We saw so much on this trip through Yucatan. Nick already wrote about Valladolid and Izamal, the small towns we very much enjoyed, and we also visited two of the best known Mayan ruins: Chichen Itza and Uxmal.
In the souvenir shops in Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres we have seen endless rows of plastic pyramids and colourful skulls. Now having seen these ancient Mayan ruins and learnt about the history we have a better understanding of the meanings of these symbols. Read more
As we are learning to live this travelling life, we find that every so often we need to stop and rest. So after travelling around the US and Canada for 6 weeks and covering huge distances, we were looking for somewhere warm by the beach where we could do a bit of home cooking and exercise more regularly to recover from all the melted cheese we had enjoyed! Enter Playa del Carmen, a small town on the Caribbean Sea south of Cancun, Mexico. Read more
Over 10 days in Collingwood, north of Toronto, we’ve seen temperatures ranging from +25 degrees to -1. First we spent Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with Gill (Nick’s sister-in-law), Al and Adam in glorious late summer heat. The foliage had turned and was beautifully set off by blue skies. The following weekend we got an early taste of winter when we stayed with Gillian and Kevin (an old colleague of Nick’s) in their cottage. As most of you will know, we plan to follow summer and avoid the cold so to see snow without having to wait for the middle of winter was an unexpected delight… Read more
As we left Mexican Hat and Monument Valley we wondered what we would see that we hadn’t already seen. The landscapes and scenery until now had been so dramatic that it would be impossible to top! As we drove east the surrounding mountains changed to blues and greys and the desert looked much drier in yellows and dusty olive greens. Ship Rock followed us part on the way and we realised how it got its name. Depending on how the road wove its way through the hills the rock would appear and sail past us back and forth. And when we got to Santa Fe we found that the city’s unique qualities are man-made: adobe houses and art, art and more art… Read more
We’ve had such a great time catching up with friends since we arrived in the US. At a certain point in Japan I started to really miss conversations that were longer and deeper than ‘hello, how are you and where are you from’. Didn’t miss home but just wanted a good old chat. According to Nick, I became very excited and overly talkative with ANYBODY who spoke good English… Nick is good company and all that but I’m sure you all understand that I need somebody sensible to talk to once in a while!! Read more
Hey y’all!! We are back on land! Prince Rupert In Canada was a little taster before we got to Seattle a few days later but it got us thinking about our trip and the fact it’s now SIX months since we left Perth. The time has gone quick but at the same time it has passed slowly and is filled by so many places, people and new experiences. We don’t often spend time thinking about those early days in Cambodia and Vietnam – and that’s the second reason we are writing the blog. So that we can remember it all even when we get back home. The first reason of course is to stay in contact with family and friends and we really love getting emails and blog comments so thank you very much for all of those!
Our trip on the Hanjin Ottawa was like an interlude and now we are ready to start a new chapter of the trip in the US… Read more
It’s time… Tomorrow we will be boarding the Hanjin Ottawa and set off for Seattle via Busan and Port Rupert in Canada. We hope for calm seas and blue sky.
The Ottawa is 279m long, 41 m wide, weighs 68834 tons and carries 4000 containers. We will be staying in one of 3 guest cabins on the ‘F’ floor, a level or two below the bridge which in normal terms is way up high. Read more
We had a fantastic introduction to the food in Korea when we caught up with Jamunah and Shyamalan, friends who now live in Busan. They took us on a food tour in the Nampo-dong area. We started with a Korean BBQ of course! Then some street food, a delicious Bingsu (shaved ice dessert), some sangria at TGI Friday and a light dinner at the Lotte food hall to end the day in style! Wow! Read more
Festivals are huge in Japan and we were lucky to catch another one in Kagoshima. The Matsuri parade varies around the country but always seem to involve the carrying of shrines around the city. In Kagoshima the hotter climate influences the dress code (beware of partial nudity!). We watched the parades but the highlight for us was the drumming! Japanese drummers perform around the world and seeing them here I now fully understand the appeal. Read more
After the typhoon the sun came back and so did the beautiful colours. Exploring the island we saw how unspoilt it really is with a rugged green interior and beautiful sea all around. We experienced what will hopefully be the last typhoon of the season and then summer really started. Our hotel filled with Japanese families on their summer vacations – everybody there to relax and enjoy the beach. Read more