where did the wallet go? (arrrhhhhh!)

Off we trot into the palace to look around, Steve in a rather fetching pair of borrowed trousers and me in my Thailand T shirt. Pretty palace, it was tot hot hot so we didn't hang around for long. The temple of the Emmerald Buddha was rammed with people taking pictures of the entrance but we headed round the back for a nice photo pretty much the same without the hordes, the poor security guard didn't know what to make of us not following the other sheep!
Got a nice cheeky smile from one of the soldiers on his march round the palace, not like the ones at Buckingham!

After a couple of hours of melting that was enough sight seeing for us and back to the sanctuary of the air con and a kip to ward of the jetlag!

Refreshed from our sleep we headed to see Wat Prom, handily my rough guide had the opening times wrong by and hour so were bang on time to see the doors closing (arrrrhhhh!)

Salvation was found in the form of lovely cafe by the river with an ice cold drink watching sunset over the palace of broken plates (Wat Arun).

We had arranged to meet Peter Daniel for a night on the tiles, looking pretty relaxed after a whole year of bumming around! he had us in our best attire for the night.
After a tasty thai meal we headed to a couple of bars. The best part of the night was cocktails on the roof terrace of the Banyan Tree hotel with fantastic views.
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Steve was firstly requested to accompany a lady behind the screen to borrow another pair of rather unflattering trousers but this time with a pair of classic country club slip on shoes as his backpacking outfit was clearly deemed inappropriate! Amazing enough dressed like MC hammer with his baggy trousers he was approached by two "ladies" at the bar with an offer to join them............

The evening was finished off with another meal and finally landing in bed at 4am setting us up well for our morning flight to cambodia................ Farangs!!!!!!!!!

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Back on the round the world ticket tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-10-04:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=22&entryid=81371 2007-10-04T12:57:36Z 2007-10-04T12:42:10Z So there I was the night before my flight trying to check in online. I was a bit miffed that it wouldn't accept my check in and it said that I needed to go to the ticket desk to sort it out which thought probably related to my admin fee for re arranging dates. Steve and I went to the airport but we were both on different flights at different terminals. Being the gentleman that he is he ... So there I was the night before my flight trying to check in online. I was a bit miffed that it wouldn't accept my check in and it said that I needed to go to the ticket desk to sort it out which thought probably related to my admin fee for re arranging dates.

Steve and I went to the airport but we were both on different flights at different terminals. Being the gentleman that he is he came all the way to Terminal 4 with me to make sure that i was checked in okay.

I went to the ticket desk and said to the lady that there was a problem and she said that I needed to pay for my upgrade. Insisting that she had made a mistake Steve announces that I am flying world traveller plus :-)

Very nice indeed, was the only numpty in there not dressed accordingly but hey, bollocks to them.

Best not get used to it though....................

What a sweetie :-)

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Italy tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-17:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=20&entryid=66820 2007-06-17T14:29:52Z 2007-06-17T14:03:16Z We headed off into Switzerland to drive the San Bernadino pass to add another country to the blog :-) Such a shame I didn't bring a camera charger so all the photo's are from a disposable...............not so Girl Sensible! The scenery was stunning, we made our way out of Lake Maggiore over to St Vincent in the Aosta valley. Our hotel appeared to be empty and they allocated us one of their suites for our money.......very nice indeed. Enjoyed the ... We headed off into Switzerland to drive the San Bernadino pass to add another country to the blog :-)

Such a shame I didn't bring a camera charger so all the photo's are from a disposable...............not so Girl Sensible!

The scenery was stunning, we made our way out of Lake Maggiore over to St Vincent in the Aosta valley. Our hotel appeared to be empty and they allocated us one of their suites for our money.......very nice indeed. Enjoyed the views of the Alps from our window with a bottle of bubbly :-)

We drove to the Matterhorn early the next morning, I was amazed to still find snow on the ground and couldn't resist a snowball fight. We headed to Mont Blanc and were disappointed to find the cable car undergoing in maintenance so we didn't get to go up. Still I wasn't disappointed with the surrounding mountains
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We then spent the afternoon walking in the Gran Paradiso National Park before flying home.

The pounds didn't go so far as they did in Asia but a great week away.

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Italy tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-07:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=19&entryid=65063 2007-06-17T14:33:46Z 2007-06-17T13:09:34Z We flew to Milan very early on Thursday morning :-) Headed straight out to Lake Como, it looked stunning even though it was grey :-( When the sun finally came out it was gorgeous. [img=http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/84236/IMG%5F0443%5Fcropped%2Ejpg thumb=http ... We flew to Milan very early on Thursday morning :-)

Headed straight out to Lake Como, it looked stunning even though it was grey :-(
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When the sun finally came out it was gorgeous.

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We took boat trips all over the lake and ended our last day finding the highest random road on the map and driving it until we reached the top. It was amazing, we got there in time for sunset, what seemed to be a deserted village, slightly eerie but worth it

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Next we are off to Aosta valley to see the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc

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Ko Samui tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-03-25:/blog/?domain=girlsensible&thisblog_entryid=18&entryid=51580 2007-04-11T20:29:04Z 2007-04-11T20:29:04Z The weather was gorgeous for the two days we spent in Ko Samui. It was an early start for our boat trip out to Ang Thong National Marine Park. After a stop in a clear water bay for some snorkeling it was off to see the lagoon at the Marine Park and relax under the palms...... gorgeous :-) We kayaked again....our favourite thing to combat those bingo wings! After an exhasting shopping trip early evening w ... The weather was gorgeous for the two days we spent in Ko Samui.

It was an early start for our boat trip out to Ang Thong National Marine Park. After a stop in a clear water bay for some snorkeling it was off to see the lagoon at the Marine Park and relax under the palms...... gorgeous :-)

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We kayaked again....our favourite thing to combat those bingo wings!

After an exhasting shopping trip early evening we went out for a few cocktails. Everything was closing around midnight so we decided to checkout the lady boys at one of the hostess bars..... interesting!

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