Traipsing on the travertines

Having a wonderful time in Turkey! Internet access has been a challenge and tedious when found due to their different letters on the keyboard so apologies if these entries aren't perfectly proofread.
Our visit through Cannakale was very interesting and educational as it dealt with the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915 during WWI. This is a very popular site to visit for Australians and New Zealanders as they lost many soldiers in this campaign. An Australian visitor was asked to read a one page summary of the last days/weeks in the life of John Simpson and his donkey and he choked up by the time he got to the end of his reading. He had many of us in tears, that's for sure.
From Canakkale we visited Troy and Pergamum on our way to Selcuk. We visited Troy in a full fledged thunderstorm all around us (I know someone called Mary who would have made her way back to the bus subito-presto). We arrived in Pergamum at 5 PM only to find out that the site closed at 5PM. Our tour guide negotıated an extra half hour for us so we did a quick run through, run being the operative word. The ruins of this Akropolis are quite nice to visit and the view of the city and valley below is quite spectacular. I'm glad I was able to see it even if only for 30 minutes.
Arrived in Selcuk at 10PM after a very very long day. Our first day in Selcuk was spent regrouping and booking most of our accomodations for the remainder of the trip. After a good day's rest we headed off early to visit the ruins of Ephesus. They are without a doubt the best we've seen so far in Turkey. The library entrance is spectacular and I was lucky enough to get some nice pictures void of thousands of tourists that were in from the cruiseships. In the afternoon we went to a haman for our first ever Turkish bath. It is certainly a very different experience that leaves you feeling very clean and well exfoliated. We were the only tourists there at the time we went so it was funny to exchange hand signals with the Turkish ladies who did their best to explain what we needed to do next and where to go.
I've fınally made it to the travertines part of the entry. If you want to find out more about this amazing natural wonder I suggest you do a search on Pamukkale travertines and read all about it. It's almost like seeing a glacier in the desert. Hot water rich in many minerals has left calcium deposits on the mountain terraces to create this permanent white winter wonderland. You can still walk on a small section of the terraces (the Turkish people are now more careful about futher damaging them by restricting public access).
Today we took a 5-hour bus ride to Fethyie where we are getting ready to set sail tomorrow for a 3-night cruise on the Mediterranean that will take us to Olympus. Crossing our fingers that we won't get seasick. I'll tell you all about it on the next post.

In Istanbul

Hi there
Just a quick word to let you know that I arrived safely in Istanbul Turkey and that I've been reunited wıth my sister Janie (woohoo).
I'ts been a busy few days visiting the main tourist attractions (Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Galata Tower, etc.). All of it quite nice. My feet and right leg is killıng me but I just have to suck it up.
I'ts very hot here (at least from where I come from and the summer wasn't hot or humid) so we have to take the occasional breaks.
We're moving down to Canakkale tomorrow to visit the Gallipoli Battlefields. I hope the weather cools down a bit but I doubt it sınce we're moving south.
Take care everyone and I'll post again soon.

One month to go to Turkey and Janie - woohoo!

My next adventure begins on September 12th 2008 when I leave for a three week vacation in Turkey. I will be meeting up with my sister Janie who is in the final stages of her one-year travel around the world. To say that I am anxious is an understatement. After the awful weather we've had here in Quebec in the summer of 2008, I am definitely looking forward to a change in scenery and a change of pace. I am also very much looking forward to seeing Janie in person as it's been 7 months since I left her in Bangkok after our three-week trip through Thailand.

I am currently in the planning stages for this trip so all I can say for now is that my adventure begins when I arrive in Istanbul on September 13th and it will end when I return to Montreal on October 4th. I am looking forward to nice weather, great sights, great people and great food, not necessarily in that order...

So stay tuned for more exciting posts and pictures come September.

The final stretch - Krabi

I definitely have fewer days left than what I've already spent but for those who know me well, I'm not itching to get back home, as I usually am at this stage of a vacation. It may have something to do with the fact that at the end of this vacation I will be leaving Janie for another 7, 8 or 9 months or it may just very well have to do with Thailand. I think it's a combination of the two. All this to say that I'm thoroughly enjoying my vacation time and I hope to do so until the very last minute.

Janie and I bid farewell to Karon early this morning when we got into a mini-van with 10 other people to go to Krabi. I was very happy not to be sitting in the front seat because I couldn't exactly see all the close calls as our driver was quite fast and aggressive on the road. I spent most of my time listening to music on my iPod and looking at the amazing scenery around me. We are now in the area where they have limestone stacks (karsts) all around so it is quite impressive to see. It certainly doesn't resemble any of the mountains we have in Canada. I also spent a bit of time fending off the Italian guy who sat/slept on the seat beside mine because he wasn't just hungover, he was still drunk when he got into the van and he was sometimes trying to get touchy/feely to which I would simply answer "Don't touch". Another funny experience for the books!

We arrived in Krabi 3.5 hours after leaving Karon ad headed immediately to our low budget hotel called "The Greenery". It wasn't too far from where we were dropped off in Krabi Town so we decided to walk. Apparently I made quite the funny sight with me lugging my huge Ricardo of Beverly Hills suitcase (it really belongs to Janie and she asked me to bring it half empty to take some of her stuff back) plus two Roots small backpacks along the sometimes non-existent sidewalks of Krabi. I for one was very happy when I saw the sign for our hotel because I was getting pooped. Our room is OK and cheap (Janie is on a budget after all...) so after a few minutes to catch my breath we were off to find sustenance (food) and to book a tour for tomorrow. We are now booked on a one-day tour of Phi Phi Islands (pronounced PP) for tomorrow and we'll see about Friday when we get back. We had lunch at May & Mark's (recommended by Lonely Planet) and had a great time talking with a couple from France (husband from the UK, wife from South of France) and the owner Martee. Got a lot of info about the king and his heir and all of the holidays in Thailand. The UK man also had many stories about Canada that made us laugh. Had the best pizza I've had in Thailand (curry pizza) with pork satay and 2 diet cokes that Janie and I split for the low price of 240 baht ($8.00 Canadian). After lunch we sauntered across the street for a well deserved manicure and pedicure (after all that walking and carrying extra heavy suitcases) for 200 baht each ($6 something). I swear I could live here forever with my retirement savings...

Janie has decided to return to Bangkok with me on Saturday so I will get to spend one extra day with her and that means I won't have to book my last night's hotel on my own (I so suck at this and she is great at it so I let her do everything...).

That's it for now.

Happy Birthday Jackie

This one's for my sister Jackie who is celebrating her birthday on January 29th. Less than two hours to your birthday here in Thailand so I wanted to send you a special message and perhaps be the first one to wish you a Happy Birthday.

Even though you are so very far in miles, you are always close in my heart. Have a wonderful day and I'll make it up to you when I get back home (soon enough!).

Happy Birthday sis,
Love Johanne.

Beach Bound

From Chiang Mai we took a flight to BKK and another one to Phuket. Arrived in the early morning hours to be greeted by the taxi ride we had booked with our hotel in Patong Beach. Everything was fine up until the time they stopped the car in an alley off one of the main streets in Patong and told us that there was no room at the Patong Inn Hotel (where we had booked)and that we would stay here at the Apartment Sawasdee for one night. Being unsure whether we were being scammed or not, Janie, our experienced traveler, asked to speak to the manager of the Patong Inn Hotel. He did confirm that the Inn was in fact overbooked and that it was OK to stay at this other location for one night. The place wasn't that great and and I don't think we got one full hour's sleep due to the noise coming from the pipes (a bit creepy if you ask me). Next morning at 9:30 AM almost sharp, our hosts from the Patong Inn were there to take us to the hotel. Accommodation mishap aside, we were ready to experience Patong Beach, the busiest beach on Phuket Island. Patong Beach is also home to much of the "special" tourism that goes on in Thailand so you often see beautiful Thai women in the company of western gentlemen.

We enjoyed Patong Beach for three days and then decided to move to Karon Beach (10 kms south of Patong) to see something else. Karon was pretty busy so all we could find for accommodations was 3 nights at the Phulin Resort. Obviously it is more expensive than our earlier rooms but it is worth it and hey, I'm on vacation... Karon is really more up my alley. It is family oriented and much more quiet than Patong Beach. The beach is beautiful with sand that looks and feels like brown sugar mixed with powdered sugar and the water is such a clear blue color. There is also some wave activity, which is more than Patong that didn't have any wave activity at all. It is hard to imagine that they are only 10 kilometers away from each other. Janie and I are both enjoying our time in the sun where we are reading, snoozing and swimming in very beautiful surroundings.

We still have a few days here and then we will be heading north of Phuket Island to eventually go to Krabi.

Hope winter is being good to you in Ontario and Quebec.

Chilling in Chiang Mai

After the hustle and bustle of BKK, Chiang Mai (pronounced Chiang "My") provided a nice change in pace. Our journey from BKK to Chiang Mai was made by overnight train where we booked in the air conditioned sleeper car. Up until the time to go to bed everything was pretty normal but when they made up the beds and I had to get myself settled into the upper bunk, that's when the fun began. If you don't like tight spots (I'm thinking dad here...) then this is definitely not for you. Moving from the south end of the bunk to the north end of the bunk also proved to be a challenge. At one point I was having a mini meltdown but overall I thought the whole experience was pretty funny. We arrived safe and sound in Chiang Mai at 7:30 AM, thirteen and a half hours after we left BKK.

Our accommodations at the 3 Sis Vacation Lodge were several notches above our guesthouse in BKK. It was well located in a quieter section of the city right next to Wat Chedi Luang. In Chiang Mai we basically walked to most of our destinations except for specific trips outside the city limits. I really enjoyed walking around even if it was consistently 30+ Celsius and very sunny. I think I've developed a greater appreciation for the heat, that I certainly didn't have before.

My favorite activity in Chiang Mai was the full-day cooking class we took at the Baan Thai Cookery School. WE were 6 students (Aaryn - US, Giannis - Cypress, Janwillem and Danielle - Netherlands and Janie and me - Canada) with our fabulous instructor Kim. Kim's English was exceptional, by Thailand standards, and she was always smiling and cracking jokes. Kim took us to the market where she purchased the ingredients for the day and explained to us about the various fruits, g\vegetables, nuts, herbs, etc. We prepared 6 different dishes throughout the day and never stopped eating. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed each other's company.

We took a one-day tour outside of Chiang Mai to visit an orchid farm to do bamboo rafting, ride elephants and visit the Karen long-neck and big-ears and Lisu hill tribes. the tour was a bit of a fiasco because of the 8 people on the tour, no one had paid the same amount or had the same activities included, yet we were all in the same truck... As an example, Janie and I didn't have the white water rafting included in our package so when it came time for the others to do it, we were just told to sit and wait. A similar situation happened with Angelique and Michael who had to pay extra money to visit the Karen tribe because it wasn't part of their package. The parts I enjoyed the most about the tour was the bamboo rafting and the elephant riding (thanks Jackie for this Christmas gift). Elephant riding is hard work even for the passengers because you have to follow the elephant's movements and go with his flow. It can be a bit scary going down hill but I thought it was similar to a ride at Disney World. Overall I enjoyed the day spent with Victoria and Wayne (daughter/father from Australia and UK), Angelique and Michael (France) and Tenille and Richard (Australia).

While in Chiang Mai we became regulars at a small restaurant in our neighborhood where we had lunch/supper most every afternoon. One of our favorite meals is Khaow Soi, which is a typical northern Thai dish made of yellow noodles with chicken in a coconut Curry sauce, mmmm.. mmmm.. good! We also indulged in some Thai massages more specifically foot massages. I don't think I could have handled the punishment handed out in a full body massage (they are rough!). All in all Chiang Mai was a pure delight.

One Night in Bangkok...

Hi there,
Well I survived my three flights and 24+ hours to get from Montreal to Bangkok last Saturday/Sunday with no side effects. Met with two young Canadians to share a taxi from the airport to Khao San Road (area where I was staying) at around 1:00 AM. Got to the Rambuttri Village Inn in good time and was rejoiced to see Janie waiting for me in the outside lobby. We caught up until 2:30 AM before getting some well deserved sleep.

My first day in Bangkok (BKK) was a bit overwhelming as you have to remember that I'm used to 5 star accommodations and all-inclusive clubs (most of the time). I could have also been a bit jet lagged and unaccustomed to the BKK heat. Visited the Grand Palace, took the riverboat, got sucked in by a tout (even though we were well prepared), saw a huge standing Buddha and took our first and last tuk-tuk in Bangkok. Went to the Siam Center (huge shopping mall) to cool off and eventually made our way back to our room. Had dinner at the Indian restaurant just outside our guesthouse with a Swiss girl that Janie has met on her previous travels. A pretty full day for the first full day in Thailand.

By the second day I was over the jet lag and was feeling much, much better. I was in full tourist mode, ready for any adventure. We stayed a total of 4 days in BKK and we saw most of the recommended sights including: Wat Pho (my favorite), the National Museum, Chinatown, the red light district of PatPong (in the very early evening), Jim Thompson's house, Vimanmek teak house, and so on and so on. We also spent one late afternoon at the movie complex at Siam Paragon where we saw the movie "Hitman". Reserved seating only in reclining seats makes movie going a unique experience in BKK. I would highly recommend it when you simply have to escape the scorching heat (and when you're in need of a grande Frappucino mocha java chip from Starbucks!).

Late yesterday we took the overnight train from BKK to Chiang Mai, which is in the North of Thailand. This was quite an experience in itself where I was on the upper bunk in the 2nd class A/C sleeper car and Janie was on the lower bunk. I think Janie took a few pictures of me settling into my upper bunk when I was having a mini-meltdown. It was so funny!

We are now booked into the 3 Sis vacation lodge for the next 5 nights. We thought it appropriate to stay at the 3 Sisters B&B since we each have 3 sisters (love you Jackie, Julie and Janie). It is much cooler here, at least in the morning, so that is a good sign. Our next adventures should take us to a Thai cooking school, visit to a hill tribe, an encounter of some sort with elephants (this one's for you Jackie) and much more.

Bye for now,
Johanne

Less than two weeks to go

I only have 7 work days left to go and one full weekend before I leave for Thailand. I am quite excited about it, which is unusual for me since I normally only get excited once my two feet have landed at my destination. Over and above the excitement of going to Asia for the first time in my life is the excitement of seeing my sister Janie after three months of her being on her one-year Round The World (RTW) adventure.

If you would like to follow Janie on her travels please visit her blog at:

http://rtwjanie.blogspot.com/

Until I post from Thailand, you can enjoy some of the pictures I took in Ireland and Northern Ireland in September 2006.