Weather is fine in hong kong. Hopefully will be a good takeoff.
Homeward bound!
Smgt signing off.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Markets galore!
Oh my! It was hard to choose. The computer market or the normal market.
Three floors of small shops selling everything computer related.
Street stalls selling bags, scarves and tee shirts etc...
So hard to choose! I had to split up murine and still be back to have a shirt fitting.
Oh and also got new glasses so I won't be wearing contacts on the plane. Phew!
Both are ready to pick up before we fly out tomorrow/today.
Three floors of small shops selling everything computer related.
Street stalls selling bags, scarves and tee shirts etc...
So hard to choose! I had to split up murine and still be back to have a shirt fitting.
Oh and also got new glasses so I won't be wearing contacts on the plane. Phew!
Both are ready to pick up before we fly out tomorrow/today.
Friday, April 20, 2012
I love the nightlife
Someone likes to party!
Hong Kong a city that doesn't appear to sleep. A humid 27 degrees with thunder and lightening. But the rain was warm!
After we managed to make it to our accommodation we all had showed and slept for a few hours. I only got a few hours sleep on the 15 hour plane rides. To put it nicely we were all tired and grumpy.
Did a spot of shopping yesterday after the snooze. New shoes and shirts for tim, shirts and suit for me.
Didn't sleep very well last night (and unfortunately neither did Tim). Kept waking up coughing. Grr... On the plus side I can talk like a frog now - which is better than not being able to talk, right?
Time to get up and have a shower and go find me some glasses!
Hong Kong a city that doesn't appear to sleep. A humid 27 degrees with thunder and lightening. But the rain was warm!
After we managed to make it to our accommodation we all had showed and slept for a few hours. I only got a few hours sleep on the 15 hour plane rides. To put it nicely we were all tired and grumpy.
Did a spot of shopping yesterday after the snooze. New shoes and shirts for tim, shirts and suit for me.
Didn't sleep very well last night (and unfortunately neither did Tim). Kept waking up coughing. Grr... On the plus side I can talk like a frog now - which is better than not being able to talk, right?
Time to get up and have a shower and go find me some glasses!
Worst plane ride ever!
Now I know why Di doesn't fly cattle class for long haul. The 747 had old school CRT monitors in the roof and Bradley's and Verity's audio didn't work. What awesome Lufthansa inflight entertainment for an 11 hour flight (not). The trip over was far better!
But wait it gets better, for some reason about two thirds of the way through the flight we had to circle for about 30mins. I think it was due to a storm passing through.
About an hour later, just when I used the 'facilities' we hit turbulence. I got out pretty quick. Wasn't too bad at first. But got bad real quick. The pilot basically did a u turn to get us out of it, then for some reason he thought he would try it again hoping the turbulence had shifted from the flight path. IT WAS WORSE! We manage d to get airborne off the seats. If there was anyone who wasn't wearing their belt they would have had a v sore head!
Me, I had my eyes closed and was trying to relax and roll with it and used di's trick of the pressure points on the hand. Many people on the plane were sick but I escaped the condition, barely. At one point there was a fireball, possibly lightening. I had my eyes closed and didn't see it. But is not a nice thought.
We were over an hour late to the terminal, but we made it.
But wait it gets better, for some reason about two thirds of the way through the flight we had to circle for about 30mins. I think it was due to a storm passing through.
About an hour later, just when I used the 'facilities' we hit turbulence. I got out pretty quick. Wasn't too bad at first. But got bad real quick. The pilot basically did a u turn to get us out of it, then for some reason he thought he would try it again hoping the turbulence had shifted from the flight path. IT WAS WORSE! We manage d to get airborne off the seats. If there was anyone who wasn't wearing their belt they would have had a v sore head!
Me, I had my eyes closed and was trying to relax and roll with it and used di's trick of the pressure points on the hand. Many people on the plane were sick but I escaped the condition, barely. At one point there was a fireball, possibly lightening. I had my eyes closed and didn't see it. But is not a nice thought.
We were over an hour late to the terminal, but we made it.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Whispering goodbye London
Today we fly out to London via Frankfurt. I've given up talking, it's just too hard and all I can manage is a loud squeak and everyone just stares at me. I tried capturing Tim's attention and it came out as a high pitched dying croak. It freaked him out a bit - but was so funny. I wasn't quite expecting it to sound that way either.
Heathrow was no where near busy as I thought it would be. There is a brand spanking new terminal that has flash loos that we saw yesterday. Is was so quick off boarding yesterday and today was really fast checking in. There are self service kiosks for international as well. But it wouldn't read our passports so we joined the short queue.
Now were sitting at the airport in a cafe overlooking the Tarmac drinking coffee.
Goodbye London - for now.
Heathrow was no where near busy as I thought it would be. There is a brand spanking new terminal that has flash loos that we saw yesterday. Is was so quick off boarding yesterday and today was really fast checking in. There are self service kiosks for international as well. But it wouldn't read our passports so we joined the short queue.
Now were sitting at the airport in a cafe overlooking the Tarmac drinking coffee.
Goodbye London - for now.
Man vs frog- frog wins!
Back to london today with no clue if we will make our flight or not.
International flight leaves around 8am. No taxis available at five. Earliest bus leaves at 5.30. Its usually about a 30 min journey. A train leaves at 5.52 and takes 30 mins to the airport. A coach leaves at 6.10 an takes 40 mins to get to the airport. Those are our options.
So we catch the bus to the main station hoping that at that time of the morning there will be no traffic and few passengers. We had some lady on the bus (I think she was homeless and not alltogether there) and she kept letting out really loud screams at random times and kept spitting and rubbing it on her. She also started smoking and in spite of the language barrier Bradley told the bus driver (aren't hand signals great!) and he had a word with her and I'm not sure whether she threw it at him or on the ground but he stubbed it out.
What a way to wake up!
Right -so we made it to the station early with four minutes to catch the train. They boys brought the tickets and the girls ran for the train. Running with a 18kg backpack is no fun let me tell you!
But we made it!
Arrived in London. Was fun. Worst landing that I have had in a while (but have had worse). Rain and southerly wind made it a bumpy landing, so much had someone had their oxygen masks drop. The back half of the plan was a bit freaked with the screams (I think they were first time fliers) and they all cheered and clapped when we stopped.
We had planned to go up St Paul's but I couldn't do it. If I was back home I would have been in bed sick. Man voice vs croak, croak wins by a mile!
Stumbled around a few shops when went back to the airport hotel.
International flight leaves around 8am. No taxis available at five. Earliest bus leaves at 5.30. Its usually about a 30 min journey. A train leaves at 5.52 and takes 30 mins to the airport. A coach leaves at 6.10 an takes 40 mins to get to the airport. Those are our options.
So we catch the bus to the main station hoping that at that time of the morning there will be no traffic and few passengers. We had some lady on the bus (I think she was homeless and not alltogether there) and she kept letting out really loud screams at random times and kept spitting and rubbing it on her. She also started smoking and in spite of the language barrier Bradley told the bus driver (aren't hand signals great!) and he had a word with her and I'm not sure whether she threw it at him or on the ground but he stubbed it out.
What a way to wake up!
Right -so we made it to the station early with four minutes to catch the train. They boys brought the tickets and the girls ran for the train. Running with a 18kg backpack is no fun let me tell you!
But we made it!
Arrived in London. Was fun. Worst landing that I have had in a while (but have had worse). Rain and southerly wind made it a bumpy landing, so much had someone had their oxygen masks drop. The back half of the plan was a bit freaked with the screams (I think they were first time fliers) and they all cheered and clapped when we stopped.
We had planned to go up St Paul's but I couldn't do it. If I was back home I would have been in bed sick. Man voice vs croak, croak wins by a mile!
Stumbled around a few shops when went back to the airport hotel.
Cooking in style
Ah the cooking class was awesome. Andrea (male pronunciation) was our chef and he was funny too! There were ten of us from Finland to Canada to Scotland.
It was a four course meal and (mum you will be proud) while I didn't like everything I tried everything. I did t finish most dishes (except the tiramisu) cause I wanted to fit in dessert.
One thing to note about Italian cooking is the simplicity if the ingredients and the amount of olive oil that is used.
Hopefully we will get all the recipes and tips soon too!
It was a four course meal and (mum you will be proud) while I didn't like everything I tried everything. I did t finish most dishes (except the tiramisu) cause I wanted to fit in dessert.
One thing to note about Italian cooking is the simplicity if the ingredients and the amount of olive oil that is used.
Hopefully we will get all the recipes and tips soon too!
The big V
The internet connection has been on the blink so it's a late post.
Went on a tour through the Vatican city the other day. Man there is lost to see! Elaine (our guide) was cool and took us to the best bits and gave us the juicy facts and some of the gossip that surrounded the various areas.
Also saw the Sistine chapel. Went allowed to take photos of it because until 2015 a Japan tv channel has the rights to all the pictures. For some reason they offered to pay for the cleaning of the chapel's roof on the condition of the copyright. And it was and expensive and painstakingly long job to do.
We also went through St Michael's too but I was feeling a little worse for wear.
Went on a tour through the Vatican city the other day. Man there is lost to see! Elaine (our guide) was cool and took us to the best bits and gave us the juicy facts and some of the gossip that surrounded the various areas.
Also saw the Sistine chapel. Went allowed to take photos of it because until 2015 a Japan tv channel has the rights to all the pictures. For some reason they offered to pay for the cleaning of the chapel's roof on the condition of the copyright. And it was and expensive and painstakingly long job to do.
We also went through St Michael's too but I was feeling a little worse for wear.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Rainbows
Yesterday was a day of wandering around some random streets and getting lost. We left the cameras behind for fear of getting them wet. Today we went to the colosseum and Trevi fountain. For mum an dad we threw in some kiwi coins (we have photos for you mum) Apparently they collect around 2k out of the fountain daily for charity.
For the colosseum we went on a tour and learnt some of the history of it. After the roman empire fell, forces of nature haven't been kind to it, with water and ice doing much damage.
We also visited the palatino ruins. It is interesting to note that some of the historic buildings are actually built on top of even older ones. Apparently they just fill them in and build on top. And because the top ones are historic, they have to be real careful excavating the old ones beneath and sometimes aren't allowed to even do that.
We also saw a rainbow over some of the ruins too. Might have been the colosseum but can't remember (I do have photos of it though)
It was supposed to be fine today but it started raining, so bad to buy umbrellas from the hawkers. Talked them down to two for 5€. one was a rainbow colored one :)
Tomorrow is the vatican city.
For the colosseum we went on a tour and learnt some of the history of it. After the roman empire fell, forces of nature haven't been kind to it, with water and ice doing much damage.
We also visited the palatino ruins. It is interesting to note that some of the historic buildings are actually built on top of even older ones. Apparently they just fill them in and build on top. And because the top ones are historic, they have to be real careful excavating the old ones beneath and sometimes aren't allowed to even do that.
We also saw a rainbow over some of the ruins too. Might have been the colosseum but can't remember (I do have photos of it though)
It was supposed to be fine today but it started raining, so bad to buy umbrellas from the hawkers. Talked them down to two for 5€. one was a rainbow colored one :)
Tomorrow is the vatican city.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Rome sweet Rome!
Settled in a bit more now. Went out exploring and shopping. More exploring than shopping and it rained the whole time! We got soaked. There were people selling umbrellas everywhere. Us girls already had them and the boys wore their waterproof jackets. Shame our back packs weren't waterproof. There were a couple of wet cameras and passports. Opps!
We also went grocery shopping and cooked dinner - far cheaper than eating out!
Now everything is under the heaters drying.
Here's hoping tomorrow the rain isn't as wet.
We also went grocery shopping and cooked dinner - far cheaper than eating out!
Now everything is under the heaters drying.
Here's hoping tomorrow the rain isn't as wet.
Is the pope catholic?
We're off to the Vatican today. Should be fun. Could have done with more sleep but was woken by the bells of Vatican. They were nice, but need more sleep if I am going to kick this cold (but is not looking likely before I get home :( )
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
London photos
There is a story that goes with all of our photos. Again these are just off the small camera and some photos you will laugh at (typical smgt )
https://picasaweb.google.com/100106884664954920356/London2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPuVvJ3Yg-qx6QE&feat=directlink
Enjoy
https://picasaweb.google.com/100106884664954920356/London2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPuVvJ3Yg-qx6QE&feat=directlink
Enjoy
China photos
Alright. Here is a link to some china photos. These are the ones taken from my small point and shoot. And I haven't really had much time to go through them (sorry) but enjoy!
https://picasaweb.google.com/100106884664954920356/China2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKer_vT44o-A4wE&feat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/100106884664954920356/China2012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKer_vT44o-A4wE&feat=directlink
Bank on this!
NOT!
Tim's card has been blocked from being used. Spending too much money lol not!
On the plus side mine still works (thankfully). We decide to only use one card just in case. Looks like it was just as well!
And with time zones at the opposite end of the spectrum he's going to have to stay up late and ring thru. Oh well.
Tim's card has been blocked from being used. Spending too much money lol not!
On the plus side mine still works (thankfully). We decide to only use one card just in case. Looks like it was just as well!
And with time zones at the opposite end of the spectrum he's going to have to stay up late and ring thru. Oh well.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
One blind fish
I've managed to lose my glasses. Must have left them in Paris. It's the first time I have lost a pair of glasses. The time they were stolen doesn't count.
This is going to be interesting. Long haul flights with contact lenses.
At least I have a spare pair of lenses which I should probably start using next week since it has been almost a month since I started using my current ones.
This is going to be interesting. Long haul flights with contact lenses.
At least I have a spare pair of lenses which I should probably start using next week since it has been almost a month since I started using my current ones.
T + B = unstoppable
We now have internets at the hostel! I don't think the person who set it up knew what they were doing.
Choo Choo toot toot
Farewell Paris, hello marseille!
Took the bullet train to marseille. Got to see some of the French countryside, albeit very quickly.
Once at the train station we had two options - walk 2kms with packs to hostel or catch a taxi. I was overruled and we caught a taxi. Cost €20. They charge per person and per bag. Ugh!
Train was different though, and so very fast. Trees were just flying by! Took less than four hours.
Took the bullet train to marseille. Got to see some of the French countryside, albeit very quickly.
Once at the train station we had two options - walk 2kms with packs to hostel or catch a taxi. I was overruled and we caught a taxi. Cost €20. They charge per person and per bag. Ugh!
Train was different though, and so very fast. Trees were just flying by! Took less than four hours.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Close encounters of the police kind.
So PC!
There come in all shapes and sizes and clothes too!
A undercover one used my brother and us as a cover while he was following someone. We weren't quite sure whether he was for real or not, but he showed us his badge and ID and we googled it when we got back to the place. It was all a big weird.
A few days later we were walking over a bridge and suddenly this cop car does a u turn and the cops jump out and corner a pick pocketer. Several other cops appeared from nowhere and more turned up with his accomplices. And I think the police boat turned up to pick up the stuff the pick pocket dropped over the side of the bridge. Man they have sharp eyes and take it seriously.
There come in all shapes and sizes and clothes too!
A undercover one used my brother and us as a cover while he was following someone. We weren't quite sure whether he was for real or not, but he showed us his badge and ID and we googled it when we got back to the place. It was all a big weird.
A few days later we were walking over a bridge and suddenly this cop car does a u turn and the cops jump out and corner a pick pocketer. Several other cops appeared from nowhere and more turned up with his accomplices. And I think the police boat turned up to pick up the stuff the pick pocket dropped over the side of the bridge. Man they have sharp eyes and take it seriously.
Mona Lisa from afar
After chilling out a bit this morning and doing washing Tim and I walked to the Louve.
Lots of awesome cool stuff to see and some fantastic ceilings as well. Managed to see Mona Lisa from afar as there were heaps of people there.
While you could take photos you aren't allowed to use the flash so half of them won't turn out :(
And it was raining when we got out. Managed to do some shopping and fit some boots.
Lots of awesome cool stuff to see and some fantastic ceilings as well. Managed to see Mona Lisa from afar as there were heaps of people there.
While you could take photos you aren't allowed to use the flash so half of them won't turn out :(
And it was raining when we got out. Managed to do some shopping and fit some boots.
Man vs laundromat
Man wins! The boys did some washing this morning while I relaxed. The cough came back with vengeance this morning :( the washing machines were tiny but the driers are huge! Three tiny wash loads fit into one big drier and only took about 10 mins to dry!
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Tower with a view!
Our best attempts to get up early for the Eiffel Tower failed. We tried to be lining up at 9am but it was almost 10am when we left our cute studio.
Only one lift was operating and the queue was miles long! So we opted for the stairs up to stage two (the farthest you can go with stairs) then caught the lift the rest of the way up. We were only in our queue for about 30mins. The other one was about four hours so I heard!
We decided to splash out and had lunch up there. It was about 30 euro for three scrummy courses and a drink. Te weather was nice and the view was amazing. I wonder how many people would be up there if the winds were anything like Wellington.
We also visited some artsy area called the scare something or other :) or momatra.
Coffees are about 6nz over here so am trying not to have many.
Lots of waking and lots of stairs is tiring! Can someone please take my cold away from me? You can have it for free, I promise.
Only one lift was operating and the queue was miles long! So we opted for the stairs up to stage two (the farthest you can go with stairs) then caught the lift the rest of the way up. We were only in our queue for about 30mins. The other one was about four hours so I heard!
We decided to splash out and had lunch up there. It was about 30 euro for three scrummy courses and a drink. Te weather was nice and the view was amazing. I wonder how many people would be up there if the winds were anything like Wellington.
We also visited some artsy area called the scare something or other :) or momatra.
Coffees are about 6nz over here so am trying not to have many.
Lots of waking and lots of stairs is tiring! Can someone please take my cold away from me? You can have it for free, I promise.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Notre dam
What a day! We wandered around for a bit this morning then went to the champs élysées. Took lots of photos (sorry can't upload them on here for some reason) and saw some crazy people crossing a massive and busy roundabout.
Then we walked down the champs élysées road with all the famous shops including louis Vuitton and Mercedes and many many more.
Took a seine river boat and saw some if the sights at night. Amazing!
Then we walked down the champs élysées road with all the famous shops including louis Vuitton and Mercedes and many many more.
Took a seine river boat and saw some if the sights at night. Amazing!
First impressions
We arrived and I tried ringing the numbers I needed to for the shuttle and accommodation. FAIL! It was all in French and no operator. Had to approach an English speaking local to help out. There were about three groups in the same situation. Not only was the shuttle not there, when it eventually turned up it couldn't fit all four in so we had to wait even longer. So while we arrived early it was about 60 mins before we finally got picked up. The lady was waiting for us when we arrived. The room is tiny with stuff squeezed in everywhere but it is an awesome location! Let's hope they make good coffee.
Scotland overnight.
Haha slept on a air bed and ended up transferring to a couch when the floor became too hard to handle. Got to see the outside of the castle but the queues were a bit long. Weather was the traditional grey sky with some wetness. Then we had to drive to the airport. Fun! There are no assigned seats on the plane, it's first in first served.
Scotland!
The drive up was good. We used google maps on Tim's phone until he tried to sync it with car Bluetooth. Then it all went pear shaped. I had to somehow get my aim card out to put his in for data. My battery died just after we got to Hayden's place. Phew! You can always trust an iPhone to do what it needed :)
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The snowy lakes
What a few days. Went for a drive and walk around the area. Beautiful. So many things are very similar to NZ but at the same time so different. The boys took photos while the just walked and chatted. Had a picnic lunch in the car (it was too cold outside). Days are getting a bit muddled here (sorry). We went and did a dinner and movie deal the exotic Marigold hotel) and when we came out it was snowing! Also did a spot of shopping (I needed another jersey it was so cold) and played and awesome game called Pacheco (or something similar sounding) which was great fun.
The lakes
Beccy and Dave were wonderful people. They are friends of my brothers and showed us around the 'hood. Couldn't have asked for nicer people. It is so strange seeing all the fences made out of stone! And the houses too! apparently there is quite a few restriction about building new houses and urban spread. Some towns are not allowed to go outside certain boundaries. So the quaint clusters of buildings are maintained. There is so much history around. Some Of the buildings have been around since before nz was settled! It gives historic a whole new meaning!
Road tripping
The roads are nice and straight and easy enough to pick up speed. Getting a 1.4L car with four adults with four packs up to 115 kmsph was a mission at times. But even at that speed we were getting passed by trucks and cars even smaller than us. Some times it felt like we were standing still. I think it took us about five hours to get to the lakes district. But it was still daylight when we got there!
Back on line :) and looking back
Casting my mind back to a few days ago when we picked up the 1.4l car - what fun it was avoiding the congestion zone in London trying to avoid the 10£ fee if we strayed into it. Didn't get the navman for the car but relied in Tim's phone. The speed zones aren't as well signposted over here, but eventually figured out it was 70 miles ph on the dual carriage way. But even at 70 we were one of the slowest cars on the road!
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Who am I?
Tim was off to Madame tussauds today to see all the famous people in wax. But me, I stayed in bed trying to get some rest and get better before we head off on our road trip tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)